Having accrued precautionary sick hours and the necessary courage, I spent an afternoon at the OC Fair testing rides my colleagues picked to be the most “tummy-churning.”
The OC Fair is underway in Costa Mesa, with more than 50 rides between the carnival midway and the family fairway serving thrill seekers of all ages and tolerances.
First on the day’s bucket list was the fair’s newest attraction, Air Raid, one of the event’s most dizzying and fast-spinning rides.
But there were plenty more options, and I took note of their fun and fear factors … and also how many tickets you’ll need to part with.
As someone who enjoys an adrenaline rush, I’d say they all were more fun than fear.
But err on the side of caution: Save the funnel cake for later.
Air Raid, 6 tickets
It’s an 118-foot tower with six arms that unfurl to spin gondolas at forces up to 4G, or four times the force of gravity.
Let’s put it this way: It was a force certainly strong enough for me to surrender to laughs and shrieks as I was spun around in indecipherable circles.
The centrifugal force pushed (and kept) me locked to the outer edge of my seat as the fairgrounds became a momentary blur.
Consider this piece of wisdom: Take your sunglasses off. I don’t doubt the raging wind and gravity would’ve sent my shades flying.
Endeavor Space Wars, 7 tickets
First debuting at the fair in 2023, Endeavor lifts passengers 60 feet into the air and spins them at 25 mph and three times the force of Earth’s gravity.
The name gets straight to the point. It felt brave and intergalactic.
It’s also incredibly dizzying. A few spins in, I was wondering whether I’d be able to gracefully disembark and walk in a straight line toward the exit.
But, I think that’s part of the fun.
The Titan, 14 tickets
“Nope.”
One passerby said in a few more words; probably best capturing the visual menace of the OC Fair’s tallest ride.
Titan rockets riders 170 feet into the air — imagine 17 stories — and loops them 360 degrees.
It had us plummeting face-first, at times, toward the ground and then back up again.
By far, it was the most expensive ride of the afternoon. But also by far, my favorite.
Part of the ride’s draw is its docking procedure. Eight of us found ourselves dangling high in the air as we waited for more passengers to board at the other end down below.
The process gave me several minutes to soak in the view of nearby cities; from my seat, I had a clear sight of the Santa Ana Mountains.
I’d like to try Titan again, at sunset.
Heidi the Coaster, 8 tickets
It’s a Bavarian-themed spinning roller coaster that, from the ground, looked unassuming.
I believed I’d been on enough roller coaster rides to gauge whether I should be intimidated. But I was mistaken.
Before stepping into one of Heidi’s wooden keg carts, leave your personal belongings behind. Your hubris, too.
I did neither and ended up clutching onto my stuff as the coaster whipped me through several violent 180-degree turns.
I saved my sunglasses, but lost my water bottle to a particularly brutal bend.
And while I salvaged my belongings, I had enough time to laugh and feel like a kid.
Wild River, 7 tickets
I ended my day with the Wild River.
It’s your classic log ride, featuring two straight-to-the-point drops that leave its passengers completely soaked and wringing out their clothes.
Note: It’s not single-rider friendly. But that was part of the fun.
I made conversation with another rider, who, counter to my hopes in the more than 80 degree weather that afternoon, said, “Hopefully, we don’t get too wet.”
We ended up drenched, but in agreement: “It felt refreshing.”
I’d do it again, even as it meant trekking around in wet jeans.
The OC Fair runs through Aug. 16; it is closed Mondays and Tuesdays.