3rd Annual Kids in the Desert (updated....6th annual!)

[LouB747]

This started 2 years ago with my family and one other. Fun and sun by the pool by day, followed by a little roadcruising at night. This year we had 14 kids, and I believe 16 adults. So 30 of us!

Each year we've stayed somewhere different. This years locality.....


While not a lot was found, it was found in the short time we had. It seems dinner ends up taking forever when there's 30 of you....

First up a nice Ruber. Most of the kids have never seen a rattlesnake before. It was an unforgettable experience.


Next up was an adult glossy...


Most kids wanted to hold it.

Super yellow shovel nosed...

Love these guys.


Sidewinder. Found this after most kids (and their parents) called it a night.


DOR Longnose


Brought a couple of snakes back to the hotel for the kids to check out better the next day. A nice king, and a glossy.

I love glossies. Although common, one of my favorite desert snakes.


Habitat....


Upon release of the 2 snakes, a rather strange thing happened. The glossy slowly moved off and disappeared under a bush.


The king, stayed still for a few pictures, then moved to a small rock pile.


And a strange thing happened. OK, maybe not strange, but very cool to see.


After heading into a small hole under the rock, out comes dinner...


The king must have grabbed it from behind. It managed to constrict it, mainly by pressing it up against the stick above it. I couldn't see the king finish it off as it pulled it into the hole when it was about half eaten.


Another good year. The words getting out amongst the schoolkids. I'm guessing next year will be even bigger.

Good times! Lou

[hellihooks]

Totally Awesome! Makes me want to do a Kid's day up here in the H-D... Rock On Lou! jim

[MarcLinsalata]

Ahhhhhhhhhhh, the good ol' Doral

[barryv]

Hats off to you Lou.... 30 kids is one hell of an undertaking! It's tough enough handling my own two! Nice work out there....

[PNWHerper]

Lou,

Thank you for doing good work out there! The observation of the treefrog predation by the kingsnake is awesome! Those are my favorite kinds of observations.

Are there special permits you need to take 30 kids out herping and road cruising?

[RobertH]

Fil, did you know Lou's normal ride is a 747?

[PNWHerper]

Rob,

How does he spot the herps from up there?!?

[RobertH]

He doesn't have to, he's board lines in Japan

[hellihooks]

Oh... board rines..
A Japanese member on the rosy forum had a cb locality pure rosy, that he worried was too thin. I suggested that he might in fact just have a Ro-calorie rosy... jim

[jonathan]

Awesome work Lou!

[Zach_Lim]

Oh... board rines..
A Japanese member on the rosy forum had a cb locality pure rosy, that he worried was too thin. I suggested that he might in fact just have a Ro-calorie rosy... jim

Kinda racist but also very funny. I'm for it.

Great stuff, Lou!

[hellihooks]

Oh... board rines..
A Japanese member on the rosy forum had a cb locality pure rosy, that he worried was too thin. I suggested that he might in fact just have a Ro-calorie rosy... jim

Kinda racist but also very funny. I'm for it.

Humor (IMO) transcends race (culture actually...we are all one race)... I laugh with people... not at them...
Our Japanese rosy forum member thought it was hilarious 'word play'... which is what I'm all about... Good (bad?) puns.
No offense intended to anyone... just trying to make people jim

[Zach_Lim]

Oh... board rines..
A Japanese member on the rosy forum had a cb locality pure rosy, that he worried was too thin. I suggested that he might in fact just have a Ro-calorie rosy... jim

Kinda racist but also very funny. I'm for it.

Humor (IMO) transcends race (culture actually...we are all one race)... I laugh with people... not at them...
Our Japanese rosy forum member thought it was hilarious 'word play'... which is what I'm all about... Good (bad?) puns.
No offense intended to anyone... just trying to make people jim

Don't get me wrong, I am least PC person ever lol.

No worries, man!

