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| WHOOOOOOOOOOSH |
| 05.31.06 (1:42 am) [edit] |
Just got back from just over 4 days in NY. We had such a blast. Our friend Darlene has a new townhouse in Rochester, and we spent the weekend with her and her boyfriend, Tom. The first day, we flew in late afternoon and bummed around the house until Tom flew in. Then we drove over to a little BBQ joint called Stick-Lips BBQ - that place was SO adorable. It was really old fashioned and 1940s style. Awesome food too - what great BBQ, I'm surprised I wasn't on the toilet all night! Then they showed us around a few more places downtown and came back home.On Saturday, we drove out to Six Flags Darien Lake. That was SO FUN. Omg. They have a roller coaster there called the "Superman Ride Of Steel". HOLY. CRAP. That was the first ride we went on, and... I cannot put into words how awesome it was. The whole place is mainly roller coasters, so Dad and Darlene usually sat it out and waited for me and Tom. Dad doesn't like roller coasters that much, and Darlene can't ride most of them because they throw her back out. Anyway, "Superman"? Yeah. It was 208 feet tall at the tallest point, and had a 205-foot freefall. That was the first part of the roller coaster. You just go up this HUGE slope, then WHOOSH - zero G's. Talk about having the shat scared out of you!! Oh, but I loved it. It's actually over a mile long (as I've just read). The maximum acceleration (after the first drop) is 73 mph, and the whole ride is over in about 3 minutes. The best part about waiting in line is seeing the peoples' faces when they get off, heh. This one kid, in a green t-shirt, was just leaning out to the side with a blank look on his face and his jaw wide open. He was like that for at least a minute. I was laughing SO hard. Then we finally got on the ride, put the seatbelt on and lapbar down (with which you cannot move an INCH, and it crushes your shins), and then... I almost freaked out. You go up the first HUGE hill, then WHAM - down you go. I swear, that is the best roller coaster I've ever been on in my life. There's two more huge hills and freefalls during the ride, but they don't compare to that first one. This one might not twirl around and go upside down, but it doesn't need to. Yeesh! It's faster and twice as tall as "The Incredible Hulk" at Islands of Adventure! I'll never enjoy "The Hulk" the same - I'm now spoiled. The second ride we went on, Dad and Darlene went with us. It was called "The Predator" - it was an old wooden one from the 30s. I think it's the same one that used to be in the old Crystal Beach amusement park - they moved it to Darien Lake. I....did not like it. It was bumpy and banging and jolting and I kept slamming in the side of the car and it gave me a terrible headache, and... the HARD bumpiness really hurt my chest. Dad was all, "So you didn't like it?" Well durrr. I can't enjoy something when I'm in terrible pain the whole time. Seriously, I hated it. In fact, after we got off, I told Dad it was "demonic". I can't remember what we did next - I think it was the ferris wheel. I was less than fond of that one. I didn't hate it, but that kind of height really bothers me a bit. The slight swinging every time somebody moved, the not-being-strapped-in... the windiness.. I didn't like that. I was clinging to Prancing Paddy's arm the entire time. Yeah, he didn't like it either. LOL. After that, I went on a water ride with Tom and Darlene - Dad wussed out and didn't want to get wet. It was one of those "rapids" rides, where you're in the round boat thing that swirls and bumps all over the place. Tom was whining like a baby at how wet he got, it was sooo funny. Darlene barely got wet at all - she made sure to situate herself between me and Tom, and stuffed her jacket and purse into Tom's Panama Jerk hat, so she was good to go! Tom was complaining and we were laughing hysterically the entire time. Then after that, we went on another water ride in a log-shaped boat. OMG. That was SO FUNNY. Dad actually went on that one - he kept looking at the people getting off and saying, "See? They're not getting that wet! I'll go on this one!" Most people were going on the boats in two's, but it was possible to fit four people in one, so... all four of us got in one boat. HEH. Now that was funny. Dad was against it and pleaded that we sit two in a boat, but we talked him into all of us getting in one. See there's two spots, one in the front and one in the back, where you sit on a bench-like seat, and then the second person sits between the first person's legs. So Dad got into the back section, Darlene got into the front, then I climbed in between Dad's legs (and squashed his shins against the sides), and Tom got in front of Darlene. So us girls were in the middle, Tom in front, and Dad bringing up the rear. The whole boat sank down over half a foot once we were all