Hanging higher than the highest peak by a thin cord and facing straight down was not exactly the most comfortable I’ve ever been. With my mouth yelling words unable to repeat and a rush that would last a lifetime, I knew it was going to be a trip to remember.
The story starts with my good buddy Logan Colegrove and I waking up at two am to load a long yellow school bus on the road to Great Falls. It was my sophomore year and I had elected to take the honors choir, Saturday's Children, for an art credit. The class offered an everyday singing experience along with the choice to pay $1500 for a weeklong trip to San Francisco. Besides being a large chunk of cash, I had never been to a big city off the west coast so I decided to fundraise intensely and go. My soccer friend Logan was also in this class and decided to take the epic journey. So, the night before the trip, Logan and I hung out with some other friends and had a marvelous time finally turning into his house around 11 pm packed and ready to go. Our bus would leave at 2:30 that morning to Great Falls where a plane would be waiting ready for liftoff.
The alarm rang loud at two, raising Logan and I from our beds and up the stairs to breakfast. Looking like hell, his mom had already set out the cereal box and milk along with two white bowls on the table. We took this offer knowing it would be our last sense of home for the next week. With life slowly pouring back into our exhausted bodies, the excitement started to kick in. After two quick showers, we put on some comfortable but nice clothes and grabbed our bags. My bag was bright orange and filled with everything I would need ranging from t-shirts to phone chargers along with a fat stack of cash. For being gone a whole week, I figured a man has to have his gear for whatever the occasion arises.
The morning was brisk and Logan's mom started the car early blasting the heater. We loaded our bags in and drove to Capital High School where an old yellow school bus awaited our arrival. I quickly unloaded my bag onto the bus, said goodbye to Logan's mom, and took my uncomfortable seat. It was nice because there were not a large number of students going so everyone got their own uncomfortable seat to lay down in.
I woke up to the noise of the brakes squeaking and had the airport in my sights. Again the tiredness was within me but I was able to arise fast. Logan and I stuck together in getting out and checking in at the Great Falls airport. Finally, the bell rang and we entered the small aircraft. This flight would take us to Seattle and then another would take us from Seattle to San Francisco. A loud and sudden roar put us into the morning sky and over the Rockies we flew. Watching the sunrise over this great mountain range was a sight I will never forget. It was as if God put his hand down and told me why I should never take life for granted.
Seattle came fast and before I knew it, Logan and I sat what seemed a million feet in the air looking down at barren landscape on the way to the big San Fran. And holy smokes folks, she suddenly appeared. The sky scrapers reflected shards of light into the airplane while the bay sparkled in an array of diamonds. The sight was truly something special. It marked the start to an amazing week filled with new and fun experiences.
Step one of the agenda was to unload the aircraft and load a charter bus. We completed this task that required great patience. A person has to get used to the idea that in larger cities, things take a little bit longer to complete. Whether that be waiting for a bus to maneuver through traffic or simply buying a coffee, things simply take longer. Stress levels often increase and perspiration often excretes but stay calm, and enjoy where you are. That's exactly what I did, and Logan did too. After all this had been completed, we drove to our first bit of entertainment. This was the Broadway show, Rock of Ages. The show lasted about two and a half hours. The only word to describe this show was risqué. Sex, drugs, and a lot of rock and roll. The whole group questioned this play but enjoyed it to the max. There is no doubt in my mind that Broadway is a hot performing group in the U.S.
When the show was over, it was time to grab some grub and turn into our hotel for the night. We ate quickly at a small little buffet type joint and were off to the Double Tree in a jiff. The hotel was extremely large and offered palm trees and beautiful flowers all around it. As soon as I entered, it was in my head that something was bound to go wrong. I would try to keep that idea to a minimum. Logan, two others, and I all crashed in the same average hotel room. It offered two beds, a bathroom with one sink, and a television.
The next day was by far the one that impacted me the most. It was time to go to the San Francisco theme park, Great America. Logan and I grabbed some muffins from the continental breakfast as well as a couple glasses of all natural orange juice. This day was going to change me forever. The group loaded the bus and as usual, there was instant traffic. The bus moved slowly from one stop sign to the next. I swear we must have hit every stop sign in the whole city. Suddenly, there was Great America. Roller coasters, water rides, metal, wood, and solid pavement encompassed the huge area. The interesting part of the experience was that when we first got there, there was not one car in the whole parking lot. I mean, we were not there that early either. It would be another hour until the crowd would begin to enter the place of every child's dreams. Mrs. Schulz informed us that we were to have as much fun as possible for the remainder of the day. This also surprised me for I didn't know a teacher to just let kids loose in a huge theme park! Logan and I along, with Abe and Conner, the kids we were rooming with, decided to gang up and attack the park. We were on a mission to ride every ride there, and then ride them all again.
