1177 – Ray’s Fair Father Figure Day

Episode 1177 – Ray's Fair Father Figure Day

 

[START OF RECORDING]

 

SCOOTER: Friends beyond the binary, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, whatever your flavor of Six Flags Theme Park is, because there’s so many flavors…I don't know. You say, what are you talk…? Well, so, okay, so in the US, there’s a chain of theme parks or a brand of theme parks called Six Flags. This is not supported by…this episode just has some Six Flags content in there, so I’m way off topic already. But however many flags your theme park flies…maybe I should have said that. It’s time for Sleep With Me. If you’re confused, you say, what does flying flags have to do…? I say, I don't know. That’s a great question. So, yeah, it’s time for Sleep With Me, the podcast that puts you to sleep.

 

INTRO: [INTRO MUSIC] Hey, are you up all night tossing, turning, mind racing? Trouble getting to sleep? Trouble staying asleep? Well, welcome. This is Sleep With Me, the podcast that puts you to sleep. We do it with a bedtime story. Alls you need to do is get in bed, turn out the lights, and press Play. I’m gonna do the rest. What I’m going to attempt to do is create a safe place where you could set aside whatever’s keeping you awake, whether that’s…whether it’s thoughts, thoughts on your mind, thoughts, so things you’re thinking about, thoughts, feelings, so anything you’re feeling physically or emotionally or that’s coming up for you. So thoughts, feelings, emotions, physical sensations, changes in time or temperature or routine.

 

Maybe you’re traveling, you have someone visiting, you have something coming up, or you’re dealing with something. Whatever it is that’s keeping you awake, I’m here to keep you company and take your mind off of stuff so that you could fall asleep. The reason I make the show is twofold. One, I know how it feels in the deep, dark night, and there’s hundreds of thousands of people listening right now that know how it feels in the deep, dark night, and we might not know exactly what you’re going through, but we can relate to some of those feelings, right? There probably is somebody out there that can…is going through something similar, and it might not feel that way to you, but we can relate to some of those feelings.

 

Or maybe we can’t, but we’re experiencing something similar or something at least…yeah, I mean, I can’t say I know exactly what you’re going through, but I could tell you my experience is when I can’t sleep, tossing, turning, mind racing, trouble getting to sleep, trouble staying asleep, waking up early, it sucks. It’s not great and it makes my life a lot tougher, and it feels a certain way, especially in the middle of the night, or not even the middle of the night; when I try to go to bed on time, and then…those have strong feelings and thoughts for me, associated with them. So, that’s one of the reasons I make the show, 'cause that’s how it feels for me, and if that’s how it feels for you or in any kind of similar range, I want to be able to help, but I also want to be able to help for a more important reason, which is you.

 

You deserve a good night’s sleep. You deserve a place you could rest, where you could get comfortable, where you could get the rest you need and you deserve, a place of respite, a bedtime you don’t dread, because if…getting the sleep you need and you deserve, your life is gonna be more manageable. You could be even out there flourishing, and that’s important because that means our world’s a better place. If you world is a better place, our world is a better place. It’s true. So, that’s important, and the way I make the show; first, I take…I have this safe place. I try to smooth it, I try to pat it, I try to rub it down, then I send my voice across the deep, dark night here. I use lulling, soothing, creaky, dulcet tones — oh, so creaky are my dulcet tones — pointless meanders, superfluous tangents.

 

So, all that means is I’m gonna go off topic, I’m gonna get mixed up, then I’m gonna go on a tangent, then I’ll forget what I was talking about, then I’ll say, wait a second, is that…? I don't know, for some reason, I’m not kidding, what popped in my brain just now is the word Pop Tarts, which I think the generalized term is toaster pastries, maybe? Is that what they’re called? But that just popped in my head. I was like, I wonder what’s gonna pop in my head next? Pop Tarts popped in my head. First of all, I don't know what year it was invented, but holy cow…I mean, I don't want to go…well, I’m gonna go on a tangent about Pop Tarts I didn’t expect to go on. Here’s a tangent within a tangent; so, maybe a couple years into making the podcast, there was a podcast called Startup.

 

It was about making a podcast company, and it was kinda like one part marketing, one part storytelling about a podcast company, Gimlet, and they had a episode about coming up with the name Gimlet and paying these companies…or who would you even call…pay to come up with those…? Now, I don't know if historically Don Draper fits into any of this, but I would say, holy think tank, Pop Tart is such a…it seems like the kind of thing…oh, Don Draper was a character on a TV show called Mad Men, about advertising, but more of a drama, a soap opera. I say that in a positive way, not a negative way. But Don Draper was kind of a…part of his character…flawed character, or a character with flaws. Yeah, a character with flaws. A flawed character means something else, maybe.

 

But Don Draper was a advertising genius. Fictional, yeah, I get it, I get it. I do have…but I’m just saying, there’s a real person or a group of people, more likely, that came up with the term Pop Tart, and I don't want to say it’s the greatest, because it’s…it is kinda ubiquitous. No one’s gonna say, can you throw a generic toaster pastry in the toaster for me? They’re not that popular. I mean, I’m not gonna get into…this isn’t the podcast, Pop…a podcast about Pop Tart criticism or something. But just the idea that a Pop Tart…'cause I don't have a toaster; I have a toaster-oven. But when your toaster pops stuff up, a tart, a cooked tart that pops up, it’s like…I still…I guess I’m dumbfounded in some sense, because that’s one of the greatest…because it covers…it has the pop, right? So, it has something tangible.

 

It describes what…it describes a sound, but it describes a physical motion, it describes a feeling, and then a tart, which I don't think it actually is a tart. I mean, I guess something that has fruit filling…you could say, technically, anything with fruit filling is considered a tart. I say, oh, boy. Okay, thanks. Are you the…? You don’t make the Pop Tart Criticism Cast; you make The Criticism of the Critics of Pop Tart…yeah, you’re the tart critic. Oh, baked goods; okay. Are all tarts baked? Are there any fried tarts out there? Part of me doesn’t…do…are you sure Pop Tarts are baked? I think they’re made with a replicator. Oh boy, I’m way…but so…but that’s such a good brand. What does that have to do with…? Oh, that’s a superfluous tangent, where I go off topic by accident.

 

It just popped in my brain, and then we popped off topic. But really, I just want to send some applause. There’s probably a pod…here’s the best part about podcasts in general; look…there’s gotta be a good…I bet you there’s about fourteen history of Podcast…or history of Pop Tart episodes in the million-plus podcasts that exist, and there’s probably one or two of them that are amazing. I’m looking for specifically the history of the name Pop Tart, because I want to give those people credit. I’ll forget all this, but…I wish…in a perfect world, they’d have…there’d be a Pop Tart Day, and the parade…they would be the…they would be…they would have their own float. I guess at this point, I’m guessing that Pop Tarts are in the…I don't know. I just get a feel. 1926…but I don't know history of toasters, either.

