The Odyssey of the Gator

Shall we go relax by the river?

I may have touched once or twice on the apparent casual nature with which South Floridians approach the alligator. As a nordic gal who’s spent her entire life with sensibly substantial and preferably steel-reinforced barriers between me and the crocodilian species I find this attitude slightly mad, terrifying and absolutely fascinating at the same time. Just to give you a flavor of this craziness, here’s an example of a typical morning exchange:

Man on trail: “Good Morning”
Me: “Good Morning”

You see, it all starts off rather normal, lulling you into a false sense of saneness…

Man on Trail: “Did you see the two gators on the lake back there”, he asks casually
Me, starting to feel wierd and lightheaded: “errgh”, I manage to choke out
Man on Trail: “One of them was a mighty big one” he adds, almost as an afterthought
Me: “yeeeesss….rather, errrr, interesting” I sputter trying to appear nonchalant and relaxed

Of course at this point my brain is spinning out of control and my mind feels like it’s time-warped into another dimension. My inner dialogue is going more along the line of “WHAT…are you MAD?? Uncaged alligators are roaming FREE on the Lake with death-clamp jaws ready to FEED on unsuspecting Scandinavians with NO restraint???!!” I imagine this followed by a scene somewhat akin to the panic button from “Chicken Run” where I run headlong down the trail, screaming uncontrollably “Alligators are loose! RUN, FLEE, SAVE YOURSELVES….aaaaahhhh”

Of course, none of this actually manifests. With incredible restraint, possibly cultivated by several years of college in England, I manage to mumble something about the weather and continue weakly on my walk in a terrified daze.

The logo for the SWAMP Mountain Bike Club at Alafia...naturally it's a gator

Yet all this is considered completely normal and acceptable down here. Gators at the lake, in the canal, on the golf-course etc. They’re part of the local wildlife, completely natural and are conversed about in casual passing the same way you might mention a bird that you glimpsed or the fine weather we’re having today. The gator becomes an icon and almost a State Pet, being adopted in school logos, radio names and local signs. In a word, it’s considered almost “cute”.

I can’t rightly come to terms with it and I guess, not being a Floridian, I probably never will, but I did manage to come up with my little own poem about the whole situation which, although amateurish and poorly written (and in no way at all related to the Greek version..and rather shorter I might add) really helps to sum up my feelings on the matter. I’ve named it my “Odyssey of the Gator”…

The first day I saw the gator
Which was terrifying
Because I knew he was there
The second day I heard the gator
Which was bone-chillingly worse
Because I couldn’t see him
But I knew he was there
The third day I neither heard nor saw the gator
Which was infinitely more horrific
Because I couldn’t see him
And I couldn’t hear him
But I knew he was there
The fourth day I saw the gator
Which pretty much did me in
Because now, I knew he was there

You’ll notice I don’t have any gator-pictures in this post, not being in an appropriate state to go track down the monsters. Don’t let that fool you, however…they’re out there somewhere….

POST Publication Edit: Fear not my friends. Although I may appear truly terrified my post is somewhat tongue-in-cheek and makes ample use of my warped sense of humor. I’m not really as worried as all that and find the gator rather fascinating…after all I have a hubby who’s quite the fan

The Lure of Brisket and Pals

A teeny blossom hangs onto the morning dew

So, we’ve decided to stay another couple of days at Alafia River SP. It’s just too darn nice here and we can’t bear to rip ourselves away so soon.

First of all, the weather has been perfect. I mean ideal, lovely, warm, sunny days and cool evenings interspersed with brilliant sunsets, star-filled nights and gorgeous afternoon walks on the trail (I must apologize to those folks stuck in the frozen North -> all I can say is, get your RV’s down here!).

Paul and Freddie

Second of all, Paul’s old pal is here. The two Cubanos love hanging out and even joined us for a week-end camp-out with the kids at the park. We had a blast walking the trails, drinking wine and burning marshmallows on the campfire. There’s nothing quite like the great outdoors in the company of good friends and good food to create the perfect day.

Then, there’s the brisket…

Smokin' Joe's....drooooool....

Now, as you may know we’re both rather foodie-crazed, and the lure of a good meal can be quite the draw. We discovered Smokin’ Joe’s (10252 County Road 39 S
Lithia, FL 33547) last time we were here, and have been haunted by smoked meat fantasies ever since. Paul was literally drooling the entire drive North, and we rushed hungrily to the place almost as soon as we arrived.

A picture-perfect morning at Alafia

And believe me, it’s worth it…EVERYthing is good here. The small family run business serves up an assortment of meats with the absolute perfect mix of smoke, flavor and tenderness highlighted by luscious, deep, homemade BBQ sauces. It’s no surprise that those in the know, know…. In fact the beef brisket is such a star that it sells out the day after they make it, every single time, and it’s rare to find the place without a queue of enthusiasts salivating in the driveway.

So, with a good stock of smoked meat in the fridge (and the plan to go back and stock up again before we go), we’ll relax for a few more days in this swamp paradise. After all there’s no rush, and with surroundings as nice as this why would we be in any hurry to leave? Bon Appétit, everyone!

