It was somewhat spontaneous, as had asked Davis if he wanted to do anything fun during his fall break, but neither of us thought of anything. Then I saw an email for the Fright Fest, which really did not tempt me as I hate scary houses and such as that, but combined with the Fright Fest, was a Six Flags Oktoberfest, which I can get into. And then our adventure began as a guy only event, but we invited the girls also. Ruby already had plans with Ms. Lisa to go to a craft (we jokingly called it a "crap") fair. And while Belle could not do anything else with her Mom because of a NEED to prepare for an upcoming state choir competition, she quickly decided that she could prepare by singing in her head on the way to Six Flags. Magan reminded me that I should ask Sam and Noel, but only the night before, and last minute changes of plans in Atlanta have not worked out well for those two, so I did not send any message on the night before. So our team was set, a group fully devoted to the roller coasters, and ready for a fun day.
With no big push that morning, we did make our way over early, but arrived just after the opening, getting into the park around 11:15AM. The front of the park was decked out for the Fright Fest, and had some fun gravestones along the main entrance of previous six flags rides that were no longer in existence. We began with the Cyclone as we do each six flags adventure, and throughout this day, we would complete 13 coaster rides. Lines were easy, and they had multiple cars on many of the rides making them almost empty throughout the day.
We sent Magan a few pictures throughout our rides, sharing pictures of the ride photos...everyone laughing at my hands wide out smile of joy on Goliath. So we ran around to ride it a second time, and all did a vampire pose, or at least me and Davis did, Belle was more of a dead person. After one of these pictures, we got a text back from Mom saying "I though Dam may want to go", to which started the rest of the day poking fun at Mom and her horrible language. I can't remember all of the bleeping Mom jokes, but must admit both Belle and Davis were cracking me up with them. Perhaps a dad failure moment, but also fun to smile at silly things we KNOW mom would never say.
With the lines low, we rode the first row two times in a row on Batman, which is really one of the best rides there, ESPECIALLY on the front row. Our crew started a chant of "front row", "front row" when we got there. And even more rare, was a trip to the front row on Superman, where Davis had never ridden before. We also got to experience some of the fun characters in line behind us while waiting for Goldrush. This guy had one of the worst southern accents...like a cajun redneck...like the guy from water boy that no one can understand. Belle said she thought he was speaking to me one time, but I had no idea, and would have not known where to start with a reply. At one point I know I thought he was perhaps speaking Japanese when I heard "Hibachi Sidone Oder", but when I turned to see the children listen, I translated this to "How about you sit down over there". Wow, it was thick.
Our Oktoberfest lunch was not exactly as planned, thinking it to be an actual restaurant that had German food. Instead it was a series of little booths with local high schoolers hired the previous day and told to prepare some sandwiches if any weird people from Alabama should wander over and actually want to partake of German food at Six Flags. After waking our high schooler, or perhaps just distracting her from her phone, she informed me that the booth was open. Then as I went to grab a pretzel, Davis and Belle had to actually read the sign telling her what to put on our sandwiches. They were decent, I will not complain, but it was definitely not what was on the picture or what was in my mind.
As we ate lunch and throughout the day, Belle had some crazy moments with bugs and bees and water. The bugs and bees seemed to love her shampoo or something because they were constantly on her hair, on her pants, on her shirt. So much so that many other people kept warning her of these pests. And her adventures were not just with the pests, but included a visit to the bathroom where the toilet sprayed water up at her, then later in the restaurant while trying to refill the soda, water sprayed all over her (I got a picture of this, but have no idea how it really happened). Later after taking off her hoodie, it apparently got some dirt on it when layed on the ground while we were on a coaster, and on the last ride of the day, finishing on the cyclone, I reached over to grab a bug off her six flags shirt. I did not get it, and said I am trying to get this bug off your shirt. She apparently did not hear me, as she rubbed where I had tried to grab and mashed that same bug into its guts on her shirt.
We finished all of the coasters and even had a funnel cake dessert, and it was only 5:15PM. I don't think any of us were interested in staying any later to see how the Fright Fest would go, as the crowds had arrived and there were a lot of people lining up for the haunted mazes throughout the park. They were also selling "blood bags" of alcohol of varying flavors, that we were not too thrilled to be in the park when those start getting sold. Davis called them "Adult Caprisuns". So we hopped back into the rented Toyota 4 Runner, and headed back home. It was fun as a dad to laugh with the "middle kids" and for me just to sit and watch these guys pick on each other as pretty good friends. It was a fun day that could not get any better.
Until we got home to see Game 7 of the Dodgers/Blue Jays World Series game. I have not seen a full baseball game all year, but watched almost every pitch of this one. I tend to pull for the Dodgers, primarily because I did not want Canada to win, but I have always been a fan of Freddie Freeman, and Ohtani is fun to watch. But in this game, it was the other guys that solo homered the Dodgers into that game, then a 9th inning home run to tie things up. Then every bottom of the inning, the Blue Jays always had a chance to win, then another extra inning home run from Will Clark, and the craziest ending of a double play to finish one of the best games start to finish I have ever seen. Davis and I were fully in it running around high fiving through this amazing game. Yeah, some days are just better than others.