 

But I’m…maybe there’s a…I mean, it’d be…I’m not encouraging this, but…the tumultuous history of the name Pop Tart. Now, there’s…that could be a podcast. I don't know if it should be a series. There’s other…I was just thinking, there’s Sugar Pops, right? That’s not as good. I mean, it’s pretty good. I don't know if that’s actually a thing. The one with the bear on there…I haven’t had that cereal in a long time. Sugar Puffs? Not Sugar Pops. Here’s a couple cereals I haven’t had in probably a decade; Sugar Puffs or whatever that one is. I’m not sure if it’s a bear or a frog. Then Honeycomb, which is a cereal that’s shaped like a symbol of a honeycomb. Anyway, so, I’m gonna go off topic, all to take your mind off of stuff and keep you company so that you could fall asleep.

 

A couple other things to know; this podcast is not for everybody. You may have already discovered that. If you’re already feeling strongly about me or the show, sleepwithmepodcast.com/nothankyou is a website full of other sleep podcasts and sleepy audio. But give it a few tries. There’s a hundred thousand plus people listening right now that said, hey, this podcast is not for me, and then they either came back or they gave it a few tries and said, oh, okay. I’ll try to explain to you what some of the…this is all based on feedback I’ve gotten over the past…how many years have I been making this show? Ten years or nine years? Eight years? I think nine years or ten. Yeah, I don't know. Yeah, ten…I think ten calendar years. Almost ten years.

 

But anyway, so, I’ll explain all that as part of the intro, but I just want you to know it’s normal to not like the show at first. Great news for me, huh? But it just takes some getting used to 'cause it’s different, it’s a little bit weird, it’s…it doesn’t follow a normal, expected format. Even though we were kinda the first sleep podcast, it doesn’t follow the structure you’d expect for a sleep podcast. So, here, let me explain all that. This is a podcast you…this is a couple things that takes getting used to; this is a show you barely listen to, but you could listen. So, listening is optional, kinda like looking at something out-of-focus or just…there’s people that listen to the whole episode and then there’s people that listen to me at a mumble. So, you kinda discover as you go along how you want to listen. So, that’s one thing.

 

This is also a podcast that doesn’t put you to sleep. It keeps you company while you fall asleep, which is also different, right? It’s here, whether you’re awake or asleep, to listen to it or not listen to it, and I’ll be here to the very end 'cause there’s listeners — and maybe you’re one of them — that can’t sleep, and I’ll be here to keep you company whether you’re awake or asleep, whether you’re listening or not, 'cause that’s my job. I’m here to keep you company in the deep, dark night. So, okay, so that’s two things. Structurally, this also throws people off. I’m here to keep you company…I’m sorry, regular listeners, I forgot; to be your bore-friend, your bore-bae, your bore-sib, your bore-bud, your bore-bor, your neigh-bore, your bore-bor, your bore-sweetie…sweetie-bore. Yeah, your sweetie-bore.

 

Your Sugar Puff…your Sugar Bores. Old Sugar Bores; puts me to sleep. So, yeah, I’m old Sugar Bores here, and here to keep you company and help you fall asleep and take your mind off of stuff. But structurally, this also throws people off, so I’ll tell you why we structure the show this way and what to expect. Show starts off with a greeting; friends beyond the binary, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, so you feel seen and welcomed in. You say, oh, I could check…maybe I could check that podcast out. Then there’s some sponsor support and listener support so the show could be free and come out twice a week, because there’s a lot of work that goes into the podcast, believe it or not.

 

So, that’s optional, paying for it, and it comes out consistently on a regular basis with a lot of other episodes for you to choose from and see what works for you. So, the sponsors and the listener support help us achieve those goals, then there’s support for listeners and…that are having a tough time right now, and support for communities around the show. Then there’s the intro, which is separate from the support, and the intro lasts, like, fifteen-plus minutes, sometimes less, sometimes…a lot of times more, always never…very rarely exactly fifteen minutes. The intro introduces the podcast to new listeners, but kind of in a unsuccessful way, because it’s not very efficient. But as regular listeners know, the intro is different every time so you can’t get used to it, but it’s also familiar so you feel…okay, Scoots is gonna…I don't know, have I talked about Pop Tarts before?

 

I mean, I’ve talked about Grape-Nuts probably five or six times. I don't really have any good Pop Tart stories. The most recent Pop Tart story I have is…I was at a retreat and someone brought up Pop Tarts that I had just met, and he said, you know what I could go for right now is a Pop Tart. I said, I have some in my car, 'cause we were on a camping-style retreat. It was more awkward. I thought it was gonna be…I said, here, let me go grab them for you. He said, no, no, please don’t. I said, no, no, no; you want a Pop Tart, you got it. It wasn’t a traditional Pop Tart, though. It was a brown sugar one. But anyway, never heard from that person again. I’ll text them; I have their number. But what else? structure of the show, is that what I was supposed to be talking about?

 

Oh yeah, so, the intro goes on and on and on, not just to introduce the podcast in a ineffective way that’s different and familiar, but to ease you into bedtime, to give you some space to wind down in, or ideally, to be a part of your wind-down routine if you develop one, and as you’re getting ready for bed or as you’re in bed getting comfortable or as you’re doing some other chill activity, or you’re listening to the show and you’re transitioning towards being asleep. That’s just been…what’s been shown to work, and it’s what’s worked for me and a lot of other listeners, but not every listener does that. Some listeners fall asleep fast, 2% or 3% of people skip the show, and then a few thousand people listen to story-only episodes. So, you could kinda see how it goes and just kinda experiment, right?

 

So, that’s one thing about the structure of the show. What else? Oh, so, that’s…oh, that’s what the intro does, eases you into bedtime. Then there’s sponsor support and listener support between the intro and the story, again, just so the show can…paying for it can be optional, and it’ll be there on a regular, consistent basis for you, with a lot of variety out there. Then there’s a story. Tonight it’ll be a present…it’ll be a recap of some trips, a Father Figures Day recap from our friend Ray, so that’ll be nice, and then it’ll end with some thank-yous at the end. So, that’s the structure of the show, that’s why I make the show. I’m really glad you’re here. I work really hard. I yearn and I strive. I really hope I can help you fall asleep. Thanks again for coming by, and here’s a couple of ways I’m able to be here for you for free twice a week.

