Blackpool- Abby's Hen Do

BLACKPOOL! When we would tell people that we were going to Blackpool for Abby's Hen Do, they gave us some pitiful looks...Were we going to be those crazy girls running around with penis memorabilia? Nope... not necessary! When you are with some of your favorite people in the whole world, that is not needed! Abby had already had at least 27 Hen Dos before we even made it to England, so we really wanted to do something that was different. And as long as we were together, it didn't matter what we were doing! 
Early in the morning we drove to Blackpool, which was only a couple of hours so it seemed like a normal drive to anywhere for me, but I have a feeling for the Brits, it was a bit of a drive! ahah 
We found our hostel/hotel and checked in to shots. Yes, like shots of alcohol.... Nevermind it was 11 in the morning! I think they were trying to promote the fact that they had a bar in the hostel. Whatever. 
We were nervous since it was meant to rain and our main activity for the day was to go to Blackpool's Amusement Park, Pleasure Beach. The day turned out to be absolutely beautiful for England standards, and the rain debuted only as the park was closing!

In earlier years, this amusement park and surrounding areas had to be just hoppin'! It was obvious that many of the rides and decorations were outdated, but that is what made it unique. In 1994, Pleasure Beach was home of the tallest roller coaster in the world, the Big One! Now it is known as the Pepsi Max Big One. This was my favorite ride for sure! As you ascended up the first hill you are climbing towards the sea, and at the top you go over the edge and can just see the sea. It was beautiful and we rode this close to sunset, which made it even more magical! Another unique ride was this horse race ride was the Steeplechase. This is the only operating steeplechase style roller coaster left in the world. The riders sit upon a horse shaped vehicle which can seat on or two people in line. 
Another one that stood out was the Avalanche roller coaster. Avalanche opened in 1988 and was the first ever bobsled type roller coaster to be constructed in the U.K. This one did not have a track that the cars went on, but instead was like you were on an actually bobsled run. I just prayed that there wasn't a malfunction while I was on it! These old school rides made this day fun and unique!

As our day at the park got close to ending, some of the girls wanted to go on one last ride, Valhalla. This was a water ride, but not a normal water ride where you get wet on the occasional descend from a slope. No, this ride was with water just falling on you all the time. The people coming out of this ride were completely SOAKED! If you were wanting to stay dry, you had no chance. As Abby and I watched and waited for our girls to come out, we noticed everyone else coming out. Every person had the same reaction- shocked that they got that wet! I'm not sure why they were shocked...As you wait in line for this ride you see the extremely wet people coming out of it. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to find the correlation. June tried her best to hide all of her dryness with the poncho you could purchase...Instead she just managed to add some phallic entertainment for the rest of us!

Noah's ark, equipped with people, deer, pelicans, and of course dinosaurs.... 
As we were leaving the part, there was a perfectly situated rainbow over the ark!

The seaside wouldn't be complete without a nice giant helping of fish & chips and some 2p gambling! Abby introduced me to this bad habit. The 2p machines are like the quarter machines in the States. Unfortunately, what has stopped me in the past (each turn cost 25 cents) could not stop me this time! Each turn was 2p. That is 50 tries in 1 pound!
Abby and I disappeared for a long time. Helen, June and Leigh all left to go back the hostel, but Abby and I stayed to continue our habit. AND we went back the next day to play again. Of course, we didn't win big....I'm not sure that is possible, but it was so much fun while it lasted. As we were leaving Blackpool, we realized we had a problem. The first step is admitting there is a problem... 
Luckily, after England, I am back to where those games are a waste of money because they are expensive. I went cold turkey, but I look forward to my next trip to England and the sea side! 

I love these girls so much and it was great to all go away together and get to spend some quality time in England with just the 5 of us! So...thanks Abby for getting married and giving us all the best excuse to come from around the world to reunite! 2015 America!