in, then it started moving forward, but was tilting to the right, so Dad and Tom started screaming, "OMG WE'RE TILTING!! LEAN TO THE LEFT!! LEAN TO THE LEFT!!" Darlene and I were laughing so hard we were almost crying. We got up to the first slope, and the chain was straining to pull us up. Dad was like, "Omg, do you know how wet we're gonna be with all this extra weight?!" And I was just saying, "Wait, who wanted to get on this ride? And who said we wouldn't get that wet?" "THAT WAS IF THERE WERE ONLY TWO PEOPLE IN THE BOAT." *WHOOSH* Weightlessness. Splash. Dad and Tom got soaked. Darlene and I only got a teensy splash on our arms and feet. LOLOL. Of course we gloated!! After we got off that, finally stopped laughing, and took pictures of the sopping wet guys, we headed towards the other roller coasters. Before I forget to mention, we did go on a couple of those smaller, spinning, carnival-type rides in between, which were fun, but they weren't that big of a deal. The last one made me feel a little sick (I never get sick from rides), so that was enough spinning for the day. Next, we got on a roller coaster called the "Mind Eraser". It's the kind that does all the loops and corkscrews and you're in the kind of seat where your feet hang. I like the feet-hanging ones. It was fun, but not that huge a deal. It was a bit too jerky and short. I love Islands of Adventure's "Dueling Dragons" waaaaay better - they're pretty much the same thing, but much smoother and a LOT longer. There was another roller coaster at Darien Lake, a big green one called "The Viper", but it was shut down for some reason. Shucks - that was the second largest roller coaster in the park, and looked like a lot of fun. We had a Papa John's pizza for dinner on a park bench in the early evening, then I took a huge dump (after days of constipation) which I was very happy about, and then it started getting chilly outside so Tom ran out to the car to get our jackets. While he was doing that, we watched an Elvis impersonator on this little stage near the wooden roller coaster. (I think he was the same guy that was impersonating Neil Diamond earlier in the day). Let's see, I can't remember the first song he sang, but he sang "Blue Suede Shoes" (my favorite Elvis song), then "Viva Las Vegas" (I like ZZ Top's version too), then..."Love Me Tender". The guy looked straight at me the entire time he sang the line, "For my darlin' I love you, and I always will..." Heh, heh...yeah... Once Tom came back with our jackets, we started heading back to the Superman roller coaster. Yeah, we were darn sure going on it again!! Since it doesn't go upside down or have any corkscrews, Darlene figured her back would be all right and went on it with us this time. Dad still didn't want to though, so he sat it out again. Darlene convinced us that riding in the back row is the best - and she was right. When you're in the front, going over the edge of the freefall spot, you don't get the full effect of it because the front part has to wait until the middle of the cars clear the top before it starts to fall. But in the back row, you fall the entire way since the front and middle have already gone over and started to fall (dragging the back cars with it). Does that make sense? I think it does... Anyway, the little cars are only two seats wide, so Darlene and I were in the very back row, and Tom was in the row in front of us. I hated the beginning. There was nothing behind us but the backs of our seats, and here we were ascending twenty stories. I would not look back. Tom kept yelling, "Hey you guys! Look how high we are! Isn't it awesome?? We're so HIGH!!!" I would have strangled him if I could. I think I said "Shiat." at least five times before we went over the top. I couldn't help it... Oh, did I mention that it was dark outside by the time we got through the line and onto the ride? Yeah. It was getting chilly and foggy too, which made the ride even more awesome. WHOOOOOSH, straight down into the darkness and fog. I was screaming SO HARD, I think it was scarier the second time around! They take your picture right near the end of the ride as you're going over a good-sized hump, and my mouth was open all the way, Tom was looking like...Tom, and Darlene was screaming too. The picture is SO funny. Tom bought one and I'll post it here once he scans it and sends it to me. I might sound cynical in my description of this, but I don't mean to sound like it wasn't fun! I haven't had that much fun or that great of a rush in a very, very long time. It really puts "The Hulk" to shame. It's by far the best ride I've ever been on. Isn't it funny having the crap scared out of you? Just be sure to relieve yourself before getting on, or else you'd probably definitely wet your pants. Here's a great picture I found of the roller coaster - you ascend up the right side and fall down the left, in the picture. Huge. Simply huge.
