We had more snakes to release, but the time was right for some road cruising first, along some of the roads near the coast.  Around a curve we spotted a young adult Cottonmouth, which we scooted off the road and I grabbed a quick picture or two.

Pierson was confident we could cruise up a Scarlet Snake.  They were very active during this time of year, and he saw them crossing the roads almost every night.  Sure enough, it didn't take too long before we spotted a small one wiggling across the asphalt.  Cool!  This was a new species for me.  It was perhaps a foot long, a sub-adult.  Are they Coral Snake mimics?  I don't know, but they sure are pretty.  I took some photos of the snake against the white sandy substrate along the shoulder.  We made another stop for an adult female Peninsula Ribbon Snake, and came across a DOR Scarlet Snake, about the same size as the first one.

 Now it was time to release the other salt marsh snakes. Our first stop was another tidal creek, but this one was thick with mud, making for a difficult slog. The extra mud also provided a stronger smell, more akin to an outhouse than a tidal marsh.  We went up a small side creek and the mud got deeper; here is where the slender light-weight young herpetologist had a definite advantage over the considerably heavier middle-aged field herper.  At the capture point I slowly sank in to my knees, and had hard time trying to keep my balance. I did not want to fall over into that stinky mud, either forwards or backwards.

Several snakes were released at this site, and Pierson and I both took some photos before turning them loose.  I took some shots of the amazing ventral pattern on one specimen.  I'm not sure why the undersides are so vividly patterned and colored, but I suspect it's part of the cryptic camouflage needed in the grass-filled marshes.

Somehow I managed to get my legs prized out of the mud without losing my boots, and we walked back out of the creek.  The rest of the evening was uneventful as we released the remaining snakes at their various points of capture. We headed back to Pierson's place, and he graciously let me snip DNA samples from some local garter snakes he was holding before I drove back to Scott and Topi's place.

At 2 AM that morning I was standing out on the driveway in my underwear, hosing the thick marsh mud out of my pants, socks and boots.  I was thinking that this was the perfect way to spend a vacation, and I didn't want to change a thing about it.