Alligator Alley

I must be a ginormous nerd because I'm not lying when I tell you my favorite thing in the whole world  is to sightsee! The fact that we move every 2-4 years makes my sightseeing-itch go crazy with every new state. I research the area, google the distance from our house, and put it on a mental list for "future places to go"...my lists can be long depending on the state. You don't even want to know what my list in Virginia looked like! So much history, so little time!

Want to hear something funny? When Kevin said we were moving to Florida for flight school, the first thing I said in response was (imagine this in a thick southern drawl)...

"I'm gunna see me some 'gators!" 

I was probably a little more excited than I should've been considering most people think alligators are horrendously ugly. I agree, but come on...the species itself is over 100 million years old and are nearly the same as they were when they lived alongside the dinosaurs! Truly amazing.  

I digress. Yesterday we were having a slow day with not much to do. Kevin was bored and I had just finished my homework for the day, so we made the 1 hour drive to Alligator Alley in Summerdale, Alabama. Sure enough, I was in awe of these enormously large and powerful looking reptiles. It was such a cool experience to see them up close and personal. 

Here are some pictures of our outing! 

Feeding time!

 So many alligators! 

96 degrees + humidity calls for some shaved ice! They even had mist stations throughout the park for guests to cool off!  

Watching the handler from the observation deck.  

Can we keep him?? Pleaaaaase??

Just hanging out in a swamp...you know, the usual!