Friday, March 29, 2024

Riding high

Posted

THE IDLE AMERICAN

Just as “puppy love” is real to the puppy, so also are “thrill rides.” And, whether on land or sea, let’s leave it to participants to decide if such rides deserve to have the “thrill” adjective in their names.

Recently, I climbed the stairs on a cruise ship – Carnival’s Vista – determined to pedal my way around what may be the most talked about new cruise ship attraction.

Upon arrival at the “launch point,” I peered downward, wondering if I needed a pacemaker for my heart – one that had voted against my decision to make good my T-shirt boast: “I Rode the SkyRide.”

Last year, I could have ridden it on the same ship when it sailed from Miami. I chickened out then, opting NOT to try the ride invented by the same man who gave us rollerblades.

This time, though, there were too many Texans on board who would have “yucked it up” if they’d seen me sneaking down stairs instead of mounting the “aerial tricycle.”...

■ I know. There are few rules for the ride. One has to be 54 inches tall, and wear shoes with enclosed ends to protect toes. That’s about it.

Children yawned as they took off. For all I know, they fiddled with phones or listened to their iPods as they pedaled the cycles hanging from rails 150 feet above the sea.

Buckled with three straps, I talked myself out of asking the “ride guy” if he had some way to “fetch” me back to the station if my legs gave way.

No, I was resolved to “forge on,” remembering the Apostle Peter’s mistake of glancing downward while water-walking. I vowed to stare straight ahead...

■ My vow lasted only a few seconds. I looked down at a scene that helped me to unravel a mystery begun when I noticed a man with an elongated carrying case during embarkation. I had wondered if he thought he had to bring his own clubs to play the miniature golf “course.”

As I pedaled, he was setting up a telescope and cameras, ready to use, I surmised, when darkness set in. It made sense to me, because star-lit Caribbean skies are ’pert near as memorable as the beautiful “Aqua Velva” waters. God must have spent extra time adding extra measures of beauty to this part of the world.

Before resuming “straight ahead” viewing, I noticed a youngster, maybe 5 to 6 years of age, approach the man with the camera and telescope. A few seconds later, the child raced away, perhaps seeking parental comfort...

■ A few minutes later, I successfully completed the ride. (Okay, I’ll admit it. The guy on the other track finished a minute or so sooner, but we weren’t racing.)

I hastened to the astronomer/photographer to ask about the upset kid. Smiling, he related what had happened.

“He asked what I was doing. I told him I was getting ready to shoot some stars tonight. He raced away, screaming, ‘Mother, there’s a guy who’s going to shoot some stars tonight. How can we stop him? They’re our stars, too.’”...

■ Meeting new people, hearing their stories and observing vignettes such as this are chief reasons my wife and I enjoy cruising. We are fortunate to live within a few hours of Galveston, which, in less than two decades, has become America’s fourth-busiest cruise port.

A cruise on the Vista is as good as it gets. The marvelous vessel – largest ever to cruise from Galveston – accommodates almost 4,000 guests.

Among them was a wedding planner who arranges hundreds of ceremonies annually, many of them on cruise ships while they’re in port. She is on a first-name basis with many crew members.

I learned that ship weddings, on average, usually cost about $5,000 each, substantially less than on shore. Alas, there were no such “bargains” available when our daughters were married. All three ceremonies occurred before the cruise ships arrived in Texas. Oh, well...

Dr. Newbury is a former educator who “commits speeches” round about. Comments/inquiries to: newbury@speakerdoc.com. Phone: 817-447-3872. Web: www.speakerdoc.com Twitter: @donnewbury. Face-book: don newbury.