My new book: Bangin Gears & Bustin Heads is available. 208 pages of the 1960s in Lincoln, Omaha, Fremont, Nebraska and Iowa stories of drag races, fist fights, cruisin, four-oh-nines, four-oh-sixes, Plymouths, Oldsmobiles and the way it really was including vintage B & W photos. Visit my website: www.rajetter.com Now available: PayPal!!! For overseas & foreign, they will be an increase in postage e-mail me for correct amount. This book would make a nice Christmas gift for that hard-to-buy-for person and I'll donate $1.00 from every sale to the HAMB. Bonus: When you order direct from the author (thatd be ME!!!), Ill autograph it to you personally. Also available at major bookstores and Amazon. com (Approved by Ryan Cochran) LEDGES PARK About a hundred mile drive from our hometown doorstep was an Iowa State Park called Ledges along the banks of the Des Moines River wed been going over there for a lot of years, maybe 8, for picnics and family reunions. The final time I was there was the summer after Id gotten my new car, a 57 Chevy 150 two door that Id traded in my old Grandpa 50 Stude on. The 57 was a gorgeous car albeit a Bell Telephone salesmans car, yet in great shape. The car had been repainted Emerald Green by the dealer right before Dad & I purchased it, guess they figured no one wanted a faded army green sedan. I lowered it, slapped some Porta-walls on it, painted the rims Candy Green and popped on a set of baby moon hubcaps (couldnt afford chromed wheels and moons were cheap think about $8 a set of four) Id found a 54 Corvette factory split manifold for the six, put it and duals with glaspaks on and added a set of Lakes dumps exiting the front wheel well the engine was strong and sounded really good, a column-shifted three-speed backed that up the rest of the car was stock right down to the unbroken grille bar. Our relatives lived in Fort Dodge and Webster City my Dads brothers Ledges Park was the perfect gathering spot for our families closer from each city for my uncles but a bit farther for us Dad didnt mind driving a bit longer distance to see his brothers, after all, driving for him was second nature, he drove a tractor/trailer for several years. The park was still a bit primitive back in 1961 it had become a state park in 1924 and improvements were slow a narrow two lane ran down, around and thru it, there were picnic areas with tables set hard against sheer rock walls, open fire-pits, tons of shade trees and areas to park several cars. Of course, the park got its name from the sandstone rock formations the river had carved its bed from ledges and cliffs and a deep canyon. The winding roads were fun and there were many hiking trials leading into and out of the woods somewhere in that thick forest, carved on a tree thats now about 70 years old is my name and Gails with a heart around it ahhhh, youth and love! On any given weekend from spring to fall, there were a lot of people in the park and the nearest huge town, Ames, about twenty miles away had a college that meant college girls. The narrow road winding thru the park ran across several streams that is, in the spring, or after a good rain, parts of the road was inundated with water you had to drive thru them on your way in or out and what a kick that was for youngsters to wade and play in. In the spring, college girls would stake out their places on the picnic tables, usually with large towels to cover food stains and bird droppings and lie there, in their swimsuits sometimes, even two-piece swimsuits, trying to get a suntan for those of us with hormones raging, Ledges Park on a Sunday afternoon was the perfect place to view those wonderful two-piece suits ehrrrr tans And thats what started the whole fracas a female!!! When one has a new car, you cannot simply sit at a picnic table listening to relatives ramble on all day long the lure of driving that new car runs rampant wouldnt make any difference if you were 500 miles from civilization you had to get behind the wheel and cruise show off that car to whomever was looking even if it were only squirrels, rabbits and birds. Late afternoon, cruise we did, wed motored by several girls sun-bathing, eventually got enuff nerve to stop and talk to a couple lying on a picnic table, not far from a parking lot. Things were going well wed almost had one of them talked into cruising with us maybe cruise into town for a Coke the red-head had walked over and was standing by the 57s passenger side window, Tinys side she was cute had a nice two-piece on her girlfriend seemed disinterested my luck. Wed been chatting with them for a while when this lowered fastback Chevy rolled into the lot. Five guys in the car chugging by slowly giving us the old eagle eye back out onto the road they went and away from us were cool, theyre cool. It was a decent looking Chevy, sporting dual exhausts, whitewalls, fender skirts, dual antenna mounted on the rear fenders and angled back and primer spotted hood and trunk we figured they were local yokels just wanting to hit on some college females as most college guys didnt have lowered, skirted primer-spotted sleds. Ten minutes later the Chevy rolled back into the parking lot entrance Joe Cool driving, arm hanging out the window, sunglasses on, slicked-back blak hair. He stopped on the other side of the lot, someone had blocked the bottom of the U and hed have to back up to get back out. Hey, what the hell you guys doing? Enjoying the day, Tiny grinned. You aint from around here, are ya? Nope, but we are from around and right now were around looking for some company. No law against that, Tiny said. The red-head at his window smiled. If you aint from around here then I suggest you leave, right now, Joe Cool said. And if we dont? Tiny asked. Then I think well have to change your minds. Hmmmm, OK tuff guy we will, in a