natatomic

Wow, I feel like I was at a completely different park than you, I missed so much of that stuff. I was still pretty snotty and gross that day though. Stupid swine flu. I've VERY jealous of Renate Original too!

Day 4: California's Great America Okay, so this didn't end up being my 666th post. Shame, because it would've been rather appropriate for the park, I think. There really isn't much for me to say about this CGA. The only coaster I really enjoyed was Flight Deck, though it nearly killed me with it's intensity. It was small, but it was a bi- well, you know where I'm going with that. Other than that, it's your typical Cedar Fair park - trashcanapalooza, uninspired theming, lots of concrete and asphalt, little shade, and a couple of mediocre coasters that beat you up. However, I'd have to say it was my least favorite CF park that I had been to up to that point (I had yet to go to Knott's. Blegh.) (Also, as I was uploading THE VERY LAST PHOTO, my computer froze and I thought I was going to have to restart it. OH the welling of the tears! I was 3 seconds away from throwing the computer across the room and downing a prozac with a vodka chaser, when it miraculously righted itself and all was well again. Honestly, this update is not my best - it's one of those 'gave it a lick and a promise' type of updates - but it still took FOREVER, and I was not amused at the thought of losing it all. Okay I really need to hit submit before my computer spazzes on me again.) ...and Robbie decided to turn his security in his masculinity into a eye-protecting accessory. Next: SFMM ...Neil wet himself when Robb played a sing-a-long video from his childhood... Oh wow. I just realized that was my last photo of the park. Huh, I guess that ended kind of abruptly. Anyway, we then had another long, long, long bus ride, in which the blood rushed to poor Dora's head... Ahem. I'm going to refrain from comment for the next few photos, and you can insert your own - oh how do I put this delicately? - 'male-oriented' jokes. Just fyi, if I ever take a photo of Ben (as seen here), there is about a 90% chance that I have taken it with his lens that I stole (again, as seen here). As much as I love water rides, my hair does not, and since my hair wears the pants in this relationship, I typically sit them out (the water rides, not the pants) and take photos of other people not being dominated by their hair. Snappable or not, I can never resist a flyer. When I own my own home one day, I'm gonna paint 'Pizza' on the roof just like this. THAT'S HOW MUCH I LIKE PIZZA. I am dedicated to the cause. At least he got some Chinese food out of the deal. (Oh my gosh, that may be the most awful joke I've made yet...) Then again, he did pay the kid $20 to ride with him, so he damn well better have freaking amazing time. Kerri is having what I think is an appropriate amount of fun for this kiddie, but SOMEONE is clearly over doing it just a bit. Yeah, definitely whoring. Okay, I can't make any excuses for this one. THIS was whoring, pure and simple. Honestly, I don't remember a damn thing about this coaster. I know it's suppose to be horrible but I....I can't seem to recollect a single personal feeling about this woodie. Soooo...well say it was Meh. So, this was only the second inverted boomerang I had ever been on, and while it wasn't as smooth as the one at Kings Island, it was still FAR smoother than any SLC I've had the displeasure to ride. It's the difference of hitting your head too hard against a pillow vs being hit in the head with a sledge hammer. How'd you manage that, Vekoma? Hah, the first time I saw this picture I thought Piers was on a laptop there in the back. Personally, I did not feel that this qualified as whoring for me. I grew up on Rugrats. I was riding merely for the nostalgia, you see. Their eyes look so.....dead. Not even Neil's half-smile can hide the fact that they're souls have all been lost to Satan. Oh well, that's what happens when you ride a coaster called "Demon" and not "Jesus." ...but I snapped a photo of some TPR people who did. Including Larry the bus driver! Hi Larry! I didn't get a chance to go on this... Well, Neil seemed to enjoy it anyway. Everyone else seems bored. Neil and Jake are taking one last look at their feet...just in case. (Tasteless? Too soon? I dunno...) Some people like these. Some people like their feet. I think they're imitating squirrels more than mice, but whatever. I didn't want to be the one to stifle their imagination. But these people are sad after riding Vortex too, so clearly, it's just a sucky ride. Not even Mike Austin approves. Wait, that's not weird... Don't let it's quaint size, B&M-ness, or soft mauve color-scheme fool you. It will kick your ass. I seem to only catch Jake mid-blink or post-joint or something. Sometimes I like to pretend I'm artsy and actually know what I'm doing with my camera. Little known fact: Shaded queues are considered a cardinal sin in CF's twisted religion. Oh my gosh, this was an intense little sucker. Wait, which Great America is this again? Good thing there's not some punk kid standing in front of me ruining my shot of the entrance.

