Gator Boys

On our way to Everglades Holiday Park, it POURED! We could barely see.

Tyler and Malia took naps. 

Steven was so excited when we pulled into the parking lot, he told us where the gator boys were sitting or standing or talking about various things on their TV show. We were really there! And I loved his excitement. We were hoping to really see one of the cast members. I mean, they're not just cast members, they're the real volunteers.

We went on a big air boat called "Big Thunder." It's much quieter than the primitive air boat we went on a couple of years ago w/o kids. 

Tyler was a little nervous and held tight to me then to stronger Daddy. 

 Dylan liked when we were stopped to look at birds and plants at first but got stayed close later.

 These are vultures, there were lots.

 We saw some of these pretty birds and some baby birds too.

We didn't go fast very many places, we only got fast for two short times.

 We saw 2 gators up close! The driver went fast for a little but mostly we went really slowly. Our airboat was called the Big Thunder. Dylan was too nervous to slide to the edge to look out then happily dawned the optional life jacket that Tyler refused. We saw baby birds running around and learned that the everglades are   not a swamp, it is just a really slow river which flows 300' a day.

We really saw one of the Gator Boys! Mike is the volunteer who deals with the dangerous snakes. He has a degree in criminal justice and Steven tells me he is a football player. He did the gator wrestling show after our air boat ride.

These are the Gator Boys' lockers. To Steven and Darren, seeing them was a close second to seeing the two main gator boys, Tre, Mike, Scott, Ashley, Chris, and J-Mart. 

 The kids held the taped baby gator for $5 each.

 We let the kids run around for a while since we were in no rush and it wasn't quite dinner time yet.

There were peacocks there! Big bright peacocks!

 Tyler is the little blur under the gator's mouth, see him?

We bought the group picture, shark teeth necklaces and shirts for Father's Day. A surprise was not possible, not that Steven or Darren read this, but Darren wore his shirt for dinner already.

We hung out watching the peacocks then loaded back up.