Touring Anastasia Island

On Sunday, we borrowed the marina car for a grocery run, and then decided to give sightseeing another try, as the temps were much better and the winds had died. The tickets we'd bought for the trolley tour the day before, were good for three days use of the trolley, and the "Beach Bus", so we took our bikes into the historic district of St. Augustine, and hopped the "Beach Bus" to Anastasia Island. We rode over to visit the St. Augustine lighthouse. Scott climbed to the top, while I waited below(when we visited England last Spring, I found that I don't do enclosed spiral stairs well). When Scott got to the top, the sun had come out, allowing some good photo opportunities.

The light keepers here had it good, compared to the ones who had to watch over the bay lights. There was a sizable house on the grounds, where the keeper and his family lived. Although they were a bit isolated, the town of St. Augustine was nearby. Some of the daily jobs, however, didn't sound so great. Every two hours, the keeper had to carry two 5 gallon buckets full of kerosene up the 200-some stairs to keep the oil lamp lit. In the pictures, the keepers all seemed pretty lean and wiry...guess that's why!

I'd been strangely curious about the ads we'd been seeing for the Alligator Farm. It was also on Anastasia Island, and the bus also made stops there. It was a bit late in the day, so I asked the driver if it was worth going, with only a little over an hour to see it. He offered to kill some time after his last drop, and pick us up at 5, giving us an extra 25 minutes. So we bought some tickets and headed in.

The Alligator Farm was really neat; worth the time. They had a TON of Alligators(as some place named the Alligator Farm should). Also quite a few crocodiles, birds, reptiles..and monkeys! But the alligators were the most interesting. SOO many! They were laying everywhere, on land, in the water, on each other; all sizes. Some were HUGE! There were several places where you could purchase food for them. The alligators knew where these places along the route were, and there was quite a skirmish for the treats!

We missed the feeding, much to Scott's dismay, but got to see the alligator info. show. We learned that you can out run an alligator, as their weight keeps them from being too fast. We were also told that you cannot out swim an alligator, which we were already pretty sure of. They lie around most of the time, trying to keep warm..on land, or in the water. The bumps on their backs are actual bones. Blood vessels run under them, so if the alligator's back is in the sun, that helps to heat his body. There are many, many species of crocodiles, but only two species of alligators: American and Chinese. The Chinese Alligators are smaller than the American, just like humans. Because of an alligator's weight, their balance isn't too good. They use their tails for counterbalance. When they swing their head left, the tail moves in the same direction. When they eat, and put their heads up, the tail goes up as well. Their teeth are made for biting and severing, not chewing, so they put their heads up to swallow food whole, or in big chunks. Here ends the alligator lesson. Check out our Alligator Farm pictures!