Pirouettes907

As in that show on the History channel? Kind of intriguing!

Drove by the park on Saturday to take a look at the new skyline: Looking snazzy! Actually, I really like how colorful it is. Looking forward to May!

Secret trips are an awesome idea! I love your trip reports; they always make me smile!

At SFGAm, we were waiting for the front seat of Raging Bull for a night ride. In front of us were these two boys who were acting like one might expect two unaccompanied under-12 boys to act: shoving each other, insulting each other, spitting, etc. We had reached the station, and a party in front of us called back to see if there were two riders who wanted to ride with them to fill a row. The two boys were too busy shoving each other and so weren't paying attention. The satisfaction of going ahead of them, however, couldn't compare to what happened next. We found out that the two girls who wanted the two riders only did it so they didn't have to sit next to these people who, according to them, had reeked out the entire line with the terrific stench of B.O. This led into a discussion with about eight other people about the downfalls of being downwind of B.O., which culminated when the offenders finally boarded: As their train left the station, one of the guys still in line with us yelled, at the top of his lungs, "SO LONG, BITCHES!!!" Immature? Absolutely. But memorable? Oh yes, indeed.

Hmmm...for what it's worth, I've never been able to get any downloadable DVD from TPR to work (I haven't tried downloading any today; I'm talking about in the past). They always seem to download fine, but I can never get them to play. I've only tried downloading them on occasions when they're offered for free, and so I always assumed it was my computer since no one else ever mentioned them not working (I figured with so many people taking advantage of the offer, I would have heard something). It probably still is my computer, but I just thought I'd throw that out there.

larrygator: Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of the bumper cars since my brilliant mind never thought to check the park index thread before I went signaltwo: Of course. The manufacturer. And here I was thinking this ride had something to do with horns, the musical instrument. Logic prevails yet again. (On the plus side, I had been wondering who manufactured the ride in the first place, so thank you!) Big Mike: It sure was Hampton! That dog had never been happier than when he jumped out of the car after driving all the way from Missouri--and then discovered there was an ocean and a yard. Appropriate rewards for two days of hard napping in the back seat, indeed. The smile never left his face all week! Thank you for the compliments!

EDIT again: Never mind, now it appears like it should! EDIT: I believe I did something wrong in submitting this and ordering text and pictures! Is anyone else getting all the [attachment] text? Can someone tell me what I did wrong? Thanks! Originally, I had it in mind to do a TR from each of the parks I visited in 2010, but at this point I've decided against it because most of the places I visited have already been covered pretty extensively (SFStL, Holiday World, Beech Bend, SFGAm, to name a few). Instead, I'm going to share my experiences on places that are covered a bit less, so without further ado, let's get things started and head up to Maine. Welcome to Maine! Home of blissful dogs... Amazing sunsets... A 1700 lb. chocolate moose named Lenny... Former governors who are immortalized sporting Maybelline's newest eye shadow and Falsies products... The other B&M factory... And the easternmost credit in the U.S.! Welcome to Palace Playland, featuring REAL clams! Old Orchard Beach in the summer is the quintessential touristy beach town: bustling, crowded streets full of bathing suit and flip flop-clad pedestrians on their way to and from the beach, tacky souvenir and bathing suit shops lining the streets and hotels/motels everywhere you turn. All of it is permeated with the smell of deep-fried deliciousness wafting over from open-air hot dog and pizza stands. Palace Playland itself is located at the end of the road. It's essentially a cluster of portable rides on blacktop directly adjoining the beach. Parking was a bit tricky, with both outrageously priced metered spots (25 cents for seven minutes. I don't think so) and lots. Most of what we saw of the latter were flat-rate $10 lots, but we kept looking and managed to find a quiet lot on 1st Street (about a block behind the park) whose "office" was the hatchback trunk of an SUV that charged $2 per hour. We paid for two hours, which was ample time to do what we wanted. Palace Playland is a pay-as-you-go deal. You can buy all-day passes ($29.95), ticket books (20 for $22; 50 for $51) and individual tickets ($1.20 each). Rides usually cost between 2 and 4 tickets each. We opted for tickets since we weren't planning on staying very long. First stop: Super Star. This is one of my favorite flats and this version seriously ran a five-minute cycle (is this a genuine Huss Troika or not?). It came with the added thrill of the cars shuddering and swaying at various points (and by "thrill," I of course mean, "Ummm...I don't remember a TroikaTroikaTroika doing that before...hmmmm..."). Then we began collecting the credits. First up was the Galaxi. After my experience on Funtown/Splashtown's...hmmm...let's call it a..."rustic" Galaxi, I wasn't expecting much from this. I was pleasantly surprised, though. First of all, the view ain't too shabby. (For the record, I did ask if I could take pictures during the ride. I don't have much experience in this area, so I apologize for this one being crooked.) Then, at the crest of this hill came this tiny, surprise pop of airtime, the kind that sneaks under your rear when you least expect it. Finally, the helix sections were decent on laterals without being irritating about it. Overall, a smooth, enjoyable ride! "DO NOT force your child to ride if he or she is frightened..." Orient Express, you may have the distinction of being the easternmost credit in the U.S.... ...but when my on-ride photos of you feature my 6'3" boyfriend HOLDING ON FOR DEAR LIFE, you may be one of two things: 1) You are awesome in a Knoebel's High Speed Thrill Coaster kind of way or 2) You fall under the heading "Reasons Why Chiropractors Are Richer Than I Will Ever Be." Let's investigate. As the train rumbles around the lift, you can actually see (and hear) each individual car thudding from side to side. As you can imagine, this simulation of a staggering drunkard really builds up the suspense and anticipation to experience what lies ahead. I quickly gave up taking on-ride photos. Instead, I focused on the budding relationship between my ribs and that black lining in the car that's harder than it looks. Who needs airtime when you can have internal bleeding instead? Bruised and battered, our faces haggard shadows of the horror we had witnessed on our express trip to the Orient, we walked down onto the beach afterward. Palace Playland has a few pathways that connect directly to the beach. Seeing as it was one of the two days of the decade when the temperature in Maine nudges the 80-degree mark, it was quite crowded. Lots of people were in the water, which didn't really make a lot of sense to me since I was pretty sure hypothermia was setting in when the surf merely washed over my feet. Then again, I bet a lot of these people are Patriots fans, so that explains a lot After about a half mile down the beach, we turned around and walked back into the park. I woefully opted to pass up Power Surge... Convoy Race (and I'd look so cool in one of those trucks, too. I'd wear a trucker hat and sing the Convoy song and...wait, what do you mean, 50" maximum height restriction and...WHAT DO YOU MEAN, people might look at me funny?!?)... ...for this fiendish thing. What I remember most about this is considerable time in which my rear was nowhere close to touching the seat and seeing my pink-painted toenails pointed up vertically against the blue sky. Loved it, loved it, loved it. Does anyone know why it says "Hornes"? Do they not know how to spell or am I missing something? A Google search brings up Hornes Restaurant and Gift Shop in Port Royal, VA; the Joseph Horne department store company in Pittsburgh and cocker spaniel breeders based in Texas...which I guess could perfectly explain why the word appears on this ride, provided you were drugged up enough and explained the meaning after sucking in the helium from a balloon. After that, we were off. Overall, I liked Palace Playland, even if it is a bunch of portable rides on blacktop. The Galaxi was definitely a nice surprise. It probably helped that there was hardly anyone there during the day. If the hoards of beach traffic are any indication, I can imagine this place might get nastily crowded at night. I don't know for sure, though. What I did know is that we were both getting mighty hungry. I, for one, was really craving some chicken noodle soup, and I had been since I'd seen a Friendly's along Rte. 1 the day before. Next will be Funtown/Splashtown as my trip through Maine continues. Will we be blown away by Excalibur? Will we experience the legendary Astrosphere? Will I get my chicken noodle soup? Tune in next time!

Okay, done and done! Here are my top five: 1. Phoenix (Knoebel's) 2. El Toro (SFGAd) 3. The Voyage (Holiday World) 4. Evel Knievel (Six Flags St. Louis) 5. Viper (SFGAm)

Thanks for sharing these. I agree, there is something quite serene about a park during the offseason. I went to Dorney last February as part of Eastcoaster, and there really is a whole different feel to the place with snow, leafless trees and hibernating rides all around. Keep safe with that ice (things are still pretty nasty on this side of the state, too!).

^^ AWWWWWWW! Best part of the day is seeing that picture! (I'm so glad Lucky Dog has such good tastes when it comes to bandannas. Now all he needs is a Cheesehead!)

Congratulations, Jackizle! (Yay Packers!)

This trip report makes you my hero. That is all.

