Clearly its also jacka$$ season... spring is not thunderstorm season..
You get the jist of it. Do some research, the majority of rattlesnake bites occur b/c the person who gets bit is messing with it or trying to kill it. If more people would use common sense like, look before you sit down, or don't try and chop its head off you wouldn't have to worry about it.
Posts like yours just crack me up b/c you guys act like rattlesnakes are some major threat to cyclists. Hell there is another thread that is just below this one on the topic.
Maybe if it occurred to you that the place you stopped was likely on a southern or eastern facing ridge or slope, you would know that that is where snakes like to den up b/c of the suns direction and the warmth it creates. And being as it is spring, snakes are leaving their dens to look for food. Or perhaps if you realized that the pile of logs and rocks in your yard is a great place for rodents to nest, and snakes to feed or hide you wouldn't have to worry about your kids getting bit.
Educate yourself and you wont need to stress about snakes, just my 2 cents.
Venomous Snake FAQs