cal1br3tto

This is really, really obvious, but don't underestimate it: a surprise trip! Actually, I find that spontaneity in general (whether genuine or feigned) is really helpful for people of all ages (including me). It really cuts down on that crazy, anxious "I can't wait!!!!!!!!!" feeling that can go on for months for trips happening in what seems like a distant future. It's so great to have no idea when you'll get to go somewhere, then finding out you'll be there in 24 or 48 hours!

^Wow, I can't stand that whole Ride Warriors thing. Unbelievably grating. Just, no. no. no. I love the Silverwood commercial! It shows this man just sitting and chillin', interspersed with images of the cute, family rides...like those adorable flying elephants. Then the man gets turned face down, his expression changes completely, and we realize he's on Aftershock! It makes it look like he just realized it as well. I think the dialogue is cool as well but I can't remember what they say. I'm sure this advertising concept has been done before, but it's the first time I've seen it, anyway.

Easy! That alien is afreakindorable! I do think it's a turtle. Perhaps it's a turtle from another planet.

I think everyone involved with Fun Forest deserves an award for helping make it what may be the worst amusement park in the USA. The ride areas are smothered in litter (this is the exact and extreme opposite of a Cedar Fair park). The rides are worn-looking, and some of the rides (including one coaster) are bolted to blocks of wood instead of metal/concrete/whatever it's supposed to be. WTF; I've never seen that before. As far as ops go, apart from being a bit scruffy looking, they almost never checked restraints on any ride. For example, I didn't get checked on 4 out of my 6 rides on Windstorm. Also, at least one wasn't wearing their uniform (which is a very casual t-shirt), which made for confusion. And, they're not very articulate. When I was hoping to ride Music Express, the op told the two other boarding riders "No, don't sit there, come over here!" I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do...should I follow him? Was I even noticed? Well, he led me to a car on the exact opposite side from the other riders. A simple "We need to balance out the weight of the riders" would have made things clear from the beginning.

Very, very sad. Could've happened anywhere (and has, as we know). I think the comment(s) about texting were not in reference to this particular driver, but rather a reminder that texting while operating any vehicle is very bad and strictly to be avoided. There's nothing wrong with making sure this is widely known. At any rate, I do not assume that texting was in any way involved with this accident, and like others have said, neither should you.

I didn't want to double post, but right after I posted I realized I actually made the two parks seem about equal, even though that wasn't my intent! I mean, each has two coasters I think are bad, one kid coaster, and four coasters I think are at least good. The only difference is that I haven't heard many complaints about Medusa, Roar, or V2, but I have heard a lot of criticism of Vortex at CGA. In that case, I can definitely see a water park pushing you over the edge toward CGA. ^^^I think I like Medusa just a little more. (It's taller and has more inversions anyway, so why not?) But I absolutely love the theming and atmosphere of Flight Deck. It's also really powerful and intense whereas Medusa is known for being smooth.

I definitely recommend SFDK. Personally, I think four out of seven coasters are very good or excellent. (Take that with a grain of salt, since I'm a bit inexperienced.) Those are Medusa, Roar, V2, and Tony Hawk's Big Spin. I don't like Kong, Boomerang, or Cobra. California's Great America isn't terrible, but perhaps a bit on the mediocre side? There are two really bad coasters (Grizzly, Demon--I know some people disagree about Demon being bad) and a kid coaster (Runaway Reptar). In the "good, but nothing special" middle ground is their wild mouse (Psycho Mouse). My favorites were Invertigo (inverted Boomerangs are so much better than standard ones), a stand-up that everyone else seems to hate (Vortex), and finally, one that actually gets some respect from others (Flight Deck). Is a water park the only added draw you're interested in? Because there are a lot of animals and animal shows at SFDK. They're really interesting to watch (even just in their enclosures) and the trainers are friendly, knowledgeable and enthusiastic. I've only been to each park one time last month, but on those specific days, SFDK was much more crowded than CGA was when I went there. Don't go only on my word, though--I have no idea what factors made the difference in the crowds. I just thought it was interesting because I made both visits on weekdays and was kind of expecting similarly sized crowds.

