bulldogmom

I've never been charged for a small map either here in the US, but when you consider the exorbitant parking fees (up to $10!) it's sort of a moot point. BTW, I bought a nice souvenir map of Cedar Point at CP for under $1, which I thought was very reasonable.

Wow. I don't know anything about wrestling, and had never heard of this guy before, but have been following the story because I'm interested in crime, professionally and personally. What a tragedy when a whole family is killed, especially a kid. Most people who commit murder-suicide "go off the deep end" and do it all at once, the murders then the suicide. The fact that there were long spaces in between the deaths support Robgraves' theory of what happened, which makes perfect sense to me- that he got into a fight with his wife and accidentally killed her- or maybe just snapped. Strangulation is considered a "sexual" means of murder, since it's hands-on, and most likely occurs when a man kills a woman. I'm not sure what to make of the bound hands and feet- it could have been a kinky sex act gone out of control, which comes to mind first. It seems an odd piece of the puzzle, unless he was planning to stage a burglary or something. Smothering, as was done to the kid, is more of a hands-off method in which the victim is depersonalized, as you can't see their face while you're doing it. I agree that he probably killed himself due to the excessive amount of guilt he felt, a theory that would be supported by the presence of the Bibles, a token of regret or sympathy. Who knows what went on in his head between the killings? What a horrible thing, for everybody involved. As for the kid, according to a profiling class I took, many times people who commit murder/suicide kill kids, pets, or others who depend on them because they feel they want to "take them with them" to the afterlife and that they could not be properly cared for if left alive. Disturbed thinking, of course, but so is the whole thing. Whatever happened, it's likely that this guy had psychological problems for some time. This sort of thing doesn't just happen out of the blue. As for steroids, I don't know that much about them- other than they're not good if used excessively- but I would question their role in contributing to something this severe. Anyway, my condolences to all of the victims and their families.

Hi, Soren. I've never had the pleasure of meeting you, but I'd like to help, if possible. As Ted's e-mail has shown, I don't think Disney is going to be able to help you at all. I don't know if this is relevant or not, but I used to have a pen pal in Morocco (remember back in the day when we communicated by mailing letters?). Anyway, he wanted to come to the US, I don't know if to live or just to visit. He said that he was required to have some sort of "sponsor", or maybe a chaperone-type thing, and wanted me to do it. I didn't, not because I didn't want to help him, but it wasn't clear what he wanted me to do (we wrote in French, which is not my first language). What if you had somebody here who like formally invited you or something? I would, if you'd like to see Pittsburgh!

Damn, another one! What's going on here? Or is it just that because we have a forum to discuss park incidents, they seem more common than they actually are? I would go with the theory, like someone said earlier, that the girl had a pre-existing medical condition that should have prevented her from riding. Even with the language problem, many people don't take these warnings seriously when they know that they have some medical problem. It could have even been something she had that was undiagnosed- a seizure disorder, or any number of neurological conditions. At any rate, very sad.

More great pics. Mantis is very photogenic, even if I don't care for it. I think it's the bright colors that make it attractive. I can't believe you had a 30 min wait for Disaster Transport! I haven't waited that long for that thing since like 1994. It seems to be the place to go when it's raining, cold, or really hot, since the queue is inside. I love that fountain too, especially at night!

Good TR and pics. I bet it hurt getting kit on Ka by a small object travelling that fast- I think the problem is when they say "no loose objects" nobody thinks of coins in their pockets. I was on GASM once, and appear to be one of few people who liked it. Just curious- if you've been on TTD at CP, how would you compare it to Kingda Ka? I just had my first Dragster ride a couple weeks ago and wasn't all that impressed.

Nice TR. The dark ride sounds really cool- I too am a fan of historic dark rides, especially the cheesy ones. Roll-o-Planes are great- we have one at Kennywood. They're not too fun to ride alone, though, as they tend to throw you all over the place.

I believe Coastermania is usually on a Friday, meaning the lines are not as bad as on weekends. You get lots of ERT- a few coasters in the AM before the park opens and a few after it closes. Plus, the price of a Coastermania ticket is less than a full day CP ticket! So it's definitely a bargain. Many of the rides I went on that day were walk-ons, or close. So I would definitely say go, it's a great time!

