On a Gator Hunt

While in Florida, 4 people went on a hunt for an alligator.....

So they took a little ride on an airboat, appropriately named "Swamp Thang"....

and wore some pretty cool "protective" clothing......

And off they headed into the swamp.



"Keep your eyes out for some gators!  They are out there!"










See any yet???




nope......

still no gators....



but pretty marshland to go through.














so, halfway through our hunt, our "cruise director" hops out of the boat and starts digging.


what's he going to show us?










a fiddleback crab!

and yes, he was made with one big pincher and one tiny one.

When you pull up to the beach, the ground is covered with hundreds of these guys.  But they quickly burrow into the sand if you get too close.

He also found a shell with a big tail that he sucked in real quick.


My 8 year old was not impressed.

"where's the gators mom?"

On to hunt for more gators. Think we will find any?

nope - but we got this great family pic!

 and here's the closest we got to finding one......

until.....

Yes!  We found one.  So what if he was a baby named "Captain Crunch" and he was there for the tourists to hold, Brody was happy!

In fact, we had a fantastic time on the airboat tour, despite not finding much wildlife.  Our boat driver showed us all kinds of interesting plants, animals, and showed us the effects from Hurricane Katrina.  He was a former pilot who does tours for fun, so he did tons of fun tricks, like 360's and riding over the grassy swampland.

As for the gators, the last time one was seen on a trip had been in September. boo.  Oh well, it was a fun experience!