Trip Report 2004 (Days 8 & 9)
[u]Thursday, 29th April 2004 (Day 8):</u> After two busy days, and a forecast for an improvement in the weather, we decided to go to Blizzard Beach on this day. It was indeed a good day, mostly sunny with only a few scattered clouds. The seniors were staying at home and so the rest of us started out by about 10am; it only took 20 minutes to reach BB and park. I always felt that the facility to park so close to the main entrance was one of the strong points of Blizzard Beach.
The crowds were moderate, but there was fair line for the lockers near the changing rooms. At BB, it is better to choose the larger locker if one has to secure equipment because it onlt costs $2 more and accommodates at least half as much again compared with the smaller one. Another tip is to secure the key to the swimwear because there is the risk of it falling out on one of the big rides; the locker number will be on the key and if some not-too-honest person finds it, he or she will have access to your locker and its contents.
We went on a lazy relaxation ride in the Cross Country Creek for almost an hour. It helped to cool us off and get us into the mood. Then I persuaded my niece to join us on the Teamboat Springs, but she sat terrified throughout the ride. After that, she and my wife decided that they were going to spend the next few hours between Tike's Peak and Meltaway Bay while the rest of us (my sis-in-law, her husband and I) went on the rides.
I cannot remember if they had a 'singles express' queue for the chairlift to the top of Mount Gushmore in 1999, but they do now and it certainly cut down waiting times for everyone. My bro-in-law wanted to try Summit Plummet straight away, but I decided to check out midler slides first. So we went on Snow Stormers and Toboggan Racers, both of which involve sliding down head first on a purple mini-raft (or toboggan). It is actually not as terrifying as it sounds and even small children did it quite happily. The problem was to choose between keeping one's head up and getting splashed in the face all the way down or head down and not be able to see where one is going. Some of the stewards added to the fun by orchestrating 'races' (with actual times) between participants of Toboggan Racers; I did not do too well in that. Likewise, Downhill Double Dipper was a race between just two paricipants, but this time in inflated rafts. People at the top are usually co-operative if you want to race against a particular person as long as it does not involve too big a queue jump. At least I beat my sis-in-law in that one (and kept reminding her of the fact through the day).
For those who have not been on the Summit Plummet before and not too sure if they are brave enough to go, looking at other sliders may not help much. It certainly looks terrifying from below as the slider screams his or her way down the steep 120ft slope. Also, the jagged rock formations halfway seem dangerously close to the 'victim' and may put some people off. My bro-in-law went first, but his wife and I took one look from the obsevation platform and switched to Slush Gusher instead. We came back later and did Summit Plummet too, of course. It is a great ride and as you climb the steps in the queue, you can get glimpses of riders ahead disappearing into oblivion and secretly wish your turn never comes. But it surely will and the steward positions you with a few encouraging words. Thankfully, you cannot see the steep slope from the positioning tray, where you are required to lie face-up with legs crossed and arms folded across the chest. When my turn came, I could only see my toes as I manouvered myself towards the edge. The only clue I had before going over was when my toes disappeared from view as my legs tipped over, dragging the rest of me behind. It was a long, wet and exhilarating slide down and with the water spalshing onto my face all the time, I could see nothing till I stopped some 5 miles away (it felt like it anyway).
Slush Gusher, though less terrifying, is a great ride in its own right wi
