PARKS

While I'm sure I'd love Yellowstone or Yosemite and perhaps even Death Valley, my parks of choice have always leaned toward the man-made wonder instead of the natural kind.   Yes, my dears, I'm talking Disney and Universal.  Here are some highlights.

My introduction to the "thrill" ride was at Universal in California...."King Kong," the ride.  You boarded a subway car and went through a labyrinth of sights, that were ultimately, interrupted  by the king, who shook the car, caused water mains to burst, electrical sparks to fly and all manner of mayhem.   I was hooked. 

So on to the "Jaws" boat ride, around the back lot, in the shadow of the "Psycho" house up on the hill, gliding through calm waters and then......(That music sounds familiar)...Shark attack!

Universal in Orlando gave me the "Twister" experience which wasn't a ride at all, but rather a viewing of a town being torn apart while you stood in stony silence watching.  (Even a cow flew by.)
There were also some notable 3-D outings like Arnold in "The Terminator" with three screens and things leaping at you from all sides.  Lots of fun.

Sadly, I haven't been to Universal since the "Harry Potter" section opened.   Maybe, one day.

At Disney World I think I rode them all, "Space Mountain" (A roller coaster inside of a mountain with a lot of twists and turns and mostly in the dark with meteors flying by)   And "Back to the Future" riding in a DeLorean automobile or free-falling in an elevator at "Tower of Terror."

There are too many to mention but the one I remember most vividly was the "Star Wars" ride.   Why do I remember this?  Fabian would not go on it.  I explained that it was a "virtual ride" i.e. you didn't really go anywhere but the screens surrounding you made it feel like you were in motion.   He still would have none of it, so I went by myself....And it was a lot of fun.   As I exited the ride, Fabian was waiting and I tried once more to cajole him into taking the plunge.   As he listened and seemed to be warming to the idea, a man emerged from the ride and "threw up" at his feet.   So much for that.

I don't know why I have always been in love with Disney but perhaps the stock market had something to do with it.   Fabian gave me some shares of Disney stock for Christmas one year and later on, he inherited a large amount of Coca-Cola stock.....

And here we are at Disney World,  loving our respective investments............

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