Hesperia, California (April 13, 1998) - In early February, the team had great plans for their first trip to the ice. Sonic Wind would be put through a series of tests of steering, parachutes, brakes and controllability. Then, if all testing had been satisfactory, they would make two or three low power runs on the ice with the rocket engine pushing Sonic Wind up to speeds of 150 to 200 miles per hour.
They made the trip to Castle Rock Lake in central Wisconsin with the hopes of starting the journey to be the fastest vehicle on ice and possibly the fastest vehicle on Earth.
One little problem arose as soon as they arrived... it was too warm in Wisconsin! Waldo and crew arrived and found the ice to be unsafe. It just wasn't thick or hard enough to take the weight necessary to do testing. Day time temperatures were above the freezing mark and the snow was melting.
Even the local ice fishermen were home bound by the warm temperatures. On a lake known for its winter activities, it had an unusually barren surface with no snowmobiles and no ice shanties visible anywhere. The local paper did have a picture of a station wagon on the lake from the weeks before the team arrived... however, the picture showed half the wagon was under the ice!
A disappointed crew made the trip back west with the determination to come back next year when Mother Nature will hopefully be more agreeable to testing their rocket on the ice.
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