Yellow Jacket

Actually that hits the nail right on the head. This is straight from the mouth of the mouse at a Disney Institute training class--they consider their product to be a multiday resort vacation experience that many guests only get to have once or twice in a lifetime (many people save up for years for their trip to Orlando). Their competition is anything else that people might spend their discretionary income on...season tickets to a sports franchise, a Caribbean cruise, a new bass boat, a trip to Hawaii etc. Other amusement parks are not really competing because they do not offer the same product. How many people (outside of the few thousand enthusiasts in the world) are going to do a week long coaster trip? How many people would spend a week at Cedar Point (I would think 1-3 days is enough for most people)? How many people are going to do a one day Disney trip (I think the one day price is there so they have a value in the table to show how much you save with your park hopper)? The key thing to consider is how much does a week at Disney cost versus a week somewhere else. I just signed up for a ski week next March at Beaver Creek CO. The package price was $1525.00 for air/ground transportation, 7 nights ski-in/ski-out lodging and a couple of parties. A 6-day lift ticket will probably be an additional $250-300(the walk up price is comparable to Disney's and "no one" pays walkup to a ski resort either), equipment rental will be around $180 and food will probably be $300-400 more. Suddenly a $1200 Disney trip starts to look cheap. It all depends on your perspective.

Time for another update from the Southern front. I've been taking photos and then forgetting to post them. So these will span a few weeks. Cheers! The photo is blurry but dessert was perfect. Chocolate and Stout...it just doesn't get any better than this! After restoring my tastebuds with the local brew it was time to finish the evening with a couple of winners from Victory. Time to go back to my cooler and redeem the Pale Ales for the evening with a Sweetwater 420 The random beer from the host's cooler--Cottonwood Brewing's Low Country Pale Ale. I drank it; but I'm glad I don't have the rest of the six pack. The next day was World Juggling Day and time for a party. We did a little bit of juggling and then a lot of beer drinking. The juggling tends to go down hill after the drinking commences so we hung out and watched videos of really good jugglers. I started with a Sweetwater Road Trip and then tried the Tap Room 21 Moes Back Room Pale Ale. It didn't really deserve the smile in the photo but it wasn't as bad as... This is a nice IPA. Sticking with the hoppy theme... next up is Loose Cannon Hops^3 Ale from Clipper City's Heavy Seas line. A beer with the hops to stand up to a spicy dinner Quesadilla time Would you please finish the beer and go fix dinner! Road Trip...a new seasonal from Sweetwater. The label states: "Like all good Road Trips, this one started out planned as a pilsner and along the way blew a tire and we used an Ale yeast as the spare." I normally go for darker ales but the result is a nice light Summertime brew with a little bite in the middle and a nice clean finish.

Signing up for the puppy training class is a great idea. One important pointer that I can give is to always be consistent. If you do not want her to jump up on you, then never allow it (with you or anyone else). Push her down, say "NO" firmly (don't scream--just say it in a strong stern voice). When she assumes your desired posture, reward her with "good dog" and petting. She will probably then get excited and start jumping again. Repeat saying "NO" and pushing her down. Eventually she will "get it." You can always go back later and allow her to jump up in specific circumstances if you wish--train her to "give me a kiss" for example. Always reward the behavior you desire. Never reward the behavior you do not want. Rewarding positive behavior is much more effective than punishing bad behavior.

I've never gotten a close-up view of the ride; but I always thought that they were Archimedes' Screws to move the water up the hill with the rafts. Is that really not the case? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archimedes_screw

Clint posted this photo: More Voyage. That's the back of my head This is the shot I was taking in your shot.

Well a great thing happened the other day to get me into this thread. The Monster is lonely...I need to go to the beerstore Reunion with an old friend. I had my first Hop Devil, at the brewpub in Downingtown, in 1997 the day after going to Kennywood and reigniting my love of rollercoasters. Now it is available in Atlanta. Woo Hoo! I walk into Green's and what to my wondering eyes did appear.... Victory!

If you are talking about the Old Mill Stream Campground, the web site claims they have air-conditioned restrooms. You would want to get a site with water and electric (these are yellow on the campground map). Look on the map for the shower icons that indicate where the restroom facilities are located. You will want to get a site that is near, but not immediately adjacent to the restroom. It sucks to have to walk half way around the world when you wake up in the middle of the night needing to go; but you don't want to be kept up by the parade of other campers doing the same thing. A 50 foot extension cord should be plenty long for most typical campsites. I've been in a few where 25 ft might come up short. Average temps for that region are 80s and 60s with the record low in the 40s. You can get by with a medium weight sleeping bag and/or a few blankets. No need for the 0 degree mummy bag in July. You are more likely to need a light weight sheet if it gets really hot. Never leave your campsite with the flaps on your tent left open. This attracts thunderstorms and soaks all your gear. If you plan to cook on site, have a back-up plan in case it rains. -Alan T.

Winter vacations Visp River--downvalley from Zermatt Pyramid Peak & The Maroon Bells--Aspen

What rifle do you use? I have an Enfield (Civil War era--but apparently not sold to US or CSA) hanging on the wall at home; however, it would need a little work to be in firing condition.

Once again...If you are going to mention the hot chicks, you need to have a picture. Nice job otherwise.

Brave!? More like a combination of stupidity and ignorance with a helping of overly PC bellman on top. I was at the Embassy Suites on the 17th St. Causeway. I mentioned to the bellman that I was going to walk down to Boomer's in Dania Beach and he started saying "Oh no! That's way too far to walk...let me call you a cab." What I didn't know at the time was that that was code for "Good God man are you crazy!" What looked like "a straight shot down Hwy 1 to Dania Beach and then hang a right" became a bit more of an adventure. Hwy 1 starts off as a nice 4-5 lane road with sidewalks. Then as you approach the airport, suddenly the sidewalk ends and the road is a limited access highway. I detoured around that and should have known that it would be rather deserted (If anything bad had happened, I probably could have lain on the side of the road for days before someone noticed). Then once I reached Dania Beach I had to walk through a pretty rough looking neigborhood that was "way too far away" from my hotel. Boomers itself was fine and the coaster was well worth the trip. Needless to say, I called a cab for the return trip. After the cab got poached the first time he came to get me, I casually mentioned to the driver that I had walked down there and he said "Oh No!! You don't need to be walking in this neighborhood!" Finally...some good advice, just a couple of hours too late.

While I have driven large distances solely for coaster riding (Atlanta to Holiday World most recently), I have also taken some nice long walks for coasters. A few weeks ago I walked 6+ miles from the Portland Convention Center down to Oaks Park, rode the Looping Star and Kiddie coasters, ate a couple of corndogs then walked back downtown on the wonderful walk/bike paths by the river. I have also walked from downtown Denver (15th Street area) to Elitch Gardens (short walk with a BrewPub on the return leg) and out to Lakeside and back (longer walk 1.5-2hrs through mostly nice neighborhoods). The only walk I would not repeat was from my Ft. Lauderdale hotel down to Dania Beach--passing by the airport wasteland and a rough neighborhood near Boomer's.