This is easy. Timber Terror: amazing airtime! I was so shocked. My quote after riding: "Did you feel that?" Tremors: I'm infatuated with the turnaround. I think I had an expression of pure shock every time, preparing to scream. The drop itself is tall (and the tallest I've been on...too bad) and leads into the first of several outstanding headchoppers (which I love)! Roar at SFDK is fun because there's that moment where I feel like I'm going to fly out...totally psyches me out. Timberhawk isn't too well liked as a coaster, but it has a surprisingly decent first drop into a headchopper. Best pre-lift drop is definitely the drop into the tunnel on SCBB's Giant Dipper. Amazing surprise every time! I swear there's even a bit of air. You can see how many wooden coasters I've been on...

I've been on so many. Like, 3. Out of those 3 I would say Flight Deck (CGA). I kept greying out somewhere in the middle of the ride. Sometimes I'd miss a pretty big section of the ride before regaining my vision. And on every on-ride photo I appeared to be grimacing more than screaming. I just love the theming and setting of that ride. I might as well mention the other two. I used to think Medusa (SFDK) was was majorly thrilling. Now I think it's fun, but almost tame. Vortex (CGA) is fun, but I think it's more rough than intense. I guess I'll have to work my way up to the more highly regarded rides.

What stands out to me is Tower of Terror at DCA. However, I rode it when I was extremely scared of thrill rides, so I don't know if I'd perceive it the same way now. When I rode it, I actually almost started crying between the drops. I felt so betrayed; it was almost like I trusted it to be a normal elevator and didn't realize it was a ride! Also, I didn't know that airtime was even allowed on rides, so I thought the "I can't feel my seat" feeling was just some kind of illusion. At any rate the airtime is the highlight of a ride that's excellent in every way!

I used to get nervous and psyched out on plenty of rides. Nowadays I'm usually just like, "Is this scary?...No." It's a few moments of apprehension before I realize that what I'm about to experience is excitement, not fear. I used to be particularly afraid of Ferris wheels, skyrides/ski lifts/gondolas, coasters, and drop towers. Of those, I would say that skyrides still make me a bit nervous. I'm not sure about Ferris wheels anymore, but I seem to be able to handle coasters and tower rides now. I'm on the lookout for the rides that will really scare me even now, and my guess is those will be the rides on top of the Stratosphere tower, plus some of the really tall and/or wild coasters out there (maybe X2? TTD? MF? I've been underwhelmed before, so I won't know until I try!)

Tomorrow I'm going to Wild Waves and Fun Forest. I'm also planning to go to Remlinger Farms...yay credit whoring.

#01. Ice Mountain Bobsled (Enchanted Forest) #25. Giant Dipper (SCBB) #50. Dragon Train (Traintown) #75. Riddler's Revenge (SFMM) I only really care about every 50th and 100th as far as milestones go, but I do think it's fun to also note every 25th.

This wasn't "bad", but very surprising. On Quicksilver Express at Gilroy Gardens, I was sitting in the very back. I know the ops knew I was there because they were discussing with each other whether to dispatch the train with just me in it, until some other people came up and joined the train. What I find confusing is that they never once checked my restraints. After the ride, one op asked me if I want to go again without getting out, further proving his awareness of my presence. The other people had gotten off, and soon a new group of people got on. Again, nobody checked my restraints. I know I wasn't in danger, but is this ever acceptable or understandable? Or were they hoping to kill me? Like I said, it didn't seem "bad" to me, but I've always had the understanding that restraints are always checked, no matter what. Was I wrong?

You know, my answer will change drastically over time, both in terms of number of coasters and number of rerides. But for now, with my limited experience, it's Giant Dipper at SCBB. I rode it 6 times in a row (10 total) and could've ridden it more, but it was getting near my time to leave the park. I may have said this too many times already, but I'm convinced I could ride Giant Dipper all day, and hopefully someday I'll get the chance. Again, I'll hopefully end up saying that about plenty of coasters (and doing it!). My reason? I do think Giant Dipper is rough, but I'm an airtime fanatic and it's the best airtime coaster I've experienced (along with Timber Terror). Also, the pain goes away almost immediately for me, so who cares? I'd be leery of marathoning Timber Terror, because it gives me a headache.

