We had been on the road for nearly a week and explored many amazing western canyons, deserts, and mountains. However, it had been so cold that except for a tiny lizard that dashed under a rock and a roadkill gopher snake, I had not seen any reptiles or amphibians.
As my brother Will drove the Monte Carlo through the Painted Desert of Arizona, I was sitting in the back seat chatting with my Dad. All of sudden, my Dad shouted “Will — turn the car around, we just passed a SNAKE crossing the road!”
Will was not sure if what he had just seen was a snake or a fan belt in the road. But, since both my brother and my Dad love me (even if they don’t love snakes as much as I do), Will made a quick U-turn and, sure enough, Dad was right!
A beautiful 4 feet long Desert King Snake was stretched out across the two lane highway. Luckily, there were no cars around, so I was able to move the harmless snake off the road and let it go safely on the other side.
Our road trip from Reno NV to Surprise AZ via Colorado was nearing the end.
Will said at some point during our trip that the word “Epic” is overused. Maybe he is right, but I think no other word is better suited to describe the journey I was lucky enough to undertake.
I’m looking forward to undertaking more epic journeys with Dad and Will again soon.
