4 Wheels 4 Girls

On Saturday, May 14th, we visited the boardwalk in Santa Cruz. Remember the big white roller coaster I talked about? Well this was the place where I could ride it! I was super excited. There were a ton of other rides too. I was born a roller coaster girl, so this was totally my cup of tea. We got in line at the ticket booth and purchased all-day passes for the boardwalk. This means we could ride all the rides we wanted all day long. It was SO fabulous.

The Giant Dipper, sixth oldest coaster in the U.S.A.

First, Dad, Stella, and I rode the Giant Dipper, the big white roller coaster that was the biggest ride on the boardwalk. It was also the sixth-oldest roller coaster in the United States, built in 1924. So anyway Stella wanted to be in the middle so we shared a seat somewhat close to the front and Dad sat in front of us. The ride totally earned its name. It was full of sharp turns, big drops, huge hills, and it was totally unpredictable. The only thing it lacked was an upside-down loop. I loved it.

Next, we all rode the merry-go-round. I wanted to spend my time riding the big scary rides, but Dad said we had to be willing to ride all rides, big and small. To my surprise though, the merry-go-round was unique and fun, and it was 100 years old! If you got a seat on one of the outside horses, you could reach your hand out and grab a metal ring as the ride went around and around. You would throw the ring and try to land it in a big clown’s mouth. The first time we rode it only Dad got an outside seat, and he got one in the clown’s mouth! The other times we rode it, I made sure to get an outside seat. I got really close to making it in, but I never did actually get it. It was SO a right-handed game, and guess what I am? A lefty. I normally have pretty good aim. Lucky- right-handed Dad threw it in 3 times! That big stinker. :p

On the best Merry-Go Round ever!

After the carousel Dad and Ana went to ride the little helicopters while Stella, Ellie, and I went to ride the Haunted Castle, but unfortunately the ride was down for some repairs. They said we could come back in 30 minutes, so while we waited for them to finish their helicopter ride, we watched a man draw caricatures of a couple sitting in two chairs. Soon they were back and we were off to our next ride!

Then it was nearing lunchtime, so we did one more ride: the Seaswings. It was the classic swinging-chair ride, but it was great. We all rode them and they were fun. Then we headed back to our camper to have a quick meal of sandwiches. We ate them at lightning speed so we could go right back out to the boardwalk.

We rode the ferris wheel. I thought it was going to be another dinky little ride, but it was scary! Stella, Ellie, and I shared a car and we got stuck at the 3 freakiest places. Also, the car shook, and we screamed our heads off. I bet we sounded like total idiots and I’m sure lots of people looked at us like, “Who in the world are those losers up there?” but we didn’t care. We were all way too terrified that we were going to tip over backwards and fall out of our car. But of course it was fun!

Next, Ellie and Stella and I decided to do the Haunted Castle. While we were in line, I tried to assure Stella and Ellie that it wouldn’t be too scary, but of course… they were still scared. It was their first time on any kind of scary ride though, so I could sort of understand their fear. Sort of. Like I said, I just LOVE any kind of ride that gives you a thrill. By the time we were in our little fright car, they were terrified. The people running the ride wouldn’t let us all ride in one row, so since Stella and Ellie didn’t want to ride by themselves, they rode in the back together while I sat in the front by myself. The ride really wasn’t scary; there was just a bunch of shrieking, things that popped out at you, and evil cackling. Mwah ah ah ah ah! I can do a great evil laugh. There was one big monster thing that made Stella scream her butt off while I just laughed and laughed. I found the whole thing hysterical. At the end of the tour of the haunted castle, we went under a guillotine to be beheaded before the ride was over. We could see the big blade hanging over our heads, and then it dropped! Even I screamed at that one, mostly because I really didn’t expect it to fall. That ride was REALLY entertaining.

We met up with Dad and Ana and then did a little dragon roller coaster. It was Ana’s first one besides Disney World and she loved it! At least I think. She said she liked it but she tends to change her mind quite often.

Then Dad, Stella, Ellie, and I rode a fast blue coaster called the Hurricane. It went sideways and almost upside down! Stella and I loved it, but Ellie hated it. Oh well, she’s just not much of a roller coaster girl. Then the four of us rode the Giant Dipper, and Ellie hated that one too, even more than the Hurricane. Geez, I absolutely cannot relate to that girl when it comes to roller coasters.

Ellie and Ana riding the Seaswings together. Can you spot them?

Then Stella, Dad, and I rode the Giant Dipper 2 more times while Ellie and Ana rode the Seaswings 3 or 4 more times. Then Ellie, Stella, and I rode a really sweet ride called Wipeout. It had 3 disks that spun with 4 cars on each one. Those spun too. The coolest thing about the ride was that all the lights were completely turned off except some flashing colored strobe lights, so you could only see flashes of the room as you were spinning around and around. It was soooooooo cool. We only got to ride it twice since we discovered it too late in the day.

We went to the RV, ate a quick dinner of tortellinis, and went straight back to the boardwalk. Stella and I rode the Hurricane and the Haunted Castle again, then met up with Ellie and rode Wipeout. It was a terrible ride to do right after dinner, but I have an incredibly strong stomach so I didn’t feel sick at all. Then Stella and I rode the Giant Dipper with Dad one more time, and then while Ellie, Dad, and Ana rode the carousel, we rode the Dipper two more times. We got great seats both times, the very front and the very back. The front is fun because you… are in the front. It’s just fun to be able to go over all the hills and bumps first. The back is fun ’cause you get whipped over everything super fast. I of course put my hands up both times. It’s the very best way to ride a roller coaster.

We got lucky and got to ride the merry-go-round two times after the dipper before the boardwalk closed. Then we went back to the RV, got ready for bed, and went to sleep. It was a super duper duper duper duper duper fun day!!!