I was only in California for 3 weeks this year, but thanks to a lot of great friends and a very loving wife, I had a lot of memorable moments. Tops of all of them, of course, was getting to see all of you again and the National Meet, including Kent, sadly for the last time.
Some of the specifics during those three weeks in April include...
* The five-snake road cruise stop at the National Meeting with Nicholas and dad, Jeremy and dad, and Matty and dad. 3 sidewinders, 1 shovelnose, and 1 leafnose on a single spot on the road!
* Jeff leading the boys into the canyon just an hour after that. A speck, leafnose, shovelnose, chuckwalla, couple banded geckos, and at least a dozen leaf-toed geckos walked in a short stretch of canyon.
* Finally finding a kingsnake in LA at a small locale I had searched 20+ times in 7 years.
* Getting my lifer Tehachapi Slenders (4th try is a charm!), with Robert Hansen on a very stormy day.
* Slamming the brakes on Highway 1 when I spotted a red-tailed hawk fighting with a Pacific Gopher Snake.
* Matt and I road-cruising a Sierra Mountain King as we were pulling up to the spot where we were hoping to flip one.
* Matt and I scoring our lifer Shasta Black Salamanders.
Here's a few pictures. After a stolen camera and a crap replacement, I gave up on taking good photos this year, but the moments and the herps are what is memorable.
Penninsular Leaf-toed Gecko (
Phyllodactylus nocticolus)
A very well-hidden speck
My urban California King
Tehachapi Slender
Sierra Mountain Kingsnake (
Lampropeltis zonata multicincta)
Shasta Alligator Lizard (
Elgaria coerulea shastensis) - seriously, what the hell
Shasta Black - photo doesn't remotely do justice to how beautiful it was
Foothill Yellow-legged Frog (
Rana boylii)
