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Day 31: Shooting A Cannon

So, you may be wondering “What is Nicole going to be doing while she is home?”

I mean…honestly..what COULD be so exciting at home that I would want to be there for a whole 4 days before I set out on my Western loop…..or rather, what could possibly get me out of bed (after such an exhausting last month) when I am home simply to relax.

One word: Cannon

I am very fortunate to have two fantastic friends (bf and gf), both of them involved in the sciences and recently graduated from the same University I currently attend, that invited me along on a cannon shooting. My friend works at a coffee shop that a man, who happens to be a genius and manufactures his own beautiful, working cannons, frequents. He invited her to come out with some friends to shoot the cannon….and she invited me!

I went out there thinking he would simply tell us about the cannon, shoot it a few times, and then we’d be on our way, merry that we were able to see up close how a cannon works. I got the first part right: He showed us the cannon, showed us how he made it and how he did all his calculations to get it so accurate (I should have come to him when I needed help with calculus…he does it for fun!), and then shot it once to show us how it works…

….then, he handed over the controls to us. It was time for us to each get a turn at loading the cannon, sighting it in for his lake, and then lighting it up to watch the splash.

Yes…I can honestly say I have loaded and shot a cannon. The following photos are proof!

So….What can you do to keep things interesting in rural Missouri? Well, shoot a cannon of course!!!

-Nicole

The cannon I will shoot...fuse burning as the creator has just lit his demonstrative cannon firing.
This cannon has a name. Black Mamba. Yay!
A close up of the springs on the cannon
The Black Mamba's barrell...something you don't want to be standing in front of!
I pour in the pre-measured vial of black powder.
I push the metal ball down into the barrell, against the black powder.
I sight in the cannon, aiming for the lake. The builder of this cannon has manufactured it to be incredibly accurate, it is AMAZING!
After everything is prepared, it's time to light the fuse!
My own successful firing of the cannon.

PLEASE DO NOT SHOOT A CANNON BY YOURSELF!!! MY FRIENDS AND I WERE COACHED AND SUPERVISED BY A TRAINED CANNON BUILDER! CANNONS ARE VERY DANGEROUS WEAPONS AND ARE NOT TO BE PLAYED WITH!!!!