[Major League Baseball Thread]

This is sort of expanding on some of the points that BeemerBoy made, but I find it to be significantly more fun and rewarding to root for teams that aren't perennial winners. I have received a lot of crap for supporting the teams that I do, but nobody can ever accuse me of being a fairweather fan. The fact that both of my teams (the Cubs and the Blues) have suffered horrendous seasons in the past six or seven years makes winning ANY game that much more satisfying simply because I know it could be worse. The Blues went on a tear last year and looked like a team poised to finally hoist the Cup, but they ultimately got swept by the eventual champions. Was it disappointing? Sure, but I was just glad to even be in the postseason. Heck, if the Cubs just win one game in a series with the Cardinals or White Sox, I am pleased simply because I don't have to listen to their fans make sweep comments.

 

Anyway, can somebody please knock the Cardinals out of the playoffs?

[Coaster Expedition DVD Owners - TAKE THIS POLL!!!]

The footage dvds are just sort of a bonus for me. If there are a few rides I'm curious to see then I will check them out, but after that I never touch it again. For the most part, they have little influence on whether I buy the Expedition dvd. If you guys just sold the Expedition dvd by itself and kept the full POVs for the Raw series, I wouldn't complain.

[Gerd´s little school of Cooking!]

This is awesome, Gerd! I've been wanting to learn how to make fresh pasta and you just filled me in! This is definitely going to become a weekend dinner project in the near future. Quick question though... is vegetable broth something you buy or do you make it on your own?

[Jay's Vegan Cafe]

And hopefully, things won't get too harsh in here!

 

Damn dirty hippie!!

 

Just kidding, Jay! I'm actually surprised how meaty the faux meat looks. If I were an onion guy, I'd totally try this dish! I'll be interested to see your updates in the future. I've always been curious about the diversity of a vegan's diet. Cooking veggies in an appetizing manner isn't exactly my forte right now, so it'll be good to have a place to steal some ideas! And hooray for Silk! Way to represent the lactose intolerant folks as well!

[Relationships]

I wanted to resurrect this thread because middle/high school drama never dies and the rant thread's already crowded as hell . Also, I have a weird relationship with this girl who's going out with someone. First of all, don't tell me she's just slutty, because that's not going to help at all. Anyway, me and this girl have known each other since kindergarten and have been really good friends for a few months. And tonight she told me she liked me, and I like her too, but she has a boyfriend right now (who is a really bad boyfriend) and we kissed on truth or dare. We were hanging out after and I said "damn, that was a really bad kiss. I want a redo!(joking)" And she said, let's do a redo and we kissed again, and we kissed before I went home. Honestly, I'm confused as all hell.

 

You're 13, dude. That's how things work at that age. It's "ok" for a 13 year old to like more than one person at the same time. In fact, in a month, I'm sure both you and her will have new crushes on other people because that's just how it flows in middle school.

 

I wish I could tell you to just sit back and live it up, but I know it's impossible to understand it right now. But I guarantee you by the time you are 16, you'll be looking back on it all and laughing about how awesome middle school was because everybody was just a flavor of the week, and that was ok.

 

As for real advice, don't chase after her. If she's doing that behind her boyfriend's back, how would you be able to trust she's not doing the same thing behind your back if you became her boyfriend? Let her come after you... or just wait a few weeks until you have a crush on a new chick.

 

"If there's a hell, it's modeled after junior high."- Lewis Black

[The Top Ten-Playlist on your ipod]

^ Scott once again proves his worth with Sister Hazel

 

Heck yes! I do what I can.

 

Sister Hazel is actually playing a bar in Tuscaloosa on Thursday! I'm still on the fence about going. I'm sure it'd be a hell of a show!

[The Top Ten-Playlist on your ipod]

I just put this together in like five minutes. That's all it takes when you have only 200 songs.

 

&

 

Damn, and this was supposed to be 10. I LOVE THEM TOO MUCH. I feel like Lady GaGa or Britney or The Veronicas would like.. care if they weren't on here.

 

*sigh*

 

I'm pretty sure he means to go look at your 'Top [insert number] Most Played' playlist that is automatically installed on your iTunes and list the 10 highest ranked songs, as opposed to just listing the ten songs on your iPod that you feel are the best.

 

Anyway, here's mine:

 

1. Quietdrive- "Both Ways"

2. Fall Out Boy- "I've Got a Dark Alley and a Bad Idea That Says You Should Shut Your Mouth"

3. Lifehouse- "Whatever It Takes"

4. Angels & Airvwaves- "Everything's Magic"

5. Louque- "Kenny The Jet"

6. Tim Hughes- "Happy Day"

7. Bloodhound Gang- "Foxtrot Uniform Charlie Kilo"

8. Nickel Creek- "Out of the Woods"

9. Sister Hazel- "Change Your Mind (Live)"

10. Lucky Boys Confusion- "Ordinary"

[Photo TR: German Tom goes to Halloween Horror Nights]

Dude, these pictures are all sorts of awesome. They make me miss HHN so bad. I wish I had that kind of photographic capability!

