I love snakes, alligators, crocodiles, and tarantulas . . . as long as there is plate glass between them and me. So, after leaving Mount Rushmore, what better place to spend the afternoon than Reptile Gardens?
Yeah, Earl didn’t think so either. He chose to watch the Chicago White Sox play the Detroit Lions while I went by myself to stare at slithery, creepy, venomous creatures and have a wonderful time.
I knew Reptile Gardens would be a hit, because there was a gazillion cars in the parking lot as I approached. Besides, what child doesn’t like slithery things in a safe environment? Which means most of those cars held families celebrating the Labor Day weekend.
I paid my admission fee and wandered to the main building to make the acquaintance of various reptiles, lizards, snakes, and pythons. Although he didn’t acknowledge it, I saluted Maniac, America’s largest crocodile in captivity. He is one big monster. I also saw an albino snake, which I would meet again later in the snake show.
I roamed the various sections of the gardens, meeting prairie dogs and giant turtles. Seeing children and parents ooh and ah at the residents of Reptile Gardens. But what I found most interesting was the alligator/crocodile demonstration that Matt provided toward the end of the afternoon.
He showed how to mount a crocodile and tape its mouth shut. Not that Reptile Gardens advocates this, but at times it’s necessary to determine the health of one of their residents.
At the end of the show, Matt brought out a two-year old alligator for visitors to touch. He taped its mouth, even though the animal was rather small in comparison to the others, and let children and parents alike see what the animal felt like.
I didn’t hang around for the touchy-feely moment. Earl had called me on my cell phone and wondered if I’d been eaten by some snake. Which led me to believe I should head for our motel and that the baseball game was over. For the record, Chicago lost.
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