Published: 22 Oct 2026

From the Previous Chapter:

He wasn’t looking forward to the next few days as he will be leaving his intended back at her home. He was thinking about their upcoming marriage, but now he needed to decide where they would spend their honeymoon. He thought that he would ask her where she might want to go before he decides for them both,

Ken Thomas laughed at that last thought, because he knew Kate would tell him that it was his decision. And while still smiling the owner of The Cove turned off the light and then slipped under the covers and tried to fall asleep.

With the anticipation of that being their last trip of the Holiday, it took longer for many of the people in the house to fall asleep. But before long the household was quiet and everyone was fast asleep and The Cove was peaceful and quiet throughout the night.

Mr. Ken’s alarm clock went off at five o’clock. He wished they didn’t have to get up so early when they flew back east, but he knew that the boys wanted as much time at the park as they could get.

The man, instead of getting his shower first, went out to the Kitchen Nook to place twelve breakfast tacos in the convection oven and to make sure the coffee maker did its thing. He then went back to his retreat to get ready for the day.

The rest of the household’s alarm clocks went off around the same time the owner of The Cove’s alarm rang. Kate and Edith weren’t used to getting up so early, and they were very happy that they had their own bathroom right there with their bedroom, they didn’t have to wait to use it.

When the boy’ alarms went off, Matthew had to get Rusty up and Phillip had to get Jessy up because those youngsters weren’t used to getting up so early, and they wanted to stay in bed.

Matthew told Rusty that he could stay in bed until he came back from his shower and Phillip did the same with his roommate. The two Covers met Darrin in what was known as Phillip’s bathroom, and they went and got themselves ready for their trip.

Rusty and Jessy were still sleeping when Matthew and Phillip returned to their rooms. The two Covers had to literally drag the two boys out of the bed to get them to go and get their showers, and dressed for the trip to the last two parks and home.

The young brothers sleepily headed to the bathroom to get their showers. They were at least somewhat glad they got a few extra winks before having to shower and get dressed.

Most of the boys were down in record time that morning, but there were four stragglers. Matthew and Phillip decided to wait for their roommates to ensure they had dressed and that they brought their dirty clothes to shove into their suitcases, when they went downstairs.

By 5:35 a.m., all of the boys and the three adults were down in the Kitchen Nook eating their one and only breakfast taco and washing it down with either coffee, milk or juice. When he saw that everyone had finished their meager breakfast, ‘dad’ Ken told everyone to rinse their drink cup, and place it in the dishwasher, and then visit the restrooms, as the limos were due very soon.

The two Estate Masters, Wayne and Dennis, arrived and parked their vehicles in the Parking Corral, while the people in the house were eating their breakfast. Ms. Judy and Eric arrived around the same time, but she parked her car out front, as she would be leaving once the large group departed The Cove for the airport.

Eric, who is also a Cover, was going on the trip with his ‘brothers’. The teenager place his bag in the Foyer entrance, where all the other suitcases were, and then he went looking for his Best Friend, Robert.

Judy went in to talk to Ken, who was waiting in the MRS Room for the limousines to arrive. The two didn’t get a chance to talk very much, as it wasn’t too long before they saw the limos arrive. But Ken did get to ask Judy about Darrin’s uncle and if she knew if the man would be there on Friday. Judy told her friend that it was on the top of her list to find out today.

With the limousines there, the boys all began grabbing the luggage to take out to the vehicles. But this time the boys just loaded them equally into the limos, as everyone was going to the airport.

While the boys took care of the luggage, Kate and Edith said good morning to Judy, but saw that she and Ken were busy talking, so they didn’t engage her in conversation.

Again, Ken told Judy that she should have come along with them and enjoy some time with Eric. But she told him, being the Director of CPS she was very busy during the Holidays and they had already placed over a dozen children into new foster homes. Kate and Edith heard that and were saddened that so many kids were not with their families.

Judy then told Kate and Edith that she was happy that they got to spend the Holidays with Ken and his ‘boys’ and see how the holidays are spent there at The Cove. She wished them a safe trip home and that she was looking forward to the wedding. The three women hugged one another before Judy Turner looked for her son to hug before she went home to their quickly growing pup, Riley.

