Charles was mesmerized by what he saw when he entered the amusement park. There in front of him was a very large water feature and behind that was a double level carousel. The sights and sounds were all around him and he didn't know which way he wanted to go first. The twelve year old looked to his 'dad' with the question on his face. 'Where do we go?'
"Charles, the first thing we need to do is buy us both a Flash Pass," announced Mr. Ken.
"What's a Flash Pass," quickly asked Charles.
"Charles, the Flash Pass will get us on most of the better rides without waiting in line very long," explained 'dad' Ken. "Using the Pass, we can get to ride more of the better rides and still have time for many of the other ones."
Charles just smiled at Mr. Ken as they walked to where they would buy the Passes. The lad listened to the explanation as they walked. After they got their Platinum Flash Passes and walked out of the building, Mr. Ken said, "Charles, there is a lot to see here so we need to make a plan. Since you've never been to an amusement park, let's do some simple rides first to get you in the right mood. Down to the right, there is a 4D ride called the Justice League: Battle for Metropolis. I'll explain it to you as we walk to the ride."
The Covers got into the Flash Pass line and within ten minutes they were seated in one of the six-person ride cars and they began their ride. As the ride moved along they had laser stun guns they could use to shoot the bad guys. The ride took them through a Metropolis cityscape where they helped Superman and Batman rescue the other members of the Justice League from Lex Luthor and the Joker.
"That was awesome," exclaimed Charles, as he and his 'dad' exited the ride.
Mr. Ken just smiled at the lad and brushed his hand through the boy's hair and then suggested another ride for them to tackle.
Across the street from the 4D ride was a roller coaster called Pandemonium. Mr. Ken asked the lad if he was ready challenge that one. Charles looked the ride over and asked if they could come back to it after he rode a few smaller coasters. Mr. Ken agreed with the boy's assessment and they walked on.
Their next stop was the Runaway Mine Train. Charles saw it was a small roller-coaster that didn't have a really big hill like the last one had so he asked if they could ride that one. Mr. Ken smiled at his 'boy' and they got into line. Their Flash Pass wasn't accepted there but there was virtually no line as it is an older ride built back in 1966 and most people had ridden it many, many times.
The ride depicted a trip back into the old west on the runaway mine cars. Charles was bit apprehensive at riding his first roller coaster, but he sat there like a trooper. The mine cars took the first hill and Charles looked right and left to see what was ahead. When the train got to the top of the hill the mine cars began a slow but methodical ride through the trees and vegetation.
The coaster train then came to another lift hill where after it got to the top the cars raced down and through more vegetation making their noisy way to a third lift hill. As the mine train got to the top of that hill, Charles figured it would be more of the same but he was wrong. The mine cars dove down to a curve that led into a dark tunnel that traveled under a small body of water.
"'Dad'; that was a good ride. Are all roller coasters like that one?" asked Charles.
"No Charles, there are all kinds and types of rollercoaster's and they have just about every kind here. Hopefully, you'll like them as we ride them. You ready for your next ride?" answered 'dad' Ken.
As the two walked along, Charles saw a ride that people were shot up a tower and then after they were taken to the top they were allowed to fall down the same tower.
"Charles … you look like you are interested in trying that one?" said Mr. Ken. "You know when you get to the top you'll be able to see a lot more of the park."
"Is it scary?" humbly asked Charles.
"I don't know what scares you, but one way to find out is to try it and then you'll know," replied 'dad' Ken.
The two got in line and using their Flash Pass they were on a seat in no time. As Charles got into his seat and they strapped him in he looked at his 'dad' with hopeful eyes. When everyone was safely locked into their seats, the ride began its weighing and setting up the amount of air it needed to send the 12 people skyward
When the ride was ready, it got very quiet and then a 'swoosh' was heard and immediately the chairs were shot upward. The shot took Charles' breath away and as the chair bounded near the top the lad looked at his 'dad' and smiled. He then looked out over the park. The chair was taken to the top of the tower and a few seconds after it stopped rising the chair dropped.
