Topic: Huge Alligator spotted!

[Amazed]

Hope this is a good place to post this!  Friday morning about 0820, I was riding by myself at the large bridge in the back (old train track trail) that leads to Sidewinders and Rest Area, and startled a huge gator ( I would guess about 12') that was laying in the creek, east side of where the bridge crosses.  Luckily it spun 180 and headed east while I was trying to keep from wrecking as I zoomed across the bridge and sped up the hill.  Fastest riding I think I ever done.. LOL!  It was so large that I have to say I was really scared!  Just wanted to warn those riding early and without someone else, to be extra careful.

Think I'm done with the early rides alone!

[Garry]

That gator has been there a long time. 12 foot is conservative too.  His little bride is over 8 feet so watch for her too.  She isn't so friendly.  There is another big 10 footer that I snapped some pictures of on the Pandemonium Trail coming from the direction of Abyss.  It slid down one of the hills and was sitting at the bottom of one of those drops.  Would have been a VERY bad thing for someone dropping in and have no place to go.  We threw some big rocks at it until it shimmied away.