Off icialKidsMag.com • MAY & JUNE 2018 • 45
Finally, after waiting for the ride to open,
Trot was in line. Anticipation was building. You
could hear the trains launching from the load
house above our heads. Every time a train hit
the track, Trots eyes widened. I just tried to
keep breathing and looking cool.
I caught up with Trot again as he stood in
the queue, just moments from boarding the
coaster that will take us to a height of 100
feet, at speeds of 50-miles per hour, on a
1-minute and 57-second trip along 3,020 feet
of twisting
and turning track. Trot was ready. I wasn't.
"I am just so excited," he said, barely able
to contain his glee. "I'm so pumped to be able
to do this on the first day it is open. I'm a little
bit scared, but not too bad."
Trot is braver than I will ever be. He was
excited. I was terrified and trying not to look
it. Not so sure I pulled it off.
"For Silver Dollar City to do time travel for
the theme is really cool," Trot, who believes in
time travel himself, explained. "It's like time
traveling when you come to Silver Dollar City.
It's really cool."
Ride it to believe it
As I was trying to get my bearings following
my trip back in time… or was it forward? Trot
nonchalantly climbed off the coaster. I could
see his face. He was trying to look calm
and collected, but his excitement was
bursting through.
"It was awesome," he said, talking a mile a
minute. "It exceeded all of my expectations. I
want to ride it again 10 times."
He was quick to tell me his favorite part of
the almost two-minute trip.
"I would say the drop is the best part," he
said of the 10 story, 90-degree vertical drop
out of the coaster's load house. "I was facing
forward during the drop. It was just like… 'I
hope I don't die!'"
While I know countless hours of design
work and safety testing go into a ride like
Time Traveler before anyone gets onboard, it's
still a little scary. In fact, the park's owners,
who brought Time Traveler to life, took the
first ride. That inspired confidence in me. I'm
not sure Trot even knew that, or even cared.
He wanted a trill… and got one.
"It's super cool," he said. "I've never done
anything like it. You are going to have to ride it
to believe it."
I agree, Trot. I agree.
THIS
IS
A
STORY
OF
ONE
OF
THOSE
DREAMERS.
Meet
Charles
Henry,
the
29-year-old
owner
of
his
recently
inherited
clock-
making
factory
family
business.
For
months
now
there
have
been
whisperings
behind
the
fences
of
Silver
Dollar
City
of
strange
goings-on
down
at
old
Henry's
clock
making
factory.
Townsfolk
assumed
he
would
carry
on
the
tradition
of
crafting
chiming
clocks
and
more,
but
something
bigger
is
happening.
Go
to
OfficialKidsMag.com
to
see
more
photos
and
watch
video
of
Time
Traveler.
OFFICIALKIDSMAG.COM
KIDS
PICK
Charles
Henry
