F6 EZ EE THE WASHINGTON POST . SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 22 , 2015

The Impulsive Traveler

BY MELANIE D.G. KAPLAN

Rule No. 1 when it comes to fleeing analligator: Don’t run in a straight line. Ilearned this while standing feet from aprehistoric-looking, kayak-size animalthat had crawled up onto the bank of acanal to bask in the crisp January morn-ing sun.

“If you have to run, run zigzag,”warned Brack Barker, whom I had hiredto show me around Paynes Prairie Pre-serve State Park in Gainesville, Fla. “Theycan run fast, but only straight ahead.”We’d been walking along a grassy path,Barker slightly in front, and he’d turnedaround to warn me about a gator hiddenin the grasses. I approached slowly andfound an abnormally large-headed ani-mal with bumpy skin and closed eyes.

Rule No 2: Don’t forget your gradeschool science lessons, in which youprobably learned that reptiles experiencea sort of half-doze called thermoregula-tion. In plain English, that means they’renot really asleep. So even though thiscreature was still as a log, I was aware ofstanding well beyond the suggested wild-life viewing distance and began thinkingabout zigzagging.

But I also couldn’t dismiss the fact thatI had come to the park for this veryexperience. I was traveling through theSoutheast, and my friend Jason, a recenttransplant from San Francisco, told mePaynes Prairie was filled with wildlife —not only the iconic gators, but also,surprisingly, bison, along with wild hors-es and cattle descended from thosebrought over centuries ago by Spaniards.Of course, Gainesville — midway be-tween the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf ofMexico, in north Florida — is perhapsbest known for the University of FloridaGators. I don’t generally make detoursfor mascots, but nose-to-snout encoun-ters with wildlife? Sign me up.

Paynes Prairie is a 20,000-plus-acrepark less than 10 miles from the UFcampus and downtown Gainesville. Thestate’s first preserve and a designatedNational Natural Landmark, the terrainwas once home to the saber-toothed catand, much later, the largest Spanishcattle ranch in Florida. Today, it sustainsmore than 20 distinct biological commu-nities, including more than 270 species ofbirds. It has campsites and trails forhiking, horseback riding and cycling;because of its wide-open vistas, the parkis also a great place to watch sunrises,sunsets and stars.

The evening before my tour with Bark-er, I drove into town, passing ranches,vegetable stands and dogs barking in theflatbeds of pickup trucks. Early the nextmorning, the air was chilly. I walkedaround the cabin where I’d stayed andnoticed Spanish moss hanging not onlyfrom trees but also from telephone wiresand street signs, making everything looklike it needed a good dusting.

Barker met Jason and me in the park-ing lot outside Pearl’s Country Store. Awiry man with a gray beard, Barker worewire-rimmed glasses and a bandannaaround his neck. We drove to PaynesPrairie, stopping along Highway 441 tolook out to the land from an observationplatform. Standing on the boardwalk,surrounded by cattail and pickerelweed,Barker explained that the park wasformed by a number of sinkholes comingtogether to create the basin tens ofthousands of years ago.

“You’re standing in a giant sinkhole,”he said. “This used to be underwater.”

In the late 1800s, the eight-mile-wideprairie was a lake, with fish camps,steamboat charters and barges thattransported citrus. Then, suddenly, thesink drained. Just like that. Within days,the prairie went dry — and could do soagain anytime. For now, Paynes Prairiehas smaller bodies of water that drainunderground to recharge the aquifer, agiant reserve used for drinking water.

We drove to the northern side of thepark, passing a turtle-crossing sign andsome ancient live oaks. La Chua Trail is

among the park’s most popular becauseof wildlife sightings. As we followed thetrail along the water, Barker pointed outbirds: the anhinga, spreading its impres-sive wings to warm in the sun; thered-legged white ibis, picking around inthe wet ground for snails and frogs; andthe great black cormorant, jockeying anuncooperative fish into its beak.

We saw our first gators lined up alongthe water line, their short legs halfsubmerged — as when humans dragbeach chairs to sit in the sand right wherethe surf breaks. Through binoculars, Istudied their graceless, cartoon-charac-ter bodies and rows of stubby teeth.

Barker, an anthropologist who used towork for the Florida Park Service and St.Augustine Alligator Farm, dropped gatortidbits — like the fact that males bellowduring mating season to set their terri-tory. The total inches between the alliga-tor’s eyes and snout equal the length ofthe body in feet, he explained, puttingsome of our specimens at well over eightfeet.

A few times, we wouldn’t see an alliga-tor nestled in the grasses until we werenearly on top of it. One was only five feet

away, its eyes open and it feet moving inslow motion as though it were stretchingafter a nap.

We stopped under overcast skies andlistened to the cacophony of squawks,squeaks, caws and chattering. Birds land-ed on the water like water-skiers,splashed and dove under for fish, flappedtheir wings, waded and frolicked. All theactivity looked and sounded like that ofkids swimming in a massive pool. Paynes

Prairie was putting on quite a show.“The coots are on the march,” Barker

said, pointing to countless small birdscreating a commotion in the water. Heidentified the little blue heron, beltedkingfisher and mockingbird. We evenheard the trumpeting of the belovedsandhill crane. “It’s a bird-watcher’sdream today,” he said.

