Scaparri

This is actually a very hard question. It depends on how the rides are running. Some days it's Thunder Run, some days it's Chang, and some days it's Greezed Lightnin'. During my last visit, Greezed Lightnin' was running the best so I guess I'll go with it.

Quiznos is pretty darn good, but I'm going to take the "other" option and go with Penn Station. That place rocks. As for Schlotsky's, I haven't seen one in years. They all went out of business in B-town quite a while ago.

I don't care who you were rooting for though, the pass play with Randle El was jaw-dropping awesome. Hard to believe that IU produced a football player like that. I still remember going to the games and watching him. He was pretty much the only highlight during those days. Really happy he won the big one.

^This is true. But it's not about where the ball is when he hits the ground. It's about where it is at any point before he hits it, and there was a view that clearly showed that the ball broke the plane. I really don't want this to turn into a flame fest so please just know that I'm just trying to make a point. Like I said, there were a lot of questionable and bad calls, but these guys aren't perfect. It's unfortunate that games can't be perfectly called, but that's the world we live in. -Scott "Any soccer fans know what I mean coughthehandofgodcough" Parrish

I totally understand your frustration as there were quite a few bad calls in that game, however, it's somewhat naive to say that those calls would completely make up for the lost points. There's always more that each team could have done. You can't take all the credit away from Pittsburgh. It was a hard played game. I disagree with you though, I found Roethlisberger's TD to be indisputable. It was pretty obvious that the ball broke the plane if you ask me. Sorry for your disappointment, but well played.

That was the best Disney commercial ever!

Sounds like this was an awesome trip. I'm definately looking forward to the rest of this TR. These Japan TRs are good advertisements for the proposed TPR Japan trip in '07.

I don't so much care when people scream on coasters and stuff. I even do that some. It's when they are screaming their head off on a ride like Spiderman does it really irk me.

^Me too actually. I think Kraken's whips you around more, mainly because the track flattens back out at the end while Hulk's just flips back halfway and drops. s2pids2, yeah, I went on Rhino Rally. It was fun. I wouldn't ever wait more than 10-15 minute for it though. Anyway, for anybody curious, here is my list of the top 5 coasters I rode in FL: 1. Kraken 2. Dueling Dragons 3. Montu 4. Sheikra 5. Hulk

Well, the beds aren't always the softest at times, but I've had a lot of luck with Motel 6. I stayed at one a few weeks ago in Detroit and it had one of the most comfortable beds I've ever slept in. There's one right off I-65 in Lafayette, IN which is about half an hour from Indiana Beach. There is also a decent one that I stayed at in Palatine, IL north of I-90 in Chicago which is about 20-30 minutes from SFGAm. One restaurant I recommend doing is Culver's, if you've never been. They are in virtually every town in WI, and there's even one right across the street from SFGAm. It's hard to describe their food exactly. They have burgers, fish, chicken, all sorts of sandwhiches, and custard. It sounds standard, but is unbelievably good. You can easily eat there for $5-7. Depending on how you come down to HW from IB, I might be able to suggest a few more tips and recommendations. Ride suggestions: SFGAm- If you have the time, try out King Chaos. It is probably the wildest Top Spin I've been on. Try and get to Deja Vu as soon as it opens (depending on when that is in the day) because the line can get agonizingly long. Mt. Olympus- The Disk'O is fun, but you HAVE to ride the Robocoaster. Fork out the extra $2 and tell the guy you want level 5, then hang on. You won't regret it. Also be sure and do a few of the go-karts, especially the one that goes in and around Pegasus. You actually get airtime on a go-kart. Poseidon is also a lot of fun with an airtime hill as well. Be sure and get the back seat on Cyclops and the front on Hades. Timber Falls- If you can, I'd suggest hitting this park after 5pm, possibly on the day you go to Mt. Olympus instead of spreading it over two days. You can get a POP bracelet for $13 after 5pm that gives you unlimited rides on Avalanche, the log flume, and unlimited games of mini-golf, which are really fun courses if you are into that sort of thing. They also have a Skyscraper at the park, but isn't included with the POP. IB- The Paratrooper and Air Crow are a lot of fun. Den of Lost Thieves (Sally Dark Ride) is a good one as well. Plus, they have a super intense Double Shot. HW- Make time for the water park. Kringle's Pizza is pretty good as well. SFKK- I always eat at the Big Boy at exit 128 (Fern Valley Rd) off I-65, about 4 miles south of the park. Try both the front and back seats on Thunder Run. Sit as far forward as possible on T2, and push yourself back through most of the ride if you ever want to have children. Lift your legs up on Chang after the inclined loop. KW- The Pitt Fall is a must! One of the best drop towers ever! The back seat on Phantom's Revenge is a religious experience!! Be sure and get fries from the Potato Patch. Aero 360 is also a fun ride. That's my two cents! I know it's a ways away, but have fun!