[hellihooks]

I look forward to herping with you one day, Zach... should be big fun...
Speaking of which... Lou... if the Hi-d's not too far (and the weather doesn't blow) I'd be pleased to show you and your group around, some spring.... jim

[LouB747]

Yeah, the Doral. May try somewhere different next year. As far as permits or licenses, I was the only one with a fishing license. Not sure how legal that was. I was in the lead car. There were 5 SUVs total. While I told the followers to give some distance between us, it didn't work out that way. Basically there were 5 SUVs heading up and down the roads in succession. I'm not sure what the other herpers must have thought. Maybe a police raid or something!

Funny thing, I was taxiing out once on a flight from Bangkok to Tokyo and saw a snake on the taxiway. It wasn't right in the middle, but off to the side. I slowed the taxi a bit to try and ID it. It disappeared too quickly into the surrounding grass. Couldn't get a voucher shot! Not sure what it was, but it was big and quick. Guessing 6-8 ft.

In Japan now. Found a Forest Ratsnake, but couldn't get him out. Didn't want to hurt him, so just let him go.

[LouB747]

I look forward to herping with you one day, Zach... should be big fun...
Speaking of which... Lou... if the Hi-d's not too far (and the weather doesn't blow) I'd be pleased to show you and your group around, some spring.... jim

That would be great! I'm going to try and hit the HD for the first time (ever!) next week. Possibly Tues night. Maybe you could PM me some ideas? Or join me. Probably a late solo run, 11pm - 2am or so, before work....

[hellihooks]

I look forward to herping with you one day, Zach... should be big fun...
Speaking of which... Lou... if the Hi-d's not too far (and the weather doesn't blow) I'd be pleased to show you and your group around, some spring.... jim

That would be great! I'm going to try and hit the HD for the first time (ever!) next week. Possibly Tues night. Maybe you could PM me some ideas? Or join me. Probably a late solo run, 11pm - 2am or so, before work....

I'm usually sawing logs by 11 (gettin old... ) but definitely make an exception for you, Lou... Pm ya soon. That Forest Ratsnake looks awesome... I think you got me....
(crank it Zack... )
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWAwrMFt ... ded#t=109s

[reako45]

Great finds out there. That's the yellowest Shovelnose I've ever seen. That Kingsnake is a beauty! Those shots of the King's release and preying on the frog are amazing. Were most of the kids on hand for that? Very cool when amazing herp moments can be shared by several people. Looks like your herp entourage is steadily growing. 30 kids is an impressive group. Was that your 1st Kids in the Desert outing when I met you 2 years ago on WW?

reako45

[LouB747]

Yeah, that's the yellowest shovelnose I've seen too. Unfortunately, only my two kids were around for the kingsnake release. I didn't show my daughter (6 yrs old) as I didn't want her to feel bad for the frog.

I remember meeting you that night. Yeah, that was the first year. One of those nights that year Wild Justice was there filming. While the show did air, the kids never made the cut. I guess you have to do something illegal to get on that show. If I ever see them filming again, I'm going to drop my flashlight and start running.

Hopefully we'll run into each other sometime this year.

[LouB747]

Well, Memorial Day weekend has become known as "snaking weekend" amongst our growing group of friends. All the old group was there with 5 new kids joining us this year. I'm not sure how many kids in total. I believe dinner reservations were for 35. Anyways, Saturday night was quite cool for the desert. 93 high for the day. Dinner with so many people seems to take forever when you know the snakes are there and the temps are dropping. We finally hit the roads at 10:30. 68 degrees. A caravan of 7 SUVs. We actually thought about renting a bus. Anyways, not more than 5 mins in we found a nice shovelnose.


This was followed by a nice glossy about 30 mins later.

Lastly we found this Night Snake at 11:50 and 64 degrees.


While I could have kept going with 3 snakes in 1:25, the kids were tired. So we called it a night.

The next day temps around 3pm were around the 100 mark. Dinner took forever again, but we managed to hit the roads at 10pm. That's an early start for this group! Anyways, the first snake of the night came soon with this Rosy Boa (3 lined boa?)

Had thin stripes. Looked sorta 5 lined...


The boa was a hit. It was about 12 inches long. I wished it was a bigger one. Luckily the next snake, a king, was a full grown adult. Close to 4 ft.

