Iron horses

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I know you cowboys had yer horses to ramble about on growing up , but where I was raised it wasn't so . We had dirt bikes . The title link shows a video of what that ol mule was capable of ( although they ruined it with nigger music ) . First pic shows my first bike . Worked that ol girl like a mule too ... and she kept coming back for more .

( and if I can find that old pic , I learned to ride with a cast on my throttle hand - an unfortunate incident involving a buddies head ! Nothing beats determination ! )

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I was 13 or 14 years old , and while it might of seemed like the right thing for a loving parent to bestow upon a young fledgling , such was probably not in the best of interest to keep me " on the straight and narrow ." The " world " now lay accessable at my doorstep ! And proceed we did .

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Granted , it was small but it served this kid well . Pushed her against hills that seemed almost straight up , and she faltered not . " Motocrossed " with all that we had at hand - creeks , trails , jumps , pits . Buried her to the bridle once in mud and she forgave me after a thorough rinsing ( and a tow out with a borrowed vehicle ! ) . The only protection we wore were jeans and a jacket .

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Oh ! But the fun was only just beginning ! The thrill of the woods is intense but already other avenues of exploration were opening . We discovered railroad tracks as an optional avenue of transport . The thing you learn REAL quick there is that the devils in the details . Wide open cruising is the real deal BUT , it's the acceleration and deceleration that will shake the stuffings outa ya ! But we were young , we persevered .

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Let us not forget the open road , that wonderfully modern strip that traverses our land ... all paved just for us ! And yeah , being young teens , most of our outings had to be under cover of darkness . Laws and such other nonsense , don't ya know . Knobbies and universals on asphalt ! We also proved beyond a doubt that a moving bike makes an acceptable assault vehicle . All it takes is a bit of nerve !

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I remember one time , me and a buddy coming outa the woods via railroad tracks , and running out of gas . Small tank , don't remember how big . So we push 'er down into town and roll up to the gas pumps

( I think gas was about 30 - 35 cents a gallon ) ( nope , just checked and it was about 63 cents - guess I was thinking of the oldest gas receipts I have on record ) . Fella comes strolling out , looking none too pleased to start with . Told him we need about 25 cents worth . He like to of comed unglued ! Said he ought not to even crank it up for that . I promised him repeat business though . I think he harbored a soft spot in his heart for rebel youth !

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While we did some wheelies and stood 'er on her hind legs , NOTHING like the fella in my last pic . Taken from offline , he was clocked doing almost 95 MPH . Too crazy for me . I ride for the cruise ... the road soothes .

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My ma bought that first bike ( and my first rifle - an Ithaca model 49 saddle gun / .22 single shot lever action ) . As the horse power increased over the years , she really thought me loco for riding that 2 wheeled horror .

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UNTIL ... she finally took my advise to ride and gave it a whirl for herself ( someone else driving ) . Mom was an instant believer and joined our ranks .

I miss ya ma .

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( Johnny R. ...

Skidrow ...

Joey boy ...

weren't those the days ? )