We were going to leave Thursday, but changed our mind. We decided that we had been driving hard, it was time for a rest, and that it was very nice here in the park.
We took a hike around Elm lake in the morning. The signs warn of alligators, but we were not prepared to see as many alligators as we did. Some were on the bank, sunning themselves. Some were in the water, cruising around. Some were just lying in the water. It was amazing and spooky to walk within 20 feet of an alligator.
In the afternoon, we walked around 40 Acre Lake, and saw more alligators, including one who we saw walk from one pond to another. We climbed the observation tower, from which we could watch the alligators cruise the lake.
We also got in some good birdwatching. We identified a blue winged teal, a black-bellied whistling duck, and a little blue heron, beautiful birds, and new to us. We saw great blue herons, a great egret, male and female cardinals, and lots of coots, moorhens, and cattle egrets.
Walking through the dense forest, with Spanish Moss, it feels like the forest primeval, especially around dusk, when it is much darker inside the forest than in the clearings.
A beautiful and quiet park, at least during the week. This weekend there is a big Earth Day event, so the park will probably be full, but we will leave here Friday AM, starting our drive to Phoenix.
Richard and Marianne
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