DerekRx

"Home"- Smile Empty Soul

As long as you don't have a light on that will ruin the experience for others, as well as possibly screwing up the animatronics, you're good to film on anything. Just leave the "wedding light" at home. Just remember, in case they ask you to kindly put away the camcorder, please do so.

^That's not the definition of a Prostitot. A prostitot is a child (mainly a girl) under the age of 12 who looks and dresses like a prostitute, ie short shorts, loads of makeup, mid-drifts, heels, etc. Once they reach the age of 13-17 they are known as Prostiteens. Acquiring a kid to ride a kiddie coaster is just extreme credit whoring, or Excrewho.

Yikes! And Elissa is scared of the structural integrity of the Stratosphere with only 4 rides on top. I can't imagine we'll ever get her on this UK version....well then again, it appears to be a bunch of Intamin rides.

Missing the Californian temperature, beer, and not being at work, tonight's beer will at least take care of 1 of those problems. now that puts a smile on my face! Yup, the Thunderhead IPA made it safely home with me

Wow, Alabamy sure is screwed up! Looks like Lil Jon has plenty of relatives all looking for some gold, probably to put in their mouths! Yeah!

Wow, that first drop looks really good, but yeah I'm kinda worried about how long its taking them to get anywhere. Of course its no surprise, we pretty much all knew the thing would be late opening even last year. Pretty soon it will be too sunny, too warm, or too rainy for them to get much work done.

Great pictures, Soren. Glad you managed to make it everywhere in Disney already. Maybe I'll catch up with you again late next month.

I agree with krouvi, Robb hardly looks fat. If Will thinks Robb is meatnormous, he needs to go to more parks when ACE is around, or just head to Disney more often, where fat folks flock! Just hang around the pin trading zones, they'll waddle up. I think Will has never seen larger people before, just sheep.

I think the new name is a lot better than Visionland, which always reminded me of a theme park for eye doctors. I hope they don't rely too much on their concert series alone to bring in the people though. Much like Wild Adventures, the concert brings them in, the loads of rides is what will keep them their though. Visionland, err Alabama Adventure, is still lacking a lot in the rides department. Throwing all those other attractions in will definitely make it an "Alabama" Adventure, especially with the stock car racing. Git R Done!

Awesome Heath face, Heath! As far as San Francisco goes, I know next May the ACE Spring Con will be at PGA and SCBB. I intend to go, so we should have a few free hours or so to pop into the city and hit a few breweries. If you end up doing SFMW at some point, that's the time to hit Pyramid. I think next time I definitely want to hit Magnolia and the Beach Chalet, and could definitely be interested in heading back to Thirsty Bear.

Of course NGT would screw up and ride the front of Fire and not of Ice. The whole reason to ride in the front isn't for the duel in the loop (which isn't even set up to happen), its for the Cobra Roll Wall. I bet German Tom wouldn't have screwed that up!

"Heavens a Lie"- Lacuna Coil

Looks like Tom is getting a lot accomplished on this trip. I'm just glad the bloody lad finally rode the front seat of Blizzrock! Looking forward to hearing about SFoG.

