Waylon Still Believes in Evil Knievel Even After Failed Rocket Jump

I wasn't there to see it happen. However, since that fateful day in September 1974, I have been to visit the launch site, and have sat in the cockpit of the rocket itself. I'm here to say, as big a dud as the stunt was, it will forever live on as what came close to being almost a pretty okay idea.

Okay, so for the most part, Evel Knievel pretty much just sat in a metal tube as someone else pressed a start button, and shot him through the air. There was no real skill associated with being in the rocket, just guts. As history records, the parachute deployed prematurely, and Evel and his X-2 SkyCycle fell into the Snake River Canyon.

Since that not-so-remarkable day, they've erected monuments on the launch site in the form of a Taco Bell and an Outback Steakhouse. I've been to Twin Falls, Idaho, to visit the site. There exists a small marker commemorating the event. Some fans pay tribute to the heroic stunt through song. Take a listen.

Since the failed launch in 1974, Evel's son, Robbie Knievel, has suggested he would like to personally attempt the same jump from the same site. The Mayor of Twin Falls is not interested.