 

Hello, hello, hello, everybody. This is your friend Ray, your neighbor Ray, your friend…Scooter’s friend Ray, but I’m your friend. So good to be here in your ears. Now, I have no idea when you’re gonna be listening to this, but I’m recording this…we just put out a Father Figures Day…like I said last year, you don’t need a father’s figure to be a father figure, whatever that may mean to you. I truly believe that because I’m a father…Scooter has a…I’m a father figure in his life, or I’d like to be, and usually that means prying open the crate that is…that reveals the outsides that…within another crate is the insides of Scooter that needs to be pried open. But you can’t pry it open, I’ve learned. You have to coax it open and say, oh, don't worry, I’ll be over here. I don't need to pry your crates open to get ahold of you.

 

When you’re…well, don’t wait ‘til Scooter’s ready, either. You don’t say…you could say, oh, I’ll wait ‘til you’re ready. But if you mean that, you’ll be…it’ll be a long…forever’s a long time to wait. What you do…here’s a little tip; probably not great…Scooter and I have different boundaries than him and the…it’s great to…but for me, I say, did you mention there were some baby booties inside that one crate within your heart? I’m sorry. No, I guess I wouldn’t even say that; I’d say, did…Scooter, did you ever say you had a baby bootie before? Then we would laugh and he would say, oh, I don't know. How’s it look now? He’d say, did you just call me bootie baby? I’d say, no, no, no, I was talking about a baby booties.

 

Then we’ll…he would just keep laughing, and I’d say, the shoes that you wore as a child, as when you were a baby. Do you…? Then already…I’m already in there, a little bit like this podcast, I guess. Oh, but…oh, I should introduce myself. But this podcast is meant to misdirect you, take your mind off of stuff, and keep you company, and that’s how I’m able to be friends with Scooter, is to misdirect him from his-self, you know? Get him out of self and…I say, hey, look over here. Let’s spend some time in the world. So, my name is Ray Perkins. I’m Scooter’s neighbor. I’ve been his neighbor in two different locations now. I’m a different age than Scooter; I’m more experienced in life than he is, and…but I…that’s not to brag.

 

It’s just other ways I’ve referred to our age differences…have…people have said, well, I’m not okay with…and I say, well, that’s…it just happens to me that I have more years on my odometer than Scooter does. I do. Maybe that’s…and some people would say, what’s an odometer? Which is interesting, 'cause odometers are still around even though they’re digital. Maybe; they may be mechanical. I don't even know. A odometer says how far your car’s gone, just in case you’re wondering. Now, I guess if you were saying, who’s travelled more…if you count pacing, Scooter’s odometer probably does have more miles, 'cause I don't do…I do some walking. I like to walk, I like to talk, so if you did amounts of talking, I would definitely outpace Scooter, 'cause he has…lots of times, he has nothing to say.

 

But if you talk about pacing and walking and traveling…I mean, Scooter may pace enough on one phone call. Okay, so, where were we? Oh, so, I wanted to talk…this will probably be a two-parter, 'cause I don't know if we have enough material from the Father’s Day…Father Figures Day trip we just made. So, we’ll see how this goes. But this is for…we made another Father’s…now, this was a local journey, so, this also goes in Scooter’s little Bay Area things to do. This was all Scooter’s planning, and we went out to the Alameda County Fair, and we had…I’ll tell you; we had a grand time. The weather happened to be perfect, because normally it’s unpleasant and it could be a little warm there. But this particular day was sunny, probably in the eighties. It was just perfect.

 

Scooter got in for free because it was Father’s…they didn’t have Father Figure Day, unfortunately, so they said, sir, you’ll have to…and I said, well, Scooter bought me a ticket, so don’t worry about it, but I am his father figure. But they said, oh, you don’t have to pay, then. They giggled. You must be a father to someone. I said, well, I have a ticket already. We purchased it online. So, we went to the Alameda County Fair. We had wristbands to ride the rides, and it’s out in Pleasanton. We drove out there before lunchtime, and it was a nice little drive. I think Scooter wanted to listen to some music or maybe a podcast. I don't remember now. Maybe we listened to a little Len Testa. I think we did listen to…Scooter said, let’s listen to some Len Testa. That’s a father…and I said, is he your father figure?

 

Scooter said, no, we’re closer in age, probably, within a decade. So, probably can’t be a father figure. He’s more of a contemporary. I said, but it sounds like you look up to him like a father figure. Scooter said, I look towards…Ray, you’re the most well…he always says I’m the most well-adjusted man he’s ever met, and I say…I just got back from the chiropractor. He said, if the chiropractor is god, then that would be the one who just adjusted you, Ray. I’m no Ted Lasso, if you’re listening to the Lasso episodes or you did, but I do like to look at life and enjoy it. Okay, so, enjoying life. So, we drove out to Pleasanton. Scooter had already paid for the parking, our wristbands, and our tickets, except for his ticket.

 

Now, holy cow, so we reached the parking, and when you’re driving in a car with Scooter, he’s a great driver, but he can be…he can take exception to other people. There was multiple…multi-lane left turns, and Scooter actually navigated in a way…he was trying to guess which lanes which where. He guessed correctly, and so, we got really lucky getting in. We avoided a lot of traffic. Then, what a pleasant surprise; when we were in line for parking, they split up the…everybody and we got to go where there was shaded parking. Holy cow. What a benefit. It just happened to be our timing. We really got lucky. So, we parked under a tree, we got out, we got in line. Scooter went and double-checked to see if he needed to get a ticket or he just walked in.

 

Already, they had people out there helping, saying, hey, this is where you want to be in line, or go…this is where you want to go get your ticket. So, very well done, and Scooter was like, I’m not sure if you need to vol…you can volunteer or you could get work hours if you work for the county. So, he wasn’t sure if it was county employees or volunteers or what it was. So, I don't know. So, then we got in there and Scooter wanted to figure out…and Scooter asked for help. I say, you’re growing up, young man. Maybe you don’t need a Father Figure Day, because you had to take your wristband QR code and get it scanned. Scooter kinda looked around, and there was these things…there was kiosks to buy wrist…well, Scooter was like, a kiosk can print a wristband nowadays? I don't know.

 

So, we asked someone who had a shirt on that said, Ask Me for Help, and she was so helpful. She worked for the…oh boy, I forgot the name. Butler, I think, was the name of the amusement company, but I apologize. Maybe I’ll see it on one of my pictures. But Scooter said, hey…have this…? She said, just go up to the machine, press Print Wristband and scan your ticket, and you’ll be good to go. So, we scanned our tickets. Now, Scooter got a combo wristband, which I think was the only one, which meant that you could go on all the…what are the…Midway-type rides, but also…and this was so impressive; they have a chair lift — they call it a sky ride — that traverses the fair. It was definitely the highlight, the most…other than the Universal Studios Hollywood Tour, it was absolutely the most…oh, and the gondolers at Disney…what are they called?