"Any sign of movement" is too strong of a statement, obviously. But yes, Ripsaw is different than Splash: jumper = e-stop = all water drains = complete evac = fairly significant downtime. /Different companies, different rides, different policies. Ah, I didn't connect his "slightest movement" comment to people jumping out of the boats. I took them as two separate occurrences. But yes, of course there'd be different policies and different procedures. I suppose I just imagined they'd be more similar than not given that the rides themselves aren't all too different (in terms of concept, at least).

No, Splash Mountain does not have any lap bars or restraints. That's interesting that Ripsaw has to completely e-stop at any signs of movement. Whenever a sensor was triggered on Splash, we did a basic ride stop, and sent the person at Unload into the mountain to check it out. Even if the sensor was triggered by a person getting out of the log, the CM just went to them, walked them out of the mountain, and roughed him up a bit (okay, maybe not that third thing). The whole process took 5, 10 minutes max, and then we were back up. E-Stops were typically reserved for someone falling/jumping into the flume - though that's pretty rare - or if a sensor was triggered at the bottom of the final drop where the brake is, and even then it usually only took 10-15 minutes to get the mountain back up. Though if it for some reason took 20+ minutes, we evacuated and then did the reset.

^I never think to look at my post count either, but oh crap. My next post (probably the CGA update) will be #666! Hmmm, I'm gonna have to find some way to sneak some crucifixes and holy water into the report.

How far does your camera zoom? It seems to have a pretty decent range.

^I remember seeing it, but it was buried behind some trees a ways. I think it was basically a banana-themed pirate ship.

Mike didn't like a coaster?! Unbelievable! Great TR!

Ugh, I cringe just remembering the experience. A credit you don't have to work for is hardly a credit at all, and it's ne'er as sweet. I only forgave Scandia because it's themed to min fädernesland.

^Well, just to preemptively get the Delgrosso's Sauce Man off my back when he cometh, his is a tomato sauce. I believe SCBB's was a teriyaki of some sort. Apples and oranges, really.