Armadillo’s, Grunts and Spanish Moss

Eerie and beautiful Spanish Moss

It’s like a scene out of Jurassic Park. Swamp lakes, green algae, and oak trees with long tufts of hairy growths swaying eerily in the wind. To complete the picture I hear a long, sonorous growl coming from somewhere on my left followed by a rustling and…how can I put it…a sniffle-snort-grunt coming from right in front of me. It feels exactly like I’ve time-warped back into the primordial goo of a past Ice Age and yet I know, consciously, that I’m still somewhere in modern-day Florida.

As it turns out the hairy green tufts are Spanish Moss, the growl is an alligator (the bigger the growl, the bigger the gator in case you’d like to know) and the rustling brings forth the surprising picture of an Armadillo. It’s the nature of the swamp and once you get over your initial terror, it’s rather a cool place.

The primal and comical Armadillo

I’d never actually seen an Armadillo “in the flesh” so to speak until I came to Florida, and I have to admit the first time I did I burst out laughing. It’s almost impossible to believe that an animal can look so prehistoric and yet so ridiculous at the same time. The “little armored one” as the Spanish named them are leather-shelled animals with long, sharp claws (for digging) offset with soft, pink noses and hairy legs. Their closest living relatives are anteaters and sloths, and the most common american version, the Nine-Banded Armadillo (Dasypus Novemcinctus) ranges all the way from Florida to Nebraska. I spent a good hour “tracking” the elusive little animal who, despite its apparent clumsiness and almost complete blindness can really leg it when it wants to.

Spanish Moss casts long shadows in the afternoon sun at Alafia

The Spanish Moss I find equally enthralling. This hairy, green growth is actually not a moss, but an Epiphyte, a kind of “air-plant” that grows solely by picking up nutrients and water in the air. The long, grey-green-scaled tentacles elongate and intertwine like a complicated dance up to 20-feet long and propagate by seed and fragments that blow in the wind. It’s a gypsy of the air and it grows all over the South, reminding us that life flows to a different rythm down here.

The gators…well, lets just say I’m happy to leave them be for now. I think I’ll stick to the rest of nature and stay in my own little naive dream of prehistoric fun. Now, if just Tarzan would come along……

SP Campground Rating – Alafia River State Park, Lithia, FL

Another very relaxing stop, with some mountain biking thrown in for fun!
Link to campground here: Alafia River State Park
Link to map here: Alafa River State Park

1. Site Quality = 4.5/5
   This is a very new park and the sites reflect that. They’re all long, paved flat sites with nice grass “sitting areas” and good separation between campers. All have picnic table, fire-pit, 50Amp and water. Selection of back-in and pull-though, plus sites for horse-camping in the Lonesome Lake loop.
2.  Facilities = 4.5/5
   The facilities are spacious, brand new and cleaned daily so they’re very nice. Their only ding is that they only built one shower per restroom (one men’s and one women’s) so if it’s occupied you’re out of luck to get clean. The surrounding area is a playground paradise with a picnic pavilion, grassy play area, lakes, over 20 miles of horse-trails, 17 miles of bike trails and hiking. There’s also on-site dump station and potable water.
3. Location = 3.5/5
   I have to give this campground bonus points for the huge mountain bike and hiking area that’s next to it, plus the lovely lakes. Lithia is not exactly a “destination” location so there’s not a lot to see in the surrounding town, but the park itself has plenty of activity to keep you busy.
4. Pet Friendliness = 5/5
   Another great pet-friendly location. Lots of space in the campground, plus plenty of hiking in the surrounding area (trails can be accessed directly from end of Lonesome Lake view)

Overall Rating = 4.4
BONUS ALERT = Bike some of the raddest mountain bike trails in FL!

Summary: We chose this stop mainly to visit one of Paul’s old buddies and ended up really enjoying our stay. This is a very new campground located on 6,000 acres of natural land with over 20 miles of horse-trails, hiking, fishing, kayaking and some of Florida’s most challenging mountain bike terrain (as accredited by the International Mountain Biking Association). The camping sites are laid-out in an open grassy area and are large, flat, paved sites with 50Amp/water and nice separation between campers. Most have an open view of the grounds plus a select few (#27, 4, 5, 6) with lake views  There’s a lovely lake and playground area in the middle of the two camping loops. During the week this place clears out and you have an entire wilderness area to yourself. It tends to fill up with locals and horse-campers on the week-end. Lithia is not exactly a destination location, but I have to admit the mountain biking here (built on an old phosphate mine) is an unique draw. We spent a lovely week hanging out by the lake, biking on the trails and spotting wildlife (gator, wild boar and birds). A very cool place and we’d definitely come back to stay.

 Extra Info:  Verizon data worked flawlessly, AT&T cellphones worked barely. Sites are reservable, $22/night for 50Amp electric/water with selection of back-in and pull-through. On-site dump station.

View of our site (#21)

View down Alafia Lake loop showing pull-through site #18 on the left

One of sites with lake view (#4)

Another view of Alafia Lake loop (site #30 on left)

View of lake between the 2 camping loops

Playground area and facilities