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    Saturday, October 06, 2007

    I Did Something...

    I've always been a thrill seeker who loved roller coasters. As a child, my grandma would take my sister and I to Cedar Point Amusement Park at least twice a summer. The last time I went was 16 years ago, just before becoming pregnant with #1.

    When I was more than 200 pounds overweight, I could only dream of riding the roller coasters that I loved. Some of you may remember my last episode with an amusement park. My children have never had the chance to hear me scream as we flew down a 200 foot drop on a coaster. That is, until last weekend.

    Mr. Sign and I took the girls to Cedar Point and had the time of our lives. I rode over 15 rides, walked 7 miles and lasted 12 hours. The girls were begging us to leave because of sheer exhaustion. The excitement I felt watching my daughters' delight as we transcended our first hill was one of my life's goals.

    Daughter #1 convinced me to ride this ride against my better judgement . Mr. Sign and daughter #2 were smart and decided to sit this one out. Here is the description of the ride:

    Top Thrill Dragster. Reaching a stratospheric 420 feet tall and topping out at an unheard of speed of 120 mph, this new steel screamer helped Cedar Point reclaim the title of owning the tallest and fastest roller coaster in the universe.

    Riders begin their epic journey aboard this whopping 42-story screamer by securing themselves into ultra-cool trains that resemble top fuel dragsters. The train then moves into a "starting line" position, where it is launched forward, reaching 120 mph in approximately four seconds. The train then zooms straight up the 420-foot-tall hill on track that rotates 90 degrees, crests the coaster's apex and then free falls back to Earth. But hold on, this isn't your father's roller coaster. As the train races 400 feet to the ground, the track twists an unbelievable 270 degrees – what a rush! Riders then return to the station to begin regaling their friends with stories of the greatest ride of their lives.

    May not accommodate Guests of Exceptional Size.
    Did you see that last line? "May not accommodate Guests of Exceptional Size." I fit!!! With no problems. Well, no size problems.

    After waiting over 3 hours through 3 breakdowns, #1 wanted to leave without riding. I forced her to ride and we rode in the first car. As soon as the ride stopped, I had an immediate migraine most likely caused by not eating and the fact that the coaster boasts 2 G's (the space shuttle astronauts feel 3 G's on lift off). Going from 0 to 120 miles per hour in 4 seconds is tough on you. When we finished the ride, it broke down before we got back to the station. We were stuck for 15 minutes and had to be rescued by walking on a narrow plank beside the track. The picture below on the right is the initial takeoff. Check out the skin on my face! The pic on the left is after falling 320 feet. Notice I didn't put my hands in the air on this one.





    This is #1 waiting for the ride. Yes, that is a 90 degree angle that the cars travel up the track.



    There is nothing in the world like the feeling of your stomach rolling as you climb and descend those hills! I can't believe I missed all this because I was too fat.

    #2 and I rode the Gemini. (Yes, I'm an idiot who took pictures while moving on a roller coaster. The things I do for the blog world.)



    We rode some coasters in the dark and then headed on to the spook houses. The entire park is decorated for Halloween. I love Halloween!

    This is me waiting in line for the Vampire Lair:



    Chalk another great day up to weight loss surgery and the fact that I could have never done this a year ago.

    11 comments:

    kimmyk said...

    You were only about 45minutes from me SG...Bummer. Wish I had known you were that close.

    I haven't been to CP this summer, thinkin' we're going this month for the Halloween thing they do every year. I've never ridden the Dragster before. My favorite is the Mantis I think it is. Up front..green one...love that one.

    Glad to hear you guys had a great time.

    The world truly is your oyster!

    lime said...

    holy shit!!!! i lvoe roller coasters but i am not entirely sure i'd have done that one. that being said i am doing a happy dance for you right now. w000000t! i am so happy for you, girl! check another goal off that list baby!

    Big Pissy said...

    Jenn...I'm so happy for you...out there..living life.

    Good for you!!! :)

    Sicilian said...

    Gurl. . . my fondest memories are with my girls at 6 Flags.
    I am so glad you too have those memories.
    Ciao

    terry said...

    i love really big roller coasters. i'm so glad you got to enjoy them.

    Cha Cha said...

    I have to give you a HUGE pat on the back.! (...and not just because I have a secret desire to touch you in some way, though that is true...)

    I LOVE roller coasters and LIVE to ride them AND wait that extra time for the first or last car...

    ...BUT, had the ride been continually breaking down...I would have been WAY too scared to trudge forth.

    And when it finally DID breakdown and you had to exit with the help of rollercoaster workers....oh, my, GOD, ....I would have fainted.

    I wish I was as brave as you, cos that ride looks AWESOME and I would have missed out due to technical difficulties.

    I am so glad you got to experience the love of rollercoaster riding.

    And Cedar Point sounds fucking awesome. I want to go!

    Glad you had a fun time, Sign-babe.

    xoxo

    G-Man said...

    Jenn...
    This story is a tribute to your dedication!!
    I'm so proud to know you..xoxoxo

    Suze said...

    Jenn, you are a fantastic success story and you should be so proud of yourself.

    It's heart warming to hear you gushing about being able to join in with your kids. :)

    I want to come over an ride with one day. It sounds great there.

    Sandi said...

    We have that same ride at a park here in California except it is called "Excellerator!" I love it, but the start always makes me sprinkle pee. Glad you had fun!

    Donna said...

    I truly love the non-scale victories the best. They help really keep in perspective how far we've come. Good for you, lady! :)

    jillie said...

    DAMN! The look on your face on the picture to the left is the one of pure bliss. The other, not so much! You look you've just had the shit scared out of you!!!

    GREAT PICTURES! They had me laughing....