DerekRx

Next stop of the day was the original Pizza Port in Solana Beach. Really small place with a really cool laid back atmosphere. Its amazing how many families were dining here! Sham Slam! Still going strong, ready for more beer. But first... Time for a quick stop at the beach at Solana to watch the sunset With the beer all done, the BACT Attack moves onward. But Pizza Pot Solana Beach was top notch! Some of the locals git r done! And the Swami's IPA is right up my alley Heath digs the Shark Attack triple red This time he'll even help us drink it, since he's on break MORE BEER!! Ah yeah! Jimbo's back, that must mean... Heath finds another necessity of his Happy Place, pizza to go with the beer The pizza be bigger than my head! The place was booming thanks to the college football. And Jimbo says this is a lite day! The beers were all really different and good While not much of taster people, we figured this was a better way to try all the beers they offered And dude, who is that behind the bar but none other than Jimbo. Hookup! Lots of taps too, not just for their 14 beers, but also for other local breweries The whole surf shack vibe lives on at the original Pizza Port

While up in Escondito we decided to check out an Oggi's Pizza, which also brews their own stuff. Kinda like a really good sports bar, and the food we had wasn't too bad. The beers were decent too. Still happy and not drunk! We tried the Oggi-Stix. Really good and helpful after a gut full of beers In sports bar fashion though, as many good beers as they brew, they need something for the less sophisticated beer drinker Heath goofed up a bit and got the Hop Juice, which is brewed by Left Coast, not Oggis. Very grapefruity I went with the Torrey Pines IPA. Nice and citrusy We drove all the way around the mall and only stopped because we found the grain silo

Next up one of my favorite well-known microbreweries, Stone. Brewing strong for 10 years, they've recently moved into a new larger building. Eventually they'll get their bistro next door opened, but as long as they keep brewing great beer and serving samples in the giftshop, I'll keep coming back for more! One last drink before we move on. Smoked Porter for me, Ruination for Heath A room full of kegs filled with Arrogant Bastard. This is Heath's Happy Place Oh, my baby! You just couldn't stay away, could you!? I missed you too Wally, Soren, how's it goin' guys? Heath violates the rules Tastes like them too, with loads of sugar On the tour we get to try fresh warm wort. Smells like grape nuts This place is much larger than AleSmith. Heck, this picture is bigger than AleSmith! Here's the start of the bistro. Maybe by Christmas Before the tour, some IPA for me. Even better on tap Hey Wally, ready for the weekend? Heath and I are happy to be here. Me with a Levitation, him with a Pale Ale They do 2 tours each Saturday, and it gets pretty packed The giftshop had loads of merch, and beers to take home. Again, I hate terrorists! Its so new, the road isn't even on the map yet!

After SeaWorld it was onward to the number 1 brewery in the world, AleSmith. While very small and not distributed too far, its understandable, as its done solely by 5 men. These guys are so good they quit their other jobs (including lawyer) to brew beer. And ratebeer was right, this place rocks! The brewers know good beer, and as you can see, they even sell here (I hate terrorists) They even had their Christmas beer on tap, the YuleSmith Holiday. This time its a double IPA, and very tasty Thanks for the warning. I'll start treating myself now! Yeah, its awesome, and I don't really even care for stouts And Heath goes for the Speedway Stout, the number 1 beer I start out with the Horny Devil, a strong Belgian Pale Ale 1/2 of what they've got to offer The tasting room This place is small, smaller than Weyerbacher, but they're trying to get bigger to fill the demand Dude, we're here. Pound it! Though he skipped it last time, we would not miss it this time around