When Ken Thomas saw that Ms. Judy had left, he called out to everyone that they should use the restrooms to drain any ‘dragons’ that needed that done. Rusty and Jessy chuckled at hearing the ‘dragon’ comment, but they quickly went looking for the closest bathroom.

When everyone was gathered at the limos, Ken spoke up and reminded everyone of who was riding in which limousine. And with that reminder, he, Kate, Edith, Dennis, Rusty, Jessy and Phillip filed into the front limo, with the remaining people headed to the second one to fill it.

Again, Mr. Ken had his driver stop at the Main Gate, where he got out to talk to the guards. He reminded them that Todd would again be staying at The Cove, while he and the boys were gone, and that the teenager may bring a few of his friends over. With that done. Mr. Ken got back into the limo and they were now off on their ninety-minute ride to the Austin-Bergstrom Airport.

It was a Tuesday, and the traffic was a little heavier than the day after Christmas, but the travelers did move along quite well that morning. In the front limo, the group talked about what transpire during the Holidays. Ken got Rusty and Jessy to tell him what they liked about being at The Cove for Christmas instead of being home.

Jessy quickly spoke up and told him that he probably wouldn’t have gotten a guitar and being there his older ‘brother’ taught him how to play. Rusty told the man that he loved having all of his older ‘brothers’ there to play with him up at the skate park, and that it was fun to have them to ride the rides with him at the parks.

Jessy then added that he got to know Toby better after yesterday’s swim and he was looking forward to now living at The Cove because he now knew someone he could play with.

In the other limousine, the boys talked about going to Edgewood and what they wanted to ride first. Charles spoke up and said that he wanted to ride Patches. He told them his story about being there for the Grand Opening and getting to know the ride attendants and also riding it. He added that after the winter shut down, the roller coaster was supposed to be reconfigured to make it even better. The boys then talked about the rides they wanted to ride first.

Even through traffic was a little heavier on the first day after New Year’s Day, the two limos arrived at the Austin-Bergstrom General Aviation Airport in real good time. The boys helped unload the limos and they placed all of the bags on the TSA cart, in order for their bags to be inspected before being loaded onto the airplanes.

When the group entered the terminal, just like last time, there were two executive jet planes parked outside. One was a Gulfstream G350 Executive, a 14-seat airplane, like the one they used on the last trip, and the other one was Collin’s, C. W. E Inc’s Gulfstream G280 Super Mid, a 9-seat corporate jet that they used the last time.

‘Dad’ Ken told everyone that he and Collin had to check with the people at the counter to see if the planes were ready for them, and if the pilots have the manifest of passengers prepared. In the meantime, the man asked everyone to use the restrooms, as they’ll probabl be called to go through TSA and then load onto their aircraft. And just like the boys, Kate and Edith, walked towards the appropriate restroom.

After everyone used the restrooms, they all went through the TSA screening. In the meantime, the pilots came to the counter to verify who was flying in which aircraft. Mr. Ken and Collin brought out their list of whom was flying in which aircraft to confirm with them who was on their manifest. When everything was clarified they were all ready to board.

Prior to loading on the airplanes, Mr. Ken asked those who with him, and Kate, to stand by him. The rest he told to follow Collin and his pilot to the C. E. executive jet. Both small groups walked out to their assigned plane and before long they would be headed back east.

Remembering from the last time, Darrin knew not to sit up front. He and Phillip took the two mid-cabin seats and Rusty and Jessy sat beside them. When Ken, Kate, Edith and Dennis entered the plane they all sat up front.

Before sitting down, Edith took a quick look around the aircraft. Then when she sat down, she told Ken that the plane was different than the one they flew in last time. Ken smiled and told her that the charter company has a large fleet of jets and they are sent to fill whatever the client needs for that flight. Edith was satisfied with the answer.

In Collin’s corporate aircraft, Collin and Wayne sat up front with the rest of the boys filling in the seats they came to. They all had been in that aircraft and knew which seats were the best for watching the ground by underneath them, as they flew back east.

