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
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.
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.
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”.
Here is the official Adventureland
website.
https://www.adventurelandpark.com/