Cale and I left Ponca, AR around 8:15am and headed for Silver Dollar City. It was overcast, but the forecast didn’t show much rain in Branson. We hit the ground running by getting in line for Time Traveler as soon as we arrived. It had started sprinkling by then. About 5 minutes later, it was raining pretty hard. Everyone was waiting out the rain inside various restaurants / shops, and every ride was closed except for the Giant Barn Swing. So…. We rode the Giant Barn Swing. Nine times in a row. In the pouring rain.

By this time it was about 11:00am, so Cale and I decided to go grab something to eat and get out of the rain for a while. We made our way to the skillets, and ate while we waited for the rain to subside. Cale started getting a bit antsy around noon, so we decided to go back out into the rain and see what other rides were open. We rode a couple of roller coasters, and the rain finally stopped around 1:30pm. We pretty much rode rides non-stop until we left the park at 7:30pm. Our final count was:

• Time Traveler – 12
• Barn Swing – 11
• Wildfire – 11
• American Plunge – 3
• Outlaw Run – 2
• Thunderation – 2
• Mystic River – 2
• Powder Keg – 1
• Fire in the Hole – 1

On the 5-hour drive back home we listened to more music, and continued How to Win Friends and Influence People. We arrived back in Edmond a little after midnight, said a prayer in the car before going inside, and went to bed.

I had been planning this initiation weekend for months. While things didn’t go exactly as I had planned, it was an incredible weekend. I couldn’t imagine a better way to kick off Cale’s 5-year journey from boyhood to manhood.

The kids will leave for Kanakuk in a few days. When they get home, Cale and I will officially start The Lovett Legacy. I know that the day-to-day process of The Lovett Legacy will sometimes feel like a bit of a grind over the next 5 years, but I can’t wait to get started.