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Diversions
Photo by Andy Cripe
Cruising ‘The Gut*
Midnight isn't exactly the time
of day you'd expect to gel
caught in a traffic jam Hut it
you're traveling on Willamette
Street in huge no on a F riday or
Saturday night that's what you'll
find
Why do so many young peo
ple frequent “The Ciut ’
“It's just a happenin’." says
Monty Reynolds
Reynolds is a 14 year old
graduate ol Pleasant Hill High
School He is a regular on l ire
Gut. and although he lives in
Oakridgc he still likes to hang
out in Eugene on Fridays and
Saturday s
Reynolds knows a lot ol
cruisers, and many kids seem to
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know him just by his car He
looks real cool in his sleeveless
muscle shirt as he aiiiusts his
tight lic-dycd jeans so his gray
eel skinned cowboy hoots show
He appears at ease among the
hordes of kids that hang out on
I'hc Gut
As he drives around the loop
that runs along Willamette Street
trout 20th Avenue to 2^th
Avenue. Reynolds smoothes out
his dark brown, leathered hack
hair and comments about not
wearing enough hair spray
His gold colored Pontiac
Trans Am has a I top. and for
him the wind is less of a factor
than being seen "It's a big deal
to rev your engine and show off
your car," Reynolds says The
Gut is "a modern car museum"
in his opinion.
"High schoolers get flicked a
lot of shit for driving momma's
car. and your car makes a hell of
a lot of difference whether
you're noticed or not." he says
Reynolds' car is one of the
more decked-out cars It has
matching gold-colored sheep
skin seat covers, a radar detec
tor. Dunlop radial GT qualifier
tires. Thunderbird exhaust and.
of course, a very loud stereo
Reynolds says only a lew
cruisers have "fu// busters,” as
he calls his detector, and
estimated the total number in
cars that night to be only 10. But
that's not as important an ac
cessory as a stereo, he says Part
of the game to being noticed is to
see who is playing the loudest
music.
Most of the cars commonly
seen are the usual mix ol small
economy cars, but Reynolds
says there are a few outstanding
cruising vehicles. "The cool
cars arc Trans-Arm, pickups,
four-wheel drives, camaros.
TR-7's and Fiats.” he says
One strange sight was a
yellow Ford pickup with an in
flatable (Rxi/illa in the hack
w ith a hall a dozen other riders
Members of this group were
flashing signs that read "Nudist
in car" and pleading for pretty
girls to |oin them
A live cockatiel was climbing
on the hood of another car that
had been pulled over by the
police.
Once in a while you might
even see a limousine or two on a
prom night. Reynolds says Pur
mg the last prom there was one
limo cruising around, but as
Reynolds pointed out. the smok
ed windows negated the purpose
ol being seen
"A lot of people walk down
here." says Reynolds, looking
at a group of 12 teen-age guys
lined up in front of Music West.
"Most guys come here to
show oil and try to pick up girls,
but it never works," he says. "I
just like to get out and see peo
ple It's kind of like a meeting
place to get something going
"Any girl can have her pick ol
any guy." Reynolds says
"That depends on what kind
of meat you want to get,"
Reynolds' friend. Aline
Jacobsen, rebuts
The Gut is your basic partying
place with lots of yelling and
cat calling going on. says
Jacobsen, a 19-year-old
freshman at the University.
"Don't be surprised if you get
called a bitch." she says
Jacobsen, a very stunning
brown-eyed blonde, is a
stereotype of the typical Califor
nia girl She says the girls yell
things at other girls because they
arc jealous.
'The girls are more
boisterous than the guys here."
Reynolds says "It you're c<x>l
to most people and say. What's
happenin'’’ they 'll be friend
Iv back "
"Every once in a while you'll
see a ’grandpa' or 'grandma,'
but most of the cruisers are
under 21. Jacobsen savs
Two young men deliberately
dressed as "nerds" were stan
ding on the sidewalk trying to
entice girls The nerds apparent
ly were making fun of the guys
who had come to pick up girls
Jacobsen gets "hit on" a lot.
she says. It tcxik her 30 minutes
to drive the loop, and she got 21
comments from male drivers
She says most people ask her il
she wants to "have a party ”
The guys pull alongside your
car and take a quick peek so you
don't know they are looking at
you. she says They drive by
slowly and say "hi" into your
car.
"You want to go to my house
and party? Meet us in the
Safeway parking lot at 2:15 a m
Be there or be square." one
stranger yells
A fight breaks out every once
in awhile. Reynolds says, but
bystanders break it up before the
police arrive.
"They know we’re down
here, and they play a little cat
and mouse game with open con
tamers." says Eugene police of
ficer Thomas Schulkc, pointing
out the high use of alcohol
among cruisers
Even though the Eugene
Police IX-partment is there to
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