Day 3, part 2: Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk GUUUUUUH, this park was packed. PACKED. We did get almost everything done (the only thing I missed was the Rock-o-Plane), so I'm speaking less from a I-didn't-get-it-all-in point of view and more from a I-hate-people pov. It really was a nice place though. I loved Giant Dipper, and while nothing else sticks out in my mind quite like that wonderful woodie, I still enjoy everything else the park had to offer, especially since the park treated us so well. We had a wonderful dinner on our own private deck, which included exclusive access to a beach volleyball court (by the way, volleyballs HURT. I think a bowling ball is softer) AND free beer and wine, and we also got an incredible walk-back underneath the carousel and in and around the Giant Dipper. OH! Also - I had only been on a carousel with a ring-grabbing thing (official scientific name, that is) once before, back when I was 5 or 6 at Dollywood. And you know how that experience went for me? TERRIBLY, because I was too short to grab a single ring, and I can trace all my failures in my life since then back to that moment. Especially since by the time I had grown enough to reach the rings THEY HAD GOTTEN RID OF THEM, talk about salt in the wounds. Oh, I need a kleenex just from telling that story. So this was finally my chance to make up for that traumatic childhood experience of mine, and I was rather successful in doing so, but my joy was ever-so-slightly tainted by the 5-ish year old girl on the horse in front of me who had NO problem whatsoever grabbing any rings. Whatever. I'm not bitter. I finally reached a ring*. That's all I needed. *Will probably be the title of my autobiography, which you basically just now read the cliff-notes for. The end. Coming up - California's Great America. THIS ring game. And finally, we rode the carousel if only to be polite after seeing under her skirt just a few hours earlier. Also, to play the ring game. Also, the chair lift had a blow-up dolls on a couple of the chairs, and again....no idea. And then we did the little haunted dark ride, even though I'm not a fan of riding in anything coffin-esque. Honestly, I don't know WHAT this was. However, it was still better than the MonStars of Rock at HRP. And after our intimate look-around, Robbie anointed the Giant Dipper his 200th coaster. No need for a caption here. One day I'm gonna have a house with a window 4 inches away from a coaster track just like this one. (And that is a train going by in case you couldn't tell) These aren't spare nails, they're just the ones that have fallen out but they've not got around to hammering back in yet. This does something important, I'm sure. Which I just look ADORABLE in front of. And now onto some nerd shots, like the lift chain... But back to coaster porn. ...and whatever the hell this is. What a hottie. <3 ...and this... And this happened... Even Robbie gave me a sweet li'l pose. But then, his punchy-ness kicked in..... And with a billion cameras on you, who wouldn't pose? The GP are such posers. Ha ha. Get it? Posers? Like, they're posing for us? Is this thing on? Apparently there's no 'loose articles' policy. Now that is some sexy track work. Onto the coaster walk-back And the ever rare and exotic ring return machine. Your mom's equipment also starts automatically. Oooo...up the skirt of the carousel. I feel so naughty! This is by far the second best concrete corridor I've ever walked through. On the way to the walk back of Giant Dipper, we took a surprise detour to the under-lair of the carousel! Amazing! I don't remember much of this meal but this: the sauce on the chicken? That sauce was pretty much the best sauce of all sauce. Mmmm. Now that I think about it, I think we had our exclusive dinner and walk-back tour before we did Hurricane, but no big deal. I'll cover that stuff now. It really wasn't as bad as I was expecting, but this part right here did send a shiver up my spine. :S Uh, I don't think so. No, I'm gonna call you Fake Boobies. That's a more appropriate name considering things that seem to be prolific in the region. Next was Hurricane, which - wait, do they even have hurricanes on the west coast? They don't, do they? Well, that's a dumb name then. I mean, we don't have any Volcanoes over here on the east coast (talking about the coaster at KD), but still. If you're gonna put a coaster all of three feet from an ocean and call it "Hurricane," you better damn well have some hurricanes. I did not take this picture. It was taken by the very kind Mike L., though I did crop it to zoom in on my lovely face. I figure I make fun of others enough, I might as well pick on myself too. So, uh, look at my funny mouth. Ha ha ha. AHAHAHAHAHA...Jake... Jenn seems to be surfing Oh, if only Jake were sitting behind Neil, this picture would have been PERFECT. Wes: "Do the Puppet Master!" ( ) I'm starting to think that Chris is just a naturally terrified person. What's wrong with these two? Too prudish to whore themselves out? Do they have sex offender records that prevent them from being within 100 yards of children? Hmm, probably one of each. Ugh, a LINE? For the kiddie? Who do these people think they are? KIDS? *eye roll* Whatever. First things first, folks. Time to whore it up.

That happens on pretty much every flume ride with a walkable surface next to the flume. I worked on Splash Mountain, and it happened at least once a week. And during busier times, it seemed to be almost a daily occurrence. I don't know how true this is, so please someone correct me if I have bad information, but one of my very knowledgeable friends on Splash told me that most states (including Florida) have laws that forbid there from being any sort of restraint system on water rides and and water vehicles. It's to prevent people from being trapped in case of the boat capsizing (not that flumes rides are exactly deep enough, but you know how weird some laws are). Aside from now-Ripsaw Falls, I can't think of any water ride with a restraint system except for rapids rides, which typically only have a velcro strap, which are easy enough to undo in any emergency situation. Of course, the obvious way to disprove this theory - duh - is that Ripsaw has restraints, so clearly it's not a law, but still. It makes me wonder why no other flume ride has any sort of restraints when people hopping out and standing up is a relatively common thing.

