65skylark

^ You can believe that God created humans, but also believe that he made things to adapt and "evolve". There is black and white proof that certain animals, plants, bacteria, etc, have evolved just within our own lifetime. I think that is what people are saying when they say they believe in both. If the question is more specific; Do you believe humans "evolved" or were "created", then I would agree with what you are saying.

^ Yeah, I actually didn't think about the whole copyright thing or I wouldn't have done that. Picture turned out like crap anyway. I'll go ahead and delete that one .

^ No. Episode 1 would still suck ass. I agree, though, about the subs.

^ You won't be disappointed. I was at this event last year and it was great. Thunderhead at night, in the dark, is amazing. Chris and Natalie do a fantastic job with all of there events so if anyone is even considering going.......... DO IT! You'll have a blast. I, unfortunately, will not be attending this year, due to both time and money restraints. Next year though!

Nice pictures Ted. Well, all of the ones without me in them that is. The rain really didn't ruin much. If anything it just made the trip a little more memorable. And, Blue Streak in the rain was good times.

This made me laugh. Paul, you are a funny man.

Great pictures Rick. One of these years I'm going to make it out to Holiday World.

Very cool Robb. I actually had about three photos in my last TR that I didn't quite have enough room for. I agree that long drawn-out captions on every picture is highly annoying, but it does make it easier to "tell the story" when you can add a little extra here and there.

^ Disney had the exact same thing happen. They still run Screamin in the rain. And this isn't something they just started. Anyway, really not a big deal. Just one of those things that kind of bugs me that probably wouldn't bother many other people.

^ That Vette was a 59 or 60 not sure which as they are identical on the outside. I race my 1965 Skylark every week. Not having a mic might stop opperations at a Cedar Fair park but it most certainly does NOT at most other parks. Waldameer wasn't using a mic on any of there rides and they seemed to be doing just fine. Lou, I felt exactly the same as you before going to Cedar Point. I was in the area, so I went. I am also a quality over quantitiy person when it comes to theme parks. However, CP does have some very high quality rides and they generally do a very good job at moving people through them. Honestly, I would say the rides ran more efficient than at any other park I have been to aside from Disney. I just have tendency to let certain things get under my skin. The Mic for one. The fact that the pretty much shut down the park if ANY rain falls which is total BS. They have no more liability than Disney and I have been on California Screamin during a major down pour. Other major park chains run many of there coasters in the rain also. Bottom line, I really did enjoy CP and GL and plan on going back to both parks in the future with Sandi and the kids. But, if you gave me the option of going to CP for the day with 17 coasters, or say, Dollywood for the day with 5 coasters, I'd chose Dollywood, hands down.

Of course not. Well we tried not to, but had no choice once Justin figured out just how inept my knowledge of music is. Yeah, Paul, your musical knowledge needs a little fine tuning. But, I'm always up for a little coaster talk too. And, once again, congrats Ted and Catrina. You guys rock!

^^ Hey! That's 123 man. Don't be taking any away. I need all I can get. You got my number. Just make sure and give me a ring if you do make it to Silverwood this year. The kids have been asking me when we are going back.

No beer tonight! Yukon Jack and Coke. So good.

^^ I missed Disaster Transport, Wildcat, Cedar Creek Mine Train, Woodstock Express (I think that's what it is called) Jr Gemini (of course) and actually I missed Corkscrew too because I got so pissed off from them wasting my time that I bailed. Who loads a second train then takes over twenty minutes making test runs when there is litterally no more than a 2 train wait? Anyway, for how rainy it was my first visit was actually pretty good. I would honestly rank Maverick behind MF, Raptor, and probably even TTD. That isn't a knock on Maverick though. It was a solid coaster, you just have to realise that I, for one, have never been on ANY of the coasters at CP before, and two, I love intamin rockets and B&M inverts. Thanks for all the nice comments!

