Scaparri

Wood: 1. Voyage 2. Thunderhead 3. Avalanche 4. Shivering Timbers 5. Hades 6. Phoenix 7. Legend 8. Texas Giant 9. Lightning Racer 10. Gwazi Steel: 1. Phantom's Revenge 2. Goliath (SFOG) 3. Storm Runner 4. Kraken 5. Montu 6. Dueling Dragons 7. Raptor 8. Maverick 9. Sheikra 10. Millennium Force

"Brand New Song"- Reel Big Fish

Six years isn't enough tweaking time? Sorry dude, but the rides suck. Sure they are fun, but for such big parks, they have horrendous capacity and lousy reliability. I like the rides too, but it was a good idea done poorly. Now let's all bust out the cranes, wrenches, and torches!

I think you underestimate how long it takes to plan a custom coaster. You canceled yourself out there, Chief. I'm guessing an average sized hyper. Right around 200 ft tall, maybe 5000 ft long. That's my prediciton.

Definitely the Robocoaster at Mt. Olympus on program 5. There are so many things not right about that ride, but its so awesome at the same time.

I had been building up Kennywood for a while to my girlfriend, so since our main purpose for this trip was to go to Hershey and we'd be driving right by Kennywood on the way back, we had to stop by so I could finally take her there. Again, it was great. It was kind of disappointing to see some of the changes I've heard about, like Garfield's Nightmare. I loved Garfield as a kid, but they actually made the Old Mill worse with it. Phantom's Revenge further solidified it's spot as my #1 steel as well. This thing is just incredible. I can only imagine how good it would have been if they had more space to keep those insane bunny hops going for a little longer. Oh well. It was a great day at the park though. It wasn't very busy at all and we were pretty much able to do whatever we wanted. It was a blast. This is an awesome park to go to with your significant other. So much fun. It was sad that this was the last day of our mini-PA tour, but it was a blast. Can't wait to do it again. And with all three of the parks we hit appearing to open major new rides next year, who knows? Maybe we'll just do the exact trip again next year! Enjoy the final pics. Thanks for reading. That's all folks. It was an awesome day... just another day that was hot as balls. What a slut. There's no dead space here. Gosh, I hope I'm not becoming a K-wood fanboy... Upskirt. Some hot, steamy Disk'O action. I love this park. It's too bad it's located in a janky part of town. Why did these things disappear off the face of the earth? This was freakin' nuts! Thunderbolt was much better than I remember. You can't argue a lack of uniqueness at Kennywood. The proper way to go at your Potato Patch fries. What lake storms are to CP, Potato Patch fries are to Kennywood. No trip is complete without them. The Screamin' Swing was a lot better than my first experience on one. You have to get some whip action going on when you visit Kennywood. Best spinning mouse ever. The theming is great, and we had some insane spinning going on. This is the part of the ride where your ass doesn't even have time to say goodbye to it's seat. When telling Laura about this ride, I might have sort of omitted the part where the ride drops off the face of the earth.... (Enter Homer Simpson drooling noise) The drop into the Pittsburgh abyss... The wait for Phantom to open isn't too bad (the rides open half hour after the park). After telling her all about it, we finally make it to K-wood. Maverick is great and all, but THIS is sex in coaster form.

"Honestly"- Cartel

Awesome update again, Tom. This makes me want to get up bright and early one weekend and head down to Dollywood for some hot, steamy Mine action. I miss that place. This was one hell of a trip, man. I'm lookin' forward to the rest of the updates!

^Yeah, you definitely feel them. I love that launch, but the trims right after is one of the dumber moments in coaster history. I would have plenty happy if they had just done an insanely quick 60 mph launch without the brakes. Oh well, I still love the ride.

So it WASN'T sex in coaster form for you?? Give it some credit, it was at least great foreplay! It and Raptor are in a balls out fight for the best ride in the park!

How about a 200ft, 10 inversion B&M floorless that does TWO inversions before the lift hill. Ohhhh Dorney would be pissed.

"Janet" by The Format

"...and maybe a profit."

