We know it’s Mother’s Day , but this dad deserves some attention for building a backyard roller coaster that is actually pretty awesome.
The roller coaster — built by Will Pemble for his 10-year-old son Lyle in northern California — is just about any kid’s dream. No need to go to the closest amusement park or dream of the next family vacation to take a thrill ride — it’s all in your backyard.
The roller coaster was actually the idea of Pemble’s son, Lyle, according to a report by KSL .
“After a summer vacation back East, my son Lyle asked if we could build a roller coaster. I said ‘yes.’”
Although most dads might say that they have no idea how to build a backyard roller coaster, Pemble actually had a pretty good idea of how to start given the fact that his job as a chief product strategist at a company in San Francisco always has him on the lookout for the next fun project to undertake.
Pemble realizes that building a backyard roller coaster might not be for everyone, but he felt like building it was something that would be a great experience for his family.
“Liz, my wife, wasn’t terribly surprised. I’ve been up to nutty, unlikely things all my life, and at every opportunity, I try to teach my kids that we’re more likely to regret the things we don’t do, than the things we do. Things get a little crazy at the Pemble house from time to time.”
While building the roller coaster has been a challenging project, making sure that the roller coaster was safe enough for his family and others to ride that was the biggest concern in Pemble’s mind.
“Everything I’ve built, I’ve tested to 200 percent of anticipated load using sandbags. The cart is over-built, and has a seat belt. I’ve put more sand in harm’s way than I can calculate, but not one kid has ever been in danger at my house.”
Because there are so many working pieces and elements associated with making the backyard roller coaster run properly, Pemble said the backyard roller coaster has been a great project that has allowed him to teach his children about science and physics.
“It’s wonderful to bring physics, family, and fun to kids at my house and online. I’m working on more science experiments to teach kids different parts of physics, acoustics, chemistry, computers, electronics, and when they’re not looking, even math. I’ve done some cool grown-up things in my life, but nothing compares to the payoff of giving science to kids.”