Magic

I used to love roller coasters. I could ride all day, do the loops, and have no problems. I was never really great with spinning, but loops and coasters were my jam.

Then I got older.

Now, one spin, one loop, one corkscrew and I’m out of commission for the rest of the day. It’s sad to me because I loved riding roller coasters so much. So when my grandson invited us to go to Magic Mountain for his 13th birthday I said yes, but told him that my favorite ride was gonna be the bench!

I waited in line with them. I watched the cars go careering around the twisted steel and felt that old rush of adrenaline. I wanted to ride, but I knew my limits. They tried to convince me it would be ok. They tried to tell me how it really wasn’t that bad. But I knew better and said no.

But the cool thing about amusement parks is that they have some rides that are decidedly more tame. Even a place like Magic Mountain that boasts 20 thrill rides has a few things that your MoM can handle. My boys love me enough that they sacrificed part of their fun so that I could ride some of the smaller, older coasters. No loops. No big vortexes. Just good old fashioned hills and thrills.

In the end I was able to go on three rides: two old coasters and a flume ride. It wasn’t the worlds most dangerous outing, but it still gave me a chance to…

—Rise Up!!