[Photo TR: Secondary Characters Spontaneously Invade Florida!]

Our next stop on the trip was Universal Orlando! We started out the day at Universal Studios where we were able to get a first hand look at Rockit construction. I had kind of lost some interest in this project until I saw the thing in and person and wow! I just can't get over how massive it's going to be!

 

Anyway, as you will find out in the photos, Robby and Tyler were picked to be on Fear Factor Live and we captured it all on video! Check it out and enjoy the pics! IOA is up next!

 

[coastertube]http://www.themeparkreview.com/coastertube/play.php?vid=fearfactorlive[/coastertube]

Jesus gives, so we're going to IOA!

Doc Brown clearly hasn't been to Metro Atlanta, otherwise he wouldn't be wasting his time on the flux capacitor.

I was a Twister virgin, so Robby made sure to change that. I can't lie, I actually liked the thing.

Rockit construction **THROUGH THE TREES**

Extremely Random One Car Madagascar Parade

Tyler made sure at lunch time that Robby knew there was no love lost.

Unfortunately, I don't really have any other good photos of the Fear Factor competition, so I guess you will just have to check out the video!

 

But to make a long story short, Robby won and Tyler got second!!

The "insect hat" filler stunt. %$... THAT. Why are the filler stunts worse than the stunts the contestants are doing!?

Tyler and Robby knocked one team out, one to go!

Poor Tyler must have to wiz pretty badly, seeing how hard he's trying to hold his vag shut.

Sweet Spandex, guys!

"My name is Robby. I'm from Tuscaloosa, AL. And I'm going to win Fear Factor Live because I'm extremely masculine and very strong and... yeah."

Because they are auditioning for Fear Factor Live!

Why are Robby and Tyler doing jumping jacks, you ask?

That is a mid-course brake, folks.

I remember thinking this park sucked. Theming could be better though.

We were fortunate enough to experience "B" mode Mummy this weekend!

Yes, it's as steep as it looks.

Universal fanboys reading this TR should be shooting blanks by now.

We probably stood around for a solid 10 minutes just gawking like nerds that are never getting laid.

This thing might be sweeter than I was expecting...

Look how slutty it is... it just stands there like a trick on the corner, taunting you to take a ride.

We opted to start the day off at Universal StudioooOOOO My GOD!! The ride is massive and the tallest parts haven't even been built yet!

There is nothing harder than walking away from IOA. We'll be back in a few hours though!

It's not the Old Town Resort, but we will have to make do.

Holy $&%#!!! Rockit is HUGE!!!

I share their excitement!

[Photo TR: Secondary Characters Spontaneously Invade Florida!]

After spending the day at BGT, we headed over to Kissimmee to whore out the Old Town Resort, where we were joined by none other than Bryan! It was truly a remarkable evening. Tyler met a girl, we discovered the #3 ranked haunted house in the nation, AND stuffed our faces with Dole Whip.

 

I'll let the pictures and captions tell the rest. The video from the night is below. Enjoy!

 

NOTE: The video is somewhat inappropriate and is PG-13.

 

[tprtv]http://www.themeparkreview.com/coastertube/play.php?vid=oldtown[/tprtv]

 

The next update will be Universal Studios featuring Robby and Tyler as contestants in Fear Factor Live! Comeback to see if either of them won!

Bryan and I just stared in awe... awe over Tyler's ability to come up with most "WTF" questions, and awe that we are still sitting at the same table.

Such a serious question calls for serious debate, and it got pretty intense between Robby and Andrew.

"So if you were going to be stranded on a desert island and could take only one thing for either of the Universal or Disney parks, but it had to fit in a suitcase and could only cost $10, what would it be?"

"I tried to convince you guys to just spend the entire week at Disney!"

This stuff makes my taste buds dance AND it's non-dairy! Best $3 in Orlando!!

$3.08 for all you can eat Dole Whip makes everybody happy.

As much as it pained us to leave the Old Town Resort and sink to the Disney level, it was Dole Whip time!!!

Tyler felt the need to thank the kind lad for convincing us to pay the $12.50 to experiencing the #3 haunted house in the nation. And once Tyler told him that he was a post-op tranny sex kitten, he gave us directions to a fine club called the Savoy, instead of the Parliament House!

This kind gentleman lured us in to the Haunted Grimm House. After informing us that the "live dead people" in the house wouldn't touch us, I asked if he could change that to ensure a really good scaring. Instead, he gave me directions to the Parliament House and promised I would get a good touching there.

