...another reservation I had made for the three of us on the following day was to tour the swamps on a boat. And this is one I looked forward to doing. You see, I love the bald cypress trees with the Spanish Moss hanging so gracefully; swinging in the breezes --to me, it is what makes the swamps beautiful. That, and the colors. Being that our trip was Autumnal season, I was sure some of the grasses and low-lying plants may have some color [which they did]. Now the difference between swamp and marsh is ... swamps are more or less all wooded, while marsh just has grasses and reeds. The tour was on private property...250 acres of pristine, quiet, wetlands, with twists and turns along several canals amongst the moors! It was about 2 1/2 hours into the swamps, just coasting along the canals and viewing, viewing, viewing. We got a lot of history of the area along with seeing wildlife, Cajun cabins, and even an ancient cemetery!!! Since today is Camera Critter Day for blogging, I thought I'd show some of the critters along the way [I'll share the cemetery and cabin and the beauty of the water and trees on another post coming soon]....
One of the bronze sculptures at the boats' docks
The great gator wrestler...me,
and a turtle sunning itself along the tour's route
Gators galore!
Capt.Jack Sparrow Allen and Bud with 1 yr. old alligator
Baby alligator [held by Erik]
Egrets
Egrets and a snake...
Water Moccasin - The captain stopped the boat, circled around and came closer to the wooded area...telling us there is a snake there. He also said he 'smelled' it beforehand. I was impressed. Must be the Cajun upbringing! LOL....for I did not smell a thing! Nor did I see it. But I took a photo of the area he was pointing to and when I got home...I'll be darned, there it was - pretty as a picture!! [not!] Dang. [Captain Allen said the moccasins emit a very powerful musky odor...okay, gotcha. Like I'm gonna be walking in the swampland, smellin' out snakes!!!]
More egrets
One of the bronze sculptures at the boats' docks
The great gator wrestler...me,
and a turtle sunning itself along the tour's route
Gators galore!
Capt.
Baby alligator [held by Erik]
Egrets
Egrets and a snake...
Water Moccasin - The captain stopped the boat, circled around and came closer to the wooded area...telling us there is a snake there. He also said he 'smelled' it beforehand. I was impressed. Must be the Cajun upbringing! LOL....for I did not smell a thing! Nor did I see it. But I took a photo of the area he was pointing to and when I got home...I'll be darned, there it was - pretty as a picture!! [not!] Dang. [Captain Allen said the moccasins emit a very powerful musky odor...okay, gotcha. Like I'm gonna be walking in the swampland, smellin' out snakes!!!]
More egrets
Nice tour....One thing on my bucket list is to do the tour through the everglades in Fl. What a photographers dream. Great shots! Very interesting fact about the smell of the water moccasin.
ReplyDeleteThank you for telling us, the diff between a swamp and a marsh!
ReplyDeleteSo now I guess that across from us, it's a swamp. It's a not too big wet area, preserved... on the college campus which is right near us. Lots of trees, so it's not a marsh. But other places on the campus, would be called marsh.
It's a lovely place for walking... This campus, which is very open and has lots of walking paths. :-)
Mmmm yes, I'd love the hanging moss toooooo. It kind-of-says-Old-South, to me. :-)
"Christmas is the season for kindling the fire of hospitality in the hall, the genial flame of charity in the heart." ~~Washington Irving
Cool! Those alligators are huge, except for the baby one. Even when they are babies they are not cute and I thought ALL babies are. Except flies of course.
ReplyDeleteNice picture of you, Annie! You look right at home on the back of that beast.
Cool pictures, I want to go there now.
ReplyDeleteWe did a swamp tour in South Carolina a few years ago. We didn't get to hold any gators though!
ReplyDeleteLooks like a very fun getaway. The swamp ride reminds me of the one we did in Georgia a few years ago - loved it.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know they smelled either. The closet I ever came to one of this type was when we had our 'rive house'. He was swimming toward the bank with only his head visible. I took a tour like this once.
ReplyDeleteMama Bear
Wow! What an amazing experience. I must admit that I'd never do it, as I'm afraid of gators!
ReplyDeleteWonderful! Thanks for taking us on this lovely tour.
ReplyDeleteHi Anni, I think I would like to take this tour. Wonderful photos. It is always nice to have someone spotting the critters. Love the egrets and the gators. The snake is a cool sighting too. Wonderful photos, have a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteHi Anni, oh, my, I love your photos! We did that when we were there too ... I loved it. The boat looked the same, and I have pics of me holding a baby alligator; wonder if it was the same outfit?
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing, this was very interesting.
Kathy
A wonderful tour! That snake is really camouflaged.
ReplyDeleteSwamp Critters deserve some lovin' too ... but at a distance!
ReplyDeleteGreat shots! And a baby alligator with its mouth taped shut - to be on the safe side, I guess...
ReplyDeleteyou sure tamed that gator! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your wonderful tour!! Enjoyed those photos!
ReplyDeleteHi Anni What great pictures and commentary...I felt like I was right there with you.
ReplyDeleteYou are woman see you wrestle the 'gators.
Hugs C
That's some serious critters on vacation! Happy Critter Day! (Keep those visiting gators small!!!)
ReplyDeleteGanz wundervolle Tiere, die sieht man bei uns nur im Zoo, wenn überhaupt.
ReplyDeleteGLG Marianne ♥
I'd love to hold a baby alligator!!
ReplyDeleteI bet that was a fun tour. Isn't it scary how well those snakes can blend into the scenery. I have heard about rattlesnakes emitting a smell, (like cucumbers), so I guess water moccasins can smell musky. I really don't want to get close enough to know.
ReplyDeleteGreat pictures. I look forward to seeing the rest of your pictures.
I'm waiting to see the cemetery and trees, I can't wait for that!!! LOTS of gators! The baby ones are kinds cute, but still rather evil looking. Thanks for teaching me the difference between swamp and marsh, I didn't know. Love the way your background twinkles!!
ReplyDelete