I would LOVE to do some Texas parks, but unless someone drops some money into my lap (hint, hint for anyone who happens to have a pile of money that they just don't know what to do with) it probably won't happen until at LEAST 2011. :/ I don't have a picture of the ride, but I do have a picture of the sign. Do you need that at all?

Day 3, part 1: Gilroy Gardens (It is 2:15 as I start this - I only have about an hour free today so I'm hitting submit at 3:30* if it KILLS ME AND RUINS THIS WHOLE TR.) (And yes, an hour and 15 minutes is a SHORT amount of time for a trip report. These things are usually an all. day. project. for me.) I love Gilroy Gardens! It's just so lovable and adorable huggable, and if I could compare it to one thing it would be the top of a baby's head after a bath and covered in lotion and baby powder and oh my gosh I just want to put my nose to it and give it a whiff. THAT is Gilroy Gardens. It makes me ovulate. Anyway, there's nothing really thrilling at this park, so if you need an adrenaline rush to enjoy yourself, it's not a place I would recommend for you. But what it lacks in thrill it really makes up for in style. Every thing is food-themed, the park is very well kept, and the staff was incredibly friendly. Quicksilver Express is definitely a new favorite mine train, the mushroom swing is probably the scariest non-starflyer swing I've been on, and there's a teacup-like ride themed to garlic. That's right, garlic. So, all in all, it's a fantastic park. *I held out till 3:46. Close enough. Goodbye, you beautiful park! Next up: Part 2 - Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk Is it just me, or does it look like Tyler lost his dentures? And finally, we rode the big, giant mushroom. Ben's Driving Miss Kimmy, which yes, is probably the most obvious caption in the history of EVER, but I'm in a rush. Don't try looking like you're having a good time or anything, Robbie. Here's a bit of car POV action for you. By the way, most of their queues did this, provided shade with overhead plants and stuff. It's too much for Cedar Fair and Six Flags to put a no-maintenance tarp over your head, but leave it to Gilroy to use a covering that needs to be watered and trimmed all the time. We did 1920s side, and while I don't have a picture of the 1950s cars, they're the exact same kind they use at Dollywood if that gives you any clue. Although we did spend a good 30 seconds wondering why oh why would they ever put bunny heads on sticks like that... And it was a very scenic ride, what with all the animal topiaries. We did this next, which was perfect for little old me who doesn't like to get wet, though I still enjoy the IDEA of water rides. Lunchy lunch lunch lunch lunch lunch. I'm not a big fan of cold sandwiches, but I remember finding the included cookies delicious. And some looked fake (and I'm not saying it IS fake, because I honestly don't know. I just know that I'm too lazy to grow a tree straight up and down, let alone in complex geometric patterns like this) Some caused me to exclaim "God Bless us, everyone!" (Oh how I wish this tree had a sign that said, "Do I remind you of Tiny Tim?") Some were definitely real, though obviously a bit coerced in their growth directions. Around there park, there were DOZENS of these freaky-deaky trees. Much of the monorail ride took us through this gigantic greenhouse. Wes, being Canadian, couldn't believe all this fancy technology we had in America. He asked, "Your polar bears, eh, must have some good balance, eh, to pull us along on this here beam, eh?" That face is his response to when I explained that we have electricity and motors, instead of animals, in America to move our vehicles for us. Bless him. And yes, this picture shows you the name of the monorail, but it also shows you just how terrible I am at centering pictures. It's like I don't even try sometimes, you know? Next we did the monorail. I guess everyone just trusted whoever was in the lead and assumed he knew where the hell he was going. It actually wasn't too hard. Unless your name was Chris Sawyer. That's what I hear, anyway. I really love mazes. If they were more prevalent, I'd definitely be a maze enthusiast and start my own review site. Neil coming up with a strategy for the rest of our day. We're nothing if not hardcore. Not exactly a TPR takeover, but we tried. Well, at least I finally got a smile out of Jake. I don't know what I was aiming for in this picture, because there's not much of a focal point, but whatever. Here's the coaster. Wait. There's another credit to get yet?! I can't believe we were so distracted by food-theme rides! What are we, ACErs? I'm a sucker for a good hand-slap - it was the highlight of the ride for me. I don't have a caption here for this photo, but I'll go ahead and let you know that it's already 2:55. Guh, I'm so screwed. Gotta speed this up. I typically prefer there to be some spinach and cheese in my artichoke dip, but I guess I'll just have to wait until I can build one of these my way at my OWN theme park someday. Or until I go to Applebee's. Whichever comes first. This is gonna blow your mind, but I'm taking a picture of Ben taking a picture of Neil taking of picture of me taking a picture of Ben taking a picture of Neil taking a picture of me taking a picture of Ben taking a, well, you get the picture. I like garlic. Those who are pregnant, prone to motion sickness, or a vampire SHOULD NOT RIDE. And if you're a pregnant vampire, say in the morning-sickness stage, AND you're prone to motion sickness...well, God help you. Looks like someone's jealous. Always has to be the belle of the ball, Ben does. You know, a little bit of theming goes a long way. No, REALLY. I TRIIIIIIED. I swear I did. (What are you doing anyway? Eating your wrist?) Oh, Jake...I really did try to get a good photo of you. On a scale of Oh-Lord-The-Pain to Holy-Crap-I-Peed-Myself-from-All-The-Awesome, their faces seem to suggest that this coaster falls somewhere in the Aw-How-CUTE range Ben doesn't like having his picture taken while he sucks on long, flimsy caramel sticks. Then again, who am I to say no to an empty queue such as this one? Coaster ERT is sooo overrated. It's Sign ERT that warms the cockles of my heart. It's quite picturesque, you must admit. You can't see it, but the sign says, "Do I remind you of a revolving door?" Um, no. You remind me of a weird-ass tree with a cube.

