Legend of Dragon's Cove

Have you ever just taken a drive without a destination in mind? Just going on the road and seeing where it would take you?

For me, it’s a hobby. I love travelling. I do it every two months or if I’m just bored of the same scenery and want a story to tell my friends and co-workers.

I’ve been to a lot of cities and neighborhoods. I actually met my soon-to-be fiancé when I went to Washington five years ago. I had to stay there longer than I planned cause my car broke down. She was a mechanic that helped me out, and after she fixed it I took her out to lunch cause she was so nice to me, and we synced the first few minutes we talked.

Everywhere I go, I meet new people and make new friends. Especially at bars. That’s where we solidify our friendships; doing challenges and taking shots of insane drink combinations. I gain their respect after getting majorly drunk, and they let me crash on their couch till I sober up. They were true friends.

The craziest thing that’s happened to me on a road trip happed two years ago. A couple was trying to flag drivers down on the road. I’m known for having a big heart, so I stopped and asked what was going on. Their 9-year old daughter had passed out and they couldn’t wake her up. Neither of them knew how to properly administer CPR and it was going to take the paramedics a while to get to them. With their permission, I began the CPR on their daughter, trying to get her to open her eyes.

Just as the paramedics pulled up, she opened her eyes. The parents called me their hero and send me postcards. Actually, I just got an invitation from their daughter to her 11^th birthday party in three months. I’m the worst at picking out presents for people. But that’s why I have my girlfriends to help me out.

The road can take you to many places you’d never think you’d go, and meet people you would never expect. This road trip I’m on…took me somewhere I thought I’d never get to go again.

I just got into Oregon, drinking what was left of my Starbucks Frappuccino, when I saw signs for an amusement park called Dragon’s Cove. I remember always being beyond excited whenever we took a family trip to this place. I got that same feeling now as I did when I was eight. I leaned over my steering wheel, looking for the exits that lead to Dragon’s Cove. It wasn’t hard since many of the signs were decorated with a silhouette of a dragon.

It was like I was going there for the first time again.

My brother went there on his middle school field trip and showed me pictures and souvenirs. He got me a pair of dragon wings I never took off. I couldn’t wait till I was old enough to go and ride the attractions. Once I was eight, and I had met the height restrictions for the rides, my parents took me. I’d pretend I was a dragon, roaring out the window and pretending to breathe fire, while my brother acted like a knight and trying to slay me with his plastic sword and shield.

It wasn’t long before I had reached the parking structure of Dragon’s Cove. Going through the giant castle gates was the most nostalgic feeling I’ve ever felt. There were usually two men dressed as castle guards that helped you find a place to park. They’d greet us with, Halt brave warriors! You are about to enter the Realm of the Dragon! Tread through if you dare! Hold fast to your swords, Lords and Ladies. Follow the path to your adventure!

I remember my eyes sparkling at their lines. They always kept their gaze on me as they spoke, sensing my enthusiasm.

I stepped out of the car, smelling the artificial dragon smoke that oozed from behind the ticket counter. My parents had to constantly tell me to wait for them and not run off. But all I wanted to explore and ride everything I could until the park closed. The first ride I ever went on, was one called Tail Whip.

The cars were long and in the shape of a dragon’s tail. The ride took off straight from the station, turning in all directions as if we were attached to a real dragon going out of control. I won’t lie, it scared me the first time, but I had my brother with me, and I wanted to show him I was brave.

The ground was decorated like brimstone; fit for a dragon. There were smoke machines in different parts of the park with red-orange lights to look like fire. There were other kids that had the same dragon wings as I did. I took pictures with kids I met and made deeper memories with others when I turned eleven.

One of the best things about Dragon’s Cove, other than the rides obviously, was the food. There were a few well-known chain restaurants here and there. But Dragon’s Cove was like going to a Renaissance Fair; old-fashioned, homemade food and drink fit for only the bravest of knights and the fiercest of dragons. All of the deserts were shaped like dragons, knight armor, swords, dragon wings, shields…they were all mega tasty.

I’d stuff my face with food and go on the tallest and fastest rides like The Slayer, which was an indoor coaster that took you through a simulated dark forest, into an abandoned castle and finally the Dragon’s lair, where at the top of the tallest hill, there’d be a dragon waiting for you. Just before you went down, it would breath fire just above us and you’d hear its mighty roar as you went through the final twists and turns before returning to the docking station. In your picture, it’d be your car, and then an image of a dragon chasing you with breathing fire. I made sure to get one every time I went on it.

My favorite ride I remember was one called The Flame’s Rage, where the cars looked like giant fireballs, and at the top of the hill, from the outside, it was a dragon that spit you out and dash you in all kinds of directions. I think in one visit, I had went on that ride like eight times.

Even though my family would warn me about going on these rides after eating a lot of food, I never listened. I’d always puke everything back up. Once it was so bad that I had to go to a medical station they had in the park. My stomach was in knots, and I remember being scrunched up in pain. The doctor gave me some medicine, and we had to stay there until I was slightly better. If I had gotten back in the car, I would’ve continued getting sick due to the motion. We were there for an extra three hours before we could finally go home to my regular doctor.

That was the last time I was at Dragon’s Cove. Every single memory I had of this place were some of the best from my childhood.

Even now…standing at the remnants of this magical getaway, with signs for all of it to be demolished in a few weeks, the crumbling signs and attractions that gave every kid the best experience they could ever have…I still see it as it once looked.

I walked towards the ticket booth, remembering the smell of the artificial dragon smoke. The feel of those dragon wings on my back as I pretended to fly with them. The gates…boarded off from the public. A smile still showed itself as I raised my fist to my heart, giving my respect to the home of the dragons. Now, all of them sleighed by the last brave knights that set foot in those doors. Doing what many mortal men…had failed to do before them.