Steep tale

I remember growing up in Omaha, and the streets around our neighborhood were quite steep. We used to take advantage of those steep streets in many ways. In the winter, we would ride our sleds down the ice and snow covered streets. But in the summer, we would build go-carts, and race them down those steep inclines.

Those go-carts were masterpieces of jury-rig engineering. A 2 x 4 laid flat became the chassis, and two others became the axles. The rear axle was nailed in place so it didn’t move, while the front axle had a bolt pushed through an oversized hole to allow you to steer. Another board was nailed in place over the back axle as a seat, and a rope was knotted through two more oversized holes on the front axle as a steering wheel. Our brake was a board nailed on with one nail to the chassis. When you pulled on this board, it would drag on the ground and slow you down. Our emergency brake was the Fred Flintstone brake. You put both feet on the ground on either side, and hoped for the best.

I’m sure our Dad wondered what happened to all of his scrap lumber, because we were always looking for another board to build some project. We built forts, boats, and other sundry constructions. They didn’t always last long, but we always had fun.

Take care, and go have some fun. Stick.