5/12/09

My World - Geocaching Drama!

On Saturday we did some geocaching on our way home from Enid, in the Cheyenne Valley in north western Okieland. As the name suggests, this is deep in what was Indian Territory and the Pickup is far more advisable than my Mazda 3 (note the tag/number plate)! All you will find there nowadays is oil wells, Rattlesnakes and some pretty rock - oh and crazy Brit's and Geocachers!!

Here's me posing in front of Lone Mountain, whilst keeping my eyes peeled for snakes, this is in the area where they have the Rattlesnake Roundup, so my concerns were very justified. Therefore I decided to stay on the road next to the car and take pictures of this lovely but deserted spot.

The Hubster however was on a mission to find the geocache hidden at the base of Lone Mountain, and off he trekked watching where he walked, GPS in hand. It was a warm day and the red dirt looked far too inviting for snakes to get me out onto it!

I took this photo of him and called to him "have you found it" and he shouted back "no big Rattlesnake", I just chuckled and muttered to myself "YEH RIGHT'! Back he came and I asked him if he signed the cache, "no, didn't you hear me? There was a huge Rattlesnake right by it". Turns out there really was one!!

He'd just spotted the cache when he heard the unmistakable 'chit, chit' sound of the Rattlers first warning! He said he froze instantly, went very cold and his butt cheeks were squeezed so tight, you wouldn't have got a toothpick between them LOL! Looking around he spotted it stretched out sunbathing 5ft away, it was as thick as his upper forearm (which is well developed) and he never did see the head or tail, just 3ft of it was visible - so it was BIG! He made a fast but careful retreat, forgetting the cache and looking out for another snake, as they usually travel in pairs.

My immediate response being the photographer was "well did you get a picture for my blog?", sadly the one on his camera phone did not come out. So bless his heart he agreed to go back with my camera for me, my very own 'Indiana Jones'! But when he got out there again the snake was gone, which made him doubly nervous and back he came even more warily.

We found the next geocache a few miles away adjacent to the highway, signed the log and called it a day. Once we got home he contacted the geocacher who placed the 'rattler' cache and related what had happened and the risks for people who don't know that area or Rattlesnake warnings well. Today the cache was moved 170ft closer to the road and out of the brush, much safer!

And a final funny, 5am Sunday the Hubster woke me up snuggling me, which is extremely rare as we both like our own space in bed. I asked him what was up, he said he was cold. A few minutes later he whispered that he'd also had a bad dream about the snake incident and how stupid it was to go back. I'm afraid it really gave me the giggles, that was obviously SOME nightmare!

P.S. Enlarge the first piccie and see if you can spot something very rude, the hint is - pesky Hubster!

To join in the fun go to My World Tuesday

51 comments:

erin said...

oh i so dislike snakes...you were quite smart not to venture out there with hubby ^..^
enjoyed your photos and commentary.
have a great evening.

Sylvia K said...

Oh, super pics and commentary! Glad you both escaped without any fang marks! Have a great week!

Girl Tornado said...

Great photos, shame the snake photo didn't turn out, but better safe than sorry!!

Have a wonderful week! :)

Expat From Hell said...

Rattlers strike fear in the heart of everyone, even Westerners. The only time they are safe is when they are sizzling in a pan. So my dear wife tells me....great post.

ExpatFromHell

Pat said...

That was so cute about the hubster snuggling up to you because he had a snake nightmare.

Flea said...

Poor baby. I love snakes, but rattlers are no fun to meet up with. Glad he made it out alive!

SandyCarlson said...

What a wonderful place. Wide open and gorgeous.

ninja said...

On photo it looks like a great place to visit but the name scares me.

Yogi♪♪♪ said...

Snakes scare the crap out of me. Spring 2 years ago son and I saw 9 snakes while geocachers, none poisonous, all within the City of Tulsa.

Anonymous said...

I am so afraid of snakes that I wouldn't close near that place.

I have heard of geochaching in one blog. I don't really understand what it is, is it like a game? Like a fortune hunting?

Guy D said...

Great photos as always, looks like alot of fun.

Have a great week
Guy
Regina In Pictures

Anonymous said...

Can I just say how glad I am that his camera phone picture didn't turn out?

I would have been so scared - my pants would have turned brown! I can understand him having a snake nightmare. I might even have one myself after reading this.

Maria said...

What a trilling story! I never came across rattle snakes and I'm not unhappy about that! I enjoyed your story!

Anonymous said...

Wow, close call with the Rattler!
The excitement of caching, eh?

Cool pics though. I obviously am too angelic to spot the rood thing as I only saw your motor and trees and stuff!

Anonymous said...

I spotted the rude thing in that first photo and I laughed out loud, drawing stares from those outside my office.

Unknown said...

Well Brad you've spent time with him, so you know what he's like first hand!

Sherri said...

Sarah, I can't believe you hubby would go back to see the snake or to take a picture! I can't stand snakes!!

