SUNDAYS WITH SHARON: Volcanic Vertical Drop Zone

You know when you are standing in line and the sign at the top says, “No one under this height allowed, or under 4 years of age allowed without parent,” and it says “Pregnant women should be cautious” that the Volcanic Vertical Drop tube slide is going to be a screamer. And it was. Just like the day my family huddled around me and made me, yes, MADE me skydive (or risk humiliation and ridicule for the rest of my life), they once again bunched around me, especially my son-in-law, who loves to see me wiggle and squirm. He’s always trying new drinks out on me, even when I tell him I can’t mix a thing, and then tells me afterwards I’ve mixed rum, vodka and God knows what else. All I have to say is, “It’s nice,” and another one is served, whether I asked for it or not.

Friday was one of those days when I’d been enjoying a long nap at the beach/pool/hot tub. When the din of children’s voices, the spouts of mechanical whales and the waves crashing on the shore were just background white noise that inspired some vivid dreams (well the Blue Hawaiian helped too). I was slimed with water and begged by everyone standing around me, shivering and wet from head to toe, that I had to come enjoy this long dark water slide. Except it’s really not a slide. The most important part is the vertical drop at the end. It seemed like 4 stories but wasn’t nearly that. Me being me, I had a hard time saying no.

My family knows that when they want something done by everyone, they have to convince me. And then everyone else will come along. It was the same way with skydiving, and I was adamant I was an earth angel and not a faery with wings, but eventually my resistance was futile.

I’m standing in line, and every time I turn around I’m greeted with grins. That means I’m in real serious trouble. Because I’m going, my daughter, my daughters mother-in-law and several others have to go, and they’re looking at me crosseyed, with the expression, “Why, Sharon, didn’t you just say no?”

I’m asking things like where my hands go, will I get stuck in the tube? How far back do I lean? And then the last one, “Is it safe?” Everyone laughs. They didn’t have to say, “You’ll see.”

Well, it was terrifying. I couldn’t see a thing. I took curves so fast I thought I was going to start cannonballing. At the end of the volcanic vertical drop, I started swimming down, in the wrong direction and yes, needed help to get out because I was disoriented. But I have to say, though terrified and definitely pushing my limits, it was fun.

I love roller coasters. I now love skydiving. I love body surfing on waves a little bit too big for my skill level. I like driving fast at midnight with the top down, the music and the heater cranked up. I guess I can add one more to the list. I now love the Volcanic Vertical Drop.

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