Julie and Ted, you guys are right. I knew it said something along those lines and just assumed it was the same thing. Snap (no pun intended). Oh well, I'm sure I'll be back before long. UPDATE!!! Part II: Hersheypark As I mentioned at the beginning, the whole point of this trip was to go to Hersheypark for the first time. I've been drooling over Storm Runner ever since it was installed and the rest of the park has always looked pretty solid too, so I was completely amped about finally getting to this park. It didn't let down. As far as major, not-really-themed amusement parks, it's definitely my favorite. The park was beautiful, had a pretty good flat selection, and every coaster there was solid. Even the boomerang wasn't that bad. They just need to rip out Roller Soaker as it is a capacity nightmare. And Storm Runner definitely didn't let me down either. I can't get over that ride. The entire twist/snake dive is wicked insane and the launch felt super intense. People have told me it's not one of the more intense launches which baffles me and makes me want to hit up Xcelerator badly. I felt as if we hit top speed within a second. My vision even blurred during it. Never experienced that before. The ride was just sick. Anyway, enjoy the pics! Kennywood is up next! Thanks again to Hercules for the Hershey ticket offer. I was really impressed with the park. Beautiful place, solid rides, and the air smells really does smell like chocolate! Stay tuned for Kennywood! The old timer might have been the surprise of the day. Nothing spectacular, but still alive and kickin'. Pure fun. Great Bear was another coaster in the park that looked massive in places because it sits on top of a hill. I really liked Great Bear. I found it to be fairly intense and the unique layout was a lot of fun. The entire time we waited for Great Bear, we had this big group of camp kids surrounding us. They had to have been from NYC or something because they had no concept of 'space cushion.' This picture doesn't really do justice though. They would literally stand against us at some points. I was actually REALLY excited about Great Bear for some reason. Nobody really seems to think that highly about it though... You know the construction crew hated their jobs when they were building this... Hey Jow, have you ever seen this? There was .a 'lift' chain in the station track that pulled it up onto the lift hill. Kind of nifty I thought this was a cool shot. I don't actually wait for stuff like this either. I'm very impatient when it comes to taking pictures. I just have to notice something is coming and snap it fast enough. Oh! I scored a two-fer! How's it goin' Jow and Derek? Dan and I would have got along just great today. Though it was hot as balls out. This area of the park was less than stellar, but Lightning Racers made up for it. Wildcat looked ginormous. A few of the coasters are perched up, which makes them appear to be bigger than they really are. This might have been the best mouse I've been on. Speaking of which... Actually, I didn't think it was THAT bad. It sucked something awful. How did you like it babe? Wicked awesome inversion things. Or, 'snake dive' if you really wanna be technical. The funky, super tall Immelman thingamajig. Over zee hill, into zee vertical drop. Couldn't start out the day with anything but Storm Runner. This is really tucked back here. I'm pretty impressed so far and I'm not even in the park yet. Wait, am I outside of Hershey or Busch Gardens TheEuroburgCountry? That's right, 'cause I threw our tickets in the case so they wouldn't get smashed! I'm tellin' ya folks, those TPR dvds are multi-useful! You all should invest in some. I hear all the cool kids are doin' it.... Laura, you're awfully excited to have the UK tour dvd in your hand. Why is that? Finally! Almost there! Finally leaving this godforsaken town of Harrisburg! Nice city, but my hotel sucked balls and the road system is ridiculous. Whoever designed and named half the roads in this city as well as PA deserves a serious flogging. It's that ridiculous.

^WHAT!?!?! Oh, I beg to differ my good lad. The Collision Course album was the combination of two mediocre artists at best, that somehow managed to result in what can only be described as a climactical eargasm. Oh, better idea! How about we kick Simon AND Idol back to Britain?? Sounds like a plan, dude. And Fergie, Sean Kingston, as well as most of the stuff on pop radio these days can go too.

"I Woke Up In a Car"- Something Corporate

Oh... my god. I think I might need to go back to the grocery store. I can't believe I never thought of that myself. My favorite snack is probably just about any fruit, particularly watermelon or pineapple, washed down with orange juice. The nectar of the gods.

I think I just peed a little... I can't wait for the rest of this TR.