More from SeaWorld: or Jimiroquai? Uncle Jimbo? Finding Jimbo? And now we'll play everyone's favorite game "What Hat looks best on Jimbo!" Flamjimbo? The Lord of the Beer stands triumphant This is skunky! Skunky? No, that's fresh! "Guys, is this fresh or skunky?" More free beer. That's good! Beer Freshness school The Beach Bum boys enjoy the blondes, mine with watermelon added Heath laughs at the puny stout Kim watches in awe as the Bare Knuckle Stout falls There's Rolling Rock. Proudly brewed with the finest waters in Newark, New Jersey Woohoo, its now free beer time "Looks kids, its SharkTums!" SeaWorld is right on the bay, which is pretty cool Hooray for turtles! Heath thinks its a Ninja Star though and wields it at a young obnoxious child Ooooh, nature. This fish is a star (in LA he'd have a script and a spot on the walk of fame) I wish Florida's SeaWorld would get a rapids ride It was really nicely themed, but soaking wet! Well since others cannoned us, we'll do the same! They say do unto other's... Yeah, Shipwreck Rapids was pretty drenching too! Nice theming and loads of wetness from the rapids makes this ride awesome. (Note the tiny dry spot on Heath's chest)

Saturday started out with a trip to SeaWorld. While it seemed to be the smallest of the SeaWorld's and had a lot less stuff than the others, we still managed to have fun, and I found a really awesome rapids ride! Even Jimbo came out to hang with us for our brief time there before he had to go to work. And that's pretty much the jist of the San Diego Believe More freestyling includes this trainer dude doing a flip off of Shamu the 32nd OMG, upon impact with the water he turned into 3 whales! White whales can't jump, but black and white ones can! This is not an acceptable level of wetness When the trainers start the Sham Slam, Dan's approval rating goes down dramatically While another one jumps up on land to eat a random person or moose More distractions from the Shamus "He's too small, throw him back!" Here's a Canadian Exchange Lumberjack, doing his log rolling using a Whale instead. What's that all aboot? We're Shamus! Splish splash! Believe was pretty much the same as in Florida, but there was more showboating and freestyling. Plus the TVs moved this time These are humans, also a type of mammal. They like looking at whales and want to eat them. They settle for ice cream bars shaped like them though These are dolphins, a type of mammal. They like looking at people, and want to eat them There's the skytower. We didn't ride it this time, even though its free for passholders (Jimbo has no pass) So instead he just takes a little nap in a giant hammock Jimbo tries to climb, but his months of consuming beer have turned him lethargic Heath enjoys the kiddie area springy wall thing Jimbo wanted to call them 'lunch' I call these 'Whalphins', a combination Whale and Dolphin Cooled me off a bit for a tad But in reality, it was yet another wet ride. Not soaking wet though And the wait time was a blessing It didn't look too Dan unapproved The poor man's Journey to Atlantis, pseudo-credit thing, was operating! The Hospitality House was closed, but the horses were out doing their eating thing My free upgrade for the trip was a super bright yellow Mustang with Neverlost. Of course, when its bright yellow, its hard to lose! Here's SeaWorld. Its in San Diego

After hearing Heath and Kim rant and rave about the beer scene in the San Diego region from their past visit there back in May, I knew it was a place I needed to get to (plus I had credits to get there!). So when I penciled Labor Day weekend in, they were all too willing to accompany me. On the trip, we managed to hit a Gordon Biersch, Sea World, AleSmith, Stone, 2 Pizza Ports, Oggi's Pizza, Legoland, a Karl Strauss, O'Briens, Liars Club, Belmont Park, and Coronado. Much like our last trip together, it was cramming a lot of stuff into a short amount of time (and this time the credits were a little more "Challenging!") but we managed to accomplish everything and have a nice time doing it. San Diego has a totally different vibe than the LA area, more laid back, and not as crowded. Please hold all comments until the final photo update is complete. Thanks And Heath enjoyed the Marzen I went with the Blonde Bock We raced to get our bonus beer credits in before the bar closed Luckily I scoped out a Gordon Biersch right by our hotel that was opened for another 5 minutes! So on Friday night by the time Heath and Kim arrived, O'Brien's Pub was closed!

Kinda sad to see the park go away. On our last visit prior in 2002 the place was really cool, had an almost mini-Blackpool feel. On this last trip though, I was pretty much done with the place after it actually opened, or no more than 30 minutes later. Too bad Knoebels is busy building their own vintage woodie, there's now a wooden mouse available. Of course, they could always put it in storage for a few seasons... Good bye King Solomon's Mines, my 30th coaster

I'm in San Diego right now, just waiting for Heath and Kim to arrive and then the drinking and coaster riding can commense!

