Cruising Nevada -- Part Two

Three years ago, during the dog days of summer, I wrote the column "Cruising." Here are some more memories from those "Nevada/American Graffiti" days.

As I mentioned in that first story, we had a regular route for our local cruise. Everyone knew the way, and waving, honking, and OMG "mooning," were common sights on the trek.

Even this favorite pastime eventually brought some tedium and boredom. It was then that those of us who were true dedicated cruisers, began to search for more rewarding side trips.

You must first remember that while there were not many attractions in our little corner of the world, we did have one tremendous advantage over the kids of today, "cheap gas!!!!"

A collection of a quarter from each passenger in the car would give you over five gallons of gas. The 50 cent pieces (which were still common in those days) collected from each rider, and trips to other towns became a real option.

It always seemed that someone in the car knew a girl or guy from another town like Fort Scott, El Dorado Springs, Sheldon, Rich Hill or Lamar. It never took much encouragement to enlist everyone in a road trip.

There was something exciting about those trips to other towns, and even a hint of danger. You never seemed to have been in the other place but a few minutes, when all the other kids there knew foreigners had invaded.

Many of them greeted us with a warm welcome. Then, there were the times when a local boyfriend or girlfriend took offense at what they perceives to be an intrusion upon their "turf."

If the car we had driven was known to be fast, it always seemed that the local speed legend from that particular town, would magically appear, and begin to "rev" his engine in a warning challenge.

We always had to make a stop at whatever the local fast food teen hangout happened to be, in that community. In Eldo, Simone's was their White Grill. In Fort Scott, there was a place a few blocks south of midtown for which I can't now remember the name.

We found their food and beverage adequate, but not up to Grill standards. Of course the reverse was true for them, when they cruised here for a visit.

Many nights when we were seeking new adventures, we cruised into the local countryside. There were a multitude of venues that piqued our attention.

(PS -- I always send an unedited copy of my weekly column to the legendary English Teacher, Katherine Howard Young. She kindly reminds me of spelling and grammar errors, often before I submit them to the editor. Last week I used the word piqued in a recent article, as I have today. Unfortunately, my first draft had it spelled, "peaked!") The teachers from our cruising days are still hoping to educate us.

Countryside adventures often included trips to wondrous sites such as: the rock quarry, roller coaster hills, thirteen curves, low water bridge, the hanging tree, and strangely enough even a few cemeteries. You know you are hard up for action when "Deepwood Cemetery" is on your itinerary.

The supernatural appeared to hold a special place in our hearts and minds back then. Close by there were a couple of ghostlike homes. One of these was called the "Plantation," and the other was "Badger Mansion." Tales of strange apparitions and events were taken as gospel by most of us.

A few years ago, I wrote an article about the famous "Spook Light," located right near the Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma borders. I wonder if that has changed any since the advent of Downstream Casino, nearby?

Sometimes we felt the need to live a bit dangerously. Drag racing, like the one in "American Graffiti," was quite common. The two most common places to test your car against another were on opposite sides of town.

The closest was the one on North Ash just past the State Hospital. There were tire marks at the north end that marked the starting point, and then there was a road sign that everyone recognized as the finish line.

The second strip was about seven miles south of town on BB Highway, just after you had finished taking the "Bethel Curves." On Sunday's there would be several cars doing their thing, until inevitably someone turned us in, and the Highway Patrol would come run us off.

One of my personal favorite cruises outside of town, was the trip to Pruitt's Hill, a few miles west of Walker. This series of hills are strikingly uncommon for Vernon County. They rise higher than any other place that I can think of nearby.

There is a winding road atop these heights, and at one spot you can stop and see the lights of Nevada at night. It looks more like a small city from that vantage point, than one would expect.

Cruising was always a big part of the mating game. Some of the first tense moments with the opposite sex, were spent on a cruise. Many times you were secure in this first meeting, as you were often still with a carload of other teens. The important part was that you likely got to sit beside the one you had secretly been wanting to get to know better.

There was an entire vocabulary that my generation used during those cruising days. Phrases like: making the loop, hooking up, making out, going steady, pit stop, and one I loved, "the fire drill." If you don't know what that means you are not from my era, or you didn't get out much.

Yes, cruising was our pastime on warm summer nights. It is a time that is gone forever, mostly due to gas prices.

I still like to go take a cruise now and then.

Want to join me?