Nevertheless, I think I was as excited to get to the park as my kids were, though I was trying to prepare my kids for the inevitability that most rides would be shut down. I guess I thought the emphasis was going to be on the shows and the lights, with one or two rides operating just for fun. Boy, was I wrong! We got to the park around 5:00 p.m. and immediately did what I did EVERY SUMMER when I was growing up--headed straight for the Sombrero! Actually, I don't think that's what it's called anymore--lots of the rides have Spanish names now--but to me it'll always be the sombrero. Peyton wasted no time in declaring that she would NOT be getting on that ride, and I assured her that she didn't have to ride anything she didn't want to, but I encouraged her to watch it a few times and wait to make up her mind when we got to the head of the line. Meanwhile Sawyer, too, was telling me that he was going to opt out, but I twisted his arm into agreeing to ride with me. Here are a couple of shots of us before take-off:
Mr. Happy Face has no idea what's in store for him!
Brennan and Tyler
Darcy's riding partner, Tracy, shot the photos
I told Sawyer that I would keep him very safe and he didn't seem to have any fear at all when he knew that I would be protecting him. And he actually did fine on the ride, meaning he didn't scream or cry or anything. But the change of expression on his face as we started going higher and faster and spinning every which way is something I wish I could have caught on film! The only time he cried out was when Tyler, joking around in the car behind us, shouted, "Help! I'm going to fall out of the car!" Beside me I heard this little, "Aaaack!" but that was all.
Next we proceeded to the Conquistador. This is a ride that I absolutely loved when I was growing up. I used to sit all the way in the back because, naturally, you go higher when you're in the last seat. I don't know if it's because I'm older now, or because I haven't been to an amusement part in so long, or because I periodically read about accidents at theme parks or because I'm a mom of four now; maybe it's a combination of all of those. But it was a little difficult to fully enjoy myself because now I had to worry about my kids. Sawyer, of course, concerned me only insofar that he's only four and some of those rides DO go really high and really fast. He's never done anything remotely like this so every ride was a question mark from the beginning. Peyton is by far my most hesitant child when it comes to thrill-seeking, so the Looney Toons area of the park ended up being a good call for her. Darcy, on the other hand, appears to have gotten her love of high and fast rides from me, because she was up for EVERYTHING. More about her later. And Tyler . . . well, Tyler was sort of questionable too. He's 11 so he's not a baby, but this was new to him as well, and he was a bit unsure about some of the rides.
Back to the Conquistador . . . do you all know the basic premise of this ride? It's this huge boat that rocks back and forth, back and forth, going higher and higher until you think you're going to flip right over (and I actually had it in my mind that when I was a kid, that's exactly what the ride did, but I was finally convinced that I had just dreamed that). Now, it is unfathomable to me that Peyton would WILLINGLY go on this ride when she wouldn't touch the Sombrero, but she was gung-ho and couldn't wait to get on. Rick, Sam and Randy had all ridden the Conquistador while we were on the Sombrero so they sat this time out, but Tracy, Darcy, Peyton, Sawyer and I all made it on, and Tyler and Brennan got on right after us. Sawyer and I sat in seats on one side of the boat, and Tracy, Darcy and Peyton sat in seats facing us with about three feet between us (I really don't know how far it was--I'm just guessing but it's not even important to this story--what's important is that I could see the girls' faces every time we rocked back and forth!).
I went through my routine of telling Sawyer that I would protect him, not let him fall, etc., and he was totally unconcerned. Peyton and Darcy, too, both had big smiles on their faces . . . and then the boat began to move. We kept making jokes from The Emperor's New Groove where Kronk says, "Yzma, put your hands in the air!" and that is exactly what Darcy was doing, screaming and whooping and having the best time. Peyton, on the other hand, had a look of abject terror on her face that was painful for me to witness. I've got to give her props--she totally held it together (just like that time with the snake) but every time she'd be coming down as Sawyer and I would be going up, she looked like she was staring death in the face. Bless her heart--she is a trooper. Sawyer, meanwhile, quickly decided that this was NOT a ride that he particularly enjoyed and for about the last sixty seconds he chanted, "I'm ready to stop now! I'm ready to stop now! I'M READY TO STOP NOW!!!"
Next came Tyler and Brennan. I don't think I would have worried so much about Tyler but I really did have a pain in my heart after seeing how terrified Peyton was, and I wondered if he knew what he was in for. And of course, as boys will do, he and Brennan headed for the very back of the boat and I tried to steel myself for the worst. This picture that Randy snapped doesn't really give you a feel for what was happening, but just after Tyler and Brennan started moving, we all observed that Tyler shut his eyes and KEPT them shut until the boat stopped rocking!
Look closely and you'll see that my eyes are closed as well; that was not poor timing on the camera's part--I simply couldn't watch Tyler!
We went to the Tea Cups next, a ride that wasn't even there when I was little. Peyton confirmed that we would not give our tea cups any additional "spin" before she agreed to get on, and that was enough for Sawyer.
Then Darcy said enough with the kid stuff, let's hit some roller coasters! There are a couple of new coasters since I was a kid, one of them being the Texas Titan. I have to admit, as much as I adored roller coasters when I was younger, I was not all that eager to get on one tonight. But Sam asked me to ride with her, so of course I couldn't turn her down! It was finally decided that Rick, Sam, Darcy and I would head for the Titan while the others went their own way. How I wish I had pictures of our ride, but prior to boarding Rick advised me to secure my camera bag under my arm (which was inside my coat, duh) so that it wouldn't go flying off in the night. I even took my glasses off and slid them into the bag for fear that they would be whipped off my face. It's been a LONG time since I've been on a roller coaster, people.
I have to say I don't think I was ever nervous, but when we were about three rotations away from our turn and I could actually see the cars coming and going from the station (or whatever it is that you call the landing where you enter and exit) I did feel some anxiety. And then I thought, "Hello, your nine-year-old daughter is doing this VOLUNTARILY, and if she can do it, you can do it!" But I will freely admit that my last thoughts as our car was making the ascent to the top of the first drop were in the form of a prayer: "Lord, please don't let us die!" And here I sit--God is good, can I get an Amen??!
I'd forgotten how "thrilling" roller coasters can be, but it was sort of creepy going a million miles an hour in the darkness of night. And really, this thing FLEW! Part of me didn't have time to think, and part of me was just hanging on for dear life! And of course there is absolutely NO time for sympathy or coddling on a ride like that, and just for the briefest moment I thought I heard Darcy whimpering and I was like, "Oh no, please don't do this to me!" I couldn't comfort her, I couldn't hug her or give her hand a squeeze; all I could think to say was, "You're good, you're good, you're good!" Thank you, SpongeBob Squarepants. Turns out there is the tiniest break in the ride where you sort of think it's over but it's really not, but all I know is that Rick whipped his head around to see how we were doing and he confirmed that Darcy was not in shock or passed out or anything. I enjoyed the "second half" of the ride immensely after that.
After meeting back up with the rest of our group (they'd taken a train ride around the park, which was naturally Sawyer's favorite part), we all indulged in cups of hot chocolate, soft pretzels and funnel cakes and headed for the exit. I haven't had that much fun in a long time; and, as Tracy pointed out, we probably only saw 15% of the park. Hmm, what have we got going on tomorrow??!
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