Barge84

^I feel like you're going to regret that comment...

As always, you did an amazing job, Jason. Thanks for all your efforts! Those kids will really appreciate it!

Looks like I got passed for 1st place at WoF, but TPR and my friends helped me raise $1,090. Awesome! Have fun on Sunday everyone!

Got it this time. I'll send you $20 when I get home from the gym. Thanks!

^ Saw your donation, Dustin. Just sent $40 to you! Thanks again!

Thanks, Nick! I'll donate to you at some point today. Joey, I didn't see your donation come through. Are you sure that it was submitted? Just making sure because I didn't get an e-mail and I don't see it on my fundraising page. ***Edit: Nick, I just sent $30 your way...

Okay, so I'm going to the event with a friend who has not raised $1000. It won't be too helpful for one of us to have a fast lane. I was at KI last year, Im not too worried about what I get to ride outside the marathon. Will I be able to give the fast lane to someone else if I so choose? If that's the case, I would gladly trade it off for a donation to my page. I know at KD last year they gave us a thing with our name on it that you could bring back at any point in the season. Not sure if you could transfer it or not.

Hey everyone, I just got passed for 1st place at WoF. Any TPR members want to help me out? I'll match the first $100 dollars that I receive, whether it be 1 $100 donation or 5 $20 donations, etc... Thanks in advance. Great work everyone!

That was probably my favorite episode of the series. So much happened, including the most gruesome death I've ever seen on TV. Can't wait for the final 2 episodes. We might have to have a GoT watch in Scandi!

That guy is awesome! The first time we were in line on Saturday, I wasn't really paying attention. I thought that they'd changed part of the spiel before the "Gentlemen, start your engines" bit, because he sounded just like the recording. I-305 always has a solid crew.

Everything is a la carte. They have several different kiosks for each country/area. Most dishes range from the $4-$6 range, so it can get pretty pricey. I felt like the portion sizes were a little bit bigger this year, so it was actually a pretty decent price considering it's inside of a theme park. If you're going to drink and eat all day, I'd plan on spending at least $75-100.

Went to the park last Saturday with SuperShawn. I'm not a huge fan of Kings Dominion, but there are a lot of things to like. Just a few observations: I-305 - I just gets better every time I ride it. The park wasn't too busy, which was surprising. Some of the rides had decent lines, but I-305 was consistently in the 10-20 minute range. In the morning it was only about a 3-4 train wait to ride. I lost track of how many times we rode it, but it was somewhere around 15 times if I had to guess. Finally got a night ride, and it was as good as advertised. Plunging into complete darkness was unexpected. I love how they barely light any of the ride. This was the first time that I had rides where I didn't grey out, so I'm not sure what that means. Rebel Yell - It was running great! Glad to see that they gave it some love in the offseason. Had a couple of surprise WTF moments of air. Got pulled over the initial drop and the same thing happened after the turnaround. It could use a paint job, but otherwise I was really happy with Rebel Yell this year. Hurler - I don't hate this one as much as everyone else, and outside of a portion of the middle of the ride, it was relatively "smooth". Richochet - Didn't have this credit, so we waited way too long for it. Watching my giant 6'6" frame cram into the tiny car was a highlight of the day for Shawn. Dominator - Waited about 35-40 minutes. Longest line we waited in all day (skipped Volcano). I think it's a fun ride. The first half has a different layout, so I've always appreciated that. It did seem a little rough near the end, but I think Dominator is an above average floorless. Singing Mushrooms - Never got to see them perform. 40th Anniversary - The park looks great! I loved the Eiffel Tower at night, and the new fountains with lights look fantastic! I really love what Cedar Fair is doing with their parks. The fireworks show was huge. It probably lasted close to 15 minutes. I'm not sure if it was a special holiday weekend or not, but they spent a ton of money. As you can see, most of the day was spent riding I-305. We took a few hours off to head down to Richmond and take a break in the middle of the day, because I really wanted some night rides on I-305. It was well worth it.

