The Sling Shot (Reno, NV)
This ride is, well, more "turbulent" than the Ultimate Rush. It's basically a metal cage attached to two sets of bungee cords that are stretched between two 160 foot (16 story) towers. The cage is held down to the ground with a big clamp. You get strapped in with a 5 point harness and the attendant tells you to cross your chest with your arms and hold onto the harness straps, keep your feet against the floor and keep your head against the headrest to avoid getting bruised during the "ride." The sign at the gate tends to motivate you to listen. It says "This ride is EXTREME. You may get banged up or injured. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! I'm here to tell you that they don't exaggerate much. Two winch cables stretch those bungee cords to the tops of the towers, then the guy on the ground presses a button and the last thing you consciously hear is the clank of the release mechanism, followed by some rather fast acceleration and movements and rotations in directions that you might not have believed possible, and you can sort of make out the screams from people watching on the ground while your blood pounds in your eardrums. You don't scream on this ride. You don't try to figure out if you're right side up or upside down. You do get to see little snapshots of the earth or sky or whatever when the cage changes direction. You're grateful you took this ride before lunch rather than after. You concentrate on doing exactly what the guy who pushed the button told you to do and eventually <b>...</b>
