A ride (or two) back in time

The weather was picture-perfect today, that ideal combination of summer sun and warm breeze that makes it a sin to be indoors.

So out Basil, Catherine and I went, for a stroll down memory lane at Rye (NY) Playland, site of so many fun afternoons of our youth.

It wound up being a walking tour.

It started with Catherine and me trying our hands at the shoot-’em-up game before considering a ride on the Carousel, which this year is a century old.

We kept walking instead, watching families brave the log flume, and a bunch of teenagers scream their way through a crazy pendulum-like thing that ultimately began to loop-the-loop.

It was too much to watch, and so we continued on our way.

The facade of the Flying Witch revealed the same fanciful paintings I remember from my youth — back when I watched friends disappear behind the ride’s swinging doors but couldn’t work up the nerve to try it myself.  I still can’t. We walked on by.

Farther down the midway, the Dragon Coaster’s signature creature still keeps watch.

The first hill of that famed wooden coaster was always a doozy, but I couldn’t convince Catherine to try it with me. She is a one-and-done kind of girl where amusement park rides are concerned and the Dragon Coaster is no exception. Her singular tussle with this historic ride at age 9 or 10 left her in tears, and her memory is long and keen.

Instead, she grudgingly agreed to pose in one of the original cars.

The Ferris wheel was long ago replaced with a bigger, snazzier version. We watched it spin for a bit, but ultimately decided to pass, preferring to keep our feet on the ground.

We next headed past the boat ride and train in Kiddieland, reminiscing about each of our childhood rides on these, before making our way to the boardwalk now forever identified with a young Tom Hanks.

Then it was a little silliness…

and lunch at the Tiki Bar before heading home.

Basil and Catherine, ready for lunch.

We’ll be back to ride another day.