This was Darrin’s second trip while living at The Cove. He’d flown on three different jets and he too noticed subtle differences in the Gulfstream his foster dad had chartered. He thanked his lucky stars that Ms. Judy brought him to The Cove, as he knew deep inside of him that he’d never be given that opportunity again.

When everyone was seated in both planes, the crew-member made sure they all had their seatbelts on before giving them the standard safety briefing on the emergency exits, procedures and equipment. Then the plane’s captain introduced himself over the intercom and explained about their taxiing eventual takeoff and climb out to their cruising altitude. He asked them to stay seated until they reached their cruising altitude at which time their flight attendant would talk to them about breakfast.

It wasn’t too long after the jet had leveled off at their cruising altitude, that the back-end crew-member came through and took the flyers breakfast order. Pancakes, scrambled eggs, crisp bacon, breakfast tacos milk were what the boys ordered, while the three up front asked to have coffee with their order.

The four boys had looked out the windows the entire time the plane had taxied and climbed out to cruising altitude. They all enjoyed what they saw as it seemed different each time they flew.

The boys all anxiously awaited their breakfast order as the plane flew along. They were all hungry and when the food appeared in front of them, they scarfed it down in record time.

After breakfast and about an hour and a half into their trip the flight attendant came to the back of the aircraft. He then asked Edith if she would be interested in seeing the cockpit. Edith was surprised at the offer and she looked at Ken, and asked him if he had anything to do with it.

Ken told her he was guilty as charged, but he explained himself by saying he thought that she might like to see what goes on up on the flight-deck. He told her they wouldn’t have her sit in the co-pilots seat, but it would help her understand what goes on while they flew. Edith told the crew-member that she was honored to get the chance to see what was up front.

While her mother was up with the pilots, Kate decided to go and talk to her two sons about yesterday and their changing in the locker room.

“Boys,” began their mother, “can you tell me how it was that you four boys … that the four of you all changed in the locker room after you swam.”

Jessy looked to his older brother with a look that told him he would have him explain it.

“Mom … are we … are we in trouble for doing that?” first asked Rusty.

“No, my son, you two are not in any trouble. I am just curious, you know, how it was that you four … that you all changed together in the locker room,” replied Kate.

Jessy heard what his mom said, but he still looked to Rusty to answer her.

“Mom … well … well, we were all waiting for the older boys, you know, to change,” started the ten-year-old. “But when Phillip came out, he asked us why what we were waiting for. And it was Luke who told Phillip that he and his brother … that they weren’t used to changing in front of anyone, but their dad.

“Then Phillip … he told us he knew exactly what us young boys were going through as he was just eleven and that he had to learn how to change along with his friends. So, he took all four of us into the Woman’s Locker Room and explain to us how we could change without being too embarrassed.”

Rusty then went on and told his mom how Phillip explained how they were to first put on their shirts and to let them hang as low as they could. He then told his mother that they were to face the wall then pull down their swimsuits and not to fall over hurrying to put on their underwear.

Jessy then jumped into the story telling and he told his mom that once they were all in their underwear, they all laughed that they’d done that. The youngster then said they put on their pants, or shorts, and then they all sat down to put on their socks and shoes.

Neither boy said anything to their mother that it was Jessy who told Luke and Toby that he and his brother saw their older ‘brothers’ without their clothes on, after they took their showers, and that they didn’t care that they saw them. Nor did they say anything about Jessy mentioning that their older ‘brothers’ dangling parts were just bigger than theirs and that Matthew had hairs above his. Both boys knew that their mom would not be happy that they had seen their older ‘brothers’ naked.

Rusty finished the story by saying that Phillip took their swimsuits and put them in the big dryer that Mr. Ken has for that, and that’s when Mr. Drew came looking for his sons.

Kate smiled at her sons, and then she hugged them. She then looked to Phillip and told him, “Thank you for helping younger ‘brothers’.” She then went back to her seat to tell Ken what just learned.

It wasn’t too long after all the conversations died down that the back-end crew-member came and asked if anyone was interested in lunch. Of course, the boys all said yes. The menu was just as it was the other day when they first flew east. There were the same sandwiches, plus hamburgers, hot dogs and hot chicken burgers.

