Today was a day filled with adventure at Canada’s Wonderland. I haven’t been there in over 12 years. This is a place I used to love going to. I had season tickets for a couple of years when I was in my 20s. Why did I give it up? Why haven’t I found (made) time to go sooner? All questions that came to mind over the past 8 months.
I loved my day at Canada’s Wonderland. First stop: Leviathan. Gates opened at 10am, by 10:15 we were in line. With a 306’ drop gaining speeds of 92mph at an 80 degree descent, it was well worth the first hour and a half waiting to ride Leviathan. We rode in the very front. I held my hands up for 90% of the way (I’ll admit, I chickened out near the bottom of the first hill and grabbed on!) and I had a hell of a time laughing, hooting and hollering throughout the ride. It was the best 3 minutes and 28 seconds of the day. BIG smiles afterwards and lots of discussion about it’s creation, it’s limits broken etc. It is a serious coaster for serious riders only! Leviathan is Canada’s Wonderland’s latest addition to the park - it opened May 2012.
Later in the day, after a dip in the water park, we finally rode Behemoth. This coaster premièred in 2008 and I nearly went to Canada’s Wonderland with a colleague from work. Boy, do I wish I had. This BEAST is fast with a brilliant cork screw (or helix in the world of coaster peeps). Again, we rode in the front seats (where else really?) It was amazing in the dusk, with the lights of the park colourfully ablaze. And hey - the added affect of bugs smattering on one’s forehead was pretty funny and exciting too!
But Leviathan won my heart. So much so that we decided to stand in line for the last 1.5 hours of the day to sneak one more ride in. (And for the record, next time I’m getting the Fast Lane. Standing in the sun frying, not so much fun when there’s a way to get onto rides faster!)
Riding Leviathan a second time was amazing. The day had been pretty incredible, including finding a new/mystery ride called Time Warp, but it was this beast that made it all worthwhile. All the waiting, all the sun, all the plastic NOT being recycled (perhaps worthy of another blog post!).
Riding Leviathan at the end of the day was like a bookmark. It opened and it closed the day. This time, I held my hands up the entire way. Perhaps I had found a place deep within me that stepped over the fear, or perhaps I was just in a place where I didn’t care and I was too stubborn to grab on. Either way, I had my hands up the entire way. It was incredible and on some level quite empowering.
All in all, a beautiful day. But like all moments, they pass. The evening was filled with the pains of the day. Too much sun, not enough water. Too many bad foods…and not enough food.
It reminded me that life is very much like the coasters I rode today. There are ups and there are downs. There can be some fantastic highs, but in a blink of an eye you are speeding down, down, down.
That’s okay with me. I wouldn’t have it any other way. Life would be rather boring if it were straights all the time. I like the ride. It’s not always easy to ride it with your hands held high, but damn, I do have fun trying.
Moments at Canada’s Wonderland.
Moments in life.
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