A few things to know about rattlesnakes that the Lone Ranger and Tonto didn’t

Modified tail scales form a rattle on a Western Diamondback Rattlesnake Crotalus atrox. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In a post from a few days ago, I wrote about a trip a friend and I took to eastern Oregon near the Idaho border in search of rattlesnakes. We were told the location of a rattlesnake den in which we caught several of the snakes. Over the years, I’ve had several encounters with rattlesnakes while either hiking or camping in Oregon, but really knew little about them. Even after keeping a live rattlesnake in an aquarium for a few years in my living room, feeding it mice on occasion, I still knew little about them. So I did some research on rattlesnakes, which might help folks understand them a little better.

Where else can you see 15 pound rainbow trout up close?



Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

Having seen a few fish hatcheries in Oregon in my time, it's hard to beat the Wizard Falls fish hatchery, located near Camp Sherman and the Metolius River, for its scenery, layout and size of fish. Right up there with that hatchery for scenery and fish size is the Oak Springs hatchery, which sits along the Deschutes River just outside the town of Maupin. It is a great place to show kids the different stages of fish life and how they are raised outside of the wild.

A place not yet discovered by many Oregonians

One of the many reasons Oregonians love their state is because of the short distances between them and the many destinations heaped with outdoor recreational opportunities. And while many Portlanders travel to recreational havens along Oregon’s coast and in Central Oregon, an area even closer to Oregon’s big city awaits those seeking a vast array of outdoor recreation opportunities. You could call it the place Portland forgot, but it is also an area many Oregonians have yet to discover.