"'Dad', I was so scared when the chair was shot to the top, but when we got there I looked around and I saw there is a lot to do here. Then, it dropped and I thought my stomach was going to come out my mouth. It was when we started to bounce at the end and you know what? I loved that ride!" screamed the preteen.
All Mr. Ken could do was smile at the enthusiasm of the lad, and thinking back a few years to when he heard Eric scream how he loved roller coasters. He hoped he would get the same love for the coasters from his 'son'.
After that ride the two park goers went to the Oil Derrick. From up there, they could look out over the entire park and decide how they would go from there. When they returned to the ground, they headed back the way they came as Charles saw another coaster, the Mini Mine Train, he wanted to try.
They then rode the Batwing and Spin Sanity before heading to Bugs Bunny's Boomtown where Charles rode Wile E. Coyote's Grand Canyon Blaster, another small roller coaster which made three roller coasters the lad had now ridden. The two stayed in that area while Charles rode Bugs Bunny's Cloud Bouncer, Yosemite Sam's Texas Tea Cups, and Marvin the Martian Space Rockets.
By that time Charles was ready to stop, sit and get something to drink. Mr. Ken bought two all you can drink soda bottles for them to use the rest of the day. After they rested, the two explorers headed to the Mexico and Spain sections of the amusement park.
As soon as the two Covers entered the new area, Charles spied a multi-colored barrel looking ride and he wanted to ride that one. Using their Flash Pass they got in line and ten minutes later they were getting into one of the bobsled cars. Once they got the top of the ride, the bobsleds began their rolling descent. The cars would glide up the sides of the troughs and it made Charles laugh at the sensations he was feeling. When the ride was over the lad wanted to do it again but Mr. Ken reminded him there were loads of other rides to try before they should go back and re-ride anything.
The Conquistador, a Spanish galleon ship that rocked back and forth was their next ride as it was right outside the bobsled ride they just rode. El Sombrero was their next ride where they spun back and forth and around on spindled arms of cars.
They walked back towards the back side of the park and as they passed the log flume, Mr. Ken asked his 'son' if he was ready to get wet. The lad's smile was a true answer, so they got into line and used their Flash Pass. They loaded into a log and Charles decided to ride up front on El Aserradero. The ride started out slow and then went up a slight incline. At the top, the flume began its downward descent and the log began to bounce off the side walls and some water would splash onto the riders.
Every time water splashed Charles he giggled and would turn around and smile at his 'dad'. Charles was having a blast. It was at the end, after the last hill, that Charles got really splashed with water when they hit the bottom of the trough. The boy laughed all the way to the exit.
They continued their walk to the back of the park and when they got there Charles saw the bigger rollercoaster's and he told his 'dad' he wasn't ready to ride them just yet. The Texas Depot was right here, so the two jumped on the Six Flags Railroad and rode it over to the other side where they began their walk through the park.
It was there that Mr. Ken talked Charles into riding a wooden coaster, Judge Roy Bean. Charles was a little wary about the name but when he saw the coaster and only how high it went he said he was game. They couldn't use their Flash Pass for that ride but they only waited two rides before Mr. Ken convinced Charles to sit up front because the ride would be much smoother. The lad really didn't want to sit up front but 'dad' Ken directed him into the third seat. Before Charles knew it the coaster train was released and they headed for the only lift hill.
As the lad rode the coaster, the first drop took a little bit of his breath away but as the train continued on he began to love the 'air time' he received going over the humps and the rocking the train did as it rode on the metal rails. Again, the coaster wasn't all that high and Charles found out later the first hill was only about 70 feet high. He wasn't ready to scream he loved coasters, as Eric once did, but he was beginning to enjoy what rollercoaster's were all about.
As they walked back under the tunnel, Mr. Ken asked Charles if he'd ride the Texas SkyScreamer with him. The man said it wasn't any higher than the tower the lad got shot up early on. Charles looked at the ride and he wasn't sure if he wanted to go that high but he knew if it wasn't higher than the ride that shot him up, he knew he could handle it, so he told his 'dad' he'd go for it.
