The Rest of the Weekend… 6/14/16

Sooo… where did I leave off.  With an old friend from PS at the food trucks… Headed to the Portuguese Festival where… wouldn’t you guess it… I link up with another old friend from PS… my buddy Erik. (that’s with a K) Because when you going to the Portuguese Festival and you gots folks in the area… you have no choice but to reach out, no matter how many years it’s been.  And it was just like old times.  Had so much fun with Erik and his peeps.  Come to find out, I actually met him at the same place that was the last stop on the Bar Crawl on Friday.  How’s that for full circle???

That was Saturday night, for Sunday I put an offer out for someone to go to Great Adventure with me, but…  NO TAKERS…  That’s ok though…  I went anyway!!!  Me, my brother Leon, and my number one nephew son, Levon.   Talk about a trying family day… yes it was, but when you are surrounded by coasters, Coasters, and more COASTERS!!! You can’t help but have a GREAT day!

Especially me… cause Ima RII-DER!!! All day… the taller and the faster… the better.  I realized I was a bit too excited as I sat in the parking lot eating a sandwich before going in, (cause GA food costs too much) taking inventory of all the rides.    OK… so Kingda Ka isn’t moving… Wait a minute… where’s the Nitro???  How come it doesn’t look like any one is on it? (from the parking lot mind you) I haven’t seen El Toro go by, wassup wit dat???  Yes, all of these thoughts are going through my mind.    As I finish my sandwich, I see it… Kingda Ka… alllllll the way up… then crashing back to earth in a fury, when the excitement just over takes me.  (me jumping up and down) Then I see Kill-A-Man-jaro, all the way up… then back down.  (me jumping up and down some more)

Me:  All right y’all stop eating, grab your stuff and let’s get in there!!!  My brother literally walks to the gate with his plate… you had to be there.

As we get closer to the entrance, the excitement continues to build.  That is until… we get to the first line.  (yes, the first line) The metal detectors and we end up behind a family of 6, they got bags, strollers, food, bottles, kids, and all kinds of other stuff normal people know they not letting in the park.  The poor security guy… it’s his job to check all of it. (and I made sure he did too) All kinds of stuff ends up in the garbage.  Oh well, you should have taken it back to your car when I told you they wasn’t letting all that stuff into the park.

Anywho…

After three more lines (cause you gotta get a flash pass) we are finally ready to ride.  And as the go hards we are, of course we have to ride the NITRO first!!!  No need in half stepping, let’s just get right to it.  It’s crazy I still get on this thing cause I swear I have a somewhat prolonged-mini-heart-attack from the time I step on the platform, while they are strapping me in, (I always ask them to give me that xtra click) and allllll the way up the hill whenever I ride this thing. If that’s not enough, I love the back row for the WHIP appeal of it all.    Problem is you can see the people ahead of you begin to disappear over the other side of this hill as they start their descent down.  Only, it takes them a bit longer because they have to wait for you in the very last row to make your way up and over for that magical moment of the WHIP AAAAPPPPPEEEEAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLL…..  AAAAHHHHHHHHHHhhhhhh…..   But for some reason… once I make it over, the prolonged-mini-heart-attack goes away. (probably because I realize I’m still alive) and for the rest of the ride, I can enjoy it.  Well I guess as much as you can enjoy something you think is truly trying to kill you.  That NITRO is brutal!!!  But I must ride it!

We continue in this fashion for the rest of the day, ride after ride, coaster after coaster, when I realize… it’s 7:31pm and we still haven’t been to the other side of the park.  Toro, Kingda-Ka, Kill-A-Man-jaro… we haven’t even seen them.  Alright you slow pokes, let’s move.  Because although I told myself I was leaving at 8pm so I could be home in time for Game of Thrones, I get into little kid mode when they say the park closes in 1 hour.  Let’s go people, we got to get over there to ride as many as we can!!!

We make our way to the other side, somewhat together, to ride the Green Lantern!  AWESOME! In-out… next… and I realize we need to move faster.  As I approach Toro, I see no one is with me.  Wait, what, whaattt happened???  So I just get on, cause I gots to ride Toro. (Second best ride in the park after NITRO) When I get off it’s now about 8:45pm and I have 15 minutes.  While I was in line for Toro, I glanced over and noticed Bizarro… I’ve never been on that before. (mouth open, wide eyed glare) I get off Toro and make a dash in the direction of Bizarro.  But I don’t see it so I’m getting nervous.  I keep walking/running… nothing… until I come upon it… Can’t believe they have a coaster here I never rode before.  New coasters bring up such emotions in me because I don’t know what to expect.  Do I really love coasters or do I just ride these because I know what’s going to happen next???

I AM A RIDER!!! I (heart) coasters!  This ride was amazing.  It was a cross between NITRO and Lightening Loops (remember that?) Tall enough, fast, fire, huge loops and cork screws… awesome!   And if that wasn’t enough, our entire train felt like we should go again because the park was closing and there were no more passengers on the platform.  AND… the ride operator agreed! HE-let-us-go-again!!!  (Woop, woop!!!)  (holla!)  They rechecked our harnesses (I got my xtra click) and we were back up the hill.  AGAIN!!! AWESOME.   So glad I made my way over there, cause I really am a RIDER.  Great day at GA.  Although the season pass has already paid for itself, I’ll be back again this summer.  Then again for Fright Fest… Whose coming with me???

On another note…  I just really need to take a moment to pay homage to my MOM, and to you other moms like mine if you are out there….

As a child I didn’t get into roller coasters until the day I graduated the eighth grade.  Since then, I could spend hours in the park, and just like Sunday, I don’t leave until the very end.  I need to get on everything.  Shout out to you MOM… you must have been tired following me around all day but you still let me stay until the very end.  And if that wasn’t enough, what I realize today as an adult that drives herself to and from… the beach, concerts, amusement parks, etc.  Despite how tired you were you still had to manage to get your precious cargo (me) home safely.  I think about that every time I drive myself home.  Thanks MOM… U da best!!!