HAYRIDES

When I was in my teens and dating, it was a local fad to go on hayrides. A place on the west side of Cincinnati, called the Handlebar Ranch, ran the hayrides as a business. Anyone who could get together at least thirty people could arrange one. Young and old were doing it. You had to make your reservation early for a prime weekend night.

They would send a flatbed truck with with wooden sides and loaded with hay to pick up your group. I think they had about four trucks running all the time. They took you to the ranch for a few hours of play and returned you at a designated time. The ride itself was a lot of fun. The trucks drove as slow as possible. When it was a little cool out, they had a tarp you could use to cover up. Oh, yeah! It was common to see a hayride truck poking along on a Summer weekend night. Most groups would sing songs while making the ride.

It was a great group date affair. Parents weren't too worried about their teenagers because they weren't driving and were with a big group. I'm not sure if they realized that when the truck got to the ranch there were a lot of isolated places a couple could go. Then again, they probably did since parents went hayriding, too.

When you were at the ranch, you could go on bike rides(that's where it got its name). Some groups went early and cooked hot dogs or burgers. Some groups arranged for outside entertainment to come in and put on a performance. Some groups just went straight for the hills above the ranch house and sat on blankets and watched the stars or whatever.

I went to the ranch a number of times with different groups. One of my first dates with my wife was on a hayride. A funny thing happened on the way to a night of great expectations. When we got to the ranch we headed up a hill with a blanket to 'watch the stars'. While spreading the blanket, my girl friend accidentally elbowed me in the nose and gave me a nose bleed. I couldn't get it stopped. I tried everything. How embarrassing. Its so difficult to neck with a nose bleed.