They again got to use their Flash Pass and two rides later the two travelers took a seat, or chair, on the ride. The chairs hung in a peaceful circle around a very tall tower. When the ride started it just went round-and-round a few times and then it started its quick ascent to the top where the riders rode around at about 35 miles per hour. Charles enjoyed the ride as he again could see the whole park. Before long the ride was over and at the bottom Charles hugged his 'dad' for suggesting they ride the Texas SkyScreamer.
Mr. Ken decided to stay in that area because he wanted Charles to look over the Batman and Mr. Freeze roller coasters. The man told the lad what the ride did and how it went, so the lad watched it going through its paces. It was then Charles decided to ride Batman because it didn't look to be all that high.
The two Covers got into the Flash Pass line and ten minutes later they were being seated into their mid-train chair that had their feet dangling in the air. Once all the riders were safely locked into their seats the operator checked with all of his team members and then he released the train which began its ascent up the lift hill.
At the top of the lift hill, the train began its downward run and it went immediately into a loop, after which it made numerous twists and turns. At the end of the ride Mr. Ken asked Charles what he thought and the lad said it wasn't anything like what he expected, but that he enjoyed it and it wasn't all that scary after all.
"Did you enjoy it? Are you ready to try another coaster?" simply asked 'dad' Ken.
"Yeah, 'dad', let's do another one," replied Charles.
"Okay, let's do the Mr. Freeze, then. You game?" asked Mr. Ken, as he pointed to the blue rollercoaster.
Charles looked over to where his 'dad' was pointing and watched as a coaster train went through its run. He sort of cringed watching as the train, going backwards, went up a very high hill and did a turn so it was upside down and then rise up an even taller tower. He then saw the train begin its return through the tall hill, again going upside down, and back to the building it came out of. It then dawned on him that the train going upside down wasn't any different than what he just did on the Batman. He smiled at Mr. Ken and asked him why they weren't in line already.
The man and lad got in line and found that there weren't that many people in line. Mr. Ken was happy for that as their Flash Pass didn't work for that ride. The two Covers waited for about fifteen minutes while the ride operators loaded and then shot out a coaster train about every four to five minutes. When it was their turn, Charles had already picked out the middle of the train to ride, so they loaded into their seats and put their safety belts on. They also pulled their safety bar back to hold them in place, then they waited for the launch.
As soon as the ride operator finished counting down, from five to one, their coaster train launched backwards. The train immediately went out the building and headed up the first tower and then turned upside down and back down and up the second tower. Then, the coaster reversed itself and headed back to the launch area.
Coming out of the building, Charles exclaimed, "Geez 'dad' that was great. It was over before it even started," now laughed the preteen.
Mr. Ken had to laugh at the way his 'son' described the ride. He had to agree that it did feel it took longer to get ready to ride than the ride took to go back and forth. He smiled to himself after thinking that.
"Okay, Charles, what say we take the train back over to the other side of the park and take a look at those other roller coasters? You ready to try them?" asked a smiling 'dad' Ken.
"Sure, 'dad', I can watch them like I did these, and see how different or alike they are before I agree to ride them, can't I?" replied Charles.
The two waited for the Six Flags Railroad train to come around. They talked about their day, so far, and Mr. Ken found that Charles was really enjoying himself. The man saw how cheerful the lad appeared to be and the smile on the boy's face told the full story. He too, was happy they came to the Arlington area for their trip, as he had seen Kemah Boardwalk and the Texas Battleship a number of times already, so he needed to see something different for a change.
The train finally came and the two rode it over to the opposite side of the amusement park. When they got off the train, they could immediately see the Texas Giant and the Titan in the background. They walked towards the Texas Giant and Charles watched it go through its coaster run. The lad saw that it didn't do too many things different than the last two coaster he rode, so he told his 'dad' he was ready to ride.
They got into the Flash Pass line and within ten minutes they were climbing into their seats on the Texas Giant. This time Mr. Ken picked their seats and they were now sitting in the second car, first seat. The train was dispatched and Charles looked out from his seat as they rode up the main coaster hill. He could see the area around him and he loved that he could see things from up high.
