Desperado RAW! I survived.....

Have you tried the Desperado roller coaster ride in Las Vegas?  It's definitely a one-of-a-kind experience.  I consider myself bold and adventurous, never the one to pass up a challenge,  so

when my husband asked if I would like to try a roller coaster ride while we were in Las Vegas, I readily agreed.   I have seen U.S. roller coaster rides from the movies.  We have roller coaster rides here in the Philippines but nothing quite matches those in the U.S. or even those in Japan.  I was thrilled that my husband asked me to go and ride in one.

My husband chose the Desperado roller coaster.  It is  in  31900 Las Vegas Blvd S, Jean, Nevada.

We were also with my husband's childhood friend, Paul, who came from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for reunion with Dave, my husband.


The night before  this roller coaster ride,  I listened with amusement as these two mature men reminisced their 'wild' childhood days.  They never ran out of anecdotes and funny experiences to tell for hours.  I enjoyed listening and laughing with them -  margaritas after margaritas, shrimp cocktails after shrimp cocktails.  OMG, these two items I enjoyed most in Las Vegas.  I think Las Vegas is the place where you could buy  them the cheapest!  

                                                                  Night scene in Las Vegas

Before this ride, their wild childhood escapades were just stories.  After this Desperado ride, I look at my husband in a different perspective. Man, he's really wild in order to enjoy  and go though this ride each time he goes to las Vegas!



Okay, back to Desperado.  This is my first 'real' roller coaster ride in the U.S. and sh*t, I did not know that this is one of the scariest ride even in the U.S.  I did not know that is is the tallest roller coaster in the North America!  The operator had us leave our things -  bag, eyeglasses, sunglasses, camera with the guard before the ride.  I was not able to take picture of us, and even if I was allowed, I would not have the guts to take out my hand from gripping the steel bar in front of me.  I almost couldn't breathe from fear and excitement.  There were two young men in front of us as we were in the second seat..  They looked at me, smiled, and gave me the thumbs up. They looked at each other,  gave each other hi-5 and shook with laughter.  Then the out-of-this-world-ride began.  


We ascended ever so slowly, enabling us to see the beautiful view the Buffalo Bill hotel and the nearby areas.  Reaching the peak,  like a nightmare of a surprise we descended so fast, 80 mph.   I screamed and laughed at the same time,   but then, looking down I saw a very small  hole, where I know we'd be barreling into.  OMG, how could we fit in such a small hole, and at  mind-boggling speed too.  The two young men in front of us were enjoying the ride, they even raised their hands while my hands were almost bloodless from gripping the steel bar!  


Note this ride facts:
Length: 5,843 feet
Max Height: 210 feet
Biggest Drop: 225 feet
Max Speed: 80 mph
Ride Duration: 2 minutes, 45 seconds
Capacity: 1,700 people per hour on three trains
Designer: Arrow Dynamics, Clearfield, Utah
Special Features: A high-speed dive down a 55-degree hill into a tunnel kicks off the ride followed by a 155-foot second hill. That's higher than most other coasters' first drop.

Here's a short Youtube recording, just for you to get a 'feel' of the ride:




After the second ascent/descent, I closed my eyes....which is a very wrong thing to do, as I never anticipated what direction my  neck would be involuntarily turned.  Awww, that was painful. My neck were like pulled and thrust in different directions in what seems like forever!  Paul and Dave and the other passengers were laughing. I screamed all the way,  wooooo,   woooooooo!!!!

After the ride, I needed a drink.  I felt like the old woman that I am.  As you could see in our picture, I was not pale anymore, in fact I was flushed from several bottles of beer.  Hayyy, Desperado is not for the faint of heart, I am warning you.

Lessons learned:
1. Never close your eyes while in a roller coaster ride as you'd like to know how to brace yourself against the roller coaster's twists and turns.  You don't like your fragile neck jerked here and there, don't you.

2.  Before you get married, ask your future groom, "what are the things that give you thrills or excite you".  This will give you enough clues how wild or tame your man is.

Useful sites:
Thanks for the Desperado pic and ride facts
http://www.vegas.com/attractions/outside_lasvegas/desperado.html

Thanks for the youtube entry:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPLUMkfAnSU

 Check out this roller coaster documentary!

Taking full advantage of the DVD format, this installment of the Roller Coaster Thrills series offers viewers a choice of two camera angles for each of the 20 rides captured on this disc. Anticipate the fear of that initial heart-stopping plunge with a first-person perspective, or face backward and watch the reactions of the riders--either way, it's a great ride. The virtual tour across U.S. theme parks includes old-fashioned woodies, dual-track looping coasters, and colossal steel mega-coasters with 300-foot drops. Many of the featured coasters were built in 1999 and show off the latest advances in roller coaster engineering; in fact, one launched coaster has apparently garnered interest from NASA engineers for the speed of its propulsion (0 to 60 mph in under 3 seconds). The disc is also packed with special features: amusement park histories, interviews with roller coaster designers, behind-the-scenes insights from director Ned Rodgers and director of photography Dave Cutler, plus Dolby Digital and DTS surround sound, and bonus footage of the first combination roller coaster and water ride. --Larisa Lomacky Moore