Aylmer Express "MoHo" Extravaganza 2006

I squeezed in a little more blogging this morning before we packed up camp and headed out for a swamp tour on our way to New Orleans. The locals recommened a tour that they said was one of the better ones. We figured that it was either a good one, or it was their brother running the tour. We arrived at a lonely looking boat launching area where Butch, our guide, was there to meet us. After we got the MoHo parked we jumped into his little flat bottom boat and we were off to the swamp. I have to admit that I was not prepared for the amount of wildlife we saw on our tour, most of which I will have trouble remembering the proper names for. You see, it was a little difficult trying to take notes with a camera in one hand while floating through the swamp. But I can tell you this, we saw a lot of amazing birds. We saw big ones such as cranes, egrets and herons, and we saw smaller ones like owls and King Fishers. We saw turtles, and fish, and spiders … lots of big scary-looking spiders. And, of course, we saw alligators! We learned a few things about alligators on our tour. For instance, did you know that alligators do not eat for about four months of the year? During this time their body functions are basically dormant and they just live off of what they have eaten up until then. If they did eat something during this dormant time it could be fatal as the food would just rot inside their bodies. They actually have their throats swell up to make it more difficult to swallow to help avoid this fate. So it is pretty safe to be near them during this time. Supposedly! We also found out that their brain is not very developed. The parent alligators do not teach the children alligators how to do anything. It is all instinct. They basically will eat anything that is smaller than them and they pretty much run from anything that is bigger than them. Butch also showed us some alligator eggs. Well, not fresh ones, but the left over shells from the latest batch of babies. He let us touch the shells and they actually feel like very thin leather. Quite interesting and lots of fun. Anyway, overall I think I was most impressed with just the simple, yet incredible, beauty and virtu of the swamp itself. The old-growth bald cypress trees were so impressive and the spanish moss hanging from the branches set the tone. Butch was a former crayfish fisherman and obviously a lover of the outdoors. He could spot and identify wildlife with seemingly no effort and he was happy to explain how everything in the swamp works and how it got to be the way it is. It was a thoroughly enjoyable tour and I think it would be fun to go back when it is a little warmer as there would likley be more alligators out sunning themselves on the logs around the lake ... or perhaps just swimming by! As I mentioned, we did get to see three or four alligators on our tour but a little more action from them would have made it more exciting. However, this may be one of those situations where you are not really sure how much excitement you really want. Perhaps in this case, less in more. After our tour we climbed back into the MoHo and made our way to the Home of Mardi Gras.

Today’s word:

virtu \vuhr-TOO; vir-\, noun:
1. love of or taste for fine objects of art.
2. Productions of art (especially fine antiques).
3. Artistic quality.
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