So we got these mini-bobs a few years back, when just by chance I saw them for sale at an outdoors store in Clarendon. Now, I'm sure that the clerks thought, "What the hell is this big dude going to do with those mini-bobs - they're for the kids around here!" And sure enough, they do have some nice sledding hills over there in Arlington.
But what I had in mind was to use them to sled down the front yard at Hawksbill Cabin. We've had enough snow to use them at least once a winter - but the winter wonderland that greeted us this trip provided the best conditions yet for using them - as seen in the videos.
It took a little bit of work to build the sled run - I mentioned how the snow was frozen and crusty on top, so you'd break through. That was happening with the little mini-bobs too, and it would bring you to a sudden dead stop after a few lurching attempts to get started. No fun, in other words.
Eventually, I trudged down the hill in as straight a path as I could make, using small foot steps, and then back up in the track. After Mary and I both made a pass on this route, we had the makings for a good track. We sledded a good ten times each the first day, when the video of Mary and Tessie was taken. Overnight, the cold temperatures set us up for a great second day of sledding, and that is when the video of me was taken.
There is a story that goes with the mini-bobs. Frequent readers may recall that I discovered these toys when my Air Force buddies and I would go to the Harz Mountains in Germany for winter ski trips, taking a break from all the winter recreation that we had available in Berlin - mainly Guinness curls at the Irish Harp.
I think I will revisit the story of those Harz trips in a post tomorrow.
No comments:
Post a Comment