Every single year my family and I go down to Adventureland in Altoona, Iowa which is just northeast of Des Moines. We meet our cousins and our grandparents down there and spend the whole day together. The drive for us is around 1 hour and 45 minutes down to Altoona. We are usually at Adventureland from when it opens to when it closes. The hours at Adventureland when we go down there are 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM. That day, June 14, 2013, Adventureland was open to 9:00 PM. So when we got there it was the usual, greeting each other and using restrooms and all that fun stuff. There was some rain to the west of Des Moines
so around 11:00 it started to rain. During that time we went on the A-Train which is basically a train that goes around part of the park. Then there was the Galleon where you went on a pirate ship and rocked back and forth like a swing set but much bigger and a lot more people. After the Tea Cups it started to rain. But we still went on some rides. Around 12:00 PM we went to lunch at a
place called the Iowa Café which I told everyone, “There is only 49 other state cafes in the country”. We usually go to lunch at a funnel cake place where the dining area is hanging over a pond that is at A-land
so around 11:00 it started to rain. During that time we went on the A-Train which is basically a train that goes around part of the park. Then there was the Galleon where you went on a pirate ship and rocked back and forth like a swing set but much bigger and a lot more people. After the Tea Cups it started to rain. But we still went on some rides. Around 12:00 PM we went to lunch at a
place called the Iowa Café which I told everyone, “There is only 49 other state cafes in the country”. We usually go to lunch at a funnel cake place where the dining area is hanging over a pond that is at A-land
Maybe this is the time that I should explain a little bit about my extended family that was there with us. Let’s start with the Amos’s. The Amos’s are a family of 3 girls and 2 parents. They have no boys for kids. That is kind of coincidental because we have 3 boys and no girls for kids. The girls are Taylor, Bethany, and Hallie. Taylor is 18 years old, a good singer and also a good guitar player. She is also going to Indian Hills Community College which is a local college in Ottumwa, Iowa where they live. Bethany is 15, is in the middle of the 3 girls, sometimes literally. She is in high school right now, and she is a good friend as well. Hallie is 11 years old and LOVES Henry. I know her the best probably because we are around the same age. I’m 12 and she’s 11. Scott is the head of the family and also a great banjo player. He organized their bluegrass band called The Bluegrass Blondies. Everyone in their family is blond except for Scott. Dawn is the mom of the family. She is a 2nd grade teacher and is also my dad’s sister. (That is also how we are related) She also plays bass in the band. My grandma is retired and was a high school math teacher for a number of
years. She loves seeing her 7 grandkids and spending time with them. Grandpa is Grandma’s husband and he is a
woodworker. He builds things out of wood in his basement “lab”which is what I like to call it. He even made me a desk for me a couple years ago. Now back to Adventureland.
years. She loves seeing her 7 grandkids and spending time with them. Grandpa is Grandma’s husband and he is a
woodworker. He builds things out of wood in his basement “lab”which is what I like to call it. He even made me a desk for me a couple years ago. Now back to Adventureland.
After lunch we went to a gift shop which was actually next to the Iowa Café. Have you ever seen those signs at stores that you can get for like $15.00 that you put in or outside your house? We saw some of those there and I got some pictures of a couple I call amusing.
Okay so the rain has stopped while we were having lunch so things are all right now. Then we went towards Outlaw Gulch which is basically part of the park that has a Western theme. They have a downtown theme, western theme, and a farm theme in different sections of the park. The main rides at Outlaw Gulch are the Outlaw, a roller coaster, Saw Mill Splash, and the Sidewinder. Saw
Mill Splash is a ride which there is a big tube thingy you are in. You go up a tall hill and then you go down a huge slide which causes the tube thingy to start spinning and then finally you are at the bottom. The Sidewinder is a huge swing that is swinging but spinning while it is swinging. And the Outlaw is a wooden roller coaster. Its highest hill is 67 feet tall and goes at speeds of 48
miles per hour. Around an hour later we left Outlaw Gulch and headed back towards other areas of the park. On the way back I went on the Dragon, which is a steel coaster and has 2 loops. The first hill is 90 feet tall. It is also quite rough on your neck and shoulders. When I got to the bottom of the first hill after the drop, the shoulder restraint put me in a very tight, uncomfortable position I like to call a “death lock”. It was pressing so tight on me and after that my chest hurt because if the shoulder restraint. I also went on the Space Shot which launches you 230 feet into the air and gives you 360 degree views of the park and surrounding areas such as the Des Moines skyline. I also went on the Tornado, which is the park’s oldest coaster. It opened in 1978 and at the time, it was known as one of the best wooden roller coasters in the world. It is 93 feet tall and goes at speeds of 58 miles per hour. Henry tried the Tornado this year and LOVED it. He went on the ride 3 times while I went on once. Then we went on the Raging River, which is where you are in a tube thingy and you are on a raging river filled with rapids. I was on with Mom, Dad, and Bethany. The reason you would get wet on the Raging River is that the water would splash into the tube thingy soaking our shorts. After going through the rapids we went into a cave which was at the end. There was a wide waterfall at the end which of
course the tube thingy went through the waterfall and soaked us from head to toe. Mom brought along ponchos so she was wearing a poncho. I was wearing mine earlier but since the rain stopped I took mine off. That was a huge mistake. SoHenry, Isaac, Scott, Dawn, Taylor and Hallie were on the tube thingy behind us and they got drenched by the waterfall.
Afterwards we went to a magic show. The magician was Ben Ulin. He did some tricks for us and a few other people there
too. For his grand finale he said he wrote on a story on a piece of paper that morning that was sealed in a box. He made us think up some numbers, a famous song, a famous person,a piece of clothing and a card that was in a card deck. The things we thought of were 83, 128, Gangnam Style, George Clooney, blue handkerchief,and the card of spades.