Hmmm...I can't say I'm excited about this either. Marvel fits in perfectly at the park it's at now (IOA), and imagining it at Disney, honestly, kind of destroys that innocent, child-like "magic" they're known for. There's a vast difference between fairy tales and comic books (yes, even if you use the original, bloody versions of the fairy tales), just as there is a vast difference between Disney and Universal, and the use of Marvel characters at Disney seems so jarring and inappropriate to me. I love Disney and Universal both (and I LOVE Marvel), but I almost feel as though this move is gonna taint the purity Disney somehow.

^I was wondering the same thing! I mean, to each her own, but I can't image stepping foot inside CW without getting at least one ride on Behemoth. Flight Deck, Dragon Fyre, Bat, Wilde Beast, MCMB...I skip every one of them for that glorious B&M! Well, just as long as you enjoyed yourself, that's the important thing. Nice TR, Jess!

I went in 2006 and then again in 2007. The first year, it was FREEZING, so it was completely dead Friday (I think there was only a 15 minute wait on Storm Runner), and Saturday was a bit busier but not crowded at ALL. The next year, it was still in the upper 60s, lower 70s when the park first opened, and while Friday was still completely dead, Saturday was PACKED. Oh my gosh, it seemed like a Saturday in July (I imagine, as I've never actually been there then). Great Bear, Storm Runner, I think even the Comet had about an hour wait. All in all, I'd say Friday (and probably Sunday going by what others have said) would be your best bet. Saturday will be hit or miss depending on the weather (at least, that seems to be the different variable between my two Saturday trips).