Clothes: -Hollister -Steve & Barry's -College Bookstores -Target -Goodwill Music, movies, electronics: -Best Buy -amazon.com Books: -Borders -amazon.com Meijer is pretty much the best universal store, in my opinion.

Yeah, I really hope that happens. It's been frustrating this year since hockey is back, but it doesn't seem like it because it's not on tv. Fox Sports Net used to always play all of the Blues games but a few weeks into the season this year, they stopped doing it. Anyway, great TR. That must have been an awesome game to go to. Sad to see yet another star leave, but man, those Hurricanes are rockin' this year! I'm hoping to get back to another Blues game or even a Preds game sometime this season. The Blues are unfortunately the laughing stock of the leauge, and they aren't getting any better since they just traded off Weight and Sillinger. Apparently, we are "rebuilding." So are they going to trade off Drake, Lalime, and Jackman next!?

Well folks, this is it. This will be my last TR ever because the apocalypse is now. Julie and I have found a second coaster that we both actually agree on. Seriously though, this is the last segment of the TR. Unfortunately, it'll be a little shorter as well because my camera broke halfway through the day. Plus, though the park is beautiful, it can be hard to get good coaster pictures with variation. There are lots of trees and buildings that block views, not that that is a bad thing. I might however post a few other random pictures that weren't included in the TR on a later date though. So here it is! After Wild Adventures, Old Town, IOA, USF, and SeaWorld, it was time for Busch Gardens Tampa. The day started off pretty bad. We got to the park to see a sign that said two rides were closed: Gwazi Lion (never would have guessed that one ) and Kumba ( ). Kumba and Hulk were the two rides I was most looking forward to. I would soon find out that it was going to be closed for the next two weeks. I wasn't aware before going that it was down for rehab. That had me bummed for a while. I eventually got over it when I realized the awesomeness that is the rest of the park. I really love these parks with wildlife sides to them. It's a really nice change. I mean sure, I love lots of other traditional parks, but let's face it, at least for me, it can be really monotonous waiting in line to ride the same flat I rode at the last park I was at. Maybe I just really enjoy seeing wild animals! BGT was a fun park. However, as hypocritical as this may sound, it really lacks in the flat department. They could really use a few around the park. The Phoenix (looping starship) was very cool though. The park was definately very nice and well maintained. Not to mention massive! I'm still not sure which Busch Gardens park I prefer. They are very different in many ways, yet have some similarities. Anyway, let's voice the opinion on some things: Montu- I didn't go in expecting much with this one. I have heard some people say it's the best invert they've been on, but I've heard a lot of people say it's not nearly as good as it once was because of the trims. I lean more towards the "best invert" side. I'm not sure I would quite call it that, but it is pretty much neck and neck. I was very impressed with the forces, particularly in the zero-g. I didn't really think the trims hurt it much. They seem to only affect the batwing, which was still pretty good. The ditches really add to the ride and the flat spin is super intense. I loved it. Definate top 5-10 ride. Rhino Rally- I wasn't sure what to expect. It was neat. Not really what I expected though. I definately enjoyed it, but I wouldn't wait in much of a line. I have no idea how they managed to flip one of those Land Rovers. The highlight of the ride was problem the joke made toward me. I was wearing a Florida Gators tee and the driver says "What's the difference between a gator and a crocodile? A crocodile can do something with its college degree." Sure, it was against me, but I give the guy credit. Cheetah Chase- Best mouse I've ever been on! The hairpins are taking at such a high speed, but yet your femurs don't get fractured like they do on Maurer Sohnes! Scorpion- It was "meh". Still, if this is the worst coaster Schwarzkopf ever did, then he had a hell of a career. Python- Tear it out now! Nicest looking Arrow Corkscrew though. Sheikra- Awesome! Just awesome! The first drop is what I imagine jumping out of a plane would be like. It's so cool to be falling front first toward the ground. The far sides really create a great ride. I even thought it was cool to be zooming over the water (if you are on the far side). The ride was a bit short and I like my coasters to have some pacing to them, but it was still an awesome ride. I absolutely loved it. Another top 10 coaster. Gwazi Tiger- Probably the "total surprise" of the trip. After hearing so much crap about it being so rough now, I didn't expect it to be that great. This was also my first GCI. I thought it was excellent! Yeah, it's quite bumpy, but I could name a slew of woodies that are rougher. I was just amazed by the gracefulness of the entire ride. Each turn, twist, and element flows so perfectly into the next, and it seems to never lose momentum. If all GCIs are like this, then I must say that transitions is an art to them, as opposed to a science because there isn't one rough moment due to a bad transition. Definately a top 15 woodie if not close to breaking into my top 10. Thanks for reading guys! Hope you enjoyed it. I certainly can't wait to go back to FL. Especially so I can ride Kumba and get my Flying Unicorn credit! I leave you the same way I began this segment...with a crapload of goofy lookin' pink things. Mmmm... pink things from SFOT. Thanks for reading guys! It was really hard to get a good pic of any ride except Montu and Sheikra, so here's another one I like. Has this thing been painted in the last couple years or is this the original paint? Another picture of Montu. I must say, outside of Python, there isn't a bad coaster in Florida. I really had a blast while in Orlando. This was the theme for the entire week. Nobody was there! The longest line I waited in the entire trip was 15-20 minutes for the Mummy. I really liked Gwazi a lot. I was still a little bummed about Kumba though, so a smile is absent. You really have to see this in person to understand just how big the plumes of water are. It's quite funny to see some oblivious schmuck get doused in water as he is walking by this part of the ride. Just tilt your head slightly to the right to get the effect of the picture (I never claimed to be a great photographer). It's definately one of the sickest looking rides I've seen. I feel this picture does the ride some justice. Compared to the rest of the park, SheiKra seems more massive than it already is. But like it always does in FL, the rain was left after about 20 mintues, therefore, it was SheiKra time! "This sucks! Kumba is down, and now it's pouring rain and I'm surrounded by a bunch of foreign tourists who don't understand what line jumping is or that you're not supposed to do it, I haven't ridden SheiKra yet, plus my funnel cake is all gone!" Damn you Busch Gardens and your lack of an off season to rehab your rides while nobody is at the park! It looks much nicer though, doesn' it? Python is only worth one picture. Scorpion was a fun little ride with one of the strangest lift chains I've ever seen. These colors definately look better than the old ones. I really love the use of the ditches on this ride, especially during the flat spin. Since everybody else was heading straight to Sheikra, we were rebels and went to Montu. What a stellar ride! This was one of the first things we saw when we got into the park. A flock of flamingos being herded right by us. They walked by as if we weren't even there.