After conquering Six Flags, we followed Wally to some beer. We knew we'd at least get to Pyramid, but didn't know what else if anything we'd end up doing. Turns out we managed to hit Pyramid, Triple Rock, 21st Amendment, and the San Francisco Brewing Company all before heading home. I also got to drive down Lombard Street in the rental, and go down a few hills in a Steve McQueen fashion That extra 5 inches in the Economy Plus section really helped, NOT! What ever happened to the days of red eye flights being empty and you had your own row, and could even build a fort?! On the plane I tried to find a comfortable sleeping position Final brew stop for the night, San Francisco Brewing Here I am enjoying driving down Lombard later that evening My Sweet Potato soup was good, but not much else was. The IPA was super alcoholed though, at over 7% Hooray, we finally made it to 21st Amendment! Driving slowly across the Bay Bridge Crisis level in this tunnel = Potential Hot Death Action Now I can see why people live in San Francisco and don't want to commute in Driving across the bridge, traffic is still not moving much After paying the toll you get to sit at metered lights until its your turn And when we saw this, a picture was needed! So I rocked out to Disturbed And then we got stuck in traffic for like an hour and 20 minutes Leaving Triple Rock I discovered a hidden keg in a bush But the beer was just like we were told, not awesome The place looked pretty cool and old fashioned Elsewhere in town was Triple Rock. We knew we had to go here when we found out they have like 4 IPAs on tap, none of them good The Crystal Weizen was easy to drink and very refreshing Hop pellets, don't give these to your rabbit or he will become a Hop Head like us! My pizza crust was made with Hefe Weizen The brewhouse is really posh Wally did what he does best, drinks! First stop, Pyramid, a major anticipation for me

So yesterday we decided to rent a car and head up to Six Flags since it was the only park opened. On the way we decided to drive over the Golden Gate Bridge, and then do some brews on the way back to the airport. Marine World was an odd park. Some theming was really nice, other areas had nothing (like Medusa's actual ride). Operations were really slow, especially on Medusa, but a lot of the ops were really friendly and pleasant. The park wasn't crowded, and the weather was on and off, so we didn't stay around too long, just enough to get all the credits and ride a few other rides, as well as walking around the whole park just to look at everything. The park may have a weird entrance plaza, stuck off in the middle of all the coasters, with V2.1 actually going over the entrance, but at least the actual park layout was easy to figure out; more than SFA. It was sad to see Zonga just sitting there, first thing you see when you head into the park not running. It was also odd that you could walk right up to the ride where one of the trains was sitting in pieces and you could probably hotwire the ride if you really wanted to. It was nice to visit the park, and I really liked Medusa, especially for its first drop, zero g roll, and sea serpent. Roar ran good too, and V2.1 was quite unique and fun. Now some pictures: The most evil Schwarzkopf inversion ever, never to be experienced in Vallejo again Look at all those vertical loops I can't experience! "On second thought, PLEASE take me with you!" "Hey, we got all the credits, we've been here for 2 hours, this $10 beer reminds me, lets go drink!" These people did not need popcorn Hooray, first boomerang of the year! Best operations staff of the day was on the Frisbee "I am a hammerhead shark, I make no sound" If I was a seal, this is what I'd be doing on a Saturday at 11am too "There's no need to fear, 'Fro-mullet Man is here!" Zipper, the evil dolphin, is surly and about to eat some children Wally is happy he didn't ride Kong Roar was running pretty well. I like this version with the Millennium Flyer trains more than the SFA version But I whored it up on the kiddie coaster, so everything was ok We comforted each other over the lack of a credit Poor Zonga, going bye-bye V2.1 opened today and we were the first ones on for the season. Definitely a weird ride! "Please don't try to take me home!" The park opened with a orchestra. That was a nice touch, a little out of place though 1 down, way too many more to go Kong, first new SLC of the season for me! Medusa: Queen of Parking Lot Coasters Yey! Vertical loop! Best coaster up there, but the worst operations of any B&M anywhere! If it was possible to stack 1 train, they'd be the ones to do it The beautiful skyline of SFMW and the super awesome muddy lake This is the most messed up park entrance ever! Hooray for no traffic and no toll! Driving over the Golden Gate Bridge, which isn't golden, and its not a gate

After Pyramid, we checked out Triple Rock which wasn't too far away. The place was very different, and the beers were too. I had the Shanghai IPA, which ended up being one of the better IPAs, not as good as Thunderhead though. The place was surprisingly small, but the staff was really friendly and fast After Wally headed home, I checked out more of the city, stopping at San Francisco Brewing before heading back to the airport I tried their 21A IPA, which was pretty average for an IPA. High in alcohol though at 7.2% The day was still young, so we headed into San Francisco to check out the 21st Amendment The tried the Red Rock Ale, their signature beer. That one was even weirder! (so strange in fact, that neither of us actually finished our glass!) I started out with the IPAX, IPA Max. It was an odd boy, not very max at all We were kinda frightened, especially at the interest in the Texas/LSU basketball game going on Wally had good directions, but the mean streets of Berkeley are just plain goofy!

