On a steel horse I ride......

I remember well when I was a kid going "riding" as my parents called it. Making a loop in the country with them hearing the latest ZZ top album and simply having a good time. On one of these adventures my dad turned down a little dirt road known by the locals as "Burner Hill". At the end of this road was a what looked to be mile high to me, oil pump. We pull over and get out and stretch our legs and my Dad starts toward the iron giant. Against my mom's good judgement, he ventures up the ladder leading up to the top of the teetering pump. Then what follows became seared into my young mind. He climbs on and rides the oil pump. I'm a mix of emotions that include fear and envy.My Dad was the Hero of the Day.

Flash Forward some years and we are coming down the same road. We get out and I look up at the giant steel beast. My Dad looks over at me and says to me "give it a shot". Of course I'm once again mixed with fear and the need to tame this animal. So I slowly climb the ladder, each rung bringing a feeling of liberation. When i get to the top I throw my leg over the rocking section. The feeling that came that day riding an oil pump of all things was so great. If your ever riding down an old road and come upon one, don't think twice. Jump on. I promise you'll never forget it....