DD and I were headed out shopping and I was on a rather high overpass, making my way toward a feeder so I could get on to the freeway. In the opposite lane of traffic, up against the concrete wall, I saw a white SUV with red and blue flashing lights pulled over against the wall. A man was standing near the front of it, talking on a phone. I thought that was an odd place to be pulled over, unless you were having car trouble.....Generally speaking, I wouldn't stop and get out and chat on an overpass.
Since there was no traffic behind me, I slowed down to see what was up. As I did, I caught a glimpse of something in front of his vehicle. At first I thought it was a log, and wondered if he had hit it, but that wouldn't have caused enough damage to stop the SUV.
Also, how would a log get up there? The overpass is so high that there are no trees anywhere near it.
As I got closer, I realized that was no log. It was an alligator!
Now we do get them in Texas. DH has seen them on golf courses and jogging paths. But how that thing made it all the way up that overpass is a mystery to me. The area below is quite swampy....the swampiest for miles around. But it would have had to cross a busy road, go up a winding onramp and then go quite a ways to get where it was. At least a mile on concrete, I'd say. That was one determined gator. Maybe he'd heard about the sales and was headed out shopping too.
The gator was probably only about 4 feet long. He wasn't moving, but I don't think he'd been hit. I think the man on the phone (who must have been with animal control or fish & wildlife) had tied him up. He'd been gator wrangling.
By the time I exclaimed, "I cannot believe I just saw that!" I was passing it and DD never got a chance to see it. She was bummed. Let's face it, unless you're in Florida or someplace similar, you don't come across a gator on a freeway overpass every day. 
Since there was no traffic behind me, I slowed down to see what was up. As I did, I caught a glimpse of something in front of his vehicle. At first I thought it was a log, and wondered if he had hit it, but that wouldn't have caused enough damage to stop the SUV.
Also, how would a log get up there? The overpass is so high that there are no trees anywhere near it. As I got closer, I realized that was no log. It was an alligator!
Now we do get them in Texas. DH has seen them on golf courses and jogging paths. But how that thing made it all the way up that overpass is a mystery to me. The area below is quite swampy....the swampiest for miles around. But it would have had to cross a busy road, go up a winding onramp and then go quite a ways to get where it was. At least a mile on concrete, I'd say. That was one determined gator. Maybe he'd heard about the sales and was headed out shopping too. The gator was probably only about 4 feet long. He wasn't moving, but I don't think he'd been hit. I think the man on the phone (who must have been with animal control or fish & wildlife) had tied him up. He'd been gator wrangling.
By the time I exclaimed, "I cannot believe I just saw that!" I was passing it and DD never got a chance to see it. She was bummed. Let's face it, unless you're in Florida or someplace similar, you don't come across a gator on a freeway overpass every day. 
