Thriller

Our Memorial Day weekend was pretty good.  We went to Mitch's dad's like we usually do and hit Cedar Point on Saturday.  The weather was perfect really - not too hot to stand around and not rainy like we've had in years past.  The adults were all hopeful this year since now most of the kids are tall enough to ride everything.  There are a few that Sara and her cousin Emma still can't ride, but this is the first year that there are more they can ride than not.  And those two are the kids that want to ride EVERYTHING.  Jacob and Julia would just as soon spend the entire day on the Scrambler and eating funnel cakes, but unfortunately for them, they have parents who make them ride roller coasters.  Whether they like it or not, in some cases. 

Sara did really great - she rode everything she was tall enough for, except for the Maverick, and that's only because we thought she was too short for it.  At the end of the day, my brother-in-law and I decided to hit the Top Thrill Dragster.  Sara was the only one who wanted to go with us.  The wait was listed at an hour and a half, but we'd been lucky all day and had found the line much shorter than the signs said.  About halfway through the line, the ride stopped.  There was some mumbling over the loudspeaker and a bunch of people ahead of us left.  We stayed and after about 20 minutes, the ride started up again.  We got all the way up to the platform and were the 4th people in line to ride when it broke down again. 

More unintelligible loudspeaker mumbling.

My brother-in-law and I look at each other.  It's now well after 10, when the park closes.  There are 4 adults and 4 other kids waiting for us at the front of the park.  And probably long past the point of waiting patiently.  But Top Thrill Dragster was the only coaster we hadn't ridden that was open and Sara had never been.  And she was DYING to go.  And we were so so so close.   I said to him "I'm not leaving til they throw us out of here" and he nodded.  So we stayed.

Another 15 minutes of waiting and not understanding random loudspeaker announcements.  No one is leaving.

Finally, at 10:40, the ride starts up again.  The first cars to leave do not crash and die, so we figure we're in business and relatively safe.  (Personally, I'd never want to be the first car that goes after a shut down.  I thought they ran some cars empty until they were sure, but apparently, after 10 PM, they don't want to waste the time and figure it's your call.)

And we rode. And Sara loved it.  Like seriously, LOVED it.  I thought she'd be freaked out, but I guess I should know better by now.  There hasn't been a roller coaster yet that has scared her, the little thrill-seeker.  I did tell her not to put her arms up, since that's what she usually does, and a roller coaster that starts off at 118 mph seems like it would rip her skinny little arms right off.

It was so fun for her that all the grumbling and carrying on of everyone else when we met back up with them didn't even matter to me.  Not that it would have anyway, but I really didn't care this time.