O.A.R. and Robert Randolph's cover of Led Zeppelin's "Fool in the Rain." This might seriously be the greatest song I've ever heard.

I don't suppose you could preorder Volume 7 with the sale could ya? Even if you can't, I'm really tempted to take you up on the sale. I've never been disappointed with any video I've seen and the Japan and Europe volumes rock!

^Thanks a lot Eric! I really appreciate that. And thanks Joe for your comment earlier. What sucks is I have to go camera shopping now. My camera broke halfway through the day at Busch Gardens, and it's not worth it to get it fixed. By the way Eric, that car was some sort of Volkswagon advertisement. Was it sponsored by them before? Well, now it's time to start working on the BGT update, which will probably take a while like the others, thanks to dial up internet.

The guy ordered up a paint job for Chang; something I've been preaching for the last several years. He's a winner in my book. Seriously though, I think he has a lot of great ideas and is going to get this in the right direction. Yeah, the parking issue is really screwy, but I still think he's got a good plan.

I saw a guy spanking it once. He then waved to us as he saw that we were watching. I kid you not.

Thanks for all the compliments guys! Glad you're enjoying the TR. Look for the Busch Gardens pics to be added later tonight! Tom and Soren, you guys are gonna love Orlando. I just came from there and I'm still jealous. Especially of Soren, 'cause you get to live there for a year. Have a blast guys!

I really like a lot of Shapiro's ideas. I think he really has a firm grasp on what needs to happen in order to make this chain a success. Yeah, his quote about there being no more Goliaths is kind of scary for us enthusiasts, but when you think about it, the family approach is how you drag in people year after year. Look at Disney and Universal. Look how often they put in major thrill rides and big coasters. IOA hasn't put in a major coaster since it opened, but yet it and the other Disney and Universal parks bring in massive amounts of people year in and year out because of the audience they cater to. Like what Elissa said, I don't think it means there will never be a big coaster put in again, we just might have to wait a while. I'm actually pretty excited about everything that is happening in the chain.

It's late and I'm tired. I really should go to bed. It's been a pretty good day.

