This morning around 7:30am I came across what looked to be a long stick lying on the trail in the Rancho Sierra Vista/Satwiwa area.

But upon closer inspection it looked a bit too curvy to be a stick.

Yes, on my morning run I came across what looked to be a beautiful, three foot long gopher snake slithering across the trail. Of course, one could become anxious upon coming across such a snake out on the trails, but as I kept my distance, I noticed no signs of a rattle. It appeared to be a gopher snake, on the lookout for a morning snack.

Here's a link to some key distinguishing features between a rattlesnake and a harmless gopher snake.

As we finished our mutual admiration, Jake the Snake slithered off into the wild, dry, brown, drought-ridden yonder.

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