Airboat ride in Orlando

We have been in Florida for about three and a half weeks.  We started in Wachula about an hour south of Orlando.  We left there after one week because of the fire ants and mosquitoes.  So bad that you couldn't be outside.  We changed our Thousand Trails reservations and moved a week early to the Orlando park which is really in Clemont.  From this park we flew back to Oregon for Chris and Kristina's wedding.  We will now leave tomorrow and be at our niece and nephew, Kelly and Mike Prenn's, house the day before Thanksgiving.  

Today we decided that we needed a Florida experience before we left.... soooooooooooo, we took an hour and a half airboat tour on Lake Tohopekaliga. It is four miles wide and fourteen miles long and doesn't look like a lake at all. It is a swamp with a little open water!!  The guide said that it is from mud to 3.5 feet deep.

 The airboat ready for boarding ! ! !

The canal out to the lake..

The boats just cut though the growth making a path.  The guide told us that if they stop a certain route for a month, it will be totally regrown so they make their paths by just going over the same route.

A"dead" live oak tree

 This alligator looked like a log and when we got close, he took a dive.  The guide said that he could stay down for four hours.  We couldn't wait!!  LOL

Can you see the babies??

This baby was quite a ways from mom!! 

We are back !  ! I was surprised how comfortable a ride this boat was.  So stable too.  

It was kinda a cold day here, we wore sweatshirts and heavy coats on this trip.  We did not see any turtles or frogs.  The guide said that they are hard to spot as the noise of the airboats scares them away.  We also didn't see the pigs, coyotes or deer that are seen along the lake.  Good alligator sitings tho.  We are happy!!