cal1br3tto

I've ridden 56 coasters in California and Monte is either in or barely out of my top 10 for the state. Long live Monte!

^Word. Yup, that's how it seems to be with retailers for the most part. P.S. Target is better.

I see you caught a pic of the Coney ride op who named me "Miss Cyclone" because I'd been going there to ride it every day. And as always I enjoy shots of the stunning NYC skyline. Knoebels was already my favorite park, yet I still had that experience. You just never know what will happen there. I didn't even ride everything I wanted to, and I didn't care one bit (besides my disappointing round on the Flyers). I really appreciated all the multi-night stays and late mornings we were able to enjoy, as well as the proximity of that last hotel to SFOG. Perfect for catching up on laundry and naptime.

I must admit that Flashback is easily my favorite Boomerang, so I'm glad it's not getting scrapped. I know there's no guarantee I'll like it in its new home, though...I mean, it is only a Boomerang.

Count me as yet another fan.

^It does look really impressive. I would love to go check it out.

^I am so counting that as a new credit.

^On an older documentary I believe I actually heard it praised as an excellent ride! Shocking, I know, but at least it shows the ride may have potential.

In early June, I decided to take a road trip to celebrate something near and dear to my heart. I'm sure none of you can guess what that might be, but you'll find out soon enough. Now THAT'S my kind of town! If you like big and impressive tools, you'll feel right at home here. What's this? A carousel museum? What a surprise! I MUST stop. See? It's carousel-shaped! So you know it's legit. Walking in, you come across a horse who's won like awards and stuff. I'm not sure if it was really the best, though...I mean, it IS wearing kneepads... You also see many other things commonly found in carousel museums throughout the world. Like, I guess there are some saddles in this picture. I'm sure this fine young woman would be happy to blow your horn. Do you think the REAL Winston Churchill embroidered his signature on this? I didn't even know he could embroider! Unfortunately, there was a problem. The museum staff told us that the historic Herschell-Spillman carousel horses had recently been taken from the museum. And since it doesn't seem like it's "really" a carousel museum, I guess I came all the way over here for nothing?! I wanted to console myself with some free snacks, but they seemed a bit dry for my taste. Free Facts. "See, the museum DOES have carvings of wooden horses on display! Now you can't demand a refund! Ha!" After only a few minutes in this place, I found myself sorely needing to take advantage of this. I know the vast majority of you have never seen beaver before. Well, today is your lucky day. Before the museum was built, the horses were stored in the local bank. But one fateful night, bank president Mr. Flower was struck blind by a malevolent light source. An armed intruder forced his way in and made off with the horses, in a chilling parallel to recent events (thankfully, that time all the horses were recovered). She may be playing the victim, but this don't let her good looks fool you. She was a willing accomplice. After all, as you can see, she has no qualms taking the lives of poor little innocent...um, what exactly are those? What's this? Thankfully, staff informed me that some horses still remained at the museum. As the intrusion happened just after midnight, some of the horses were still in their magical state of living, breathing reality and were able to fight back. This brave young fellow led the charge, ensuring several others would remain under the safe and secure auspices of the museum. The museum is gradually and lovingly restoring each horse one by one. This is quite the beautiful steed. I only wish I could see him again after I leave here. There was a pew set out so I could pray for the souls of the missing ponies. NO MR. BEAR! DO NOT EAT ANY MORE OF THE CAROUSEL HORSES! THEY ARE NOT MADE OF MARSHMALLOWS AND PIXY STIX!!! For all you lunch box collectors. You know who you are. Hey, even I used to carry around a metal lunch box! Anything produced by the Kroffffts is COMPLETELY innocent, G-rated and child-appropriate! That same day, I also went to Orlando. I had a great time at SeaWorld! I also went to WDW. It was tough doing all 4 parks in only a few hours! I'm very grateful this is something I know absolutely NOTHING about. Because trains are a TOTALLY cool thing to make a lunch box for. Except not really, people. Here's an old Herschell-Spillman story board from the merry-go-round. ...Maybe if the actual doors had been alarmed instead of the freakin' chariot, all the horses would still be here? Just a thought. Anyway, here it is. The most exciting part of any carousel. ...I have no words. You can launch a rocket with your Erector Set. Do you think Woody Woodpecker has an Erector Set? Just randomly curious. I have one of these dollhouses myself, without the attached creepy doll. Because it's totally appropriate to let small children play with a Ouija board. (Yes, I know that's not really a Ouija board.) Back in the old days, when they said "Hey! Teachers! Leave them kids alone!" they really meant it! This is what happened to those poor educators who failed to respect that. Yup. There is definitely only ONE of these rules I haven't broken (as of today). Bet you can't guess which one! ACE sponsored an Arrow exhibit for your viewing pleasure, err, pain. Here's a Western-themed restraint from a park that's probably still running the coaster without it (don't tell anyone). Here's an exhibit that's illegal in 31 states (like most Arrows should be). Don't worry, I checked and it wasn't loaded. NO ONE CARES Hey kids, take note: here's why you don't chew tobacco. I know this gentleman looks about 60, but he's actually only 33! And that's your PSA for the day. Woody! I didn't know you had that kind of relationship with Buzz. Let's pay a visit to Grandma's kitchen. Grandma was a hottie in her day! Of course, it's a very impressive kitchen. I mean, what kind of homemaker do you think my grandma was? Excuse me, do you have Prince Albert in a can? Well, maybe you should think about letting him out. I don't think he likes it in there. No, I just make it LOOK easy. Come on, I know people didn't care about stuff like that in the old days! Right? I had never seen anything like this before. It was very interesting. I'm still not sure what that round black thing is supposed to be, though. So some people in the museum were playing Pistol Packin' Mama and SINGING ALONG. It was, um, really fun to listen to! Do you think a cute boy will ask me to the dance? I sure hope so! What a dreamboat. <3 I hope he is the one to ask me to the dance. One young man was upset because he couldn't afford to be in this group photo (a very common problem, as we all know too well). Decades later, when he was in his 90s, he disclosed the name of every subject in the photo. I guess he had a photographic memory. We're in something of a bluebird capital here, folks. I know many of you might not know what a bluebird is and may have never seen one before. To help you learn more about this fascinating creature, here's an educational poster. How sadly appropriate that I would find this, since we just lost our grand Parker carousel here in Portland. There was a hat in the bathroom, so of course, I tried it on. I just can't resist a hat! Let's take a moment to say goodbye to the remaining horses. And pause to reflect on those who are gone. But I wasn't done with this town just yet... Want to know whether I eventually solved the mystery of the missing horses? Stay tuned! Have a guess as to where they may have ended up? Post your ideas!