Great pics, and great captions as usual. (especially the "sideboob" one) My ear is still hurting from looking at that picture of James' ear!

Nice pics, especially the close-ups. That Crawling thing- spinny ride whatever- looked pretty neat- sort of like a modified Octopus. Whatever that show was, it sure looked weird.

Great pics! I love the drive past all the coasters to the resorts- it's hard to keep your eyes on the road. I had one of those seashell thingies too when I stayed at the Breakers- I thought it was cool, since I like seashells. BTW, I was in the old (Bon Aire) section, and my room looked right at Magnum, Dragster, and Gemini- in fact, you could hear them if you turned off the AC. Oreo is so cute! My dogs look at me that way too when they know I'm going somewhere, trying to make me feel guilty. As to MF- just look at my signature

Nice pics, especially of Hulk. It looks like a great coaster- even the loading area is neatly themed.

I'm not that much into movies, but I do have a few to add... The "American Pie" movies- I thought the 2 sequels were just as good as the original. "The Exorcist", which is my all-time favorite horror movie, had the worst sequel ever, I think. Part 3 wasn't too bad- it was actually based on the book "Legion". I have not seen the prequel, although I heard it was pretty bad. A movie as good as the original, I think can never be topped and should just be left alone. I loved the "Nightmare on Elm Street" movies- the third one was my favorite. I think they went downhill after that. There's only so much mileage you can get from a concept.

Amen to the bad ending on Raptor- last time I rode it, my head got severely slammed coming out of the last element. Good ones: Big Bad Wolf, BG- the final swing out over the river is great Gemini, CP- I like the final helixes Racer, Kennywood- the last drop before the station delivers a massive dose of airtime

Great pics, especially of Stealth.

What a bizarre and horrible accident. Hopefully, with the medical advances of today, the girl will be almost good as new soon. However, if she were my kid, I would be more worried about psychological scars, which are more difficult to heal. She has suffered a severe physical and emotional trauma and may suffer from PTSD in the future. Also, the other people on the ride, ride ops, and even witnesses may suffer, as they witnessed a traumatic event. I hope SF offers to pay for therapy for all of these people.

Great TR. Love the caption about the mating garbage cans. I plan on making a trip here myself soon- I'm looking forward to Dominator, which would be my first floorless.

Great pics. I hated the music in Maverick's queue too. Country music is bad enough, but LOUD country.... Seeing the line for the lunch buffet, I'm glad I didn't go! I was having siesta in the Breakers at that time. I might have even seen you on the beach or in the park- I spent almost all day Sat at the beach (getting burned)

Great pics, especially of Goliath- it looks awesome. Monster Plantation looks great too- I was there once, and didn't get to ride it. I also found GASM to be painful, although I liked Ninja. I wasn't crazy about Mindbender. And I LOVED GA Cyclone- it's my second favorite woodie!

Fun TR. I can't believe there's an ad on a roller coaster! That's just wrong! So what was on fire?

If it makes any difference, I'm actually more interested in meeting people/making friends than the actual coasters when I go to such events. If you think about it, you can go anywhere and ride any coaster you want any time you want- it's the camaraderie and meeting people with a similar interest that attracts me.

I've always loved Rosie, mainly because she's crude. I think it'd be hilarious if she hosted The Price is Right.

Zippers! (fair rides from hell) Vortex at King's Island (Arrow multi-looping torture device)

Strangely, I love Boomerangs- I have never found them to be rough, and I am more prone to sore necks/heads than most people. As someone said, it's mostly the SLCs that have the headbanging reputation.

