carolinacaniac

^Nice! I appreciate the tribute Rob! ^^And BGWFreak, I was told that the RBC and Wachovia towers were the two tallest when I went on a Segway Tour of Raleigh a couple years ago, so I suppose he was incorrect., or perhaps I may have heard incorretly. Either way, no biggie. Day at Busch Gardens So yesterday I took a day to do some riding at Busch Gardens, and I decided that since the lines were a bit longer, I would do the first ever "Gary's One-Hour Challenge" The way that it worked was that as soon as I entered the line for a coaster, I set the alarm on my phone for one hour later, and would ride the coaster repeatedly until the hour was up. If I am on the coaster, and it is running as the alarm goes off, then it counts. If I am inline, or on the train but it has not yet moved, then it is however many rides were completed before. The results of the first challenge were as follows: -Tied in last place, Apollo's Chariot with 2, due to a consistent 20-30 minute line. They did have the single rider path open as you come into the station building, but I had never seen it used before, so the first go-round, I thought I would wait and ask if they were actually using it, so I did the second time around, but it did not take off enough time to try and get a third ride -Also tied in last, Alpengeist with 2. Alpengeist's line was moving fairly well, in the 15-20 minute range, but after exiting the second ride, while there was about 15 minutes left before time was up, they stopped the train ahead on the lift because someone had a camera out. So a thrid ride in the hour would have been difficult. -Tied in second place, Loch Ness Monster with 3. Nessie's line got shorter with every ride, the first came with a full queue, the second was about halfway through the "equipment area" of Loch Ness' queue, and the last came to start about halfway through the queue building that you wait in before going into the station. -Tied in second as well, Griffon with 3. Griffon started out quick with two rides in 15 minutes thanks to a nearly empty single-riders line, but after the second time, it got to it's normal length, and then the fourth ride I took was about three minutes too late for being counted in the challenge -The winner, Grover's Alpine Express with 7. Surprisingly, even with all of the kids and larger crowds, Grover would only be about a two-three train wait throughout the hour, the 7th just barely made it before time expired. So as of now, Grover holds the record of "Gary's One-Hour Challenge" at 7! Plans Update A few updates to some of my plans -the day trip to Six Flags America with a few friends of mine are currently on hold, as my friend Brad is busy on that day, so I am not sure when we are going to reschedule -I have decided that since I joined many of you in becoming a member of Club TPR, it would be fun to check out some enthusiast events! The two that I am looking into right now are Coaster Celebration at Six Flags Great Adventure, and Coaster Stock at Carowinds. The visit to Great Adventure would include a side visit to a nearby park, or possibly a New Jersey credit run. Some of the plans for my June trip to Seattle are starting to fall into place, and my travels up north will start to come together once I get a hold of some friends that I am visiting in Michigan. Now I leave you with a look at the results of my drive up to Busch Gardens on the front of my car, which I can really only call "Bugicide". The drive up to Busch Gardens is mainly country roads, so there are plenty of bugs to get I didn't even notice it until this morning! The front licence plate holder was brutal for some of these bugs!