Had a blast on Sunday at Food and Wine. Here are my quick thoughts on the dishes I tried: Steak - Wish is was cooked a little less, but whenever they're serving mass amounts of it they usually cook it closer to medium well, so I'm ok with that. Amazing flavor with the crust. Probably my favorite thing. Cheese in Greece - Always amazing. I could only handle one serving this year! Cheese soup from Canada - As Chuck said, it's much better this year. Glad I tried it again! Shrimp Fritters - Very tasty, but could've used some more shrimp. The dipping sauce compliments it very well. Pork Slider - Huge portion. It was good, but could've used a little more seasoning. Mac and Cheese with Bacon - Delicious. Right up there with the steak for my favorite dish of the day. Scottish Egg - Always a treat. My egg was a bit overcooked, but you can't go wrong with one of these. Honestly, the only "miss" was probably the pork slider, and that wasn't even something I'd consider "bad". They really upped their game this year. I'm glad it worked so well last year, because this should be an annual event. It's not on par with Epcot's festival (but what is?), but it's about as close as you're ever going to get. Hoping they do it again next year, because if they do, I'll be there!

Is there a way to try the test seat before you get in line now? Or do you have to wait an hour just to be told you can't ride?

Hades has been on my radar since it opened. It's a shame I got there to ride it several years too late. Same here. Hades was built after my visit in 2001, and I always wanted to ride it. Never again.

^He should be ok. I'm 6'6", and last August was around the same weight and was able to ride. I have really big thighs and that almost caused an issue. If he has normal legs he should be fine as it's not really a stomach size thing, from what I could tell.

I'd let his grades decide. If he's doing well, then why not. Tell him it's a reward. I agree with this. In 20 years, will he remember this trip, or the day that he spent in school? As long as he's doing well and there aren't any important classes/tests going on that day, I think it's fine.

I've always found SFGAm to have some of the better operations within the chain. Give it some time, like others have mentioned.

What a disappointing park. The last time I'd been there was when it was still Big Chief's Go Kart world. The 3 coasters were still in good shape and fun. When TPR was there last summer, I rode Hades 360 twice (forced the second time), Cyclops once, and we did a couple of go kart tracks. After lunch we just started drinking, as Andy mentioned, and that was by far the best choice we could have made that day. I grew up about 2 hours from the Dells, so I've spent a lot of time there. Definitely a tourist trap, but it holds a lot of nostalgia for me. I'd rather spend time there than Branson or Pigeon Forge, minus the much better parks near those other towns.

El Toro is a lot tighter fit. It's a much different restraint, so it's hard to compare, but El Toro is WAY more restrictive than almost any other ride (besides MF and TTD at Cedar Point).

^Windy in Chicago? Not likely!

I just happened to see that the Worlds of Fun schedule has been released. They're including an hour of ERT on Skyhawk, which is pretty much my worst nightmare. I HATE heights! I guess I'll use this as a reason to get my friends to donate more money for the cause!

I won't get in to a lot of your comments because I don't have the time or energy, but I will say that most test seats are fairly worthless. I've had plenty of times where I fit in the test seat and couldn't get on the ride after waiting an hour, or vice versa. Different seats on trains have different sized seat belts, so it can be a crap shoot whether you'll be able to ride or not. Hell, last summer I rode Raptor at CP. About 2 hours later we went to ride again and the seatbelt was about 5 inches from clicking. 2 hours later I didn't have any issues. Like I said, it's a total crap shoot.

I like what the Vikings did. I thought they reached a bit on Barr at #9, but I don't think anyone wanted to trade with them besides Cleveland. I loved the Bridgewater pick. Great value. I wanted Manziel, I just think the guy's a winner, but Bridgewater was 1a on my list for QBs. Looks like they got a steal in the 5th round with the Stanford OG, and drafted a ton of athletes that will play other positions in the NFL. I really like Mike Zimmer, and his first draft seemed pretty solid, but you never know how a draft went until 3-4 years from now. All speculation at this point.

I used to go to Vegas every year, but haven't been for about 5-6 years. NYC is always an awesome city to visit Chicago Heading to Cabo in a few weeks for a wedding. Never done a beach resort type vacation, so I'm curious if I'll like it.