Going home today

Norma Jean and I with flamingos

Well, this trip has gone quite quickly, and today I'll head back to my home, which is fifty degrees colder than it is here. It sure would be nice to have something between freezing and sweltering, but I don't get to choose. Yesterday we spent the day at Busch Gardens (picture above taken by Peter) and it was quite humid and overcast, not too bad. Today we are close to setting a heat record for the day, but when I first arrived last week the temperature was close to perfect.

Part of the track for the Cheetah Hunt

It had been a long time since I rode a roller coaster; I think they have stepped up the fear factor by a factor of ten. Peter told me this ride is one of the more "tame" ones in the park, and there were people of all ages getting on, from tweens to seniors, so I figured I'd be okay. I screamed the entire time! Norma Jean is smart enough not to ride these things, and I could hardly walk when the more-than-three-minute ride was finished.

Riders dangling before the plunge on Shiekra

Apparently this ride is the scariest in the park, according to Peter, who has ridden them all many times. He told me that, considering my response to the Cheetah ride, I probably should skip this one. I didn't have to be convinced, after watching for awhile.

Falcon's Fury is the tube on the right

After a very enjoyable ice show, I decided I had to try one more ride. This one takes the riders (visible almost halfway up) up to the top and then changes your orientation from sitting to being face down, hanging there for a short while and then falling like a rocket toward the ground. Amazingly, this ride, while scary, didn't affect me like the other. It had some similarities to freefall, so maybe that's one reason why. I would ride this one again in a minute.

Heading up Falcon's Fury

The amazing part of this ride, for me, is how fast you get going when you are released at the top and how soft the stopping part is. The rider feels your feet flipping out in front of you at the end, and gosh it stopped so easily.

We also saw the show called "Opening Night Critters," with lots of birds, dogs, cats, pigs, a small pony, and all of them performing perfectly. These are mostly rescue animals who have learned their parts to amusing effect. Then it was time to go home, after a brief rain shower. I enjoyed it very much and am very glad I let them talk me into going.
:-)