Big Mike, I would like to enter the contest because my favorite part of the Big Mike Road Show is traveling the world through your eyes, sharing the happiness you exude over each post and of course, being the Future Mrs. Big Mike!

As far as I'm concerned, TPR could take me to a Porta Potty factory and I would be happy. As usual, Jason, your trip reports are some of the best. I liked the Calamity Cove story. Most of us coaster nerds (myself included) would be too busy trying to get credits and ride as much as possible to really take in the story, and I think it's awesome that you do take the time to just relax and enjoy these parks in your own way. It makes your trip reports unique. Thanks for taking the time to share your take on the UK trip!

Wow, those trains are beautiful! I love the artwork on the front, and I agree, the dark wooden running boards just make it look polished and complete. I've never ridden Gwazi, although from the sounds of it, I may have done my spine a favor. Glad to hear the ride experience is improved and looking forward to more reports!

To quote my high school biology teacher: "Ice cream costs as much as crack in this country." At least it sounds like it was worth it!

I did a double take when I saw the Fantasyland 1863 brochure. I lived in Gettysburg for a few years, and I never even knew it had existed! Thanks for opening my eyes to something that was practically in my own backyard. And furthermore, thank you for everything you upload to this thread. It's one of my favorites on TPR. When I have lots of homework, I tend to pick an update and leave it up, returning to it and slowly working through it when I take study breaks (so I suppose you could say this thread keeps me sane, especially come midterms and finals!). You are lucky to have so much old park stuff, and I appreciate that you share it here. Looking forward to more!

Evel Knievel...wait...I mean ::sighs:: American Thunder.

Speaking of KD, while this is outdated, for me it's Outer Limits. The last time I rode it was when it had OTSRs. You'd think the girl actually crying outside the exit holding her head would have been a good indicator to skip it, but I went for it and immediately regretted it as I groped around for my bottle of Advil. I'm sure it's much better now, and I look forward to trying it someday with the lap bars. As for a current worst coaster...well, SFStL's Ninja is pretty darned awful.

Oh wondrous Title Fairy, Little did I expect such a quick response to my request! I send you my utmost gratitude and proudly go forth as the Future Mrs. Big Mike!

Two of my favorites from this past summer come from Holiday World and Beech Bend. Holiday World: Woman to Boyfriend: "Wait...you mean this place is themed off holidays?" Beech Bend really takes the cake, though. If you've been there, you know that the ducks pretty much have free reign of the park and that there isn't a fence around the large pond. As it happened, two ducks were in the process of mating down by the pond, and this woman--and I kid you not, she looked to be AT LEAST in her thirties--goes running down to them and starts kicking and beating the male duck, screaming that he's trying to kill the female. It didn't take long for an employee to yell at her to stop what she was doing and to explain what was actually happening between the ducks (luckily, if the male's undeterred enthusiasm over the task at hand was any indication, she didn't hurt him). I mean, really? I don't make a fuss over people who get statistics wrong on roller coasters, but an adult completely befuddled about the mating process? The best part is that she had what I can only assume were her three children following her the whole time. That gets the stupid award for the year.

^ Mine, too! Gosh, and it felt like such a huge deal to me at the time--especially once I finally worked up the nerve to put my hands up through the loop (that didn't happen for quite a few rides!). Still a quality ride, too.

I agree with all of those hiding spots except for the backpack ducky. That one doesn't seem to have the right colors on it compared to the duck we were supposed to look for. It doesn't matter, though, because I missed the one in the fence along the string of lights. Oh, well. Better luck next time, I suppose!

Oh wondrous, majestic, fantastic Title Fairy: Never will I have enough adjectives to describe your transcendent presence in this world, but I humbly bow before you today to request your powers grant unto me a custom title. In February, I had the honor of meeting The Man, The Myth, The Legend: Big Mike. It was not long before he declared me for all the world as the one and the only Mrs. Big Mike. An honorable distinction indeed, for we all know that such a figure as Big Mike has swarms of his hotties around him at all times, so legendary a man is he. In honor of the Big Mike Roadshow's resurrection, I feel it is timely to ask that my title be changed to "Mrs. Big Mike" in tribute to his return to fame and stardom. Big Mike has already expressed to me his favor of my title choice, but if you wish his confirmation for yourself, please do so without hesitation. My lowly presence shall taint your space no longer. I depart, thanking you generously, my wonderment and curiosity awaiting your response, no matter how long it may be in coming, to this humblest of requests.

My guess is 7 duckies!