Given the winter weather, Colin thought this would be an appropriate photograph to post. He writes:
I have attached a photo taken in December, 1967, in Holbrook, AZ. Arizona received record snowfall over the entire state, with Flagstaff receiving about 8 feet of snow over a 40 hour period. The snow just about paralyzed the state. The photo shows Arizona Highway Patrol Officer Paul Palmer sitting on the hood of Highway Patrol Officer Carlton Hill’s 1959 Jeep Station wagon. Both Paul and Carlton (as well as myself) are retired and Carlton still has that Jeep wagon. In that storm, Holbrook had about 3 ½ feet of snow. In southern Arizona, where I was, we had about the same, 3 ½ feet.
Great picture.
Terrific photo; even more terrific that he still has the Willys wagon.
Love this. Great story.
Ban me from this site if you need to. Just having fun here. No disrespect meant. We were all young once.
I’ll ride on the hood and you go as fast as you can through the snow. Is this the first jackass incident?
Yes, great story! My ’60 Wagon is a solid color the same as the lower color on Carlton’s Wagon, and it had 4″ of fresh snow on it this morning. This photo really hit home today.
Yes, John, I agree that it would be foolish to ride anywhere on the outside of a vehicle. I’m sure these guys are extra safe with vehicles, knowing their training and the accidents they see every year. I’m sure the Jeep wasn’t moving in the photo. The tires are stationary here, but it looks like the Willys is moving with the driver looking out the side window.
A friend in high school missed his senior year of football because he was goofing off riding on the hood of a car, and the girl put on the brakes, he fell off, she ran him over, got scared, then backed over him again. (LOL. Funny today, but not then.) He spent many months in traction with a broken hip, and other bones.
I tell many young drivers this true story, and to never let anyone ride on the hood of a car.
**Steve E.**
OK guys-
Yeah, I know how foolish it is to ride on the hood or even in the back of a moving pickup truck, and in defense of Paul and Carlton, they were clearing the driveway at Paul’s apartment by simply pushing snow out of the way with the Jeep. Low range in 4WD first gear is about 3 mph tops and they sure weren’t doing that here. In fact the Jeep was stopped at the time.
Made for some good memories for these two guys and the rest of us who were working in the heavy snow back then. You can tell how deep the snow was from the outline on Paul’s Levi’s. I have another photo taken of him at the same snow fall at the Navajo County Courthouse in Holbrook and the snow is nearly up to his waist. Others where the officers were shoveling snow off the sidewalk to get into the front door of the AHP District 3 Office.
In Cochise County in southern Arizona where I was at the time, the only vehicle able to move was my dad’s 51 Willys pickup, which I used to break a trail through the snow so neighbors in our rural canyon area could get in and out. Pushed a lot of snow with that old truck and it never let us down.