Day Trip of the Week

 

 

Starting out with the return portion of our week-day drive last week.   It's big sugar country east of us and coming home we drove past miles of cane fields.  They look pretty at this stage, blowing in the light breeze.  Sometimes in that area (and even at the Canal Cottage), you can smell sugar in the air --they still burn off the leaves before cutting the cane.

 

 

You can't always go to the Keys or the Beach to admire the beautiful Florida sunset -- but  it's a pretty good show even driving along the freeway at the right time of the evening.

 Now I'll share some pictures from the "Old Florida" attraction we visited earlier in the day.

 

Sulcata Tortoise

 Sulcata Tortoises are unique looking, smart and friendly and for this reason people often think they would make good pets.   But they can weigh up to 200 pounds, they poop a lot, and they can dig through practically anything.    The rescue portion of the facility  gets a lot of "adopt my pet" requests from people who can't manage them any more.

 

 

 Peacock

These exotic birds need a lot of room  and can be very destructive and noisy.   They roamed freely around the facility -- and this one made quite a commotion when it flew right over our heads into the trees..

 

 

Galapagos Tortoise

Galapagos tortoises are one of the longest-lived land animals, living an average of 100 years. 

I have been secretive so far about the name of the place we visited for a reason.    Seems like many readers really, really don't like alligators --   and I wanted everybody to have some pictures to look at before the very name of the place scared them off.      Yes, we went to Gatorama in Palmdale  --  a place we hadn't visited for years.   Here is a link to that post which tells more about this old Florida roadside attraction.  (It was here before Disney World in other words.)   I didn't actually take too many pictures of the animals in question, because we see them pretty often in the wild.  

 

 

The place has evolved from a kind of cheesy reptile roadside attraction to a facility that actually cares for animals although there are still elements of the former.    It's  a rescue facility, an alligator farm (raising animals for meat),  and a kind of reptile zoo.      They also educate the public about the reptiles that are housed here and about co-existing with alligators which live everywhere in this State.   Kind of a mixture of the good, the beautiful, and the ugly actually.

 

 

Grandpa is the oldest alligator in captivity.  Brought here in the late 1950s, he was already a full-grown mature bull alligator and has sired many  generations.  He's a favorite of everybody who works with him and who sees him.   The sign goes on:

"This species, scientists say, is more than 150 million years old, managing to avoid extinction 65 million years ago when their prehistoric contemporaries the dinosaurs died off."   

That sentence explains pretty well why I think these animals are fascinating rather than repulsive.  They trigger my imagination!   Thankful to be alive now and standing near animals that easily could have been alive in prehistoric times.  (But not too near of course!)   

 

LINKING to the following sharing opportunities, with thanks to the hosts:

MOSAIC MONDAY;  NATURE NOTES;  THROUGH MY LENS; MY CORNER OF THE WORLD; SIGNS SIGNS; THANKFUL THURSDAY;  SKYWATCH FRIDAY;  and  SATURDAY CRITTERS    

 

 

 

Comments

[JSelep]

Nice photography!

[Breathtaking]

Hello Sallie
My goodness I learnt a lot from your informative post. I didn't know that the sugarcane leaves are burnt before the harvest.The blooms do look pretty blowing in the wind. Your sky shots are truly beautiful.
You may remember that I visited a nature reserve not long ago, and made a post with both the peacock and the Sulcata Tortoise, and I enjoyed seeing them again here.

Gators are fascinating creatures, but only yesterday I read that a woman had been killed by a gator,in a park in the US, when she tried to rescue her dog which the gator had lunged at. It scared me but I expect that if I saw them on a regular basis I wouldn't be so frightened of them, but would give them a wide berth. That Grandpa gator is rather special, and the sign made me smile.
All the best Sallie. :=)

[Debbie]

what a great place to visit!! i am not a huge fan of alligators but the turtle and other friends are so sweet!!

i enjoyed the pictures of the sky and sun, they are especially beautiful!!

[Adam Jones]

150 million years for a species is just mind boggling. They're doing something right thats for sure.

[Lavender Dreams]

Oh what a neat place to visit! I've always wanted to go to Okeefenokee but it is mostly aligators. I still want to go though! hahaha! I love seeing any wildlife and the gators are fascinating! Thanks for sharing!

[mae]

Roadside attractions, nature preserves, petting zoos, rejected pet sanctuaries… so many possibilities for keeping wild animals or domestic ones! I enjoyed your summary of all these possibilities.

best… mae at maefood.blogspot.com

[Shiju Sugunan]

Beautiful critters and sky shots. That safety signboard made me laugh.

[Eileen]

Hello Sallie,

Great critter photos. I love the tortoise, they are a cool sight.
The peacocks are beautiful birds. Your sky images are lovely.
A great outing! Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Take care, have a happy weekend.

[Photo Cache]

I'm one of those that are scared of gators. Happy President's Day.

[Peter B.]

Wow, I love those skies!! Just gorgeous.

[Amy]

You do see some fascinating things, I've never seen a tortoise, I think we only have turles here but there is a reptile house in Auckland I think from memory.

[Michelle Keltner]

I like the sign :) Wonderful sunsets and I like seeing the tortoise. Interesting animals, I think. Thanks for linking up!

[Linda]

Excellent photos! The sign made me laugh.

[Alan]

I have never heard of a sulcata tortoise. It looks like a very rough and tough old turtle. I've known people who get exotic pets and they always try and get rid of them after a while.

[Jim, Sydney, Australia]

Beautiful skies.

