Joad, The Turtle

I have seen a lot of crazy things while living in Denver, but I have to say that this tops them all. The other day I was turning onto my street that takes me to my apartment building. As I turned the corner, I could see two cars stopped on the road ahead. Their flashers were on, and there were people standing out on the street. I assumed an accident had happened, so I slowed down so I could pass. What I saw was the craziest thing. There was a guy with a stick in his hand, and he was guiding a GIANT turtle across the street. I was so shocked at what I was seeing. The turtle was about the size of a basketball, and his legs were at least the size of my wrists. As I slowly drove by, I could see people running with cameras, getting out of cars, people coming off the golf course to see this turtle. I wish I would have stopped, but I was in a hurry to get home, so I kept on driving. I sent Shan a text telling her what I had seen. It was unbelievable. I even told Shan I thought it was a snapping turtle, as he had a sharp beak and a rigged back and tail.

A few days later, mom and I were headed to Shan's house for dinner, and at the exact same spot, there were cars stopping and people standing out in the lawn. I told mom that I wondered if the turtle was back. Sure enough, the turtle was lying in the grass. He wasn't moving and mom was worried he might be dead. I asked her if we should stop to take pictures and we decided to do just that. As we were stopping, a guy took his foot and touched the back of the turtle. He was NOT dead, as the turtle jumped and started walking toward the street.

I flipped a U-Turn and turned on my flashers. There were several people joining the scene, so we weren't the only crazy one taking pictures. Sure enough, it's a snapping turtle, which mom said are super dangerous. They can bite off a finger or break a man's wrist. Mom said once they snap on, they do not let go for a very long time. He had long claws and his tail looks like a dragon's tail. It was the coolest thing I've ever seen. I took the opportunity to take a picture of Joad (I named him). The guy made sure Joad didn't cross the street and made him head toward the pond instead.

Now, every time I pass the pond, I look for my pet turtle, Joad.