Excitement!!!
Trail Snake!
Originally uploaded by CaptainShen. I was riding home on the trail at about 10:30 this morning (I would have been on the right (top) lane in this picture) when I sped past an object, did a double take, and exclaimed, 'WHOA!'
My ankle went right past his head! I'm lucky he wasn't angry. I turned around and laid my bike against a tree, and looked at him for a minute, pausing to take this picture. He looked so strange and bunched up, and he wasn't moving at all, but his head was up.
I walked into the forest and found a stick about his length, came back to the trail, and looked at him. His lounge flicked out. Ok, so he was alive. I stood back and nudged his tail with the stick to see if he'd freak out, but he didn't really respond. I moved up and poked his stomach, and he seemed fine. So I put the stick on the ground in front of him, slid it up under his chin and a few inches down his body, and lifted him up. As I placed him into the brush just off the trail, he grabbed hold of a branch and slithered under the grass, but i had the chance to catch his tail in my palm and feel his heavy belly.
:) Made my day!