Everyone loved the king. It was nice and mellow

Even my wife wanted to hold it. (sorta, using the fingers only approach)

Soon after another glossy was found.

My daughter loves snakes. Wants to hold all of them.

And lastly this shovelnose was found. All the shovels I've seen are either yellow/brown or very rarely white/brown. This is the first tri color one I've found. But it looks different than the tri colored ones I've seen posted before. Anyways, a cool little snake.


Anyways, it was another great "snaking weekend". All the kids had fun. Some have already asked when we'd be going back.

[hellihooks]

Awesome, as usual Lou... the two extra secondary lines on the boa's sides are a feature of intergrade boas... dare I say a 'Lightwater'... that area is also known for it's 2-tone, Yell/Brn shovels...MOST other localities are tri-colored, to varying degrees. here though, is the smallest, most awesome shovel I've ever seen from that general area... pic does not do justice... it was A Pree Cot!!!

I wouldn't let Phil take it out of the bag, for fear it would turn him gay...made his wife take it out and show it to him....sure enough... the two other guys who came along that day were holding it, and it was all about...Oooohhhh, AAAAhhhhh..wook at da widdle baby naky..... took them both a WHILE to 'straighten' up.... jim

disclaimer... everyone who knows me knows I only kid those I like... which pretty much includes everyone, including gays.... no bashing/offense intended... but screw it...funny is funny.

[shredsteban]

Very cool! I'm glad you guys found some snakes in that short time you had. Still jealous of that boa, love those things. They continue to evade me at that spot!

[hellihooks]

Very cool! I'm glad you guys found some snakes in that short time you had. Still jealous of that boa, love those things. They continue to evade me at that spot!

dude... boas have eluded me, in that 'world famous' canyon.... for 40 years... I have NEVER seen a boa there. from now on... if you get skunked on boas there... just say: "could be worse...I could be Jim"... jim

[Ross Padilla]

Love the kings, Lou! Great job!

[LouB747]

Just back from our 6th annual kids in the desert trip. Last year was terribly cold and we didn't find anything. This year was a whole different story. We found 5 snakes on Friday night, and 13 last night. I don't even have the exact numbers. But 4 boas, 2 nights, 2 shovels, 1 ruber, 1 glossy, and a lot of longnoses. 1 DOR threadsnake. Anyways, I didn't take many pics, but I'll throw a quick video together. It seems to be quite good in the low desert right now!

Lou

[Porter]

Rob,

How does he spot the herps from up there?!?

You mean to tell me that buildings so tall he can see his boardline from japan!?

I look forward to herping with you one day, Zach... should be big fun...
Speaking of which... Lou... if the Hi-d's not too far (and the weather doesn't blow) I'd be pleased to show you and your group around, some spring.... jim

That would be great! I'm going to try and hit the HD for the first time (ever!) next week. Possibly Tues night. Maybe you could PM me some ideas? Or join me. Probably a late solo run, 11pm - 2am or so, before work....

I'm usually sawing logs by 11 (gettin old... ) but definitely make an exception for you, Lou... Pm ya soon. That Forest Ratsnake looks awesome... I think you got me....
(crank it Zack... )
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWAwrMFt ... ded#t=109s

Great song! The Singing Frog, like Tom Waits, is big in japan That may seem rasist at a glance, but if you know Tom Waiys and his underground obscure relation to the music industry as well as knowing me personally, then this is a very funny concept https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FVdfDoXHdZc

Hotest girl I ever made out with in my youth was a hippy (good friends grouppie) Chinese girl who my granpa caught me in the bedroom with ...and believe me, she was MINT! that may seem sexist, but its a true compliment

[Porter]

Very cool thing youre doing here Lou! I enjoyed the relase in the morn pics and the grey winder


I also like the pic of your wife nonchalantly flipping off the cam she must want to be a birder

[hellihooks]

Rob,

How does he spot the herps from up there?!?

You mean to tell me that buildings so tall he can see his boardline from japan!?

hello... duhhh... he's an airline pilot...

