Would You?

     My son took this photo with his cell phone. This is the Ferris wheel at Pier 50 near where he works in downtown Seattle.  I live in the desert...we don't see water in large amounts like that!  As my daughter and I looked at the photo she commented that she would not even consider getting on that Ferris wheel and riding over the water.

     I have never been to Seattle so I did some research on The Seattle Great Wheel. The wheel was built directly on the pier with 550 tons of concrete poured for the foundation.  It is new, only opening in June of 2012.  300 people can ride at one time and the wheel extends nearly 40 feet beyond the end of the pier over Elliott Bay. For adults it costs $13 to ride. Of course if you want an even more impressive view you can ride in the VIP gondola for $50 a person.  It has a glass floor.   I didn't find out how long a ride lasts but each ride is three revolutions of the 175 foot Ferris wheel. 175 feet??!! In case you wonder, the tallest Ferris Wheel is the Singapore Flyer at 541 feet tall.  LOL, the Ferris wheel in our local amusement park seems pretty small now --- it is only 54 feet high.

     My daughter's comment that she would not get on that thing stems from the fact that she has a fierce fear of water, a fear my mother instilled in all of us. I am also fearful of heights and I am claustrophobic.  On top of that, once when I was about 8 years old my older brother and I rode a Ferris wheel type ride in which the gondola was an enclosed cage that also rotated.  Well, it was a traveling carnival ride, just passing through town for a few nights. Something happened to the wheel and it stopped. Our cage was at the very top, stuck hanging upside down, for over 30 minutes.  I ponder a long time whether I really want to ride something before I get on a ride now!  I look at them and say to myself how will I feel if something happens and I am stuck on that thing for a half hour or so. 

     Considering this is a newly built wheel I think I might overcome my fears and ride it.  But sitting here in Texas that is easy to say right now.  How about you? Would you ride a Ferris wheel this tall over water?