Published: 8 Feb 2024

From The Previous Chapter:

The man then reminded Ms. Judy that on Thursday she and Dan would be exchanging places, so she would only have one day to visit Discovery Kingdom, unless she wanted to extend her vacation. The woman asked if she could tell him after she saw the park. Mr. Ken smiled and said she could, but that he did need to let the charter company know as soon as possible.

The adults let the boys go up to their rooms to start packing, while they had a few adult drinks. Then, before long, the adults went up to their rooms and started packing themselves and talking to the boys about their trip so far.

Everyone was so tired from the long day that they all fell asleep quite easily that night.

The travelers met in the lobby before 8 a.m. that Wednesday morning. They carried their bags outside to the waiting vans and limo and after loading them into the vehicles, Phillip and Mark asked if they had time to grab something off the buffet. Mr. Ken told them they could, but not to get anything with powdered sugar, or it would make a mess.

As soon as the other boys saw the two younger Covers with a muffin and a carton of milk they too went inside and got the same thing to eat along the drive out to the airport.

Once at the airport, the boys helped the drivers put the bags on the carts that would go through the TSA inspection. Once that was accomplished, Mr. Ken told everyone to use the restrooms before going through the security checkpoint themselves.

Their air charter flight was waiting for them when they arrived at the airport and after they and their bags cleared security, they loaded into the aircrafts, while the ground personnel placed their bags into the planes.

Soon, they were off to their next stop, Discovery Kingdom, and along the way they were served a light breakfast which would hold them over until they got their lunch before arriving at the Discovery Kingdom amusement park.

As they flew along, Ms. Judy asked Ken about what he said to Clayton at the one ride that made him hurry around to the other rides just before them. Ken smiled and then told Judy and Dennis essentially that Clayton needed to make sure his employees knew who he was.

Ken added that Clayton found out first hand that, as the owner, he didn’t need a FFF Pass and the employees needed to follow his directions, when he talked to them. Ken said he also suggested to Clayton that he show them his special owner’s polo, so when they see it, they are aware he is on the property.

Judy thought to herself that she’d never seen Ken act that way, being so bossy. She knew he was the owner, but it wasn’t like him to be so demanding. But then she figured that with the little amount of time that he gets to spend at the parks, he doesn’t want to have to explain to anyone who he is and why he is telling them what to do.

Upon landing, the boys helped the drivers load the bags into the vans and Collin’s limo and then they headed to their hotel. There were no problems with Mr. Ken getting the key cards to their five suites. The hotel even had Collin’s reservations, for him and his flight crew.

The boys, knowing that their ‘dad’ always mixes up the room assignments, asked their ‘dad’ which room was theirs, so they could go up and start unpacking. Mr. Ken made the room assignments with Billy, Charles and Eric taking the teen’s room, Robert and Mark bunking with Mr. Dennis and Matthew and Phillip going with Mr. Wayne. Mr. Ken and Ms. Judy would have separate, and private, rooms.

The boys quickly found trolleys to use to take everyone’s bags up to their rooms. Mr. Ken had asked everyone to use the facility in the room, and to meet down in the lobby by one o’clock. He added that they’d then stop for something to eat before going out to the park.

The traveler’s arrived at Discovery Kingdom around 2:15 after stopping at a fast-food restaurant for burgers, fries and soft drinks. Mr. Ken had called ahead to alert Julia Rennartz, the operating manager, that they were on their way, so she could meet them at the operations building entrance.

The three vehicles entered the premises with the limo going in first. Ms. Rennartz went to the limo to greet Mr. Ken, but she was startled when it was Collin and Ryan who got out of it. Mr. Ken called Julia over to the van that he was riding in, and explained why it was that way.

The Discovery Kingdom operations manager recovered quickly and said, “Welcome back Mr. Thomas, and I see a few new faces this time around.”

Mr. Ken introduced his newest travelers, Ms. Judy, Ryan and Phillip to Julia and asked her if she remembered his ‘little brother’, Collin. Julia said that she did and that she also knew of someone who would be excited to see that he came along this time. Julia then smiled as she looked at Collin.

Mr. Ken then asked Julia if she had someone who could take his group over to the FFF Booth to get them their Fastest Passes. Ms. Rennartz said she did and then pulled out her cell phone and made a call.

While the group waited for that person to arrive, Ms. Rennartz told everyone that they should make sure they ride their newest ride that year, a Wild Mouse coaster called the Twister Mouse. The woman added that everyone who rode it has loved it, and they have been seen getting back in line to ride it again.

The boys talked amongst themselves and wondered how different this Wild Mouse was from the other two Wild Mouse coasters their ‘dad’ had bought for his amusement parks. They figured they’d find out when they got out into the park.

