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| Easy Does it... |
| Only a short drive in the jungle... Hard is the journey, Hard is the journey, So, many turnings, And now where am I? --- Li Po (AD 701-62) |
| While living in the old Canal Zone, we all at one time went on safari into the jungle. Many of were members of the 4-Wheelers Clubs in the Canal Zone. Our family bus was a Willy's jeep station wagon. It was green so we always reffered to it as the "Mean Green Machine." It had a winch on the front so often I was called by my friends in the middle of the night on weekends to get them out of secluded place where they had gone to park. But having a jeep with high clearance made it a temptation not to go off the road and run it through its paces. So, as I was think back about those days, I came up with the following impressions: |
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| Only a short drive in the jungle Only a short drive in the jungle Gravel roads, muddy roads Roads going somewhere But who knows where? The chart doesn't show it. Only a short drive in the jungle Tall grass all round Hot and sweating am I Steering wheel kicking Slippery hands squeezing Fighting to control Only a short drive in the jungle Can't see where I am going Jeep acting like a bush hog Oops there goes another bump Rocket forward over the crest Only a short drive in the jungle Heart racing like the engine Wasp buzzing all around Must have hit their nest Tapping the accelerator Jeep rear wheels spinning Only a short drive in the jungle Shifting down into 4-wheel drive Completely focus now See the drop-off to the water below Must keep on moving No time for second thoughts Have passed the point of no return Only a short drive in the jungle Oops just ran over an ant hill Those red army ants can be really mean Lets make tracks... now! Gun the engine as the jeep jumps forward Only a short drive in the jungle What is that black cloud ahead? Whose idea was to take this shortcut? Drops hitting the windshield Rain a-coming real soon See the main rooad ahead It is K-9 Road and aren't we lucky The heavens have opened the faucets Only a short drive in the jungle Not lost anymore Jeep is buffeted by winds Not to worry as we pick up speed Hear the whine of the tires We are on black pavement Making good time now Should be home in Cocoli soon Thank God for that. By Louis J. Barbier BHS Class of 1957 |
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