Look Out Below

You get out of bed, look out the window, and the world is covered in snow. All the kids gather around the radio and wait for the fateful words, school is cancelled. SNOW DAY! The phones start ringing as you and your friends put together the times and place for the big sledding trip. Coats are gathered along with stocking caps, gloves and snow boots. I remember not having water proof boots, so Iwould put on a pair of socks, then slip bread wrappers on my feet, and then put on another pair of socks. We would all meet at the foot of the west end of Flat Top, at the gas station across from the old mosquito control. It was the perfect spot, we rode are dirt bikes up and down the hill in summer, so there was a great trail all ready to go when the snow hits. We had discs, inner tubes and toboggans, no sleds allowed they tore up the trail. We would all get in a line, and you held the feet of  the person behind you off you went. I'm sure we reached speeds of 40 mph or more, or though it seamed. I will say this, when the train went wrong and the big wreck accrued, there were kids spread out over 2 acres. We had a kid get knocked out one time, he layed on the snow for a while because no one wanted to leave the side of the hill to call his parents. He eventually came around complaining of a head ache, and had a little trouble finding his way home. We would stay on that hill until sundown, them red faced, wet, cold, sore and sometimes bleeding, we would talk about how much fun we had and make plans to come back the next day.Once you got home, your mom would make you take off your boots on the throw rug by the front door, wet pants went to the dryer and everything else was left in a pile in your bedroom. One thing about breathing all of that  fresh air, ya sure slept good.