Looking back at the Big Wheel!

So today I was in my boss's office and somehow we got talking about bikes and I mentioned how in my hometown at the first house I grew up in, we used to ride our bikes down the hill and jump the culvert from the neighbor's driveway into our ditch and up it to the front deck.

Looking back that was so much fun.  First off it was cool to seem like we got that much air when we jumped it.  I think sometimes we may have got a little bit.  If you have been reading this or follow me on facebook or twitter, I miss my small town growing up. I loved it.  I hate the big city and that my kids won't experience in Des Moines what I had in Garwin.  All of us who grew up there were lucky.

But after we got done talking about bikes, I mentioned that I had a big wheel too.  Not just any big wheel, a Dukes of Hazzard Big Wheel.  (somewhat like the one pictured, but more orange) I got it from my grandparents for Christmas one year.  I used to watch the Dukes every Friday night with my grandma, and even skip my brothers football and basketball games to do so.  It was my thing with my grandma.  So it was an awesome gift.  I remember going to their basement to ride it that night since I couldn't outdoors.  That spring/summer I tore that thing up!

As you can see the whole thing is mostly plastic and on the right side there was a lever that was your brake.  You could get that thing going fast enough down hill and then hit the break and turn the wheel and get some nice black tire marks on the side walk.  All I need was a bow and I was a real Duke!  What was even cooler is that our neighbor had a custom horn that had the Dukes General Lee horn!  We'd get that played for us when we drove by.  We also had the town cop living at the top of the hill.  You'd get him to sit out there with his cop car, or even just see it parked and it was like running from Roscoe P Coltrane, add in the horn and it was one heck of a ride for a 5-7 year old.

I rode that thing everywhere, all over the neighbor hood, sidewalks, driveway and even rode it to church one Sunday.  The pastor at children's time even made note to mention about the Big Wheel parked out front.

Got to say it was a great conversation with my boss and made me smile a lot and brought back a lot of great memories from my past.

Now all I need now is my real General Lee!