 

The Skyway or the Skyliner. In some sense, this was more relaxing because it was open air, so it was more like…so, I’ll describe that to you, 'cause that…so, we went in, we kinda scoped around, and then Scooter’s little one who’s not so little anymore, said why don’t we go on the sky ride and see where it goes? This was a permanent attraction. Now, I don't know how often it runs, but it was very, very, very well-maintained. So, I don't know if they take these cars off or they just refurbished it, but it was immaculate. We did go on the second day of the fair, but the entire fair was immaculate. I do have to say that even though Scooter was into going, he said, well, the last time I was here…he goes, I don't think I over-indulged, but he goes, I was under the stress of a life…that lifestyle, Ray.

 

I can remember being here and wanting to over-indulge, but I was hosting and maybe…he said…and trying to manage those desires. So, he did say he had a forlorn feeling, but he said, this…the nice thing is I get to reintroduce myself to the fair as a sober man, and I was…he said…and he’s honest. If he wasn’t enjoying it, he would have told me, at least. He said, whoa boy, even…he said, there was only one or two moments where he said, oh…and I remember walking here and being grouchy or wanting ten more drinks or whatever it was. So, okay, so, we got there, we got on this Skyway, which is basically like a chair…a very nice chair-lift at a ski resort. Permanent; not one of the ones you see…and not a wooden one. Very…I’m talking chair-lift quality.

 

That’s why…I’m pointing this out only because…there’s fairs and theme parks where you take a skyline…a sky ride, and it’s a little…they’re like, this one was sturdier than I’ve ever seen. You could take it in a full loop or you could take it in one direction as transportation. So, we took it in one direction. I would assume we were headed east across the fairgrounds, and we got to see a lot of the food places. We started to plot out the things we wanted, which was ice cream — which we did not get; spoiler — deep-fried foods, and…oh, what else would we want to eat? So, Scooter’s young one said, I want some curly fries. At this time of day, it was very calm, so it wasn’t busy. There weren’t very many lines. So, we took it one way, and you just told the attendant as you got close that you wanted to get off, and then they let you off.

 

We got there and we were kinda in the kids’ section of the…there was a couple different sections of the Midway or amusement rides, and this was the kids’ section. So, I’m not sure of the order of things. I guess what we did was we went on the Super Slide two or three times. I think three times. Once again, very impressive; the Super Slide was not worn down. It was multi-color, each slide. There was a worker at the top and a worker at the bottom handing out the burlap sacks and then helping you get in your burlap sack. So, again, I would say for a amusement park, temporary installation, five out of five. Then we went…or, no, so I guess we went twice on the Super Slide, then once on the kids’ Ferris wheel, which was still a nice, little Ferris wheel.

 

Then we did the Super Slide again, then we got…Scooter’s daughter and I, we split a curly fries and a corn-dog, and we got a soda cup. Now, they didn’t have Coke Zero, so it was Pepsi products, but it was very syrupy-in-a-good-way Pepsi, and it was Father’s Day, so Scooter said, well, it’s Father’s Day. I might as well enjoy it. He said, this is one of the best Pepsis I’ve ever had, because it was…the mix was really well done. Then we walked around for a bit. We walked by…Scooter used the restroom. We walked by…they have horse racing. We didn’t go in there, but we…Scooter was like, okay. Then we walked through some of the art. What else did we do over there? We looked at some of the foods and Scooter said, well, I’m not exactly sure what I want.

 

So, we walked through the art, there was some nice gardens, even a themed garden competition, and all of it was around Hollywood, the movies, and award shows. I think that was it. Then we got lunch for Scooter, 'cause Scooter had not…and Scooter got a gyro. Oh, 'cause he wanted to look at the pizza. There was a pizza place, but then he saw it; he said, eh, I don't think it’s…and he got a gyro and a deep…and then a deep-fried Twinkie on a stick that we all split. He said, the gyro was very good. Then the Twinkie on the stick was also very good. We all shared that. It was powdered sugar and a little chocolate sauce on it. It was delicious, and split between the three of us, a nice little treat. Then I believe we took the skyline or the sky ride back. We did; towards the main Midway, and I don't think we did anything at first.

 

I think we went on…oh yeah, so, we went on the Midway and we could…we were scouting out the rides, and there was a…one of those swing rides, very similar to the one we went on two Father’s…last Father’s Day or two Father’s Days ago? Not that tall but the same idea, like a more thrilling swing ride than the normal swing ride. Now, here’s the thing; Scooter said, no, no, no. I mean, he said, yeah, I’ll go on it, but he said there was something about the motion that made him not feel good. It wasn’t the height or anything like that. It was just…he said, no more spinning rides for me, which he had to retract. So, we went on that, and then did we go right to…? I guess the next thing we went on, even though Scooter had said no more…was we went on a Scrambler.

 

He said, oh, I remember the Scrambler at Silven Beach was indoors, in the dark, with strobe lights and movie projectors. This Scrambler was outside, but Scooter said…we were…at first we were laughing, 'cause it didn’t…it didn’t spin in a way that affected him, but it was…he was on the inside or the outside, so all of our weights were pressing against him the whole time. Then the ride was extended, so he said, okay, this is about two minutes too long for my enjoyment. But again, sometimes Scooter’s always moving to the next thing, you know? Then we went on a carousel, a merry-go-round, and that was great. After that, we went through a couple of the shopping buildings, and they were…it was nothing…there was people selling spices, knick-knacks, mattresses, hot tubs, and cooking stuff.

 

So, we didn’t really…it wasn’t as much infomercial stuff. So, we just made a quick pass through a couple of those buildings. There was two of those buildings. Then we headed back to the Midway, and I’m trying to think…oh, we went on the dark ride, which was…we went on that and we ended up going on it twice, and it was a old-school, pretzel-style ride like Scooter talks about. So, very simple, one car, all metal, goes on a track. There’s a couple gimmicks in there that light up and make loud noise, and the doors really bang. That was one thing that stuck out to us, was the doors on the way in and on the way out really helped set the mood, because they made the doors really clangy. Overall, not all the effects were working, but it was fun to just go on a old-fashioned dark ride.

