Fifty Plus (50+) - More alligator photos

You know I'm a sucker for photographing alligators that I pass along the road out to the beach, so here are a few more. This guy was only about four feet off the road when I went right by him. I turned around and got these pics:

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll262/kurterle/gator2.jpg

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll262/kurterle/gator1.jpg

Here are a few I took when we went to Myakka State Park this summer. I took my good Panasonic FZ50 camera on this trip since there was a place to store it in my wife's rack bag.

This one was swimming in the canel along side of the road. He was around 6 ft long.
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These two were swimming under a bridge we crossed just after coming out of the parking area. The one on the left was huge, at least a 12 footer.
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Here are a few of my past favorites, all from rides in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, just north of Kennedy Space Center:

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll262/kurterle/IMG_0021.jpg

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll262/kurterle/DSC00074_2.jpg

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll262/kurterle/DSC00039.jpg

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll262/kurterle/100_0176.jpg

And I thought squirrels were a problem on roadways. :lol:

My first "real" job out of college was working for the City of Sanibel on Sanibel Island. Used to do alligator surveys at night from a canoe. Shined a light out in the water, counted the red glowing eyes and divided by two. Roosting anhingas, about 2 feet above the water in the mangroves, would scare the #$@^ at of you when you paddled into them in the pitch dark!

You guys have such cool animals down there. All we have here in Illinois are deer and coons.

You guys have such cool animals down there. All we have here in Illinois are deer and coons.

Deer, coon, and alligator are all pretty good when prepared properly.

I'm thinking this is not a good place to let the kitty go out.

I'm thinking this is not a good place to let the kitty go out.

Gator: "Here kitty, kitty."

Kurt and other Floridians, how scary is it when you puncture while riding alone through swampy areas? I can just imagine a big 'gator sneaking up behind you as you're busy changing a tube.:twitchy:

Gators actually are pretty timid. The one in the first photo in post #3 above jumped back into the water on the right when the car on the left approached. They really are a danger to people only if you're swimming in their pond (in which case you deserve to get chomped) or if you attack them. Nonetheless, I try to give the bigger ones wide berth when I see them. I don't think they're a threat to sneak up on you while fixing a flat.

Gators actually are pretty timid. The one in the first photo in post #3 above jumped back into the water on the right when the car on the left approached. They really are a danger to people only if you're swimming in their pond (in which case you deserve to get chomped) or if you attack them. Nonetheless, I try to give the bigger ones wide berth when I see them. I don't think they're a threat to sneak up on you while fixing a flat.
You are entitled to your stupid, idiotic, lame brained, ridiculous, absurd, ill-advised ideas-:0)