Just then a young and a very pretty lady came out to escort the group over to the FFF Booth.

“Jasmine … Mr. Thomas … he needs you to escort his group over to the FFF Booth and to get them all Fastest Passes. Oh, and do you remember this young man? This is Collin,” finished Julia, with a kind of knowing smile on her face.

Jasmine blushed at the inference, as she looked directly at Collin. She then asked the party of twelve to follow her to the FFF Booth. Collin rushed to the front of the group to catch up to Jasmine, so he could talk to her.

“So, you still work here? I thought that … that maybe you’d be going to college,” started Collin, as a way of making small talk.

“Well, I do. This is how I help pay for it. And … and what about you? I thought you’d visit with your big brother, when he comes to visit his parks?” returned Jasmine.

“Well … Mr. Ken … he is my Big Bro, but … well, he’s not my real big brother. He was my foster dad at one time and because our ages were so close that I … well, I called him my Big Bro. When I was here the first time, I was on my Christmas break. I actually lived with my grandmother back then,” revealed Collin.

“So, what are you studying?” asked Jasmine, as the two walked along.

“I’m a business major. And you?” followed up Collin.

Jasmine told Collin that she was studying to be an elementary school teacher. The young pretty lady then asked Collin why he didn’t come back when his Big Bro did. Collin felt a bit embarrassed to tell her the real reason, so he just told her that he had made other plans right after the end of the spring semester and his grandmother was sick and she needed him. Jasmine didn’t say anything.

When the large group arrived at the FFF Booth, Jasmine told the workers that they needed to process twelve complementary Fastest Passes for the park owner’s family. That statement surprised the employees and they started the process, as quickly as they could.

Ryan watched his best friend and the pretty young lady interact, and he wondered if there was something going on between them. He couldn’t wait until he could get Collin aside to ask him.

Ms. Judy also saw the way Jasmine acted towards Collin being there, and she also wondered if there was something unspoken between them going on. She knew she would have to wait until later to ask Ken about what he knew about the two young friends.

After the group had their Fastest Passes, the older boys wanted to stick together, so they could ride the bigger coasters sooner. Collin told them to go ahead without him, as he wanted to talk to Jasmine some more.

With Collin staying back, that left Ryan, Billy Robert, Eric and Charles one short, so Mr. Wayne said he’d join their group, so this way they’d always have someone to ride with. The remaining group was now Ms. Judy, Mr. Dennis, Matthew, Mark and Phillip out in the park to ride the rides together.

Since this was Phillip’s first time at Discovery Kingdom, they let him decide where to go. The young Cover decided they’d go to the right and ride the rides as they came to them. The first ride they came to was called the Round-Up.

Phillip watched it as it spun around flat to the ground and then as it picked up speed the gondolas began to rise up on the central axis to 90 degrees. Mark told the young Cover that he and his dad rode it last year and that you got pushed back in the seat and you didn’t even know you were going around. Phillip decided he’d ride, but he asked who would ride with him. Mr. Dennis volunteered.

When the ride was over, Phillip said it was just like riding The Hatchet except they didn’t go in the opposite direction. Ms. Judy was happy, though, that she didn’t go on that ride.

The next ride they came to was called the Tomahawk and Phillip saw that it was just like the Pirate Ship and the Galleon at the other parks. So, Phillip called ‘top seat’ when it was their turn to ride.

Ms. Judy did decide to ride and she and Mr. Dennis took the top seat opposite the three Cover boys at the other end. When the ride was over, they all talked about the feeling of airtime they got at the top of the ride’s arc, and how much they loved that part.

As the group with the young Cover boys walked along, they came upon a ride called the Beer Barrel. The ride barrels were shaped as an old wooden beer keg cut in half. These were big enough that four people could comfortably sit in one at a time. Phillip said he’d like to try it and asked Mark and Matthew if they would ride it with him. Ms. Judy and Mr. Dennis begged off from riding.

When the ride started, the boys knew enough to grab the middle spindle and use it to turn the Barrel, as it went through five different inner changing cogs. The people in the other casks spun theirs at different speeds. The younger Covers, though, kept theirs spinning at a more even pace.

In the end, the people who spun their barrels really fast were dizzy and had to sit down to get their bearings, whereas the Covers didn’t have any adverse problems from their spinning.

Discover Kingdom had a sky ride that Phillip wanted to experience, since there wasn’t any at the other amusement park. Ms. Judy said that it might be fun to look down and see what the whole park looks like from above, and was all for riding it.

The sky ride had metal tubs that a maximum of four people could sit in, so the group split into Ms. Judy, Phillip and Mark, while Mr. Dennis and Matthew rode together. From up there the five got a good overview of the park and where they wanted to go next.