To start the day off, we chose a roller coaster off in a far corner would be the first. We loaded up and in a flash, we were off. It accelerated us up high and then dropped off dramatically leaving butterflies in my stomach. After that is cut right and cut left at speeds close to 50 miles per hour. When it was over, Conner, Abe, Logan, and I looked to our left and noticed that nobody was in line. Again! We rode that ride at least four times in a row before finally some people showed up. This was the beginning that let us know that the remainder of the day was going to be in a North pointing direction.
Going around the park, I would pick a ride, then Logan, then Abe, and then Conner. Around every corner was something new. Towards noon, it was time for what every good theme park has to offer, a water ride where everyone sits in a circle on a tube style thing and gets as soaked as possible. Personally, I am not a big fan of these rides for I don't prefer getting wet in my normal clothes; but, I was not going to be a wimp about it and sucked it up. I took my seat in the large tube where fear struck my soul. The tube rotated in circles leaving me at points where I couldn't see what was coming. I hate that! And there came the water, off one drop off and another sharp curve, water spilled over the sides and into my lap. Out of all the moments in the park, this was my least favorite. Once it was over, I got out quickly and took my place in the hot sun to dry off. It was now time for lunch.
My clothes dried out fairly fast as we ate lunch. The sun was most likely cooking down at about 90 to 95 degrees. The food was amazing for being at a theme park. I had teriyaki chicken on noodles while the rest had pizza and other things. After we finished our food, we met up with Mrs. Schulz to load a ride that she feared the most, Panic Plunge. This ride takes you straight up as you sit with your legs hanging off the edge. It is like putting a doughnut on an empty paper towel roll, pulling it to the top as you sit on the edge of the doughnut and then dropping it suddenly. The ride is intense as one sits sit raising into the air to heights much out of someone's comfort zone. As we rode the ride with Mrs. Schulz, she was scared out of her mind and was letting out small screams and noises as it rose. Finally, it dropped. The ride drops supposedly faster than gravity putting your stomach to the upper part of your chest. Darcy yelled and had fear in her face, but also the look of achievement.
After Mrs. Schulz's panic plunge, it was time for the part of the trip that defined my fear of heights and put a rush into my body that will never be forgotten. When we first arrived at Great America, everyone was looking at a very tall and large metal frame that stood standing twice as tall as any other figure in the park. I was to find out that this was a ride know as Extreme Sky Flyer. It is a ride that straps three people into a fabric harness, hooks those three to cord, pulls them up to an extreme height, leaves them there for a moment looking straight down parallel to the ground, and then drops them. In comparison, it's like a giant swing that starts with a free fall. Apparently, Mrs. Schulz had the idea that Logan, Conner, and myself should pay fifteen dollars to ride this death trap and watch our inner fear come out. Although she wouldn't dare to do it herself, she wanted to pay for us to. When something like this is offered to three teenage boys who basically live for a good rush, there is not a chance they will say no; so, we decided to do it. It started with a man putting each one of us in an individual harness. I tell you what, this thing rode my crotch super tight and was not comfortable at all. Next was to strap us all together. A second harness put all three of us together like a mundo burrito from Taco Del Mar. The last part of the set up was attaching us to a chord. The cord then started raising us into the air. During the beginning I was not too scared but then as it went higher and higher, great fear set in. At about two thirds of the way up, I was saying words not appropriate for school but when the cord stopped at the highest point all the way up, all three of us were yelling things not acceptable in society. There is no way to describe how much fear was within my body and how afraid of death I became. It was as if my body shut down and went into a survival mode. Then it was time for the grand finale, the dropping. Since I was the man on the end, I had to pull the cord to drop us. When the loud speakers announced, "Alpha 3 2 1 Drop", I knew it was time. I reached back and told the boys we were about to die. I pulled that cord and down we dropped. Holy smokes, that experience was like jumping off a bridge. We free fell straight down and my stomach rolled leaving me with intense butterflies. I tried my hardest to yell, but nothing came out ! Finally, it slowed and we swung on the chord for a while until it was finally stopped. I don't regret being an Extreme Sky Flyer, but I know now that heights are my number one fear.
When my rush was over, the day had been ultimately fulfilled and it was time to leave. Us three were still in a little bit of shock and got on that bus without many words. The bus left and the trip was to take yet another turn to new events and experiences. Over the course of the next four days, our group would take ghost walks through Little China Town, eat lots of different food, take a tour of a large and historic cathedral, and go to Alcatraz prison. My trip to San Francisco was one that I will never forget. The city was so large and amazing, it was hard to leave. As Logan and I sat on the airplane back over the Rockies, we missed the city but knew that we were going in the right direction, home. I had received the rush of my life and an overall great experience.
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