#7 Go to the Everglades

Again, a family visit helped cross this one off the list.

We took one of the ubiquitous air boat rides.

We saw alligators.

And a bird with long claws that got too close and gave me a Tippi Hedren moment.

But no giant pythons -- discarded exotic pets that have invaded the wetlands. And no marsh rabbits, which the pythons have eaten up, apparently.

The Everglades reminded me of the marsh back in Galveston, Texas, where we spent summers.

Wetlands are strange, magical places. An acquired taste, perhaps. But beautiful. God help the wetlands of Louisiana.

#104: Hunt a gator

South Florida is full of alligators. But few get adopted by kids.

One lucky gator in North Miami Beach got befriended by some neighborhood kids. And they fed him hotdogs and ham. The ice cream was a mistake, one told me.

After several weeks of being apparently stuck in a storm drain, the 10-foot gator - named Patrick - escaped.

That prompted the tale of the great gator caper.

I was on the breaking news desk and headed to North Miami Beach to see where the gator had been holed up and find his young buddies. I have to admit, I got creeped out when I stepped at the edge of the lake where he might be swimming. I didn't want to cross paths with a 10-foot gator who liked to eat hotdogs. I didn't have any with me.

Here's the story, and here's a short follow-up.

Photo: An alligator swims in the Everglades. Credit: Fort Lauderdale Convention and Visitors Bureau.