The small group headed over to a ride called the Rotor. The riders stood against the outer walls and as the ride began to spin it forced the person against the wall. Phillip had never ridden this type of ride and when he saw that the ride began to tilt upwards giving the guest the feeling they might fall to the other side, Phillip was afraid that he would fall.

But Matthew and Mark told him to watch very carefully. And after two more ride operations, Phillip was convinced he wouldn’t fall, so he decided to ride as long as Mark and Matthew went along with him. When the ride was over Phillip was very happy that he chose to try it.

Mark then suggested they ride the Figure Eight roller coaster. He told Phillip that the wooden coaster went back and forth in a figure eight pattern rather than an out and back as the Comet had and it was a lot of fun to ride. So, without hesitation, Phillip agreed to ride.

Mr. Dennis decided to ride, so the boys would have a partner. The coaster train rode to the top of the lift hill, went around a turn and raced down the following hill. It then raced up the hill to another turn only to race down another hill.

Some parts of the track had bunny hills that added to the fun of the ride. It did the back-and-forth seven times before coming back to the station house. It felt fast and had a lot of air time and when the ride was over Phillip was whooping and hollering and laughing that he rode it.

Next up was a steel coaster called the Demon. The coaster didn’t look too bad to Phillip, and since he’d already rode the Looper at Fantasy Fun Park, he figured he could handle this one. So, the young Cover, with his two ‘brothers’ and Mr. Dennis, went up the exit and the four activated their Fastest Passes

This coaster featured a single loop and a double corkscrew. The actual ride time was very short, as the roller coaster completed the 2,350-foot run, including the lift hill, in approximately 48 seconds. The ride only had one 28-seat train, due to lack of block brakes, because it was an older coaster first installed back in 1978.

The four Covers waited for their turn to ride and when it was their turn the Covers took their seats, with Phillip riding with Mr. Dennis and Matthew riding with Mark, with both pairs sitting in the middle of the coaster train. Phillip screamed down the first hill and laughed the rest of the time. They all enjoyed the experience.

The group next headed over to the Ferris Wheel. This one was only 90 feet high as it was one of the original rides erected when the park opened back in the late 1960s. The Ferris wheel gave the Covers a chance to rest and look over some more of the park. Ms. Judy was thankful for the rest and the opportunity to see more of the park from the height of the ride.

After the relaxing ride of the Ferris Wheel, the three young Covers wanted to head over to The Stagecoach, Discovery Kingdom’s other wooden roller coaster. When the three young Covers arrived, they found their older ‘brothers’ already waiting to ride it. The three hurried up the Exit, so they could activate their passes, with the hope they could join them when they rode.

The ride operator knew who the boys were, as he worked there last year, and when the last three boys arrived, along with what looked like a chaperone (Mr. Dennis), and began calling them their ‘brothers’, he called the other ride attendants over and told them who the boys were and to allow the last four to join the next ride.

Phillip didn’t even know how high The Stagecoach was, but he’d already ridden a few wooden roller coasters during the trip and he enjoyed them, so he figured he’d enjoy this one too. The first hill was 125 feet high with a 78-degree slope that went down 115 feet before leveling out some and then heading up the next hill. This coaster was an out and back like the Comet, but was longer and had a few more hills on it

When it was their turn, the ten Covers loaded the first five double seats of the coaster train to the annoyance of the people in line. The riders in line all complained that the last four should have waited longer. The ride operator didn’t respond, as the Covers were already seated.

As the coaster train headed up the lift hill the Covers got an entirely different view of the park. As most roller coasters are situated along the outer edges of the property line Phillip saw the parking lot to his right and the rest of the park to his left.

The youngster was so busy looking over the park that he was caught by surprise when the train went over the first hill and began racing down it. It took the boy’s breath away, but he quickly recovered and he enjoyed the rest of the out-and-back coaster with a few more hills and valleys.

All the while the Covers were out in the park enjoying the rides and Phillip was being introduced to Discovery Kingdom, Collin and Jasmine were sitting and talking. The two college students spent most of their time catching up on what they’d been doing, since they met that first time.

Jasmine didn’t admit to it, but she was smitten by Collin at her first meeting with him and had hoped she would get the chance to get to know him better. To say that she was thoroughly disappointed when Collin wasn’t with the park’s owner the next few times he visited, would be an understatement.

Collin, on the other hand, thought Jasmine was a very cute looking girl and told himself, during that first meeting, that if she lived closer, he would have liked to have gotten to know her better. Since their first meeting, though, the soon to be college junior had been kept so busy with school, buying the house, and the loss of his Grammy, that he never even thought of the very beautiful young woman, again, until now.