Thanks for the info, its already on the plan for Sunday! Too bad you didn't take pictures ahead of time for us. and so it begins.... maybe this won't be the last time I see my local baby this weekend (Nicole is my non-local baby) you know where I am by now on a jetset Friday, you know what I'm drinking too!

I posted the Adam's Bachelor Party weekend pictures in the Random forum since it was more beer than coasters. Direct link to BACThelor Party Soon I'm off to San Diego, of course with a hopeful stop at Independence for some HopDevil on the way!

Great stuff! I especially like how you know me well enough to know that I do have a secret stash of beer, and that I would indeed not use it to fulfill my fantasy of a beerflume. Keep up the great work.

What, all 5 of them?

Well if you're going to cut off Dave's arm, the least you can do is give him an upgrade. Now THAT'S a happy Dave!

Finally, the aftermath on Sunday! Being lactose intolerant, I went with the medium, half banana, half peanut butter. Adam got like hazelnut and coconut. He likes nuts I guess. Photo update done! A few floors down is a gelato shop! And the train is a dragon. Grrr! Cute new theming, its like spooky and stuff When the beer left, so did Tom. He left his wife with me though! but the main reason we came, Credit! SharkTums mini golf, I'm saving this course for Elissa Home to the newly reopened Krazy City that used to be a Jeepers Later, we found ourselves at a mall, specifically the Palisade's Center! home of deep fried hot dogs known as "the ripper" For lunch, Adam took us to a local spot, Rutt's Hut in Clifton Turns out we're such pros at this drinking thing, none of us were hung over! I even had a Pumpkinhead for breakfast!

Onto the beer! Heartland Brewing, definitely a good spot for beer in NYC As the night winds down, we find out the real reason why Adam is getting married. Apparently he's 8 month's pregnant! Little guys gonna be a soccer player! Tom sure digs the Harvest Wheat infused with banana liquor. So good it turns him into the Joker! Followed by the Red Rooster, not as good as the High Roller Red I decide to try the Matrimony, a Belgian Pale Ale Adam sits down and has another, this time the Harvest Wheat One of the bartenders was there and even signed it for Adam Apparently either Miss November is hot, or the beer looks REALLY good! Adam got a special calendar for his party Lots of toasts went out to Adam that night, as everything was already paid for! Pound it! Even N'atman flew out from Pittsborg just to drink, ride some coasters that didn't run best in 1984, and see Adam off Tom really only came for the beer, not the coaster credit on Cyclone Tom is happy because we gave him a lifetime membership to BACT, even though he rides like 3 coasters a year Adam starts to get into it, trying both the Matrimony Ale and the IPA at the same time Next beer for me, the Indiana Pale Ale. There's more than corn in this beer! The noncoasteristas share old war stories I started off with the Summertime Apricot Ale, best apricot beer ever! Finally after a short walk, we arrive at the Union Square Heartland Brewing We take the PATH from Hoboken to Manhattan

Some of you may recognize him, some of you know him well, and those who know him longest will read this and say "what?! How the heck did Adam find a woman!?" Well, its true, and Ellen is also into the same things; like coasters, beer, and sports. Oh yeah, and she loves Jersey! Since I'm fortunate enough to be in the wedding party, over the weekend us groomsmen got together to throw Adam a little going away party, at where else, a brewery! Heartland Brewing has several locations in New York City, and we were at the Union Square one. For 4 hours we had open bar and food. So while this was the "official" bachelor party, BACT couldn't let Adam go with just some beer, so we threw in a few coasters too! full update coming soon Finally, a stop must be made at the original Nathan's hotdogs Freaks...and beer. That's Coney Island! Hopefully it's allowed to stay during the redevelopment Um, is Adam aware of this? Even I was a bit troubled on the first roll Wonder Wheel = not Nicole friendly! You're only allowed to see what's in front of you A funky pretzel dark ride another kiddie credit This was scary, but not too bad (probably because you only get 2 revolutions) Must...remember...upcoming TPR trips...can't...go...to...grand opening the turntable is cool Credit #501, and much less shame now than back at credit #51 Another credit for the hos, but this one has a turntable! Ellen and I are impervious to spinning One of the best Breakdances outside of German fairs Oh Brother, whatcha gonna do when the TopSpin restraint comes down on you!? Every ride at Coney is expensive, but worth the price, like the Bump Your Ass Off Eldorado bumper cars Heath enjoys his 500th credit with Kim After everyone rode, they paid to reride in the back, where all the action (and brutalness) is Lite crowds meant that Adam and Ellen didn't have to wait to ride in the front. And OMG, is that Tom, RIDING A COASTER?! Not much of a crowd riding the Cyclone, now up to $6 a ride, $4 to reride The main reason for coming to Brooklyn, the original Cyclone A very cool, overcast August day means light crowds at Coney Island

