Shot from the car on the road out of the Berkeley Marina: It looks like a northern Pacific rattlesnake — very much like the one I photographed during a bike ride last year). A good-sized snake, too: about 30 inches. But: no rattle. After some reading (here and here), my non-expert opinion is that this is actually a gopher snake.
I drove past it, then backed up to take a look. It was right in the middle of the lane, and I thought about doing a Steve Irwin and picking it up and getting it off the road. But I didn’t. When a car came up behind me, I pointed down at the snake and pulled forward. The driver slowed, then went around the snake. I’ll be surprised if I don’t see it squished flat the next time I’m out there, though.
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Stupid snake.
You didn’t pick it up? All you gotta do is reach down right behind its head and pick it up. Then you do whatever you want to with it. And I should know. I sleep at Holiday Inn Express.
K-