With 3 kids, 1 income, and not much time off from work or raising kids, Nick and I rarely get to do anything together. Now that Raegan is older, and can watch the kids in small spurts, we escape to the grocery store once in a while together. Not often.
This spring, we planned the impossible... a weekend get away in May for Nick's birthday. We had some money set aside from when our taxes came in, and I was able to miraculously wrangle up 3 different sitters each willing to take 1 of our children for the weekend. It was, simply, a miracle.
One of our favorite locations to go is Cedar Point in Ohio. We rarely go. In fact, the last time we had been was back in 2005. Before that, it had been 2002, roughly. It's something we enjoy, but the cost prohibits an entire family sojourn down there, especially as the long drive means it's an over night stay.
I still believe that up until the morning we left, that it was not going to happen. I figured something cosmic would swoop down to deny us the trip. Thankfully, nothing did happen, and we were off. I even found us a great deal on a hotel room with a jacuzzi in the room- score!
The drive is long, as I mentioned, taking just around 4-5 hours to get there, factoring in a few stops for food & bathrooms along the way.
We had an amazing time in the park, and I even upped my nerve level and rode several rides that had scared me witless before. I love -some- roller coasters. The big ones terrify me. Prior to this trip, I had not ridden:
Power Tower (ride that drops you)
Demon Drop (ride that drops you)
Wicked Twister (coaster)
Top Thrill Dragster (coaster)
Maverick (coaster, though it was new to the park for us)
Magnum (coaster)
Millennium Force (coaster)
Mantis (coaster)
Sky Hawk (swing ride)
MaXair (a swinging pendulum ride)
I out and out refused to do Magnum, Millennium Force, and Top Thrill Dragster, as those three are lap bar coasters, and BIG ones at that. I hate lap bars. Give me an over the shoulder harness any day.
The others, though, they were on my list to accomplish. I planned to be a "big girl" on the trip.
The park wasn't very busy, due to the early date when we went. No schools to contend with or summer vacationers. Most rides had a 10 minute or under wait time. Most coasters were 15 minutes or under. We opted right away to check the Demon Drop off my list. I'm glad I did, as they removed the ride from the park this fall after the park closed for the season.
It wasn't my favorite, but it wasn't horrible. We quickly made our way through the park, hitting all sorts of rides and coasters along the way. All in all, I only decided against going on the Magnum, Millennium Force, Power Tower, and Top Thrill Dragster.
Nick and I had a great time, but by the end of the day, man were we tired! Right before closing, we hopped in line for Maverick for a second ride, so we were able to ride that one again, and I got some neat photos as it was backlit by the sun setting on Lake Erie.
By the time we got to the hotel, we were exhausted, and going to order dinner in, but the only place they had menus for didn't answer the phone. We went and found a Pizza Hut, ate, and came back. And man, was I ever glad for the jacuzzi tub. We just laid in it for what felt like hours, but it really helped the achy muscles from walking around all day.
The only down side to the room, is that it was a smokers room, and they didn't air it out. It was HORRIBLE smelling. We tried turning the AC on, and it only got 10 times worse. It smelled worse than a bar. It was just horrible, so we did complain about that, and recommended frequent filter switches in the AC, along with a thorough cleaning of the room to help get rid of that smell.
There was a great free breakfast the next morning, though, which was nice. The hotel had a swing set, and a pool, though the pool wasn't open yet for the season. It was also very close to the park's entrance.
On the drive home, we stopped briefly at an outlet mall to shop a bit, then came home. It had been raining on and off on the drive, and we didn't have to get the kids till the next day, so we went and saw a movie that night.
It was nice, being able to get away with Nick for a few nights, and have fun together.
1 comment:
I lovelovelove Cedar Point. My family (minus my non-coaster riding hubby) went at the end of October during their Halloweekends. It was chilly but not too cold. I hadn't been there in years, and we had so much fun!
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