Help me ID this Snake (Please)

One of our visitors from yesterday and this afternoon. I was so scared yesterday that I forgot to take a photo, but it came back today.. I am hoping it is a gopher snake. Does anyone know what it is..

One more photo, I did not get too close, but could not see any rattles on it, it was approximately 4 1/2 feet long..

About two hours later my fearless lizard came out, this guy is also quite long. These bricks are those big retaining wall bricks and that black container is a one gallon.. you can see how big that guy is compared to those.

The lizard I could handle ok but that snake would have to die. Since we got the peacock and have the guinea hen we don't see snakes like we use to. The pine shavings in the bird house also keep them out of there which was our biggest problem.

Wow! That is a good size snake!

Here is a page with small pictures of many of the types of snakes in CA.

http://www.montereybay.com/creagrus/CAsnakes.html

And a more specific description here of the gopher snake.

http://www.desertmuseum.org/books/nhsd_gopher_snake.html

The markings of gopher and western diamond back snakes are awfully similar. Apparently, when threatened the gopher snakes will imitate rattle snakes, as well.

It seems like it is a gopher snake, I also posted this on the Wildlife forum.. I did get close enough to see that it did not have any rattles on it. If it was here two days in a row, then I think it must live around here.. I was told that this is the time of year when they start coming out to warm up and get some sun. (probably to eat too). I am hoping it eats those roofrats that run around here along with the gopers. I don't like snakes at all, they scare me.

One summer I was quite excited to see a California Red Sided Garter snake in my back yard. Unfortunately, I only saw it once.

I think a snake that size would scare me a bit, too. I don't particularly like snakes either; but, I definitely prefer them to rats and gophers.

This year my newest wildlife friends are some sort of salamanders who have taken up residence under my clay pots. I wish they would put a bigger dent in my earwig population...

eje,
good picture there, I had never seen a salamander before.. eeek.. Well, I am hoping that the snake is eating those roof rats we have here, and the gophers. I saw the trail where it crossed the road and went to the neighbor's yard, you could see the zigzag on the dirt (for lack of a better word)..

I keep enlarging your photo to see those salamander guys..

Looks like a gopher to me, you'll notice he's headed away? He'll always be leaving if he can, anytime you happen on his area. Chances are he'll do his share on the rats & gophers. How d'ja think he got his name?