VF ‘04
This past Sunday, Valley Fair came together in a twelve-person gathering of fun. The new coaster, Steel Venom (say it like the monster truck rally announcers), proved a great ride. You start out horizontally, with your feet dangling. Then you are accelerated to 60mph in a matter of a few seconds, and sent spiraling straight up. Gravity takes over, and you slide down the spiral, backwards across the original launch area, and then you are greeted with a surprise. Out of nowhere (you are going backwards, after all), you pivot 90 degrees and see the ground dropping away as you fly up. This goes on for three cycles. One caveat: the coaster stops dead at the top of the final backward ascent, and this sudden jarring can be painful on certain areas of the male anatomy. A sign saying “Crotches, Beware!” should probably be posted.
Anyhow, we stayed for about eight hours, soaking up sun and flying around on rides. Group count: me, Steve, John, Adam, Erin, Kayleigh, Karin, Jimmy (whose birthday it was … I wonder if that should have been discounted admission), Nils, Sigrid, Tommy, and Jeremy.
Best food of the day: peanut butter M&M’s.
Most expensive: Dippin’ Dots.
Best deal: Free ice water.
Coldest wait: Thunder canyon, shady with constant stream of water falling on you.
Most girly giggles (from John and I): Tilt a Whirl.
Worst wait: Excalibur, they were putting on a second car.
Best thrill: Wait at top of Power Tower.
Brightest hair color: Purple.
Adam, Kayleigh, Erin, and I returned here, and in the course of the discussion came across a useful method for judging interest from the opposite sex: dangling. How does one dangle? It is a conversational hook (or barb, depending on how you look at it) where one mentions something in passing and omits details. If the person is curious about details of your story, this is good. If they don’t care, they either are not nosy or really don’t care. Foolproof? Hardly. Logical? Not really. Entertaining? Mostly.
Next year, I look to double attendance by incorporating more people. (You heard it here first.) Two dozen in ‘05!