. So the note that Ulin typed up said “It is a beautiful day at Adventureland. It is sunny and 83 degrees. I went on a new ride. It hurled me 128 feet into the air and landed in a pool of corn on the cob. We saw George Clooney at Sheriff Sam’s Saloon singing Gangnam Style to a guy wearing nothing but a blue handkerchief. Then we went to the 4:00 magic show where a handsome magician pulls out the
card of spades”! That is what it said in its entirety. The trick was how did the numbers we thought of get on to that piece of paper in a padlock sealed box? We will never know.
Mill Splash is a ride which there is a big tube thingy you are in. You go up a tall hill and then you go down a huge slide which causes the tube thingy to start spinning and then finally you are at the bottom. The Sidewinder is a huge swing that is swinging but spinning while it is swinging. And the Outlaw is a wooden roller coaster. Its highest hill is 67 feet tall and goes at speeds of 48
miles per hour. Around an hour later we left Outlaw Gulch and headed back towards other areas of the park. On the way back I went on the Dragon, which is a steel coaster and has 2 loops. The first hill is 90 feet tall. It is also quite rough on your neck and shoulders. When I got to the bottom of the first hill after the drop, the shoulder restraint put me in a very tight, uncomfortable position I like to call a “death lock”. It was pressing so tight on me and after that my chest hurt because if the shoulder restraint. I also went on the Space Shot which launches you 230 feet into the air and gives you 360 degree views of the park and surrounding areas such as the Des Moines skyline. I also went on the Tornado, which is the park’s oldest coaster. It opened in 1978 and at the time, it was known as one of the best wooden roller coasters in the world. It is 93 feet tall and goes at speeds of 58 miles per hour. Henry tried the Tornado this year and LOVED it. He went on the ride 3 times while I went on once. Then we went on the Raging River, which is where you are in a tube thingy and you are on a raging river filled with rapids. I was on with Mom, Dad, and Bethany. The reason you would get wet on the Raging River is that the water would splash into the tube thingy soaking our shorts. After going through the rapids we went into a cave which was at the end. There was a wide waterfall at the end which of
course the tube thingy went through the waterfall and soaked us from head to toe. Mom brought along ponchos so she was wearing a poncho. I was wearing mine earlier but since the rain stopped I took mine off. That was a huge mistake. SoHenry, Isaac, Scott, Dawn, Taylor and Hallie were on the tube thingy behind us and they got drenched by the waterfall.
Afterwards we went to a magic show. The magician was Ben Ulin. He did some tricks for us and a few other people there
too. For his grand finale he said he wrote on a story on a piece of paper that morning that was sealed in a box. He made us think up some numbers, a famous song, a famous person,a piece of clothing and a card that was in a card deck. The things we thought of were 83, 128, Gangnam Style, George Clooney, blue handkerchief,and the card of spades.
. So the note that Ulin typed up said “It is a beautiful day at Adventureland. It is sunny and 83 degrees. I went on a new ride. It hurled me 128 feet into the air and landed in a pool of corn on the cob. We saw George Clooney at Sheriff Sam’s Saloon singing Gangnam Style to a guy wearing nothing but a blue handkerchief. Then we went to the 4:00 magic show where a handsome magician pulls out the
card of spades”! That is what it said in its entirety. The trick was how did the numbers we thought of get on to that piece of paper in a padlock sealed box? We will never know.
We then were in line for the Log Ride. When it was our turn the ride was shut down because of lightning in the area. So a few minutes later it started pouring rain. It was really heavy rain and went on for hours. It caused the park to close at 7:00 PM instead. It was around 5:00 so we went back to the Iowa Café to wait out the storm. There was a penny arcade across the street from us so I went in there. A couple years ago in December a fire started in a shop and burned an entire block of shops. The penny arcade and other shops were built in the place where the fire started. The G-Force is in the penny arcade and was originally outside. But after the fire ended they put the G-Force inside the Penny Arcade. Then Adventureland brough the Scrambler out of retirement and put it where the G-Force was. The G-Force is a spinning ride with 4 arms. The arms at the ends are circular. The 4 cars fit 2
people and spin around while the arms are spinning around. The ends of the arms are spinning the cars while the arms are moving counterclockwise. That results in a ride that can sure get you dizzy. That’s what it did to me. The line was not actually that long. The other section of the Arcade is ….Arcade games. I alternated from the penny arcade to the Iowa Café to talk to family. That was
also the time when Dawn gave me a great idea for my blog post name: Around the corner. When I was talking to Scott, he said “In Adventureland geography, everything’s around the corner”. I asked where Taylor and Bethany were, and Dawn
said “The girls are at a long sleeve shirt shop around the corner”.
people and spin around while the arms are spinning around. The ends of the arms are spinning the cars while the arms are moving counterclockwise. That results in a ride that can sure get you dizzy. That’s what it did to me. The line was not actually that long. The other section of the Arcade is ….Arcade games. I alternated from the penny arcade to the Iowa Café to talk to family. That was
also the time when Dawn gave me a great idea for my blog post name: Around the corner. When I was talking to Scott, he said “In Adventureland geography, everything’s around the corner”. I asked where Taylor and Bethany were, and Dawn
said “The girls are at a long sleeve shirt shop around the corner”.
We left at 6:30 and then all of us went out to Culvers for dinner. We ate di there and were there for about an hour and 15 minutes. Then it was the long drive 1 hour and 45 minutes back home. You probably can imagine that all of us were exhausted. See you next year Adventureland!!!!
Here is the official Adventureland
website.
https://www.adventurelandpark.com/
Here is the official Adventureland
website.
https://www.adventurelandpark.com/