… often come from the strangest things.
I was talking to one of my coworkers today who is going to be out the rest of the week on vacation. When we were done discussing stuff that needs done while he is out, I asked what he was doing for vacation. He works in the Washington D.C. area so for some reason his answer caught me by surprise. He and his family are coming up to Cedar Point and then going on to Chicago for a couple of days. This brought up a couple things from my childhood that I hadn’t thought of in a while.
Summers during my childhood, well into my teen years, were spent camping on weekends and taking family vacations. One thing we did almost every year was go to Cedar Point. To me, Cedar Point was my local amusement park. Sure we have Conneaut Lake in the area, but we rarely went there. Geauga Lake was the same way. I think I’d been there maybe twice. I looked forward to going to Cedar Point. Mom and Dad weren’t big riders. They would often invite one of my friends along to ride the rides with me. I did manage to get Mom to ride the Gemini (pictured above) once. We practically had to carry her off the ride. I never got her on another coaster after that.
Family vacations were always taken out of town. I have been all over the eastern seaboard with my folks. Often, we would take in an amusement park if there was a good one in the area. I enjoyed Kings Island and Kings Dominion and several larger parks. It didn’t hit me just how large Cedar Point was on the scale of national/international amusement parks until the year we went to Opryland. This now defunct park gave you a map on entry into the park. I recall looking at the map and thinking “Wow… This is gonna be great!” My joy quickly faded as we walked around the park in a matter of minutes. Since then, I’ve hit other small parks that left me wanting more. The rides were good. The food and other entertainment were great, but they seemed so small. I was only later in my teen years that I realized. They seemed so small because my “Home Park” was one of the best in the world.
Last year, I took a vacation by myself to one of my most favorite theme parks. The Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando Florida. I have been there multiple times and even had the oppurtunity to march there when I was in marching band in high school. I remember the last time Mom, Dad and I went as a family. We ended the trip in EPCOT with “Illuminations”. Mom bawled as she watched the fireworks and laser show. She would have loved the “Memories” show at Disney World last June.
I find these little reminders of happy times in my life pop up now and again. Sometimes, they happen at just the right moment.
~Cappy