As the adults waited for their sandwich, potato chips, pickles and coffee to be brought to them, Edith told them about her visit to the flight deck. The older woman, who was somewhat excited about what he was shown and learned, told them about how the pilots flew the jet.

Ken and Dennis knew all that, but Kate was totally interested in what her mother had to say, and then asked Ken when would she get to see all of that, too. Ken smiled and said that he’d make it a point the next time they are together on a long charter flight that.

When the group finally arrived at the terminal, and they deplaned, everyone headed into the building and they all visited the restroom. Their transportation was there waiting for their bags to be brought to them and when they had everything, they had the group load into the two vans and two rental cars and they were off to the hotel.

After the approximately three-hour flight and the one-hour loss in time, the group arrived at the hotel around one o’clock. Mr. Ken went to the counter, introduced himself and his party and presented his credit card for the six rooms he had reserved. The counterperson warmly greeted him and told him everything was ready, and all they needed to know was who would be in which room.

Mr. Ken told the woman that Billy, Robert, Charles and Eric would be in the teenager’s room, that Mr. Wayne and Darrin would be in another room, while Mr. Dennis and Phillip would be in another. He told the desk clerk that Ms. Kate and her two boys would be in a room, while and Edith would be in separate rooms.

The woman gave Mr. Ken the correct number of room key cards for the hotel rooms the group would be occupying and he in turn passed them out to his fellow travelers. The boys found trolleys to use to take their bags up to their rooms which were all located on the same floor.

Luckily, Collin didn’t have a problem in getting his room, even though he was under twenty-one. The clerk told him that his company called to make sure he didn’t have any problem getting his room and that had explained that even though he was underage, he still owned C.W.E Inc. The college junior passed over his credit card and then he received his room key.

In the meantime, the boys found enough trolleys and loaded up all the luggage, as they waited to know who was in which room. They then dropped off the bags at the right room. Everyone knew to use the facility in their room and then to meet down in the lobby.

When everyone was down in the lobby, Mr. Ken asked everyone if they wanted to head out to the park and eat there, or eat along the way. The majority wanted to stop at a fast-food restaurant for a burger and fries, so the meal would get a chance to settle before they began to ride the roller coasters.

Mr. Ken had the van drivers to stop at a national fast-food chain, so they knew the food would be consistent with what they were used to from where they were from. Granted it wasn’t a sit-down place that Kate and Edith would have preferred, but with the boys they knew they needed to go with the flow. They also knew that Ken would take all the adults out for a very nice steak dinner later that night.

It was after 2 p.m. when the travelers arrived at the Edgewood operations building, where Jason Zimms, the Operations Manager, along with Braxton Carter and Tucker Clark, his two Assistant Ops Managers met the large group.

“Welcome back, Mr. Thomas,” loudly greeted Jason. “And I see new face in the group,” added the operations manager.

“Yes, Jason, I have with me this time Ms. Edith Partlunds, my fiancée’s mother and Darrin, who is my newest foster son. And I’m not sure if you ever met Collin, but you may have met him when we visited Crystal Lake. The now college junior was my first foster son.”

Jason welcomed the newcomers and then he introduced his two right-hand men and it was Tucker Clark who walked the group over to the FFF Booth, so they could get their Fastest Passes. While Tucker took care of the big group, Braxton made sure the powerchair was available for Edith.

As the group walk to the FFF , Braxton and Tucker talked with Charles and asked him when he was coming back to work there. Edith didn’t understand the question and the teen Cover had to explain it to her as they walked along.

Wh the group received their Passes and Edith gotten her powerchair, Ken asked Kate to take her boys out into the park and enjoy a few rides and that he’d catch up with her after he and Jason talked. Kate knew that was what her future husband had done at the three previous parks, so she went and got her mother and the boys Fastest Passes in order for them to get on the rides quickly.

As this was Darrin’s first time at Edgewood, soon to be Adventure Forest Amusement Park, the older boys let him decide where they would go first to ride the amusements.

Darrin had heard so much about the wooden roller coaster, Patches, that he wanted to stop there first. The boys went up the exit to activate their Fastest Passes, and the ride operator immediately remembered Charles. The two talked and the Cover introduced his newest ‘brother’, Darrin to the operator.

