Kings Dominion

Yesterday the stars aligned where it became possible for the family to spend the day at Kings Dominion along with Kelly’s brother, David and his son, Wesley. It had been two years since we took the kids to Carowinds and in that time our kids gained a lot more confidence in what they wanted to ride.

True to form, Hallie led the way, never backing down from any ride we suggested to her. She prefers the wooden coasters and enjoyed a few rides on the Rebel Yell, KD’s version of Carowinds’s Thunder Road. She didn’t even blink when I challenged her to ride the biggest, baddest coaster in the park, the Intimidator 305 (though I had to gulp when she actually accepted the challenge)! We were both laughing when we walked off that ride, and Hallie got the chance to introduce her mommy to it. I am amazed by her bravery.

Travis for his part also branched out. Though he was not as sure as his sister on things, he did ride one of the biggest rides there: the Anaconda. After we rode that one first as a family, Travis kept saying how awesome it was.

At the end of the day, with Kelly and Hallie picking Rocket up from the park’s kennel, Travis and I rode the Anaconda again. As the sun was setting over the Virginia countryside and we were flung momentarily upside down, I looked over at my son. He was wide-eyed and gripping the headrest but a smile quickly spread across his face: it was the moment when it all clicked and he thought “oh, I’ve got this.”

You can do a lot of growing up on roller coasters. I certainly did when I worked at Carowinds so many years ago. It was another great day spent bonding with my kids at 90 miles per hour!