It’s really is wild…

Welcome :)

Driving to Myrtle Beach, SC from Georgia we saw a wildlife refuge. Tyler and I decided the 4 mile loop might be fun to see. As soon as we noticed the hiking trail sign, immediately followed by a “caution: there are wild alligators” sign, we were intrigued. Who wants to go hiking where there are alligators?

Wildlife

Birdie 

After driving for at least 2 miles we stopped to talk to a guy bird watching, he informed us that he has been to the refuge many times and never seen any alligators. Tyler was slightly disappointed as the thought of “Croc hunting” (complete with a terrible Australian accent) alligators had got him excited.

Dragonflies

Ever persistent, we trained our eyes on the water and were determined! We were also rewarded by seeing 5 alligators (though out our drive.) One was just swimming in the water all by himself. So we pulled up, got a little brave and got out the car. After devising our escape plan if he started swimming our way, I started snapping photos. He looked like a pretty small alligator so Tyler’s theory was that “he’s probably a teenager that just moved out.”

An Alligator!!!

He started swimming a little our way and immediately Tyler and I look at each other and started debating how fast they can run. Knowing that animals are unpredictable we decided we had had enough of a close encounter and headed to the safety of the car.

The "Croc Hunter"

Once in our hotel, we checked out the swimming facilities. The pool was super cool, it was both inside and outside and with it beginning Summer time it felt great to be able to swim outside in the open air!

Our 5 things we are thankful for today…

1)      Seeing Wild alligators up close (and getting some pics)

2)      South African food in Georgia

3)      Swimming pools and hot tubs after a long hot day

4)      Chick-fil-a...nuff said (Tyler’s favourite fast food restaurant, which Milwaukee has none of)

5)      Old school tunes for driving (Think backstreet Boys, ‘N Sync)

The ‘Alligator Hunting’ piece was a lot of fun and one of those things that if we had just flown to these destinations would have completely missed. This is the reason I love doing road trips, because we always leave time to do little detours that can take you to new and exciting adventures. It was a really neat experience to get that close to wild alligators.

In flight

Hello Mr Alligator

And goodbye...

Pretty big!