Tug Knievel meets Chevy Nova

One of my childhood heroes was Evel Knievel. Other than Fonzie, I thought Evel was the coolest guy on earth. I can remember getting a hand-me-down Evel Knievel toy van and a Super Stunt Cycle. Those were some of my most prized possessions.

Not only did I play with Evel toys, I tried to emulate his motorcycle stunts on my bicycle. I would prop up boards on cinder blocks and ramp them. I was pretty doggone good at it too! I could ride a wheelie for over a 1/4 mile and every now and then I would stand on my seat and coast down hills. I was fearless when I was on my bike. Which, of course, leads to the reason I'm writing this post...

I believe I was around 10 years old when this particular incident happened. My best friend Kevin, and I, was riding our bikes all over the place. I was getting braver and braver in my stunt riding. I came up with the bright idea of going up to the top of the hill beside his parent's house, getting on my bike, and riding down the hill with my legs thrown over the handle bars. Seemed like the perfect plan to me.

I started my stunt out just like I planned. From the top of the hill I began to pick up speed. I have no idea just how fast I was going but I was moving on! It was then I realized that I was not really able to steer while my legs were over the handle bars. I looked down the hill in front of me. I was thinking; "Hmm, I don't remember Kevin's dad's Nova sitting in the driveway," Panic began to set in. I was trying to get my feet down so I could slam on the brakes or steer in a different direction. The bike began to wobble and that '69 Nova was getting closer by the second. I managed to get my feet down right about the time the front tire of the bike plowed into the side of the car. My feet flew down and my legs shot out behind me. My head hit full force into the passenger side car door. I remember flying backwards, upside down, in mid-air over the top of the car. I landed in the dirt on my back with an earth shattering thud. Kevin's mom saw the whole thing from the kitchen window. She came running out to see if I was dead. I think I was in the third Heaven that the Apostle Paul wrote about. Although, instead of receiving a thorn in the flesh, I received a blow to the head!

I don't really remember a lot that happened between the time my parents arrived and the time I finally came around. From the emergency room table, one of the Doctors (Willingham, Wall, or Walker) was shining a light in my eyes and telling me to follow it. It felt like there was a huge, hot baked potato attached to my forehead. I soon discovered that it wasn't a potato, but rather a purple, fleshly pump knot sticking out of my head! I reached up with my hand and gingerly touched it. It was then that I knew exactly how Wile E. Coyote felt when Road Runner dropped an anvil on his head. Let me tell ya, it hurt!

The pump knot eventually went down and life went on. That was just the first of many blows that I would receive to my ol' noggin over the years, and believe it or not, it wasn't the worst! ...I'll save that story for another day.