We had booked a swamp tour in Sliddell for this morning so the coffee pot went off at 6 again and we were at Waffle House even earlier than yesterday. After nourishing ourselves we drove the short distance to Crawford Landing. We were a little early so we paid and then sat on the porch to wait for everyone else to arrive and chatted to the tour guide. Just before 9 everyone was there and off we went. We all piled in to a flat-bottomed boat, carefully balanced to ensure we didn’t tip up, and then we set off for a trip down the Pearl River. The guide told us that the gators in the swamp wouldn’t be awake until late morning so he did the tour back to front and we went along the river first. It was a beautiful journey along a gorgeous river that was so quiet and peaceful; when he stopped the engine of the boat the only sounds we could hear were the birds and insects.
There were a number of structures along the river bank, some were houses were people live year round, and others were camps that were used for short periods of time when hunting and fishing – it wasn’t difficult to spot the difference. We didn’t see anybody in the camps, but there were some guys out on their little boats fishing for catfish. I guess at that time of the morning everything was just waking up as we saw lots of turtles sunning themselves and even some snakes; one still in the water, and another already stretched out along a tree branch. There were numerous birds, great blue herons, egrets, kingfishers and even some birds of prey. The river was ride was very cool, especially when we ‘caught some air’ and the guide sped us through the water. The river was very calm and it appeared still. Looking at the reflection of the trees in the water it was difficult to tell where land stopped and the water started. As calm as it was today, it’s hard to believe how much damage the river can and has done. We were told that during the flooding many of the houses were severely damaged even though the water rose and fell within a matter of hours. The clean up is still going on but there have done a great job of it.
After the boat ride we left the river and headed along a bayou into Honey Island Swamp. Our timing couldn’t have been better, as no sooner did we get in there than we were watching the daddy gator of the swamp pulling himself out of the water and onto a mud bank. He had just gotten up after spending the night on the bottom of the swamp and he was massive. His name is El Guapo and he’s about 70 years old, 15 feet in length and he weighs a good few pounds. He wasn’t at all bothered by the boat, he just lay there looking at us looking at him without a care in the world – I guess being the boss of your own swamp can give you that kind of peace.
The swamp was pretty cool, not at all smelly and with absolutely no bugs; although we were informed that at night the mosquitos come out in force and it’s not a fun place to be. It’s really interesting ‘terrain’ (not sure that’s the right word), with the trees and other vegetation surrounded and immersed in water, but I guess that’s what a swamp is, a flooded forest.
As we set off deeper into the swamp we saw El Guapo’s wife numero uno just sticking her nose above the water. The guide tried calling to her to see if she would come to the boat but she didn’t move so we headed away from her. The call did attract another gator though, Jumper who is wife number two. She was swimming towards us with purpose as we set back off. The guide pulled the boat up and she came right alongside us as he called to her. She was really aggressive coming at the boat as people got closer to the side, and especially when the guide started feeding her hot dogs on a stick – she liked those.
After being entertained for a while we left Jumper digesting her dogs and headed further into the swamp. The trees all have high water marks on them and apparently the swamp can rise that far over night, amazing. Further in the guide beached the boat in between some trees and answered questions, and as he was doing so we were visited by two smaller female alligators who he also fed with weiners and marshmallows; they like the marshmallows as they think they are turtle eggs because they float. While we were there we spotted Jumper swimming towards us, and when she got near us we saw a gator ‘fight’. She dipped below the water and headed straight for the lesser female. The little one took off and Jumper went after her, below the water, then came shooting up out of the water at her. The little female didn’t get too close after that and Jumper got more hotdogs while keeping a close eye for any people in the boat that got too close to the edge and hence in reach of her mouth. The interaction between them was very cool to watch, the pecking order is well established and everyone in that order knows their place.
We hung out for a while before heading back. We stopped off to visit El Guapo one more time, and when we got back there he had dried out almost completely. I suppose he was going to spend the rest of the day just lazing in the sun as he doesn’t need to eat for a few months (he couldn’t digest it as it’s too cold) and by getting back in the water he would cool back down. A day long siesta it is then, what a life!
Mike: That's why they call me "El Guapo"!
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