After dragging Tyler from his new found love, we discovered a gem of an attraction at Old Town Resort. Make no mistake folks, that isn't just ranked the #1 attraction in Kissimmee, but the #1 haunted house in Florida and #3 in the nation! What is number 1 and 2 you ask? They couldn't tell us, but they said it's #3 so it has to be true!

Once Tyler climaxed during the conversation, she finally started the ride. His ecstasy and adrenaline gave him D-1 athlete strength, allowing him to destroy Andrew in the Fun Spot (or is it Old Town?) Flippy Bicycle Thingy race.

See, look at that... a little one on one time! They've been chatting away for five minutes!! That's a new career high for Tyler!

I'm telling you, it was pure chemistry. There was some hardcore flirting and oggling going on.

Now believe it or not, the person barely visible in the left is actually a girl... a girl who is talking to Tyler and clearly wants him. She even dropped those three magical words:

 

"Youuuuu need theeeerapyyyyy!"

300 feet? Really? Either way, the Fun Spot (or is it Old Town) would have to pay me to do this thing.

Nothing creepy or abnormal about this at all. Nope.

"How are we not dead right now!?"

"I'm tellin' you, within the next five years this thing will have either derailed or been torn down."

... Which will BLOW YOU AWAY!!

Old Town (or is it Fun Spot) even has world class attractions such as the Wind Storm roller coaster...

Old Town even brings out post-op tranny sex kitten Tyler!

It's Bryan!!! Bryan wasn't about to miss out on all the fun at Old Town... or is it Fun Spot? Does anybody really know where one ends and the other begins?

Old Town is an entertainment and shopping hot spot that is home to classy establishments such as Knives & Things!!

Welcome to Old Town Resort. The finest attraction this side of I-4.

[Its Coaster Dog!]

Fred.

[Photo TR: Secondary Characters Spontaneously Invade Florida!]

In the middle of last week, Tyler (CTU Agent), Robby (BamaRob21), and myself were chillaxin' in our apartment when we started to joke about taking advantage of our 4 day weekend to go to Florida. We're coming to realize, however, that anything we joke about is destined to happen (see our cross-country trek TR). So fifteen minutes later, we woke up Andrew (swimace) to inform him we would be showing up at his door step in three days and that it'd be wise for him to break any plans he might have. Afterall, we're that awesome.

 

So Friday after class, we checked out of Tuscaloosa and made our way down to Gainesville. We caught up with Erik Johnson at Steak 'n' Shake for dinner, crashed for the night, then woke up bright and early to head to Tamprica!

 

The day was a little on the chilly side, but we couldn't complain. Tamprica never disappoints. I'm going to let the pics and captions do the talking though. Enjoy! You don't want to miss the next update featuring the Old Town Resort and Dole Whip extravaganza!

We closed out the day with a little Sheikra love. A Pirates 4D night ride simply would have been too much. We can't spoil our evening at Old Town Resort!!!

WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!?!?

Unfortunately, this is about as good of a picture as you can get of this ride.

 

Four visits and never a bad ride. Am I missing something?

Montu took the win in a closely contested race for best ride of the day. Had Katonga been considered a ride, it would have won in a landslide.

Members like Tyler help to ensure that TPR is properly represented out at the parks.

How is it possible for a coaster this good to still be far from the best in Florida?

Simply stunning!! I can't think of a better way to have spent 40 minutes at Busch Gardens!! So much better than drinking free beer in the hospitality house!

You mean it didn't change your life, Robby?

Katonga!!! Tyler even managed to get us front row seats. Fantastic!

My last free beer sample at Busch Gardens. And on a more troubling note, no amount of free beer can possibly prepare me for what I'm about to be subjected to...

It's a loooong way down.

This drop is straight sick for those fortunate enough to be in the back row. The shoulder bruising is worth it.

Sheikra finally decided to come out and play!!

Tyler just knew we were going to be heading to the classy Old Town Resort later in the night, so he decided to turn himself into a sex kitten in order to fit in to his surroundings.

I wish I could say this was a result of a lost bet...

16 years old and still kickin' more ass than any beemer made in the last 8.

Kumba **Through The Trees**

That is a true water ride enthusiast, folks.

 

It wasn't cold enough for the park to close the ride, but for whatever reason, it was cold enough for them to close the 25 cent water blasters. Dammit!!!

What moron would go on Congo River Rapids when it's 60 degrees outside? Wait, where's Robby...

He's less wet than I was when I got off the flippin' log flume!!

One of these things is not like the other.

"Hey guys!"

 

 

Yep...

Tyler shields himself from the blast behind the plexiglass, but wait... where's Robby?

Seriously, it's not even 60 degrees outside. Why are they running the water rides!?!?

Don't get wet my ass. You can all trip and fall on a knife.

"Let's go do the log flume! You totally don't get wet!"

With the actual ride busted, we all contemplated purchasing this fine dvd of computer generated Sheikra footage for the reasonable price of $10.

Looks sweet, doesn't it? Too bad Sheikra doesn't want to play with us right now.

