Memory Lane Monday

SNIPE HUNTING...Has anyone ever been involved in a "snipe hunt?" The Snipes I was told we were going to catch were not described to me as the bird pictured here which is actually called a Snipe. One summer when I was in junior high we visited my Grandparents and my Aunt & Uncle in Mud Lake, Idaho. My Uncle H and Aunt C decided to take me, my two older sisters, and his three girls on a "SNIPE" hunt. So we loaded the Blazer and headed for the Mud Lake Airport. OK, has any one been to Mud Lake? Come on, an airport? The airport is a half a tin shed w/ a cropting plane in it and a spotlight periodically scanning the ground. We had our gear a flashlight (one) and our gunny sacks. We were off to catch a cute furry animal that was a cross between a rabbit and a squirrel, as it was described to me. We all got out of the car and headed for a "good spot". We were not there long when my cousin Tash got scared and My aunt C took her back to the Blazer w/our only flashlight. The rest of us were troopers we sat there w/our sacks yelling "here snipey here" of course to no avail!! All of a sudden we hear a bunch of dogs howling and growling. The sound got closer and even my Uncle was scared he started running for the car w/out us. We are not a dumb bunch of girls, so we followed him very quickly. We did not have a flashlight and were very, very scared. What was not farmland could be described as desert. It was a race in the dark. My uncle fell hands an knees in a cactus and I fell flat on my tush on a very prickly cactus. When I finally made it to the Blazer I had to be draped over the back seat prickly tush in the air . I was bawling like a baby. I had two butt cheeks full of cactus and I had not caught my beloved snipe! We headed back home so I could have my oldest sister KD pick out off my tush one by one all of the cactus needles. I was humiliated and hurting pretty bad. My Mom was not there to do the honors. She was at my Grandparents house down the road. The JOKE was on me . I was so MAD when I found out it was all a JOKE and "Snipes" do not exist. The pack of wild dogs turned out to be a couple of young men from the ward placed to scare us and my Uncle put on quite a show. He got us all worked up and scared to death and me full of cactus needles for no reason. It turns out he only got a few needles in his hands and knees. I had one area where they could not get the needles out, 3 had gone in together and then broke off. That stupid area hurt so bad I could not sit on it!!! Has anyone else had the joy of a sixteen hour road trip from Idaho to AZ on one butt cheek? I HAVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NO hard feelings ...just fun memories:)