rollermonkey

And then there were two.

^Watches TV. \/Believes he's on TV right now.

^^ Hey, Niiicolaaah, don't worry, I'm sure that the poll's integrity will be maintained this year. Despite the Aussie's best efforts to push their Superman to the top.

^I'm just a few months late to tell you the names of those islands!

How on earth did you rank Blue Flash in a tie for #1? Truth be told, I've looked at every ballot very closely this year.

^ I wasn't trying to stir up old bad vibes! I didn't see EGF ranked last on any ballots. The difference between what happened last year, and this year, is that nobodies ballot is going to be discounted this time around. EGF will very likely be unseated this year.

^^ No, after last year's debacle, it seems that if there is any effort to unseat the reigning champs, it is being done with less obvious methods. There was a group of ballots that ranked EGF in the middle of the stack that all came from Germany back-to-back, but I don't know if they are trying to sabotage the poll or if they are legit. It will definitely be interesting to see how it all breaks out once the ballots have been tabulated!

The indoor Hello Kitty park in Tokyo (Sanrio Puroland) has one real redeeming quality. (The only ride is a log flume.) It smells like the most amazing Cinnamon Rolls. This park smells like cow dung. Oh, and Quaker, the squidballs (takoyaki) taste better without the bonito flakes. I'm not a big fan of the green stuff or mayo on them either.

At TDR, they start camping for good parade viewing spots HOURS before each one!

Half a million views!

^That sounds like an intelligent way to rank a large list. No wonder I didn't think of it. I agree, I don't know if Millie or EGF will be #1 this year. There's a B&M doing surprisingly well in 1-on-1 competition with EGF and MF isn't on top of as many ballots as in years past. It could be interesting... The highest ranked coaster in Australia seems pretty well locked up, there just don't seem to be enough people who have ridden that ride and coasters elsewhere for it to rise to a really high position.

I forgot, Knoebels' is pretty high up on my list for a return visit.

Just remember, this is a tire driven launch. It's nowhere near as forceful as the hydraulic launched Intamins. There is no second boost, it's a series of tires.

^ Don't feel bad! I was denied the credit at the local Dinorex yesterday. The FEC is closed on Tuesdays.

Great pictures! It looks like such a nice park. Plus, it's Scandinavia, so, you know, the women... By the way, can you make your photo signature just a little larger?

Really? TDL hasn't gotten anything new in years, and everything in the park is a copy of something from somewhere else. (Pooh being one huge exception.) As for TDS, there was quite a bit of originality in the park when it was first opened, but most of the rides were created using old ideas. (Sinbad is Small World, Journey is Rocket Rods done right) The additions for the last three years have been two cloned rides and a character greeting area for Ariel. Don't get my negative tone here wrong, though. TDR does the Disney schtick very, very well, but it is the same schtick at the other parks around the world. I agree that the original Disney ideas of innovation, quality, family-friendly and immersion in a special world seem to be giving way to corporate greed and advertising synergy. I'm not sure that the GP is bothered by that though. I still love Disney parks, I just worry that it has become more about the money than the magic.

The lift motors on Eejanaika total 800 horsepower, which is double what X's lift motors generate, odd considering that X's trains are so much heavier. Maybe there is more to X's downtime than we know about?

It's back! How much mileage will this get, and for how much longer? Go, Dave, Go!

Thunderhead @ Dollywood, in the dark, on the 29th of December. Very nice.

Hmm... Definites: Clean up credits (2) at 6FGrAm Return to Mt. Olympus during regular park operations Indiana Beach (1st time) Holiday World (1st time!) Little A-Merrick-a Valleyfair Universal Studios Japan Tochigi parks Likely: Six Flags Mexico / La Feria West Edmonton Mall Silver Dollar City Beech Bend Fun Spot (Indiana) Michigan Adventure Possible: Cedar Point Kennywood Stricker's Grove Orlando/Tampa Hokkaido parks

The brakes leave a little to be desired, though. http://www.rcdb.com/ig2664.htm?picture=14 The one in Bahrain was pretty fun, though.

Kinda funny, I went to Dollywood this past weekend, and the guy I went with insisted on stopping in Cincinnati to get new photos of Boa Squeeze. He didn't even ride. Strangely, I paid the two bucks for the tickets, then the op didn't even take them.

Better: Pyrenees is a B&M invert that ends with an airhill and a leg-numbing 270-degree uphill helix. Not so much: Dodonpa has something like 4 speed control brake runs before you get back to the final brakes. It's just overkill as they are nowhere long enough to be block brakes and just makes the return after the onride photo a boring wait. (Although you do need to get your breath back after the fist two thirds of the ride.)

G-flower, that's a perspective problem in that 1st drop shot. It isn't taken from the side. (90 degrees!) It looks steeper because it is shot slightly from behind. You can tell by looking at the peak of the lifthill. That second picture, though. Yikes! Headchopper, indeed.

Wow, that one shot of the track curving through the canyon... Can you say sensation of speed? The folks on the low side are going to be really, really low. Like, lift your feet up low.