I once had a Cushman Scooter like the one below, except it was painted gray. it had the little jump seat on the rear, just like this one. Most scooters like that just had a single seat.

I can’t remember where it came from, but as I recall it didn’t run when I got it. But I tinkered with it and got it going. Smithwick probably wasn’t the best place to have a motor scooter like this. It didn’t have much ground clearance and would bottom out on a terrace in the field or drag on a rock laying in the road.

I was fairly protective of this little machine. I was probably 12 or 13 years old at the time. One day Kenny wanted to take it for a spin, so I let him, although if I had told him no, he would still have rode off on it. He took of from the house on it, going slowly, getting a feel for it. He had never ridden anything like that before. I ran and leaped on the back, so I could go along and protect my investment.

We had gone about a 1/4 mile from the house, headed down toward the lake, when we headed down the steepest hill on the whole place, as fast as it would run, he got the front wheel over in a wash-out rut.. As he tried to steer to correct the impending disaster we could both see coming, things got real crazy in the shortest of time. The scooter went one way and Kenny went the other.

I’m not sure I had much choice in the matter but I ended up riding on Kenny’s back as we skidded down that rocky gravel road. I cane out without much damage. My landing seemed soft up side of his. It skinned him up pretty good.

He was fine walking, I mean limping, back up the house while I got the Cushman back up and started and rode it back home. I don’t remember him ever getting back on that thing again.