Sorry, I was too busy being entertained to post yesterday, but here's what went down! Ready for 3 hours of entertainment! It was like Napoleon Dynamite, but this was actually funny! Pumpkinhead, while waiting for last night's chat to start!

They look too permanently welded to be temporary. My guess is that they'll be bracing for more wood or something that will line it, preventing the cars from flying off the track.

"Buried Alive by Love" -HIM

So is shaving your head part of your plan to lose 50lbs? Anything you gotta do to stay drinking beer with us, I say try it! Tonight I continue making some room for Pumpkin Ales and Oktoberfests by finishing the last of the Old Dominion stuff from Spring. Almost up there with Prima Pils in terms of good hoppy taste for a pilsner Tuppers Hop Pocket Pils

Yeah, and that's what seems to be a bit unfair to people who have ridden more, they aren't treated the same as someone who gets the ballot and has only been on 30 different coasters. They have more to rank, yet no place to give that ranking. Of course, its also a burden in Mitch's Poll, because I have more and more to list every year! Hopefully someday they'll change their method, but until they do we'll always have Mitch's Poll (and to some extent, CoasterFanatics) to fall back on for a more accurate ranking.

^^I don't see it that way at all. Long story short, there are how many trips per year now vs the one from last year? I don't know what kind of job you have to be able to take off of work for more than a month, but I know even though I have enough money to do every trip, I don't have the time off. The UKers getting first dibs was something mentioned back during the original UK trip announcement and I think its a nice bonus to those of us who were brave enough to put our hands in a never before experienced trip. Besides all that, I doubt all the UK people will continue to go on trips indefinitely if there isn't that much new stuff to experience. Of course, I also think that people who complain about the way Robb and Elissa do things should probably just try to set up their own trip altogether and see how easy it is.

As someone who does participate in the Golden Ticket survey, I must agree that it really is a joke. While I travel pretty heavily, my top ten steel and wood really doesn't change that much (except in the case of this year where I added 3 new woodies into my top 5). Nowhere in the ballot does it ask for ones count, how many countries they've visited, etc. I know a bunch of people got the ballots after the ECO trip of 2002, and yet I know a good deal of people who haven't traveled abroad (or even in this country) much at all afterwards. I still think the awards should hold more weight for people who do travel often and who rank something high even though not many people may ride it (much like Mitch's Poll does). If 500 people were given the ballots and only 9 people have been out of the country, and 400 haven't been outside of Ohio, its no wonder why CP and PKI always seem to be ranked so highly. (its an exaggeration, but you get the point) I know a lot of coasters better than Beast, TTD, Millennium Force, and Son of Beast, and a lot of parks with better kiddie areas (though Amusement Today would call them 'Kiddie Parks') A lot of the categories seem to be very park specific (I'm still waiting for the "Best Park themed to holidays and end with 'World' Award") For writing this I probably won't get a ballot again next year, but no big deal, as it doesn't even appear that my ballot makes any difference in this awards anyway.

That's kinda sad, as I really enjoyed Black Hole and its Jules Verneish station. It was a really fun ride, and I think the only Jet Star II I was ever on.