The two didn’t focus on their personal lives, but they spent their time together discussing their studies and their plans for after they finished university. Collin was relieved that Jasmine didn’t want to know too much about his life before college. He knew that she was aware that Mr. Ken was his foster dad at one time, and that he lived with his grandmother. He didn’t know if he would be able to tell her about the loss of his parents and his kidnapping.

Jasmine had her own personal secrets, which was the reason why she didn’t press to know more about the young man that she really had a crush on. For now, just talking with Collin was making her day, and she was thoroughly enjoying herself.

After riding The Stagecoach, Phillip asked his ‘brothers’ about a ride he remembered seeing that had some sort of large wing or vane that the people would move back and forth. Matthew told him that the ride was called Flying Wings and that Mr. Wayne made him fly it by himself when he first rode it. Mr. Wayne heard what the boy said and went over to him and bopped on the back of his head. All the boys laughed at Matthew, as the boy rubbed the back of his head.

Phillip asked if they could go over there, so he could try it, and they did. When the large group arrived, Phillip saw that when the rider moved the large wing in one direction, or the other, the ride car would move in various ways. He thought doing that would be a lot of fun.

The boys used their passes and when it was their turn, they filled up all eight of the flying wings cabs/cars to the disappointment of the people who were waiting in line. Mr. Wayne had told Phillip to just slightly swing the vane back and forth to get the idea of what the movement does, and then once he got the feel of it, he could try whatever he wanted.

The ride started up and as it gained speed the older boys moved the large vane back and forth and their carriage started to twist and turn. Phillip saw what they were doing, but he only moved his wing a little bit, as suggested by Mr. Wayne.

The metal gondola car he was in moved a little from the input. Phillip then moved the wing in the other direction and the car moved in the opposite direction. The young Cover smiled at what he was experiencing.

Phillip then began moving the vane more and more and as he did, he felt the gondola car move further out and or back inside the arc of the ride’s axis. Phillip was glad he asked to ride the Flying Wings, as he was thoroughly enjoying this new type of ride that the other two parks didn’t have.

When the Covers exited the ride, Phillip couldn’t say enough about the ride. He said he would be sure to ride it tomorrow when they came back.

That was when Mr. Wayne told everyone that Mr. Ken had called, while the boys were riding, that it was time to meet at the operations building, and head back to the hotel. Mr. Wayne said that they would stop along the way back for a good dinner.

When the group met back at the operations building, Collin asked Ryan to ride with the others, as he was going to take Jasmine out to dinner. That surprised everyone, except Mr. Ken who knew about it, as his ‘little ‘brother’ had asked him about doing that even before he asked the young lady out to dinner.

The van drivers took the group out to the Outback Steakhouse, where they ordered two Bloomin’ Onion’s for their tables to share. Mr. Ken had all the boys get a small salad. The boys also got sodas while the men, and the lady, all got mixed drinks saying since they weren’t driving, they wanted something to let them relax.

The entire group got a steak of one kind or another, along with a loaded baked potato. As they ate, they all talked about the last five days and what they liked and didn’t like about them. Phillip and Ms. Judy, though, were the ones who were asked the most questions about this trip.

Since this was the first time for each of them at all three of Mr. Ken’s amusement parks, so far, they could give an honest opinion of what they saw. Sure, Ms. Judy had been to other amusement parks in her life, and could give her honest opinion about them. But, as for Phillip, the young Cover hadn’t been to anything other than local carnivals that came through the area, so that was the only thing that he could use to compare it with.

Ms. Judy talked about how clean she saw the parks and that the restrooms always smelled clean and they were bright and airy. The woman mentioned that at the food stands the area around them was also devoid of food and drink stains and the trash receptacle didn’t have honey bees or those pesky yellow jackets flying around them looking for sugar to take back to their hives.

Phillip, on the other hand, first told everyone how he enjoyed the rides, even if he was a bit scared to ride some of them at first. He added that, for him, the rides weren’t all that intimidating, after he got used to them. His ‘brothers’ laughed. But Phillip said that he knew that when he got older, he would want them to be bigger and scarier and there should be many more of them. Mr. Ken took mental note of that.

The boy did say that the parks were nice and clean and when he used the restrooms it was nice not having that bad smell inside of them like you get at the school restrooms sometimes. Everyone laughed at that comment.

After everyone returned to the hotel, the boys went up to their rooms to relax, while the adults stayed downstairs and had a few more adult drinks. The adults talked some more about the trip, over their cold drinks, but Ms. Judy wanted to talk about Collin and Jasmine.

