Kings Mountain Wild Ride - (a true story) by Anno Nymus

Kings Mountain Wild Ride

 The trees whizzed by close – we even caught a branch …

… heading down to town that night – from Kings Mountain Ranch ...

The '52 Merc' purred – like a fine Swiss watch

zig-zag'n down the winding deserted mountain road

12 tubes blasting country - on the old Philco

Lefty Frizzel just a moaning so low

We were young and ready – and rearing to roll

Twisty mountain road – pines flyin' by at night

Cruising along everything's just right

Suddenly she turns out the headlights

'n said 'drive in the dark!' – that got me excited

So we coast awhile in neutral – almost lost in the dark

Thrilled with excitement and our youthful spark

We have to take the curves with all our might

Rolling blind down the mountain – in the dead of night

While we swerve and bob - and hold back our terrors

Lefty's gal is really late -- and he's avoiding mirrors

Flyin' by memory in the deep forest dark

The old mercury rolled on – as we went on this lark

We were young and ready – and rearing to roll

The city lights blinking down below – our beacon and goal

We sparked the motor back up – she lit with a roar

Winding down the mountain --- still holding the road

She purrs and hums like that fine Swiss watch

And that old '52 Merc' – sure was a hoss

Bringing us in on a wing and a prayer

She took all we gave and thirsted for more

These were the days of glory and fun

Our wild Kings Mountain Ranch run

We'd fly down to town .. and get business done ..

Then we'd race back up

To the ranch in the sun

Another - wild Kings Mountain Ranch run

We were young and ready – and rearing to roll

We were young --we were invincible

Free to glide – and we would ride ride ride …

Into the night – laughing – gliding side by side

We were young and ready – and rearing to roll

The trees whizzed close by – we even caught a branch …

… heading down to town that night – from Kings Mountain Ranch ...

* * *

Copyright 2019 R. Bigelow (aka Anno Nymus)

This actually happened in 1954

Uncles Jerry, Mickey, and Charles (all freshly home from Korea), and Charles' fiance Linda, would often go from our place called 'The Sky Ranch' at the top of Kings Mountain, down to the little village at the bottom. They loved to use the twisty narrow two lane back road, and blast county music on the deluxe car radio. Most of the way down it was piney hill on one side, and creek on the other. Two cars could just get by, and if it was a car and truck, then someone was backing up to a wide spot. It was a classic old time mountain road. 

The uncles all famously loved to 'coast' down this windy road in Charles'  gorgeous and souped up 1952 Blue and White Mercury with fender skirts. It gleamed!  One night, I got to sneak a ride going on quick run to town and back. Grandma relented because Linda was going, even though the uncles each had a few cold brewskies under the belt. Loaded up we headed out. Pretty soon - as advertised - we were coasting in neutral to everyone's delight, when suddenly, Linda reached over and turned out the headlights - daring Charles to keep going!. It was pitch dark, and everyone sat straight up !

Charlie was driving. He had driven this road many many times, and somehow - between memory and good luck - he was pretty much holding the road - but the downhill grade was causing us to pick up speed faster and faster,  as we coasted, until it was getting pretty scary fast. We were all hollering to 'turn on the lights!', and 'start the engine!' and 'put it in gear and quit coasting!' in between squeals of excitement -- along with the squeals of the tires! Now we were really picking up speed, and barely making the hairpin turns. We were really skewing off the roadway at points! At one turn as we swerved under a tree,  the tip of a low hanging pine branch caught in the corner of the window, and we got showered with a few pine needles. Scared a bit, we suddenly got very quiet -  all you could hear was the radio!

Just then, the engine roared to life, the headlights came on, and everyone let their breath out, then busted out laughing !  I was revved up, and wanting to do it again, but alas,  I never did get another shot. After grandmother heard about this ride, I was banned from riding with the uncles - unless granddad was driving. 
I can almost smell the pine needles remembering ! But wow -- what a memorable wild crazy fun ride ! 

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