"4D, bitches!"

Time for Pirates 4D!!! Featuring the supreme acting skills of Leslie Nielsen!

Tyler and Robby had somehow never ridden Scorpion before this visit, so we made sure to fix that!

And where can I apply for that?

This is Tyler annoyed by the weak comedic attempts of our Rhino Rally driver. THAT'S how bad the dude was... even Tyler wasn't amused.

Look closely... that's right. Totally a credit.

"I do not endorse this attraction."

Somebody had the absolutely brilliant idea of checking out the all-star attraction that is Rhino Rally.

What the crap... Europe gets statues of half-naked ladies and we get baboons rockin' chubbies!?!?

WTF!?!?!?

Let's play a game called "What's Wrong With This Picture"...

This Egyptian chick is developing a sweet BIF.

The Secondary Characters (minus the man behind the camera) prepare themselves for what lies within King Tut's Tomb.

Train full of happy, cold riders.

Breathe it in, folks. You don't find awesome B&M custom inverts very often these days.

Word on the streets is that this ride actually has some forces and may even have a layout that required some imagination. Looks like a job for the Mythbusters!

Ah Montu... a relic from the time when Walter and Claude still had balls.

Flux Capacitors are now obsolete in Georgia. Just dial 511!

Sorry Goliath, we're on to bigger and better things.

That's right, ya'll. Alabama Adventure has an official car. Disney better watch themselves!

[Failed Parks of Indianapolis]

...and SFGam is 7 hours!

 

Are you riding your bike there? I'm not sure how you came up with 7 hours. I've made it in under 5 from Bloomington, which is an hour farther.

 

Sure, an amusement park in Indy would be nice, but I don't really see how one could ever prosper. It's not a big enough tourist destination to build something big and there are far too many well established parks within a days drive of the Indianapolis area.

[Photo TR: Scott's Ongoing Sports Venue Thread]

This TR was all sorts of awesome. I'm glad Shannon hasn't swayed you to the dark side completely.

 

Yay, we made it. There's your first look at the industrial-looking exterior of Rupp. Blah.

 

...Yeah, not impressed.

 

I'm glad I'm not alone on this. For being so obsessed with basketball, you'd think they would have put a little more money into building an attractive arena. Oh wait, they use it all on their recruits...

 

 

Dude, never mind the whole B&M hyper disagreement. I'm telling you, we're blood.

[Jurassic Park IV Cancelled?!]

Maybe they'll start the straight-to-dvd installations soon, like American Pie.

 

I can only hope this spells the end. In my opinion, if you can't make a sequel that is fresh and just about as good as the original, then don't make it. The Lost World was semi-legit since it was based off a sequel actually written by Crichton, but it still fell way short of the original. By the time the third came out, it was pretty obvious they were trying to take advantage of the name and milk it for as much extra cash as possible. A fourth would just complete the full bastardization of the original.

 

That could be a possibility, but the problems with bringing a franchise like Jurassic Park to straight-to-dvd level is that the cast will be a bunch of no bodies or actors from TV shows because of the low budget. Another problem is that the dinosaurs won't as look as realistic as in the last three films. That's my opinion though, you don't have to agree with me!

 

No offense, but I was being sarcastic, hence the eye roll. I'm just jokingly waiting for them to do that since they seem hellbent on bastardizing the original as much as possible.

[Jurassic Park IV Cancelled?!]

Maybe they'll start the straight-to-dvd installations soon, like American Pie.

 

I can only hope this spells the end. In my opinion, if you can't make a sequel that is fresh and just about as good as the original, then don't make it. The Lost World was semi-legit since it was based off a sequel actually written by Crichton, but it still fell way short of the original. By the time the third came out, it was pretty obvious they were trying to take advantage of the name and milk it for as much extra cash as possible. A fourth would just complete the full bastardization of the original.

[Nürburgring launched coaster]

Keep in mind it's a F1 simulation not a coaster.

 

This can't be repeated enough.

 

This isn't an amusement park. It's one of the most famous race circuits in the world which is in a battle to win the full rights to host the F1 German Grand Prix. It's got a lame layout because it's not meant to be a kick ass coaster, but instead meant to simulate the experience of driving an F1 car. That is the purpose of having the coaster so close to the track itself. As Robb said, this isn't a reflection of S&S' design skills or lack thereof, but a reflection of what the circuit wanted.

[Movies, Movies, Movies.....]

They finally released the trailer for Adventureland, the comedy filmed at Kennywood:

 

Adventureland trailer

 

I was under the impression that Ryan Reynolds was going to be the main character. Not quite what I was expecting, but I still can't wait for it to be released this Spring.

[Remembering the 1980's...]

Tube socks, MacGuyver, and M.A.S.K. Not the stupid, green faced Jim Carrey character, but the bad ass cartoon from the 80's. Look it up.