^I rode it again the other day and it was actually quite a bit gentler! No idea why, as I didn't try too hard to brace. bumpercars

^YAY! No, seriously, I understand the points made recently about it being a decent family and water ride, but as a coaster I thought it was really, really lame. Definitely a one and done. At least it was a walk-on when I rode.

The sky is falling!

Feed the glutton!

I hope they restore the Pink Things to their former glory too!!!

^I'm slow and was seriously wondering how people were getting Boomerang directly from that clue (assuming they even were). Now I get it!

^I tried to put my hands up at least a couple times on Skyrush. Big mistake. I now know all too well what people meant about almost flying out, especially from the time I was forcefully wrenched sideways! I do think Fahrenheit is a decent ride, perhaps a bit underrated even, but nothing to rave about. Wildcat I was fine with last year in the back (just found it a bit boring), but it was actually really rough in the front this year, which I'm sure surprised no one else. I agree, there is something about the atmosphere at Hershey that always gets me and sticks in my memory, even though it's not a perfect park.

^Yes, you're right about Timberliners. Despite the unfortunate and continuing Voyage saga, I'm still completely sold on them, due to their success on Wooden Warrior.

^Macaroni?

^I was surprised I had never heard too much about the back seat of Cannonball after I rode it there last year. There really is a lot more airtime than the front. I know that makes sense for a wooden coaster, but for one thing, it was really pronounced on Cannonball, and for another, often out-and-backs are just as good or better in the front.

At this point I'm thinking of sticking to the front on Ghostrider unless someone (even) more hardcore than me forces me into the back. Though the front of the back car also seemed better than the very back in 2010. I'm finally sold on Topper Track after riding the disaster that is Georgia Cyclone, which I wish already had the full treatment. Here's hoping it finds its way onto other deserving coasters like Ghostrider.

Darn. I skipped the Coney Go-Karts because we thought they looked, well, terrible. Oh well, I'll be back. I'm going to have to take your lead and condense my own report down to something much less than one post per park. P.S. I probably say this at every opportunity nowadays, but...I miss Knoebels.

^I think that would be a bit confusing though as one of their nearby coasters is in fact a mine train. Then again, I'm not sure how many people consciously think of it as a mine train.

I lucked out in Atlanta this year with decent temperatures throughout much of the day (and at SFOG the day before). Plus, even during the hottest parts it didn't seem humid at all. DC in late July, on the other hand...now that was Hell with a capital H. (Well, I was at SFA, after all...)

^The BGW fireworks show is very well-executed. I really enjoyed it, and it was a nice break from the more generic shows at smaller parks.

Good riddance (for the season)! Shame about Boulder Dash though. Best wishes for a full and speedy recovery. Like others, I want it to keep running excellently as it has last year and apparently this year, and would hate to see it decline long-term.