When I was a kid we didn’t take many vacations. My dad was a police officer and he worked a lot, so we didn’t have a chance to take too many extended trips. We had fun as a family, it was usually just close to home.
I remember one time though that I thought was absolutely amazing. It was the summer of 1989. I was just about to turn 11 and we took a trip to one of the coolest places I had ever been: Six Flags Over Texas.
Now, I had been there with my dad before when he was the chaperone of our church youth group. I was much younger and didn’t really get to ride anything those first times. It was cool then, but it was so much cooler at the age of 10 knowing I could ride a whole bunch of rides.
There are a couple of rides that I remember very clearly…the cliffhanger and the bobsled. Do you know these rides? The cliffhanger is just like it sounds. You ride up the face of a wall…it felt like several hundred feet back then…and then when you least expect it, the drop you straight down. I remember riding it and enjoying it. The bobsled is also like it sounds, only not as fast. I remember being scared of it at first. Dad had to remind me that it was all going to be ok. I tried it and had a blast.
Another ride that I absolutely loved was Splash Water Falls. Now, you have to understand something if you have never been to Texas in the summer…it’s hot! We had been around the park for several hours, so when we got on this awesome ride we were ready for a cool down. The best part about it though was standing on the bridge over the water when you got off the ride. When the next boat came down it would absolutely drench anyone standing there. It was so much fun.
I remember that I had a brand new pair of British Knights sneakers on. It was the coolest pair of shoes I had ever owned up to that point. I remember at school that BKs were very cool. Yeah, they got drenched and I was having so much fun I didn’t even care.
That trip to Six Flags has to be one of my favorite memories as a kid. I got to spend awesome time with my mom and dad. We enjoyed each other as a family. It was so good.
I also think it is cool that I got to take my boy there for his 9th birthday. I walked him around that same park where I had all the fun 28 years earlier. I took him on some of the same rides. I soaked ever minute of it up with him. I loved reliving the memories with him and can’t wait to make even more.
David Willis 