 

Oh, and practically every stupid fashion seen in the young adult crowd these days is just a knock off of an even dumber fashion from the 80's.

[What Was the Last Beer You Drank?]

I need to do some catchin' up! A few weeks ago, I went home for fall break, which included a trip over to Cincinnati to hang out with my bro. As always, this meant a stop at Jungle Jim's in Fairfield since I live in the beer hell that is Alabama. Here's what I picked up and enjoyed over the following couple of days...

I obviously expected some vanilla notes to this, but I was blown away by the strength of the flavor! I never was able to decide if the vanilla flavor was too overpowering or not. It was definitely tasty, but wow! It packed some nice toffee flavors as well, but the vanilla was noticeable from start to finish. I really enjoyed it, but it is a very sweet beer.

Last from the collection was a Breckenridge Vanilla Porter. My bro and I looked at each other with a stupefied stare when we noticed this, having never seen or heard of vanilla beer.

After having the amazing Weyerbacher Insanity with Joe a month earlier, I've been curious to try the standard Blithering Idiot. Unfortunately, I didn't have the proper glassware and again, I served it a little too cold. You definitely notice the alcohol a bit more when it's colder. As it warmed up a little, it smoothed out and I could really notice the fruit flavors. I'm becoming a big fan of barleywines.

I was really impressed! It had a much richer flavor than I expected! It had a really nice hop/malt balance and a great caramel flavors!

My bro offered some Brooklyn Brown Ale he already had in the fridge, which I wasn't about to pass up!

This is definitely a pre-tasting picture. This beer was nothing but a disappointment. It had one hell of a banana aroma suggesting there would be a nice strong banana flavor, but it was barely noticeable. In fact, banana absence aside, the beer itself didn't even have much of a flavor. Honestly, I would compare the beer to a slightly better tasting Miller Lite with an extremely subtle banana hint. Not something I would recommend.

Next was Wells Banana Bread beer. I had seen this before and passed on it, but after having Wells Bombardier about a month back, I decided to give it a shot.

This is a face of serious content. I was actually slightly underwhelmed initially. However, I credit that to serving it too cold. As it warmed up, the rich coffee and outmeal flavors really showed their true face. The chocolaty notes rounded off this awesome brew. Not my favorite stout (has to go to Struise Black Albert), but it definitely deserves the praise.

Jungle Jim's had a supply of Founder's Breakfast Stout! They even had it labeled with it's #12 BA ranking at the store! I was hoping they might have some so I couldn't pass up the chance, even with the steep price.

My bro and I rockin' the '79 Triumph Spitfire. In case you aren't too familiar with the car, I'm pretty sure we would be on the losing end if we got into an accident with a moped. Nevertheless, it made for a fun ride to Jungle Jim's!

[Trip Report Time w/Pics! PLEASE HELP me get to Disneyland!]

That's a pretty sweet contest! Voted!

[Europa Park Discussion Thread]

It's simply a bad picture, people. It's pretty easy to tell that the track is not hanging at the correct angle to be mounted. If the track was pushed horizontally a few degrees, it's obvious that the track would fit just fine. Does anybody else see what I'm talking about?

 

EDIT: Added simple arrow to show what I mean...

Twist the track a few degrees in the direction shown by the arrow, and move the crane back about a couple feet.

[TPR TV Test - Please ignore]

I see all three and I'm on Firefox. I'm sure my flash player on this computer isn't up to date.

[Photo TR: S-A-R's End of the Summer Mega Road Trip]

As if there was any doubt, the rides in the pitch black night solidified El Toro's spot as our number 1 steel coaster.

 

So then what's your favorite woodie?

 

El Toro takes both! I mean, El Toro is technically a wooden coaster since it's made of wood, but it's also 'far to smooth for a wooden coaster.'

 

Day 7: Three Parks, Four States, One Day!

 

This was one of the most spontaneous days of the entire trip! The original plan was to start the day off at SFGAdv, and once we got all of our credits/were content with El Toro, we would leave and head to Playland Park outside of NYC for the rest of the night.

 

Well, the day started out perfectly fine and normal. We got our credits and said goodbye to El Toro after a number of rides. We were pretty psyched about Playland simply because it had become a huge running joke. A few days before the trip started, I discovered that Natasha Bedingfield was a free concert during the time we were going to be there. We just found this absolutely hilarious. Why would an artist of that caliber be playing at a place like Playland?!?!?

 

Getting to Playland required the mistake of driving into NYC, where you have to deal with horrible traffic, the douchiest drivers, and outrageous tolls! Oh, and here's a fun fact for you: You have to pay with cash in the "no cash" lane! Nice!! Throw rain into the mix and it was a glorious experience!