Finally got home from San Francisco, though I'm tired, jetlagged (AGAIN!) and really miss the weather. Here's a recap from yesterday's fun. Of course I was happy to find the giftshop and some 6 packs for the trek home And then the DPA, only found in the brewpub. Its the Mac's Ale but nitrogenated. Really weird stuff, like an ale trying to be a stout Followed by some Snow Cap During the tour of Pyramid, I had a little sample of the Hefe Enjoying my Crystal Weizen while doing my best Heath face Which went great with my gazpacho Being the Coaster Tool I am, I just had to start out with the Thunderhead IPA Started out at Pyramid, home of good weizens and good food

Tonight I was going to go to 21st Amendment, but it was too far for me to walk. Luckily I knew Thirsty Bear was nearby, so we stopped there instead. Food was good, Spanish tapas and such. The atmosphere was great, and the beers were worth the walk! When in San Francisco, fruitiness is all around. So I felt obligated to do the same when my Sangria Sorbet came for dessert. It was yummy in my tummy. Then tried the Baren Marzen Amber Ale seasonal Belgian I had Spanish Meatballs with mushrooms, peas, and chickpeas for my meal Then had to go with the Valencia Wheat for all my peeps down chillin' by Magic Mountain I started off with the Howard Street IPA After much walking from Market Street, we found Thirsty Bear

After Alcatraz, we had a tour of most of the major sites in the city. But, which the rain, I didn't bother taking too many pictures, knowing most wouldn't come out. Still a bit uneasy about riding the Earthquake ride Downtown at night For dinner I followed my nose to microbrew! With the fog rolling in, you can't even see the top of the pyramid ...but her sister was hotter! Giggity giggity goo! This chick statue was pretty cool... With no Expedition GeForce as an option, we chose to check out the Cathedral for a change City Hall, bigger than the Capitol building in DC (of course, its California!) Random shoe planters at Alamo Park, at first I thought it was a homeless person's, um, home Those houses from those catalogs It may be the most photographed monument in the world, but I'm still more awesome Hey look, its the Golden Gate Bridge. Much more impressive up close (especially when you're not sitting in traffic to get across it) The "I love Six Flags" store was out of business Lunch at Boudin was clam chowder in a bread bowl, just like at DCA. But if I could have found peanut butter and jelly pizza, I would have gotten that instead

We had a little less than 2 hours on Alcatraz, which went a lot faster than I thought it would. It was really cool to see an ex-Federal prison, and their audio walking self-tour was a nice feature. Goodbye Alkaseltzertraz! Have fun chilling out in the bay The lighthouse keeping stuff from crashing into the Rock (in case you have a cold and can't smell what he's cooking) I found this to be funny. SEATcatraz! LOL! I don't know if it was always so happy and flowery, but the park service is at least making the outside look pretty San Francisco is right across the way. That must have really sucked for the inmates to see freedom and fun right outside the window "Welcome to the Rock!" from the rec yard One of the solitude confinement cells. No thank you! Hey look, its got a metal detector, just like Six Flags! Though it does have Knoebels style toilets, so at least you can pretend you're having fun and plan on riding the Phoenix soon Bed, sink, and folding table/chair, that's it. No laptop, no wifi, no Cosby Show, no Wisconsin State Fair, nothing! This would be a typical cell So yeah, this is what a cell block looks like inside Alcatraz. Not a place I want to live But he planned on escaping when the guards were all too busy checking out Theme Park Review After his hijinx at Big Chief's, Crazy Conehead was sentenced to live in Federal Prison Alcatraz This is the powerplant that um, powered all the plants (and the rest of the island I'd imagine) Talea was amazed at the water tower, why I don't know! I'd be amazed if it ended up that the tower was filled with beer Its like a 14 story walk to get up to the actual cellhouse There be Alcatraz again, just in case you thought the island in the bay was changed to something else recently

So today we were conference free. I had never been to Cisco before, and figured it'd be a great day to actually do some touristy siteseeing stuff (only because ALL the theme parks were closed!). Our first adventure was to get from our hotel in South San Francisco up to Fisherman's Wharf to meet the bus. We managed to get to the BART station and got into downtown just fine, though I was slightly perturbed that I had to get on the same subway I rode in Earthquake at USF. We then took the cable car to the Wharf and had plenty of time before our trip to Alcatraz. This boat will take us to Alcatraz. And they serve beer, so getting on was no problem! All the sea lions that haven't been clubbed yet just chill out here "There's Alcatraz!" With plenty of time to spare, I decided to have some bacon Our driver wasn't about to take any tourist crap! Riding up the hill I didn't know Manuel had to do all the manual work on this thing! We picked up the Powell-Mason St. Cable car for our adventure to the Wharf Bret, if you see flooding stations here, it is not because of lack of sleep! Hold your breath and swim! Um, I don't like earthquakes, why am I about to ride the subway the ride was themed after?!

Time to show off my NorCal beverages of late: Saw this shirt appropriate for some beer thread contributors It rocked! Then found an Irish pub with Lagunitas IPA on tap Followed by a Widmer Hefeweizen Then had a Fat Tire at Fisherman's Wharf Promptly after the conference ended, I broke out the Anchor Steam But I wasn't paying, so who am I to complain Last night I had a Pyramid Hefe Weizen for dinner. Sadly, no lemons!?

With the conference over, a few of us headed into the city for some siteseeing. The weather is supposed to be rainy tomorrow during the tour of the city, so we decided to get a headstart on things while the weather was nice. It wasn't as good as my one in Vegas, but I think it was because of bad lines at that bar. And stopped off elsewhere for a Fat Tire on tap! I love California! I had some Buffalo tenders in Nic's honor "Turn around, we're going in!" I stopped here, but only after I walked by and something caught my eye But it looked like only about 30 taps, though they did have some Shipyard and other goodies. Sadly, no HopDevil I thought I died and went to heaven Then it was on to beer searching. 85 drafts?!? I stayed away from the ice cream because lactose intolerant and dairy aren't a pretty combination, but bought some chocolate For a moment I thought I was at Downtown Disney But they made this cool gator bread just for us UF graduates This place is known for their bread, I guess. Its like Starbucks in that there is one on every block in Fisherman's Wharf Lou has her own place in San Fran We checked out Pier 39, but only because there wasn't a Pier 69 The Golden Gate Bridge doesn't look that big from far away Telegraph Hill, and a bunch of houses I would never pay $2,000,000 to live in San Francisco's skyline at dusk This boat was for rent, and could cost a fraction that airlines are charging for me to fly to England in June There be Alcatraz On the way into the city, we passed Monster Park, home of the 49ers It was Rabi's 30th birthday, so he got some free tiramisu from the hotel restaurant

Today's conference was pretty much the same stuff from yesterday only more of it. Fortunately, the weather was really nice, so we managed to escape for a bit. I've had enough of nature, is it time for a beer or a coaster yet? I was nearly trampled by many Californians jogging on this trail during their lunch break I was happy to get out, especially considering how crappy the weather is back home right now Right on the water with some pretty flowers, what a nice office After lunch we escaped! Then I had some local sparkling water I forgot to make up my breakfast menu the night before thanks to Lost, so I was forced to wait for some Starbucks at the conference Super sunny morning on the bay! Time to wake up and go check out some cool gizmos and stuff If I eat like Sammy Davis Jr, maybe I'll be cool. No? oh well As well as some really good chicken marsala Last night for dinner I had some French Onion Soup and a beer