rollermonkey

They could always just go the 6F method and shoot a hyper across all that parking lot along the main road! Please, not that though! Hershey's creative, they seem to want a coaster for the 100th, and don't want to get ripped off for it. They've gotten very creative fitting rides together, so whatever they actually want, they will figure a way to fit it in. I still think they will go smaller, though. Maybe a better Screaming Squirrel, now that the prototype is out and operating? Chris B

I went while I was living in Italy for two years. It sounds like you got typical Italian customer service! It is worse in the south and particularly bad if you don't speak Italian. As I lived there longer and learned more lingua Italiano, the treatment at various establishments as far ranging as grocery stores, hotels and even the toll booths improved. 100 mile tunnel of death? You must be talking about the Mont Blanc tunnel. It's long, it's boring, and dozens of people died in there when a truck caught on fire and sucked all the oxygen out of the tunnel. Whee! if you did take the Mont Blanc tunnel, then you could have seen the Matterhorn from several of the rest areas in Valle d'Aosta if it was daylight and clear skied. I slept at one of the rest areas just before the highway ends one night, and awoke to the lovely sight of an early sunrise framing the storied birthplace of WED's Abominable Animatronic Snowperson itself. Chris B 408 as of Saturday night.

So, we know when you will be screening the new DVD. How about when you will begin selling it? I have strange Robb-like desires to give Elissa my money. Chris B

Testing must be fun! Why else would Robb do it so much! (I think it is unfair of him not to let SharkTums have good testing fun too!) Chris B

Is it just me, or does the GCI logo look suspisciously similar to the ACE logo? (From the websites) Chris B

Any advice how I can avoid losing detail? Chris B

Robb, (or Elissa, (or RatTums,)) are we allowed to post more than one entry? I think I have another idea... Chris B

I believe B&M has more than one contractor producing track for them. I think the Ohio plant only makes tracks intended for the U.S. parks. They used Giavanola (sp?) for a long time in Switzerland for European park projects, but after they started making coasters themselves that relationship may have soured. Chris B

My first ever Avatar attempt! Chris B (Don't be Cruel, Elvis or Cheap Trick) Avatar sized. D@mn, this looks like cr@p! I never knew it was so tough to make pictures little!

Of course not...

Well, now I see if that worked...

The anguish... I get to ride Japanese coasters, but I don't get to do fun things with other coastertools! Chris B Just about ready to move bask to the US after five years abroad!

I hope so, because that's not particularly impressive! I have seen a few rides that have a dedicated elevator for wheelchair access. Thunder Dolphin at Laqua, for one. Isn't that the setup for Goliath at MM as well? Chris B

I can't believe I voted for Elissa! Some of the others were pretty funny, but not quite as good. So if Elissa wins, does she get to sit next to herself and not get charged $50, or does she get a cool new Donkey-related custom tagline designed by Elissa, or maybe she wins a spot on next year's UK trip? Chris B

Aah, Expedition: GeForce. I happened to run into (ah crap, forgot the name of the guy. Y'know, teacher, rides one coaster ALL SUMMER LONG to break his own record.) Anyhoo, had met him the summer before on the Boss, and he invited me to ride with him on E:GF, so we made a few laps together, chatting. It was fun, but weird. He had been on for more than a week already, so he had the ride rediculously memorized, and we actually just talked while riding. THAT is my testament to Intamin smoothness! I can't wait to go home tonight and D/L the jumping boat video! Chris B

OK, Mr. (and Mrs.) Alvey, you have impressed me. Not only do you get to climb lifthills on coasters that are running, but you got the fine folks at Big Chief's (I still think of what it was like during my visit back in 1999) to turn on the lights so you could film the ride. Way too cool. D@MN, Wisconsin is so far away now... Chris B

I would change very rarely to Never. Stormrunner seemed like a move in the right direction, but then Kingda Ka was a step back. I love the smoothness of Intamin, but so often they don't really use the speed built up on the non-launched rides, let alone the launched rides. They all seem like prototypes instead of final products. Look at the down time associated with most of them (launched models, Xcel is working all the time now though, right?). S&S's prototype, H:XLC, was at least followed up by Dodonpa, a much different and better coaster. (If you think TTD's launch is awesome, come to Japan!) So why aren't we getting more of that line? As for all the LIM/LSM launchers out there, most are pretty great, but tech nightmares, as well as huge electric power drains, leading to stagnation in design and installation numbers due to the cost of operation. Chris B

Flashback at 6FMM. It has been a long time, and every single time I rode I ended up front row, right side, but I always thought it was fun. My ex started to dislike it eventually, but she was always to my left. Ride position matters on so many other rides, maybe that's all there is to what is/was wrong with this one. Chris B

Sadly, Twister: Fury in the Sky was the last coaster I rode on my trip down to Nagoya. http://www.rcdb.com/ig3107.htm?picture=1 But I planned it that way so White Cyclone (or Steel Dragon 2000 if it was miraculously open) would be my # 400 coaster. http://www.rcdb.com/ig1174.htm?picture=11 Chris B (My own photos, posted at RCDB)

