HERPING THE CALIFORNIA COAST
The following day I cruised up the coast. Highway 1 is a very scenic drive.

Many beetles, ants, voles and deermice were seen under artificial cover throughout the week, but this beetle was running around out in the open - Garden Carrion Beetle.

A Coast Garter Snake so deep in shed that at first I thought it was a Santa Cruz Garter.

A more typical looking Coast Garter Snake.

Elephant Seals aren't herps, but they can be amusing at times.

There were many females on the beach with their calves.

This young Yellowbelly Racer was actively patrolling the edge of the walking path.

A somewhat colorful San Francisco Alligator Lizard crawling through the underbrush.

As I walked, I approached this pond.

Has there ever been a herp that has been on your wish list for a long time? Something you've spent years trying to find in the wild and then one day you find it? If so, then you have some idea what it was like to find "lifer" #3 of the trip.

Here's a closer look at a San Francisco Garter Snake. It was officially designated as "endangered" on state lists in 1966 and was on the first Federal Endangered Species List established in 1973. It is still very much endangered.