AS IT HAPPENS - A Roller Coaster Day

11:07 pm - A Roller Coaster Day

And it turned out to be one in more ways than I expected. But then one should think that might happen whenever he dares to step outside of his comfortable little box.

First, I was hoping that Shannon, my usual driver, would be able to pick me up today. However, she'd called me last night to inform me that circumstances wouldn't permit her to do so, and thus I was forced to call Kelly, our old standby. I'd actually missed that guy, he's in his 70's I think, and many of us playfully refer to him as our old granddad. You can't ride with him without him dispensing some kind of advice on what you should do with your life.

Anyway, as it turned out, Kelly was to pick me up shortly after 8 AM. I somewhat grudgingly peeled myself out of bed just after 6:30 to go through a morning ritual that felt a lot like heading to work, except I was a lot more excited and awake. Funny how that happens, isn't it?

I'd sat outside reading a little of my book until he arrived, then quickly dashed in to drop my Pac Mate before jumping into his van. His piece of advice for me today? I'd told him that I might go and take some under grad classes in writing, and then think about pursuing a Master's. "Well, when are you gonna turn "might" into "going to?" "I don't know." "Well, that's your problem. At this rate, you'll be dreaming of doing this forever, while pining away in that workshop. Everyday you wait the clock is ticking." Of course, I very well know this. I don't know why I can't just act on it.

After driving for almost fifteen minutes, we picked up Nicole, the woman who'd invited me. Then, Kelly needed to top off his gas tank, at which point he charged my fare. I was surprised that he didn't break the bank on me, only charging his usual $15 plus the debit card fee of $1.50. This pleased me. Finally, we picked up the other couple that would be joining us, Mariea, one of my co-workers and a friend who goes way back, and her boyfriend Shannon. After a quick pit stop at Wendy's to pick up a little snack to tie them over till lunch, we headed for the park.

The sun was just coming out strong as we strolled through the turnstiles. The first thing we did was try to obtain cards that would allow access to the rides through the exits, thus bypassing the line. Thinking we'd gotten the right slips, we walked up the steps to our first roller coaster of choice, the Vortex, and attempted to show the slips to the attendant stationed there. "I'm sorry folks, but you'll still have to go out and wait in line" he said. "Ok, maybe somehow they gave us the wrong card," Mariea replied as we descended the stairs. They wanted to go back over and try to get the correct ones, even as I suggested that doing so would be futile and would cost us valuable time. It had already been difficult for Nicole to locate the ride, and the lines were growing steadily. I lost out though, and we spent another fifteen minutes working our way back to the main entrance, only to be told that the policy had changed and we would no longer be able to receive the easy access cards. What they'd given us only informed the attendants of our visual impairment and that we would need assistance onto and off of each ride. Honestly, I didn't have a problem standing in line, as I feel it's only fair to the rest of the park goers. I could see if we had mobility issues or weren't able to stand for long periods, but that wasn't the case for either of us. Plus, as much as I hate being in line, it's part of the experience of being at an amusement park.

That issue settled, we schlepped to a shorter line for what Nicole thought was the After burn, this rollercoaster that leaves your feet dangling in the air as you whiz crazily around, but what turned out to be the Carolina Cyclone. This is the only coaster I've ridden on every trip I've made to Carowinds. It's not particularly scary, mostly just jerks the heck out of you. I had to make sure I didn't pound my head on the harness!

A little wobbly as I made my exit, we headed over to our next ride. This ride was aptly named The Hurler, as it drops you down hills at a stomach churning speed. While standing in line, I started singing This Love, by Maroon 5, as it had come onto the speakers they had mounted all around. This made everyone laugh.

