Skateboard Hill
Skateboards these days are sophisticated toys with modern wheels and
materials. In 1964 we had true "skate boards" that we made by taking old
roller skates, separating the front and back wheels and nailing them to
a board. The best place to skateboard was a road we
called Skateboard Hill.
Skateboard Hill was a new road with a smooth surface that had just been
paved in a new neighborhood not far from where we lived. It was perfect
for skateboarding being wide, smooth, gentle sloping, about a quarter mile
long and no traffic because there were no houses on it yet. Although we
did go skateboarding there, what I remember having the most fun was going
down the hill on a go-cart that I had made. The go-cart wasn't much more
a board with wheels in a simple I shape. A board in the middle to sit on
with the top and bottom of the I being the axels and wheels. The thing about
the go-cart was I made it with the wheels from
my old soapbox derby which
were really super wheels. One or sometimes two of us would sit on the center
board with the person steering putting a foot on each side of the front
axel to steer with your feet and a rope to hang on to. With a good push
you could hit close to 30 miles an hour going down the hill.