^Thanks! But I can see why you'd have panic attacks in a car moreso than an airplane given the safety records of the two modes of transportation. Heh, not scare you even more or anything! I had stopped swishing around salt water after the first week, but the oral surgeon said that I might have to use the syringe up to 6 weeks after depending on how deep the holes went (apparently it varies). I think I stopped around week four, though even now, I still will find a whole meal lurking there in the back every once in a while.

^I tend to be more worried about the plane spontaneously exploding or plummeting to the ground at any minute, which was how I felt even before 9/11. My mom and one of my cousins get just as panicked as I while flying, so I'm just waiting for scientists to discover the plane-phobia gene and validate my irrational fears (no, it's NOT all in my head, thank you very much. I was BORN this way!)

^^Wait, they don't have CAR antlers? Only antlers for trucks?! I feel so discriminated against! Not every redneck drives a truck you know, SKYMALL. Hmph.

^Yes, I quite liked that one too. Tee hee. *gives a friendly wave to Matt* I don't think I finished my Behemoth/Ravine Flyer trip report in less than two months and that was half as many parks as this one. Heh, and I never even finished my Disney report from last Thanksgiving (uh...whoops). This TR really is gonna take me forever. And my wisdom teeth removal wasn't too bad actually, thanks for asking! It was more annoying than anything. I was still syringing my tooth holes for the first few days of the trip. I'd love, love, LOVE to do a European trip next year, but it's gonna come down to money and I BARELY scraped by for this trip. We'll see, though. I've got almost a year to figure something out.

