I’ve been just rotten with the follow-through on this blog. Seriously. Couple of days ago I promised to rant about meditation, and there was something else I planned to write about and forgot to. Anyway, since I’ve got a lot of writing ahead of me, and my ideas have been a little thin on the ground, I reckoned it wouldn’t be a bad idea to fill in a few gaps as I’ve left them.
The biggie as I see it at the moment, was the No Gas Nationals, which I’d provided a photo-laden lead-up to and then never came back to write up. So, heeeeeeere goes.
The day broke soggy and overcast and proceeded to unleash occasional bouts of torrential rain.
Our bodies may have been soaked, but our spirits weren’t dampened:
The variety of machinery present was staggering. There were racers in the trike style:
A couple were based off old go-kart chassis:
Others were clearly old bicycles modified for a low-slung seating position:
Or in the case of Tylorrrrr, it was a new cargo bike hastily defiled for the special occasion:
Also represented were:
A wheelbarrow and some bits of an old riding lawn mower.
Parts of an old rototiller, wheelchair, kiddie bike, and tractor seat.
The Radio Flyer every kid dreamed of.
A fantastic contraption based around an old crib frame.
Renner’s famous coffin car.
My Monstrosity.
And this:
Some fantastic loon from Lawrence had constructed this out of the remains of an accordianmobile art-car project.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dantonpix/536566175/
So the tiny children’s bike up front really and actually was the steering. And the car’s stock brakes were still intact and functioning, so it stopped quite nicely actually.
To get it back up the hill, the owner just hitched it to a pickup, and it towed tidily.
You might wonder how it went:
Surprisingly well, actually.
As you can see, the prizes were handcrafted from the finest quality old bike parts and random gizmos. They were FANTASTIC. Especially the People’s Choice Award, a lovely shrine built out out a couple of old bike wheels, hundreds of silk flowers, and a light-up B.V.M.
You cannot tell me that this is not a work of freakin’ glory.
Joel wore his infamous Speedo, motorcycle crash helmet and knee pads.
Safety third, you know.
Joel, Tylor, and Speedy placed first, second, and third respectively, and Richard quite rightfully claimed the People’s Choice award.
Capital “K” classy.
And if you want more, there are more videos and photos on the Flickr set I made for the occasion.
I’m totally looking forward to this foolishness again next year!
Just wandered over from Holidailies–what a neat event! Lots of creativity and ingenuity going on there.
Heyo! Thanks for coming over for a visit. Hope you enjoy the bounty of babble ahead of you!