Mr. Ken asked Judy what she specifically wanted to know. But before he let her answer, he added that Collin is twenty, a college junior and that he doesn’t need us interfering in what he does. The man told everyone that Collin and Jasmine seem to have made a connection and they are adults, and they need to see where it takes them.

“So, you approve?” asked an irritated Judy Turner.

“It is not my place to approve or disapprove, Judy! He is an adult … who, by-the-way, owns a multi-million-dollar corporation. He did talk to me before asking Jasmine out to dinner, though, and then he decided to go ahead and ask her out. We have to trust him and … just let this play out,” offered Mr. Ken, with Wayne and Dennis staying out of the discussion.

Collin returned to his hotel room around 11:30 and his best friend, Ryan, had a thousand questions for him. Collin just told Ryan that the two of them had met about two years ago and she intrigued him then. But because of too many things that happened since that meeting, they never saw one another again, until today. The two best friends talked into the night.

The next morning everyone, sans Collin and Ryan, met in the hotel lobby. It was then Mr. Ken told everyone that they were going out for a good breakfast. The boys moaned some at hearing that, but their ‘dad’ told them that just like last night they needed a good meal, so they were going out for a good breakfast to get them through the day.

‘Dad’ Ken also reminded everyone that Ms. Judy would be flying home today, and that Mr. Dan would be joining them.

Their drivers took them to an IHOP (International House of Pancakes) where the group of thirteen were seated at a middle grouping of tables. They had two servers who quickly brought out glasses of water and took their drink orders, while the adults and boys looked over the menus.

The boy’s had been to IHOP many times and they practically knew what they would get, but they looked the menu over anyway. Mr. Ken knew what he was getting and so did Mr. Wayne. It was Mr. Dennis and Ms. Judy who didn’t eat out all that often who needed some time to decide what they wanted to eat for breakfast.

When the servers returned the boys ordered the 2x2x2x2. That came with 2 eggs, 2 hickory smoked bacon strips, 2 sausage links and 2 fluffy pancakes. Mr. Ken and Mr. Wayne ordered the Breakfast Sampler that came with 2 eggs, 2 hickory bacon strips, 2 sausage links, 2 ham slices, hash browns and 2 fluffy pancakes.

Mr. Dennis and Ms. Judy were perplexed at all the choices, but they eventually decided on the Split Decision, which came with 2 eggs, 2 hickory bacon strips, 2 sausage links, 2 pieces of French toast, instead of hash browns, and 2 fluffy pancakes.

The large group talked amongst themselves and their banter was somewhat disturbing to the other guests, but seeing they were seated in the middle of the dining area, what could anyone say? Boys will be boys and they will talk over one another, as they try to be heard. But once their meals were served it did get quiet in their section.

The group finished eating around 11:30 and Mr. Ken and Ms. Judy were going to take one of the vans to the airport and wait for the plane bringing Mr. Dan. The other van would be a little crowded, but it was large enough that the nine of them could fit.

But before the group split up, Eric asked if he could go along to the airport and say goodbye to his mom. Then Robert asked to go, as well. Ms. Judy hugged her son and Mr. Ken said that the two teens could go along. That would also loosen up the space in the other van as it went out to the park. Charles also asked if he would be allowed to fly his quadcopter when he got to the park. The teen’s dad said he would be. That put a big smile on Charles’ face.

It was then that Mr. Ken’s cell phone rang. It was Collin calling to find out where everyone was. Mr. Ken told him they had all just finished eating breakfast and Ms. Judy was going out to the airport to fly back home, and they would then be picking up Mr. Dan who would be in for the rest of the trip. Collin said he and Ryan would meet the rest of their ‘brothers’ out at the park.

It was almost 12:15 when the four arrived at the airport. Once inside, Mr. Ken went to the counter to check on Dan’s inbound and Judy’s outbound flights.

Mr. Ken learned that the Gulfstream G150 that was bringing Dan Fischer would also be the same one taking Judy Turner back home. The aircraft was due to land in about thirty minutes, so the four sat down and talked about the trip, while they waited.

When Dan’s plane approached the terminal, the four waited for the Sheriff’s Lieutenant to alight from the aircraft, and walk into the terminal. When Mr. Dan did come into the building, he was warmly greeted by the four who were waiting for him.

Mr. Ken then learned that Ms. Judy’s plane would be delayed an hour as it refueled, so she told the others to head back to the hotel to get Dan settled, and then they could all go out to the park, so Dan could see what Discovery Kingdom was all about.

Mr. Ken really didn’t want to leave the woman at the terminal all alone, but she insisted. So, reluctantly, Mr. Ken agreed as long as she called if there were any more delays. Ms. Judy and Eric then hugged and the mom told her son to be good and to listen to Mr. Ken. She then hugged Robert and told him the same thing.