The ten riders were on the next coaster train with Darrin sitting up front with Collin. Mr. Wayne told them both to enjoy their snack, as the two rode the first seat. It took the teenager until he was almost at the top of the first hill to fully understand what the Estate Master meant, but along the way he enjoyed seeing what the entire park looked like from that high up of an advantage point. And when he told Collin what that statement was all about, they were rushing down the first 110-foot hill that had a 78-degree slope.

Darrin loved that roller coaster as it went down 94-feet before racing up the second hill. He was thrilled to be on the out-and-back coaster that was longer than the Comet at Discovery Kingdom, and that it had more hills and speed and it leaned to one side or another which gave him a much better thrill ride. The Cover teen also loved the air-time on the return bunny hills.

After the ride, Mr. Wayne asked the two if they had a nice snack. Darrin reached up to his teeth and picked at the front ones to see if he didn’t leave any particles between them. He then asked Collin to look and they both then laughed at the fun the Estate Master was trying to have with them.

The next ride Darrin wanted to go on was the Rotator, which is also known as the Roll-O-Plane at other parks. He told the group that he’s never seen anything like that and he was interested in riding it to see how good it was. Standing in line at the exit, Darrin watched the ride not only spin around in a 360-degree arc, but he watched it rotate on the arm mounted to a pivoting hinge on a central support column.

The teen also noticed that the arm had two enclosed cars (one at the top and one at the bottom) and each car held four riders seated in pairs facing opposite directions making the maximum capacity of eight riders and it was then that he realized only eight of the ten could ride at the same time.

After the ride operator filled all eight seats, Mr. Wayne and Mr. Dennis had decided not to ride, and once in motion, the Roll-O-Plane arm swung until it made a complete loop, though the riders never become inverted. Darrin noticed this because the ride cars were free to rotate horizontally or “roll”, while the ride is in motion, always keeping the riders right-side-up.

Darrin loved the simple ride as the Roll-O-Plane made a few loops and then it turned so it was parallel to the ground for a few turns before going back to its looping motion before it came to a stop. After getting off the ride, Darrin told his ‘brothers’ that he enjoyed the ride.

Kate and her two boys went looking for something that Rusty and Jessy could ride together. The three came up to a ride that Jessy told his mom that they could all ride. It was the Tumble Bug.

The three watched as it went around this great big circle and how it went up and down on two hills. Rusty told his mom that it reminded him of a them riding a small wooden roller coaster with its small hills. The three went to the exit to activate their Fastest Pass in order to ride next.

When it was their turn, the three got into a big round ride car that were called ‘tubs’ that could probably hold as many as six people. As the ride began, it went backwards a short distance before going forward and followed the raised circular track.

It took two times around the track before the ride picked up speed that when they went over the hills, they felt like they would bounce up-and-down as they traveled over them. Jessy and Rusty laughed as they rode that interesting ride.

When the three got off the ride, Jessy told his mother that it was fun getting to ride something with her. Rusty told her the same and then asked, “Where to next?’

The three came to the Ferris wheel and Jessy told his mom that they could ride that together, too. So, they went to the exit with their Fastest Pass and waited to be placed on the ride.

As the Ferris wheel went around in a circle, Jessy loved that he and his brother were riding with their mom. He also liked that from the top he could look around to see where they might be able to ride together some more and he spied the Swinging Boat.

The three walked over to the Swinging Boat and went up the exit to use their passes. And when they were invited on the ride, Rusty took them to the highest seats where he knew they would get the best ride.

As the ride boat went back and forth their seat went higher and higher and both boys loved the feeling. Kate held onto Jessy as she felt she was getting a bit too high at the top of the swing. But even with her holding him down, the young boy was laughing and enjoying the ride. And after the ride was over Jesy hugged his mother for riding three rides with him and Rusty.

As Ken Thomas talked with Jason Zimms, the two talked about the Coke and Pepsi drink rivalry that they started when the park first opened back in July. Jason told the park’s owner that he wanted to try to keep both of them in the park. The operations manager told him that he’s received positive feedback from their guests about having the choice of drinks, as some love one or the other.