 

There was a couple surprises the first time we went through, but…so, then we went on that ride. Now, I’m losing track of the order of the things, but we went on the big Ferris wheel, which they said was the largest portable Ferris wheel in North America, and then we went on that, then we went on Scooter, bumper cars named Scooter. That was fun. We went on the Flume ride, we went on the dark ride again, and then we started going in fun houses. We went in…there was a fun house with a mirror maze, there was a three-story one. Both those had slides. Then we went on their Running Mouse roller-coaster, which was nice. It had a couple good dips. We were saying, wee, wee, wee. Then we went around the back, off the Midway.

 

We looked at the agricultural exhibits, and they had a model train…and Scooter said, I forgot…did they have this at all county fairs and state fairs? It seems like a 24/7 building dedicated to this, and they had two different gauges on each side, and people running the trains and enjoying it, and just seemed really nice. Again, a thing that’s kind of…people are keeping in business, but it used to be a little bit more widespread, at least the store…the model stores, you know, and train stores, and now there are not as many around. Then we went and looked at an exhibit for Pirates of Emerson, which Scooter had forgot his daughter has never been to. That’s for a trick-or-treating-style thing.

 

Then we went back to…maybe we went back to the Midway at this point and rode the Flume and went in the dark ride and one or two more fun houses. Then I think we called it a day. I’m trying to think of anything else. I have the schedule here, so I’ll look at the schedule. We did not do any scheduled activities, but this…if you go next year, the Alameda County Fair, it usually runs for like, two or three weeks. Let’s see, they had dog agility at the Ivy Glen, rides opened at 11:00 AM…pony rides at the Agventure Park, Great American Petting Zoo…we did not see this. Bugology, Puzzle Mania, power station, Demonstration Lace Museum. Holy cow, I’m sweating just reading that. That was Building C. I guess I should have read this. Wood-carving, Building O, rock-painting, Building O.

 

Out at the Fair, that was 10…11:00 AM to 7:00 PM at the Safeway Grandstand stage. Open dairy goat show and milking demos. Horse-racing seminar, cooking demonstration…Roy Basa…that was at the Safeway Grand Stage. Horse-racing, that went from 12:45 to 6:00. The Alaskan Racing Pigs; that was one thing Scooter remembered from the last time he went there. Story time; that is at the Safeway stage with Londa Plenty. Tadpole to Clown…we didn’t see Tadpole to Clown strolling the grounds. Another cooking demonstration, geode design with fondant. The Cutest Show on Earth, the Savantes Band, Comedy Magic with Jeff Maughton, kids’ tractor pull, Mango and Dango, a cooking demonstration, Pee-Wee’s Stampede, Quea Tyco; that was at the Safeway Grand Stage, Roberto the Magnificent, Professor Smart’s Science Show, Kelly Sayer’s FMX…Keith Sayer; sorry.

 

Another cooking…Slim and Curly, racing pigs, Cutest Show, King/Queen; that was at 4:00 PM. More comedy magic, tractor pull, Duly Noted Duelling Pianos. Glam show, nightly movie, Frozen, at the concert lawn. Oh, 7:00 PM, there was, I guess, a Medieval stunt show. That’s interesting. We didn’t see that. We had left by then. It was actually getting busy. We left about 4:00 PM, and it seemed like there was a lot of people coming in. L.A.vation, a U2 tribute band, that was at 8:00 PM. So, that could have been a good way to spend your evening; go to the stunt show and then the…well, even just listen to the U2 tribute band. Oh no, there was another Medieval stunt show at 8:30, so…and then a hypnotist, Tina Marie, and a drone show at 9:30 PM.

 

So, that was our day at Alameda County Fair, and we’ll be back with another day that we spent, the three of us, not to celebrate Father’s Day, but just to celebrate the spirit of summer. So, I’ll be right back with another episode of Ray. Thanks, everybody. Hello, hello, everybody. This is Ray. As I said, I’d be right back, and I’m here, and another…this was not on Father Figure Day, but we made a trip, a few of us — so, Scooter, his daughter, and I — to Six Flags, a Six Flags park. Now, it’s been quite a few years since we’ve been to Six Flags, and I don't…now, this particular one, Scooter’s daughter had never been to, and it’d been a long time since Scooter had been there. Scooter…not since Scooter changed his life had he ever been there in his choices that he makes.

 

Even though he said the problem with Six Flags is that…well, anyway, he said, you know, Ray, last time I was here, I think I was just grouchy, saying, oh boy, I can’t…so, it was a nice trip. Now, like…now, the last time we went to Six Flags, we went to Six Flags Magic Mountain, there. I believe it was in 2019. It does not seem like it was three years ago, but I…believe it or not…and I think it was right around this time of year, I’m almost positive, we went to Six Flags Magic Mountain. Now, Scooter really prepared for this, because it just happened…his daughter is very busy with summer activities, and he’s been watching the schedule and he said, oh boy, this Thursday and Friday are open. Maybe we could go on a trip. He said, maybe we could go to Las Vegas and see a show.

 

But with travel when I’m recording this, it was just cost-prohibitive, the flying, where normally it wouldn’t…you could go there on a lark. You’d say, okay, yeah, for $49 or $100 round-trip, I’ll go; go to a show, stay a night or two, and come home. But that was not in the cards. So, then Scooter said, well, maybe we’ll go away for a night, but then he was also dog-sitting, so then that option…okay, said, okay, now I’m dog-sitting. So, he said, let’s go…maybe we’ll go to Six Flags. This is where your first decision-making point comes up. It may take all our time to talk about it, and we talked about it, I think, last time.

 

Now, the last time went to Six Flags, it was part of a combination ticket we bought from another company that was one of these Visit Los Angeles tickets, where you could go to about…over a five-day thing, you could go…'cause we went to Knott’s Berry Farm on that ticket. I believe we went to Universal and we went to Magic Mountain, and then Sophia went to some other LA area things. So, now, Six Flags has been going through some changes, and not everybody’s happy about it. I don't follow it too much, 'cause Scooter and I were trying to stay out of that kind of stuff. But we said, okay…and in the past, they were constantly trying to upgrade you to a season pass or an annual pass, and I think they tried out membership, which was the same as a annual pass, but you paid monthly.

 

Even when we were buying it, they were try…I think even within the seven-day period, they reintroduced membership, but by the time we went to go buy our pass again, they had…it was gone from the website. I believe a lot of other companies are trying to figure out the direction, and we’ve seen…say, one company in particular, say, well, we’re just gonna…we’re gonna get as much as we can while we can, because we know we have these dedicated customers that love our park. So, we’re gonna add on wherever we can. Then you have another theme park, which has raised their prices, but they say, well, we’re more…we want annual pass-holders, and we will give you discounts and stuff. But those are in Orlando, where Six Flags is more of a local amuse…a theme…amusement park.