On the ride to the hotel, Robert asked Mr. Dan if the painters had started yet. Mr. Dan told the teen that the painters were there first thing Monday morning and they were happy that the bathrooms were dry.

The sheriff’s lieutenant told Robert, and thus Eric and Mr. Ken, that the painters prepped both bathrooms and then they took down the curtains and blinds in all of the bedrooms and prepped them and the hallway, as well.

Mr. Dan told everyone that the painters spent all day Monday getting all of the upstairs areas ready for painting, which they began in earnest first thing Tuesday. The man explained that the bathrooms were done first, which took them the better part of the morning. Mr. Dan said that the painters then began painting the ceilings in the bedrooms, since each of them got the same bright white color.

The Covers’ guest told the riders in the vehicle that Wednesday morning the four painters each started in a different bedroom and that by the end of the day they had all six bedrooms walls painted. But Mr. Dan told the group that they still had the doors, door frames, windows and frames to paint, which he figured they’d get done the following day and then the hallway.

Robert thanked Mr. Dan for telling him how the painting was going back at The Cove. Mr. Ken was happy to know that the painters were very professional at their work, and that they didn’t waste any time in getting the job done. He would call Chris later to get his assessment of their work.

Mr. Dan had his own room at the hotel and once he was settled the four of them headed out to the park. Once at Discovery Kingdom, Mr. Ken introduced Dan to Julia and then asked if someone was there to get him and the boys their Fastest Passes.

As soon as Robert had his pass, he called his ‘brothers’ to find out where they were, so they could catch up with them. When Collin answered, he told Robert they had just gotten off the Figure Eight wooden roller coaster and that they were headed to The Stagecoach, and for them to meet them there. Ten minutes later the groups joined up.

Everyone welcomed Mr. Dan and then they told him about The Stagecoach rollercoaster, the one they were about to ride. Phillip spoke up and told the man that he could ride with him, since he’s ridden it already. Everyone laughed that it was Phillip who volunteered to have the man ride with him.

Mr. Dan took the youngest Cover up on riding with him and when it came time to load their coaster train, Mr. Dan asked the boy where he wanted to sit. Phillip sort of hesitated, but then said the first car, but second seat. Mr. Dan agreed that was a good seat, and the two went there, while Collin and Robert took the seat in front of them.

When the brake was released, the train headed to the lift chain and Phillip told Mr. Dan that he could get a good view of the park from up there, but that the sky ride was a better place to do that. Dan looked around and liked what he was seeing.

Then, as the coaster car went over the top of the lift hill, Phillip told the man that they had to wait for the rest of the cars to catch up and then they would, “Whoosh” down the hill and up the next. Mr. Dan silently smiled inside at the enthusiasm the boy had at explaining how the ride would go.

At the end of the ride, Mr. Dan was surprised how Phillip whooped and hollered along with the rest of the people on the ride, as they came into the station.

With Mr. Dan only going to be at Discovery Kingdom for that one day, they let him decide which way he wanted to go, since they had been on all of the rides. But there were two attractions that they didn’t get to do yesterday.

One attraction they didn’t do was the mirror maze, called Crystal Lil’s. It was similar to the one that was at one of The Cove’s 4^th of July Carnivals. The second was the Wild Mouse Coaster called Twister Coaster. They then gave Mr. Dan the option of choosing which one he wanted to do first. Mr. Dan chose the Twister Coaster.

The group quickly walked over to the Twister Coaster and along the way Mr. Dan learned that their ‘dad’ had bought Wild Mouse coasters for three of his amusement parks, as Crystal Lake already had one, but the first two were completely different from one another, and they had no idea what this one was like.

When the group approached the Twister Coaster, they saw that it too was different from the first two Wild Mouse coasters. This one was more like a mix of Wild Mouse at the top and a steel coaster with hills and valleys and bunny hills with spinning cars thrown in.

The Covers explained what the other two Wild Mouse coasters were like to Mr. Dan and then said they all needed to ride this one to see how it fared. They all activated their passes and just like at the other parks, Mr. Wayne said they should let the people in line go after they do, so they aren’t waiting longer than they had to.

The group chose who they were going to ride with and Mr. Dan chose Phillip, Mark and Matthew to ride with him and that group went first. On the way up the lift hill, the boys told Mr. Dan that this coaster looked fast and before they all knew it the coaster car was on the back-and-forth area at the top.

Then after the second loop the car began to spin and when it went down the first hill the car was spinning and the boys were all laughing. Mr. Dan was enjoying this new type of Wild Mouse. One which he’d never been on before. The coaster car would hit something to cause it spin in one direction or another, and the weight in the car would also contribute to how fast the car did rotate.