Although we passed piles of horsemanure and hoof prints, we saw nosimilar signs of bison. Like most visitors,I was surprised to learn that bison roamin a state better known for spring train-ing and Mickey Mouse. But fossils showthat they once grazed in north centralFlorida. Park officials decided to import10 from Oklahoma in 1975, and — with nonatural predators — the herd grew, inevi-tably causing problems such as escapeesto the suburbs. So a few years ago, thepark culled the herd, removing the malesand creating yet more controversies.Today about 50 bison roam the prairie,but they remained elusive on our walk.

As we retraced our steps on the trail,we counted 33 alligators. Jason evenspied one underwater. “You’ve got a goodeye,” I said, squinting to find the animal.

“I’m getting good gator-dar,” he said,straight-faced.

Jason and I bid farewell to Barker, andwe drove to Blue Highway, just outsidethe park, for lunch. On the radio, I tunedinto an AM station that ran a 1950s-sounding promotional loop for PaynesPrairie. A scratchy voice proclaimed, “Aswild as the Everglades, but easier to seeand experience!”

Later, I walked on a few trails by myselfand realized my sense of place had beencompletely upended. All day, I’d forgot-ten I was in Florida. The wide-openprairie made me think of the GreatPlains, and the Spanish moss and pick-ups reminded me of the Deep South.Each instance of remembering mywhereabouts was a burst of delight — thetype of travel surprise I welcome.

As I walked on the pine-needle-and-sand trail, the sun began relaxing into thehorizon, and the temperature droppedquickly. I headed back toward my car,mindfully zigzagging, just in case.

travel@washpost.com

Kaplan is a freelance writer in Washington.Her Web site is www.melaniedgkaplan.com.

Nose-to-snout with the locals in Gainesville, Fla.If you goWHERE TO STAYHerlong Mansion

402 NE Cholokka Blvd., Micanopy

352-466-3322

www.herlonginn.com

A cracker-style pine farmhouse built in1845, the mansion now has bright roomswith decks and claw-foot tubs. Rooms from$119, including a full Southern breakfast.

Twin Lakes Fish Camp

17105 S. County Rd. 325, Hawthorne

352-466-3194

www.twinlakesfishcamp.com

Rustic four-person cabins, $91 per night.Guests can check out canoes at no charge;pontoon rentals $110 daily.

WHERE TO EATSouthern Charm Kitchen

1714 SE Hawthorne Rd., Gainesville

352-505-5553

www.facebook.com/southerncharmkitchen

Soul-food heaven. Pentecostal friedchicken, $9.95; spicy corn waffle withCajun shrimp, $13.50; pickled watermelontofu, $11.95.

Blue Highway

204 NE U.S. Hwy. 441, Micanopy

352-466-0062

www.bluehighwaypizza.com

Just outside Paynes Prairie. Salads,sandwiches and pizzas with local produce.Funghi pizza with portabello, shiitake,fancy white and oyster mushrooms on athin crust, $13.50.

The Yearling Restaurant

14531 E. County Rd. 325, Hawthorne

352-466-3999

www.yearlingrestaurant.net

Old-Florida fare. Offerings include alligator,frog legs, quail, “cooter” (land turtle) andcatfish, entrees $13.95-$31.95.

WHAT TO DOPaynes Prairie Preserve State Park

100 Savannah Blvd., Micanopy

352-466-3397

www.floridastateparks.org/park/Paynes-Prairie

The 50-foot observation tower reopensafter repairs in March. Admission $6 pervehicle, $2 pedestrians and cyclists.Guided wildlife walk, $2; half-day hike, $5;overnight camping trip and hike, $15.

Wild Florida Adventures

352-215-4396

www.wild-florida.com

Explore northern Florida and view wildlifeby kayak or foot with guide Brack Barker.Half-day kayak tours, including manatee-viewing tours and sunset/moonrise tours,$50. Paynes Prairie walking tours, $10.

Florida Museum of Natural History

UF Cultural Plaza, SW 34th Street & HullRoad, Gainesville

352-846-2000

www.flmnh.ufl.edu

Thousands of Florida specimens andartifacts, including a fossil plant gardenand butterfly rain forest. Admission free;fees for some exhibits.

INFORMATIONwww.visitgainesville.com

— M.K.

PHOTOS BY JASON DEAREN

An alligator rests on a bank at Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park in Gainesville, Fla., where park trails let visitors get aclose-up view of the reptiles and hundreds of species of birds and, if they’re lucky, catch a glimpse of bison or wild horses.

The Boulware Springs Waterworks building is one endpoint of the 16-mileGainesville-Hawthorne Trail, which wends through Paynes Prairie.

A few times, we wouldn’t seean alligator nestled in thegrasses until we were nearlyon top of it. One was only fivefeet away, its eyes open andits feet moving in slowmotion as though it werestretching after a nap.

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