Oh, To Be a Kid Again

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No matter how hard we try, age beats us up sooner or later. Today I got a little revenge on age. I haven’t been able to ride an amusement park ride in ages. Vertigo, arthritis, bad back, lost interest, whatever....it’s been a long, long time since I went to an amusement park. Even fairly innocuous water parks are out anymore. And then..... There’s a relatively new ride called a “mountain coaster.” It’s based on the roller coaster, to some degree, but it has many differences. First, the ride is in individual cars versus the strung-together seats of a roller coaster. Secondly, YOU control the speed at which you zoom around the corners. Okay, I thought. I can handle that. What have I got to lose but twenty bucks or so. I was right. I can handle that. I went to the Rocky Top Mountain Coasters, a new (opened in 2018) attraction in Pigeon Forge, near Dollywood. There’s a number of similar attractions in the tourist areas (Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg), but this one is touted as the longest one. That’s quite believable. There were four different ups and downs in the ride that took nearly ten minutes. Their web site says the cars can reach speeds of 30 MPH, but I didn’t see if it could. I didn’t poke along by any means, either. It was so much fun I rode it again!! Yes, it’s relatively expensive: $18 adults. There are discounts for seniors, military, and children. A second ride is half price. And here’s a helping hint from Hillbilly: if you write a review of the site for Trip Advisor they will give you a free ride! I had a blast. It was almost like being a kid again....except I didn’t have to ask permission to ride it again! Here’s a You Tube video of someone riding the coaster: