VGplay

^I'm thinking Fun Spot in Indiana. Their's was originally the prototype built at Boardwalk and Baseball in 1977.

As a bit of an invert fanboy, I really like Raptor. Its a pretty good invert to have at my home park. At the park its one of my favorites but overall it is just solidly middle of the road. 1. Afterburn 2. Montu 3. Pyrenees 4. Alpengeist 5. Raptor 6. Talon 7. Great Bear 8. Batman: The Ride 9. Silver Bullet 10. Patriot

Sunday not only marked 9/11 for the US, but also six months since the earthquake in Japan. If anyone was curious about the cleanup and recovery efforts in the more effected northern portions of the country, I came across this great series of pictures that I think speak for themselves: http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2011/09/japan-earthquake-six-months-later/100146/. There's still a lot of work to do, but what they have accomplished is absolutely amazing yet somehow unsurprising.

Filled out. I'm really hoping enough people are interested in the Northwest trip for it to happen. I'd expect it to be similar to this year's Northeast trip. And after hearing the all fun it was, who wouldn't want that?

Before I continue, would you object if I kept at it like this? Future updates will have a similar amount of text but with more pictures. I actually really enjoy writing this narrative style, but if no one's going to read it I can slim it down to be more photo-oriented.

So a bit more than a month ago I arrived home from TPR's Japan Trip. The pre-trip packet promised an "adventure tour" and what an adventure it was, truly an amazing time. So first off, thank you Robb and Elissa for organizing everything and being such great hosts! And of course thank you everyone who was on the trip for being awesome! I will warn you that this TR may be a bit more text-heavy than you're used to seeing. Not only will this be my way of sharing my perspective of the trip, but it'll also be what I can look back on and remember the trip with. So if that warning doesn't scare you away, let's get started! June 14th and 15th - Arrival I've wanted to visit Japan for years now and when TPR announced a trip for 2011 I just knew I had to make it happen. From when I put in my deposit, to when I bought my non-refundable plane tickets, it really was a dream come true for the day to finally arrive. My first day started on the 14th and ended on the 15th. The concept of being 13 hours ahead took a little to get used to, and Cleveland Hopkins' world clocks weren't much of a help. Time does not exist in Tokyo. My flight to New York was about to be the emptiest I would've ever been on, with literally only five people on the plane. However American's morning flight to Dallas was canceled and my flight quickly filled up with re-routed individuals. Saw the New York skyline for the first time while landing, providing the only excitement of the short flight (not that you necessarily want excitement while flying...). My routing required me to land at Laguardia and transfer to JFK, and during this transfer I learned a lesson: "Don't take a ride from a taxi driver who comes to you". I looked online ahead of time and a yellow cab would've cost me about $30. The very friendly guy who caught me at baggage claim and ended up being a limousine driver, $65. I was extremely lucky to have exactly $65 in my wallet, because other than that all I had was a whole lot of yen. He was clearly disappointed/upset about the lack-of tip, but I was leaving the country and had other things to worry about and quickly walked away. Which leads me to my first Japanese service experience. I booked my flights in February on American. They had just started a new route from JFK to Tokyo's second airport, Haneda (I guess Narita should be considered Tokyo's second, Haneda has been around longer and serves more people). And to get people to fly it they had tickets for pretty cheap. Being the budget-minded individual I am (hah!) I took the offer. However their loads were absolutely pathetic, and it was announced that they would suspend the flight after Golden Week in May. After a call to American I was rerouted onto a code share with Japan Airlines into NRT. That's what I thought, at least. I walk up to the JAL counter and tell them my name and give them my passport. They're a little confused and ask if something is wrong. I tell them, "Oh no, I'm just flying to Tokyo". I'm told that my reservation was only CLE-LGA on an American code share. Huh? I pull out my American itinerary that shows JFK-NRT on JAL. The lady calls over a supervisor and she looks at the paper. She takes my passport and goes around the corner. After a few minutes of small talk with the woman at the counter ("Roller coasters?") the supervisor returns and apologizes that there are no aisle seats left and asks if a window would be alright, not a problem. It is at this point that she just issues me a new ticket, unrelated to AA. No argument, no telling me to call American, just a "Hmm..this isn't right..." and a solution. I'm returned my passport with a boarding pass and given an apology with a bow (You do realize it wasn't your fault?). Terminal 1 at JFK doesn't exactly have the most efficient layout. It is a fairly modern terminal with plenty of seating, but there is one problem. The food court is outside security. So after finding my gate and realizing how hungry I am, I must return landside to find anywhere to eat. All there was airside there was a sandwich shop that I probably should've ate at, considering it was McDonald's I ended up having for lunch. Oh well, security wasn't too bad so I'll get through again and wait for my flight. Huh? Why's the line so long and not moving? That's right, they had the entire T1 traffic routed through ONE metal detector because apparently it takes 25 TSA agents to scan the food that's to stock the shops inside. Ugh. After an excruciating wait I return to the gate to see my plane pulling up. Anyone up for sitting in the same seat for 14 hours? What if I told you that you'd be in Japan once you got up? My flight was very pleasant. My seat was comfortable and it was just me at the window and a cute girl at the aisle. No one was in the middle seat. Shortly after getting in the air lunch was served. You had the choice of fish or chicken, with an illustrated card to point at in case the flight attendant couldn't understand you (though I should note that all the FAs I talked with spoke fine English). I wasn't feeling too adventurous yet and opted for the chicken. It was very good, with rice and a salad. At this point it was about 3am Japan Time so I took a melatonin and fell asleep. Seven hours (!) later I started to wake up. Pulled out the laptop and then proceeded to watch Psych for a few hours. Just as my battery was about dead they served the second meal, a pretty good pasta. After whatever meal you want to call it the flight tracker said less than two hours, almost there! Those final hours went by quickly listening to music. We started the descent and I got my first glimpse of Japan. What is my initial impression? Green, tons of golf courses, and high-tension power lines. The country certainly is lush and they do have power lines going everywhere, but I don't recall seeing nearly as many golf courses as I did around Narita. Immigration went quickly and smoothly. My bag was waiting for me at baggage claim and customs basically waved me through. We're off to a good start! I had a hotel booked in Shinjuku and now I had to make my way there. To the Narita Express! My train experience before this trip was very limited. The DC Metro and Boston T with my family was about it. Luckily the ticket machine was very easy to figure out. "English", "to Shinjuku", "Window Seat", 3,000円 (that's yen and how I'll be typing it), Done. I'm printed a ticket and make my way down to the platform and wait. One train comes and goes then finally it's mine. I didn't realize the N'EX had baggage shelves so that was a nice surprise. Find my seat and we're off. "Wow it's smooth!" was my first thought. Well, after, "Wow I'm actually in Japan! Am I really? YES!". It was about an hour to Shinjuku so I got to enjoy a nice sunset as the train entered the sprawl of Tokyo and had buildings rising around us. I once read Elissa say that the N'EX was a great intro to Japan, and I have to agree. We pass Shinagawa and I think, "Ooo, I'm going to be staying there". Shinjuku Station comes and I grab my bag as I step off. Ok now...where do I go? I was staying that the Shinjuku Prince Hotel and knew that it was north of the station, so why did "New South Exit" sound right to me? The world may never know. I follow the signs and as logic would indicate, end up on the complete opposite side of the station that I needed. Here I am, an obvious tourist in the middle of one of Tokyo's busiest wards at night, wandering random streets and alleys in the general direction I need. It actually was an awesome culture shock introduction. Eventually I caught a glimpse of my hotel and navigated my way to it. While checking in the guy picks up the phone and says to the other side "Stefan-san is here". After I giggle to myself, "Haha, he called me Stefan-san!" a guy comes up and hands me (with both hands, something I obviously had not picked up on by this point) the pocket wifi I had shipped to the hotel. I'm given my key and go up to my room. It's small, I knew that. A single bed longways to the right, a desk and TV to the left, and a walkway down the middle. Recently updated and actually very nice. Enough for me. I don't have the most exciting view, I can kinda see an intersection that would probably be more lit-up if it weren't for power savings. Oh well, I'M FINALLY IN JAPAN! Not the most breathtaking view of Tokyo, but enough lights to make it interesting. Next: Bonus Disneyland Day

Unrelated to 2012, but today I came across an old park site and among the many awesome 7-8 year old park photos is a panorama of the Dragster midway before Dragster. The panorama itself is small and slow, but wow did I forgot how nice the midway was. http://ohiothemeparks.homestead.com/files/360main/c00pchaos.html And here's the site if you want to look through it: http://ohiothemeparks.homestead.com/OhioThemePaks.html

Thanks for the pictures, EB. It was fun following your updates. And now that I hear that pancake drink was good, I wish I would've tried it. I think I saw it only once and thought it looked weird, that should've been enough reason to try it!

I'm really enjoying the TR Larry, looking forward to the rest. And here you go:

I'm not going to write up a full TR so I'll just put this here. I headed up to the park for the first time today and got a few rides on Shivering Timbers in both the front and back. "Wow!" is all I have to say. I was a bit worried after seeing this TR but I was pleasantly surprised. If this was "not as good as it was last year" then I really missed out by not making it up like I wanted to last summer! Front seat was about as smooth as I can expect a not-brand-new wooden coaster to be. No jackhammering or shuffling, just airtime that's in the same league as El Toro. The back seat definitely threw you around more, but it wasn't painful or even rough. The way it whipped you over the tops of the hills was insane. I was with two non-coaster enthusiast friends and they loved the ride, and said it was worth the five and a half hour drive. If that means anything.

I was at the park yesterday and here's a quick update. Much better! I didn't hang around long on opening day (just two hours) but I was able to see how many things were closed. I am glad to say that yesterday only the following were closed: Shoot the Rapids Snake River Falls Thunder Canyon Gemini Blue Windseeker, Ocean Motion, and MaxAir were obviously also closed, but they will be for a while. It was only in the 60s so no big loss on the water rides. So really only Gemini Blue was the one ride that maybe should've been open. Drove through some rain on the way and it was cloudy when I arrived at the park, but it never rained on me and cleared up later on. The park was awesomely dead. Got there a little before 2pm and walked onto Magnum. Walked onto Mean Streak and was treated to one of the best rides on it in quite a while (but that's not saying much, it still is a waste of space), there is a lot of new wood. Then went to Maverick and waited maybe five minutes. Millennium Force was another five minute wait. I headed to the front of the park and walked onto Raptor which was running fast and smooth. Walked onto Blue Streak and admired the trains, are they new or just refurbished (either way, why did they keep those stupid headrests?)? It was running well, and would be better regarded as a classic woodie without those said headrests. Stopped by Pink's to see what the park-created hype was about. $14 and change for a decently big chilli cheese dog, a surprising portion of seasoned fries, and a regular Pepsi. It was pretty good, easily one of the better food options in the park. Unfortunately the three places that I will eat in the park (Pizza Patio/Hot Potato, Midway Market, and now Pink's) are all in the front. So if I'm hungry and in the back I have quite a hike. Midway Market is still the best value in the park, $13 if you eat before 5pm for all you can eat Golden Corral-quality food and free refills. After taking the break to eat I got a few more rides of Raptor, which really is running well. Had the longest wait of the day for Disaster Transport and was disappointed that not even the Alaska scene was lit. Walked onto Wicked Twister and then swung by Windseeker. They were lifting the chassis like pictured on the previous page. It was cool to watch for a bit. As it lifted there was a worker watching from the midway obviously looking for something, so there may be truth to the delay being cable-related. There is a complicated mess of cables that lift the ride chassis. Walked by Dragster and would've taken a ride until I saw that its station was complete mayhem, it's the only ride in the park that its station gets that way. I Walked onto Magnum for a few rides and then continued to Maverick, which was now a walk-on. Rode that for about a half hour. Maverick has really grown on me. Ever since I learned how to hold the restraint to prevent neck chops I've really enjoyed it, but now the issue is the lap bar smashing into my legs and staying there during the first turn. Though I guess I'd rater have that than getting my neck bashed around. After I got my fill of Maverick I headed down to Millennium Force and it was a walk-on by now. So I spent my last hour and a half riding over and over again. Sometime after 7pm they opened the gate between the unload and load stations which meant I was usually able to get on the same train I just got off of. Ended up on the last train of the night which capped off a pretty good afternoon and evening. Here's a few pictures from the day: I do think that Windseeker will be a nice addition to the park once it opens. I watched them lift the ride chassis off the ground. It was pretty cool to watch. The area around the ride looks nice. I'm happy to see some planters to break up the space, but it'll be quite a while before those trees start offering any type of shade. Maverick's a walk-on! (crappy cell phone zoom) Stopped to notice the difference in Millennium's paint. Hopefully they paint the rest of the ride for next year. What is painted looks really great. Millennium's a walk-on, too!

Yay! While we were at Great America it seemed to be an unwritten rule to not complain about Raging Bull's trims. Loved the layout, but as it is the ride was just a great first drop followed by some meandering around. Glad to see someone who agrees. Don't expect too much from Diamondback, especially if B&M hypers aren't your cup of tea. I think it got the hype it did only because so many of the park's other rides are lackluster. And OP, good choice picking Waldameer. It'll be a nice contrast to Cedar Point.

I have been thinking about how I could make my way down to the park, this would be a good reason to. A bit too far to drive for just a weekend, but if I can get airfare for around $200 I'm in. Out of Cleveland right now it's about $350 so we'll see.

I've been doing some reading on the nuclear situation, and many people who claim to (and one I know who does) work with nuclear power say a Chernobyl-style meltdown is unlikely with the type of reactor the plant in question is. Almost unanimously they say the worst-case scenario would be similar to Three Mile Island, a relatively isolated release of radiation (though it still would be a serious and dangerous situation).

Robb, is it too late to change my t-shirt to a L instead of an XL?

As a fan of classic dark rides I'm glad I'm heading out to the park this year, this looks really great.

Well Ferguson's show released their March schedule and they won't be taping on the 21st, so I guess I'm not doing that! I'm not necessarily a "fan" of Disney but I do appreciate the theming they put into their rides. I went to Disney World eleven years ago, so it has been a while since I've been to one of their parks. However, this summer I'm on the Japan trip and will be visiting Tokyo Disney. Universal is an interesting idea. But with it not being a full-day park and without a show to see I'm not sure I want to venture out to that side of town. And if I find myself downtown I'll definitely have to stop by Phillipe's, I enjoy a good french dip sandwich. So I guess that leaves Disney?

If true that's disappointing. Darien Lake has become one of my favorite parks to visit in the fall.

I'm heading out for West Coast Bash next month and will have an extra day in LA. It'll be the Monday following the event and I am trying to decide what to do. My first thought was to spend the day at Disneyland, which would add $150 to the trip. Then I thought about heading over to Hollywood to do some sightseeing and see Craig Ferguson's show live. A third and cheapest option would be to use my Platinum Pass and spend another day at Knott's which it just down the street from my hotel. From what I've read, one day should be enough at Disney to at least touch on everything. I'll be in town during spring break season so it'll also be busier than usual, right? The one thing that makes me lean away from going to Disney is that I'm eventually going to do a "California Mega Trip" and I'll visit again in a few years. So I guess my question is: Is it worth it to visit Disneyland for just one day or should I save the money and wait until I return to California? This will be my first time to California and although it'll just be for a long weekend, I'm excited. Thanks!

Funny you say that. Last year for the ride's 40th anniversary the park hung some historic articles and photos along the line. That looked to be a crazy little drop. Here's a few from Geauga Lake: - Under the SLC's first drop were the remains of a dock. In the 70s the park had a Paddlewheel Excursions-esque ride in the lake. The ride was removed in the 80s but the props remained into the 90s and the dock never left. - When the park was turned into Six Flags they built some new gift shops in the front area. They simply built around the former midway buildings and you could see them on the ferris wheel. - When the log flume opened it had animals that popped out at you as you went along the course. Over the years they fell into disrepair and were removed, except for a single little raccoon. Up until the park closed he was still propped up so you could see him.

I assume it's this one: http://www.angelfire.com/oh4/tk173/modelstidalwave.html

I'm really thinking about flying out for both days, I think this would be an amazing way to visit both parks for the first time. Hopefully tickets don't sell out too quickly. Serious question, would there be anyone willing to give me a ride to and from the parks both days? I'm not quite old enough to rent a car and the parks are far enough away from Los Angeles proper to rely on public transit. The hotel I'm looking at is on the western edge of downtown. Of course I'd compensate for your time and gas. Please PM me if you're interested. (Robb, is it alright if I ask this?)

One pattern I've noticed is that you see catwalks on both sides when the train seats people four across, like on most B&Ms. I figure it has to do with being able to assist people when necessary, which is easier and safer to do when not reaching across three rows. It might also be worth noting that Diamondback, a B&M with the newer style two across trains, only has a catwalk on one side.

I just went and didn't get anything. I think I'll get in line again tomorrow, this was fun!

The dates coincide very well with my spring break. Hopefully AirTran will let me use my free round-trip ticket that weekend. If I am able to fly out, would anyone be willing to give me a ride to the parks?