California Dreamin, Part 4

Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk

On Sunday morning, Matthew, Mike, Greg and I headed back to Santa Cruz. Matthew had made arrangements for us to have brunch. We went to the West Coast Santa Cruz Hotel and ate at the Main Sail Restaurant. We were given a table right next to the window that overlooked the beach directly in front of us, the pier off to our right and the boardwalk off to our left! We got to see a bunch of surfers and kayakers too. The food was *GREAT* and shockingly inexpensive considering the room prices for this hotel! It was the nicest brunch I've ever had! We met up with a bunch of other enthusiasts, including Chris Murray (unfortunately Steve had to return home), Dan Chase and Kevin Coley, who was unable to join us for the previous days. We rode the Carousel and Giant Dipper a few times (which everyone agreed was running great already!) and then Chaos, which most had never done before. I rode with Mike Miller and had the BEST ride I've ever had on it! We got four forward revolutions and three backward! We then rode Hurricane once more, then everybody left to go to the Morgan Factory tour. Several people seemed incredulous that I wouldn't want to take advantage of the opportunity but really, I don't care about stuff like that. I'm not really interested in industry insider info or construction progress or rubbing elbows with park management or things like that. I just want to ride roller-coasters! So everyone left except Matthew Sullivan and me. And what we did for the next four hours was the MOST fun I could have possibly imagined! First we went shopping all up down the boardwalk. I was hoping to find a shirt with SCBB on it, but all I could find were shirts that just said Santa Cruz. Then we went inside this Fun Center that's connected to the boardwalk. More shops! More food! More everything! Matthew walked into one shirt shop and said "there it is!" and it was the shirt I was hoping to find. A white golf shirt with the Giant Dipper's 75th anniversary and SCBB over the pocket area! They had t-shirts, too, but none bigger than a medium and they weren't as nice as the golf shirt anyway. I also found the most awesome keychain that had the Giant Dipper, SCBB on one side, and a floating, two car train on the other! YAY! We then walked down a little further and watched the salt water taffy being made. Yum. Matthew said we could sample as much as we wanted, so I tried a piece of cappuccino and a piece of cinnamon. And I bought 4 bags of taffy. Shut up! We then spent the next hour riding all the good rides. We got a *great* Tilt-a-Whirl ride that more than made up for Sean-and-company-in-a-sardine-can ride we had on Friday. We also rode the Sky Ride and Ferris Wheel, both of which I really really enjoyed. The view from the Sky Ride was just amazing - I really wish I'd had my video camera. It's a long, slow ride, too, so there was plenty of time to take in all the sights. Considering all the different things I was seeing, I'm surprised the view did not seem more surreal in some way. Instead it just felt unforgettable. This was a place I'd been wanting to visit for some time now, and it felt like the fulfillment of a dream. We then went to the sno cone stand and had a Shaved Ice. OHHH MYYY GOD, these things are by far the best I have ever eaten! Until now Americana's were the best, but you would not believe the tender loving care the guy took in making them! Matthew had a cherry, I got grape, and we sat down and ate and talked about a whole bunch of stuff. I wouldn't have traded that time for anything! After our sno cones, it was time for a marathon. And marathon we did, riding the Giant Dipper non-stop for three solid hours! It was two train operation, too, so there was virtually no waiting at all. We rode in nearly every seat and every single one of them delivered! We rode the frontseat Superman style, with our arms stretched out in front of us and leaning forward over the train as far as we possibly could. At one point I asked Matthew "Is this ride getting wilder or are we just getting weaker?" But it was obvious the coaster was warming up. And after about an hour were riding a bucking bronco! Matthew found a way to harness the lateral forces in the front seat, by pressing his feet against the footrest and pressing his butt against the back of the seat! It totally worked! I did it a few times instead of taking a break, but most of the time I just let myself get bashed around. I took a good beating and I enjoyed it! During those three hours I think we got 25-30 rides before the rest of the gang came back. Once everyone else arrived, we all feasted on the Giant Dipper for awhile. I rode with Mike Miller a lot and we were really getting tossed around! By now the ride was running great and we bashed into each other quite a bit! Dan Chase said by nightfall it would be out of control. After awhile we all headed for the Rock-o-Plane. Mike Miller had never done one before and Matthew said he was going to give him a good whirl. Mike was actually afraid - he was giving me his dying wish instructions before his ride (I believe he wanted his last words to be "Oh shiii....")! Once we were about to board, however, it became apparent that they wouldn't fit in the same car. So Mike was left to die on his own. Matthew, meanwhile, went wacky! I have *never* seen anyone go round and round like that - and not just during the entire ride but even when it was stopped!!! After he got off we all gave him a huge round of applause and he was crowned King of Rock-o-Plane. We also rode the Ferris Wheel again. This time I rode with Mike Miller, and we attempted to mimic the riding style of the couple who had just ridden before us. Chris Murray took a photo of it and while I'm sure it's yet another example of what an idiot I am, I did get a marriage proposal out of it! We all did the log flume and Hurricane again, then it was back to the Giant Dipper for one last ride before leaving. We stopped and got Cheese-on-a-Stick, and after that I got a chicken teriyaki rice bowl. Then I got another grape sno cone to go. You think I wanted to leave? I had more fun on these three days than I would have ever imagined. As much fun as I told Sean he would have on his trip, I never expected it to be this great. It was literally perfect. The only thing that could have possibly made it even better is if more people had been there to join in the fun. I've said it before and I'll say it again: the California coaster enthusiasts are the nicest bunch of people I've ever met. They are incredibly welcoming, and you feel like you've known them for a long time. David Escalante and Steven Wilson, thanks so much for everything you did for us this weekend, you guys are awesome! Chris Murray, Steve Gardino, Sean Winder and Ivan, you guys ROCK. Both Sean and I commented on this all throughout the weekend. And Eliot and Dan, it was great seeing you guys again! Dan, I believe you are a serious flat ride enthusiast!!! Scott, I know you had an awesome time and it was great getting to ride with you. Jeff, you are such a great guy, a blast to be around, and I know you'll make a wonderful father for Sean. Phyllis, you are *such* a cool coaster chick! See you on Sunday! And Sean - what did I tell you, bro? Finally, as much fun as it was getting to hang out with Sean and everyone else, it was just as great getting to know Matthew Sullivan, Mike Miller and Greg Galley. You guys made me laugh so hard I've probably damaged some internal organs. Thank you so much for your hospitality and now your friendship. Thanks to everyone for making this weekend perfect! And if I'm dreaming, don't wake me up! Mark