Hotest girl I ever made out with in my youth was a hippy (good friends grouppie) Chinese girl who my granpa caught me in the bedroom with ...and believe me, she was MINT! that may seem sexist, but its a true compliment

Since You went there... i once convinced a neo-hippy chick (right after SHE smoked a doob) that we would see more herps in the nude... That was a very special day... LOL

All 'eclectic' comments aside... this is a post i really look forward to, every year, Lou. don't get no better...

[Porter]

Rob,

How does he spot the herps from up there?!?

You mean to tell me that buildings so tall he can see his boardline from japan!?

hello... duhhh... he's an airline pilot...

Hotest girl I ever made out with in my youth was a hippy (good friends grouppie) Chinese girl who my granpa caught me in the bedroom with ...and believe me, she was MINT! that may seem sexist, but its a true compliment

Since You went there... i once convinced a neo-hippy chick (right after SHE smoked a doob) that we would see more herps in the nude... That was a very special day... LOL

Sounds like a spiritual experience for sure Times were a lot different for me back then... no herping, but I came across yhe occasional rattlesnake or Sierra garter or turtle during campouts to show the girls... these sounds captured and expressed the vibe of our world. Possitive times (my friends are great musicians, hats off)
https://m.soundcloud.com/yosephadams/al ... the-way-in


Yeah, sorry Hooks... I noticed that later on after posting. I missed the 747 comment and thought they were referring to the shot from the hotel. I was sitting at yhe hospital w the granpa (also a pilot, WWII) and reading on my tiny little android phone. I can see Im fowling things up again "I need to take a break..."
https://m.soundcloud.com/yosephadams/th ... bury-shake

No disrespect Lou! I think what you got going here is awesome

[Fundad]

Great Job with the kids Lou.

Regarding laws of taking a group of children herping, it is perfectly legal to take kids herping, and I personally would work hard to change any such law if it came about. The children are the future biologists, scientists, and herpers and without hands on appreciation of nature, there would be no
interest in such things.


Fundad

[mattg]

Great Job with the kids Lou.

Regarding laws of taking a group of children herping, it is perfectly legal to take kids herping, and I personally would work hard to change any such law if it came about. The children are the future biologists, scientists, and herpers and without hands on appreciation of nature, there would be no
interest in such things.


Fundad

100% agreed fundad,

aweome posts lou!

[LouB747]

Thanks for the support guys!

A few years back, as seen above in this thread, I took snakes back to the hotel and released them the next day. I release that's not legal and don't practice that anymore.

This year was a great year. I saw more than one kid go from fearing snakes to loving them all in a night. I had herpers from Michigan come join us, which was cool. Everything was a lifer to them. They saw 4 boas!

I do wonder what other herpers out that night thought when they saw an entourage of cars parading up the road.

Video screenshots.





Video to follow when I get some free time.

Lou

[ricrabt]

Lou, you are awesome. I would love to help you out next year as my 9 year old daughter is really into herping. There is a road up here in the northern desert that is great and a hotel nearby that's pretty nice if you are so inclined. Keep me posted if this is an open type event. Thanks John

[hellihooks]

And... if not above... I'll re-extend the invite for your group to try the Hi-D sometime... there's a really nice (free) camping spot right off the 'whitewater of the hi-D' with a Great Western 10 mi away.

[LouB747]

Thanks guys for the invites to the high desert. Maybe next year? This is an open non NAFHA event. It's just something I started a few years back that's grown into a yearly event. The kids (and adults) spend the days in the pool and we usually have a group dinner one of the nights. We did a BBQ at the resort this year. Every year we pick a new hotel. This year it was at the Marriott Shadow Ridge. It was a little pricey, but I think everyone enjoyed it. A few guys setup tee times early and hit the links. Most of the adult group isn't really into snakes, but still love going every year. Video coming soon if I get some free time.

[LouB747]

OK, the kids picked the music for this video. Remember, some of these kids have never touched a snake before. Everyone had a phone and wanted to take pics. Kinda cool.