A day at the swamp inside of St. Marks Wildlife Refuge, a beautiful wildlife sanctuary located in the Big Bend region of the Florida Panhandle. It's almost impossible to visit St. Marks without seeing an alligator, but I actually didn't spot any this day. In fact, I decided to get very, very close to the swamp's edge on this trip, as it appeared safe and gator free. I learned later this year that alligators spend the winter building their nests at the swamp's edge, using the very sticks, leaves, and mud I was standing on!