few minutes, after were done talking here. Tiny never backed down from anyone and took no lip from anyone he was a good pal. Why dont you just take that new pos, go back to where youre from and quit talking to our girlfriends? YOUR girlfriends? The red-head at Tinys window shook her head no. He pointed at her, She sez no. If I say theyre our girlfriends, then youd better believe me if not, well probably pound your face til its bloody, kick the crap outta your friend and make sure you get on the road outta here. Hey man, thats no way to get girls and I dont think you can do it. Besides, you have to catch me to beat me, Tiny gave him a one-fingered salute bold thing to do with five guys in a car I saw the passenger side door of the Chevy open and three guys hurriedly get out Uh-oh, time to go, I said. Yeah, Tiny said, were outnumbered just a tad. Retreat being the smarter part of valor, he turned to the red-head and asked if there was some place in town we could meet them later she shook her head no and said she was busy later. Three guys were coming for us at a Im-really-a-tuff-guy swagger I fired up the six, dropped the clutch and left in a cloud of limestone dust. It didnt take them long to get back in the fastback and give chase guess they figured the girls lying on the picnic table were their future girlfriends or maybe it was just their civic duty to protect all the college girls in Ledges Park from outsiders maybe who knew? I hurried the car down thru the one of the streams running across the road we went put up a bunch of water as we went thru it flew everywhere. Bam, I got hit with an outrageous idea and if we pulled it off, wed better leave Ledges and NEVER come back. I remembered there was another road dip not far ahead headed for that stream as fast as my old 57 would go my chaser was a ways back cuz he forded the stream on tiptoes so not to get his whitewalls wet as I approached the stream, I slammed on the brakes and slid into the water I was halfway into the stream when the fastback Chevy caught up guess they figured Id flooded the engine got water in the points and killed the engine. Looks like they were determined to teach us a lesson they pulled up, parked just at the edge of the stream and all five of them got out of the car they even stopped to roll up their Levis pants legs and take off their shoes Im sure they figured they had plenty of time as my 57 was dead in the water. They waded into the stream about five feet, I fired the engine, dropped the clutch and blasted muddy water all over them got their car too covered it with mud. It was so bad even the windshield was so mucky they would have to spend twenty minutes cleaning it off enuff to give chase we didnt wait to see if they were mad Id put any kind of money on it they were severely pissed, all of them! It took ten minutes to get out of Ledges Park and onto the county road another ten to get to Hiway 30 and two minutes to get to 70 mph heading back west, for home. Good thing we told Mom & Dad earlier wed probably head for home after we got done cruising. Never went back to Ledges after that and never ventured into Ames either. Several years ago, while heading to a GoodGuys Indy event, my son, in his Nova, my brother in his 47 Chevy and me in my radical 57 Chevy stopped in at Ledges Park wanted to show my son where Id had some good times growing up. Drove down thru most of the park, ended up parking next to the spot the road had been blocked off cuz the river flooded out part of it we forded a stream in bare feet and walked thru the rest of Ledges remembering family picnics and some of the best times my bro and I had as kids there. We hiked several trails thru the forest back to our cars, went back out the way we came in and continued to Indianapolis. Ledges Park hadnt changed much in the thirty or so years since Id last been there but Ive still never been into Ames, Iowa. Copyright 10-04 R.A.Jetter/Aden Rush
Cool moves Roger! Gotta love creative ways of getting back at the bullies. LoL I remember getting chased by the big guy in grade 5 on a muddy fall day...I dropped to my knees at the very end of the pavement. He tripped over me and did a forward flip into the mud hole...just as the "return to class" bell rang! Hahahaha Cornered me again the next day during recess and I flat handed an icecream "Drumstick" up his nostrils! He was sneezing milk solids all afternoon!!! After that I didn't have much trouble with him, or anyone else for that matter...
Good one, Hacker...I've hated bullies since High School...there's no good reason anyone should be like that!!! BTT for the Saturday crew... R-
Yet another great read Roger!! What a way to grow up eh? Gettin even with them bullies, that's just cool!! I can see the makins of book #2 commin! I got mine yesterday and I'm half way through it. Put it down for a second and it's gone.....now if I can just get it back from the boys I'll finish it tommorrow!! Chad says it's way cool!!! So from our house to yours, THANKS!!!! Bill
Got the book today! Can't wait to set in for a good read. BTW, you and me, MO-KAN 2005, best 2 out of 3. You're on. You are safe. Couldn't fight my way out of a wet paper bag. Thanks again for all you do, and tell Dan HEY. Tommy Mc
I sense a recurring theme in your "reads" and in some of your posts... redheads I love 'em too. Great story as usual
[ QUOTE ] I sense a recurring theme in your "reads" and in some of your posts... redheads I love 'em too. Great story as usual [/ QUOTE ] eric beat me too it and yes YOU GOTTA LOVE THEM REDHEADS!!!
[ QUOTE ] BTW, you and me, MO-KAN 2005, best 2 out of 3. You're on. Tommy Mc [/ QUOTE ] How much you gonna spot me? Gonna use "bracket" rules? No way I can beat your "J" heads-up...won't even be close... BTW, I'm still waiting for pix of that chopped '49 Caddy of yours... R-