At the end of their ride the boys said they loved the new ride as it was different but the same as the other two Wild Mouse coasters they had ridden on. Mr. Dan was also a believer, and he was sorry he missed the other two now.

With the Wild Mouse coaster out of the way, Mr. Dan said he’d like to do the Mirror Maze, but for now he wanted to try all of the major rides first. So, with that said, the group headed to the other two coasters, the Figure Eight and Demon.

After riding the roller coasters, Dan next rode The Axe which was the equivalent to The Hatchet at Mountain Top and the Tomahawk at Fantasy Fun Park, but passed on the Hang Ten, which was the stand-up ride.

Charles was flying his quadcopter as the Covers were riding the rides and now with Mr. Dan there, he made sure he got some video with him on the coasters and the other amusements.

Dan knew that the boys would want him to ride the flat rides with them, so he rode the Twister, which was a Scrambler type ride, the Scooters, which were bumper cars, the Himalaya, the Tilt-A-Whirl, the Swings, the Pirate Ship, the Rotor and the Octopus. He also made sure he rode with a different boy on each ride, so as not to show any favoritism.

As the lights came on in the park, and the group passed by Crystal Lil’s, all lit up with the mirrors reflecting the light, Dan remembered saying that he’d try it after he did everything else that he wanted to do. So, he told everyone to get their ‘head compasses’ calibrated, as he wanted to see who would take the longest to go through the maze.

The attendant wouldn’t let them all go through at the same time, so he staggered them at about one-minute intervals. And since Mr. Dan and Phillip had never been through the maze before they went last and they kept track of the time.

When it was Mr. Dan and Phillip’s turn to try to get through the maze, they had a difficult time trying to figure out the best way to get through the maze of mirrors and finding the exit. Phillip was having a fun time and he laughed as the two bumped into mirrors they thought were an opening and cheered when they found a way through.

The lieutenant and the young Cover took the longest time of the entire group, but they had a good time doing that together. When they finally got out of the maze, Phillip hugged Mr. Dan for doing that with him, as he never had a ‘father’ figure ever do anything like that with him before.

Even though it was late, Mr. Ken did come out into the park and join the group. He told the boys he wanted to ride at least one ride with them before they had to leave. Of course, the boys chose The Stagecoach.

When the group arrived at The Stagecoach, Charles again asked Robert to fly the copter, so he could ride with their dad. Robert said he would, but that Charles had to fly it when he talked their dad into riding with him.

Mr. Ken was wearing his owner’s shirt and when they all walked up the Exit the ride operator and the two attendants were ready for the group to want to ride together. The operator worked there last year and knew who Mr. Thomas was and when the man asked him to let them all ride the next train the young man said there wouldn’t be a problem.

So, when the next train entered the station, and it emptied, the ride operator didn’t open the turnstiles to allow the people waiting in line to load. Instead, the large group that just appeared at the Exit was given the go ahead to be seated. That caused the people in line to moan and yell out that they didn’t wait long enough.

Mr. Ken stood up in the train and yelled out, “I’m Ken Thomas, the owner of the park, and I’m making a command decision for my family and I want to ride at this time. Thank you for your understanding.” Mr. Ken then sat down and told the operator to fill the remaining seats and then to dispatch the train.

While that was happening, people in the line began talking that they remember from last year the man did the same thing when he visited. They also talked about how he talked with them and they hoped he would do it again when the train returned.

Robert had the copter up and running and as the train went up the lift hill, the teenager caught that on the copter’s video. The teen followed the coaster throughout its run and made sure he took video from the front, back and sides.

As the train came into the station, Charles told his dad that Robert wanted to ride with him and asked him to wait for him to come up the Exit, while he got the controls for the copter and then flew it, so he caught the two of them on the ride.

Mr. Ken said he’d do that and when the train stopped, he asked the others to go down the Exit and to tell Robert to come up and ride with him. While Mr. Ken waited on his son, he did take the time to talk with the people in line.

Of course, the people wanted to know what was in store for the park, and all he would tell them was that they had to wait for the announcement later in the summer. He did ask them how they liked the new Twister Coaster for that year.

The people in line thanked him for the new coaster and told him they hoped they’d get another new and much bigger steel coaster, for next year. This transpired while the train was being filled and dispatched as the man waited for his son.

When Robert came up to the station and the next train entered and was emptied, Mr. Ken and Robert sat in the first car/first seat and the ride operator filled the rest of the train. Outside of the station, Charles was waiting for the coaster to be dispatched so he could capture his dad and brother on the ride.

When the ride was over, Mr. Ken thanked the crowd for allowing him to take advantage of his ‘owner’s privilege’ and told them to enjoy the rest of their day. He then threw them a hint of what was to come by telling them to wait for the big announcement coming that August.