The coaster train got to the top of the hill and as they went over the top, Charles could feel the train stay slow until the whole group of cars were fully over the top and then he felt the whole coaster race down the hill. He sort of lost his breath for a second and then he found they were racing up a hill and then down another before going on a 90 degree turn going back from where they came. The train continued to go through the characteristic ups and downs of a typical coaster as it sped along its track. They went through three tunnels before coming to the end of their ride.
"That was fun," exclaimed Charles. "I think I now know why Eric 'loves roller coasters', 'dad'. They've all been fun, but I am glad we started at the smaller ones, so I know what to expect. Which one are we going to do next?" now asked Charles.
Mr. Ken pointed to the Titan and Charles looked at its height. He wasn't too sure now he wanted to experience that one, so he asked his 'dad' how high was it. When the lad learned it went over 200 feet high, Charles asked if they could come back to it. Mr. Ken didn't want to force the youngster into riding it because they were there to have fun. He felt that if it scared the boy so much he knew they wouldn't have any more fun there.
"Okay, Charles, what say we head over towards the middle of the park. We haven't seen what they have there. We've only done the outskirts. Are you ready to walk some more?" teased 'dad' Ken.
"No, I want you to carry me," whined Charles, in a teasing way.
The two started walking towards the middle of the park. They passed the flat rides Boot Scootin and the Rodeo. They also saw a few great smelling food places. Then, they came across a ride called Yosemite Sam's Gold River Adventure. It was a boat ride that looked like it went into a building so Charles asked if they could try that one. 'Dad' Ken didn't care if they rode or not. He told himself he was there to have fun and as long as Charles was having fun he was happy.
They got into line and they could see the boats sat in a moat that was about 2 – 3 feet deep and could carry 2 to 6 people depending on their size. When it was their turn, the two settled into the back seat and the ride operator sent the boat on its way. The boat meandered through a rough-and-ready mineshaft as the story of Yosemite Sam, who robbed a bank and had stolen all the gold, is told. The story told how Sheriff Bugs Bunny was on the case, which was narrated by Wile E. Coyote. The ride was about 7 minutes long and the coolness of the water in the enclosed air conditioned space made it a nice respite from the heat of the Dallas-Fort Worth sun.
"That sure was a different kind of ride from the others, 'dad'," expressed Charles. "I kinda liked it too, as it was slow and nice and cool inside. Okay, which way do we go next," asked Charles.
"Well, there is supposed to be an indoor coaster up around the corner. Let's see if we can find it and ride that one while we're over this way," replied 'dad' Ken.
They walked back up the hill and following the map Mr. Ken had, they went through a food court and made their way to Runaway Mountain. Their Flash Pass wasn't accepted there so they had to wait in line with everyone else. While in line, they talked to the other people to help pass the time away. They waited about 25 minutes before it was their turn to ride.
The two got into the first car, first seat, and looked forward to what looked like a black hole. The operator released the brakes and the train cars moved forward to the dark abyss. It was then the cars went up a steep incline and at the top the two-car train started through a series of steep turns and drops. The riders couldn't see where they were going but they were both laughing at the sudden turns and drops they could never see.
"That was fun, 'dad'" offered Charles. "I liked that we couldn't see what or where we were going. … Okay, where to next?"
Mr. Ken loved the enthusiasm the boy was now projecting. It told him the lad was having fun and that was what this trip was all about. He wanted the preteen to experience a part of life that was totally different from what he'd ever experienced. He knew this was filling that need.
From the Runaway Mountain roller coaster, the two tourists made their way to Shock Wave. The double loops didn't deter Charles and he eagerly got in line and waited his turn which didn't take all that long. The best part of that ride was the back-to-back loops and the quickness of the ride, other than that, there wasn't anything spectacular about the ride.
Charles asked if they could try another water ride and with the Roaring Rapids just across the Six Flags RR train tracks they walked over there and got into line. They got to use their Flash Pass for the ride, so they only waited ten minutes for their turn. They loaded into a raft with ten other people and they were off.