Mr. Ken wanted to know what both distributors thought about their experiment. Jason told him that they have been keeping close tabs on the amount of product that they’ve gone through. The ops manager added that both men try to get him, Braxton and Tucker, to tell them how much their competitor is going through, too.

Jason said that it was funny how competitive they were, but neither of the three of them will tell them how much the other essentially sells. Jason told Mr. Ken that from the start it has been nip and tuck between them, which was why he wanted to keep that arrangement if he could.

The park’s owner asked if Jason was prepared to move the drink offerings to switch to the others location during their down-time, as they talked about that possibility once before. Jason told the owner that he was and that he’s already talk to both distributors about keeping them in the park and they were both on board, as it kept their product in the people’s mind.

The two men talked about one other issue that Ken Thomas was interested in. The man wanted to know how the installation of the three new rides that are replacing the Rocket, The Swings and the Para-Drop were going.

Jason smiled and told Mr. Ken that the contractors were very happy that they didn’t have to do very much cleaning of the areas, as that was done, as they removed the old rides. Jason told the man that as he walks around, he can look through the portholes in the fences and see the progress. The operations manager told Mr. Ken that the people were happy that they are doing that, so they can keep track of what was happening behind the ‘curtain’. The two had a good laugh over that.

Head Over Heels was the ride that Darrin picked next to ride. Again, he told the group that he’s never seen anything like that and that it looked interesting to ride. But not everyone got in line to ride, which surprised the teen. And when he asked them why they were skipping the ride, Matthew told him that he’ll know after he gets off. So, only he, Collin, Robert, Eric, Billy and Charles went to the exit in order to use their passes.

Robert rode with Eric, Charles rode with Billy, while Darrin rode with Collin in the circular, or wheel like gondola. As the ride went around on a central spindle, Darrin used the handle on his gondola to turn 360 degrees forwards and then backwards. He also made the car stop at the top, so the blood in his and Collins bod rushed to their heads.

When the ride was over, Collin told everyone not to ride with that crazy guy. He told everyone that he now has a headache because Darrin kept them at the top of the car way too long.

Everyone looked at Darrin, who said, “What? I liked that ride.” Darrin’s ‘brothers’ then smacked him on his back for giving Collin a headache. The group then walked on to another ride.

Charles, who worked there for a few days before the Grand Opening, and knew his way around the park, led group to a ride that he felt that none of them have ever ridden. The ride was called the Cages.

As the group arrived, they noticed that the Cages went up and around, but the idea here was for the riders to move their bodies back and forth to try to get the cage over the top, as there was no motor to make that happen.

Darrin was all for trying out that ride. Even Matthew and Phillip wanted to try that ride as it looked fun to try to make the cage go around and around. The group talked about it and they all went to the exit to ride next. As they waited, they discussed who would ride with whom.

The ten riders took up five of the six Cages, to the chagrin of the other people in the main queue. This time Mr. Wayne didn’t recommend that they all let the other rides fill in, as he usually did on the Mouse coaster.

So, the rides paired up with Darrin riding with Billy, Collin and Phillip paired up, Robert and Eric rode together, Mr. Dennis chose Matthew to try to make the cage go over the top, and Mr. Wayne went with Charles. They told the ride attendant that they all want to start from scratch without his initial pull back, as they wanted to see who went over the top first.

It took them a minute or so, to get the cage moving back and forth. But as they got their bodies to work together to gather the momentum figured out, the pairs were able to get the cage to go higher and higher. The race was now who could get their cage to go over the top.

The pairs called out to one another to try to distract the other and upset their moving back-and-forth that was needed to make the cage go higher and eventually over the top. They were also laughing as they tried harder and harder to make the cage swing back and forth.

It took over five minutes for the first cage to over the top. And the winner was Collin and Phillip. And with that done, the ride attendant activated the cage stopper to get the ten off the ride and new riders on. As the group walked away, they all told one another what they did to try to get the cage over the top. It was a friendly banter.

Ken finished his discussion with Jason and then had him drive him to where his fiancée and her boys were. When he found them, he and Kate hugged and kissed and then the man asked the boys where they wanted to go next.

The scrambler was close by, so they asked if they all could ride that. Ken laughed and told the boys that all they wanted to do was squeeze him against the end. The boys and Kate laughed as they walked to the exit of the ride.

Ken liked rides like the Scrambler as he got to sit very close to his intended, Kate. What he didn’t like was when her two boys pushed into them as the ride twisted around and around. The boys on the other hand laughed and giggled the entire time the ride was in motion, because they knew they knew they were squeezing Mr. Ken.

When the ride was over, Ken grabbed both boys and tickled them and thanked them for pushing hard into the end wall. They continued to laugh as they squirmed and tried to get away. Kate watched the three and she smiled that Ken and the boys accepted one another.

The boys wanted to ride the train next so they could see the whole park. This way the boys could then see which ride they wanted to go on after the train ride was over. Ken and Kate didn’t mind riding the train, as they got to sit with one another and hold hands.

The boys spied their next ride as they rode around the park on the train, so when they got off the train, they pulled the couple over to the Bumper Cars. They said that this time they wanted to change who they rode with.

The four hurried to the exit to use their passes. The ride attendant saw a man with a park radio and then he noticed the shirt with ‘Owner’ embroidered on it. He knew he better let them ride, passes or not, as he knew exactly who that was standing there.

On the next ride, Jessy got to ride with his mother leaving Rusty to ride with Mr. Ken. The boys drove, while the adult controlled the speed. Rusty liked it better riding with Mr. Ken, as the man never slowed down the bumper car. That way when they hit another car it was fast and Rusty liked that.

Jessy wasn’t too happy with his mom, as she would take her foot off the pedal just as she knew her son was going to hit someone. The young boy complained to his mother, telling her that Mr. Ken would go as fast as the car would go. The boys went after one another as much as they could and it was Rusty who would hit the hardest, making Jessy complain even more to his mom.

After the ride Jessy was still complaining that his mom wouldn’t go fast like Mr. Ken. He told the couple that he’s never riding with his mom again if she was going to keep doing that. Kate tried to console her youngest son, but he was really mad that he didn’t have as much fun as he would have with Mr. Ken. All Ken did was smile at the way the boy was pouting.

The large group continued to go to the rides that Darrin chose. They rode the Scrambler, Octopus, Himalaya and the Swinging Boat. Then they came upon the ride called the Zipper. Darrin watched it and then told his ‘brothers’ that he wanted to ride it.

The two who did not get in line were Mr. Wayne and Mr. Dennis. They told them that there was way too much head-over-heels spinning which they did not want to do. The boys laughed at the men and waited for their turn.

When Darrin got off the ride, he told the Estate Masters that they were smart not to ride. He explained that he didn’t know which way was up as the ride went through its paces. He then told his ‘brothers’ not to ever let him ride that again. Everyone laughed.

As the group walked around, Robert and Charles showed their ‘brother’ where The Rocket, that jumped off its track, was and caused the park to eventually go into bankruptcy and giving their dad the chance to buy the park.

The two teens also pointed out where the Swinger and the Para-Drop were. They added that a Boomerang roller coaster, a Wave Swinger swing ride that oscillates as it goes around and a 250-foot-high Drop Tower would be installed before opening day next spring along with an inverted coaster that should bring the people to the park.

Darrin commented then that he knew why there were so many wooden fences standing around the park.

The Twister Coaster, which was similar to the Crazy Coaster, or a Wild Mouse, was the next ride Darrin wanted to go on. The teen did ask his ‘brothers’ why it looked so different from the other Wild Mouse type coasters they had already ridden at Mr. Ken’s other parks.

Charles answered him by saying that when he was there for three days, he learned that it was an earlier version that had been in the park for a very long time. The teen also explained that when the repair companies came there they found broken supports and bad track that had to be fixed before they would certify it ready for guests.

Darrin looked more closely at the coaster and said, to no one in particular, that this coaster didn’t have as many twists and turns at the top and throughout the middle, but that he still wanted to ride it. Everyone went to the exit to ride.

