Safe, thanks to TBN

looch · Feb 26, 2002

I'm having a good laugh here, Jeff.

Remember when Coke cans were made of steel? We used to make bazookas out of them. I'm sure that anyone who grew up during this era is familiar with the procedure: cut half of the top and half of the bottom out of 4 or 5 cans and then tape them together alternating the openings. A tennis ball (marinated in gas), some gasoline and a match...

I survived, and I'm proud of it./w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

Jeff396 · Feb 26, 2002

Nope, never did that one. We did the ever popular (Steel Pipe + M80) - Common sense = Dangerous projectile. And they thought I didn't pick any of that math junk up...

Here's a favorite for you Northern Fella's. I used to have a snow mobile when I was a kid. We used to go out on the moonless nights and play hide and seek in the apple orchards. The way you played was everyone except the one who was it would turn off their headlights and try to keep from being caught by the person that was it. One time while trying to evade I was heading across a field at the edge of the orchard where someone got the bright idea to dig a 5 foot deep hole right in the middle of nowhere. Yep, I hit it dead center and I still have the scar on my forhead to prove it. And yes, I was wearing a helmet but the windshield managed to get up under the face shield. I think that was 10 stitches, a concussion and severely messed up snowmobile.

Another item to fight boredom was to take our rowboat and back it up to the dam for no particular reason. However, on one occasion we miscalculated the higher than normal water. When it became apparent that the boat wasn't going to stop, I rammed both oars down to stop us. So, there we sat....unable to pull away from the water fall (only 6 feet high) and not wanting to go over. Oh well, it was inevitable so I'm sure I tried something stupid and over we went onto the rocks. Nobody got too hurt and it was great fun.

Now you all in the North must still shag cars.

Jeff

looch · Feb 26, 2002

Now you all in the North must still shag cars

I hope your meaning of shag is different from mine /w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif. If it isn't, I'm confused. If it is, I don't want to know what you're talking about.

A similar story to your snowmobile adventure:

From the age of 9 to 21, I had several dirtbikes. Only the last one I had actually had a headlight. I would ride them up at my parent's cottage. It was great. There were about 20 of us and we would stay out well into the night. When I remembered to bring one, I would stuff a flashlight into the chin strap of my helmet. I sort of had to hold my head at less-than-convenient angle to see where I was going - but at least I could see. The nights when I didn't bring one, I would to navigate by looking at the tree tops. Where there was open space in the night sky is where the trail was supposed to be. Pretty crazy, but you must take into account that we would be driving these trails all day long. I knew them very well. No excuse though.

MossRoad · Feb 26, 2002

Are you refering to hanging on the bumper on snowy streets? Works great until a dry spot, don't it?

Jeff396 · Feb 26, 2002

Yep, that's the sport. Used to do it behind the snowmobile too and then you got the added fun of the track blowing snow at ya. Far as falling down goes, those snowmobile suits were pretty well padded and then again sometimes we just started out by laying down.....depending on conditions./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Jeff

looch · Feb 26, 2002

Ah yes - now I understand. We did that, except we found it easier to hang to the rear wheel-wells.

MDNick · Feb 26, 2002

Also done similar stuff to that. When I worked on the golf course, we would water greens at night. We didn't have auto waters, so you had to go around and move the sprinkler head 2 times a night over about 4 hrs, starting at dusk (when the golfers would get off the course). So I'd go out on a hyped up golf cart (govenor removed, it was our workcart) in the dark flying all over the course. The few times I gave people rides I scared the crap out of them. But like you said, I really knew the trees, paths etc. 'Cept this one time. Cruising along, got just a bit off the path, and felt first the front tire then the rear ride up over something. Scared the crap outta me when I realized it was a utility pole guy wire. That coulda hurt.

My dirt bike was an enduro (on/off road) so I had a headlight. Most boring.

