Bear Creek Lake Park and RATTLESNAKE!!!!!

I have to preface this blog post with SHE IS OK (!) but Tawny tangled with her first (and hopefully last!) rattlesnake at Bear Creek Lake Park (near Denver) on Friday (April 7th).  This was within 15 minutes of us arriving!  John was still levelling the trailer, the slides weren't even out yet - and I thought she was mousing.  Well... she was, in a sense.  I heard a loud squeak in the deep (dead) grass behind our campsite, and Tawny heard it too.  She jumped into the grass and skittered along with her front feet (presumably chasing the mousie) but I think what happened was that the snake killed the mouse and that's the loud squeak we heard, and then Tawny flushed out the snake.  I heard the rattle... but it didn't register right away. (Um... we're from Calgary!!)  Then I hard a louder rattle and my brain kicked in at the same time as Tawny jumped about 2 feet in the air. She came down heavy and I yanked on her leash so hard that it "calf-roped" her.  I grabbed her and hugged her tight to my chest, then RAN!!!!  But not before I got a real up-close look (too close for me) at the snake - and it was large!  Scared the bejesus out of me...  He was still rattling as he took cover under the dead brush again, and I totally thought he was chasing us, but now I think that unlikely.  He was probably heading the other direction, but at the time, I thought he was going to chase us down.  We couldn't see him under all the dead brush... and I ran with Tawny-girl until I got back to the truck.

Somehow, the snake did not bite Tawny.  She totally dodged that bullet.  I think now that maybe it either startled her with the loud rattle, or his tail might have touched her - and that's why she jumped so high.  But in that moment, I could not tell what had happened, and I was terrified.  I thought she was bit.

Sam, watching for mice from his favourite rock perch

We kept her quiet and watched for signs of swelling, blood, pain: anything that would indicate a rattlesnake bite.  And there were none. Two hours after the ordeal, John & I let out the collective breath we had been holding, and decided that Tawny was a very lucky girl... and us too! We love our Tawny!!!

We spent the rest of the time at Bear Creek Lake Park with a stick in one hand when the cats were outside. We beat the bushes  and the laid over dead grass before either cat was allowed to enter a new (unbeaten) area. So the mousing was not great for them, but Sammy did manage to catch one on Tuesday - and we were extremely grateful to see that there was no snake attached to it...

It's been a very mild winter in the Denver area, so the snakes are out and active very early - and this campground only opened five days before we got there, so the wild area around our spot had likely not been disturbed since last Fall.  Well... it has been NOW!! :)

Tawny, walking along one of the many bike/horse paths in the park

Sam, surveying the landscape from his 2nd fav rock perch!

The cats really enjoyed their time in Bear Creek Lake Park.  The paths are good for walking, and they spent hours mousing in the bushes behind our campsite.  It really was a great spot to stay in while we visited family in the Denver area (other than the snake....and the lack of wifi for 6 days!!)

Tawny, rolling around and loving up a clump of grass