A to Z Challenge: “U”pside down, over and under

Roller coasters have been a part of my life since I was little. I am terrified of them, at least the large ones that flip you upside down with no respect for what you had for breakfast or lunch!

My family went to Elitch Gardens amusement park in Denver. When I was small, I loved the boats that I could captain around the pond, the train that circled the park, the Tilt-a-Whirl, the Haunted House and many other rides. I have such fond memories of it.

One of the country’s top 10 roller coasters was Mister Twister which opened at Elitch Gardens in 1964. It was a 96-foot-tall wooden coaster that operated until 1994, when the park was sold and moved to downtown Denver. It traveled super high and then swung you over a deadman’s curve, only to drop you down thousands of feet, curving under more track, finally plunging to the bottom. (Excuse me while I go get an antacid …)

The first and only time that I rode on Mister Twister was when I was in junior high and it almost took a tranquilizer to get me to ride. It was my birthday and my friends and I went to Elitch’s to celebrate. I had a crush on one of the boys – we’ll call him “Jack” to protect the innocent. I really wanted to ride the roller coaster with him, for my birthday.

My friend and her mom went early so I could “practice” on the coaster. By the time the group arrived, I planned to hop onto the coaster like a seasoned pro. I road it twice and then saved the third time for my friends. The time came and I had knots in my stomach. Another friend sat in the car behind Jack and I, yelling “You know, we’re all going to die, right? Fly right off of this coaster…” I had my eyes closed the entire time and I had my arms positioned on the safety bar, holding on tight which created bruises the next day. Oy, the things that we did as youngsters to impress the people we liked!

Elitch Gardens is now a giant amusement park. It’s not the quaint, mysterious, special place that I remember as a kid.

My husband and I spotted this country roller coaster on our drive on Highway 41, to Jasper, Indiana. It was amazing to us that someone would build a personal roller coaster. And, the track goes up over the secondary house but you can’t see where it lands. This might be more my speed. I was tempted to take a detour to ask if we could ride their roller coaster. Okay, I really wasn’t – it just sounded good, right?