Probably the most harmless creature,
kicked up my adrenaline to a level where I was barely able to handle the camera. Keeping
the canoe away from this beast did not contribute to my photography skills either.---------------
Update 2017: oh my goodness, the young assistant professor just started his job at Texas Tech and had his first winter vacation with "the girl" (and now wife) he met in Europe during the summer. Digitizing images and programming HTML to create such websites was actually a big deal 20 years ago. Images were kept small and in low resolution since Internet access was crawling by todays standards.
---------------
This Christmas trip 1997/98 was a blast. Coming close to predators was quite a chilling adventure. Doing approx. 150 miles within six days with a loaded canoe can be described as a challenge. A stormfront waiting for us in the open bay did the rest. Hey, we survived it!
Probably the most harmless creature,
kicked up my adrenaline to a level where I was barely able to handle the camera. Keeping
the canoe away from this beast did not contribute to my photography skills either.
O.K.,
look at me after my first close encounter on a small creek with a reptile. Actual
comments: " No, I do not want a cigarette, no appetite for a beer either, and I do
not want to think about food -- uhh, my stomach. alligators belong in the zoo. Alligator
skin belts, yes. I want to get out of here!"
Close to the seashore: friend or foe?
Looks quite harmless -- mistake!!!
Five of these beasts attacked us in the night. There was no save place for food. They even
went after my beer. That was too much. Shouting, bright flashlight, nothing helped to keep
them away. Finally, I went out with a paddle in my hand -- a fair fight.