My palms are a little sweaty going without a picture here but I’ll muddle through.
What’s more exciting than a new garage door? Taking the old one to the landfill!! (stay with me here) I have been hauling the old garage door around in the Safari van for several weeks now, cut into 4 foot sections and ready for an unsuspecting dumpster. I guess I could have thrown it out the back door and just leave it lay in the yard, but we live on this side of the river thankyou.
Too big to go in the trash can and considered construction debri so curb side would not do my only choice was to take it to the landfill. My first thought was, man I have to haul it down there and pay to dump it, so off to the landfill we went with 15 bucks in hand.
Pulled into Scott’s Landfill, motored up to the little shack and payed the guy my 15 dollars, and he said, “take it to the top of the hill….” I slowly turned and looked at that trash mountain (you know.. like the one’s you see from the interstate that look like a small mount everest) and said in my own breath, “really?” OH BOY I thought, were gunna do some hill climbing! I haven’t done this since I had my 1972 Ford pick up, well back in the 70’s. I haven’t even been off roading in years!! I jumped back in the Safari van and looked over at Susan and said, Were going to the top baby! She said something quietly like “oh shit..”
Now you would think they would have a road that winds it’s way around the hill for a gradual climb, HECK NO baby! Straight up! How cool is that?? Okay it wasn’t straight up but it was steep enough to be fun. Drop it in low and keep the momentum up so she doesn’t spin out. Pick good lines, not on the ridge and not in the groove… keep the steering wheel moving… that’s it. Like riding a bike, you don’t forget these skills. We bounced and swayed, passed a dump truck that was coming down the somewhat 2 lane path and eventually popped out on top. Yes!! ..made it.
Now were driving on dirt covered trash and the thought of sharp objects and tires blowing out cross my mind, but we made our way over to where the big dozer was pushing trash over the side. “Man I hope he sees us,” I said. One of those giant steel wheels is bigger than our van. Anyway we toss our stuff out next to another small pile, shut the doors and pull away. I stopped and mentioned, “hey look you can see the entire city from here.” You could see for miles actually. It was mount Columbus we’re on! What if we built a house up here? How cool would that be? …Then it hit me - that little voice of sanity said, “Dude.. your on a giant trash pile. ok.. let’s go home.
Let’s see, legal dumping and off-roading for only 15 bucks. …and took me back 30 years. Yeah… I’ll be back!
Posted by: Gene Nichols
