Below the Water Tower

In a tiny town called Tomales I stumbled across a crazy scene. Tucked away in the bottom floor of the old water tower, we found a man and his room full of tarantulas, scorpions, and snakes. It was as though we had stumbled into Harry Potter's world. All of his creatures were suitable candidates for Ugly Overload, but I was particularly impressed by his whip scorpion.

This pseudo scorpion was harmless, but the man was able to get it to spray its vinegar-like defense. It smelled like I had walked up to a salad bar.



Here he is presenting an emperor scorpion for us. He says he has never been stung or bitten by any of his creatures.

So, if you ever find yourself heading down Highway 1 in California, just west of Petaluma, and its a Sunday (he is only in his shop then), drop by (go to the park next to the general store, and you'll see the water tower on the southwest corner. He literally has hundreds of arachnids and serpents for sale, trade, and display. He is very friendly and is eager to share his hobby.