Schlitterbahn a wet way to spend a wild day

Roughly translated from German, Schlitterbahn means “slippery road.” To anyone who has ever been to the popular water parks, Schlitterbahn means wet, wild fun, and lots of it.

I got my first taste of the famed attraction in New Braunfels last Sunday. Sandy and I took our two youngest boys on a weekend outing that included camping at Palmetto State Park near Gonzales and then a full day splashing in the sun at Schlitterbahn.

My wife, a native of Houston, was last there when she was a teenager. It had obviously grown and changed a lot since then.

I remember when we first moved to Texas nearly nine years ago and we were Googling things to do.

“Oh, Schlitterbahn!” Sandy exclaimed.

I stared at her with a befuddled look that cried for more explanation, or shock at hearing what I thought was an obscenity coming out of her mouth.

She had very fond memories of the water park and her return visit did not disappoint. The boys and I had very different perspectives of the experience. The boys had recently returned from spending a couple weeks with my dad back in Colorado. Part of that visit included a visit to Water World in Denver, so they naturally made comparisons between the water parks.

Over all, they felt Schlitterbahn was bigger and had more to offer but that the rides were better at Water World. We also explained to them that due to long lines we did not go on the more popular attractions.

Although we stayed away from the longest lines, we could not avoid getting stuck in some lines. Waiting nearly 90 minutes for a 30-second “thrill” ride was not fun in my book. Neither was riding a tube in a lazy river where you were bumper-to-bumper with annoying strangers.

When I did get moving through a rapid, more often than not I got pulled back in an eddy which allowed people behind me to blast through and further separate me from my family.

Despite my complaints, however, I think the best part of the day was spending it with my family and having some real enjoyable times. I liked that while it was 100 degrees, it felt like 72.

As for the park itself, Schlitterbahn will require a longer and more detailed examination before I can give it a final grade. Next time I want to go when it’s not so crowded and we can get a better variety of experiences. Until then, trips to the beach will have to do.