I just got back from Coastermaina at Cedar Point, my first Coastermania and my first trip to CP since 1996! I badly needed a vacation, and this was a great one. I left Thurs PM, checked into the hotel at about 21:00, and checked out today (Sun) AM. Oh yea, there are some pics too, but they're kinda crappy. I didn't want to carry my camera around the park, so I took them all from either the beach or parking lot. I stayed at the HOTEL BREAKERS, which was excellent. If you've never been here and want to stay at CP, I highly recommend it. The hotel itself was great, if a little on the expensive side ($160 per night). But it was well worth it. There was a nice pool with 2 hot tubs, a few restaurants (which I didn't eat at cause I'm too cheap), and of course, the beach. Everybody was friendly and helpful. The first thing I did Thurs night after unpacking was go down to the BEACH. I love beaches, and this one did not disappoint, The sand is nice and soft, and the water was surprisingly warm for Lake Erie in June. I thought, wading in the water listening to the sound of seagulls and the sound of Magnum clanking up its lift hill (2 of my favorite sounds), "It doesn't get any better than this". Next time I go, however, which I hope will be in August, I will know to bring a beach chair. They have several of those big heavy white ones but they're taken up pretty quick. Next morning I was up at the ungodly hour of 6 AM. A bunch of us waited in front of the hotel for the shuttle, which took us to the park entrance. I had already printed my Coastermania ticket, so I didn't have to wait. I was surprised that at no time anybody asked to see my ACE card to prove that I was in a coaster club (Coastermania is supposed to be for people in coaster clubs only). Oh well. First ERT was on Millennium and Maverick at the same time. I rode MILLENNIUM FORCE first, which I had been looking forward to for a long time. I rode with a nice guy from Rochester, NY. I was not disappointed. The view, the speed, the airtime- it actually surpassed Magnum as my favorite, which I kinda thought it might. Next I went over to MAVERICK. Even with ERT, this line was long- I can't imagine what it was like under normal conditions. You're herded into this wooden building where they play western-style music. The theming is excellent. The trains, as you probably know, are short, but the loading process is fairly quick. The ride itself was awesome. This is definitely the most unique coaster I've ever been on. The combination of elements, the launch from the tunnel- the pace never lets up. Maverick is a very acrobatic coaster, with many twists and turns and maneuvers. Surprisingly little to no headbanging. If they were going for the bucking bronco feel, I'd say they got it right (although I've never been on a bucking bronco and don't plan to). A truly awesome ride- definitely a winner. The exit line leads you through a Maverick-themed gift shop, where they also have onride photos. Next I went back to MF while we still had ERT. Next I decided to ride RAPTOR, as it was a walk-on. The first time I rode this, back in 1994, I banged my head and thus had a dislike for the ride afterward. But I decided to give it another try. It was great- I especially like the roaring sound it makes- until we got into the final brake run, and WHAM. I had to go back to the hotel and take an Excedrin. And also eat- surprisingly, it was like 9:00 and there was no food open in the park yet. So I ate a Pop Tart from the bag of snacks I brought. Then I went to the beach for a little while before going back into the park. The nice thing about staying at the Breakers is that you can go back and forth from the beach to hotel to park. Did I mention that my window overlooked Magnum, TTD, and Gemini? What a view to wake up to! Next I rode MAGNUM. The line was pretty short. For some reason, it seemed really rough, and gave me a headache. I was disappointed. Oh, I forgot- earlier I rode SKYHAWK for the first time. It was awesome. Next up was WILDCAT. This was one of the longer lines I waited in, as this loads slowly. But it was still great- fast and smooth. I love that "wzzzt" sound it makes. Next was IRON DRAGON, another short wait. It was pretty funny- the guy next to me was screaming his head off- I don't know why. Tame, but still fun, especially when you go through that mist over the pond on a hot day. BTW, that pond is disgusting- dead fish, oil, who knows what all in there. Then I took the obligatory ride on the TRAIN. As usual, a fun way to relax, cool off, and see the park. Then it was time for shopping in Frontier Town, which is a nice shady place to cool off and peek into the shops. I got a little out of control in the candle shop, where they have really beautiful candles. Time for food. I am cheap when it comes to food. I bought a taco from LAS GATOS and griped in my head to myself as I ate it ($2.50 for a