So one of my biggest goals for this year, albeit simple, was to finally visit Hersheypark. Ever since they added Storm Runner, I've been dying to get out there. The ride just looks to wicked awesome. When Hercules put a pair of tickets up for sale, I jumped at the chance and snagged them. By the time I decided to head out there, I began to say to myself, "Self, why don't you go to Kennywood on the way back?" Then I got to thinkin', "well, if I leave early tp head out to PA, I'm gonna have time to kill that night, so why not go to Knoebel's? It's not too far away." My single park trip turned into a three park roadie, with two of those parks being new to me. So my girlfriend and I headed out to PA, which I hadn't been to in four years. First up; Knoebel's. We got up early one morning and headed out on the long drive to Elysburg with the intentions of getting there at around 6 or 7 so that we could whore out the park. I know the hardcore enthusiast in you is screaming, "you can't whore out Knoebel's!" But quite frankly, a few hours at the park was better to me than just chillaxin' in Harrisburg for an evening, and honestly to me, Knoebel's looked like a place that was severely hyped. I had never seen anything that made me think the park would be something amazing, and the same goes for it's coasters. The Twister looked interesting, but the Phoenix looked fairly bland to me. I have always had a hard time believing that ride is as good as it is. So, after dealing with half an hour of frustrating, stand still construction traffic, we finally rolled into the park at around 7. I was pretty stunned by what I saw. It was unlike anything I'd ever seen. It was more like a permanent fair. A large portion of the pathways are gravel, there are roads that go through the middle of it, and there are cabins and 'houses' in the middle of the park as well. The whole park is sort of random. I was all about it though. It was so awesome in a really bizarre, this is effed up, sorta way. Because of time and money, we only did six rides. We still had a blast though and I can't wait to get back and experience more of the park. Enjoy the pics! Sorry, but I had to include this. This was INSIDE our hotel. The place was a complete craphole, especially for how much we paid. I will never stay in an Econo Lodge again. Stay tuned! Hershey is up next! On our way out, I snagged a night pic. I finally popped my Power Surge cherry! It's definitely a fun place to spend time with your significant other at. I've finally made the pilgrimage to Knoebel's! And it was well worth it. This is the sickest flat I've ever been on. This death cage was mad fun. You feel like you're going to die, but it is a blast. Words can't really describe it. Some hot, steamy Phoenix action at night. I've never been a graceful eater. I might have to retire the bumper car avatar. What do you guys think? Food time! Two pieces of southern fried chicken, a corn bread muffin, and an ear of corn... for $4.75! At an amusement park! Is this place for serious!? And it was pretty damn good! Our own on-ride photo of the High Speed Thrill Coaster. This thing packs a punch! For all you lift hill enthusiasts. I think this was secretly built by the Blue Flash dude. 80 cents? This is the best deal in the park! The flyers! We passed though. I got discouraged when I saw the "no snapping" sign. It was really crazy how this ride was set up. Unfortunately, I wasn't as impressed with it. Way too jerky for what it was. Still fun though. Would be awesome if it was a little smoother. Next up: Twister. It looks fun, but does it match up? It left us smiling. Ok, so yeah, it met the hype. This thing is freakin' awesome. Pure fun. Thar she is!! Time to see if this thing meets the hype. I'm still a little confused as to how this has taken so long. Oh well. It looks like a lot of fun. I'm sure I'll be back. There are tons of bridges spanning across this creek. Some look more-or-less like metal planks. This park is really unique. This is more like it! Finally here! Well that's a good start. Still gotta ways to go. Hopefully Mother Nature stops being a whore. Road Trip!!!! Laura is definitely excited.

"Janet" by The Format

Buffalo Bill's Orange Cream Ale Guinness Stout RAM's Total Disorder Porter

With the Midwest tour hittin' up the hard to get Stricker's Grove on one of the two days it's open to the general public each year, I figured I'd meet up and tag along. The park was really small, but had a really surprising coaster in the Tornado, an AMAZING train ride, and free soda! All for $10. Sweet! I think the park's attendance probably doubled once the TPR busses arrived. The place was tiny. A couple coasters with maybe ten flats? It was a neat little place though. It was good to hit it seeing how it's hard tellin' what it's future is. It was a fun place to hit for a couple hours. Plus, their major woodie, Tornado, turned out to be a total surprise. Most of the ride was just ok or 'fun', but then in the middle, out of nowhere there is a massive jolt of airtime. On par with the backseat of K-wood's Jack Rabbit. It was insanse. But yeah, fun little park. Thanks again to everybody I met and hung out with throughout their trip. It was great meeting everybody and I hope to see you all again. Enjoy the TR! How many places can you get the entire park and parking lot in one picture? It was still a fun time though. Of course it's always a good time with the TPR crew. After all, it gives breathtaking views, such as this one. Chris and Chuck eagerly await the train ride at Stricker's. Representin' the left and right coasts at Stricker's... Wes approved though. Unfortunately, there was no hidden airtime in this bad boy... Oh crap... Oh, we've made the pre-drop swoop. Here we go... In case you're into that sorta thing, here ya go... We pretty much took over the Teddy Bear. Well, I guess it's possible. Ryan and TJ are scared and Tex is terrified. The other credit in the park was this kiddie woodie. It's the greatest kiddie coaster ever! How can anybody be scared of a coaster named the Teddy Bear? I think everybody was a little stunned by that one. Because this the part in the ride where we all went "WOOOOOOOAH!" from the completely unexpected massive pop of airtime. If I didn't know any better, judging by this photo, I'd think Jahan knows what is coming up... So far so good. Nothing to write home about, but fun. Here we go... and yes, we had permission to take our cameras on the ride. We just had to "hang on to them." TJ riding with our ride op. Yes, the guy on the right checked our lap bars and then hopped in the train with TJ. Here's a lift hill shot for all of you back-of-Tex-and-Chuck's-heads enthusiasts. A look back at the Teddy Bear while in line for Tornado. First up, the biggest coaster in the park. Tornado. Doesn't look like anything special. Yeah, this is probably half of Stricker's in one picture. As you can see, the two coasters are right on top of each other.

I've lost half my personality and I don't even know why. I used to be so social and open. I cracked jokes all the time and could make conversation for hours. I feel like I'm pretty shy now, and fairly reclusive. And anytime I make a joke or something now, I just instantly think/realize, "wow, that was lame." I don't know why either. I suppose some of it probably stems from constantly switching schools which has made it a little difficult to make solid friends. Who knows. I just worry too much. Whatever.

I'm sorry "Oceans"- The Format

I'm still a little confused as to how in the hell this works? How does something like that just suddenly 'flip'? This just seems like an unusually bad year for amusement parks.