^It really is, but that is half of what helps make life interesting sometimes! Rob - Yes! You have been taking them for granted if you do not worship them like me! It's been a while since I had added anything here, but last Sunday, I decided to make a short visit to Raleigh, which is about an hour and 15 minutes from here in Greenville here in North Carolina, and took my camera along for the adventure. Now this update may be a little different, as it will kind of be a bit of a tour/history lesson/shameless endorsement for a great resturant. Also, just a bit of an update on my plans. Since I have gotten my Beginning Teacher paperwork done, I should have some time freed up, so I am going to try and nail down more plans. Once I have done so, I will let everyone know! I am going to head to Busch Gardens Williamsburg again today for the afternoon and evening, so if you happen to go and see a guy in green shorts and a blue "Greenville Rec and Parks Staff" t-shirt, feel free to say hey! Hope you all enjoy the update! -Gary T. On the way in the city of Wilson, I saw this sign that would make me giggle if the name 'Wayne' was not there. So here we are in Downtown Raleigh, North Carolina. This was the first city in the US that was designed and created specifically to be a capital city. Every other capital just eventually became one. This map, as well as others like it around the city, can help you find your way! Off of Fayetteville Street, you can see the State Capital Building, which is where the governor's office is Fayetteville Street is what essentially became the 'Main Street' of Raleigh, which is on the south side of the capital building. This is the front of the capital building, which faces New Bern Ave to the East, which was intended to become the main street. So NC's capital building is one of a few, if not the only one, that does not face its main street. They wanted it to face the direction of the City of New Bern, as it had been the previous capital of North Carolina As you can see, New Bern Ave does not make a very good main street Here we have Governor Zebulon Vance, elected right around the begining of the Civil War, he was the first to give the Confederacy the big 'F YOU!!!!' as he refused to continue to support them since they were not giving support to North Carolina when it came under control of the Union In front of the capital is a statue of the three presidents born in NC: James K. Polk, Andrew Johnson, and Andrew Jackson on the horse. The reason he sits above the others is because his birthplace (somewhere around Charlotte) has been in debate between North and South Carolina as to who can claim him......so this is NC's 'F YOU!!!!' to South Carolina Here are the two tallest buildings in North Carolina.......Wachovia Building to the right, and RBC Centura Tower to the left, which is slightly taller because of the spire on top. Just across the street to the north of the capital building is a popular area where you can find two free state museums and the state legislature building Here is the NC History Museum, why don't we take a look inside? "For his providing a tour of our fine city to the people of Theme Park Review, I give this key to the city to Mr. Gary Taylor!" As many people are aware, the Wright Brothers flew their glider in Kitty Hawk, NC. Here is a model of their glider This tells you about the exhibits that you can find in the NC History Museum A temporary special exhibit, displaying pictures from the Great Depression era around North Carolina They have a couple little halls that have pictures on the wall like this They also have a display of items that were common at the time A permanent exhibit that has military weapons of different eras, such as...... .....the French-Indian War..... .......The American Revolution...... .....The Civil War..... ....more Civil War..... ....World War I..... ......World War II......Wait a minute. You see what I saw? It turns out that one soldier found a roll of Nazi armband material that had not yet been cut for the bands, So he brought it home, and his wife had a pair of swim trunks out of them. Continuing our wartime weapons......the Korean War.... ....the Persian Gulf War..... ....and the current occupation of Iraq they also have some other random items such as these outfits from the Middle East and some Nazi weapons The next exhibit, the NC Sports Hall of Fame A bit of an overview of the exhibit Little did I know that Arnold Palmer went to Wake Forest University A display that features images from the old Durham Bulls stadium (as seen in the movie 'Bull Durham'). I believe the old stadium is still standing Items related to NC baseball players Of course you can't talk about sports in NC without mentioning NASCAR. Here are some of the biggest names, all associated with North Carolina. Some may believe that if God were to drive a stockcar, he would probably wear the firesuit to the left. Richard Petty's car You also can't mention NC sports without basketball (The past two years, two schools, two national titles, both in North Carolina!) I have been seeing these a lot lately, can't imagine why! And you can end your NC History Museum visit with a stop to the gift shop! On the other side of the walkway is the NC Science Museum It has a large focus on wildlife, but they have had special exhibits that included space exploring equipment, and the Dead Sea Scrolls More sea critters and weapons of mass defecation They also have the bones of this whale! IT IS HUGE!!! If sea creatures arn't you thing, you can go upstairs and see land critters instead There is something kind of funny about saying 'Stuffed Beaver!' If you agree, post on this thread about it!! A picture of the state I call home! And the last main draw to the plaza, the state legislative building Now that we have done that, time for some shameless endorsing of a great resturant......Tir na Nog Irish Pub! Robb and Elissa, If you guys are looking for a place to stop on the way from the Charlotte area to heading towards Richmond on the IntimiTour, I strongly suggest this place! I believe it to be on par to the resturant we had our last meal at in Austin on TPR Texas, and it is very far off of Interstate 85, which goes just north of Raleigh. A look at the bar You can get the same sticker for your car They play host to a lot of live entertainment A list of events and entertainment comming to Tir na Nog If I remember correctly, that room is where private parties can be held at. The atmosphere is pretty cool here! Somebody REALLY wants a Bloody Mary Yes, that you are reading that correctly, that is Beer Cheese soup.....soup with Beer......and cheese.....and it is AMAZING!!!! If you ever get to Tir na Nog, you must try it! When in the area, I sometimes come just for the soup. Every so ofton, you can come in and find these guys having a Celtic jam session. I officially endorse Tir na Nog!!! Wait, what is that? Some sort of a mini-street sweeper.....never seen one before. And I will wrap-up this update they same way the City of Raleigh ends every year.....with the acorn that is dropped for New Year's much like the ball in NYC. Thanks for checking it out! Hope you all enjoyed it!

And the ever continuing game of "Theme Park Monopoly" continues............So which park equates to Boardwalk do you think? -Gary T

I was just happy to have it with just Pineapple, Chedder Cheese and Teryaki sauce.....bacon would have probably made it godly! Thanks for the compliments everyone! -Gary T.