DocHeb · Feb 26, 2002

Both of my brothers went to Michigan Tech, in Houghton, MI. It's about as far north in the Upper Penninsula as you can get. They have 10 months /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif of winter there, with ~360" of snow each year. Snow sports such as cross country skiing are popular. MTech cross country skiing involves an old Impala (or equivalant), snow tires x 4, air shocks on all four corners (for extra ground clearance), 1/4" plate steel skid plate across the entire bottom of the car, water skiing tow rope, cheap skis, lots of beer, and logging trails. From the stories its amazing anyone lived to graduate.

Jeff396 · Feb 26, 2002

I remeber when we used to snowmobile that every now and again an odd sort of sled would show up. I think the brand name was Raider. It was odd in that it was set up more like a half track. It had two tracks on the rear and the standard two skis. But the really odd thing about this sled was that rather than straddle the seat like all other brands you actuall sat inside it. It didn't have a top and I gather it was not a good thing to be on if you rolled it (if you didn't, you weren't having enough fun). Does anyone remember these machines and what happened to them?

BTW Snowmobileing is where I learned how to fix fiberglass. Just couldn't seem to keep that thing away from the trees!

Jeff

njrqs · Feb 26, 2002

Yes the shagging cars bit had me worried too. Unfortunately I only know one meaning of shag and it is not found too much on this site !

Cheers

MossRoad · Feb 26, 2002

Was it one of these? <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.trailroamer.com/>Trailroamer</A>

njrqs · Feb 26, 2002

Yes it's not really LANW bowls, but LAWN bowls. He have Bocce here for fun but not sure it is played for sports.

The English Lawn Bowls is very popular amongst the "older" set.

Bird, when you say snow birds I assume you mean older folk travelling away from snow?

We have lots of retired folk who travel up to our warmer climates for winter, caravanning around to escape their cold southern winters.

I have seen curling on TV and boy that is one strange looking game !

Cheers

Jeff396 · Feb 26, 2002

That's the one. I can't believe they are still around. I remember there was a huge issue of some pretty serious injuries with those machines. You just couldn't get away from it if it rolled. We used to go to the "big hill" which was a two road high overpass that was under construction. More than one of us wouldn't make it up and if we were really unlcuky we would end up rolling down the hill. I remember one of them going up like it was no big deal. Thanks for the info!

Jeff

jhburke · Feb 27, 2002

When I was a youngster my dad had a truck that had a 20' tail pipe on it. My 2 brothers and I use to start the truck and let it idle. A pool ball just fit in the tail pipe. We would slam a pool ball in the tail pipe and yell rev it up. That ball would shoot like a shot. A neigbor kid wanted to play also. We told him go down the street and catch the pool ball. Thank goodness he was unable to catch it.

s1120 · Feb 27, 2002

A pool ball just fit in the tail pipe. We would slam a pool ball in the tail pipe and yell rev it up. That ball would shoot like a shot. A neigbor kid wanted to play also. We told him go down the street and catch the pool ball. Thank goodness he was unable to catch it. 

LMAO /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif You got to wonder how we all survied growing up.

Bird · Feb 27, 2002

Bird, when you say snow birds I assume you mean older folk travelling away from snow?

Yep, lots of them in Florida, southern Arizona, and south Texas every winter.

Bird · Feb 27, 2002

Who could afford pool balls? I thought you were supposed to use a potato./w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

Jeff396 · Feb 27, 2002

And they all drive 30 mph! Makes you wonder in what month they had to leave home to make it to Fl or AZ before the snow flew./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Jeff

Golfgar4 · Feb 27, 2002

OHHHHHH/w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif! It's a golf course putting green/w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif. Now THAT I can relate too/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif!

Bird · Feb 27, 2002

And they all drive 30 mph!

True in many cases, but not all./w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif A couple of weeks ago, I was cruising along at 70 mph when two Ford crew cab dually trucks, both pulling big 5th wheel trailers, and one with a second trailer hauling his golf cart, passed me. I sped up just to see how fast they were running and they were cruising along at 80 mph./w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif