Williamsburg
This past weekend, I went with my big sister and her family to Williamsburg. From Sunday to Tuesday, we managed to spend a whole day at Busch Gardens, a few hours at colonial Williamsburg, and a couple of hours at Water Country USA! We stayed at my sister's timeshare, and I had so much fun watching over and playing with the kids. The trip was interesting throughout, and it was surely an adventure just getting there, even though it's just a 3 hour drive. While driving there, I managed to find myself behind an 18-wheeler, who's rearmost left wheel came off, in three stages. First, the outer tire rolled off the wheel, and veered to the right, barely missing a collision with a minivan, rolling off the road and up a hill, bouncing off a cork and then a log, and wedging itself between twin trunks of a v-shaped tree. A few seconds later, the second tire found its way off the rim, this time rolling to the left, across 4 lanes of highway. Surprisingly, it rolled across the lanes, missing every car that was in its path!!! It rolled down into the center median, where there was a water and sand pit, where it made a spectacular splash, sending water and sand into the air, as if a small meteorite had crashed into the water at an extreme angle. The 18-wheeler didn't notice his wheel coming off, until he was entering an exit ramp on the right, when suddenly THE RIM ITSELF DISLODGED AND STARTED TUMBLING ACROSS THE RAMP FROM RIGHT TO LEFT. By this time, all other drivers, including myself, knew to stay WAY far behind the damaged truck. As we watched the truck rim bounce into the concrete median wall of the ramp, the truck driver finally pulled over, as his trailer was leaning dangerously to the left in the rear. I sped past the truck, and continued on my way... we got to the time share mid-afternoon, went grocery shopping at the nearby Target, and then spent the rest of the day at the outdoor pool of the Kings Estate timeshare community, located literally 5 minutes from Target AND Water Country USA. And Busch Gardens. And 10 minutes away from colonial Williamsburg. The outdoor pool was gross and salty, so I immediately got out and rinsed myself off in the nearby hot tub, which was reserved for adults only. The hot tub felt very nice, and the shower at the timeshare was good as well, with nice water pressure and lovely temperature control. That night, I hung out with my sister and her friend, who also brought her kids, and we drank wine while chatting about life, sitting on the balcony as we listened to the fireworks go off in the distance at Busch Gardens, for their limited-time-only light show event, called "Illuminights". I cooked us a pasta dinner, and we all got a good nights rest.
The next morning, we went to Busch Gardens. It was extremey fun, although it was extremely hot that day, too. I rode the Alpengeist, The Gryphon, and a new ride called the Verbolten, which was kind of like the Flight of Fear, only better. All I can say is, LOTS of neon colors in the shape of tree leaves and branches in the dark whilst being whipped around in circles, left and right and upsidedown. Let me not forget to mention, it is a multi launch coaster, which uses electromagnets to propel the coaster through, picking up speed VERY quickly at each launch site. Needless to say, it was my favorite ride, with the Gryphon coming in at second place, as it is also fast, yet is outdoors. Two vertical drops and many twists, spins, and loops made for an exhilerating experience, as I felt like a starling, or a mockingbird, performing acrobatics in the air.
Aside from the coasters, we got to eat lunch at the dinner theater pavilion, where they had a live musical performance of Red Riding Hood mashed up with Hansel and Gretel. At one point, the wicked witch of Hansel and Gretel was chasing the big bad wolf of Red Riding Hood. Another point in the play revealed magical confectionary creatures, such as giant gingerbread men. Among the fray of characters on stage, there were about 7 giant teddy bear characters, as well as elves and fairies, including a fairy godmother character. They served german cuisine, sausages and scalloped potatoes, which sufficed for meal time that day. There were also water rides, which felt very good in the heat! The first water ride we tried was Escape from Pompeii, which is basically a mini log flume with a big splash at the end. We also tried out the River Rapids ride, where uyou sit in a 6 person innertube as it floats and spins down a waterway filled with choppy waves, water cannons, and waterfalls. We wne on River Rapids twice, the first time sparing me from getting soaked, which was fortunate, but really not, since it was so hot outside. The second time around, though, I managed to be positioned uner all three of the major waterfalls, effectively soaking me in water, and making me look as if I had just jumped into the water itself by the end of the ride. Good times!!!
The next day, we all got ready and headed out to colonial Williamsburg to visit the shops. We would have done more there, but it was even hotter on Tuesday than it was on Monday! So we basically just migrated from one store to the next, and then to a general store in downtown Williamsburg. Afterwards, we went back to the house and got ready for Water Country USA. We got there and immediately made our way to the wave pool. Spending an hour or so there, we were about to explore the rest of the park, when all of a sudden lightning hit, causing staff to shut down all of the tower rides and water slides. Ground rides, such as the wave pool, kritter korner, and lazy river, all remained open. We then decided to just leave and come back the next day. As we were leaving, the rain picked up, causing the park to close all of its rides. While walking to our cars, the rain got heavier and heavier, with each step we made, running towards our cars... by the time I reached the door of my car, the rain was pouring down in sheets, and it was pelting so hard that it felt like hail! I jumped quickly into my car, and as I closed the door, gusts of wind began to shake my car. It took 20 minutes to get out of the parking lot, and I ended up being the last car to exit the park before police patrols came to the exits to regulate the sudden burst of parking lot traffic coming out of the park and clogging the VA-199 highway. Lucky for me, I didn't have to endure the stress of that traffic, as my exit was literally two streets down and to the right! I met up with my sister and company at the house, and we ordered barbeque ribs and pizza. The kids then decided to go to the pool again, and I stayed behind, explaining to my sis that I was going to leave that evening instead of the next day, so as to avoid traffic on the way home. I managed to get home by 10pm, unpacked, did laundry, and promptly passed out.
