European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - August 29, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Visitors to the Wood in Vacaville Calif., wind their Way through the japanese built Maze. Not the Arr californians paying $7 to get lost by Molly Colin new York times Ost people would not pay $7 to get lost especially if it meant wandering about for hours in 90 degree plus heat. Yet thousands of enthusiasts each Day Are paying to lose themselves in the Wood a japanese built outdoor Maze that recently opened in Vacaville Calif. Unlike one woman who was lost for seven hours the average person should be Able to Complete Japan s latest Export to the United states in 60 minutes. The architect who designed the Wood admits however that he cannot find his Way out that fast. Nor Erma Bombeck does the idea of scurrying around like a Laboratory rat under the hot summer Sun hold any Appeal for him. I d rather sit upstairs on the deck drink a cold Beer and watch the people below try to figure it out said Henry Yanaga of san Mateo Calif. Sun creative systems inc., a japanese company built the $10 million 12-acre amusement Park in Vacaville hoping to make it the first of 60 similar Parks in the United states in the next decade. Mazes Are very popular in Japan with More than 100 of them dotting the country. Schoolchildren there Are especially Maze crazy and love to race through the labyrinths at Breakneck Speed Yanaga said. The japanese borrowed the idea from new zealand which adapted the concept from England where mazes have been popular since the Middle Ages. The fastest time recorded for completing a regular Wood labyrinth in Japan was 3va minutes the longest was 51/2 hours according to Sabrina to of Japan general manager of the Wood in Vacaville. We have found that people like being mildly disoriented at first and enjoy the personal satisfaction of finding their Way out of the Maze to said. It seems to help them escape the pressures of daily  Wood wild and original object with zoom consists of three mazes a mini Wood for children up to 5 years a regular Wood and a super Wood which is smaller and in the Interior of the regular Wood. The regular Wood is built of panels that Are 7 feet tall and placed in Geometric configurations in seemingly similar corridors. A Woofer tries to figure out the passage to each of the four towers at the Corners of the Maze. Tickets Are stamped with the time of arrival at each Tower. If woofers finish within 40 minutes they Are rewarded by a free entry into the super Wood for More Maze madness. Vacaville was selected As the site of the first Wood in the United states because of its location on interstate 80, Halfway Between san Francisco and Sacramento. The amusement Park will create 250 full time and part time jobs in this City of 45,000 people known for its own Maze of malls and freeway overpasses a state prison and another tourist Mecca the nut tree restaurant which has a miniature Railroad. As a group of people began their Odyssey through the Wood a guide Holly Garrick warned them if you get lost go to the top of the Maze and yell for  most woofers tend to ignore Garrick s advice however preferring to wander endlessly like the woman who finally called for help after seven hours. Everyone has a different approach to getting lost and finding the Way out. It took Jennifer Lopez an 8-year-old third grader and her grandmother Mary Foreman exactly one hour to finish the Maze. We just guessed at what looked right Jennifer said. As they staggered into a refreshment area mopping the sweat from their faces Foreman said it was so much fun that Shell buy season tickets. One Man said he looked for woofers with Happy faces emerging from the opposite direction for affirmation that he was headed the right Way. James Beshears 35, and his brother Joseph 32, both of nearby Fairfield stood on one of the Park s two Bridges overlooking the Flat Vacaville landscape of Sun bleached grass and watched the Maze below. While frustrated the Brothers said they would not give up or cheat by using one of the Many fire exit doors required by California building codes. It s More difficult than it looks James Beshears said. I think they set it up to cheat suggested his brother. The Beshears with wide grins on their faces were last seen entering the super Wood. Frank Meza 16, and his three friends sped through the Wood in record time on their first try. They said they would be Back. Next time however they plan to make their Dollar go further. Seven Bucks for 26 minutes Frank sighed. We should have gone slower and got our Money s  i cannot believe that for the first time in my life i am in the right place at the right time listen to this. The hottest career for women in 1988 is. The envelope please. Hazardous waste expert salaries Range from $30,000 to $70,000. Is this crazy or what hazardous waste is my life i be been disposing of it since the Day i was married. You re looking at a woman with 39 years of experience As the top shoveler in the business. The trick of disposing waste is that no one knows where you put it. No one wants to know i discovered that after the birth of our first baby. Everyone wanted a diaper changed on the spot but no one wanted to take responsibility for relocating the used diaper. Who got stuck Moi for years i got rid of the no. 1 hazardous waste in the country boys gym shoes. You can t just dump those Little suckers in the Ocean and expect them to float out to sea. No Siree. If i had deep fixed pm they d have washed up on the exact Beach where the kids were. The kids would claim them and Start wearing them again. First you have to sneak in during the dead of night and get them off the feet of the boy and then Bury them. They rank no Pun intended right up there with gym clothes that have been in a locker for nine months. I m not padding my resume but i be had to cart away Chicken Bones left under a bed while we were off on a two week vacation a Cage holding a dead horned Toad which took us a month to find under the wet towels and a collection of rocks covered with Moss and seaweed entombed in an re for three weeks. I read stories in the papers All the time about these so called experts roaming around the world with barges full of garbage looking for a place to dump it. I never had that problem. All i had to do to get rid of anything was to put a broken toy on top of it and place it at the curb. By Nightfall the Box was dragged inside up two flights of stairs and stored. My finest hour was probably leftovers. I had some real risky stuff in there. Some of them used to get restless and i could never turn my Back on them. They weren t something you could get careless with. I d dump them carefully in newspaper zip lock them in plastic bags then encase them in a Large garbage bag before sealing them in the garbage can. Dogs would Fly in at reduced air fares to get to it. Actually i May be overqualified. C 198bermabombeck Page 16 the stars and stripes monday August 29,1988