Bay Area dad couldn’t say no, builds son a roller coaster in backyard

A Bay Area man who hand built a roller coaster for his 10-year-old son in the family’s backyard says he couldn’t think of a good reason to say no when the boy asked.

Now, six weeks and $3,500 later, Lyle Pemble has his own red roller coaster winding through the canopy of his backyard trees.

His father, Will Pemble, an e-commerce consultant, began blogging and posting YouTube videos of his engineering feat in October, when he first tested a single cart on the twisting 180-foot coaster behind his home in Orinda, which is east of Berkeley.

“I started building the coaster because, Lyle, my son asked me if we could, and I couldn’t think of a good reason to say no,” Pemble told KPIX-TV.

The idea of building a backyard roller coaster was spawned a family trip to Six Flags Magic Mountain.

It wasn’t long before Pemble, 50, and his son had mapped out the project, purchased the large amount of PVC pipes and lumber, and started work.

Beyond fulfilling a boyhood dream, Pemble said the coaster has become a source of teaching and family bonding. His blogs and instructional videos have also gained in popularity and interest.