 

Not quite a theme park; no offense. So, when Scooter was trying to buy it, he was like, well, should we buy a one-day pass? Then he said, well…his daughter might want to go back to the park with her friends, and then he said, well, we should go to Magic Mountain again soon. Then, Six Flags also has a water park by us in its a separate location from the theme park. So, Scooter was like, okay, and then parking is $40. So, let me just tell you that right upfront, 'cause Scooter actually thought it was less. So, when we got there and saw how much parking was, what we did…our choice was underlined with…say, good choice. Of course, it’s a funny thing in here, and of course, it’s Scooter getting hot under the collar, which is also always funny for listeners.

 

So, Scooter was like, well, okay, so…and I’ll lay out the numbers for you, but they’re probably not accurate, and plus, you have taxes and fees, but actually, everything has taxes and fees, so don't worry about the taxes and fees. But just assume Ray’s only within $20 or $30 correct, okay? So, I…oh, we’ll get to the price of the annual passes. Oh, the season pass, by the way; not an annual pass. Don’t make a pass out of you and me. You know what I’m saying. But so, Scooter was looking and then he said, okay, well…okay, so here’s the thing; he said, okay, it’s like, forty bucks to go to the park for one day. I will tell you, $40 is…it’s worth it, and we’ll talk about our day. But when you…then you say, okay, but then parking is $40. So, for one person, it’s gonna be eighty bucks, or for four people, it would be fifty bucks.

 

Let’s just say that, even though we only had three people. Let’s just pretend. So, yeah, at $50 with parking, if you split it evenly. Okay, so then, to go to the waterpark, another day is $30, but we’re gonna…then you’re also paying $10 for parking if you’re splitting it four ways, so that’s another $40. So, then you’re at $90. Now, we didn’t actually discuss this ahead of time, but this ten…splitting the parking four ways actually helps make a reasonable analysis. So, now you’re at $90. Now, if you go to Magic Mountain one time, I believe it’s a little bit more. So, it’s like, $50 and then $10 for parking, so you’re at $60, so then you’re at $150. Actually, that already gets us to the break-even point on paper, because that’s what we…initially, they were selling the season pass for $140 or $150, Scooter said. $149, maybe.

 

But then Scooter was drinking one of his Coke Zeroes, and he happened to look at the can, and it said, ‘Go to sixflags.com/coke’. He had heard there was no more one-day discounts, and that’s, again, what they’re going away from. Six Flags was trying to raise their price and make it a more premium experience, and I will say…no offense, but I don't know if you understand…if you’re running Six Flags, do you understand you’re running Six Flags? Because you can’t say it’s a premium…you’re raising the price to create a premium experience. That just doesn’t work. Now, I will say, it was a great experience. Was it a premium experience? No, but I will…we’ll say it right now; the employees at Six Flags Vallejo, other than some communication issues that was not their fault…they didn’t have the correct information, the employees there were beyond excellent, as good as the employees at Weeki Wachee.

 

Well, maybe not as…those ones, those employees at Weeki Wachee, I’d say, were better just because they overextended themselves to make you feel welcome. But Six Flags employees at Vallejo were beyond…were a step above competent. Nowadays, that’s asking a lot, really. They were all very helpful and I cannot think of a time…other than some of them will talk about, which again, was nobody’s fault…was an excellent experience. So, okay, so we’re at the break-even point. But so, when Scooter went to the Coke link…now again, Scooter does not read everything, so I’m going to assume that the fault lies with Scooter. There was a $10 or $20 discount on the annual pass or the season pass. Now, Scooter thought he was buying an annual pass.

 

He also…it said it comes with a soda cup that he thought was good for the whole season for free soda. So, then it was over. The deal was…he was like, I’m going…I’m already in checkout, Ray. But again, it ended up…well, we’ll get to it. So, maybe this will be less about the park. No, we’ll get to everything, I think. So, we made the deal, and it came with one day of dining, the soda cup, discounts on things, and again, entry to the parks until the end of this year. Scooter said, oh boy…but he said, I guess I should have read it, and that makes sense, 'cause…when he found out he had a seasonal pass and not a annual pass. But when he ran the numbers, he said, okay, we just gotta go to Magic Mountain and the waterpark, and we’ll break even, which we will do, probably by the end of the year.

 

Now, it doesn’t include the Halloween parties, so, that was a cut back they made over the past year or two years or whatever. Okay, so, we drive to the park. Lovely drive. The park opened at 11:00 AM, I believe? Yes, 'cause we left…now, we were running late, so we were scheduled to arrive at about five after, so we didn’t get there for rope drop, but it turns out, we did not need to. The park the whole day was not crowded at all. There was some waiting in line, but it was not crowded. The weather was magnificent. It was…usually Vallejo is a very warm area in the summertime, but it was sunny, but only in the eighties. So, a perfect theme-parking day. For a large portion of the day, there was a breeze. Okay, so, we got to the park.

 

We had no problem parking, other than Scooter was a little grouchy that his daughter and I couldn’t pull up our passes to help him park. But when we found out it was $40 to park, we were already in a good mood, and because it wasn’t busy, we got…we didn’t get…there’s preferred parking, but there’s regular parking, but the first round of people, you park in covered parking covered by solar panels. So, not only are you parking your car, you’re parking it in partial shade. So, that was something we were grateful for. Then we walked to the park, and it was a nice little walk. There was a lake there or a tension basin, and it wasn’t even too busy walking. There was a lot of people starting their day, but not anything like any of the other parks we’ve been to. Then we got to the park.

 

We got in no problem; just a little bit of a wait. It was very well-run. We got…had to have our pictures taken 'cause we had the annual passes. We got our cards. Then there was a couple…we were reading about the top rides to ride. Now, when we walked there, we saw that not all the rides were operating. We were prepared for that, or Scooter was, so Scooter said, okay, well, not all the rides are gonna be running. We have this pass, so we don’t have to worry about it. We could always come back. We can actually leave the park whenever we want. If you were paying a one-day pass, I still think you would get about $50 of value, but again, it was…it would be a little bit disappointing, because a large number of the rides were not operating.

 

But one of the best rides was, which was the first one we went on, which we walked over…was The Joker. The Joker is one of these…I think it’s a intimin or whatever. It’s a wooden coaster with metal train tracks on it now, and it still uses the similar wooden coaster car, but it is the smoothest experience ever. This is a little bit smaller of a wooden coaster, but you still get that experience. If you haven’t been on one of these hybrid coasters and you like going on them, I cannot encourage you to seek out whatever park is close that has one of these to go on it, because they…it is…so, we went on The Joker. Let’s see, we got in line 11:30. Scooter put five stars again. We were in line again for The Joker at 11:55. Now, this was one of the longest lines.

