​1200 ft. Steep incline from the newly paved road to our house on the base of a cliff. 1200 ft  is a long run down a rocky road to catch the school bus when you view the bright yellow shape making its way down the windy roads from the kitchen window. 1200 ft is a long walk up the mountain side in the hot early summer days before school let’s out for summer vacation. 1200 ft is a long walk when the snow is so thick you can’t see but two feet in front of you. 1200 ft. is a long driveway. 
We’d finished our bowls of cereal sitting too close to the TV watching Saturday morning cartoons. What could we do next?  If we hung around the house too long we would be gifted with a list of chores to keep our idle hands and minds busy. We definitely didn’t want that.

Grabbed our bikes and started our descent down our unpaved rocky driveway which was- 1200 ft.

This one’s big and pointy! Great, put it down next to the other rock we’re almost halfway done. I set the big Rock down next to the other pointy rock in the middle of the road. We were making a line of big rocks from one side of the street to the other. It was a slow traffic day so we hadn’t had to stop our progress yet.

We sat back in the ditch and waited for a car to come by, drive over our boobietrap and bust all of its tires. We had it all planned out. We heard the hum of an engine coming up the road, our hands tighted in each others. We sank down further in the ditch and held our breath. The sound got louder and then we heard bump bump and the engine sound started getting fainter. We jumped up to asses the damage.

There was no sign of the car, no busted tires, no angry traveler. With slumped shoulders we sat on the edge of the driveway to reconvene.

New plan.

In the distance we could  hear a car coming. Quick!! Lay down! I laid down on the side of the street, fanned my hair out around me, bend my right leg in a contorted way. Cicely threw my bike on top of me as well as a handful of rocks, dirt and grass. She stood up, adjusted her shirt and started acting panicked.  The car began to slow down until it came to a complete stop and a woman in her mid 30’s jumped out.

Are you OK? Do you need help? My sister! My sister! She fell off her bike! Come help. She ran over to me, that was my cue. I jumped up and we both started laughing hysterically. FOOLED YA! We yelled. She was not impressed. Nor would the other 3 people be who followed.  Us on the otherhand, we were impressed.