REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK:

I was once a young, eager journalist ready to take on the world.

But that is no more. My pride has been stripped from me, and it wasn’t a tough political saga that brought me down. It wasn’t a crime that tested my boundaries. It wasn’t a human interest story that held my heart under water.

No, instead the assignment that was the most trying for me, that tested my guts the most, was when I went to the Orange County Fair on Friday and took on its four nastiest rides.

OK, so I am using a bit of hyperbole in jest; but in all seriousness, I have never felt as defeated as I do now, and it was those four rides that did me in.

The first ride was the G-Force, made by KMG Holland with a capacity of 24 people. Swaying from side to side while twirling its passengers in circles, the ride struck me as weak at first. But then the ride found its groove and swung us to its peak 80 feet out on both sides, lifting us nearly upside down.

Despite my attempts to keep it in check, I felt some inner child come out as I cracked a smile and began to enjoy myself.

But then the fearlessness of that inner child grew bored, found a shiny object elsewhere to run off and play with, and left me alone — in my frail early adulthood — to fend for myself.

The second ride was the Remix, created by Tivoli in England. The whole machine spun, then each tentacle spun independently. I let my hands run free for a moment to show the youngsters around me I wasn’t some square. But the ride has no real redeeming qualities as an oversized electric mixer, and in my humblest opinion, is a malicious piece of machinery intent on making one 20-something male’s stomach cringe.

But that’s just me.

The third ride was probably the most unique. The Tango is a four-action ride holding 24 people on a few arms that all end up vertical, making something that looks like a hand-held fan. The main beam then spins all the parts one way, while each arm spins a different way, then the seats begin to turn as well as the elevation varies.

And that is when things took a turn for the worse.

When I exited, I immediately asked for a break. There was a revolt inside my body, my stomach leading the revolution. It cried for me to stop. Then it begged. Then it threw a tantrum. And then it accepted our fate, and just reminded me that I had been warned.

The last ride was the one I feared the most — the Speed. A tower of a ride, it’s one long beam that stretches from its platform and reaches an intimidating 90 meters into the sky. It then rotates backward and forward at speeds of 50 to 60 miles per hour.

The ride was smooth, and I found myself enjoying it, even letting out a good scream here and there — I was on my way to victory and I would soon stand below, having conquered the rides.

But they, and others, would have the last laugh.

As I exited the ride, my stomach returned to its regular resting place — but it was grumpy. The Fair rep who was there with me tried to say something, but I waved her off. I walked straight to the nearest trash can, and while it wasn’t needed, I still went to one knee and felt the pride drain from my body by the man standing behind me — cackling at my expense.

For more photos, click here.

DANIEL TEDFORD may be reached at (714) 966-4632 or at daniel.tedford@latimes.com.