The first water obstacle they encountered was a high powered hose that splashed water on those lucky, or unlucky depending on your point of view, enough to be on that side of the raft. They then floated along a mild section of the river before they came upon the first set of rapids. The people going backwards into the rapids got wet from the water splashing over their backs and into the raft. They hit the trough wall which turned the raft and set some other people up to get wet at the next set of rapids.
The second set of rapids was a lot more bouncy and more water was splashed into the raft and of course Charles got wet and he laughed his head off. The raft hit another obstacle turning the raft once more making it so more people could get wet. That was how the rest of the ride went. Rapids meant people got wet and as the raft hit the walls it turned making sure more and more people got wet. At the end, there was another water cannon that splashed more water onto the raft.
Charles wasn't the only one who got wet. Mr. Ken was shaking the water off his legs and Charles could hear the squish, squish, squish of the man's sneakers as he walked.
"That was refreshing," laughed Mr. Ken, as he also wiped the water off his brow
"I think you got wet more than I did," chuckled Charles, as he wiped the water off his arms. It was then he began the squish, squish, squish walk his 'dad was doing. They then laughed at each other.
"'Dad', I'm kinda hungry. Do you think it's time to eat?" asked Charles.
There was a chicken place and Mr. Ken nixed it because it would be greasy. They passed a funnel cake eatery, too, but Mr. Ken nixed that one too for the same reason. They continued to walk and let their clothes dry until they came to a Giant Hot Dog specialty shop that also sold giant Soft Pretzels. They stopped there to eat. Charles got a hot dog with just ketchup and mustard, while Mr. Ken got a soft pretzel and mustard. They both filled their drink cups with coke and sat under some shade to eat.
"Are you having fun, 'son'?" asked 'dad' Ken, as the two ate.
"Yeah, this is more fun that I can ever remember having, 'dad'. Thank you for bringing me here. And you know what? It is more fun with it just being you and me. I've never had a 'dad' to take me places like this and I am glad it is just us. I know Robert would love being here, too, but, well, he's had his special trip with you already, so I don't feel bad that he isn't here. You know what I mean 'dad'," finished Charles.
"Yes, 'son' I understand what you mean and it is fun when just the two of us do something together. It was like this when I took Collin and then Robert and it is just as much fun with you this time, too," replied 'dad' Ken.
They stopped for a half hour to rest and eat and plan where they would go next. They'd been to just about every part of the park now so they both looked at the park map to decide where they would go next. It was then that Charles asked about the first roller coaster they came upon when they entered the park. Mr. Ken remembered there was a coaster across from the 4D ride so he checked the map and planned their walk to it.
Pandemonium came into view as they walked up the slight hill towards it. Charles looked at it with awe as he saw how the cars swung around the hills and valleys and turned on its own axis. He was now anxious to ride it.
They used their Flash Pass and got on the ride after about a ten minute wait. Charles was hoping the ride would be fun, but after the ride was over he felt like some of the other coasters were much more exciting. The two continued on.
As they walked along, Mr. Ken asked if Charles wanted to ride some of the flat rides. That question threw Charles for a loop so he asked, "What was a flat ride?" The man had to then explain that any ride that moved their riders generally flat to the ground, like bumper cars, carousels, the Boot Scootin' they saw earlier, Sidewinder and others were considered 'flat' rides. Charles accepted the explanation and as the two walked around, he would ask his 'dad' was that ride a flat ride, or that one. After a few questions like that, he now understood what Mr. Ken meant.
They turned to go towards Bugs Bunny Boomtown and when they got there Charles saw a small roller coaster. He asked his 'dad' if he could ride it and seeing that the lad was tall enough the man had no qualms in letting him, but he told the lad he would ride alone. Charles wasn't ready for that answer, but he figured he had to try some things alone so he took the challenge and waited in line.
