Diamondback

So this weekend we spent most of our time outdoors. It's just too beautiful to stay inside (and my kids beat each other up if kept contained indoors for too long of a period). On Saturday, I decided to take the kids for a bike ride through the desert trail paved paths in our neighborhood. I was on the bike and they were in the attached bike trailer. We started out on the path in the wash right behind our house. I quickly found out that we weren't the only creatures out enjoying the weather. However, we were the only creatures that walked on 2 legs. The rest had 4 legs...or no legs. Seriously. We were in the middle of a creepy crawly rodent, lizard, bunny, snake freeway. I literally was Moses parting the Red Rodent Sea! Creatures were darting everywhere. I was so creeped out and was pedaling my fastest so nothing would jump up and eat us. The kids were clueless of the dangers that lurked nearby and were more concerned about who was touching who's drink and toys. I turned around briefly to warn them to be nice to each other or else. When I turned my head back forward....I ran smack into this guy. I wanted to die.

This beast, which for the record I have lived in Arizona for almost 14 years and NEVER seen one, was stretched across the entire bike path. I had a second to react. I swerved to miss it but I was sure the bike carrier, which is wider than my bike, probably hit it. I was hoping it was dead. But rather than keep pedaling along to safety. The intrigue got the best of me and I had to stop and gawk. We watched it for a bit. Eventually it's tongue starting spitting and yep the beast was actually alive. I hurried and warned a fellow hiker and her little dog to stay back. I also whipped out the camera and snapped a pic to prove to Jer! Then that beast eventually slowly slithered it's way back off the path. Lovely. So reassuring to know these things live 15 feet behind my backyard!!!!! Just thinking of it makes my skin crawl all over again! Needless to say, I surely got my exercise as I kicked into lightning speed to get the heck out of there and back home to safety! Geez, I can't even handle grasshoppers or moths...or cats or dogs for that matter! lol So this was definitely out of my comfort zone.

And to think we have 2 professional Arizona sports teams named after these things?!