^^^Rob: The only 7-Eleven I have ever seen in the State of North Carolina is in Nags Head on the Outer Banks. Otherwise I have to wait until I get another state. The reason I love Slurpees so much is that we had a family friend who took us swimming every so ofton, and afterwards, we always stopped for slurpees. The other reason is because while there are places that sell frozen beverages like Slurpees, they quality is kind of meh much of the time. Sheetz around here in Greenville is very hit or miss if their machines are ever working. 7-Eleven never fails me though! ^bgwfreak: I noticed that the first time I ever stopped at that 7-Eleven. It seems like it is trying to be up-scale, and yet not. And I think this Thomas Town will be a bit larger. I didn't happen to see Ultra Twsister, but I wasn't really looking for it. Now it is time to get caught up with my visit to Kings Dominion. As everyone knows, there is one main draw to Kings Dominion in the coaster community, and that is Intimidator 305. Now, when I first saw the layout and POV, I wasn't quite as hyped on it as I thought I would be. Then as it got closer to opening, I started to think it could be fun. I saw the coverage from TPR and started to think that this was going to be an awesome ride. Well, after the first couple of rides, I felt a little let down. I think the main issue for me was that I experienced some cases of the restraints chopping me in the neck, since I didn't really anticipate the quick turns, and that was a bit disappointing. What was kind of funny thought was that even thought I wasn't as excited about it the first couple of times, I kept finding myself getting back in line. Once I got a few more rides in, I realized it's awesomeness! I love the first drop, and the two airtime hills, and the overall speed of the ride. It was also pretty sweet during my visit because they had the single rider line with waits around 5-10 minutes each time I went except once which took 25 minutes because they put the second train on (Yeah, they started one train, which was lame, but they made up for it later). While some who may have done both may disagree with me, I personally like Carowinds Intimidator better, but I believe it is because of the airtime throughout the ride. But I-305 is still a sweet ride! I did not take as many pictures at KD as other parks since I have done more in-depth pictures of the place before, but I did get some great pictures from on-board Americana, which was not in KD the last time I made it up there. I hope you all enjoy this update! Nothing better to greet you in the morning at Kings Dominion than Dominator! A few rides that would not be available for my visit, but I have done them before and I am sure I will be back to do them again! This is a pretty awesome replica! Snoopy is ready to Party! No fountains!?!?!?!? Luckily, they were turned on later in the day, but still kind of lame that they park opened up with them off. Dominator is a pretty sweet ride! Time to show it some love! Ghoster Coaster..... ....the most intense wooden coaster at the front of Kings Dominion! This seems kind of familiar As does this, but with one or two minor details...... Luckily, as the day went on, they got this bad boy on the tracks too. One of the best parts of Intimidator 305! This one is too! Intimidator 305 also allows you to see a side of Anaconda that normally was not seen by the public In a bigger male anatomy contest.....I think Intimidator wins.......just ever so slightly Since this has been added, I would bet that you can get some good new veiws of the park's other rides.....let's find out! Still an awesome ride! I approve of the new views that can be seen from Americana! Diggin' the new decal on the front of Rebel Yell As much as I would like to believe this is just because it is early in the season and it has not yet grown in...... ...this tells me otherwise Grizzly has a new sign! The flying eagles are kind of naked right now I had only been through here once, and don't really remember it that well, so I am not sure if it has really been changed inside, maybe someone can let me know..... ....if this was here before? He looks like he has been here a while What about lazy bones? And this update comes to an end with the new Boo Blasters sign. Hope you all enjoyed this update, and I look forward to sharing more of my adventures with you all soon!

Hey everyone! It is update time! This update is from the short visit I made to Six Flags America on Sunday, April 4th. I was only in the park for around 2 hours as I was going to get my season pass, and then in the evening I would be joining my brother Kellen with a few friends of his for Easter dinner. I spent a decent amount of the pictures focusing on the changes that have been made to SFA this year, some of which I think are pretty good changes to make, such as Superman's great new paint-job, the addition of signs that tell you when different characters will be appearing. I managed to get a few rides in while I was there, including Roar, Wild One, two on Superman, and two on Joker's Jinx. It was a nice day, and I had an enjoyable evening with Kellen and his friends (no pictures unfortunatly, as I forgot the camera) after Six Flags. Hope you all enjoy the update! -Gary T. While Kellen and I had driven through Maryland the day before, I did not see a road sign for it, so I got it on this day to add to the collection! Now I have my season pass, and am ready to go for the 2010 coaster season! I don't recall if this video screen was at the park last year or not, but it at least is a fairly new addition The park map for when Thomas Town is ready! One of the new additions for 2010, these new signs that tell you when the characters will appear for guests to meet them. More detailed look at what the sign shows There is another one located in Gotham City....not sure what Mr. Six and Robin are doing together. One thing that had been mentioned before is that Cyclone (scrambler) had been relocated to the old Octopus location A new rock wall attraction is in the place of where cyclone was Where Avalanche used to be I had thought that Thomas Town would go where Two Face once sat, but that is not the case. It will be interesting to see what comes of its old spot. Couldn't help but grab a quick shot of a good woodie! One thing that was also pretty cool was the live band they brought in for the day. I believe this was a local Christian group, and while it isn't my kind of thing usually, they did sound good! Not necessarily the most important detail to notice, but they have new height sticks that have the logos of rides within that height area. Helpful for employees and guests alike! Another great improvement is the paint job given to Superman, as it looks like it is almost brand new! Another look at the newly painted Ride of Steel! Another nice touch is that it looks as though they also updated the S on the front of the train with the same one from 'Superman Returns' Superman's Tarp of Steel!!! Let's take a look at Thomas Town's progress This is the map of what will be the finished product As you can see here........... .......they still have a ways to go But they have an awesome pile of dirt! Another view of the land that will be Thomas Town The old Ballon Farris Wheel that will be part of Thomas Town The railroad business is really a cover-up for Sir Topum Hat's underground prostitution ring that is coming to SFA. He is simply trying to make good with the press that is following him right now. They also cleaned up the pond underneath Superman, which was much needed! Look who came to check out his own ride I wonder if the Joker would add me as a friend on Facebook so I can tag him in this picture? While this visit to SFA comes to an end, there is one tradition that has not yet been fulfilled on this trip so far......... That right! Time for a stop at 7-Eleven........ ....for a SLURPEE!!!!!! Tradition fulfilled!!!!! Thanks for checking out this update! Kings Dominion will be comming soon!

Sounds interesting! Are you going to provide the pictures to go along with your report? -Gary T.

I know what you mean, although Boardwalk Bullet at Kemah is even longer to clear the block because of the magnetic brakes. If I remember right, everytime we rode it during the TPR Texas trip, the train would have to stop on the lift until the other train made it into the station. Nice pictures! Thanks for sharing them! -Gary T.

Hey everyone, I have two updates that I have not yet gotten to, and apologize for slacking off on my 2010 adventures thread thus far, but since returning from the weekend trip, I have had a combination of work at Lowes Foods, signing a new lease as I will be getting an apartment without a roommate in May, and today was dedicated to helping to reward one of my team's students for having a complete turn around in his behavior and performance......with a day at Busch Gardens! I am planning on taking some time soon to do the reports from my short visit to SFA and my day at KD earlier this week for everyone's enjoyment. I would also like to say to the TPR community that I feel very honored to have now had two different reports featured on the front page of this great site! The two reports being from Carowinds openning day, and from this past Saturday at Hersheypark. I remember how excited I was the first time I had a PTR featured at the front with my Dollywood trip from 2007, and these two are just as cool to me as that one was! Thank you very much! An as always, I hope you all enjoy my future posts and updates! -Gary T.

Zach - I didn't know you were going to help keep everyone up to date on what I was doing, heh heh I have pictures to post from my short visit to SFA and from my day today at Kings Dominion, but I think I am going to relax after a decent amount of driving Larry - That's a bummer! It would have been awesome to say hello if nothing else, but I understand. We had actually decided to do Hershey on Saturday instead of Sunday the night before, so it wasn't in the plans for long before it happend. It was still a great day regardless, but I hope that next time we may happen to be at the same place we won't miss each other. F1shy - I actually was there on Saturday, as it was a last minute change in plans, so that may be why you didn't see me Sunday, heh heh bgwfreak - I could see it too! It is crazy how they did it, but it makes Great Bear very unique -Gary T.

and here is part two I will be at Six Flags America this afternoon, and Kings Dominion tomorrow, so if you spot me at either park, feel free to say hello! Hope you have all enjoyed the update so far, and that you enjoy the rest here! -Gary T. One last parting shot before leaving the park Stopping back at Chocolate World so Kellen can stock up on some Nutrageous! Kellen and I decided to hit up Red Robin for dinner, and I must say I like the view from the front door. I really liked the Lightning Racers. Kellen ponders what would be a good selection to put in his stomach. I opted for the Bonzai Burger.... Pineapple, Cheese and Teryaki Sauce.......a great combo of items for a hamburger! Now that we have had our grub, it is time to make like Red here and hit the road back to DC. I hope you all enjoyed my Hersheypark update!

Hey everyone, Yesterday, Kellen and I went to Hersheypark for the first time, and I must say that I truly enjoyed our visit there. It was a day of some great coasters, and comical moments! The weather was beautiful, and while the crowds were a bit large, the only long wait we had was for Fahrenheit at about an hour. Most everything else we were on within 25 minutes or less. Here is a breakdown of my thoughts on the coasters: - Great Bear: An good B&M invert. It was not quite as intense as some of its other counterparts around the country, but it was still a lot of fun! I would have loved to get another ride on it, but with only one-train going, we decided that our last row ride was good for the day. Certainly one of my favorites at the park - Trailblazer: A ok mine ride, a little shorter compared to others, and a bit jerky, but still gave some good views of other rides, such as Storm Runner -Storm Runner: We rode it in the thrid row, and I was surprised by the ride! I knew it would be a great ride, but I was suprised at the airtime that it had. I figured it wouldn't have much air to it at all, but it had some spots of it here and there. The best part for me was the top hat. It did break down at one point, but the maintenance staff got it back up and going fairly quickly, so kudos to them! -Sidewinder: Boomerang......enough said -Wildcat: I have to admit that I was a little disappointed when I rode Wildcat, as every GCI I had been on other than Gwazi Lion was a blast, but this one just didn't live up to the others for me. I think it shook a bit more than I would have expected for Millennium Flyer trains. -Sooperdooperlooper: Having been on Shock Wave and Mind Bender, I have been spoiled by so awesome Schwarzkopf coasters....Sooperdooperlooper was an okay one. The loop was nice and intense, but the rest was kind of meh. Not much air to speak of on this one. -Wild Mouse: Little to no brakes made this a fun ride. Some parts were a little hard on the sides, but still fun -Lightning Racer: Either one of the racers is awesome! I think the racing aspect adds something to it. That and the ride itself is just a lot of fun! It was certainly on the higher end of the GCI list in my opinion! Kellen and I both had trouble with winning though, as we ended the day with a 1-5 record -Fahrenheit: Would be the longest line of the day at an hour, but it was well worth it! The way the little pops of air came, I imagine this is what Maverick is supposed to be like when you are not thinking about your neck getting destroyed by the restraint. I really like Fahrenheit a lot! The transitions were nice and smooth, and the first drop was cool! -Comet: We had an okay ride in the front that didn't do a whole lot, but a nighttime ride in the back made up for it! Always enjoy a classic. One other thing that we did was check out Chocolate World in the middle of the day. The factory tour ride was pretty cool, and we were actually picked out to take a taste test of some new Jolly Rancher chewable candy. While that itself may not sound all that funny, it dawned on Kellen and I shortly after we started the test that we had been lured into a secluded room with the promise of candy.....It didn't help when the dialogue was something along the lines of "You two like candy?", "Yeah!", "How about you two come in this room here and we will have you test out some new products for us." We did get a free Hershey bar for our time, which was cool. Overall, it turned out to be a great day, and I really enjoyed my time at Hershey. I can't wait until I have a chance to check it out again! This update will actually take to posts as I had taken over a hundred pictures to post on here, so I hope you all enjoy! -Gary T. A city called Cockeysville.....that cracks me up a little A redbox at McDonalds.....now if only I see a man eat his own head will I be able to say that I have seen everything Who is this guy? Seems like an okay stranger, lets take him along! PA welcome sign for the collection Harrisburg's skyline in the distance We made it to Hersheypark! And from the parking lot, we see that Storm Runner is getting ready for the day! Wildcat from the lot Just in case there is any doubt about where Hersheypark is..... Gary: "Are you ready for the best day ever Kellen?!!!!?!" Kellen: "Uhhhhhhh, sure" Chocholate World! We would come and check it out later after lunch The Hershey stacks.....or a model of them for Chocolate World I should say As you can see, it was a crowded day, but that would stop us from having a good time Although it looks like the state of Pennsylvania wants you to pay $0.75 in order to have fun..... This has to be worth at least 10 cents! Only 65 more to go! The man behind the city, factory, or in other words, mini-empire known as Hershey First order of Business......Great Bear! A solid invert that gives a good ride Not the most intense of the inverts, but still a good ride! Would have loved to get more rides, but one train operation made that a bit tricky.....oh well, there is always next time It is definately one of the most unique in its design for supports As shown here as well It also come very close to some of the other rides, like here with Sooperdooperlooper While in line for Great Bear, you can see that the coal craker is being fixed up Same here This sign made us crack up a little Up next was Trailblazer A little jerky in spots, but still a good ride for the family, and the line was non-existant when we got on. Storm Runner would follow as it had a very minimal line at the time Kellen and I both loved Storm Runner I loved this part of the ride I was surprised how much airtime it had, as I did not expect it It did go down once before we got on, but the wait for maintenance was only a short bit, maybe 10 minutes, and we were on our way. The launch was pretty cool too. First smaller hydrolic launch coaster I had been on Giving Sidewinder some love. It was an okay ride, but once you do one boomerang, you've done them all (unless you do it for the credit). The one credit that would not be had today, but it was worth missing for the sake of getting in for about half the regular proce! Up next was our last coaster before lunch......Wildcat It looks like a good ride, but it didn't quite live up to some of the other GCIs out there I don't recall seeing such a happy wildcat before I wonder if that have a Dutch Oven Time for a little break to see what Chocolate World Apparently this woman does not understand our narcissism Inside Chocolate World The story of the Hershey Company, while waiting to do the Factory Tour Ride Love how they are trying to make the authentic look, bird poo and all! Getting on the ride for the tour A "bro-mantic" moment Mooooooo Always love a fine set of rears! Singing cows on the tour Going into the "factory" Kellen appreciates a good bean cleaner Mixing the beans Singing cows again "liquid chocolate" Refining The fine brands of the Hershey Company The onride picture......this is the kind of stuff that movie posters are made of! Wopper guy seems kind of shy.......Syrup Bottle dude looks like he has been smoking up! Look how red his eyes are! This is the point where Kellen and I were lured into a secluded room with the promise of candy......not always the best situation to get yourself in Yeay for taste-tests where you get free candy as a reward!!!!! Kellen ended up with a case of peppermint nipples from the Chocolate Tour They sure do have one hell of a candy inventory at this place One last shot before returning to the park Kellen is still trying to get over the fact that he had been lured into a secluded room with the promise of candy No Gary.....that is not the biggest Hershey Bar.....it's a guy in a suit First ride back.....Sooperdooperlooper! In the loop...... And through it too Looks like Syrup Bottle Guy has gone clean, looks like Milkduds Man has been a good influence Lightning Racers.....definatly the best woodies in the park! Kellen and I both managed only one win out of 6 tries Maybe it was because he didn't know how to use the seatbelts on the ride The whip was on the short side, but still fun Didn't ride it, but it would have been good for more pictures, something to save for another visit! The next ride.....Fahrenheit! An awesome rides with some great elements, and good air to it! Was the longest wait we had at about an hour But it was worth it Resese's Extream Cup Challenge. A neat ride, but the guns were kind of shot, and it was hard to tell how the score was kept. And the last credit for the day.....Comet The front row was an okay ride. The back row at night was a great way to end the night! Lifthill shot!! Time to begin the end of the update with some nighttime shots! One of my favorite nighttime pictures I have ever taken How about some nighttime antics? Hey, at this point I think we only had about a dime left to go before we got our 75 cents worth of fun from the state amusement tax And now it is covered! Kellen...is...America's...Magical...FUNNYMAN!!

Hey everyone, So I have just made it to my brother's place here in D.C., and we have come to a decision to change up plans for tomorrow as SFA doesn't have their pass center open until later in the morning, so we are going to visit Hersheypark tomorrow, and then on Sunday, I am going to make a short visit to SFA to process my pass and catch a few rides, before heading back to Doswell to visit Kings Dominion again.......yes again. As I was on my way to DC, I came to being within a short distance of KD, and thought it may be cool to see Intimidator 305 upclose and in person, so I made a quick stop, took a couple pictures, took a spin on Anaconda, as I-305 was down at the time, and got back in the car to get to D.C. This update is to help tell the tale of my journey here to D.C. from work. Tomorrow at Hershey, and the weather is supposed to be great! If you spot me, don't be afraid to say hey! -Gary T. Here we have Mr. Taylor's corner of the room and desk.....yes, my students are well aware of my enjoyment of theme parks! This would be the best sight of the day, as they have all gone home for Spring Break, which means........ .....it's time for Mr. Taylor to begin his spring break weekend trip! While I do teach in a mobil unit, it is really convienient at the end of the day, because....... .......I park my car right outside, which means........ I can get right in and head up to DC! Well, the drive was off to a slow start, as there was an unusual amount of traffic on I-95 in NC Traffic usually bums me out, but at least we kept moving Richmond Skyline Ahead So here it is around 7:27...... ....and Kings Dominion is just up ahead, and closes at 8........ ....could be worth a stop! Dominator at night! Is this picture Bag-O-Crap worthy? Since I don't recall there being a road sign welcoming to the District of Columbia, so I figured a blurry picture of the Washington monument would due for this time! Thanks for checking it out, its off to Hersheypark tomorrow!

I don't know if it is just me, but it looks like CC lost some weight this offseason. Either way, I still hope the Yankees don't repeat. And it will be interesting to see what the next project does end up being. Either way, it will give me more reason to go back to a great park!

Hey everyone, So a little bit of bad new was brought to me earlier by our school's secretary with regards to my request for a sub tomorrow. Apparently the policy of my county is that if you use a sick-leave day the day before a holiday, you must have a note or take the day unpaid.......LAME!!!! Since I don't care to loose out on the income, and because I don't think I could find a dr. crooked enough to just write me a quick note, I am going to be a good boy and go to work tomorrow, which means no Six Flags America tomorrow. What will most likely happen is that my brother and I will make a stop first thing Saturday morning to get my pass taken care of, then High-Tail it to SFGAdv to spend the rest of the day there. Hershey and Kings Dominion are still on for Sunday and Monday respectively. A little bit of a bummer, but nothing that can't be overcome to still have a great trip! Besides, It is supposed to be great weather all weekend!!!! -Gary T.

Awesome! On the same day that I see that the sun is supposed to be out and the wheather great for everyday of my spring break first weekend trip that is going to be loaded with some parks, I find out that I should be able to get all credits at Hershey (minus Roller Soaker) when I go on Sunday!! Can't wait to get this trip rolling on Friday! -Gary T.

It kind of cracked me up when I was at the Motel 6 about 4 exits from Carowinds for the night, and alas, they had brochures for Freestyle. I wonder if there is anyone who will show up thinking it is opening, just to find out that it is not in fact open. -Gary T.

^No problem, I understand the bummerage from it. I had been texting back and forth with Zack for most of the afternoon about each ride and how it was, and I REEEEEEEEALLY wanted to get a back seat ride, but everytime I ended up in a row I had been on, which 14 was the most common row for me. Still a great ride, but I would have loved to see what it was like in other rows too! -Gary T.

TALKING BBQ FORK!!!!!!!! I forgot about that! Wasn't that at Fiesta Texas? -Gary T.

I don't blame you Andrew. I would probably do the same thing if I were working there and had time off. Besides, I am sure there are others who work at other parks that do the same thing on their favorite coaster. I know I did when I worked at Cedar Point. I managed to bring my total number of rides on Raptor to 92. When I make it up that way this summer, I am going to see if I can hit the 100 mark. -Gary T.

The park is looking good! From your pictures, it looks like Thomas Town is supposed to be in that middle lot beside Wild One and Joker's Jinx.....I thought it was going where Two Face: The Flip Side was located? Either way, a great trip report and pictures! Thank you for sharing them! -Gary T.

^tigellinus - They were assigning rows, and from what I could see they VERY rarely let people request a row. But if the line is short enough, you could always just go again and again until you get the row you want ^F1shy - That will be cool to spot you at Hershey, do you know what ride(s) you will be working on? I would love to say hello sometime while there ^BGWfreak - It was awesome to have a chance to chat with you! And I didn't even notice that I got you in one my pics from the day. That is pretty funny. ^Zach, Rob, and anyone else planning on coming down, over or up to Carowinds for Intimidator......I believe that you all will not be disappointed! Intimidator was truely awesome! Thank you everyone for the compliments so far! I certainly hope that you all enjoyed it, and that you will continue to check out this thread for future updates! -Gary T.

When they first took people in to line-up, they probably had the Queue filled, but I do believe it was around 15 minutes for the regular line, with the single-riders line being between 5-10 minutes -Gary T.

I had a chance to check it out yeterday, and I thought it was AWESOME!!!!!!! Nice air to be had all over! I did hear a few people say Diamondback is better, but if that is the case, I REALLY want to check out Diamondback, because this thing was just plain fun to ride! I took a ton of pictures from the day that I had, but rather than posting them all here, you can see them on my 2010 Adventures Thread -Gary T.

Hey Everyone! So today (well, yesterday now), I went to Carowinds for opening day, and for the opening of Intimidator! What I can say about the day was that I had a blast! I was very surprised at how good Intimidator was! It has a lot of floater air to it, and while I did not get a chance to see what the last row was all about, row 3 provided some great airtime for me! I also had a chance to talk with a lot of different people throughout the day! I talked with a group of people from Ohio that are a part of PKI Central, who names elude me right now, other than an older gentleman named Dave, who was great to talk to! I also had a chance to say hey to Pufferfish, a.k.a. Andrew, while he was working on the Intimidator. I also happend to be in line with BGWFreak at one point, and had a great chat with him and a younger guy at the time. I thought it was funny that he had posted pictures from a month ago for Intimidator, and that I apparently got credit for them. I had missed that one, but it was good for a laugh. In anycase, I want to say thank you to everyone who was cool enough to shoot the breeze with me for a little while, and for the occasional ride together during the day. Now, I am going to warn you now before you go into the pictures, I took A LOT of Intimidator pictures, but I also took some of Planet Snoopy as well as some other favorites of Carowinds. It was a great day, and I hope you all enjoy my update, for what is my largest update yet in 2010!! -Gary T. So, considering that I am about to make a four-plus hour drive after three hours of sleep, with the intentions of staying at the park for the full day, I believe I am going to find a place to stay for the night. If anyone was in doubt as to whether it is a good idea to have a NASCAR themed coaster at Carowinds......exhibit A..... ....exhibit B.... ...and exhibit C Gotta love a nice skyline, which Charlotte does have (you can see if you look to the left going up Intimidator's lift) State Road Sign in 2010 Number 3....South Carolina! And there it is! From the parking entrance area Now, if you would rather not see a ton of Intimidator pictures, you have been warned! The next many pictures will cover the many angles of Intimidator that can be seen! The ride that got me to the other ride. Train!!!! And around 9 or so, they began testing Got my pass! Ready to go The two new main features of Carowinds, both of which I have covered for all of you. But before we get to Planet Snoopy....... It's time for more Intimidator! (okay, so it is the gift shop......but believe me, there is no shortage of Intimidator pictures here in this update) See! But we will take a quick break from Intimidator, to bring you..... The presentation of the proceeds from the first rider auction to the Dale Earnhardt Foundation As well as Kerry Earnhardt, Dale's oldest son and past driver. He was on the ceremonial first ride. First train of the day going up! and there is Kerry in the front row coming back to the station Personally, I really like the stickers and design for the train. It looks really cool as a total package if you ask me. Kerry gives his thoughts about the ride, which he says he liked it. One of the cars that I don't believe hase been raced before, but I am not positive But enough of the ceremonial stuff....let's get back to the boatload of Intimidator pictures I have for you all! The drop before the MCBR The inclined-helix The s-turn, one of the coolest parts of the ride, besides the tons of airtime and cool turnaround said turnaround One of my favorite first-drop pictures I have the turnaround portion and one final shot to cover the Intimidator portion of this update Now let us take a look at what has been done for the other new for 2010 item at Carowinds...Planet Snoopy! most of the changes were simply ride re-names, other required the decor of the ride to be changed, like gr8 sk8 Joe Cool Cafe A credit I still have not yet gained! An overview look And while not directly tied to the Nick-to-Peanuts coversion, Boo Blasters was also changed How about an addition for the TPR Index? Last I had seen, this ride was listed as having pictures needed, so..... ....here is my contribution! but if it was already taken care of..... then these are dedicated to everyone's favorite rapids fan.......therapidsnerd Here's to you Michael! Now I think we can give the other rides some love too! Vortex can actually be fun in the front row. This Hurler hurts much less than the one at KD.....THANK GOD IT IS GETTING WORK DONE TO IT!!! Gotta love Identity Crisis: The Ride A cool shot I thought evidence that they just painted it Now, at first glance, this first aid station doesn't seem to imply anything...... ....until you see what it is near! I do have to admit though, the new harnesses make a huge difference! It may just be a boomerang, but they did the area up pretty well for it! Goldrusher While I didn't ride it this time, I still wanna give Nighthawk some love too. Last ride shout out goes to one of the best inverts around.....with one of the worst names (Everytime I said Afterburn, it made me think of someone passing gas) Still Top Gun in my heart One of my favorite parts of the ride If it wasn't for Intimidator being so Awesome, this would still be my favorite coaster in the park Tierd of looking at pictures yet? GREAT!!!!!! Then here are some aerial pictures from the Carolina Skytower Nighthawk, upclose Intimidator!!!!! Rip Roarin' Rapids Richochet......passed because of the line, but I could get it next time Carolina "Identity Crisis" Cyclone Carolina Cobra Top Gun......errrrrr, Afterburn Overview of Intimidator Flying Ace and finally Vortex While sitting on Intimidator after one of the rides, I noticed the space between backseats was really dusty, and made this, and took the picture after getting back in the station and out of the seat. It turned out to be a great day, and to Carowinds, I say that you have a winner on your hands now! Thanks everyone for checking it out!