Young Parents Never Cease To Amaze. . . .

1988bluebird · **Posted:** Nov Sat 16, 2019 1:39 am

bobwilson1977 wrote:

I grew up in the sticks in east Tennessee and our bus route went all over the place. Some of the kids that we picked up lived on one lane roads and I was always amazed that the bus driver was able to maneuver the bus in some of these places.

My best memory is that on one of these little narrow roads there was a bridge that had a very sharp and abrupt dip off the other side. we found that if you went to the very back of the bus and waited until the driver went over this drop-off that the back end of the bus would bounce and launch s in the air if you jumped at the right moment. In fact we would encourage the bus driver to drive a bit faster over this to enhance it a bit and if you were good enough you could just about hit your head on the ceiling. Good times.

I like your bus story, when I was in Jr. High we had a cool old Ford Bluebird bus with the big 429 CID V8 and a 5 speed manual. Well one time we were going to the football game and the old Ford started smoking and squealing under the hood, so the bus driver (an old farmer) stopped the bus and opened the hood. He was only under the hood about a minute, before he slammed it shut and walked back into the bus. We all asked him what was wrong and he said "damn pollution pump seized up, so I cut the belt to it with my knife". We all laughed and he fired up the old Ford bus and we still made it to the game on time. I learned that day that most farmers are very mechanically inclined and resourceful :lol:

dtvmcdonald · **Posted:** Nov Sat 16, 2019 1:58 am

SparkyDan wrote:

dtvmcdonald wrote:

...

However, it would not have been pleasant to walk to junior high or high
without a large backpack for books, and such things apparently did not exist then.
The two girls carried a small briefcase in each hand! I would not want to walk even
0.68 miles twice a day today carrying the load without a backpack.

In the 1950's, my Boy Scout backpack could carry enough supplies to last 3 days; including meals, cooking gear, and a bedroll. We frequently traipsed many miles over farm terrain to campgrounds. These are not modern inventions . . . Your parents probably had the best intentions, but . . . . . . I shan't go on.

Dan

I'm not a spring chicken. Yes, old fashioned Boy Scout or military backpacks existed.
They were crude and too large. I never ever saw one used. Large "daypacks" suitable for just the books did not exist, at least where I lived. Everybody used briefcases. Mine was huge.

Mikeinkcmo · **Posted:** Nov Sat 16, 2019 7:03 am

Until I was 16, I walked. Typically about 1 to 2 miles or so, and never thought much about it, as it was "normal". Seasons and weather just meant different outer garments. Sometimes not very pleasant but, as Frank's song said, THAT'S LIFE.

Renton481 · **Joined:** Mar Tue 27, 2012 1:24 pm **Posts:** 1177

I took the bus, and then during high school rode my ten-speed to school. Probably a three or four mile ride. I enjoyed it more than taking the bus. Also, no backpacks were used. No one had them. You carried your books all with your large, spiral ring notebook. On my bike I strapped them to the rattrap carrier with shock cords.

I see kids walking on their own to the local school bus stop, maybe 5-10 blocks or more, all the time. I also see some parents dropping their kids off at the school bus stop. Maybe it's their quiet time to talk with their kids before the kids go to school, and then they go to work. I don't see how that can be a bad thing, in a world where both parents (or the single parent, in many cases) work.

Young Parents Never Cease To Amaze. . . .

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