Day 2: Six Flags Discovery Kingdom First official day of the trip that included a park, and boy, just when I had given up hope on Six Flags, TPR immediately takes me to a magical, wondrous land that rekindles and stirs up the dying faith within me. *AhhhhAHHHHHahhhhh* (That was angels singing, fyi. Not screaming. Looks like screaming, though, doesn't it? Well, it's not.) So, yes, SFDK. This was the day of the Bay Area Bash, so the park seemed to really lavish us with extras, such as up-close viewings of about a dozen or so animals, Q&A with park management, a raffle with some incredible prizes (I didn't win anything, but 's'ok), a bit of morning ERT on Medusa, and then an hour of evening ERT on Roar, V2, and Tony Hawk, the latter of which included a, uh, water holding contest, which simply cannot be worded in any sort of way that accurately describes just how awesome it was. But basically, we held cups of water while on the ride and tried not to spill any. I, personally, am able to retain more water in a cup while holding it upside-down. It's definitely one of the nicest SF parks in terms of, well, just about everything - cleanliness, friendliness of the staff, and operations. And the coaster collection is really quite decent to boot. I highly, highly recommend it. Finally, the only shot I have of the epic event that was Tony Hawk with cups of water. Really captures it, eh? Next: Gilroy Gardens All he needed, though, was some nighttime ERT and he was over it. It didn't go very well. Then towards the end of the night, Robbie ran into his long-estranged father. He decided to take the opportunity to work on what he calls the "father wound." And for some reason, I didn't get a SINGLE photo of Tony Hawk's Big Spin, so here you go. Yeah. Totally nailed that layout. Two TPR members and two GP members ride together in harmony. Oh how lovely this post-segregation world is. We had some time before dinner and ERT, so we used our handy q-bots to get a few more rides on Medusa. Ugh, this picture was supposed to go about 10 back, but clearly I'm a bit rusty at this PTR business and can't be bothered to group all the corresponding photos accordingly. And proof that megalodons did not floss nearly enough. And lazy-ass sharks. Like acrobatic whales. This park is more than just coasters too. It's about Discovery. And Kingdoms. And while I don't know what they mean by that, they also have animal shows and exhibits. And this is the back of the head of the kid I stole. Sadly, I was alone in my whore-dome, as my posse was busy riding the rapids ride, something my hair simply does not agree with. Sooooo worth it. Can't read my, can't read my, no you can't read my credit whoring face.... Millennium Flyers did nothing to help out this awful coaster. Well, no, it IS slightly better than it's sister over on the east coast at SFA thanks to the nice trains, but honestly, it's the difference between sticking your hand in a blender and sticking it in a garbage disposal. It's gonna hurt either way. Ugh, and there's this horrid thing: Roar Jake finds it to be simply orgasmic. But aside from looking, well, just plain wrong, it actually is incredibly fun. And unique. Definitely unique. ...over here? Uh, what the hell? It looks normal on this end and all but.... Now for the world's weirdest impulse coaster. If this picture doesn't just melt your cold, little heart, then you and I could never be friends. Sorry. AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW! Awwwwwwwwwwww! WARNING: CUTE OVERLOAD AHEAD. Awwww! I don't remember what exactly was going on here, but clearly Neil is the subordinate one in the relationship. Then Tyler even tells the dolphin to, ahem, "stick it back there." See? His mayo-phobia, like his straightness, is all an act. The mayo is even thrown at him, yet he appears to be FAR more worried about the tiger with Cheetos in his hand. They even took part in some of our typical TPR antics. You're all aware of Tyler's phobia of mayonnaise, yes? Well, I'm pretty sure it's all an act. Here he finds himself next to a dolphin holding a basket FULL of mayo (you know, as one does), and look how calm and nonchalant he appears to be about it. During lunch, we had some special guests come for an EXCLUSIVE photo shoot. Ben and I took pictures of our Q-bots together. Such kindred spirits, he and I. Yet another Elissa Bingo square. And since this brought me up to a total of 4 or 5, none of which even came CLOSE to forming any sort of row/column/whathaveyou so...I gave up. World's longest train. Man, there's GOT to be a decent 'your mom' joke in there somewhere. The only one I could think of was pretty bad. Pretty bad, indeed. At least that kid in the front gets it. I don't get it. It's an SLC! Why are all these people SMILING?! For some reason, Ben left me in charge of his stuff while he was off doing something, though I don't remember what. Maybe he had to poop. I don't know. Anyway, while he was gone, I stole his zoom lens, because I knew he secretly wanted me to. Obviously. So, here you go. Fancy close-up shots. Kidney bean! The sign was much more fun to take pictures of than the coaster was to ride. Less painful, at least. I believe this was Matt's milestone coaster of #217 or something. And then he proceeded to marathon it for approximately 832 rides which, according to his excel chart, brought him up to 39 more rides on it than he had ridden at this same time last year, but 28 times less than the year before that. An empty queue is a happy queue, that's what I always say. And after drooling over the animals, we had some ERT-esque time on Medusa. You know, good thing there isn't some unsightly garbage can right in front of the sign, other wise this beautiful picture would be ruined. Ch-ch-chinchila! As part of our early entry, we got some private time with the animals. Only Tyler was hoping for some, ahem, "private time" with the animals. He was so disappointed. Shouka projectile vomiting an Intamin! Now THIS is an upchucking animal statue I can support. After receiving our wristbands, I admire how color coordinated Robbie is. Kind of. Ice Bat gave me some 'tude for our prudish method. Whatevs, Ice Bat. Whatevs. But first, since Elissa Bingo had just been passed out, I had to get the ever elusive boob-credit square. The puritanical way. Wes wasn't in sleeping or anything. I just told him to duck. Or else. Does anyone else hear the sound of trumpets upon the first sight of a park? Yes? No? Anyone?

Wow, that's awesome! Thanks!

My lovely beat up Rebel XT. Holy crap, I did! For some reason that movie feels like it was a few days into the trip. So allow me to mention the awesomeness that was Shark Attack 3 here and now: Shark Attack 3? It was awesome. (Haha, no really - it was!) Huh, I could tell it was a mosaic of some sort, but I didn't look close enough to see what the tiny pictures actually were. Funny, though, that they used a coaster that was hours away from the park, rather than one that was literally across the street. But I wonder if I could call them up and see if they have any extra copies laying around that they could sell me...

^It was the Avatar Hotel in Santa Clara. I meant to ask them myself, but I never did get around to it.