Nemeis Expedition GeForce X Storm Runner Kumba S:ROS at SFNE Those would be the tops

More pictures! After quite a bit of time at IOA, we hopped over to Universal Studios, for what would be a short bit. Once the park closed, we capped off the great day with a meal at Margaritaville. Come back tomorrow for Busch Gardens! It wasn't long before we ditched Universal Studios to go back for some more rides on DD, Spidey, and the Hulk. The Mummy was pretty cool! Theming once again was crazy. Nothing else was that grandiose at USF. We also skipped MIB though. There wasn't a lot to do here that sparked our interest and the park was really wide open.

UPDATE! Universal! Islands of Adventure! Wow! Holy Crap! Jeebus! Whammy! This place lived up to every bit of the hype. I was pretty much was blown away. I mean, I was pretty impressed with the theming at Wild Adventures and SeaWorld. This place was mindblowing. The 7 year wait was well worth it. -Hulk. This was one of my most anticipated rides of the trip. As with the rest of the park, I was pretty impressed with the theming. The ride itself was pretty awesome. The launch was much more intense than I imagined, and the zero-g roll drop was pretty sick. I was really surprised by how badly it has aged. I mean, it was by no means horribly rough, but it was very bumpy and jerky at times. The only Beemers that are rougher that I've ridden are Iron Wolf and Mantis. Nevertheless, it was an awesome ride. I could reride it quite a few times just for the launch and zero-g roll. For the record, I liked Kraken's zero-g better though. The end of Hulk didn't do it for me either. It really kind of died out at the end. -Spiderman. This was really the perfect time to come to FL. There is nobody there in January. I never waited in one line while at IOA. Anyway, Spiderman also lived up to the hype. There's no real good thing to say about it that describes it. The effects are just so great. Dueling Dragons- Once again, met all the hype. I'm still amazed by this ride. The whole weighing the trains deal and adjusting them is so cool. It is so wild to come that close to another train. I must say though, when they happen to not duel, the ride really loses some of the effect. Both sides are great, though I definately prefer Fire. It packs more of a punch, and like Hulk, Ice really dies at the end. The Immelman helix thingamajig definately kicks. USF- Wow, this was such a letdown. I'm really surprised that so many people come here year after year. It doesn't really seem like there is much to do and the attractions aren't all that thrilling. I mean, it's not like every ride has to be thrilling. I guess I just wasn't all that entertained by the attractions I did. But yeah, the lack of things to do was probably the biggest letdown though. The Mummy was pretty cool, but believe it or not, I prefer Italian Job. Overall, it was an awesome day. Probably the best day of the trip. Great rides, a great park, and lots of fun memories. IOA is definately my favorite park now. Well, that's my rundown on some of the big attractions. Now Enjoy the pictures and tune in tomorrow for Busch Gardens! You best believe I did! I don't care how old or masculine or whatever you are, how can you look at this and not want to ride it just once? I'm quite partial to Lost Continent, but Seuss Landing was definately the "neatest" island, even if it is meant for little kids. I took a break from my meal at Mythos to get a sweet shot with the Hulk. If you look closely, you can tell that I'm still fairly wet from Bilge Rat Barges and Jurassic Park, despite being several hours later and sunny. I was that soaked. My mom found a new man while at Universal. I'm not really into spinach though. Have you ever noticed that Popeye's forearms are obscenely massive but his biceps or non-existant? What if people were actually like that.... I really love Disney, but this place rivals pretty much any Disney park I've been to. This just shows off some of the theming in the Lost Continent. This bad boy had to be one hellacious construction job. What an awesome product though. Best ride at Universal. Unfortunately, judging by the paint, it's seen better days. Yeah, it's the shot that EVERYBODY has taken. Well, here's another. It's just that darn cool. But dear God, "wet" was an understatement. It wasn't a cold day, but it definately wasn't hot. It took almost the entire day to go from soaking to virtually dry. (Sorry for the blurriness) I had been told that I had to make sure I did the water rides at IOA. Now I knew I'd get wet... I really like this picture for some reason. The launch a zero-g roll is awesome. It's really a shame that the ride is becoming so bumpy and jerky. Finally!! I've wanted to ride Hulk ever since I laid eyes on it in '99. To make it even better, there was no line all day! After a 7 year wait, I finally make it to Universal. Looking toward the park from the CityWalk. I must say, the parking garages at Universal are monstrous. I was equally amazed at them. CP seriously needs to look into doing something like if they ever want to expand.

Thanks Jeff! It's really cool to see the station area finished after hearing you describe what it was going to be like. That ride looks stellar. Right now I'm hopin' to make it down opening day/weekend.