My Experience in Limbo...

It was the Summer of 1971. Our Cub Scout troop decided to have a day at Playland. Was this supposed to be a exercise in survival or fun?  For us it was pure fun!  There we were, six of us, all dressed in our little Cub Scout Uniforms.  Uniforms that went home wrinkled, dirty and smelling of Pronto Pup Mustard and gear grease. 

It was a typical dreary, overcast summer day in San Francisco. Our Dad's parked on the Great Highway amongst the leftover Miller and Burgie Beer bottles that littered the parking area from the previous nights revelers. The Esplanade sat silent with ocean front concessions. Their rolled up front awnings sat tightly wound with the supports long since rusted into place.  Small faded shreds of awning blew at a frenzied pace in the coastal winds. The sidewalks were littered and stained with remnants of beer, dropped Pronto Pups, malted ice cream and God knows what else. The concession facades were faded, dim, dingy and dirty. Looking through the Cabrillo/Great Highway entrance with it's pop-up pastel popcorn boxes (or presents?), we could see a few strange characters roamed  around the inner Midway area. Were they derelicts waking from last nights storefront slumber or did they actually work at Playland? It was hard to tell the difference, but they didn't look very wholesome. To a child of the suburbs, it was unsettling. 

We spent the day at Playland...  Fun House, riding rides and enjoyed eating basic Carni staples. For the purpose of this story, we're going to focus on the Limbo dark ride. Other stories may come later... ;-)

After a long stint in the Fun House, we hit the Midway! Candied apples, caramel corn, Pronto Pup were consumed. As we wandered the mostly boarded up Midway concessions we came back around to Limbo. 

What can you say about Limbo's facade? Imposing, yet cautious? It appeared to me as a skeleton laying down on it's haunches. It doesn't seem to be daunting or angry, more like it's playfully watching... Like a boy watching a toy train. The skulls chin resting amusingly on it's hands waiting in anticipation to see what happens next.  Cub Scouts! Ah.... he appears to enjoy watching little cub scouts enter his lair.... Will they scream? Will they cry?  Our relaxed skeleton friend seems to just be anxiously awaiting.  

Two of the guys wanted to go into Limbo. I always liked Halloween and Horror movies. I was a big Creature Features fan, so I thought Limbo would be pretty cool. Other kids didn’t seem to be as courageous. We walked up and handed the solemn and disinterested ride operator our tickets. He silently took the tickets. He displayed no expression of emotion as he pointed to the car and gestured for us to board.  The other two guys got into a Limbo Car and I got one all to myself… yay?

The operator hit a button and my cub scout comrades car lurked forward with a bare metal mechanical grind and creak.  My buddies’ car slammed through the door of Limbo and they whooped into the darkness. My car slammed through the door and plunged me into a foreboding dark limbo. I could hear the other guys laughing and hooting. We all soon disappeared into the darkness along with the rusted metallic grating sound of the track. The tires squealing on the entry and every turn.

 

Just like Playland itself, Limbo had a funky musty aroma.  Kinda like cotton candy and popcorn mixed with industrial lubricating grease. A moldy wood mixed with years of firing old electronics left a decaying wood and ozone smell. . My memory of the interior is kinda vague...  I remember the ride was mostly in pitch blackness with the occasional car triggered light flash, displaying a weird demonic scene or a loud BUZZER that would flash onto a hanging skeletons, ghouls or something. Pretty typical of old school dark rides. It was all pretty tame, the big draw was the darkness and the unknown. 

This Cub Scout wasn’t frazzled nor too impressed for most of the ride. The ride seemed to be well timed so that you couldn’t see what the car in front of you was visualizing. As we made it about two-thirds through the ride, my buddies started booing. I started laughing in agreement. I'm pretty sure we all thought it was kind of a predictable and kinda lame. All of a sudden a heard two loud shrieks and a bang! My mind thought, ‘what the heck was that!?’ Then a strobe light flickered from the endless darkness right in my face! A hand firmly grabbed my right shoulder and boxing glove came out of the darkness heading right for my head! The strobe effect created a slow motion effect and I let out a scream! All of a sudden the car banged through a door and I was out in the daylight…. Still screaming within that same single outburst! When my car came to a stop, I saw the other guys laughing and slapping each other on the back, . A grin rose from ear to ear. I yelled at them, “That was great! Did ya see the guy punching you in the face….and ….and some guy grabbed my shoulder too!” They all laughed and we declared it was a great ride. As we walked away, I looked back and saw the ride operator 'smile' in satisfaction.

I savor that memory.... it was my last trip through Limbo. If I could only go back and do it again....

I truly believe our skeleton friend enjoyed every minute. ;-)

Photo credits to Dennis O'Rorke