Monday morning we woke up to no rain! The local weather report said the rain should hold off until about 3pm so we were hoping to get in most of the coasters by then as we did have the one hour early entry. And I leave you with this random picture of a duck. At least he was enjoying the weather. Thanks for reading. The turn arond over the water after the launch had some really cool water cannon effects that you really didn't notice when riding but were very cool to watch as the train went by. The corkscrews were very well disigned, giving a good zero gravity feeling. Back at Maverick I got in two more rides thanks to them pulling single riders from the queue to the front of the line. With the sky looking much better now I decided to bail on the other missed credits in favor of riding MF, Maverick and TTD more bufore the park closed. At 8:30 in the evening, and about 14 people in the station, they chose to add a 2nd train. They loaded us into the soaking wet second train just to realize they needed to send it on some test runs first. So we all got back out. 20 mins later we were ready Might as well grab a ride on Corkscrew while I'm here. Excellent helix finale. My new favorite invert. It's open! And it did not disappoint. Is that sun I see? Time to make a dash to the front of the park. Catrina and Ted say farewell. My dad had had enough also, so he headed to the car to crash, leaving me alone the rest of the evening. The rain had stopped so hopefully I'll get my Raptor credit before I have to leave. Took about two second for the station floor to look like this. By now it was around 5 O'clock and Ted and Catrina were needing to get back on there way home to WV, so we bailed out of the station and met back up with my dad to say our goodbyes RIAN? WHAT RAIN?!?!?! Even "Optimistic Ted" thinks those clouds are going to bring a LOT of rain. Mean Streak. I have heard nothing good about this coaster. Time to see for myself, that is, if the rain holds up long enough for us to get on the thing. The rain finally let up long enough to allow them to get there coaster up and running again. This is Magnum XL200, the third best steel coaster in the world? Um.....OK. Don't get me wrong, it was a fun coaster in a top 100 sort of way. So, apparently, if even the slightest amount of moisture falls from the sky, Cedar Point must close down every coaster in the park (including the INDOOR bobsled) except for Wicked Twister. That makes tons of sense. Anyway, at least we got to ride WT while Squirrel. You know, for all you squirrel enthusiasts. Kids these days. Hi Catrina! The rain stopped temporarily, but Raptor was still not operating so Ted and I went for a few rides on Blue Streak while the track was still wet. Game time while we wait out the first of what would be many rain showers. Now I'm seriously regretting not getting on Raptor while I had the chance. That's Raptor, "THROUGH THE RAIN" 5 mins later. Hmm, those clouds aren't looking too good. Catrina waited through the Mantis queue with us but didn't ride. She's not a big fan of that one. I one the other hand thought it was pretty good. Not as good as Riddler or Georgia Scorcher, but still pretty good. Why would you post a picture of water you ask? Well, because about a half a second before I snapped this shot, a water snake about three feet long dove down into the water. I just missed it due to the fact that I was too creeped out to get my camera ready Mantis has some low to the water bits too. I see you MF. Mantis. Lets see how she stacks up to Riddler. It's pretty tall too. It was also by far my favorite coaster in the park and my second favorite steel coaster just behind Goliath @ SFoG. Yay! Millennium Force is open! This is Iron Dragon. It's NOT tall, OR fast, but it does go close to the water, which I thought was kind of cool. Yep, even from back here, still tall. Oh, and pretty damn fast too with an amazing view from the top. However, of the three Intamin Rockets I have been on, Xcelerator is still my favorite. Next was TTD. It's tall. Lots of low to the ground bits too. maverick was actually more intense than I was expecting with lots of auick directional changes and a few good pops of airtime. Over-banked awesomeness. Yeah, Maverick goes upside down and stuff. Lets ride! They were running 5 trains and although they stacked em up pretty good I was very impressed at how fast the queue moved. Yay, it's open! Only 45 mins late. In your face SF. Ah, there all here, waiting for Maverick to open. Well at least they had ONE of there three coasters running for the early entry. This is the same CP I keep reading about, right? Park is still pretty empty. I wonder where all the people are? Coaster geek alert! Quick shot of the not yet open MF. It was supposed to be open but apparently all of the millions of reports I have read about CP being the most reliable park in the whole wide world when it comes to having rides up and running on time wasn't holding true My dad takes the time to rent a locker so he can store his one Krispy Kream donut to eat later in the day. Yeah.......that's not weird. Pretty light crowd so far. Hey, there's those garbage cans again. Vertical loop shot for my beer loving friend. Raptor was up and running first thing but we decided to head to MF first. This turned out not to be the best idea. What's that I see in the distance?