As I get older, I like backwards less and less. Facing forwards, you can prepare yourself (somewhat) for what's coming. If a ride is rough to begin with, it is less fun backwards. If it is designed with backwards in mind, though it can be a nice addition to the experience, as I suspect Expedition: Everest will be. Chris B

Sadly, Steeplechase was closed when I went to BPB, and I was a newb when I rode Soapbox Derby Racres, so I missed out on SEVEN credits at only two parks! Chris B

Pokemon: The Park 2005 in Nagoya, Japan. I hit my #407 coaster there, and hit #400 earlier in the day at Nagashima Spaland. Sadly that was back in July. I hope to meet up with the ECC/ACE Japan trip for the first day at Toshimaen, Hanayashiki and LaQua. Chris B

Sadly, my list is large and varied because the Navy has taken me to 41 countries, I don't recommend it as a way to ride more coasters! Adventure Asia Park, Singapore Adventuredome, Las Vegas Alton Towers, U.K. Aqua Stadium, Tokyo (I live in Japan right now) Arakawa Park, Tokyo Astroland, NYC Belmont Park, San Diego Blackpool Pleasure Beach, U.K. Buffalo Bill's Resort and Casino, NV Busch Gardens Tampa Busch Gardens Williamsburg Camp Snoopy, MN Canobie Lake Park, NH (My first home park) Cedar Point, OH Chakazoolu Indoor Theme Park, Bahrain (Lived there in 2003) Conneaut Lake Park, PA Delgrosso's Amusement Park, PA Disneyland, CA Disneyland Resort Paris, Disneyland Park Disneyland Resort Paris, Walt Disney Studios Park Dorney Park, PA Entertainment City, Kuwait Europa Park, Germany Expoland, Osaka Fiabilandia, near Venice, Italy Frasier's Frontier, CA Fuji-Q Highland, Japan Fun-o-rama, ME Gardaland, Italy Geauga Lake, OH Hanayashiki Amusement Park, Tokyo Heide Park Soltau, Germany Hersheypark, PA Hirakata Park, Japan Holiday Park, Germany Idlewild Park, PA Kennywood Park, PA Knoebels, PA Knott's Berry Farm, CA Lake Compounce, CT Lakemont Park, PA LaQua, Tokyo Little A-Merrick-A, WI Lotte World, Seoul Magic World, Naples, Italy (This was my home park in Italy) Marineland Theme Park, OT Martin's Fantasy Island, NY MGM Grand Adventures, Las Vegas Mirabilandia, Italy Mt. Olympus Theme Park, WI (When it was Big Chief's C + C) Nagashima Spaland, Japan Nara Dreamland, Japan Nasu Highland Park, Japan New York New York Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas Ocean Park, Hong Kong Pacific Park, CA Palace Playland, MA Paramount's Canadian Wonderland Paramount's Carowinds Paramount's King's Dominion Paramount's Kings Island Parc Asterix, Paris Pharaoh's Lost Kingdom, CA Pirate's Fun Park, MA Pokemon: The Park 2005, Nagoya Port Aventura, Spain (Dragon Khan kicks A$$ Santa's Village, CA Sea Paradise, Yokohama (Current home park) Sega Joypolis, Tokyo 6F America 6F Darien Lake 6F Great Adventure 6F Great America 6F Kentucky Kingdom 6F Magic Mountain 6F New England 6F St. Louis Space World, Japan Suzuka Circuit, Japan Tama Tech, Tokyo Thorpe Park, U.K. Tobu Zoo Park, Japan Tokyo Disneyland Tokyo DisneySea Tokyo Summerland Toshimaen, Tokyo Universal Studios Japan, Osaka ValleyFair, MN (My home park, 1998-2000) Waldameer Park, PA WDW - Magic Kingdom WDW - EPCOT Warner Bros. Movie World, Madrid Williams Grove Park, PA Worlds of Fun, MO Yokohama Cosmoworld Yomiuriland, Tokyo York's Wild Kingdom, ME Zoosafari Fasanolandia, Italy

Robb or Elissa, I just recently got into the TPR thang, and I have been to some of these parks before, but... I can (fairly) easily get the $$$, I have the vacation time, but... I am in the military. (stationed in Japan) I normally cannot request leave more than 60 days in advance, and have ZERO clue what my ship's schedule will be that far out. So if I have to cancel for military obligations, how bad can it get? (How much $$$ do you think I'll be out?) I will send you a money order about mondayish, we have a supertyphoon (but it's not a Gertslauer) hitting the Tokyo area in the next 24-36 hours, so everything is closed right now. Chris B

I don't remember Goliath having two tracks... It's been a while since I've been to MM, but I am pretty sure Colossus was the only two-track coaster there. Chris B