Baby 'Gators

Big Boys.

If you drive I-10 through Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, you're bound to see billboards for a variety of alligator based experiences. Whether they're fan boat rides through the swamps or 'gator farms or 'gator ranches, alligator culture abounds. As many times as I've driven that stretch of road I've never stopped. I always looked at the swamps and imagined what lived in them instead of actually stopping and seeing. On this past trip that changed. We took a break at stopped at The Gator Ranch in Moss Point Mississippi. Word on the street is that the upcoming season of the show Gator Boys will be filmed on location there. The burly looking guys with cameras and shirts that said "Gator Boys Crew" on them were also a clue. We don't have cable, so we'll probably never see an episode, but if you do, be sure to tune in.

A girl, a gator, and I really nice guy.

So what did we see? Gators. Big ones and little ones. Really big ones. Alligators in excess of 13 feet in fact. Intellectually I knew that a 13 foot alligator is big, but that didn't really prepare me for actually seeing one. They're really big. Like really big. The kids were also able to hold a small one which was really cool. The alligator they're holding is somewhere between one and a half and two years old. Again, pretty cool, not the kind of thing you get to do when you grow up above the Mason Dixon line.
All in all the stop was well worth our time. We didn't take the fan boat ride though I have no doubt it would have been worth it as well. I don't know how many of you are likely to find yourself rolling through southern Mississippi any time soon, but if you do, keep your eyes peeled. In fact, I'm starting to think that I should be keeping my eyes peeled more when I drive. I've been passing a lot of cool things in my hurry to get from one place to another over the years. Maybe it's time to slow down.