The Free Pittsburgh Plunge

It’s a hot day in the middle of summer before my third grade year. Bored out of our minds, DJ and I need something to do. We are tired of fishing, tired of climbing tree’s and riding our bikes on the half mile driveway; our world just isn’t big enough. DJ called one of our friends that lived close by, Scotty, and he came over. The three of us decide that we are going to go on a bike ride to an ice cream store called K’s corner. I had never gone so far on my bike before. So, naturally I thought that it would be too long of a ride for us to get permission from my Memaw. Surprisingly she said yes. With that answer we ran outside, skipped the helmets, and went on our journey. As I said earlier, it was hot that day, real hot. I was sweating like a pig and it was hard work, due to the hills found in the western Pennsylvanian terrain. Down the hills sure was refreshing but as soon as you went down one, it was hard work to get up the next. We arrived at K’s and got our cones with sprinkles. Seated on the wooden train, which is used to entertain much younger kids then us, while licking the melting ice cream from the rim of the cones, DJ, in his fourth grade wisdom, spotted a storm cloud that was headed for us. The trip home was at least a forty-five minute journey, we had to get going and get going quick. So, we scarfed down the rest of our cones grabbed our bikes and we were off. We must have been half way home when the clouds were closing in on us, the wind had picked up and we were minutes away from getting soaked. Unfortunately, we had just come to the biggest hill that lay between K’s corner and home. We ran our bikes up and just as we reached the crest of the hill the heavens opened and we were drenched. Riding down that hill was like a water ride, and to my surprise I didn’t hate it one bit. The wind on my face and the water piercing me like tiny needles. It was like the Pittsburgh Plunge at Kennywood. When we got home we walked in to the house soaked to my worried Memaw, who was glad we were safe but still upset that we floors were being dripped on.