KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) – Halfway up the 264 stairs leading to the top of the world’s tallest waterslide, it was clear this was the most breathtaking ride I’d ever encountered.
And that was before I ever stepped foot in the raft.
Two-thirds of the way up the circular stairs is a sign that says I’ve reached the height of the Statue of Liberty. A few dozen more steps and I’ve reached the level of Niagara Falls – and the relief that despite being a little light-headed, this 50-year-old former smoker was going to make it to the top of the ride called “Verruckt” – German for “insane.”
___
From a distance, the waterslide at the edge of Schlitterbahn Waterpark, about 15 miles west of downtown Kansas City, Missouri, doesn’t look so scary.