My neighbor told me about a swimming hole that nobody knows about. “It’s on Rattlesnake Creek,” he said. Armed with this information, I went to Google Maps, only to discover that he had given me an ambiguous address: There are at least a dozen Rattlesnake Creeks in California. What is it about rattlesnakes that make them such an attractive animal to name creeks after? Is it that rattlesnake encounters are memorable, or is it a way to keep others away from beautiful creek sides and swimming holes?
Nehaveigur 