Anonymous said...

Great MyWorld entry! I've seen my fair share of rattlesnakes - I grew up in Arizona!

penny said...

Snakes are always a joy killer on any adventure. Great shots.

Indrani said...

Great story! The shot of the rattlesnake would have scared me too leave alone seeing it in real.

Carver said...

What a great post and photographs. Glad you all made it out safely. Love the shot of you.

Jill of All Trades said...

Oh I'm sorry but the snake thing is YUCKY! I hate snakes.

Hubster is a funny guy!

Gaelyn said...

That red rock is so like Arizona, plus of course the possiblity of see a rattler. Hubby should have flipped off the snake instead of you.

Kay said...

You have a very, very brave if not slightly daredevilish Hubster. Yikes! That is so crazy. I hope you carry snake protection. Isn't there some kind of kit available? Otherwise, wouldn't you have to cut him and suck out the poison or something. Probably too melodramatic and just something I saw on TV. This was such a fun post. I feel like I went along with you on this trek. Good thing the geocache was moved to a safer place. You may have saved somebody's life!

Unknown said...

Kay me suck it out! LMAO

We discussed later that we were about 35 mins from the nearest hospital with anti-venom and you're supposed to keep the heart rate down to slow down the absorption. Well god help us then, because if he'd got bit I would have been in full panic mode, and he'd probably have to drive himself to the hospital!

George said...

You really have some wild adventures when you go geocaching. I'm glad this particular adventure had a happy ending.

Joshua said...

Josh LOVES geocaching!!!!!!

Hubster said...

I wonder, should I question wifeys love for me............asking me to go back again for a picture of the snake. That BITES......no pun inteaded.

david mcmahon said...

Okay, here's the judgement. Hustker should have done the right thing and returned to get a picture for your blog! Just kidding!

magiceye said...

wow
what an adventure!
loved your post!

Arija said...

That is a rattling great tale and beautiful scenery as well!

Elisabeth's bright side said...

Great post, very differet from my world! Have a great week, I'll wait for your next post.

LadyFi said...

what an adventure! Had to laugh about the 'couldn't get a toothpick through the butt cheeks' comment!

Can't see anything rude in that picture... I know - I'm so innocent! ;-)

Jenn said...

That was a close call, but what an adventure... not that I would dare it! I'm petrified of snakes! Great and funny post especially about the hubster!

Esther Garvi said...

I just left a comment but blogger doesn't seem to be with me today! Just wanted to say that I love the picture of you and that I commend your hubster for loving you so much that the rattlesnake was worth a second visit! Maybe next time, he'll bring his camera with him, huh? :-)

Sandi McBride said...

You know I don't do snakes, Sarah...but this was an exciting adventure for those brave enough to leave the car, lol! Ever thought about a job narrating for National Geographic?
Sandi

Wolynski said...

Very funny, but what's a geocache?

This Is My Blog - fishing guy said...

Sarah: Now that really wasn't very nice of him. Tell him that was the reason he had a run in with the rattler.

Daryl said...

Rude? Here in NYC its how we say hi

LOL

My Husband would not have gone along as he is beyond snake phobic

Pam said...

But girl, you look FABULOUS :)

Lew said...

Pretty desolate place to be hiding stuff! If you had followed him you would have gotten a great shot of his reaction to seeing the rattler! I thought real Oklahoma natives considered them pets.

chrome3d said...

That licence plate is so cool. You are like Austin Powers out there!

Anonymous said...

What a great story- and what a hero of a husband you have, even if the snake was gone when he went back!

I'm quite envious of this landscape, it's amazing! I'd love to walk it myself, although, yeah, the snakes would scare me too!

Bella :)

Anonymous said...

Well, obviously you need to get yourself a snake or two so you'll be ready to cue your husband when a snuggle is wanted! :-D

Snippety Gibbet said...

I guess I read this on your Twitter the other day. Freaked me out! And I swear to you, when I went up in my garden later, a baby snake scooted away from me up there. Not a rattler, but a snake non-the-less. Yuck.

Sassy Britches said...

Pokey just got me out with the GPS last night! I think I could get hooked on this!

And P.S. that is the CUUUUTEST story about Hubster and his bad dream. What heroic feats he will go to for you (and your blog)!

Sniffles and Smiles said...

Amazing story! Wow! And very well-told! Congrats on POTD!

Daryl said...

Back to say, nice to see David's named this as one of the POTDs!

Merisi said...

Sometimes "no picture" says more than words! What an adventure, but I am sure glad of not having been anywhere nearby. ;-)

Congratulations on POTD!

Anonymous said...

I couldn't see much detail int he first photo... it looked like someone mooning?

But the rattler thing? I'd have run a mile and Hubster was brave to go back. As far as Im concerned, snakes, crocs, alligators should be locked up in one big place and only bred for fashion purposes.

DeniseinVA said...

Glad you got out of there without further incident. Great pics and post.