After that one, my head was starting to hurt and I was starving something fierce, as I hadn't eaten all day. It was already nearly 2 PM. Fortunately, the others were equally famished, so we headed for the restrooms, and then made our slow way to an eatery. This place was a giant cafeteria, with the rails that we push our trays down, reminding me of my school days. One thing that snapped me back into reality though was the price of some chicken tenders, baked beans, somewhat stale chips and a medium sprite. That's right; it was a whopping $12.67! I declare, a law should be passed against that kind of gouging. But boy, did I eat every crumb of that stuff. Full to bursting, I was happy that there would be a long walk and line before our next ride. Nicole insisted that we indeed try the After burn, as it was her favorite. And it was a lot of fun. Without a floor to put your feet on, it gave the sensation of flying. The wind was so strong it nearly ripped my hearing aid from its mold! I was worried sick that it would just snap off and plunge away, but fortunately it remained precariously attached. I also caught a mouthful of water somehow, which I was extremely happy about as I was beyond thirsty.

After this, we headed for our fourth and final ride, the Vortex. I don't think you can visit Carowinds and not do that one. It's a standup coaster, on which you position yourself on something like a bicycle seat. There were two water fountains along this line, and I sucked greedily from both of them. Yeah, did I mention I was thirsty?

While attempting to step onto the ride, my foot almost fell into a crevice and got stuck. Panicking a little, I just managed to fling myself onto the little seat as they slammed my harness down. Another odd thing that I don't remember from eight years ago, every rollercoaster had seat belts. Ok? Interesting.

The one thing that made us all laugh as we tore down the hills and through the upside down twists was a guy yelling "Oh, my balls! My balls!" Yeah, if you don't get yourself just right on that thing, I could imagine that to be a problem. Ouch! That's why I stand lightly.

Mercifully, we retreated to a shady area with benches, on which I very nearly passed out. I was exhausted, but it was the good kind that comes after a full, fun day. Then, we all headed to get the obligatory souvenirs. As if I hadn't spent enough money already, I was fortunate they had only charged me $19.99 to enter. I got another thermal cup, as my last one has lost its top. I like this one better anyway, because the top can be completely closed to prevent spills, unlike the other ones. I think Nicole got one as well. I'm not sure what the others got.

Out of the park we went, to call a cab and head over to Mariea's. It took them ages to show up, and several reminder calls from Shannon. They finally did arrive though, and the cool thing was that the GPS talked! It told him and us every turn he would need to make, allowing Mariea to easily clean up the directions and get us to her place. It even told the mileage, which allowed us to be sure we were being charged fairly. I don't know how long they've had this feature, as it had been almost a year since I last took a cab, but it was awesome!

At Mariea's, I gulped down a can of Mountain Dew and made a little more friendly chatter with the three others who'd accompanied me to the park. By about 8 PM, Nicole decided it was time to go, and we headed for the bus stop. I'd opted to chance our city's bus system, as I really wasn't up to spending anymore money.

She rode with me to the transit center, telling me about her desire to be a travel agent, and that she'd trained guide dogs at Southeastern Guide Dog School, located in Florida. I hadn't known that, and found it fascinating.

The real fun started once I had to transfer to the Number 7, the bus that runs down Beatties Ford Road. I tried to tell the guy that I'd need to get off in front of the old Friendship Baptist church, as there are now two of them, and that he'd need to assist me across that dangerous street or find someone to. "Uh, I don't know where that church is," he stammered. "Oh me," Nicole said "well I hope you get home!" "I hope so too" I muttered as I took a seat.

I kept trying to ask those beside me if I'd come to the right stop, but they'd either just ignore me or slide to the other side of the aisle. People don't seem as nice here on public transit as they were in, say, Boston. But no worries though, I just tottered up to the driver and insisted that I was in the right place, and that he needed to stop the bus immediately and help me. Only problem was, I couldn't be sure if I was correct. Very luckily though, I was. I got to my side of the street and haltingly made my way back to my apartment, as I hadn't remembered to bring a cane. I was amazed that I'd been so assertive, and that I'd managed to get that all right. You can't know what that did for my flagging confidence: I'd started to fear that I might as well stay locked up in my room as my hearing has lessened, but now I know that I haven't lost my edge. I just have to continue believing in myself.

And that's all for this unbelievably lengthy entry. Now as a reward for doing so well today, I'll have another slice of my Aid's delicious cake. That one is the best I've tasted yet! I hope you all have had an equally great, and potentially an equally exhausting day.