After Superman, the park was starting to close so we headed out to the car and drove back to Rochester. I think we got home past midnight, but what an awesome day!! On Sunday, we decided to go to Niagara Falls. We went to Fort Niagara first, which was down the river quite a ways, before we went to the falls. That was really awesome, I guess the fort was mainly used during the War Of 1812. There were reenactors all over the place, and quite a few were out in the field in the middle of the fort, firing blanks and showing how firing manuevers were done in the different wars. First were the 1812 soldiers, then some Civil War guys, then a WWII platoon came running out, using the scoot-and-move tactics, firing their guns and hitting the dirt. The "enemy" was actually the 1812 soldiers, who had moved off to the side when the WWII guys came out, but they acted like they were getting shot and fell all over the place - that was funny. After the reenactors were done, I went to find the bathroom which was in a small building on the far end of the fort. It was a tiny restroom with two stalls, and I was the only one in there. As I was washing my hands, I suddenly hear Dad yelling for me, "Mal, you in there? I have something for you!" I was like, "Yeah, yeah, I'm coming." Then he goes, "Hurry up! It's a photo opportunity." So I was like, "Oh...okay..." then I walk outside and go, "Oh. ooOOOOhh!!" One of the 1812 reenactors, a young guy, in a bright red British uniform with a long rifle and everything, was standing there. I think my reaction was a bit stronger than I meant for it to be ("Oh. ooOOOOhh!!"), but at least he got a laugh from it. I took a lovely picture with him. Heh. We walked all around the fort, and it was so hot out. I kept thinking, could you imagine being a soldier back then, in all those layers including a wool coat, in the middle of summer, having to do guard duty, walking back and forth around the fort in the hot sun ALL DAY LONG? Yeesh. The last building we went in was a watch tower - all the WWII reenactors were up in there... I got some great pictures of them, including three in the top of the tower... heh. Next, we drove to Niagara Falls itself. Okay, how COOL was that. I'd never been there! I wanted to see it, but I wasn't that hyped up about it simply because everybody who ever talked about it was all, "You've NEVER been to Niagara Falls?!! You HAVE to see it." Therefore...my rebellious subconcious made me not want to see it. If there's a lot of hype about something, chances are it's overrated and probably not something I'd like. Well, I loved Niagara. Loved it. I liked the American falls better than the Horseshoe falls (which we saw from the US side). We took the elevator down to the "Cave of the Winds" at the base of the falls (which isn't actually a cave, but I guess there used to be. It just takes you on an evelator down through the rock, to a boardwalk at the base of the American falls). That was SO. COOL. They give you ponchos and cheap rubber sandals (which are actually quite comfortable), and you can walk RIGHT up to the falls. We got soaked, but it felt so awesome, and you could just feel the amazing power of all that falling water! Dad wussed out because he didn't want to get his pants wet, but Darlene and I were right in the most soaking spot. Now I know why it's called the "Hurricane Deck"! Something funny we noticed is that, on the "Hurricane Deck", there was also a sign that said "No smoking". WTF? That HAD to have been put there as a joke. We then found out that we'd be able to cross into Canada with just our I.D. cards or drivers licenses, so we went over into the city and walked around for a while. That was cool - the Canadian side of the town is definitely better developed and more fun. We only saw the falls from a distance, but we couldn't have gone to the Canadian falls then, as late as it was. So we just watched the light show on the falls from across the river, then headed back, crossed back into the States and drove home. That was another late night - we were exausted. On Monday, we slept in, then drove over to Seabreeze and another little area that I can't remember the name of because I'm stupid. Had