 

As we finally pulled into the Playland parking lot, we were slammed with a torrential downpour. This didn't really bode well for the rest of the night! Once the rain let up, we strolled around the park for a while in hopes that some of the rides would start to open. No dice. The park wasn't quite as janky as expected though. They had a sort of nice set up, but it was still very different from anything I've been to before. The bathrooms were absolutely hilarious simply because they had signs telling guests not to wash their hair or feet in the sinks!! WTF!??

 

After hanging around for close to an hour and seeing a massive storm cell strolling in on the radar, we decided to just forget about it and head to our hotel in Hartford. However, as we neared Hartford, we realized that SFNE was just half an hour away and we could easily run up and score some night rides!

 

So we decided to sacrifice rest and get a sneak preview, which turned out to be an awesome idea! We arrived the park with enough time to ride Batman, then get in line for SROS. Even though we only scored two rides, it was still well worth the trip! I'll save my opinions about SFNE for the next full-sized SFNE update.

 

Day 8 is next, with SFNE followed by a night at Lake Compounce!

Well, that concludes day 7! We'll be back 'tomorrow' for a full day at SFNE and Lake Compounce!

We managed to get a night ride on Batman, which can best be described as "cute."

El Toro in morning, SROS at night... this is one of the sickest coaster days ever!

This thing is freakin' MASSIVE!! It practically spans the entire park!

Trust me Robby, this is better than getting much needed sleep back at the Holiday Inn!

To hell with the hotel! We're going to SFNE for night rides!!

With even more nasty weather rolling in, we emotionally decided to skip out on Natasha and simply head north to our hotel in Hartford... or so that was the plan.

*another sigh* Yet another missed credit!

*sigh* Another closed coaster. I was honestly psyched to try the Zamperla death machine! I mean, they look pretty freakin' cool to the unsuspecting rider!

Believe it or not, this is a credit! Unfortunately, we won't be able to slut ourselves out on it :-/

Even though it stopped raining, there was still a lot of bad weather in the area and a wicked cell was moving in, so all of the rides remained closed...

Another trifecta is accomplished! In one year, I reached all three major bodies of water bordering the U.S. via seaside parks (Belmont, Kemah, Playland)!

Anybody up for a swim?

Playland definitely wasn't exactly what I expected....

I guess we better check out the map to see how we want to kill the time left until the concert!!

There was a band playing that was covering Natasha! WTF? I’ve never been to a concert where the opening band covered the main act!!

Seriously, why (or how) is Natasha Bedingfield playing a concert at Playland!?!?

...Natasha $%#&ing Bedingfield!!

Well, they do have a few coasters. And…

“What the hell are we doing here?”

So after spending the morning and early afternoon at SFGAdv, we planned to spend the remainder of the day at Playland in Rye, NY. As we pulled up to the parking gate, things obviously weren't looking the brightest.

Bad Idea #5 of the trip: driving through NYC

What can I say? I'm a baller! I’m sure this will help my street cred.

It looks like such a cool ride!! But I seriously hope to find something else in its place the next time I visit the park.

We were stunned by how much the Eruption towers bowed in every time the ride ran! It’s no wonder the Cedar Point one collapsed!!

It would appear that SF has plenty of land to expand. They could practically recreate Geauga Lake here…

We gave Medusa one last ride before saying goodbye.

I pride myself in taking original pictures

I feel like this is something I should find in RCT.

El Toro pictures make me happy Notice the nice reflection…

I’ll give them credit for actually racing Rolling Thunder. However, the 5 minute dispatch times were embarrassing and the ride blows.

$30,000,000, folks. $30,000,000.

 

Oh, and notice Toro's transfer track... it's totally a steel coaster

Heck freakin’ yes! It simply never gets old.

Can they just make this section a separate park?

It was sort of scary how Cedar Fair-esque certain parts of this park were. Come on, Six Flags! Don’t sink to that level!

SFGAdv is probably the only park where you can get half the flat ride collection in one picture!

We wisely planned a half-day return to SFGAdv to ensure we got plenty of rides on El Toro! We also had a few credits that we needed to grab before we could say good riddance to New Jersey.

Day 7 brought us back to SFGAdv before heading north!

[Photo TR: S-A-R's End of the Summer Mega Road Trip]

Day 6: Six Flags Great Adventure

 

The most anticipated park of the trip was easily Six Flags Great Adventure, for one reason and one reason only: El Toro.

 

STORY TIME:

 

Had we known how much New Jersey sucks (sorry Big Mike and the other cool NJ folk of TPR), we might have reconsidered! After arriving at our hotel in Princeton following our night at Dorney, Andrew and I went out in search of a Walmart, Walgreen's, or something along those lines that was open 24 hours. Well, turns out, none of that seems to exist. So we drove around for half an hour (even stumbled onto Princeton U's campus) and eventually decided to give up and head back to the hotel. However, the person who thought up the New Jersey road system was obviously on one sick speedball or other narcotic concoction seeing how you aren't allowed to turn at intersections! So we drove around like idiots trying to figure out how in the hell to get back to the other side of the road!

