Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Tote Goat



This is the genuine version of what the kids in Orem rode around town for kicks - a tote goat. My family had two, with two kids squeezed on one with Dad and one kid squeezed on the other one with mom. We rode them as a family up the canyons and on picnics. Around town, we could ride them in orchards, around the yard, down the diagonal road (before completion) or through open fields. At my most recent trip to Costco (where I used to ride through dirt and trees), it shocked me how much things had changed. Not only is my home dempolshed and shopping in its place, I recognize nobody in Costco, this land feeling somewhat mine because of the miles and miles of tote goat trails that were forged right in this very spot. The same location years earlier I recognized everybody I passed tote goating along. Solo riding gave us kids a responsible, grown up feeling until we rode it up a wall or through a tree. These machines were heavy suckers to upright. Probably due to the fact that the dads that made them were machinists at Geneva Steel and knew the business of creating a sturdy ride. And no, we didn't wear helmets, take lessons, or wear seat belts or protective gear. It was just you and your goat against the dirt and rocks.

2 comments:

denise said...

Where on earth did you find the picture. It just made me smile. I so remember falling asleep on the back of one of those. I never fell off, don't ask me how!

greg said...

Too Kool.

Didn't your Dad build your tote goat?