It’s the place that nightmares are made of, the kind of place you don’t want to be after dark. No, I’m not talking about the IRS office, but a place almost as bad.

It’s the swamp. A waterway full of green goo and gators so big they could swallow your mother-in-law whole. (Not mine, she’s nice). If you don’t think there aren’t alligators in there, feel free to take a swim. I’ll be dialing 911 as you step in.

This is another view from a cloudy morning at Brazos Bend State Park, southwest of Houston. They are known for alligators and all other marsh related wildlife in this floodplain off the Brazos River. Big Creek also meanders diagonally across the park as it creates sloughs and cutoff meanders called oxbow lakes. It’s a great place for bird watching, fishing and gator dodging too.