 

Meanwhile, Princeton's finest had caught on that we were extremely confused as well, and seeing how we were going the speed limit, he naturally decided to pull us over! He made me step out of the car and asked my full story about why I was there and what I was doing. He then went back to the car and asked Andrew as the same thing, obviously making sure our stories matched ('cause I mean, how many people from Indiana drive from Alabama to New Jersey to go to Six Flags?). The cop asked Andrew what we were doing "today," to which he responded "going to Six Flags, sir." The cop responded, "Today!?" Andrew simply said, "yes sir, it's 1 am." The cop then gave me my license back and let us go. It at least makes for an entertaining story!

 

So, anyway, we got up bright and early and headed to the middle of nowhere New Jersey to ride the greatest freaking ride in the nation! Seeing how it's a bit late right now, I'm just going to make a few quick points.

 

1. El Toro completely met and surpassed the hype. This thing is about as close to perfect as they come. It created an entirely new level of airtime beyond "ejector air" simply known as "El Toro air." It's in a league of it's own. The ride is so smooth, the pacing is sick, the first drop is unreal, and the airtime makes you question the integrity of the restraints. On more than one occasion, I remember getting stapled and thinking "there is no way I'm going to enjoy the airtime now." However, I kid you not, my ass left the seat. It's that powerful, yet it's not painful. It's just amazing. I don't like comparing wood coasters to steel coasters, but I can easily say that El Toro is, without a doubt, the greatest coaster I have ever experienced. Folks, get to Jackson, experience El Toro, and then get the hell out of New Jersey!

 

2. The rest of the park didn't really meet the hype. We were all a bit letdown. The park felt like it was built in the 70's and then mostly untouched. Golden Kingdom was very impressive but it felt so out of place. It was on par, if not better, than what you would find at Busch Gardens Tampa! The rest of the park was just fairly bland, save the area around the mine train. The flat ride collection at the park was non-existant and half the coasters are either over-hyped (e.g. Nitro) or need to be torn down (e.g. GASM, Rolling Thunder, Runaway Mine Train). If it wasn't for El Toro, I would have no desire to return!

 

3. Lastly, and I'm sorry if I offend anybody, but there are some obvious cultural differences on the East Coast. The biggest of which is the fact that the higher population concentration results in the majority of the people having a much smaller space cushion than those from, say the South or Midwest. So, it isn't any big deal to them if they are leaning against you or literally standing on your foot while in line for a ride. For us, that simply made for a lot of really awkward, uncomfortable experiences throughout the remainder of the trip!

 

Anyway, enough ranting! I hope the cool Garden State residents on TPR aren't offended! I'll let the pictures and the captions tell the rest. Enjoy!

 

For the next update, we will be conquering three parks in three different states in one day, as well as Natasha $#%&ing Bedingfield!!!

*Ghost of Robby* Photo #2!

 

So this concludes our day SFGAdv. Next up, three parks in one day and Natasha $%#@ing Bedingfield!!!

As if there was any doubt, the rides in the pitch black night solidified El Toro's spot as our number 1 steel coaster

 

On a side note, the El Toro staff freaking ROCKED! When we got in line, the queue was lined out the entrance was listed at 2 or 2.5 hours. After 40 minutes, we were on the ride!

Oh sweet jeebus... night rides on El Toro.

Four coasters... only two of which are worth mentioning.

El Toro *THROUGH THE TREES*

 

Note: This is the part where, towards the end of the day, the train is going so freaking fast that it feels like the trains are going to just rip through the tracks.

It's slightly amazing that the park was even able to build Kingda Ka. We frequently saw planes flying very low near the park.

Nightfall cannot come soon enough!

This time, instead of making the long walk to the other side of the park, we simply took the sky ride.

BeemerBoy 4 Prez!

 

PMW Ya'll!!!

I know most of us aren't fans of clones, but the Batman clones are still one of the best, most intense designs B&M has ever put out!

Unlike Superman, Batman still isn't a drag to ride, nor does it have a 3 hour line today!

The Premier fanboy inside of us wept as we waited in line for Dark Knight.

Next, we decided to wait an hour and a half to ride the new Dark Knight Coaster. Apparently, according to the sign, it is a high speed, thrilling coaster and has an intensity level of 5, the same as El Toro and Kingda Ka!

 

Honestly, it was fun, but it just didn't go together. They made it out to be some big, intense coaster with this awesome, freaky pre-show... all for a generic wild mouse. It was quite entertaining to see so many pissed off riders walk out of the building and tell everybody in line that it wasn't worth the wait.

Ohhh ha ha! I get what they are doing here!! They are so clever!! They. Are. SOOO. Clever!! They are making a sexual innuendo by suggesting that the rocket, representing Nitro, is actually a...

