the mystery of the goat trees revealed...

so remember at the beginning of the week in alabama, i saw the sign for goat trees?  i was so curious.  it sounded so weird and funny...i just had to know what it was.  so we followed the sign and found these big trees with spanish moss hanging all over them.  we assumed since the moss looked like goat beards this was the reason for the name. 

 

see the resemblance???

i thought how cheap is that??!?!?!  how BORING!!!!!!

BUT THEN...

God bless google because it just has answers to everything!  yesterday, i was still curious as to whether we were right or not.  i just couldn't believe that something as cool sounding as goat trees were just parasite covered trees in the woods.  well...they aren't!  

this is what i found:

"the 'goat trees,' located near shell mound park, are ancient oak trees with limbs reaching out as far as 50 feet from the trunk and almost parallel to the ground.  according to legend, these trees served as shelter for the island's wild goats that climbed the trees at night so they could rest protected from roaming alligators."

now that is a MUCH better story!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!