For those of you who don’t know, I’m fairly afraid of heights. I can’t say that I’ve had a bad experience with them, but I just freak out when I get too high. I’m sure if I had to, I could get more confident with them, but I really don’t find the need to arise very often.
Along with my fear of heights, comes a fear of amusement parks. Mainly because the rides are all tall. I went to Kennywood several times in my days, but they really didn’t have many of what I fear most, roller coasters. I went on the Pittsburgh Plunge before, and that was downright terrifying to me. Just going up to be dropped. I shiver just thinking about it. But I tried it, like everything else. I can’t say I hate it, if I hadn’t tried it. At least that’s what I told myself.
Well one fateful day, I was finally convinced to go to Cedar Point. Knowing full well that I was going to have to ride so many roller coasters. My now fiancé was the one who was making me go. I was nervous about it the whole trip. But I promised I would ride everything, at least within reason.
I don’t remember the exact date of the trip, but “Call me Maybe” was the big hit of the summer of the time, and I basically was forced to listen to it on repeat the whole time in the park. We started off with the Mantis since it was a smaller coaster, but I thought it seemed doable. I enjoyed it, but it also wasn’t very high.
I then got in line for the Millennium Force (I think that was what it was called). It was a really long wait, good thing I had Carly Rae Jensen to keep me going. Finally we get to the fateful moment where we have to board. I’m terrified and shaking, but I pick my seat and strap in for the butt-puckering ride of death. I wouldn’t find coasters so bad if it weren’t for the long wait just to get to the top.
The slow ascent had me freaking out, but then an added bonus appeared. I had up until this point not actually seen the size of the coaster, just the long climb. Once I saw the rest, I look at my now fiancé, and just screamed, “I @#$%ing hate you!” She still gives me a hard time about that, but it was that or leap from the cart in hopes for a quicker death. I think she greatly underestimates how scared of the situation I was.
Finally we crested the hill and down we went. I’m pretty sure I held my breath the entire way down. Every cell in my body was freaking out, but I couldn’t even make a sound as I banked left and right. Finally the ride came to an end and I felt like I had just run 2 marathons, and gone out drinking all day. I was completely spent.
My poor adrenal gland was spent, and my internal gyroscope was going mad. Thank goodness I didn’t have to go to the bathroom before getting in line. Speaking of which, someone passed out in line for that ride. Either they got too hot, or locked their knees. Regardless, that didn’t help me. Hope that guys okay though, he was pale as a ghost.
As promised though, I went on every coaster. EXCEPT, the dragster. I said from the start I had no desire to get on that one. Mainly because it breaks all the time, and the lines freakishly long for such a short ride. My favorite was probably the Magnum, but it is older than the other coasters, so the ride wasn’t as smooth. It kind of beat me up, and put a kink in my neck.
All in all, I did have a good time, but I was so physically spent when I was done with that day, that I could have been knocked over by a feather. Everyone keeps telling me I need to go back, and do it again. Easy for them to say, they just want to watch me have a panic attack.
EK Creates 