By Mike Johnson
It started with a fire tower and expanded to a Ferris Wheel.
Height is a compelling adventure so anything that gets you into the sky is an interesting option.
I’ve been looking for a used fire tower on and off for over 30 years.
This morning’s hunt found a 144-footer for $50,000.
I also saw that a 100-footer sold last year for $5,000.
The real expense of course, is disassembly, shipping and reassembly.
A fancy fire tower house on a 400-acre ranch is listed in Montana for $9.5 million.
This thirty-year hunt tells me fire towers are just a whim, not a real desire.
Perhaps I’ll just spend the night in one. Some state and federal forests offer overnight rentals in old fire towers.
So I moved on to used Ferris Wheels.
Saw a giant 100-foot Skydiver model for $89,000.
The seats are in a small car that spins 360 degrees.
So when you come over the top it’s like piloting a Japanese Zero on a strafing run.
For the more sedate, a 28-foot diameter carousel was $199,000.
A 36-footer was $299,000.
A 36-foot two-story model was $399,000.
I imagine setting up a carousel and Ferris Wheel in Cody City Park.
I like the thoughts of romance, nostalgia and colorful lights.
But in summer, it’s not dark until 9 or 10 pm.
I gave up on late nights a few decades ago.
Not many customers are out during my preferred 4am darkness.
Rides4u.com offers 77 used carnival rides for sale right now.
A used Tilt-a-Whirl is only $34,000.
I always called it a Tilt-a-Girl because the ride’s spinning tilted her against me.
Teen boys eagerly risked motion sickness for the chance to seduce fillies into emotion sickness.
There’s a fine line between Tilt-a-Whirl and Tilt-a-Hurl.
But I found the balance.
And never threw-up on a date.
So here we are.
Tilt-a-Girl and Affair-us Wheel.
Bought used from Carol-sell.
Dad jokes.
You’d have seen these coming a mile away, if you'd only owned a fire tower.
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