 

Now, The Joker was being operated…and at the other hybrid coaster at Magic Mountain, it’s the same way. Very entertaining person running the dispatch, and very smooth operation as far as loading and unloading. Both times we rode all the way…one time we were in the last two cars, and in the next time, we were in the last two…car, the second from the back, and the third from the back. Such a great…let’s see, solar shade, long walk, 11:30, 55…line again. Again, the line was about…yeah, what did we say here? Twenty…about twenty minutes. Partial shade in line…after that, we went to kinda figure out where do we get our cups, 'cause soda’s…Scooter said, I need my soda cup, and we wanted to figure…maybe it was time to get some lunch.

 

Now, we were supposed to get these cups that were part of the deal with Coke-Cola, but it was very confusing. So, we went into guest relations. Now, they were very polite there, but they said, oh, maybe you have to print a coupon. They didn’t know. Scooter said, no, it says right here, you’re supposed to give me a cup. That’s when he saw that it was only one day of all-day drinking, but actually, his daughter pointed it out. But that was fine. He said…it was more of like, where do we even go? They said, well, we don’t know. What do you mean? They said…and then we followed the instructions at guest relations to go on the website, create a log-in, and then go into our coupons. We said, there’s no coupon. It says the same thing here; it says, you give us a cup.

 

Again, Scooter’s…was very calm, 'cause he was just…because they were polite. They were just like, we don’t understand, which is unfortunate for guest relations. Scooter was a little frustrated 'cause he said, wouldn’t it have been easier to just say, okay, here’s three cups? ‘Cause there was three people at guest relations and between the three of them, even they were having conflicting solutions, none of which were expedient. Finally, it was decided to pass it on. Now, I don't…I think it was just because they said, I don't know. They said, go to the soda place out front here and have them scan your pass and see what happens. I think they’ll just give you a cup there. Then we did that, and the person there working at the soda stand there was very…again, a great employee, very helpful, but again, he had to kinda scan the passes quite a few times to get it to work, and then finally he did.

 

So, we got our cups. Scooter had a Coke Zero, and then we had lunch. We had some chicken tenders at another stand, and fries, which again was included with $150. It was probably $15, and again, the sodas…if you count the sodas we drank during the day, $10. So, then you’re at $25. So, already for the day, we’re at $40, $50, $75 of value. Now, that was it for the dining plan. You don’t…you only get one day, unless you pay more, and I heard that they had cut backs. Oh, and again, then later we had Dippin' Dots. So, now we’re at $80. So, we’re in pretty good shape. Okay, so to go back…so, we had…the chicken tenders and fries were very good. They give you a lot of fries even though Scooter said, I wish there would have been a salad option. But it was only mac and cheese or chips or fries. So, but, you know, it is Six Flags.

 

So, I said, Scooter, enjoy your fries. It’s your day to enjoy them. So, then we had that and we had…oh boy, we had a nice table in the shade and we enjoy…we were people-watching, and it was so calm. Oh, it was nice. We had a long lunch because there was no rush. I was impressed 'cause even Scooter was in no rush. Again…okay, so, but the only thing was…so, this was in the DC universe where The Joker ride was, and the other top ride there on that side of the park is Superman. Now, Superman was closed. There was also a coaster called Batman that looked like…I don't know about it. That one was also closed. Then there was a Wonder Woman lasso ride that was a spinning ride that I’m not sure we would have gone on anyway, but that was open, then closed, then open, then closed.

 

So, again…and then there was a ride called The Flash, which I assume was there because it’s the DC area. That was also closed, and actually, on the internet, they said that will probably not be open. No chance. But the internet did say, expect a lot of rides to be closed. They’re short-staffed and it’s not busy. But again, those two rides and The Joker, if it was a park where you paid, I would rate those at $10…that was one of the best coasters. Not as good as Magic Mountain, but I mean, that’s one of the few destination coasters in the world, of coaster parks. So, and then it was just relaxing. The park, again, was very clean. Bathrooms were clean. So, Ray’s not here to complain, but just to say, temper your expectations.

 

Again, because it was…we were there with the pass, Scooter stayed calm instead of saying…instead of looking at his zero-sum situation, he’s said, well, let’s come back and go on that ride. We were all onboard. We said, yeah, we’ll just come back and go on that ride. Okay, so, next what happened was after we had our long lunch, Scooter’s daughter wanted a ICEE. Now, that was another thing, was your soda cup does not get you ICEEs. They charge $5. But so, whatever. We had one ICEE, or she had it, and then I think we just started walking around and we ended up…oh, Scooter was gonna get a soda, but then…oh, I have my notes here. Guest relations, confusing and cups, chicken tenders and fries, soda tea-splitter…I don't know what that means. 1:24; we went on a kids’ coaster or a family coaster.

 

Not a baby coaster, but something like your first roller-coaster-type coaster. We were having fun. It banged around a lot from side to side, kinda like Big Thunder Mountain or something, but it was a little bit more simpler than that. So, we went on that, then we went on…that was at…what did I say? 1:24 PM. Then we went on a tall…now, this is a return from just the Father’s Day thing. We went on…1:37, we went on the Sky Cheerer, which again, was a tall swing ride similar to the one we went to on last Father’s Day and this Father’s Day, but these swings were like the first Father’s Day, where they were free-swinging. It was only Sophia that noted that on the…at the county fair, they were fixed. They weren’t on chains. They were in some other thing.

 

So, Scooter said, oh, maybe it’ll be less dizzying for me, which it turned out to be true. It did take a while to load that ride, which again, would have been frustrating if we were in a hurry, but we were not. So, we went on that ride, and then…that was 1:37, then at 1:49…and in…this is the other…whatever…it was a floor-less coaster called The Woman You Look at That You Turn to Stone. Long name for a roller-coaster. Don’t Look In Her Eyes She’ll Turn You to Stone Coaster. But this is one of the other three…I think one of the other ones that you got…you say, you gotta go on it. It was a floor-less coaster. We only went on it once even though there was no ride, and I think it was only because of our next experience. But so, no line; walked right on that coaster or waited one or two trains…and again, everybody running it; very efficient, having fun, and easy dispatch. Great ride.

