There
were many decisions to make of what to do today; the Fountain of Youth, San
Sebastian Winery, Augustine Lighthouse, the Old Jail, Castillo de San Marcos,
and the Ponce de Leon Hotel (which is now Flagler College.)
Many
buildings in the city were constructed by Henry Flagler. (I mentioned before
that he and J.D. Rockefeller started Standard Oil.) Flagler had churches and
hotels built and he even established the railroad here.
The
shuttle van arrived to pick me up about 10:30 a.m. This day I wore my sweater.
I had an easier time getting in this van. At the Red Train Stop #2, the shuttle
van’s base, I bought a ticket for the Alligator Farm. (One thing I haven’t
mentioned is that this sightseeing tour company is owned by Ripley’s Believe It
Or Not and that museum is just down the street. I’m not interested in strange
atrocities.) I caught the next Red Train and got off at Stop #4 where the
shuttle to the Alligator Farm and lighthouse calls home.
The
driver was out on a run, so I chatted with Melissa, the woman minding the shop.
She was originally from Michigan. I haven’t had many real conversations with
anyone on this trip, but she is one with whom we made a connection. We talked
about the north vs. south and kids now-a-days.
The
driver finally made it back with a group and we headed out across the Bridge of
Lions to Anastasia Island. I commented on the feasibility of my spending the
money to go see the lighthouse when I’d be unable to climb to the top. Would it
be worth it just to see the grounds and look up? He agreed that it probably
wouldn’t be. We have lighthouses along the east coast anyway and there’s so
much to see here.
The
Alligator Farm is a series of wide board walks meandering back and forth. I
first noticed an unpleasant odor or maybe I should just call it unusual. It’s
probably due to all these different species. I saw a toucan, but he was behind
heavy screening which is not conducive to good photographs. Next were white
crocodiles and alligators. I took a picture of the Albino American Alligator
and a picture of a whole bunch of baby alligators. Then there were LOTS of
alligators of all different sizes. I kept hearing this noise like a huge snore-rumble.
It was the alligators! There were so many.
Bright
blue caught my eye. Ah! Birds! Blue, red, and green macaws and parrots all
posing to be photographed. We don’t have these in N.H. Then there was this kind
of ugly, strange looking, long legged bird with a big bulbous growth hanging on
his neck. It reminded me of a turkey’s waddle only this was bluish and like a
half inflated balloon. A sign said Marabou Stork which can stand up to five
feet tall and have an eight and a half foot wingspan.
One
of my favorites was the West African Crowned Crane. There were a pair and they
necked and preened each other. How sweet. I took three or four photos. They
were so pretty
Also
in this cage were white buzzards and other vultures. Evidently they had just
been fed because they were all squabbling over stuff on the ground… I didn’t
care to know what that was. The driver on the way over had told me that some of
the birds build nests and if too many babies, one will “accidently” fall to the
ground to be devoured by an alligator. He said it’s selective______ (I forget
the word that follows.)
I
continued along the boardwalk, which is raised high above the alligator
enclosure. There were so many alligators that anyone falling in during their
hungry period wouldn’t stand a chance. Good thing the fences were high and
strong. Photos were taken of Galapagos turtles and more alligators. Overhead in
the trees were zip lines and a ropes course. This is truly an adventure park.
I
headed towards the rookery. In the distance I could see some white birds in a
huge tree. In a tree off to the right, I saw in a nest something pink and
yellow. I extended the lens in the camera. Is that alive? It moved. Oh, my
gosh, are there young this time of year? I took a photo figuring I could crop
it later to get a closer view. Higher up in that tree was an ibis. I photographed
many ibis and green herons trying to catch some in flight. The green herons
seemed to be mostly sleeping.
I
got closer to that big tree that had the flock of white birds. Not all of them
were white, some were pink. Those must be the rosy spoonbill (I must have
walked by the sign so I don’t know if I have the name right.) I caught
something flying. It was one of those spoonbills and it flew to that nest that
I’d seen earlier. That must have been a baby there!
I
wandered through a museum depicting stories of some of the largest alligators
and crocodiles known. I looked at snakes, but most were curled up sleeping this
time of day. I finally had enough alligators. I had a burger and fries at the
snack shack. The root beer tasted like it was made with the swamp water. Then I
went outside to wait for the shuttle.
On
to my next adventure… it was only noon.
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