We woke up Sunday morning to rain. By 11:00 am the rain hadn't let up so they called off the race. We were supposed to be meeting up with some friends at the track but decided to change our plans and meet at Geauga Lake instead. Time for dinner. Chauffeur Ted picks is up at the door in his very manly looking Element. Next stop, Cedar Point. The view out our window after checking into the Breaker's Express. Man I hope this rain lets up for tomorrow. On the way up to our hotel at CP, we passed this car that was a huge ball of flames just minutes before I took this picture. Someones not having a good day. We headed over to Boomerang but It started raining again, and didn't show any signs of letting up anytime soon, so we decided to call it a day. Got all but the Dipper and Boomerang credit. I actually liked GL and would go back if in the area again. The cool people table is over here! Look at those losers over across the midway. Another lift hill shot, only this one has no TPR cliche attached to it. This is also the only smooth part of the ride. Catrina and my dad decide to sit out "Jackhammer; The Ride". Villain's lift "THROUGH THE......" sorry, don't know what got into me there. I'll try not to let it happen again. Everyone seems to be obsessed with the Cedar Fair garbage cans one way or the other. I really don't get it. Raging Wolf Bobs. Ted said it was the best ride he has had since the PTC's were removed. It seem like a decent ride to me too. My dad wasn't too sure about his ride. I thought it was a very good coaster. My favorite floorless so far. Inter-locking corkscrewiness. I think we can handle the one train wait for the front. Dominator. The main reason I wanted to come. Vekoma SLC, first ride of the day. ElDorado with Dipper's first hill in the background. They weren't running Dipper because the microphone in the station wasn't working. LAME. Yeah, doesn't look too bad. Geauga Lake. It was about 1:00 pm in the afternoon on a Sunday so hopefully it wouldn't be too crowded. Hey, look who's here. Ted (CoasterFanatic) and Catrina (ImAPrincess) were ready and waiting when we got there. This McDonald's across the street from GL should due for some lunch before heading into the park. Most of the cars were already loaded up and ready to go. Time to hit the road for GL. This weather gets two thumbs down from my dad. Back at the track. Just a little wet. Kind of hard to keep a 150 mph car going straight down the 1/4 mile when it's this wet.

Last week my dad and I were in the Cleveland area for a drag race. We had three days planned at Thompson Raceway Park and then set aside another day for Cedar Point. The weather started out good but then ended up kind of crapy, so the race was called off on Sunday. This actually gave us a littel extra time to sqeeze in GL so all was good. Anyway on to the pictures. AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! So Waldameer was a really fun little park. Next up, Geauga Lake. Stay Tuned. Snapped a nice shot of the sun setting over Lake Erie just before.................. ACEr friendly crowd today. OK, so.....yeah, you get a little wet. So far, so good, after the first drop. Just a little drop on the shoulder. That drop looks pretty harmless. Possibly soaked? Ah, come on, it's only a log flume. Spinny helix. "90 degrees!" Sorry, couldn't resist. No spinning for my dad. He opted for sitting on the bench. Spinning coaster. I had never been on one of these either and was pleasantly surprised. AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! My dad enjoying the view just before.................. Wow, that thing really flies. Hey they have a jr. woodie here. Never been on one of these before. It was actually a pretty fun little coaster. I don't know what nviro men are, and I'd just as soon keep it that way. Saturday was back to the track for more racing. It was ridiculously hot though so we bailed a little early. By evening it had cooled down some and we were only about 45mins from Erie, PA, so we decided to go check out Waldameer. Yeah, it's really old and stuff. We passed this covered bridge on the way back from the track so I had to stop and get a picture. My personal favorite car of the trip. Now that's a beautiful sight. man I wish I had my Skylark here. Corvette gasser style. Yeah, its got a Hemi. A classic example of what a gasser car looked like in the 60's. Friday was the first day at Thompson Raceway Park for the 7th Annual Gasser Reunion drag race. This is one of the largest nostalgia "gasser" races in the nation. Mt. Hood just east of Portland. Still plenty of snow. We're off. No Starbucks for my dad. Kind of sad, I know. Waiting at the airport, I get my trip started off right. Yay Starbucks!

