Randy Wilson Photography

Fury 325, Fast Lane Plus, and The Best Day Ever!

There is a fine line between telling a story and bragging. In the end, it seems both are perceived as boasting. Such was the case a few years ago as our family was driving to Six Flags Over Georgia. My daughter asked if I would ride all of the rides with her or would I be afraid. Without hesitation I said, "Did I ever tell you about the time I was in the Navy and I flew off of the aircraft carrier 5 times and I landed 4 with the arresting cables? There is no ride that compares to that!" So when faced with the ride called Goliath, there was nothing else I could do but to ride it like a boss!

I grew up riding a wooden coaster in Myrtle Beach, S.C. called "The Swamp Fox." It was the scariest ride at 5 years old but when I reached the riding height, I loved it. I rode it with my Dad every summer. Growing up in the Charlotte area, we anticipated the opening of Carowinds. In 1976 they added the twin wooden coaster called "Thunder Road." In the final week of the season, my brother and I skipped school and he drove us to Carowinds. The park was so empty that the famed Thunder Road was all ours. They even let us stay on for constant riding. I recall once we stayed on for 5 rides then we got off for some snacks and back on! I remember 29 times riding and my brother says it was 39, but either way it was a great day!

Early 2020, Lisa caught a sale and we were planning to take Alyssa to Carowinds for her birthday. Lisa had also found a deal on "Fast Lane Plus" arm bands which allowed for no wait, head of the line riding. We have witnessed others enjoying the passes at Disney and Dollywood. But the pandemic closed the park the full year. Alyssa was so sad.

Last year during our family visit, we drove out to Carowinds to let her see Fury 325 from the parking lot. The 325 comes from the height of the first drop of the coaster down to 5 feet and at 81 degrees. Almost straight down reaching a speed of 95 mile per hour. All year long she showed us videos of the entire ride. We somewhat knew what to expect.

This year was the year. The park was fully open and they assured the tickets would be good for this season. To make it even better, Lisa booked a cabin at the resort on site which included a pool and a shuttle ride to the park. 

Our plans could not have gone any better. The driver dropped us off directly in front of the gate giving us a peek of the park behind-the-scenes along the way. Our tickets were good and we now had Fast Lane Plus bands around our wrist. The girls decided to work up to Fury and we headed to a new ride called Copperhead Strike. Our passes led us to the first ride and front row. What an amazing ride! Heading to Fury, we stopped by The Intimidator and rode the back row with no wait. Now on to Fury 325!

She had waited so long for this ride and once again the Fast Lane Pass led us to the back row with no wait. With our beautiful girl between us the ride hurried to the peak and I raised my hands high. I'll admit there was tension in my body as we fell 320 feet almost straight down. I was not touching the seat. Only the lap restraint was keeping me in the car. I am not a screamer but Lisa and Alyssa made up for me and soon their hands were high in the air! A very long ride but very smooth. We couldn't wait to ride again, but we decided to ride everything once before we repeated. I looked at my watch as we finished our 7th coaster ride. The park had only been open for 1 hour!  Thank you, Lisa, for getting us the Fast Lane Plus bands!

We rode all of the coasters many times stopping only 15 minutes for a fudge snack and water. Of my six rides on Fury, the last three were the best. It was then that I completely relaxed and just went with the ride instead of fighting it. Oh, what a feeling! I've learned it is the fifth tallest coaster in the world!

After 7 full hours of coaster riding, we did the necessary souvenir shopping. But walking out of the gate Alyssa told Lisa and me the words that every parent longs to hear, "Thank you Mommy and Daddy for the best day of my life!"

On the shuttle ride to the cabin I thought of the people in the que lines and how it appeared none of them were over 50 years old. Most were teens and 20-40 something, not 60 like me. So you are probably thinking, "How long can he do this? Doesn't he get scared?" I will just answer that with a question. "Did I ever tell you about the time I was in the Navy and I took 5 catapult launches off of the carrier?"

Randy