Louisiana Vacation Day 2 Morning

We drove an hour to get deep into the Louisiana swamps for a swamp boat tour. Here are a couple of swamp people and that's the swamp boat we are going to ride on behind them.

It was a cool overcast day and the cold blooded creators weren't too active but here's one swimming to attack our boat. 

Even with no sun this one was on the bank sunning herself.

We were given the chance to wrestle an alligator and it was close but I won.

Paul also won. That's our guide in the background and he was a genuine swamp person. He made fun of the TV Show Swamp People and was always pointing out how he caught, skinned and ate the various birds and reptiles that we saw - Very interesting tour guide.

Carol petted the gator so gently it fell asleep on her lap.

This is a typical swamp person house - we considered staying there for a few days but Polly doesn't eat alligator or snake.

Here is what remains (an old cemetery) of some of the people killed in a 1920's hurricane.

This isn't a very good picture but what he is holding is a Nutria Swamp Rat that was imported from South America for it's fur and meat - when people found that it was a rat the meat didn't sell very well but they multiplied and there are plenty of them now. The fur is used and the tail (he's holding it in his right hand) is sold for handles on women's pocketbooks.