Gators...We Got Gators

At 7 a.m., we met in the front lobby of Sleep Inn. By 7:20...we were on our way to the La Chua trail. Or...at least most of us were. Apparently Anni (Bikerbear) was still at the Sleep Inn...sleeping in. (Somehow...she got misplaced.) After 5 minutes (and 14 phone calls)...she rejoined us.

The next event took place right before we started our hike. Debbi (dbifulco) was so excited about hitting the trail that she had to use the facilities (a porta-john.) Anni called out for the cameras at the ready. Poof! Just like that...15 cameras ready to shoot. Debbi finally came out...and it was SURPRISE!!! Click...click...click. Kinda funny.

Off we went...quickly spacing ourselves out. (Some people like to shoot anything that moves.) We joined back up when we came to our first water obstacle. To wade across...or not? To take off shoes and socks...or not? Tero and Festina from Finland set the pace. (They were smart...they wore water shoes.)

On our way back...3 huge gators were sunning themselves on the shore. This big boy was the biggest of the three. (How can you be so handsome, and so ugly at the same time?) All was going good...everybody was getting their shots...until...until...some yahoo decided to have his wife take his picture...while he reclined in front of the gators. What an idiot. What an imbecile. What a moron. Plus...he had his young son (7 or 8 years old) with him. (A fine example for the young man.)

Part of me wanted this big boy to rush the guy. Not hurting him...but maybe just gnawing on his ankle. Instead...the gators retreated to the water...ruining everybody's photo ops. We debated whether to gang up on the guy, and throw him in...but decided against it.

Please check out my FLICKR PAGE for many more photos. Gators, horses, and birds. A great day with great people.

P.S. The strawberries went over well. They tasted real good after the hike.