From Western Australia: Jody wrangles a python

Blogger and Erudite Partner are off the road after nine fascinating, wearing days being toured across the Kimberleys, the Bungle Bungles, and endless jarring dirt roads in the Western Australia outback. We plunge out again day after tomorrow into the Red Center of the continent/country.

But in the meantime, here's a tiny story: we're barreling along in the truck, when suddenly our guide and driver slams on the brakes and we swerve to roadside. Sitting up front, I'm one of the few able to see the obstacle -- a 9 foot long snake sunning itself in the morning warmth. Jody cries out with delight, jumps out, and proceeds to capture the sluggish black python.


Once she's made peace with the snake (not so hard), we all had a chance to stroke its back. These pythons ingest small animals, but haven't much interest in big bipedals that inadvertently come along and crush them. After a bit, we all went our separate ways.

UPDATE: One more pic re some Australians attitudes in the far places: