carolinacaniac

Hey everyone! Tomorrow is the big day for Carowinds opening day, and the opening of Intimidator! Planning on saying hello to Pufferfish while he is at work, but accoring to his account of media day, it seems that this ride doesn't disappoint, so I can't wait to check it out! If you happen to spot a guy in a black A.G. Cox jacket, or a TPR Texas Trip shirt (Supposed to be cooler tomorrow, so we may have a jacket kind of day), don't be afraid to say hello! Also, I have made plans with my dad for a day to check out Oregon's two parks when I am out in Washington, so Enchanted Forest and Oak's are set other than the date. I am also changing up my spring break plans as it looks as though I will not be visiting the Wilmington area that second weekend after all, and I have decided to shift the order of the parks I visit that first weekend. Originally it was going to be something like this: -April 2: Kings Dominion -April 3: SF Great Adventure -April 4: SF America Due to something that went wrong when I tried to renew my season pass at SFA, I could not do so, which ment I had to get a new pass. What I have decided to do since I have to get the new pass before going to SF Great Adventure on saturday, as that is the day my brother Kellen can go with me, and he is wanting to check out the awesomeness of El Toro and Nitro, as well as the others. So instead of rushing through KD and Intimidator, and trying to beat traffic in DC to get my pass at SFA before they close at 6, I decided to go Monday the 5th as I thought maybe the lines would be shorter then. Why Monday you may ask? Well, I also found out that Hersheypark would have all of their coasters minus Farhenheit open, so I thought it would be worth it to go on Sunday when the admission is almost half what it normally is. With all of that said, here is the new plan for that weekend: -April 2: SF America -April 3: SF Great Adventure -April 4: Hersheypark -April 5: Kings Dominion A bigger change on the schedule, and I am giving up being at KD for Intimidator 305's opening, but maybe I will luck out and have a minimal crowd that day and can do a marathon session. Either way, it should be a good time! Hope everyone who will be at one of the many parks that are opening tomorrow has a great day, and I look forward to possibly running into some fellow readers at Carowinds tomorrow!!! -Gary T.

Looking forward to it! Sunny skies and cooler temps for opening day. ^Andrew, I will definately say hey to you while I am there. -Gary T.

Either place might be worth a lunch break from Carowinds this weekend, or maybe even dinner after the park, either way, I am looking forward to trying out a new place! -Gary T.

^Do they have a website with their address? I may have to check it out this weekend when I am over that way for opening day, as I love some good pulled-pork BBQ! -Gary T.

Hey B-RadG! I enjoyed the short chat that we had while waiting for Apollo, and hope you enjoyed the rest of your day. May your future travels continue to go well, and maybe I will catch you again soon! -Gary T.

Hey everyone, This past Saturday, I had a chance to check out Busch Gardens' Pass Holder Preview Day, and had a great time! It was a little bit on the shorter side, as I went to a movie night in Raleigh that evening, and unfortunatly my camera's battery died once I took some pictures of the old Big Bad Wolf site, but the weather was great, and I had a chance to meet B-RadG while in line for Apollo's Chariot. You can check out his pictures from the day by clicking here Just as a reminder, I will be at Carowinds this Saturday for the opening of Intimidator! Anyone else who is planning on being there and would like to hang out, let me know! While this is going to be a bit on the short side for BGE update, I hope you all enjoy it! This is a sign of just how much driving I have done with my Saturn Ion as when I purchased it in November, it had 24,000 miles........yeah, I have been doing some driving already! One thing I decided I was going to do this year since a lot of my travels will include driving, I decided I would take pictures of the "welcome" signs. This being for North Carolina, as it is my home! My car, as it has been left behind in NC. And Virginia, the first state I have visited in 2010! A time-honored tradition of mine when I travel.....stop at 7-Eleven!!!!! Just some basic items, like a Slim Jim, a "Fuzzy Dice" scatch off ticket, and of course...........SLURPEE!!!!!! Turns out the scratch off was a big looser....oh well, there are bigger things to get to today! Comming up to Busch Gardens... The Busch Gardens Skyline! Apollo doing a test run...stretching the legs out after a long winter's slumber Something seems to be missing here Seems to be that the park hasn't completely forgotten the memory of Big Bad Wolf Here we have a good crowd for Passholder Day And as you can see, it was a beautiful day. The water for Escape from Pompeii seems to be very clean. I don't remember it being this blue. Trying to go for artsy... Just thought I would say howdy to Grover! Some pictures of the Alpine Express First Drop Some pictures of Roman Rapids...... ......just for a friend of mine........ ....here's to you Michael (RapidsNerd) Again, just an absolute beautiful day! It looked like Loch Ness had a paint job during the off-season, either way it was looking good! And here we begin the look at what remains of Big Bad Wolf, a bit of a bummer, but kind of neat to see what used to be at the same time The side of the station has these window covers now to hide what used to be. A look through the lattrice into the station, and you see that the individual queue lines are still there.....let the speculation begin!!!! Where the train used to come out of the station and the last picture I got before the camera died, where the Bavarian Village used to be. Hope you enjoyed my update. Up next is Carowinds this Saturday!!!!!

Just enjoy it....... You will get to meet all kinds of great people, have free access to the park, and that availability to take some side trips if they still offer them. I will also suggest that if you get some split shifts, take your stuff for the afternoon once in a while to go to Soak City. I found that to be a great way to relax between shifts on the split, even when it is fairly crowded, you can do the lazy river a few times, then maybe a slide or two, and then whatever else, then head back to work. Also, take some of your time off to just rest. It is a great experience, but it can wear you down, so don't be afraid to take the evening after a day shift to just relax, or even a day off. -Gary T.

Hey everyone! Tomorrow is looking to be an excellent day at Busch Gardens Williamsburg for passholder preview day, as the forcast has been calling for the high 70's and sunny! Anyone who is planning on being there, don't be shy! I will be there with my younger sister, but would enjoy hanging out with any else who will be there! If you plan on looking for me, I will most likely be the guy who professes his love for wood.......roller coaster, as I will most likely have my I <3 Wood.....roller coasters t-shirt on. If it is cool out, I may have my black A.G. Cox jacket on. Don't be afraid to say hello if you are there tomorrow! -Gary "Can't wait to finally kick off the 2010 coaster season!" T

^Pufferfish - I will definately say hey if I spot you at the park! Would love to hang out if you have the free time in the beginning of the day. ^^ratdogg - I have actually been considering visiting Holiday World, and will certainly let everyone know on here if I make the plans more solid. Things are looking good for Busch Gardens on Saturday, as the forcast calls for sun with 71 degrees! I can't wait to start coaster season, but the weekend is not yet here, so I will have to find other ways to kill time until then...... East Carolina University Baseball Game vs. Gardner-Webb @ Clark-LeClair Stadium: Greenville, NC Time for another small adventure, this one from right here in Greenville, and something of a page out of Scott and Joey's Sporting event and stadium threads. This evening I went with my friend Chris to see the ECU baseball team take on Gardner-Webb. The Pirates are currently ranked 16 or so in the nation, and play their home games at one of the nicest facilities in collegiate baseball, Clark-LeClair stadium. Many of the pictures are based on the stadium itself, but do feature some game shots as well as some construction going on nextdoor for the new softball stadium that is going to be similar to the baseball stadium. Hope you all enjoy this little side adventure to the ballgame! -Gary T. Here we have Chris, who is being a bit camera shy......how adorable! A couple of Pirate Fans ready to cheer the home team on! And here we have Clark-LeClair Stadium, certainly one of the nicest facilities on campus Right next door is where the new softball stadium will be, which is going to be similar to the baseball stadium Here we have the old softball field, and construction around it And this will be the new stadium. The athletic dept. of ECU has been updating facilities like crazy, which will include a new section on one endzone at the football stadium. Back to Clark-LeClair Stadium Who knew that I was that well respected of an Alumni!?!?!? The stairs that lead to the seating area And this is what you see as you arrive at the top of the stairs Here come the Pirates! Getting ready to start the game First Pitch Chris is thinking it is getting a little chilly out Gardner-Webb pitcher ECU Homerun!!!! This was actually the second one of the inning, which tied the game at 3 each Celebrating the homer with the team! All notched up at 3 each It's time to celebrate with Pee Dee the Pirate! After our celebration, Pee Dee was ready to totally dominate this kid in a race to home plate...... .....fail Pee Dee......fail..... Now...most places have an awesome prize if a player hits a target with a homerun, like cash, or a steak if they hit the bull in a Durham Bulls game, here........you win a taco from Taco Bell........meh. Off in the distance, you find Dowdy-Ficklin Stadium, where our football team has won some big games against the likes of NC State, West Virginia, UNC, and the Conference USA Title game against Houston last season, which Chris and I saw. A side view of Clark-LeClair Stadium This plaque is dedicated to Keith LeClair, who was the head coach of ECU until he was diagnosed with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease. It would eventually claim his life in 2006, but he play a major part in ECU becoming a major team in college baseball. The Wall of Donors who helped in funing the building of Clark-LeClair Stadium Back on the field, ECU had taken the lead later on, and would try their best not to relinquish it Time to get a reliever ready in the bullpen One neat feature about the staduim is the hill that was built around the outfield fence to allow people to stand along the outfield wall, which had been a longtime tradition when there used to be large cedar trees along the leftfield fence and more drunken badgering of the visiting players. They used to call it the Jungle A side view of the hill that surrounds the outfield wall. It would be awesome to see a large crowd for a tournament game or rivalry game. A view of the stadium from the outfield I give Clark-LeClair Stadium a thumbs up! A great place to watch a ballgame. And with that, ECU would come out with the victory! Always good to see sportsmanship shown by shaking hands with your opponent, regardless of the result ECU WINS!!! And thus, it is time to exit by the main staircase One last nighttime shot of the stadium before going home. Thanks for checking it out!

I know someone mentioned that this applies to the Busch Parks, does that include Sesame Place? I have been thinking of venturing to the Eastern PA area for a couple days sometime in the near future, and have been wondering how I would go about visiting it, and if they do the same deal with the hour for free, I might consider just getting the credit and run. -Gary T.

^It is a bit goofy, maybe even tacky.....but it could be worse! -Gary T.

Hey everyone, I know I havn't done a whole lot with this yet, but my travels are about to pick up here soon with coaster season comming to start soon for me, as I am going to kick it off with three strait weekends of parks! March 20: Busch Gardens Williamsburg Season Pass Holder Preview Day March 27: Carowinds Opening Day (Openning of Intimidator April 2-4: Kings Dominion Opening Day (Opening of Intimidator 305), Six Flags Great Adventure and Six Flags America! If there is anyone wanting to hang out any of those days, I would love to meet up with some other folks from here on TPR!! I do have a little side trip update for you all today..... A Wilimington Adventure As I had mentioned in the beginning of this, I was going to make this not only about my theme park travels, but also my side trips as well, and this past weekend I was in Wilmington, NC to visit a friend of mine named Liz. She and I did a little cruise by the UNCW campus, had breakfast at an awesome place called Chris' Cosmic Kitchen that had F'N HUGE PANCAKES!!!!!! I mean, they were enormous, I hardly even did the edges as you will see in the pictures. Still good though. We also made a visit to Wrightsville Beach, and there happend to be a carnival in town that we checked out for a bit before it was time for me to come back to Greenville. I think the pancakes alone will make this a great first PTR for my 2010 Adventures report! and Larry, I will most certainly do what I can to help out the TPR Index when I stop by Oaks and any other park I visit! -Gary T The UNCW Watertower......where water is kept and what not The Seahawk statue of UNCW And here we are at Chris' Cosmic Kitchen...... ....a cool little local place. One that serves....... ....BIG PANCAKES!!!!! A quarter beside it, just to give you an idea of how big they are! And this was all I could do before I tapped out. This is supposed to be their short stack..........a tall stack would have two more.....OH GOD! To be continued...... A cool place that I recommend to anyone who is in the Wilimington area After breakfast, Liz and I decided to go for a little drive to Wrightsville Beach North Carolina is loaded with these smaller waterways near the coast The pier of Wrightsville Beach. According to Liz, it has been in a good number of shows and movies, but perhaps I just havn't seen the ones it is featured in Getting my feet wet for the first time in 2010, even if it was freezing! We also happend to spot this sand mountain/castle/thing along the way And here we have Liz, completely oblivious to the fact that I have her on camera! after the beach, we took a little drive back into town and found a carnival, so we checked it out for a bit Just a good old, run-of-the-mill random carnival. This was Powers Midways, which also does the NC State Fair With a Larson Fireball and one of these whirl-and-hurls We decided to give the whirl and hurl a try .........which was intense.......like camping And this little adventure will be wrapped with a shot of my Gravitron mode mug shot. Hope you all enjoyed, and hope to see some of you at a park soon!

Count me in for an I-305 Opening meet-up if there is one. I will be there on the 2nd for opening day -Gary T.

Maybe they are still wrapping up maintenance on some of the trains? Just thought that may be a possibility since it was opening day. Either way, I enjoyed the pictures! Thanks for sharing them with us all! -Gary T.

Hey everyone! 2009 honestly had to be one of the most bipolar years I have ever had in my life. While I had the difficulties of a failing marriage that made life a little rough, there was much to enjoy about 2009. For one, I finally graduated from East Carolina University in May with my degree in Middle Grade Education, and was given my first teaching position in August. I was also able to go on my first TPR Trip in Texas, which was a great experience, and I like many others who have been on one would fully reccommend it! 2009 came to an awesome end with my little adventure during the winter break to Florida, which included some sight-seeing in Daytona, a few credit runs, stops at some old favorites like the Universal parks, and stops at some new favorites like SeaWorld and Busch Gardens. So now enjoying the benefits of a stable career and better financial stability, I am ready to do a lot more travelling! I am starting this thread as a place for me to share my adventures with everyone here on TPR, and also to list where I am planning on going so that if anyone would like to meet-up at anypoint if I am near by, just give me a heads up and we can make arrangements. This front page is where I will list where my PTRs can be found, I will post and update my plans here as well. While a large part of this will be about the parks that I go to, I am also inspired by the likes of Big Mike to share my other adventures that I go on since most of us would agree that there is more to life than just roller coasters and themeparks. Gary's Report Index (Updated Sept 6) - March 14th: A side trip to Wilmington, NC - March 16th: East Carolina University Baseball Game Vs. Gardner-Webb, Clark-LeClair Stadium in Greenville, NC - March 20th: Busch Gardens Williamsburg Passholder Preview Day - March 27th: Carowinds Opening Day - April 2nd: Drive up to Washington, DC for a Spring Break Adventure! - April 3rd: Hersheypark, Part 1, Hersheypark, Part 2 - April 4th: Six Flags America - April 5th: Kings Dominion - April 11th: A day trip to Raleigh, North Carolina - April 24th: The NC Science Olympiad Competition/Maryland vs. NC State Softball Game, NC State University, Dail Stadium and Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh, North Carolina - May 1st: The Paschal/Acheson Wedding Reception, Greenville Hilton in Greenville, NC - May 9th: Return to Busch Gardens Williamsburg - June 15th: Travel to Seattle for the Pacific Northwest Tour - Video - June 17th: A day in Downtown Seattle - Video - June 18th: Wild Waves Theme Park - Video - June 19th: Kitsap Destruction Derby Association Event, Thunderbird Stadium, Silverdale, WA - Video - June 20th Resturants of WA/OR, Enchanted Forest in Turner, OR, and Oaks Amusement Park in Portland OR - Video - June 22nd Seattle Mariners vs. Chicago Cubs, Safeco Field, Seattle, WA - Video - July 27th Coney Island, Cincinnati, OH - August 22nd TPR's East Coast Bash at Kings Dominion Gary's Top 5 Ridden Coasters in 2010 (Updated Sept 6) 1) Intimidator - 30 Rides 2) Afterburn - 29 rides 3) Intimidator 305 - 22 Rides 4) Alpengeist - 11 Rides 5) Apollo's Chariot - 10 Rides As always, I hope you all enjoy this continually developing report, and hope to see many of you at some point along the way! -Gary T.

It was awesome to relieve the trip in about 20 minutes! I miss it so much, being on that trip was certainly one of the best times I ever had. Zach, you took some great pictures on this trip, and should definatly continue to take them as you do so well with the photography! Looking forward to the chance to catch up sometime in the future! -Gary T.

I have to admit that my first couple rides on it a couple days before the TPR Texas trip, I thought it was pretty bad ass! The next day, I wanted nothing more than to amputate my legs, and again when I rode with Shane, Luko and Derick the night TPR was there. I am really curious to see how this turns out, but I think it is safe to say that this is a hybrid like many mine rides, and the changes I think are significant enough to compare it to when Steel Phantom became Phantom's Revenge. -Gary "I am all for it too if it turns into a fun ride" T.

All it would take it a very slim person who can make the lapbar stay up at the three click point so that it passes the safety check, and a bit of wiggling around while the ride is going. Might not be likely, but could be done. -Gary "just hoping it won't for a good while" T.

Maybe it will have pasta and Sinese animatronics? -Gary T

I learned that it is possible to find a short line for checking out at Wal-Mart on a Sunday! -Gary T

17/20 -Gary T.

That was what he was saying even. Originally, I wanted to see about just doing the face with no background, but the issue of the name showing through was a problem, but when I asked him about keeping the background, he said that he could do it, so he just extended the hatch portion down to cover the name. It did come out very well. Thanks for the compliment, and I enjoyed sharing -Gary T.

I have to admit that when I was with my ex Melissa (split since August of this past year), We did the names of one another thing with her name being right above my left ankle......I have now learned my lesson. On the bright side, I was able to cover it earlier today with one of a partial Raptor logo (The face and background, but no words). It is very fitting to me in a couple different ways: - It was my first big coaster, and being such was one of the first times in my childhood that I faced something I was afraid of head on, and also was a spark for what I consider to be one of my personal passions - It is representative of how going to different theme parks is a way for me to enjoy life, even when things are not going so well, and is kind of fitting that I cover something that is connected to one of the toughest things I have ever had to face with something that has been a great source of cheering up when times are tough. Originally, the artist that did it was going to color in the eyes and beak like the logo, but as the outline was comming along, I thought it looked cool the way it was, and he felt the same, saying that it was unlike anything he had done before. He described it as being kind of like taking a piece of wood, and carving the face into it. -Gary T. The name was in the solid black area just under the beak Another view without the flash this time

AWESOME! One of my picures was made into a postcard! That is actually pretty cool emiroo, I hadn't thought of that picture that way -Gary T.

Hey everyone, the past few weeks have been hectic, and today has really been the one day I could do my last update since I am home feeling like someone stuffed sludge up into my sinuses. I toughed it out yesterday, but couldn't today. I did think that it would be a good idea to wrap up my Florida Finale PTR with a look at SeaWorld, and a brief stop to Adventure Landing in Jacksonville on the way back. And now some thoughts about my day at SeaWorld: This was one of my other most anticipated parks as I had heard great things about Kraken and Manta, and I enjoyed going to SeaWorld in San Antonio with TPR back in July. If there was one theme of the day it was.........HOLY SH*T IT'S COLD!!!! After going through a great weather day with Michael at Universal that saw temps in the mid to high sixties, this day started with the temperature around 37 degrees, which would come with a delay in the openning of Manta and Kraken. What I did until they did open up was to take a spin on Atlantis (didn't turn out as bad as the day before with Popeye twice in the freeze factor), took in a couple shows, Blue Horizons and Believe which were both enjoyable, and then I gained my Shamu Credit. By the time I got the Shamu Express credit, the other two had opened, Kraken with a line around 20 minutes by the time I got in, and Manta going overflow at around 70 minutes. So this would lead to a day with only one ride on each of the coasters, but that was just fine as it leaves me wanting to go back for more! -Journey to Atlantis: It is good to know that they are going to put some money into fixing it up to what it used to be, as it was very hard to tell what was going on with the story as you rode. If the sound was more clear, it would have improved the ride greatly. Still more to it than its Texas counter part, and an enjoyable ride -Shamu Express: This thing was much bigger than its San Antonio counterpart, and had a rather short line interestingly, even being right after Believe, and a day where there were many kids. -Kraken: After going on the TPR Texas trip, I felt the Superman was definately THE best floorless I had been on. After riding Kraken, it wasn't so clear. Superman provides an awesome ride, and has the advantage of being on the side of the rock wall, but Kraken provided an awesome ride as well, so I have a hard time determining which was better. I especially enjoyed the portion of the ride after the MCBR. -Manta: While this was by far the longest that I waited for any ride on this trip was not as bad since the tanks alongside with the different sea-life were there to look at, and the ride itself was awesome! By far my favorite flyer. I loved the way it flys all around the paths nearby, and also how there are a few good close moments, like when nearly hitting the waterfall around the end of the course. I really enjoyed my visit to SeaWorld, and look forward to the opportunity to return in the future. It was a great feeling to have when I realized that now being done with college, it is possible to take trips like this, and I am hope to do more again in the future! Before I put up the pictures, here are a few fun stats from this trip: -Total Miles Driven: Just Shy of 2000 (1100 of them in the first 24 hours of the trip) -Parks Visited: 13 -Coasters Ridden: 26 I also want to thank everyone for checking out my updates, and I hope that you have enjoyed seeing the travels that I went on while on this trip. And now..........(Que 80's style music) IT'S THE FINAL UPDATE!!!!! This way to the last major park of my Florida adventure Sea World! I don't care how cold it is, that is a pretty sight first thing in the morning! Going into the park Oh yeah, it is a cold one! Even Shamu thought it was cold today! A purty coaster, just too cold for it to be going yet signature sign shot Kraken wants it to warm up too, but it will just have to wait Until then, we will go ahead and take a spin on Journey Splash! An upclose look at the flume style drop The portion that leads to the coaster style part of the ride Comming back out after the coaster portion of the ride And this is what the result of riding was, what may be an acceptable amount of wetness This was the point in which I thought it would be a good time to take in a show, the first would be Blue Horizons You mean nobody is brave enough to sit in the splash zone while it is still in the low 40's? Well, I am......... ....not that brave, I will happily take a seat away from the water Well, there is one brave kid And the show begins "Noooo, don't jump! It freezing!" Idiot I'll bet she has a pair of diamond cutters on her chest Woops, they forgot to remove their dead animals from the water This makes me wonder why Six Flags hasn't decided to do some kind of an Aquaman show at their parks with sea life Flipper! This show even has some high divers Dolphin Skiing A flock of flying dolphins And the shows Finale Time to go see Shamu! This is the first time I have seen concessions convieniently placed at the stadium.....did what it was intended to, as I picked up some popcorn! An overview of the stadium No brave souls for the splash zone again. Well, nevermind "...and now that he is gone, little boys like this can live without fear of being taken advantage of on the Neverland Ranch!" Free Willie moment You know he's not on a boat How cute, he is teaching whales how to solute a German dicator Dances with Whales, staring Roseanne Barr "I....HATE......WHALES!!!!!!" "AHHHHHHHH!!!!!" This is what happens when you stomp on whales "And for just 5 easy payments of 9999.99 and protests by PETA, you too can walk on water like Jesus!" Woops, they left their dead whales in the air above the water Big Bigger! I think the temps were just heating up.....to the high 40's After the show, it was time for some more riding, this time, the Shamu Express Why would I not be surprised if someone thought this doubled as a submarine? Stilt Band and flying elves Now I think is a good time for some bigger coasters! We'll start with a spin on Kraken What's crakin' Kraken?! Into the pit..... .....and back out Off of the midcourse A great ride indeed! Now it is time for this beast! Signature Shot And another Through the falls One of the best near misses on a roller coaster! And we end the visit to SeaWorld with some love for Manta....Facebook style!! Thus we come to the last location of the Florida tour....Adventure Landing Wacky Worm time! This is comforting to see And this ends the Florida Finale of 2009! Thank you all for checking it out, and I hope you all enjoyed. If you ever happen to be at a park when I am, feel free to say hey!