Day 25 - A first

I remember the first time I rode a roller coaster.  It was the Outlaw at Aventureland in Des Moines.  I was probably 16 or 17 years old; never rode a coaster in my life.  I could ride all the spinning, twisting, thrill-seeking rides near the ground, but I could not for the life of me get myself to ride a roller coaster.  I can remember standing in line, just wishing we were going home.

When we got on the coaster, I tried to remain calm.  Everything was fine until the bar latched over my legs.  I asked my buddy James next to me if there was any chance I could bow out at that point.  He snickered, said “nope,” and and threw his arms up in the air getting ready for the ride.  I on the other hand curled myself around the safety bar.

We got to the first hill.  By now I’m sweating bullets and whimpering a small prayer.  “Please let me survive this!  Please let me survive this!”  I kept my eyes sealed all the way to the top of the hill.  We edged over the peak of the hill, and just then I had opened my eyes and then we just dropped.

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!”  The coaster jerked and swerved.  “Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!  Why’d you make me do this James?!  Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”  And then suddenly, we were back in loading bay.  “Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!”

“TeeJ, you made it dude,” said James.

“I made it.  I made it!”  The bar lifted up and the conductor gave us instructions exit the ride on the left.  As we walked down the exit ramp, I was fairly silent with a half smile on my face.

Someone asked me, “How was it TeeJ?”

I replied by saying, “Can we do that again?”  :)

And that is how my thrill of Roller Coasters began!  Oh, and just for the record, this coaster is nothing compared to the coasters at Cedar Point.