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It was the summer of 78, or 79.
I have vivid memories of Euro laughing maniacally as he put his wild mathematical theory to the test on the Antique Auto Race at Knott's Berry Farm. He found the nexus point of the pythagorean right angle divided by pi, jumped the track and drove cross country, leaving a path of destruction all the way to finish line, where he ground his poor little antique racer to a halt against a cement wall in a shower of sparks. It was a moment of pure glory, like Chariots of Fire. People screamed, gasped and applauded.
It was during the rush of park employees who nabbed him first, then me and finally the rest of our sad little group, I realized that he was indeed quite mad. We were photographed, put on a delinquent watch list, ejected from the park, and told not to return until we were 18. And it wasn't even lunchtime yet.
I, on the other hand, was banned from all water rides at Disneyland for getting out of my boat on IASW. They were running every other boat that day, so I thought I could jump out, play it cool, and and jump into an empty boat. I was nabbed by a boat containing a humorless pair of CMs who took me down one of those side channels that seem to lead nowhere, and then out the back. Oh, it was a quiet trip. They let me stay because I was with a girl who promised to make sure that I behaved, but they told me in very stern language that I was no longer welcome on any water-based ride.
I immediately went on Pirates. And it was BETTER because I wasn't supposed to.
A mere 30 days before the park's 25th anniversary, Euro and I were placed under park arrest and taken to Mickey Jail for a wardrobe infraction and insubordinate behavior.
I'll let him tell that one.
We were also removed from Disneyland for throwing a hat up to a friend (Chris Morse) who was riding the Peoplemover, because he ran out on the track to retrieve it. That got a response that would rival a bomb threat at a major airport. They had us in seconds. SECONDS.
We jumped on the merry-go-round while it was moving and got booted from Magic Mountain after a day of merry mayhem that included trying to sink a boat on the log ride, and an accidental blow to the head to an unfortunate employee who was standing too close to our tram car in the tunnel that led to the long lost Magic Pagoda.
Having exhausted our immediate options, we widened our net to include Sea World, but, sadly, summer ended before we could do anything stupid involving Shamu, the Sparkletts Water Fantasy and a bucket of dead fish.
Happily, we learned the error of our ways, and are now well-behaved, and welcome guests at theme parks everywhere.
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