snakes & me

Just so you know, I don't really mind snakes.  I will jump when I see one because they just appear and surprise me, not because I'm afraid.  I won't pick one up or have one as a pet, but I do think they are pretty cool to look at.

And now the snakes in my life lately.  A week ago I went on my run and when I started down rt 84 I noticed a dead snake just to the right of the white line.  It was a little snake, maybe three or four inches long, and it was squished dead.  A foot or so later, I see another little snake squished dead.  Then I see another, and another, and another...there was over a mile of little dead snakes all along 84.  Mass suicide?  Murder of caged pets?  It was almost if they had been placed there...except they were all squished dead.  Very, very strange.

That was my first encounter ~ and it was strange.  My second encounter was gross.  Sunday we went riding on the towpath to Peninsula.  We were casually riding along (at about 5 miles per hour).  Jen was leading and I was second.  Just about the time I hear the squeal, I see a snake roll out from under Jen's back tire.  There is nothing I can do.  I'm right there.  I watch as my front tire runs over this coiled, writhing snake.  It was so GROSS.  Of course I squeal too (and they said I flapped my hands...yea, probably did that).  The back of the pack said they watched it slither off the side of the path, so they all think it was alive, but HOW could it be?  Jen RAN it over and I RAN it over.  There he was, just sunning himself on a beautiful fall day and we come along and squish him.  I felt gross and horrible at the same time. 

Hopefully that's the last snake story for a while...

Mike, Matt, Me, Kimi, Jen, Craig ~ towpath bike ride