Image Credit: quotesberry.com
The last weekend in July, Al and I road-tripped up to Doswell, Virginia, the home of Kings Dominion!
Neither of us had been back to KD for several summers, so we were looking forward to meeting up with Katie, Brian, Mike, Justin, and Heaven for a little weekend getaway.
We all stayed at the Best Western Kings Quarters, which was on the KD property. Justin and Heaven had gone on their own mini-vacation in June and recommended the KD package, which included the room reservations and tickets to the park. The hotel was awesome! There was a full-service Denny’s in the place, where we enjoyed a group dinner together on Saturday night. The food was excellent too, and all the staff were so nice and friendly.
Al and I arrived on Saturday afternoon, after a frustrating morning of several traffic jams. While planning this trip, Katie and Justin made a deal. Katie would wear a Ravens shirt, if Justin wore a Steelers shirt. So, naturally, I knew I had to show up in my new Packers shirt 🙂
L to R: Justin, Laura Beth, and Katie.
Even though we could walk to the park from the hotel lobby, Al and I decided to fork over the $15.00 for parking. As we pulled up to the attendant, $20 bill in hand, she looks me up and down. She smiles and says, “What is that on your shirt?”
“That happens to be a Green Bay Packers shirt, ma’am.”
She got so excited she could hardly speak.
“Wow … That’s so awesome … Wow! Well, you know what, you made my day … I’d show you my Packers tattoo if I could [on her leg/ankle] … But because of that shirt, no charge for you two!”
Al and I look at each other, dumbfounded
“Uhhhhh … Wow! Thank you, so much. Who are we to argue?”
She smiles and hands us the $20 back.
“Go Packers, and welcome to Kings Dominion! Have a great day!”
Saturday was full of great fun. The photo above was taken after we’d gotten completely soaked on White Water Canyon.
All of us rode Intimidator 305, except for Justin and Mike. After waiting a fairly long time, we all realized that we were actually in line for the first row. I’m not normally scared of any roller coasters or heights, but that realization made my stomach sink.
Brian rode by himself. Katie and Heaven rode together next. Al and I were last. I remember watching the lift cable come down to hook up to the train and I look at Al, feeling panicky, yelling, “This was NOT A GOOD IDEA!”
For the first time in my life, I closed my eyes on a roller coaster. Sure, it was only about 10 seconds of that first drop, but I was absolutely terrified. It was such a rush though! My hands didn’t stop shaking until about five minutes after we got off the ride though.
I was happy that we rode first row on one of the tallest and fastest roller coasters in the world, but I can’t say I’ll be doing that again.
The rest of Saturday was spent walking the park, catching up, and making our way to the newly-expanded Soak City water park. It was crazy crowded, but I was impressed. It felt like a mini-Water Country was dropped in the middle of Kings Dominion!
Paradise Plunge was one of the best decisions. You step into one of three chambers, either red, yellow, or orange, and cross your arms and ankles. Then, the floor suddenly drops out and you plunge feet-first. It was such an awesome ride!
Al and I both wore our FitBits for the majority of the weekend (We didn’t take our chances at Soak City – They’re not supposed to be submerged at all), and we both clocked around 25,000 steps by the end of Sunday!
We wrapped up at the park and headed back to the hotel for showers and relaxing. We all met up for dinner. Later on, we met up in the room that Katie, Brian, and Mike had reserved. Katie brought Cards Against Humanity, and Al and I brought Epic Spell Wars. We had a great time; we stayed up past 1:00 a.m. killing each other with amazing spells and laughter.
The other awesome thing that happened was Justin had a small gift for Al and I. He had found a frame with a bunch of vintage Star Wars cards online, and he gave us the cards. It’s so cool! I don’t have a picture at the moment, but being surprised with those, knowing that we are big Star Wars fans, was AWESOME!
Sunday was a slower day. We all met up for lunch at the Jukebox Diner – Delicious burgers!
The Juke Box Diner, seen from the Eiffel Tower observation deck.
We hung out for a few more hours, and then capped off the weekend by exploring the replica of the Eiffel Tower.
The base of the tower, waiting for the elevator to take us to the observation deck.
Best Western Kings Quarters, seen from the Eiffel Tower observation deck.
Partial panorama of the park, including Volcano and Intimidator 305.
Justin and Laura Beth.
Al and Laura Beth 🙂
Photo montage!
Re-creation of a photo that was taken in 2010.
L to R: Laura Beth, Brian, and Katie.
The whole gang!
L to R: Al, Laura Beth, Brian, Justin, Heaven, Katie, and Mike.
WindSeeker ascending – View from the Eiffel Tower observation deck.
The guys.
L to R: Al, Justin, Brian, and Mike.
The girls.
L to R: Laura Beth, Heaven, and Katie.
The Longwood crew! All five of us are Longwood University graduates 🙂
Heaven and Justin holding “Robin,” their prize from one of the arcades.
Thanks for the memories, KD!
The Kings Dominion 40th Anniversary sign.
Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂
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