I have a lil' update that is heavily biased toward SCBB. 1. The merry-go-round at SCBB. It's like a carousel thrill ride. There's the suspense of not knowing for sure whether you'll even get the ring (it's relatively easy, but requires a careful split-second maneuver), and then the excitement of throwing it! I could spend all day switching between the Giant Dipper and the Carousel. I totally need to ride all the other ring carousels! 2. Fireball at SCBB is the best KMG Afterburner/(any equivalent I may have ridden) I've ridden, I believe. Still, Scream-n-Eagle at Oaks Park is great, and I couldn't be 100% sure if one or the other is better. I know for a fact that the other two I've ridden (traveling one and Delirium at CGA) are much worse. 3. The Rock-O-Plane at SCBB is definitely the best I've ridden. I loved the one at Oaks Park, but now I call that one a Snore-O-Plane. At Oaks I was cursing under my breath. At SCBB I was screaming! It's more intense and has a better atmosphere. 4. I'm guessing I just like non-looping swinging pirate ships in general, but the only one i've ridden is the Banana Boat at Gilroy Gardens. Crazy, crazy airtime! I entertained the other riders with my screams and expressions of shock. I also like Spider rides (ridden one, looking to ride more), and I find drop towers strangely fun and reridable even though they're not that interesting (or at least not the 3 I've been on).

Some of these explanations are really cool! Back when I came up with mine (for other sites), it seemed to be more common to use a band name as a username. So I did. Calibretto, fka Calibretto 13, was my favorite band for a while, and they're still one of my favorites. I worked the "13" into my name in a 1337 sort of way. No one has ever openly made fun of it or gotten confused, but here are some notes: My name is not Cali or Brett. I am not from California, but if you want to think it's a reference to California, that's great! Sorry to fans, but Calibretto is not currently my favorite band. I am in no way connected to the band, and I don't claim that their views are mine or vice versa. The "o" at the end does not mean I'm a boy. I'm a girl. It has nothing to do with calibrating or librettos. I don't even remember what those words mean half the time! It doesn't rhyme with "ghetto" on purpose, not that I care either way. Those were just some concerns that occured to me because I overthink. :]

Chain: Used to always be Godfather's and Pizza Hut. Now I don't really care, but I usually get Little Caesar's. Local: Sparky's does mushroom & olive correctly. (Little Caesar's uses weird olives and disgusting mushrooms.)

It's interesting that some people were displeased with the employees this year. In my experience, all the employees have been at least average. Some were very friendly, spirited and knowledgeable. I've only gone twice, so maybe I'm not in the best position to report. However, I thought it was interesting because I was expecting a really rude and trashy atmosphere when I visited the first time, and I got basically the opposite. ^^I'm in the majority with regards to Kong. It's rough, short, and boring. The only fun part is the lift hill, and that probably only stands out to me because I've only been on a few inverted coasters.

I take counting seriously because it's fun for me! Here's my top 10 from CoasterCounter. I haven't been on any ride very many times...yet. 1. Giant Dipper -- 10 2. Medusa -- 7 2. Roar 2. Vertical Velocity 5. Hurricane -- 6 5. Ice Mountain Bobsled 7. Flight Deck --5 7. Vortex 7. Looping Thunder 7. Kong I could ride Giant Dipper at SCBB all day if it weren't for the distraction of the merry-go-round. I really want to go back and marathon it!

I agree that Vortex at CGA is rough, but it didn't make me averse to rerides. My dad and I both thought it was rough, and we rode it 4 and 5 times, respectively, including twice in a row. We noticed that the roughness varied from ride to ride and were trying to decide whether it was based on our posture, our row, or our seats in the row (I'm not enough of an expert to know). It was also one of the 3 coasters at CGA that made me grey out, but that's because I didn't drink anywhere near enough water. I've come to accept roughness as a possibility on any coaster, so so far it hasn't bothered me or taken me aback.

Snickers (I like most chocolate bars, though). Plain M&Ms. Peanut M&Ms. Peanut butter cups.

1. Terminator Salvation. Three main reasons: It's wood. I've read the most about it. It's actually realistic for me (I couldn't not go within the next 1-3 years). 2. First coaster that came to mind was El Toro.

^ Hell Houses, right? Are they as disturbing as they sound to me? I think we only have the more typical Haunted Houses in the Northwest.

^ Yeah, it's annoying when you're reading about ride mishaps and it seems in every article about every park/carnival, the only quote from any representative is someone saying "Of course, safety is our top priority" or "This freak occurrence was obviously one in a million." Instead, here we have people who are straightforward, matter-of-fact, detailed, and who don't over-apologize for a minor incident.