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When we finished the Kiddie Coaster, we stopped for lunch. As we were coming out of the restroom, I noticed a curved section of a ride above us with some water dripping out. I ASSUMED it was the good 'ole log ride. So I told Jamie I could take the boys first, then if they liked it, he could go with them again. So off we went. The boys and I got in line and waited, then began to climb a bunch of stairs. I was thinking, " I don't remeber this ride having stairs..." but then again, the last time I was there, I think I was 10. Maybe 12. So, we get to the halfway point of the stairs and a ride worker asks us how many people we have. I said 3. She told us to step on a grey square, then she told us to stand off to the side. We needed one more person. I thought, "That's weird....I remember riding the log ride with just my cousin and me.."
Finally, a family came up that had too many people, so the dad offered to ride with us. Then the worker told all four of us to stand in the square. This time, she let us go on up. So, there we are in line with a total stranger, making small talk. Fun.
I was looking around at the people around us and noticed that there were a lot of folks who were very wet. I'm talking WET folks. Like, 'just-stepped-out-of-a-shower-with-clothes-on' wet. I was giggling to myself about how silly they looked. Then, I looked over the edge of the fence and saw one of the boats go by with people in it. The first thing I noticed was that it was NOT the "tree log" that I remembered. I turned to our stranger and said, "WOW. They've made some changes to this ride since the last time I was here. It used to be that you rode down in a boat made to look like a tree log. Now, I see they have rafts instead." Stranger says,"Oh really. This used to have logs too? We just got off a ride that had a big log and you rode around on then went down a big hill and splashed down at the bottom." I just stared at him. He had just described to me the LOG RIDE THAT I THOUGHT WE WERE WAITING TO GET ON!!!!!!!!!!!
Great. Now what do I do? We were literally about 5 minutes from getting on. I had NO IDEA what ride we were waiting on. Was it a water roller coaster? Was it in the dark? Was it fast? WHAT WAS IT?????!!! So, I looked at the boys and said, "Guys, Mommy goofed. This isn't the ride I told you about. I have no idea what this ride is." They both looked at me waiting for me to say something else. So I said, "Do you want to stay in line or go back down?" They said they wanted to stay. So, a few minutes later, we were getting on our raft. We were told to sit Indian style and hold on to the straps on the sides.
And then, off we went. It was not a roller coaster. It was a water slide. It was not in the dark, but water splashed on you from EVERY angle. It was FAST!! As we got off and walked around the sidewalk, Jamie greeted us laughing. He had also figured out my mistake. Remmber when I was laughing at how silly those wet people in line looked..well, we WERE those people now..
That's WET y'all. Look at how my shorts are sticking to me. Cooper was shivering and Davis' lips were blue!! I literally had to wring my shirt out. We got on that ride about 1 pm. When we got back to our hotel, after supper, I was still damp. Turns out that the "grey square" we were asked to stand on was a scale. You had to reach a certain weight before they would let you ride. For those of you wondering, this was the ride we were on...Yep. WATER is in the title TWICE!! I was so sure it was the log ride, I never even looked at the sign when we got in line. Definately one of the funnier moments of the trip. Jamie got his turn the next day....
Our first full day was spent here...
After a bit of uphill and downhill walking..(I'm telllin' you, that place is the hilliest amusement park EVER!!) we happened upon the first ride. The swings. UGH!!
Jamie was ready to get the boys in line but I hesitated a bit. Because, #1 It goes really high and you turn from side to side. and (B) Davis is a bit like me and needs to think about "scary" things and "work it out" in his head if he really wants to do something.
I wanted him to see it before he climbed up there and got scared in the middle of the ride and then be scarred for life. (NOT that I'm speaking from experience or anything..)
So, here they are "checking out" the swings. As you can see form Cooper's face, he was ready!! Davis on the other hand needed a while to decide....
When the ride was ready to re-load, Cooper was READY!! Guess who the lucky dog was to go with him?!?!?
Yep. Me. Oh joy of joys. First of all, I don't like the swings. I prefer the playground variety. But Cooper asked me to, so I did. You see me smiling in the picture, but I'm not happy. I'm terrified.
I don't like heights either. The picture is to small, but if you enlarge it and look at my hands, you will see some WHITE KNUCKLES. Scared I tell ya. There we are being flung around in a circle held on by four measly chains and a bar across the front. I felt so vunerable and unprotected. Feet just dangling above concrete... UGH!!
Of course, this turned out to be one of Cooper's most favorite rides. After about the 4th time, I finally had to tell him, "Mommy really doesn't enjoy the swings very much. How about Daddy go?" Davis did eventually decide to go on them and he did decide he liked them. So, I went with him too a few times. Whew..glad that's over...
Let's talk Branson, shall we?!?! What's Cooper looking at, you ask?
His brother and daddy on the go-karts..
To whom is she waving?
Her brother and mommy on the go-karts..
We had a great time on our trip to Branson. The first night we were there, we took the kids to one of those HUGE wooden go-kart tracks. We had a blast....the kids liked it too!! But, I really have to tell you all about one of the first things we laid eyes on when we got into Branson. Bear with me, this might get lengthy....
Ok...so we borrowed a GPS unit from Jamie's brother. It would tell us to "turn right" or "turn left". It wouldn't tell us " turn right on maple street" or "turn left on state street" just "turn right" or "turn left". So, we get into Branson and are desperately trying to find out hotel. The GPS tells us "turn right"..so, we did. We turned "right" onto a gravel drive way that went down so as we came over the top of the little hill, we were gazing upon one of Branson's finest TRAILER PARKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh yes. A trailer park right smack dab in town. It was a nice gravel driveway though. It had a cirlce turn around complete with a big tractor tire turned on its side, painted white with some booo-tiful flowers growing...Of course Jamie and I are doubled over laughing, the boys are laughing, and Rubye Ann has begun what would become a 5 day fit throwing fest. Now, I need to back track just a moment. We were already laughing at this next sight when we saw the trailer park, so it all became HYSTERICAL after that. As we were pulling into the gravel driveway, there is an old beat up caddy waiting to pull out. The driver was a little old lady. She could barely see above the steering wheel and she had her oxygen tank sitting in the front seat with her.(no doubt this was a car with a bench front seat) (do they make those anymore????)She had her oxygen tube around her and the canula was right under her nose. She even got dressed up for her outing....she had gotten her rouge and made some perfect little circles on her cheeks. After seeing this and then seeing the trailer park we were only to assume, that we made a wrong turn. So, after we turned around in the driveway, we were sitting behind her at the red light. It was taking FOREVER to change and I even commented on the fact we were having to sit so long. When all of a sudden, Granny punches the gas, sprays a bit of gravel and dust and takes off through the intersection. THE LIGHT WAS STILL RED FOLKS!!!!!!!!!! Evidently, Granny got fed up with sitting so long too, and took off. Jamie's comment was great: "Granny don't play..." After all that, I couldn't help singing "Holiday Road".
Sorry, been absent for a week. No reason. School starts next week...be back then.
