GATOR!!!! (>>>>> Click on the picture to see a larger view !!<<<<<<<<)

I took this picture of Labashi making a new friend in the Juniper Springs Wilderness on March 6th, 2006.
We had not seen any alligators in the first two-thirds of the 7-mile paddle and came upon this big fellow by surprise. Perhaps you can tell from the picture that there's a bend in the river behind Labashi and there's heavy growth behind the alligator. That made him invisible to us until we were right on him. I happened to be on the far side of the river and he seemed VERY close to me but Labashi was about to get even closer-- much closer. I had turned my kayak around and pulled out the camera, then waved my arm to warn Labashi of the surprise behind the bush. I was pointing toward the alligator but Labashi thought I was trying to tell her to stay to that side of the river because of some underwater obstruction I had seen on the other side . So she came within less than a paddle's length of this seventeen footer. Like me, she just froze and drifted by.
This picture is the only one we have of this thrill. As I took it, the camera went into rewind- it was the last frame on the roll. That's unfortunate because she came much closer to the gator than the picture conveys.
The gator appears to be approaching Labashi but was lying still, it's head in the water, just basking in the warm sun. What a great experience! (once it's over) -- Bez.