Mechanic

Thank you for the great pictures. That pop on the deadman turn looks like it's going to be a memorable moment on this ride. I've only ridden a handful of wooden coasters, and I'm not particularly a specification and element aficionado, so I must ask: Is that type of pop on a deadman turn an element that we'd find on any coasters I may have already heard of, or is it a unique element? I enjoy watching POVs of all kinds of coasters and I don't recall anything quite that pronounced sticking out in my memory. I look forward to riding this coaster. I'm crossing my fingers that TPR may have an opening event in the works.

I'm thankful they don't broadcast in Futurama Smell-O-Vision. Congratulations on putting the smack down on Mickey Mouse and Mr. Six.

"THE MOTION PICTURE ASSOCIATION OF MY HOUSE, INC." Looking forward to the sequel.

I would like to echo the sentiments of everyone that posted what a great time they had. It was also very nice to meet a few more people from TPR this year. On behalf of my family and our 2 guests, I want to say a very sincere THANK YOU to everyone involved in putting on this great event. We most definitely will be back to SFMM soon, and for next year's WCB as well.

That official BMRS shirt is definitely a "Holy Grail" type prize. Everything else is top notch as well. Thank you to those that donated prizes. I'm looking forward to Big Mike's trip report of WCB almost as much as I'm looking forward to WCB itself.

I've been listening while poking around a few different threads here on the site. Robb's demeanor and insights are a perfect reflection of this site and what makes TPR so great. I never cease to be amazed by the amazing energy Robb and Elissa, and those that help them, must have to continue putting on trips and events, making videos, maintaining and expanding this site, offering T-shirts and other merchandise, etc... All while holding down real jobs and raising a toddler. And on top of all that, keeping it FUN. I really enjoyed the in-depth interview. Thanks for posting the link.

The prizes are definitely stepping up a notch. I can't wait to see tomorrow's group of great gifts. Thanks Big Mike for making your thread fun to follow. Good luck to all!

I just have a couple of questions that seem relevant in light of the forecast and the number of people that will be enjoying what's sure to be an awesome event: Will TPR hoodies be available? With the weather forecast being what it is, it may be great for hoodie sales. Honestly, I should have already bought some from the TPR store, but I'm usually more inclined to buy directly than mail order. I'd be more than happy to buy several if they're available. If not, I'll make it a point to order some from the online store and have them for future chilly days. Do you know if Orient Express will be open during morning ERT? I honestly can't remember if it was last year. I was just thinking it may help to steer some of the crowd to the top of the Mountain and help spread out the people a bit. Of course, I'm sure all avenues are being considered to help minimize lines. It's just a thought. I will do my part by steering my group away from X2 at the start of morning ERT. The scavenger hunt sounds like a fun addition. It's very exciting that the event is now so near. I'm looking forward to seeing and meeting many of you on Sunday. Regardless of the weather, I'm sure it will be a great time.

Maybe Cutler will start a new trend in the NFL: Emo drama queen quarterbacks. Oh wait... I forgot... Donovan McNabb beat him to it.

I'm hoping Big Mike has some bikinis as prizes.

I guess my first coaster of 2009 will be Revolution. It's on the morning ERT for WCB, and since it's on the way up the hill anyway, I may as well stop in and give it some love. Yeah, the restraints are all kinds of funky and redundant, but I still enjoy the ride.

Cutler threw 2 TDs vs 4 INTs in the last 3 games, all losses. The defense didn't have a whole lot to do with that. I'm not out to paint the guy as the worst QB ever or anything like that. I'm just saying that I didn't think he was all that great to begin with. I wouldn't be all that worried about losing him if I was a Broncos fan. Apparently, neither was the team when they were shopping him around. If he really was a top notch QB, then they'd have never been shopping him in the first place, right?

The canal certainly has possibilities as a theming element. Maybe during the tour at WCB they'll drop a few hints? Or maybe not. I guess we'll just have to wait and see. The ride itself is looking great. Seeing how they eventually tie-in the theme will be interesting, as has already been discussed ad nauseum.

I really don't think Cutler is all that great anyway. The way they gagged down the stretch last season was even worse than what the Cowboys did, but since no one really loves to hate Denver, it just didn't get as much play.

Clever way to sneak in a bikini picture. Too bad about the mini riot, but you've got to figure that stuff like this can happen when you get a bunch of reality show hopefuls all corralled together and then piss them off.

Until I viewed this thread earlier, I had never consciously noticed that the background of the old banner was coaster track. When I did take a closer look at it, I was kind of disappointed that it didn't show through clearly enough to have ever caused me to notice it before. (And I consider myself to be reasonably observant, even if my eyesight isn't quite as good as it once was.) That said, the new, cleaner banner that Wes made does look much better. I agree that it's a keeper.

Thanks. It did work when I clicked on the far left side of the box. I'm just used to clicking anywhere inside a box and being able to type in it, so I'm sure you can understand why I asked.

Did we make sure that Donovan McNabb understands the difference between overtime in the regular season vs overtime in the playoffs?

So, when does the contest begin? The page opens, but I can't enter any information.

Sell them to who?

It's nice to see SFDK getting some international love.

I was hoping that WCB would be your first stop on the 2009 BMRS after you had posted the date of March 22nd as the kickoff. Although I'm sure it will be difficult to get past your entourage and handlers , I look forward to meeting you there. Looking back on your travels from last year, and it was obvious that you had a great time at a LOT of parks, which park would you pick as your favorite? Thanks and keep up the great work.

Roar's not real big on airtime. It has a couple of brief moments of floating. If has lots of crossovers and some decent head choppers, along with a speedy and fun shed section and plenty of twists and turns. The first drop is great if you're in the back of the train. If you ride it hoping for airtime, you'll be disappointed. If you ride it and just enjoy the ride without any expectations then I think you should have fun on it. V2 has hang time during the first and last trip up the angled front spike. How much hang time really depends on where you sit on the train, so try it in a few different seats if you can, or watch a few cycles and try to figure out which row you want to be in to get maximum hang time. The front spike makes for a pretty unique ride experience. There's a brief moment of floating on each trip up the vertical back spike. The launch and subsequent boosts, both forward and backward, through the station are really cool too. It's nothing earth shattering, but it is fun. SFDK's rides aren't world record breaking, super intense, adrenaline junky focused attractions. They're just fun without being too intimidating. Personally, I think the rides they have are a good fit for the park.

You are what you eat... Here's what really happened to Elvis.

The park was pretty much in the middle of nowhere back in 1976 when it opened. I remember going there the opening season. While my memories from that age have faded to some extent, I do still remember pulling up in front of the park after having driven for some time over what was pretty much mostly empty pasture land. There weren't any tall buildings in the immediate area, or much of anything else in the way of already established businesses. The idea that the park was plopped down in the middle of an already burgeoning industrial and business center just isn't accurate. Almost everything else that butts up against the park nowadays did not exist when it was built. Not that it matters, but the park was there first. Any company that built anything near the park was well aware of its existence. Edit: A picture that shows what it looked like back in 1976 should go a long way in backing up what I just posted: Click here for the picture