 

I don't know why we didn’t go on it twice. Well, I do know why. So, then, right across from there is a coaster called K-O-N-G. Here’s the thing, simple thing; don’t go on that coaster ever. If you’re hearing this, you might say, well, Ray…no, don’t go on it. Trust me. Just don’t go on it. Even after we went on it, people…we said to ourselves, you hear that on a podcast; oh, that coaster is too…it’s not a fun experience, but you still go…just don’t go on it. It was…it had a line. Now, it wasn’t a terrible line, but I think they were only running one train, and that was why the line was there. But it was just not…it was a hanging coaster and it was just not fun. It was very…vibration…literally, all of us, as soon as it left the station…even when people were getting off, we heard them joking, like, uh…it was just, don’t go on K-O-N-G.

 

Plain and simple. You don’t do it. We said, we could just stay here and tell people, don’t go on this ride. Do yourself a favor. Not worth your time. But they probably wouldn’t listen, understandably. So, we did not go on The Woman That Looks at Us Like Stone Again just 'cause we were kind of like…then we made a restroom stop. We had made other…Scooter had made two other stops or three other stops, by the way, just in case you’re keeping score at home. Scooter also refilled his soda at that point, and again, this was later in the day, but probably…now…oh, Scooter lost his pen on the coaster. He thinks just at the beginning of it, The Woman Who You Stare Into Her Eyes. He thinks he lost it on the lift hill, his pen. So, we don’t have anymore notes. I did take some pictures, but I think I’ll use the pictures in my mind, anyway.

 

So, Scooter got a soda, then we used the restrooms. I found Scooter sitting on a bench drinking his soda. We took a little break on the bench and found out from Sophia that she was observing that there was people on dates there that were probably in her age range. So, they were on a date with…the parents were also there. Then there was a number of parents or grandparents we saw throughout the park who stationed themselves in the shade and were reading a book or doing something while the other…that were just there as a driver. We said, oh, that’s a nice little idea there. So, then…what happened next? So, then we walked and we said, okay, there’s supposed to be some new family ride that’s like Chester and Hester’s, which Sophia really liked and Scooter did not…in general.

 

So, we walked to this other part of the park. We did not go to any of the shows. Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, it’s called. It’s had other names and it’s not…it’s been a non-Six Flags park. But after going on K-O-N-G, it kinda brought us down. Then we went over and into this new…another land of the park, and there was a coaster called Boomerang. Now, at Six Flags, this is called something…Zoomer something. It’s a pretty simple one; you just go up, you go down a hill, backwards, then you go through a couple loops, and then you go up a hill, and then you go through it again forwards. Or maybe you go forwards then backwards. Scooter said he’ll never ride that ride again. It gave him tummy troubles because of the loops. But Scooter did talk to people in line there.

 

They talked to him first, 'cause the people behind him in line, the gentleman had the same shoes on as Scooter, probably the same shoe…and they’re these trail-running shoes, so it was very obscure. The person said, hey, we got the same shoes on. Scooter said, we do. I love them. So, I mean, that was a…I said, I think I just witnessed a breakthrough. Then the gentleman’s partner or date or whatever said, what’s your favorite ride so far? Scooter said, Joker. I liked it. We went on it twice. So, wow. I said, who is this man talking to people? But Scooter was not happy with that ride, understandably. There was a little bit of a wait, but not too bad. Then we went on Sidewinder, which again had a little bit of a line. Not too bad, again.

 

Did not have a very…it wasn’t the employee’s fault; it was just, the design wasn’t efficient for loading. The thing is the ride was not worth going on anyway. It was like a stand…it was the…it was the out-of-box, circular coaster, and it was just too jerky. Just don’t go…another one. Just don’t go on it. Sit on the bench. If someone doesn’t believe you, say, okay, I’ll be here. I’ll wait for you on this bench here. Then we got Dippin' Dots after that, and Scooter…'cause we had one snack, and originally, Scooter was gonna have a funnel cake. But his daughter said, maybe I’ll have Dippin' Dots. Scooter said, maybe I’ll…I’ve never ordered Dippin' Dots. My whole life, it was…when he was a kid, it was too…Dippin' Dots were a premium ice cream. They may have been even called something else; space ice cream or something.

 

Then he developed a resentment towards it where he was like, oh, this is just some sort of trickery, and then he would begrudgingly buy for his daughter, but he never…he would taste hers, but he literally has never had his own Dippin' Dots in his life until this trip. So, I was impressed. So, we got a cookies and cream and a cookie dough. We split those and kinda took turns, and they were both very good, and Scooter said, wow, this is quite the experience. So, he was happy with the Dippin' Dots. Then, I think it was before the Dippin' Dots; we said, maybe it’s time to go home. So, we departed there, and after that, we walked to the car. The walk to the car was a bit much. You can take a bus, though, but we decided instead of waiting for the bus, we would just walk. We headed home, and we had a great time.

 

Again, it was very not busy there, so that made a big difference. It was a Friday, but it was in the summer…school break. Again, I think this is the…where they’re trying to find the pricing to meet the demand. So, it was not as packed as you’d think a theme park would be in the summer, but I would not call it a premium experience, 'cause again, a lot of the…you can’t call something a premium experience if most of your rides…at least 50% of the rides, probably…let’s…I’m honestly being…were down, and your shows are only once or twice a day, and a lot of your shops are closed. Now, cleaning-wise, I would say not premium, but I would say employee training; excellent. Communication from corporate to employees about different promotions; not great. Pricing, I’d say standard for this theme park, amusement park area. A little bit higher. They probably have to come…trying to add on the ICEEs or whatever.

 

But clean park, good employees, and rides not operating. So, I would say, not a premium experience, but exceeded expectations. But also, I’d say exceeded expectations, one, because low crowds, unbelievable weather. If it was really hot or really busy where there was a line for everything that was over an hour…like I said, thirty minutes or twenty-five minutes for The Joker. There was longer waits, but that was more due to the loading than lack of the trains, but that was about the standard wait for a lot of the rides; twenty to thirty-five minutes for the bigger rides. I’d say, that adds to your score, where if it was really hot, no offense, you’d just…we would have been like, oh boy, that was not enjoyable, or if there was longer waits, we would have been like, this is not acceptable. But great job. We had a great time. We were very happy, and we appreciated it. So, that’s another little adventure with Ray and Scooter. I hope you had fun. Goodnight, everybody.

 

[END OF RECORDING]

(Transcribed by Leah Hervoly)

Notable Language:

• Camping-Style Retreat (CSR)
• Combo Wristband
• Cheston Hesters

Notable Culture:

• Startup podcast
• Pop Tarts
• King Kong

Notable Talking Points:

• Pop Tart Serendipity
• The Largest Portable Ferris Wheel in North America
• An Exceeded Expectations Experience