"Step up to the line, son. See if you're tall enough to ride! A couple more inches and you'll be there. Maybe next visit young man".
That had to be one of the worst feelings at an amusement park as a kid. Then there were those rides I felt like not being tall enough saved my life.
There was even a ride at Magic Mountain that had a height restriction, and I was too tall to ride. Isn't that ironic? My wife tried to talk me into sneaking through. Seems she wouldn't have minded if I was missing an inch off the top of my head!
The X! Or Xtreme At Six-Flags Magic Mountain in Santa Clarita, California
Now they have the X2, which is probably scarier. Mine is still the original X. We rode it last summer on a return trip to Magic Mountain after several years.
In the days before parenthood, we had a tradition of going to Magic Mountain every Easter. Not to disrespect Jesus, but to honor him by enjoying life at a near empty amusement park.
When challenged one trip out of the seven or so years we went, my wife had a rebuke for her friend's mom. We had her daughter with us and she said we should have been in church. So my wife Erin told her that on Goliath, she'd be closer to God than most people living on the earth.
But I digress. If you've never heard of Xtreme before, check out the video below. Let me know if you'd ride it if you had a chance to visit.
From POV, it's hard to follow what the ride is even doing. You can the air rush by as background filler in the microphone, telling you the ride is speeding fast. It's not hard to see how high the ride takes you before it begins.
You might also notice that the ride takes you up seated backwards. Then as the fall begins, the seats flip you head first forward. So..... you're basically flying head first towards the ground at some untold speed until you hit the first turn.
Then the seats start spinning some more. Xtreme is a ride that just messes with your mind and sense of balance from start to finish. As if the height and speed of the track weren't enough.
Goliath Broke My Neck...Almost
Goliath is a fun ride and not as intricate as Xtreme. The carts go fast and have a huge drop at the beginning. From an incredible height, the first drop reached speeds over 77 MPH.
At the bottom of the drop is a little hut you pass through, then a sharp turn to the right. Inside the hut (for all of 1 second) you get blasted with a spray of misty water.
On one of earlier trips to Magic Mountain, I stayed up and partied late the night before. Having about two hours of sleep and likely still boozed, I wasn't prepared for Goliath at all.
Getting sprayed by the mist at the bottom of the drop made me tense up. As the g-force pushed left from our sharp turn to the right, so did my heavy head. And my neck went crack then stiffened up for the rest of the day.
Waterslides Can Be Freaky Too
Places such as Raging Waters or Wild Rivers are suited to family adventures on hot summer days. They do sometimes have a ride or two that test your resolve to go on.
High Extreme (I sense a name theme here) at Raging Waters might catch you thinking twice about riding. One thing about Raging Waters, you get your exercise walking up stairs and hills.
Walk up the stairs of High Extreme then fly down on a mat at speeds around 35 miles per hour. On your stomach, in the water, on a mat if I didn't already say that.
Would you ride it?
What rides have you been on that you might not go on again?
Thanks for reading and as always...
Images Courtesy Of Pixabay.com
Bottom Image Courtesy Of Hive.io Brand Assets