Loved it! Now I'm off to check out the PTR of the making of this PTR.

Icky Thump - The White Stripes

I've been to Bend many times but actually have never visited the brewery.

So, it finally feels like summer her in Portland. Time to head out to the back patio to BBQ some hamburgers, and of course........... beer! Perfect way to end the day. Next we'll go with my personal favorite IPA. Inversion IPA from Deschutes Brewery. Yum. Hamburgers are looking nice and cheesy good. Baby isn't so much into working. Very refreshing on a hot day after work. Ah, Curve Ball. A nice seasonal brew. Sandi can clean the BBQ I'll feed my fish and have a nice cold........... Just need to do a little cleaning as this baby hasn't been fired up in a while.

Non-smoker. I do support any one's right to smoke. BUT, as a father who has a son that is asthmatic, I can tell you that even smoking in a public area "outdoors" can cause other people health problems. My son is highly effected by cigarette smoke. If he were to be walking down an open midway at a theme park, and happened to catch a breath of smoke, we would almost definitely be getting out his inhaler within a minute or two. I think this is something that most smokers (heck even non-smokers) don't give any thought to. I think as far as bars or pubs go, they have always been places where smoking and drinking are excepted. They are a place to socialize, and smoking is a part of that for some people. If you don't like being around smoke, don't go to a bar. Just like if you don't like being around people who are drunk, don't go to a bar. Even though I think it is great that a lot of public places have banned smoking, such as many restaurants, theme parks, malls, movie theaters, etc., I would still be against any law prohibiting smoking. Almost nothing in life is cut and dry, white or black. If someone wants to smoke, that is there right. I only wish that some smokers would be a little more considerate towards those like my son when lighting up. Oh, and as someone who has many close friends that do smoke, I couldn't agree any more with what Wes said...........

Well, living in Portland, I can say that honestly the drivers here are better than anywhere else I have driven as far as not cutting you off, tailgating, etc. But we really only have about a dozen or so really bad traffic spots during rush hour in the entire Portland metro area, so that probably has a lot to do with it. That, and the fact that the only other large urban areas I have driven very much in outside of the Pacific Northwest are the Bay Area and LA so...........yeah.

Nice pics Matt. I've wanted to go to IB for a while now. Hopefully soon. Looking forward to the rest of the pictures.

So, today being Mother's Day, my wife decided she wanted us to go fishing. Her parents had been camped at Rock Creek near Mt. Hood for the last few days so we made the two hour drive and met up with them for our first fishing trip of the year. After a fun day of fishing we stopped by Timberline Lodge to get some dinner and look around. So, enough talk, onto the pictures. We had a great day. Thanks for reading! The view from our table. The whole inside of the lodge has these massive log beams. Seating around the third floor loft type thingy. The Blue Ox was closed so we went upstairs to the Ram's Head. Some general info. The inside they did not use in the movie however. Lots of wood and stone. Enter if you dare. Still a lot of snow up here but the ski lifts have closed for the season. Timberline Lodge. If this building looks familiar it may be because this is the lodge where Jack Nicolson takes his family in "The Shining". Getting closer. Mt. Hood comes into view on our way to Timberline. One last shot before heading to Timberline Lodge. Since it is Mother's Day, I'll through in a picture of my wife and her mom. Fishings over, now it's time to play in the freezing cold water. ..................? Yummy! Now for the fun part. Gutting the fish. My daughter Ellie and ner friend Malory hold up one stringer of fish. About five minutes out on the water we bring in the first of 15 fish we caught in less than two hours. Ok, enough messing around, lets go fishing. Ellie shows us the frog whe caught. My son, Chad, demonstrating proper rock skipping technique. Another view in the other direction. Rock Creek Reservoir with the top of Mt. Hood peeking over the hills in the distance.