I never thought the day would come where getting a B&M flyer credit is a drag! Fortunately for us, we planned to go back to the park for half a day to ensure plenty of El Toro action, so we don't have to wait in the 3 hour line it has today!

Andrew re-enacts his Kingda Ka experience.

Those of you who caught our cross-country TR might remember that I have a tendency to jump on top of my car to get better pictures. Does this count as a NERD shot against me though? I'm going to say no...

As we left the park to go get some lunch, I couldn't help but look at GASM and think, "why the hell could they not have swapped strategies with SFGAm?"

As expected, Medusa was fun though, for whatever reason, it didn't seem to have as strong of a kick as Scream did. It was still one of the best rides in the park though!

Mmmmm zero g-roll awesomeness. The zero g-roll might be the greatest inversion not named "flying snake dive."

SFGAdv may actually hold the record for most mine train coasters in a single park, with three. Believe it or not (I had no idea before going to the park), Medusa is actually "themed" around the "Medusa Mining Co." You learn something every day...

Medusa is really tucked away in a corner. It's easy to forget the ride even exists because it is so removed from everything.

After Skull Mountain, we decided to hike over to Medusa before grabbing lunch. El Toro taunted and teased us though, as the Intamin fart noise is to us what the Sirens were to Odysseus.

Skull Mountain was cool in a very WTF sort of way! The drop was awesome, but the theming was a bit bizarre!

NERD!

 

Andrew: 3 Scott: 1

Nitro suffers from Thunder Dolphin Syndrome. It looks sooo good, but none of us were impressed! It just seemed to "go through the motions." It was just a notch above Steel Force.

Screw it, let's go ride Nitro!

We decided to head to the far right side of the park to see what was going down in Movie Town.

This would be the center of the park. If you were to hang a right at the fountain, you'd be facing the entrance.

 

The park was nice and all, but most of it feels like it was built in the 70's (which it was) and was never touched afterward.

It looks so fun though! Have you ever had one of those rides where you are bracing yourself so hard and taking such a beating, that you feel incredibly relieved once you hit the brake run, sort of like you just finished running a 5k? Yeah, GASM is one of those rides.

On an major dork note, this was a bit of an accomplishment for me. When first became really interested in coasters, during my pre-teen awkwardness, one of my biggest goals was to ride the three big Arrow loopers at the Six Flags parks. GASM was the last of the trifecta.

 

It also suckceeded in giving me a headache for most of the day.

 

[bad Idea #4 of the trip]

Oooo corkscrewy goodness. It looks nice at least!

Forget making the loop bigger... just make it HIGHER!

I can't lie, I was pretty psyched about GASM. The views around the park really remind me of Shockwave at SFGAm, and hell, Viper was pretty sweet.

Yeah, I'd be bummed if I Golden Kingdom really reminded us of BGA. We were all pretty blown away by the area. Unfortunately, it felt incredibly out of place compared to the rest of the park, which wasn't bad, but just wasn't near the same level of quality.

Andrew looks more than pleased to never have to ride Ka again. I think he liked the view though...

Once a line started to form on El Toro we decided to go ahead and knock out Kingda Ka.

 

Ka's launch can only be described as an acceleration from 0-128 mph in a car with incredibly bad wheel alignment and a transmission that slips on every gear change. After climbing 456 ft, you are trimmed as you start to fall back down to that beautiful New Jersey ground, where you then visit an untrained chiropractor. Then, right as you might get some real enjoyment out of the experience, you greet the brakes.

 

There is the world's tallest and fastest coaster in a nut shell, folks. At least they didn't spend too much money on it!

We'll be back for more, but until then, we have credits to hit.

Holy crap!! I mean... they said it was awesome.... they said it was insane... they said it was the best.... and.... and... it was!!!!! Minds officially blown, among other things.

Robby is:

 

A) thinking "meh..."

 

B) reflecting on his life and what he should do now that it is complete.

 

C) wishing he had suggested we spend an extra day in LOUisville so that we could experience more of that Vekoma SLC bliss... and KY girls.

I could hug every single person in line for Kingda Ka and Superman right now. Especially since it remained like this for probably 20 minutes.

Wooden coasters aren't supposed to do that...

Sacred feces, this is what we came for...

 

With special emphasis on "came."

They all went left, we went straight ;-D

OMGZ OMGZ!!! We have to goes to da Superman!!!! It's like... like the best ride EVER!!!! Then lets do Kingda Ka!! It's like 1000 feet tall!!

The first ride to show its big scary face as we pulled up was Kingda Ka, which was fitting since, like New Jersey, it looks nice on paper but mostly just sucks.

So after receiving a warm welcome to New Jersey by the Princeton Police Department at 1 am, we got a few hours of shut eye and then awoke for the most anticipated stop of the entire trip; Six Flags Great Adventure.

 

Yeah, I'm not sure why we were excited to go to New Jersey either...