When it came time for Charles to ride the Grand Canyon Blaster, the boy took a seat around the middle of the train. He belted himself in and looked out at his 'dad' and smiled. Unfortunately, the smile was only on the surface; inside Charles' stomach was turning over and over and his level of apprehension was at a 10 on a scale of 1 to 5. When the coaster train began to move, he got startled and began to wish he hadn't been so cocky about riding it alone.
The train got to its highest point of the ride, which was only 20 feet high, but Charles felt it was three times that height. The train then raced down the first hill and up a second and around a curve and up and down a few more hills and curves. The train came towards the station and Charles thought he was safe. Unfortunately for Charles, the train went through the station and climbed the first hill all over. The coaster went around one more time and by the time the ride was over Charles was enjoying the whole experience.
"Well, 'son' how did you like riding that monster of a coaster all by yourself?" teased 'dad' Ken.
"Well, to be honest, 'dad' … I was scared to death with you not there with me. It felt like the first hill was a million miles high and when I went down that first hill I figured I'd die. Then, when it came through the station I figured we stop but we didn't. At the top of the first hill again I finally figured I'd been there before and I survived and by the time we came around the bottom of the ride I was enjoying it," explained Charles.
"So … do you want to get back in line … and ride it again and this time really enjoy it?" asked 'dad' Ken.
Charles thought about it for a few seconds. He then looked at Mr. Ken and said, "Yes. I owe it to myself to do this … by myself!"
Charles quickly got back in line. Standing there, he thought back and in doing so, he knew he'd been scared to death that first time, but he also knew he had survived and by the end he was beginning to enjoy it. He told himself he needed to do this for HIM and to fight that fear and that if he didn't, he'd always be afraid.
When it came time for the preteen to ride the Grand Canyon Blaster he sat himself further up front. He buckled himself in and as the train began its climb he did get some butterflies in his stomach but he beat them back and then he enjoyed the ride. He enjoyed the twice around circuit and on the second go-around he raised his hands like he saw some of the kids do on his first ride. He got off the ride with a huge smile on his face.
"'Dad' did you see?" smiled Charles, as he yelled to Mr. Ken. "Did you see? I even raised my hands! I feel so good right now."
Mr. Ken hugged his 'boy' for beating back some of his fears and then he ruffled the lad's hair. The boy looked up at his 'dad' and smiled again and hugged close to the man as they walked back towards Gotham and Mr. Freeze, Batman and the Judge Roy Bean.
Charles was feeling his 'oats' and so he wanted to ride all three coasters one more time and they indeed did. They also rode the Texas SkyScreamer before heading over to Shock Wave. After that ride they headed over to The Texas Giant and they rode that one again, too. Also, while they were there, they rode the Titan.
By the time they'd ridden all the maximum thrill rides at Six Flags Over Texas, all over again, it was getting late so they decided to call Kurt to come pick them up. They met their chauffer out at the main entrance. Mr. Ken realized they were somewhat disheveled from their day at the amusement park, he asked their driver to take them to a restaurant that probably wouldn't mind their appearance. Kurt took them to the Cracker Barrel.
The Cracker Barrel was a new experience for Charles. He'd never been to one and he was excited to be able to experience going to a restaurant that was nothing like Four Corners. It was a sit down type restaurant that had a pretty good menu to choose from. They looked over the menu and Mr. Ken decided on the Chicken Fried Chicken with mashed potatoes and corn.
Charles took a little longer to decide be then decided he'd try the Cracker Barrel Sampler. He reasoned he'd get to taste meatloaf, sugar cured ham and chicken n' dumplings and then he added carrots and steak fries. To drink, Charles asked for a coke while 'dad' Ken asked for coffee.
The two Covers talked about their day and as Charles talked about all his experiences, Mr. Ken marveled at how much more exuberant the lad was and how much life he exuded. They sat and enjoyed their meal as they continued to talk about their day. By the time they departed the restaurant it was after 9 PM. Kurt took them back to the La Quinta and along the way Mr. Ken asked their driver to collect them about 11 AM the next morning. The time was agreed upon and two very tired and weary travelers headed up to their room and finally to bed.