Sca-REEEEEEEEEEEM!!!!!

A friend of mine called the other night and asked if I wanted to spend Tuesday out at Six Flags, Great America. Do I???!!! Good lord, yes!

For years, I was a very active member of the American Coaster Enthusiasts. We're sort of like Trekkies in that we're obsessed with useless details and have conventions, but unlike them in that we actually smile and laugh a lot. But, yes, I'm a coaster nut and have been as far back as I can remember. Once, there was a new coaster being built at Six Flags Over Texas and a friend of mine and I just couldn't wait to see what the first drop looked like. We just pretended we were on the construction crew and climbed right up to the top. God, was that fun!

It had been a couple of years since my last "coaster fix" so I was rarin' to go. It was a perfect day for coastering. It was sunny, very cool, and all the annoying kidlets were still in school. Just perfect.

I was a little queasy after our first ride on Superman. Hmmm. Have I lost my coastering ability now that I'm firmly implanted in my forties? We then rode three more medium sized coasters, the adreneline was pumping and I was "back". A ride on the 205 ft tall mega coaster proved it. (We rode it six times).

After six hours, I was a pooped puppy. Feet were sore, back was aching, I was sunburned.

I felt old.

It's pretty bad when you plop down to ride a 205 ft tall coaster and you're just glad to sit down for awhile. . . but I was young again once we dropped straight down at 73 mph and I was yelling my head off.