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After that lovely meal we were ready to walk off some poundage and in the Port Royal area there’s nowhere better than the cypress wetlands.

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The entrance is literally right in the middle of town and the boardwalks put you right in the thick of it.

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I was excited to see a gator.

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And as we started our stroll, a local woman passed by assuring us wide eyed Yankees we would see some.

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Off we went through marsh and swamp and cypress… eyes peeled for alligators.

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Not quite.

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A third of the way through? A viewing platform.

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Which the husband took full advantage of, but left reptile bereft.

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Egrets and herons were abundant.

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Yeah, yeah… so you keep saying.

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As we hit the halfway mark the trees were draped with that lovely moss so evocative of the Deep South.

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I tried for a mossy selfie but my arms aren’t long enough to capture much background.

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There were some fabulously gnarly trees above and beside us …

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And at times it felt like the forest primeval.

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How cypress grows and roots in standing water always amazes me.

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There were signs everywhere saying “Don’t Touch The Trees!”

So of course…

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There’s my husband, touching a tree.

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On the home stretch, there was a boardwalk right through the wetlands.

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With a sign about alligators.

Which was actually spot on….

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Because we finally saw one lounging on the opposite bank with a bevy of turtle friends.

Score!

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As we were leaving I spotted an unusual stationary alligator.

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He was wire framed and filled with trash.

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An excellent visual on why you shouldn’t litter.

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Cypress wetlands, a great place to stroll.

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