Harris Neck - part 2 - Alligators

Through this trip I've been hoping to see a gator or a croc in the wild. I've seen plenty of signs saying not to feed them but until Harris Neck wildlife refuge, I hadn't seen any.

I saw this sign and rolled my eyes ... "Sure, there's live gators here. Yeah right."
I walk up the bank and look around and I saw my first gator in the wild. He was not a man-eater yet but still was awesome to see.

sunning itself on a log

Gator #2 was about 20 feet long. Not really. More like 4-6 feet long?

They're really cool beasts. They completely ignore humans.

Sleeping?

 Off in the distance I see something almost as interesting as wild gators...

Way off in the distance

enroute

there it is

I'm guessing it was 50 feet tall.. just enough to see over the tree tops

It had ladders instead of stairs like some firetowers

Not sure why they needed 4 boats? Maybe to play bumper boats on the park rangers day off?

It was locked. The locking device really only keeps out fat people. Anyone less that a foot wide could slip between the bars and around the device. I'm sure 100's of kids have climbed this. I could have but chose not too. My motto is... "It's easier to ask for forgivness than it is to ask for permission". But, I imagine that it would be really hard getting any forgiveness if I'd been caught scaling the locked tower.

Firetowers usually make great hiking destinations. Here's a website of FORMER TOWER LOATIONS throughout the USA. I'm sure there's one near you to go explore.

Here's a bunch of tower locations in the Adirondack mountains near where Herman & I live.

Lots of towers are being restored now. People are understanding the historical significance and that they make great healthy tourist destinations.