Under Duress

OKAY! Jeez, I'll update... You people are SO demanding!

Well, I suppose I have been procrastinating a bit, but I was also busy, so I have some excuse.

In fact, I was in DISNEYLAND!!!!!!

My Mom and Sister and I went on a little vacation to CA to visit the Happiest Place on Earth. And boy, was it ever!

I have lots of pictures, and will be posting them whether Mom and Liz like it or not.

We rode rides until we were exhausted and then rode them some more. I even went on the Twilight Zone Tower o' Terror!



This is one of those Drop-You-From-Really-High-Up kind of rides. Normally, I can't stand those. In fact, I'm terrified of them. This one is set up as an elevator in an old hotel that was struck by lightening and is now a doorway to the Twilight Zone. You get into this box and strap yourself in, then go up to the top, the doors open so you can see out over the park (and realize just how high up you are) and then it drops you. I watched a program about it on the Travel channel once that said the ride was connected to a computer which randomly creates the number of times you drop, how many floors you drop at any time, whether the lights are on, how often the doors open, how long it waits until it drops...you get the idea. Every time you ride it, you get a different experience.
I was forced to go on it, and made a solemn oath before witnesses that I would go on it one time, and one time ONLY. Just goes to show that you sometimes have to eat your words.

I could, however, never quite match the sheer, blinding terror of that first ride. Honestly, after we were strapped in and watching the little story about the night the tower was struck by lightening and how we were going to recreate that night and see what happens, blah blah blah, I was nearly in tears, already holding on for dear life, my head down, eyes squeezed shut, wishing I could just get off. Then we went up. And up. But it was fast, not a slow climb, and then the doors opened (I could tell because daylight seeped through my tightly clamped eyelids) and I think I mumbled, "No, I don't like this, I don't like this, I don't liAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!"

That first drop was bad enough, but it doesn't even let your spleen catch up with the rest of your organs before you are being rocketed upwards again. This time it only drops a few floors at a time in a start and stop. "AAAAHHH!" sigh "AAAAAHHHH!" sigh "AAAAHHH!" Then all the way to the top again for another big drop.

I'm senseless with fear by now, so I have no idea how many times we actually go through this. Finally, it drops for the final time, and, shaking from head to foot, I stagger off.

We enter a room where you can view pictures of your ride. I think they must take it right before that first drop. We ought to have gotten it, because I look hysterical. Now, I had some good photos on this trip (in fact, for almost every ride I have the exact same look of trying to smile but really just looking terrified) but this one was the best. I actually looked like I thought I was going to die.

I think we rode it about 4 or 5 times more during the course of the vacation.

Let me show you the one ride I DIDN'T go on.



That's right, the Ferris Wheel. They frighten me. I am frightened of Ferris Wheels. And not in the good way. Not in the, "I'm scared because being scared is fun, so I let my imagination run wild and scream until I'm blue in the face" kind of frightened. Mom and Liz went on it, and I waited and took pictures. I know it doesn't make sense, but, hey, no one ever said fear was logical.

That's all I'll post for now, but there are more pictures and more stories to come!

Later,
Jules