[Penelope Notes]

Haha … I like the signage. I don't recall knowing that the alligator is a descendant of dinosaurs. I certainly can see a resemblance, although I've not met an alligator or a dinosaur in the flesh. :)

[Rain Frances]

I loved seeing the photos of the animals. And the sunsets are beautiful! ♥

[Sami]

Scary grandpa! Beautiful sunrises Sally

[DeniseinVA]

Great post Sallie! Our visits to Florida were always filled with wonder of the birds and animals we saw. Where I worked many years ago, here in Virginia, I saw a white-morph peacock. I couldn't believe my eyes but I spotted it many times and then it must have moved on. Your photos are always a lovely window to look through, amazing sights! Thank you!!! Happy Valentine's Day too!

[tomthebackroadstraveller]

...Grandpa would not be a friend of mine, I don't like gators.

[::: Heidrun]

Nature is always a miracle. Seeing here, its wonderful. I enjoyed reading. The Tortoises are fascinating ... but seeing the alligators, I fear them. Okay, they survive about million years and I respect.

Thank you, Sally, being part again at
MosaicMonday

Have a good week.

[Traude "Rostrose"]

Dear Sallie, oh yes, we saw sugar cane fields in Costa Rica too, they look really attractive. And I also like your sunset photos. I don't mind alligators either - as long as I don't have to swim with them ;-) In Costa Rica's Tortuguero National Park we saw a lot of caimans and found them equally fascinating.
Peacocks can actually get VERY loud. When I was still living in Vienna, I liked to visit a disused cemetery with centuries-old tombstones (Mozart is also buried there). Peacocks were also kept in the cemetery, which seemed very romantic, but I met an old woman who told me that she lived nearby and that the noise of the animals was sometimes unbearable...
ALL THE BEST from Austria and Happy Valentine's Day ❤️🌹,
Traude
https://rostrose.blogspot.com/2023/02/costa-rica-5-kapitel-la-paz-waterfall.html

[Angie]

Sallie - the sky photos are stunning! Your description of the peacocks is spot on. When we lived in Arizona, a family down the street had several of them and they made A LOT of racket! I laughed out loud when I read the sign about people falling in and making the animals sick ... and Grandpa - my goodness, he has made it to a ripe old age!

[ellen b.]

Those first photos would make nice watercolors, the skies are so glorious. Cracking up at the Be Safe sign. Alligators are fascinating creatures. Glad you had a good outing.

[Pat]

Amazing to see that Grandpa alligator and large tortoises. The sunsets are also amazing!

[Veronica Lee]

Your sky shots are gorgeous!

I enjoyed seeing all the other critters too especially the tortoises.

Hugs and blessings, Sallie.

[William Kendall]

Gators are impressive animals.

[Bob]

Those 'graters, awesome Sallie.

[Beatrice]

You certainly did capture some beautiful sunsets from the freeway, Sallie, now if those annoying poles could only be out of the way. The turtle and peacocks were interesting, more so to me than the gators would be.

[somewhereinireland]

Love your sky photos, they are beautiful. The bird and other animals are stunning. Super photos, Sallie. Have a wonderful week.

[Lene]

Beautiful! I could watch this sunset for hours!
The animal photos of Old Florida fascinate me very much!

[A ShutterBug Explores]

your sky shots are awesome ~ what I love is the tortoises ~

Wishing you good health, laughter and love in your days,
A ShutterBug Explores,
aka (A Creative Harbor)

[Carol]

When I moved to Dade County decades ago, new friends took me to something like this place but it wasn't as educational. More the roadside attraction - I was turned off by these ancient creatures with their teeth. I keep a good distance from them even now and respect them. They are very efficient killers.

[Jennifer Jilks]

That is really fun! I like seeing the gators in photos!

[Eileen]

Hello, Sallie,

I love the sky photos. The tortoise is cool and the peacocks are lovely birds. I have been to Gatorland near Orlando, it is a little creepy seeing so many alligators in one place. Take care, have a wonderful week!

[Life Images by Jill, West AUstralia]

The sunsets you shared are glorious. I am not sure I have seen a Galapagos tortoise... not sure...in the zoo. I like the sign on the alligators cage. Enjoy your week, stay safe. I am joinning you at Mosaic Monday.

[Karen @ Beatrice Euphemie]

I always love to hear about animal rescue facilities and this one is unique and fascinating. I really like the turtles and so nice that they get to live out their lives someplace caring. Alligators deserve alot of respect - at a healthy distance. We used to have a peacock farm nearby and sometimes they would escape and we would see them in the woods. Lots of people would have them on their property years ago - they make good 'watch dogs'. I don't see them anymore, though. The farm shut down and there are not so many large properties anymore to host them. I can't imagine eating alligator. Yuck! Haha! x Karen

[Dina Johnston]

Beautiful sunset shots! It's fun to see all of the other Florida critters but I still have a fondness for those old gators. We have tons of them in our neighborhood.

[Lorrie Orr]

What an interesting place to visit. I don't mind seeing alligators in photos, although I think I've only seen them once in real life, in a park. I can't abide snakes, though, not even in photos. It's sad that people don't think through the long term needs of animals when getting pets.
I enjoyed this virtual outing!

[Michelle RamblingWoods]

Hello dear Sally...I have been away studying how to use the new Wordpress blog editor and I am trying Nature Notes again. This reminds me of a place near my daughter's house called Clive's Reptile House or something and my grandson loves it.... stay well.....Michelle