lunch at a cute little diner (where I had the BEST grilled ham and cheese sandwhich I've ever eaten), then walked around a park and beach area. Just mosied around the whole day. Dad, Tom and Darlene walked out along a very long pier, but I stayed and sat on a concrete wall to wait for them. My feet were hurting so bad from the last couple days. I have flat feet, and no shoes I buy seem to help. I bought inserts to help my arches, but they lifted my feet up and gave me terrible, deep blisters on my heels. So it's darned if I do, darned if I dont. The inner edge of my heel and arch were all swollen and hurt to the touch. They're still swollen and painful, but don't hurt to the touch as bad as they did. So anyway, I wussed out and sat on the wall until they came back. It was nice though, there was a nice breeze and Lake Ontario was gorgeous and it was fun watching all the weird people going by. I like to people watch. After that, we drove back home, watched Chicken Little, and went to bed. We were nonstop the entire trip, I have no idea how we crammed so much into those three days. I'm sorry to say that my great uncle Ted and aunt Trisha weren't able to meet us - we were very sad about that. We started home Tuesday morning and got here in the late afternoon. I watched Dukes of Hazzard, then unpacked and took a nap, got up and took a shower, and here I am at 2am writing this. If there are any typos, or if something doesn't make sense, just remember what time it is and I'm dead tired - I'd normally reread the entire thing but I don't feel like it. All this crap happened in three days (five actually, but the first and last days we didn't do anything but travel and eat). I took a mess of pictures, as did Tom, so I'll put those on D&D once I get them! I really can't wait to get the one of us on the roller coaster, that'll be a riot. Next on the list - Israel. I can't imagine how long of a blog that's gonna be, heh! We're leaving a week from now. I'm dreading the 13-hour+ flight, but we're gonna try to get a little portable DVD player and just watch movies the whole time. All three Back to the Future's and all three Indiana Jones' and we'll be there! Dad's gonna be evil. He's usually such a grouch after long flights, and this is over three times as long as anything we've done. I'm off to bed... can't wait to sleep in my own bed. My neck and shoulders are achy from the bed I slept on at Darlene's house - the mattress was really hard and I'm used to soft ones. I almost forgot - I got a new cowgirl hat! It's straw color but weathered with dark patches, and has an Indian-style beaded band around it. Darlene got one too - it looks really awesome on her with her long brown hair. I also got two vintage-style t-shirts - a Smokey and the Bandit one and a Blues Brothers one (which Dad also got. Crap, I don't wanna match him!). I LOVE the Bandit one especially. It's bright green (which I don't usually wear but this shirt is so awesome), has Snowman's truck, Bandit's car, and Sheriff Justice's car on the front, with the movie title and a Jerry Reed quote on it, "Welcome to the biggest game of chicken, boys! ~The Snowman" I think that's all I wanted to write, now. I can never properly end these things... OH WAIT!!! Gary has grown a LOT in five days! My uncle took care of him for me. I can't believe he grew so fast. Isn't he the CUTEST thing?!
|
posted by: aesav23 (reply)
post date: 05.31.06 (11:25 am)
OMG! Look at how big Gary is!! Any day now, he'll walk!
~ae
posted by: Abby (reply)
post date: 06.01.06 (7:08 am)
Gary is adorable! I WANT ONE!:)
Cool trip, that roller coaster pic..I shuddered just looking at it. Roller coasters scare the crap out of me, but I LOVE that adrenaline rush...lol. I love roller coasters.
posted by: dustyjumpwings (reply)
post date: 06.01.06 (10:47 am)
Reply to: Abby
That roller coaster was amazing. I still can't get over it! I think the worst part (for me anyway), so going up that first slope. It didn't go all that fast, and you're just going higher and higher and freaking out because you're 20 stories up, only strapped into this tiny chair... yeesh. But I loved it.
posted by: Abby (reply)
post date: 06.05.06 (9:49 am)
..yeah.
