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A few weeks ago I had the privilege of spending the morning with Kevin Wheaton on his inspection of The Great White––a daily, 4 hour-long task. Kevin has been at Morey’s Piers for 23 years and still hasn’t gotten tired of the morning ritual. He gets to see sweeping views of the ocean and wake up with the sun. But as with all mechanical jobs, there’s always a few wrenches thrown in here and there.

My job was to walk the tracks with him and make a short film about the process. It turned out to be quite an adventure. Having a shoulder-mounted camera, a 6 o’clock start (without coffee), steel toe boots that I wasn’t accustomed to walking in (I’ll stick to flip-flops), a heavy harness, all while climbing the steep banks of the coaster proved to be a difficult task for me. But what I had to go through is hardly anything when you realize that these guys have to do this every day during the summer.

Wooden roller coasters are interesting, sculpture-like frameworks that are actually built to allow movement within the track. This movement sometimes results in minor issues within the structure such as a missing bolt head or a slight crack in the wood. None of these issues are threatening to the ride itself, but it is necessary to keep up with them to maintain the speed and accuracy of the train. I hope you enjoy the video.

Look for the next video in this “Day in the Life” series with the famed Lee Brasch at guest services.