Other Summer Fun: Carowinds

You know you're getting older when one of your favorite topics of conversation is the weather. When I talk to my dad (retired in Arizona) I hear about the high temperatures, the lack of rain, monsoon season . . . . the weather is a big topic of conversation. In Arizona they like to sit outside on their patio and watch the weather. Literally. And last summer when we were there for a visit we actually took pictures of it raining, rain being such a rare weather event in the desert. When I talk to my mom (retired in Florida) it's the same conversation, although our weather is more similar. ("Are you getting this heat?" and "Did you get rain yesterday afternoon like we did?").



This past Saturday we went to Carowinds in Charlotte to celebrate Noah's birthday (in lieu of a "friend party") and to have a family weekend getaway. Ask me about how our weekend was and what will I tell you first -- the rides we rode? The water park fun? The boys swimming in the pool at the hotel? A late dinner at Chili's with chili and chocolate shakes? Shopping at Ikea and finding some great deals? Nope, none of those things get top billing. If you ask me about our trip to Carowinds I'm gonna start with the weather, and man, it was HOT! My mother-in-law uses the term "hotter than 40 hells" a lot, which I always think is funny to hear her say, especially since she doesn't like the heat at all, and many times what's "hotter than 40 hells" to her is a pleasant day to me. At 101 degrees, Saturday at Carowinds was significantly "hotter than 40 hells". We hadn't been there 10 minutes and sweat was literally dripping off my face and down my neck and back. It was so hot they were giving away free cups of water all day at every food stand. It was so hot that Kevin's favorite part of the day was standing at the kid playland in the water park and getting a huge bucket of water dumped on his head (and, except for the lazy river, he's not really a water park kind of guy). I honestly don't know if I've ever been more thirsty in my life. Every time we waited in line I desperately sought a spot of shade to stand in, even going so far as to hold a map of the park over the kids heads in one line, so they would have some shade. I hate to say it, but for a lot of the day, it was miserable.



There's a part of me that hates that I'm turning into my parents ("Whew! Let me tell you how hot it was . . . ."), and wishes I was a little more like my boys ("Oh my gosh! That was AWESOME! Can we ride again?!?"). Of course, I used to be more like them. Growing up, when I went to Great American, I would practically run from ride to ride, not skipping a one. Except for a couple of the really big roller coasters and maybe one ride that went in a circle and upside down, I went on every ride. Back then I never could have predicted that I would turn into someone who would leave a ride line in order to get a Gatorade; someone who (literally) wanted to cry because she took a wrong turn on her way out to the car and had to backtrack through the park (putting her 2 minutes further away from a chance to "re-hydrate, refuel, and push through"). Someone who, when asked about her trip to an amusement park, would give a 20-minute diatribe about the weather before even mentioning one ride. Who is this person I have become?!? Don't get me wrong, I still love an amusement park ride as much as the next (41 year old) person. I've just become someone who would, given a choice, prefer to be floating down a lazy river with Kevin, drink in hand, with temperatures less than "hotter than 40 hells". And I'm perfectly OK with that. Let the kids enjoy the rides. I'm content to sit and watch. And talk about the weather.




Nathan: My trip to Carowinds was SO much fun. The first thing we did when we got there was go on the Woodstock Gliders. Then we went on a small roller coaster called the Woodstock Express. I screamed all through it. Next we went on the spinning pirate ships (what a collision those boats had!). Then we went on Lucy's Crabby Cabbie, which is a baby coaster. Then we went over to Joe Cool's Driving School, a little driving track. We listened to the song "Rockin' Robin". Then we walked over to the Ricochet, a roller coaster that jerks you all about. Then we went on a 360 foot tall sky tower. then we went on The Scrambler which swings you around. Then me and Noah went on Snoopy's Gr8 Sk8, a ride that lifts you up really high and then lets you fall. Next we went to the water park. We went to a wave pool but right as the waves started it thundered. Later, when we went to the hotel we had to walk up eight floors. When we left the next day we went to a Swedish furniture store called Ikea, where me and Noah got desks and chairs. I am sitting at my desk while I have written this.

Mom's Note: Nathan and Noah rode on the GR8 SK8 more than 8 times. After the first time they rode Kevin and I heard the ride attendant yell, "Who wants to ride again?" and then a loud cheer arose from the riders. The ride started up and there they were, riding again. After about 3 times of this we heard the attendant say, "We need one more rider" (apparently the ride won't go with single riders). I decided that we needed to move along, so I ran up the ramp and joined the ride. It was great fun, and I was glad to ride, and also glad to gather up the kids and move on! We went back later in the day and they rode it again (and again and again), once being the only two riders on the ride.











Noah: I love going to Carowinds! I went to Carowinds for my 8th birthday. I went with my mom, dad, and my brother. One of my favorite rides was the Woodstock Express. I like going on the Woodstock Expresses. It was really fun. At first it was scary and then it was fun. It was purple and yellow, and it was really big. It went really fast. It took pictures of us on the ride. I looked funny. Woodstock Express was my favorite ride. I had fun.

Mom's Note: This is NOT a picture of the Woodstock Express, which, for whatever reason, we didn't take a picture of (perhaps because it was so hot we didn't feel like expending the energy it would have taken to get the camera out and press the button). This is a picture of Nathan and Noah riding Lucy's Crabby Cabbie, which was Noah's favorite ride the last time we went to Carowinds (when he was 2 1/2). We should have purchased the picture of the four of us when we rode the Woodstock Express for the first time, because it was truly one of the funniest pictures I have ever seen. Both the kids looked absolutely horrified -- eyes wide, mouths frozen open in screams. And then there was Kevin and me, laughing . . .