My sister went to a timeshare owners meeting, and ended up upgrading her package to a full double apartment suite for next year. That's 4 bedrooms and two apartments in one building, all to ourselves! She told me that next time I can bring a couple of friends, even encouraged it. So did my brother-in-law! And she said we could either go with her family, or if we wanted, we could pay her for the week and rent the place out. Did I menton that the timeshare is only a half hour away from VA beach? Yeah, I'm planning a nice trip for me and my friends, pretty soon. <3 <3 <3
And that was my weekend. :) La vie est Belle!
The next morning, we went to Busch Gardens. It was extremey fun, although it was extremely hot that day, too. I rode the Alpengeist, The Gryphon, and a new ride called the Verbolten, which was kind of like the Flight of Fear, only better. All I can say is, LOTS of neon colors in the shape of tree leaves and branches in the dark whilst being whipped around in circles, left and right and upsidedown. Let me not forget to mention, it is a multi launch coaster, which uses electromagnets to propel the coaster through, picking up speed VERY quickly at each launch site. Needless to say, it was my favorite ride, with the Gryphon coming in at second place, as it is also fast, yet is outdoors. Two vertical drops and many twists, spins, and loops made for an exhilerating experience, as I felt like a starling, or a mockingbird, performing acrobatics in the air.
Aside from the coasters, we got to eat lunch at the dinner theater pavilion, where they had a live musical performance of Red Riding Hood mashed up with Hansel and Gretel. At one point, the wicked witch of Hansel and Gretel was chasing the big bad wolf of Red Riding Hood. Another point in the play revealed magical confectionary creatures, such as giant gingerbread men. Among the fray of characters on stage, there were about 7 giant teddy bear characters, as well as elves and fairies, including a fairy godmother character. They served german cuisine, sausages and scalloped potatoes, which sufficed for meal time that day. There were also water rides, which felt very good in the heat! The first water ride we tried was Escape from Pompeii, which is basically a mini log flume with a big splash at the end. We also tried out the River Rapids ride, where uyou sit in a 6 person innertube as it floats and spins down a waterway filled with choppy waves, water cannons, and waterfalls. We wne on River Rapids twice, the first time sparing me from getting soaked, which was fortunate, but really not, since it was so hot outside. The second time around, though, I managed to be positioned uner all three of the major waterfalls, effectively soaking me in water, and making me look as if I had just jumped into the water itself by the end of the ride. Good times!!!
The next day, we all got ready and headed out to colonial Williamsburg to visit the shops. We would have done more there, but it was even hotter on Tuesday than it was on Monday! So we basically just migrated from one store to the next, and then to a general store in downtown Williamsburg. Afterwards, we went back to the house and got ready for Water Country USA. We got there and immediately made our way to the wave pool. Spending an hour or so there, we were about to explore the rest of the park, when all of a sudden lightning hit, causing staff to shut down all of the tower rides and water slides. Ground rides, such as the wave pool, kritter korner, and lazy river, all remained open. We then decided to just leave and come back the next day. As we were leaving, the rain picked up, causing the park to close all of its rides. While walking to our cars, the rain got heavier and heavier, with each step we made, running towards our cars... by the time I reached the door of my car, the rain was pouring down in sheets, and it was pelting so hard that it felt like hail! I jumped quickly into my car, and as I closed the door, gusts of wind began to shake my car. It took 20 minutes to get out of the parking lot, and I ended up being the last car to exit the park before police patrols came to the exits to regulate the sudden burst of parking lot traffic coming out of the park and clogging the VA-199 highway. Lucky for me, I didn't have to endure the stress of that traffic, as my exit was literally two streets down and to the right! I met up with my sister and company at the house, and we ordered barbeque ribs and pizza. The kids then decided to go to the pool again, and I stayed behind, explaining to my sis that I was going to leave that evening instead of the next day, so as to avoid traffic on the way home. I managed to get home by 10pm, unpacked, did laundry, and promptly passed out.
My sister went to a timeshare owners meeting, and ended up upgrading her package to a full double apartment suite for next year. That's 4 bedrooms and two apartments in one building, all to ourselves! She told me that next time I can bring a couple of friends, even encouraged it. So did my brother-in-law! And she said we could either go with her family, or if we wanted, we could pay her for the week and rent the place out. Did I menton that the timeshare is only a half hour away from VA beach? Yeah, I'm planning a nice trip for me and my friends, pretty soon. <3 <3 <3
And that was my weekend. :) La vie est Belle!