Went Cycling, Saw a Gator!

A bit overcast today until at least noon but a great day for a bike ride. Five of us headed out from the park into Zolfo Springs which is just down the road. We wandered around town and also into the Pioneer Park. There is another RV park here. It is smaller than the Thousand Trail park we are in and there are no sewer hook ups, but there is a dump site, water and electricity. Some campers stay here during their 7 day out period from Thousand Trails. There is a small pond inside the RV park and an alligator owns that pond. We cycled by the pond and could see him laying on a dead tree trunk that had fallen into the water on the far side from us. Alligators are very territorial. This guy laid there while we tried to call him over. After a few minutes, low and behold, he slid into the water and calmly swam over toward our location, stopping just 10 feet off shore, with nothing visible but his head. It was kind of eery watching him, laying there motionless....perfectly still.....only his eyes and snout were visible. Not hard to see how they can catch prey by surprise. That is very likely what happened to the deer killed by one of the gators near our campsite. The deer likely came down to the river for a drink at night and the gator grabbed him while at the river. Amazing creature to see up close.....but not too close!