THE Story

Now I am about to tell you one of the best stories that happened to us while on this trip and it happened the last day, nay, the LAST MOMENTS we were there!

Because it was the last moments there, I did not have my camera at the ready, so these pictures are just from the internet.

As background, Tyler's dad had spent the morning in a hide overlooking the water hole. At breakfast, Tyler's dad said nothing exciting had happened at the hide and Spencer replied that something exciting does not happen everyday, but Spencer was wrong.

Setting up the story: Myself and Tyler's mom were sitting in the lodge while Ally and Spencer ran around and sometimes sat with us. Tyler and his dad were getting the extra gas we brought into the car, so we wouldn't run out on the way home. They needed a funnel to get the gas in, so John the manager was helping out and the other staff were helping some too. We were parked somewhat close to the gate into the place. They have an electric fence that is about 4 or 5 feet tall that goes around the property, also gates at two sides to go out to the park and the other to go out to go home.

While Tyler and Tyler's dad were getting the gas filled up, Tyler's dad looked down the dirt road and saw something.

Two painted dogs standing there. They couldn't believe it, because painted dogs are rarely seen also. So John told the guys, "Let's go take a closer look." Tyler was all for it, his dad seemed to be too, but was a bit hesitate. See, painted dogs are not like regular house dogs, they are wild, and vicious. But they started to walk towards them and the dogs just stopped and looked at them. Then over to their left they hear some rustling and a Kudu jumps across the road only a few feet away. The Kudu continued into the woods and jumped over the fence (remember the fence is 4 or 5 feet high and if the kudu stood right next to it then it would be the height of the kudus legs!)! But from the property back over to the other side!!! Which means it had already jumped into the property, got his legs shocked, and then jumped back over out of the property BREAKING the fence!

So then, unbeknownst to Tyler's mom and I, which we were not aware any of this was going on, the painted dogs ran away, and Tyler and company all ran after the painted dogs following them around the outskirts of the property. Then the waiter comes running in to where we are sitting and said "The painted dogs are chasing the Kudu!!!" The Kudu had run around the edge of the fence and then jumped back into the property right in front of our cabin!!!! So I ran out to the grass with the waiter and the kudu stopped dead in his tracks seeing us. Then on the other side of the fence we see the painted dogs jumping up and down. They looked like bunny rabbits!

So then the kudu jumped back over the fence and ran away from the painted dogs. We ran around again to go after them, but then they ran too far away. We don't think the dogs got the kudu, but it was pretty fantastic to see all of this action right on the lodges front yard!!

That is the big, great story we had to tell everyone. I believe we talked about it for at least the first couple of hours of the eight hour road trip back home. :) Pretty amazing, right??