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^Blue Streak lost its airtime too early in the course for me, so it's just about halfway down in my rankings. As for Coaster, there was little I found tame about it. I agree that it's just about perfectly smooth, but can still hurt people with its ridiculous slams. I also appreciated that apart from the very beginning and end, I found no dead sections of any note. Throughout the rest of the course it would provide any of several often-uncommon kinds of airtime: floating, normal ejector, sustained stand-up ejector, insane fold-over ejector, even "diagonal" lateral/negative hybrid pops on the turns. I just can't get over it! I still struggle to describe Coaster Thrill Ride as tame, because after only three years, I have developed a sentimental attachment towards it. But it does seem to be on a gradual decline. In 2009, if you rode in the back seat, at one point you'd be forced to a standing position as your ribcage was violently shoved into your partner, but I fear that drop has become tamer. In 2011, I found the front seat provided some satisfying, moderate pops of air at surprising moments. But overall, the airtime is pretty mild. I can't help but be disappointed about the individual seatbelts and the light covering added to the lap bars, but I'm still thankful they don't seem to detract from the ride experience.

I didn't even notice that as I was admiring the drawings. But it sounds so, so appealing.

^It seems to have gone even further under the radar as of late. Anyone visit PNE Playland in 2011? I'd seriously consider doing a NW trip with TPR just for ERT on coasters I already know and love.

Finally sent in my ballot! Top 25 01. Boulder Dash 02. Coaster 03. Voyage 04. Phoenix 05. Giant Dipper (SCBB) 06. American Thunder 07. Timber Terror 08. El Toro (SFGAdv) 09. Tremors 10. Prowler 11. Hades 12. The Beast 13. Twister (Knoebels) 14. The Legend (HW) 15. Cyclops 16. Tornado (Adventureland) 17. HellCat (Timber Falls) 18. Renegade 19. Lightning Racer: Lightning 19. Lightning Racer: Thunder 21. Comet (Great Escape) 22. Wooden Warrior 23. Yankee Cannonball 24. Racer (KI) 25. Cyclone (Coney Island) As you can see, I did opt to rank Cyclone fairly highly (a little out of my top 1/3) despite my disdain for its over-the-top roughness. The airtime it offers is fairly hard to come by, and airtime can forgive a lot in my book. The Naughty List 55. Rolling Thunder 56. Mean Streak 57. Rattler 58. Hoosier Hurricane 59. Comet (Hersheypark) 60. High Roller 61. Thunderhawk 62. Wildcat (Lake Compounce) 63. Underground 64. American Eagle 65. The Grizzly (CGA) 66. Sea Dragon 67. Woodstock Express (KI) 68. Pegasus 69. Little Dipper

Wow, looks like an exhilaratingly action-packed layout. Those drawings are downright sexy. This is all the more reason I'd better get myself to the UK next year. Here's hoping the confidence that this will be the final design turns out to be justified!

Green Lantern ERT would be so perfect for me...both for the credit, and if it's any good...

How did you like Rye Playland? I was surprised to really enjoy it, as I don't recall having heard much good about it. I always enjoy shots of NYC. And I'm looking forward to the official TPR portion of your report!

I remember Rainbow Chaser at Fun Forest being obnoxiously loud on the lift. Not sure if that was a Schiff thing, an old-school kiddie coaster thing, or a Fun Forest thing.

^Yeah, I'll admit that when I was new to coasters (V2 at SFDK was a very early credit for me), I seriously believed the ride so was scary that every single train of riders started screaming loudly immediately upon launching. It actually didn't seem too far-fetched at the time, as I was so scared of the ride myself that I first rode it with my eyes closed part of the time, and it made enough of an impression to become one of my first #1 coasters.

^Well, I can't say I'm surprised. To be honest, I still find those coasters fun for the most part. From the looks of it, the number of credits I need in Texas has been brought down to one! Although it appears it will go back up to two again by next year.

Morgan hyper anti-rollbacks create a terrible racket. It's worst when heard from the back seat, I believe. The launch on Intamin Twisted Impulse coasters sounds almost exactly like people screaming.

^Even with all the other Gerstlauer spinners out there, I still might miss it just a little, as much as I love the sound of its replacement...

As a fan of indoor coasters, I'm looking forward to hearing more about the Gringotts ride. Sounds like it may turn out to be reasonably coaster-y, as I would prefer.

Submitted!

Yay, I got more presents today! -Cash -$20 Powell's gift card (for the bookstore, not the candy shop)

Always nice to see new fair coasters crop up. They can be surprisingly intense, and when they're not, at least they're credits (to me, at least). Not sure I'll plan a visit to this fair, but I'm sure it would be fun to end up at someday.

Instead of beer, I opted for a pomegranate hard lemonade today, made with Stoli Blueberi. It was very sugary.

WHY do I have Revolution listed as an Arrow on my Excel spreadsheet? I believe I was going through an "I know everything about coasters" phase and made an A$$umption.

I did enjoy Magnum best in the evening. The hills just seem crazier and more surprising. I'm actually hesitant to ride Maverick during the day since it was just so amazing at night. Millennium Force at night is also a great experience, although I did feel it 'rode' similarly in the morning.

For one, I really enjoyed Coal Cracker at Hersheypark. Great scenery (including unusually close interaction with coasters), interesting layout, and surprise airtime at the end of the drop!

^Oh...I'd forgotten there are three opportunities to ride these in North America. I'm worried for my future...

I just can't shut up about this ride. Don't I know someone within driving distance of the park? I know it's a GCI, but some of those hills and turns just look so...evil.

I enjoy giving also! Sure, it's not stress-free, but I come up with well-received ideas...like food. So here is what I gave: -Milk chocolate almond and dark chocolate Kisses -Chocolate Orange -Tabasco -Almond Roca -Brandy candy (...I mean brandy-filled chocolates) -Summer sausage -Mason jar of buttons -Empty spools of thread -iTunes gift card -Belt -Ann Taylor Loft sweater (great brand for multiple age groups!) -Isotoner gloves -Trader Joe's lotion (somehow they do it right) I also played a hand in hiding a vintage sewing table and preparing it for gifting to my mom.

I like the up-close views of Great Bear supports you get while on other attractions like Coal Cracker and the skyride. Plus the subdued color makes them look like creepy pipes. Of course, I love any supports that provide convincing headchoppers even to someone like me who is acclimated to the milder ones. I think the best I've experienced in the last couple years are in Mamba's helix and on Poltergeist. I like coasters that allow you to appreciate the height of the lift hill as you slowly rise up through the supports, like flyers and inverts. The supports are an intimidating component adding to the overall view.

I love animals, so the only ones I dislike are ones I find ugly or creepy. Insects and spiders, the bigger, the worse: I never liked them to begin with, and my tolerance is only decreasing. I almost hate dead ones even more. I probably dislike mosquitoes the most because they hurt me and I'm allergic to the ones in Maine. I'm also still scared of bees and wasps even though the stings don't hurt that much. Primates: I've always thought monkeys are vastly overrated. While I appreciate their intelligence and often appealing personalities, I find most of the advanced species to be very aesthetically unattractive. However, I do like a lot of the little ones that look like other animals (lemurs are adorable). And baboons are tolerable since they look a little like dogs.