While the older boys and two men were in line, Ken, Kate and the two younger boys came by and saw them waiting in line at the exit. They went over to them and Rusty quickly asked if he could ride it, too. Kate wasn’t too sure if she should let him, but a nudge from Ken made her change her mind.

Hearing that his brother was going to get to ride, Jessy then said that he wanted to ride as well. The question now was which boy would ride with whom. Ken told Kate that he would take Jessy and she could take Rusty. Kate agreed to that as long as they would ride together too. Ken smiled at the thought and he readily agreed.

As they all stood there in line, Mr. Wayne reminded everyone that because there were so many of them, they needed to go every other ride, so the people in line, who didn’t have special passes, wouldn’t have to wait so long.

Mr. Ken remembered that they had done that before, and he thought that was a good idea, especially for good community relations.

Jessy knew that riding with Mr. Ken there would be no slowing down and as the two rode the coaster he not only felt the speed and tight turns, he also felt secure in the man’s strong hands. After the ride the boy hugged the man and thanked him for taking him on it.

When everyone had ridden the Twister Coaster, Ken and Kate then got back in line, so that they could ride together. Some of the boys wanted to do that, too, but Mr. Wayne told them that it was getting late and they would be leaving soon.

Ken held onto Kate as tight as he could as the coaster car went back and forth on the upper track. He then loved how she pushed back into him on the hills and valleys. When the ride was over, Kate kissed Ken as a thank you for riding with her.

‘Dad’ Ken then looked at the time and said that he promised Kate and Edith a good steak dinner and that they needed to head out of the park.

Along the way, they came by The Whip. Rusty and Jessy remembered when they rode it back in July, and they begged to ride it again. Kate looked at Ken and asked him if they had time to ride one last ride. Ken smiled and said, “Why not?”

Everyone got in line at the exit, all fourteen of them. Even Edith said that it looked like a ride that she could enjoy, as compared to the other rides she watched the boys get on. There were lots of laughs and giggles when she spoke her mind.

Ken and Kate sat together on the ride while Edith rode with Jessy and Rusty rode with Mr. Dennis. The rest chose partners when it was their turn.

Kate loved that ride, as it let her and Ken be together and enjoy the simple ride. She felt so secure when she was with the man she was going to marry. The two laughed as the ride car went around the end pushed them back into the seat and then headed back the way they came.

When the large group got off The Whip, Edith told everyone that all the rides should be as good as that one. Jessy told his grandmother that she should have ridden the Tumble Bug with them, if she liked simple rides like that.

Darrin spoke up and told the group that he thought the ride look lame, which was why he decided not to ride. Kate told the teenager that he didn’t know what he was missing by not riding.

On the way out, the big group walked by the Hey Dey and Darrin asked why that the ride was being refurbished. Mr. Ken told him that it was the precursor to today’s Tilt-A Whirl, but in a much larger version and he wanted to bring it back to as close to its original configuration a possible.

‘Dad’ Ken continued to tell him that the ride was about three times larger than a Tilt-A-Whirl and that it seated four to six riders in a two-seat front/back car gondola. Charles then told Darrin that his dad wanted to fix it up and keep it as it was a nostalgic ride that people might love to ride again and that he hoped to have a Grand Re-Opening of it sometime late next spring.

The group headed back over the operations building, so they could ride their vans and rental cars to a good steak restaurant. At dinner that evening, Mr. Ken told everyone that they had an eight o’clock late take-off the next morning, so for them not too long to eat.

While the adults sat and ate, Mr. Ken asked Edith what she thought about Edgewood, since that was her first time there. The woman told her host that she felt that it was the cleanest of all the parks on this trip.

Edith did tell Ken that she loved the way Patches was themed. and that she wished all of his coasters, both wood and steel, had a theme to them besides just a name. She said there was something about the way the coaster cars and the mismatched structure and track made her totally like it.

When the group was back at the hotel, Mr. Ken reminded everyone that they had an 8 a.m. van arrival time and that they all should be down in the lobby by seven-thirtyish, or earlier if they wanted to get something off the breakfast buffet.

With it being late and that they had an early flight the next morning, none of the adults visited the hotel’s lounge that evening. They all decided that they needed to pack and get a good night’s rest before their day that started the next morning.

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

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