taco!) This would be the only real food I bought in the park. Next was GEMINI, which was only running one train and then switched to 2 just as I got on. Always a fun ride. Then I went on the MONSTER next to Gemini. Fun. I only used the BATHROOM in the park once. It was almost as dirty as my bathroom at home, which made me feel at home but is also not very good. Back to the hotel for SIESTA. After siesta I went back into the park about 8 PM. First I rode CORKSCREW. It was pretty much a walk-on. Kind of lame nowadays, but a sentimental favorite because it was my first "upside-downer". Then I rode the SKY RIDE, which I love. It was just getting dark, and the views were great. Next was MATTERHORN, a walk-on. Fun. I was happy to see that TROIKA, an old favorite, was back- I don't know when they put it back (it's next to MaxAir), but I went on it, and it was good. Next was the SPACE SPIRAL, which was perfect because it was twilight. Then I went on DISASTER TRANSPORT. This was pretty much a walk-on. I haven't been on it since they re-themed it- I liked the old "Dispatch Master gone awry" scenario. But it was still fun, especially the parts in complete darkness. The park was closing for regular peeps and I got the last ride on the GIANT WHEEL. I LOVE this Ferris wheel, especially at night. Always a favorite. Then it was time for our ERT on Power Tower, TTD, and Magnum. However, there was a change of plans and they opened WICKED TWISTER for us instead of Magnum. I was not too crazy about this- headbanging, and kind of dull to boot. Next was POWER TOWER, my first ride on this. I LOVED this, and thought I had a new favorite ride (read on). I went on down once and up twice. I like up better- that blast-off feeling is great and you get an awesome moment of weightlessness at the top before you go back down. I could have ridden this all night, but I went to our ERT on TOP THRILL DRAGSTER. It was about 11:30 now. Even with ERT, this was by far the longest I waited in line- maybe 30 minutes. The ride crew was great- they played music, and they were clapping and dancing and everybody on the platform was clapping and dancing. All of the ride ops in general were great, very enthusiastic, but these were the best. It adds to the excitement of the ride. I had high hopes for this one. It was okay- I liked it- I just thought it was over too fast to wait so long in line for. The best time, I thought, was when you're at the very top and then you head straight down. I went back to MAGNUM, hoping it wouldn't disappoint me again. Sadly, it did. Maybe it's just getting old, like me, but it gave me a terrible head/neck ache again. Then it was back to the hotel- I was pooped. Coastermania was not only a great time, but a great value- I can't wait to do it again next year! On Sat I got up about 10:30 and headed for the beach. Had a great time. Then it was siesta time. After siesta I headed into the park for the Starlight admission (after 5PM). Got a temporary tattoo- waited about 30 mins, which was longer than any ride almost. It was cool though. Next was BLUE STREAK. Although it was a walk-on, they were slow loading and unloading. A little rough. Next was CALYPSO, next door. Very fun- love the "calypso" music. Next was my first time on MAXAIR. Waited about 30 mins- this thing takes long to load on unload. It was AWESOME! My new favorite ride! I thought it was like the greatest thing ever. I thought about going on MF again, but the wait was 90 mins and it was near closing. So I rode Power Tower (up) again. I noticed that the line for the down side is always longer than for the up. I walked around Frontier Town, which is nice and quiet at night. Then back to the hotel, where I went for a night walk on the beach. All in all, a great time. The beach was great, the rides were great, all of the employees were friendly and enthusiastic. The only 2 negative experiences I had were due to my own stupidity: I lost my glasses on Magnum and I got sunburn on the beach. Fortunately I brought contacts with me. And fortunately I lost them on ERT Fri night, as the Magnum is right where you leave for the hotel. Otherwise I don't know if I wold have found my way back- I was walking around like Mr Magoo. The big question of the summer seems to be: Millennium or Maverick? Here is my 2 cents: I would give the technical nod to Maverick for being more inventive, original, and impressive from an engineering point of view. However, personally I prefer MF just because of the height and speed- I like tall things. Now the pictures: Dragster, a little MF, and a little Gemini from the hotel lot at dusk. Millennium Force at dusk, with the moon above. A blurry shot of Magnum at sunset through the trees. Power Tower, Corkscrew, and Mantis from the parking lot of the hotel. Another beach view. That's the Hotel Breakers, with Twister and Giant Wheel in the background. The beach, with Magnum in the background.