But along the way back to the operations building, the boys asked their ‘dad’ if he’d ridden the Twister Coaster. Hearing he hadn’t they told him that he needed to know if he got his money’s worth.

Hearing his own word being used against him, he knew he needed to go over there and ride it. So, the entire group walked over to the new Wild Mouse coaster. When they got there the entire group was going to activate their fastest Passes.

But Mr. Wayne told the boys that they’d ridden it and their ‘dad’ wanted to head back to the hotel, so only he and three other people would ride this time around. That didn’t go over so well with the boys. Mr. Ken was glad the man had done that. But now he had to choose which boys would ride with him.

‘Dad’ Ken said he rode with Robert, Charles and Collin, so this time he was riding with Billy, Matthew and Phillip. The four went up the Exit and Mr. Ken told the ride operator that they would be on the next ride.

Luckily the ride operator noticed the polo shirt that said “Owner” on it, and told the man, “No problem, sir.”

When it was their turn, the four Covers rode the coaster car to the top and when the car went across the trip bar, the car began to spin and it spun one way, or the other, as it continued through the remainder of the coaster track and went across other trip bars. At the end of the ride, Ken Thomas was pleased that the third Wild Mouse coaster he’d bought for his amusement parks was different from the other two.

The group then headed to the operations building where they all thanked Ms. Rennartz for her hospitality and told her they hoped to be back before the summer was over. Collin went over to Jasmine and talked to her before leaving, too. Dan noticed that and decided he’d ask Ken about that later.

The group stopped for another good meal before heading to the hotel to pack. During the meal, the boys talked about what they’d done so far and how the three parks compared to one another. Mr. Dan listened to how the boys not only compared the parks, but asked how they would change things up or add this ride, or take a ride out.

Charles was the one who had the most to say about the parks. The young teen seemed to have a keen interest in all three parks and his observations went from the park’s entrances, to the rides, to the grounds, to the paint schemes, to the theming. Mr. Dan wondered if that was where the teenager would gravitate to after he finished college.

On the way back to the hotel, Charles talked to his dad about his calling their friend Ron, who they met when they were at Crystal Lake last year, and inviting him back to ride the rides at Crystal Lake again this time around.

The teen’s dad laughed and then told his son to give his friend a call and to ask him to meet them at the operations building. Mr. Ken then asked Charles to invite his mom, Marci, as well. Charles made the call as soon as he got to his room.

Back at the hotel, ‘dad’ Ken told the boys to pack and leave out the clothes they wanted to wear at Crystal Lake tomorrow. He encouraged them to relax before going to bed, and to meet him in the lobby at eight o’clock.

After everyone went up to their rooms to pack, Dan pulled Ken aside and asked him about what he saw between Collin and that cute young female at the operations building. Ken told him he’d have to tell him tomorrow as they flew to Crystal Lake.

Collin came down to Mr. Ken’s room and asked him about switching up some of the people on the manifest in both planes. Mr. Ken told his ‘little brother’ that the only way he could see to do that was that they would have to switch the entire plane, since all the boys with him are his foster sons and they had to be with him.

Collin asked why couldn’t they be with Mr. Wayne, since he was a licensed foster parent and his alternate. Mr. Ken knew Collin wanted the boys to experience something different, so he asked him if the pilots would have enough time to change the manifest.

Collin said the pilots had to be at the airport by eight o’clock to pre-fight the aircraft and when they get to the airport, they can submit the changes and they can be approved by take-off time. Mr. Ken said if they can make it happen then he’d let Billy, Matthew, Mark and Phillip fly with him and then Robert, Charles and Eric would fly with him and Mr. Dan and Mr. Dennis.

Collin asked his Big Bro if he thought that Mr. Dennis might like to fly in his corporate aircraft. Mr. Ken picked up the hotel phone and dialed Mr. Dennis’ room. When the man answered Mr. Ken asked him if he would like to try that. Mr. Dennis told his boss that he would.

The two Covers contacted their pilots and told them of the manifest changes for tomorrow and asked them to make them when they arrived at the airport in the morning. The pilot thanked them for the early changes and told them they’d see them at the airport sometime around 9:30.

Mr. Ken and Collin then went to the separate rooms and told the boys of the airplane changes for the morning and then told them to be down in the lobby by 8 o’clock. The boys were excited for the changes and talked about it before going to sleep.

The trip had already visited three amusement parks and there were two more to go. The boys had fun and were looking forward to their next two stops, but in particular, their ‘dad’s’ newest park, Edgewood.

The saga of Three Finger Cove continues. Let Chowhound know you are reading his story: Chowhnd at Gmail dot Com

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