Threading the needle for the first time!

Over the weekend I had a first time experience I really did not expect to be what it was.
As a kid growing up near the river, I spent many, many days swimming off the Big Dock (RR Govt. Dock). We jumped in, snorkeled around it, and even swung from a rope off the train bridge.
But I never had a chance to go down a water slide. Number one there weren't any here in town, unless you counted us jumping in the river and sliding down the metal slide at Hannam Park.
I think the first one I ever got close to was the one at Putt N Go in Bemidji. With four kids in tow, my parents rarely had extra money for us to go water sliding when there was a perfectly good river to swim in.
Then as we got older my interest in water sliding and in fact swimming dried up.
Now I am lucky if I get wet (other than the shower) a few times a summer at the beach or in a hotel pool.
Over the weekend we travelled to Grand Forks to meet my cousins there. Well the hotel had a water park that included a 110 feet long water slide.
The kids insisted I give it a whirl so I obliged them.
At first they wanted to ride down with me at the same time... I told them I was going down alone the first time.
I did so and threaded the needle of this spiral snake at lightning speed. I enjoyed the open air parts of it, but was surprised that I found myself a bit unsettled where there was no light and I could not see where I was going.
In a few seconds I was at the bottom and decided once was enough.
–Until then,
Ken