THE LUGE

June 29, 2008

The Luge

After the Neuschwanstein Castle visit, we headed for the "luge." I did not have any idea what a luge was until we got there and Ragen told us what we were going to do.

A luge is a winter sport. In fact, it is one of the Olympic sliding sports. It is one of the most dangerous sports in the Olympic Games. Athletes who participate in this sport are supposed to be of a special breed. The participant sleds down an icy tract at up to 90 mph.

Now, you probably are envisioning me doing this and you'd exclaim: how and why in the world would Marianas (at 62) do this? Well, this is the safer and doable version of it: We drove to the next bus stop after the castle and here was the Tegerberg Summer luge. This luge is a mini version of the real one. Only one person can ride the sled. You ride downhill on a twisty stainless steel track. You control your speed with a brake stick between your legs. You push it to increase your speed; you pull it to slow down or stop. Ragen bought us tickets. I took one sled and Ron took one behind me. We sled down the slope of about a mile and a half. The ride was exhilarating and I nervously controlled the speed. Ron kept telling me to go faster. We made it down without a scratch and with a nervous smile but then we said: Let's do it again!

We did it again. The kids loved it. The adults even had a contest to see who could ride it the fastest.