Edwardo

Then I'm calling back and telling them that I feel even more unsaferer. Video Cameras at parks MUST be stopped!

After much deliberation, I've since called Kennywood and explained to them that I Will Not return, as I feel unsafe because someone in your group took onride POV. This is unacceptable. I bet you went into Laser Loop's station too, didn't you? (for those of you who don't get inside jokes because you weren't included in them, that was sarcasm)

Starring: TeknoScorpion & loriu 6-22-05 One of my favorite parks. It has my favorite coaster, great food, and is reasonably close. But my only visit thus far that been in October of 2003, during Phantom Fright Nites, and only for 3 hours, so I had only had a chance to ride Phantom (with a huge line), Thunderbolt, Jackrabbit, and both sides of Racer. I’ve been wanting (needing) to get back ever since. So when I got 4 days off due to a state holiday, I took advantage of it. I worked Sunday nite, got home just after 7am, and tried to take a nap. My brother and sister sent their kids down here for the week, which was another bonus reason for me to leave. Since they were coming down here, I went up to where they live to visit my family there. So I left that evening and headed to my grandmother’s home in the eastern panhandle of West Virginia, where I lived for quite some time. The five hour trip was done around 10pm, and so was I. The next morning I woke up early, went for breakfast and to visit some friends, then to visit more friends at a restaurant I used to work at for lunch, then back for a nap. That evening, among other things, we met up with friends of ours for basketball and tennis. I wanted to sleep till 7am the next morning, but because my sleeping schedule was out of whack, I was up at 6am instead, so I decided to go ahead and leave, getting out of town around 7. The trip to Kennywood was around 3 hours. My morning didn’t go so well. Aside from ATM card problems, and only having a limited amount of cash on my person, it stormed the entire way to Morgantown. I almost had an accident at an intersection as well. Around 9am I was almost in Morgantown, so I called Lori to make final meeting arrangements. Then, once I passed by Eighty Four (they have really weird names in PA, like Eighty Four, Laboratory), I called again so she would know to leave. The park opens at 10:30, but the rides don’t start till 11. I got to the park and parked up in the free parking area (since I was early, I didn’t park too far from the pay parking), and headed to the beautiful new front gate to wait on Lori. The day turned out to be very nice in Pittsburgh, sunny and hot. The new entrance really goes well with the park. It looks like it has been there forever, and the fountain with the carousel horse was a nice touch. Around 11:30, I spotted Lori. We exchanged pleasantries, I apologized for not wearing a billboard for another park on my shirt ( ), and we went into the park. Seeing Kennywood in the daylight was much different. After we emerged from the tunnel, we headed to our left. Both of us needed a bathroom break, and some water to take various motion sickness and pain pills. Lori and Co. had just spent a day at Kennywood not much earlier with HomeyG and his (much) better half, so Lori was all for whatever I wanted to do. Let’s see, we’re in Kennywood, walking to the left, what is there to do? Oh, yeah, Phantom! Phantom’s Revenge- The wait wasn’t very long all day. We went directly to the back car, and waited maybe 15 minutes. They hadn’t yet added the second train, but it was on the transfer right beside the final brake run, and ready to be added later. Once we were finally on board, I was slightly nervous going up the lift hill. Would Phantom live up to the hype I had after my last (and only) ride? Would it still be my number 1? The first drop was better than I remembered. Since I wasn’t anticipointed with it this time, I was able to enjoy it. Then up and over the big one. Not quite as shocking this time since I knew what was coming, but amazing none the less. Yep, still my #1, but now for totally different reasons. I remember the second half being out of control, but not like this! That bunny hop after the midway turnaround yanks me up outta my seat and over. That, followed by a double down? Simply amazing. Even the ending was ultra sweet. So that was a great way to start off the day. There is a reason that Lori prefers the back. I’m just glad she took me along with her. I won’t be able to tell you exactly how we did everything because I was honestly having too much fun to remember exactly what order we did it, but I’ll still cover everything (would you expect any less?). We walked over by Thunderbolt, but with one train running, the line was too long to wait for right now. Instead, I mentioned that I need the Exterminator credit, so we rushed over to Old Kennywood before the line for the mouse got too long. Exterminator- Most mice still scare me, because I don’t like that feeling of almost going over the edge around the curves. Exterminator didn’t scare me, since you’re in a building. The ride is a lot of fun, though, because you get so disoriented in the dark. The themeing, while not the absolute best ever is still descent and just being in the dark on a spinny mouse is fun. We didn’t spin a lot, but it was enough for the both of us. Definitely worth a ride, but not a long wait. Since we were there, we decided to go ahead and do Pitt Fall. I’m very afraid of heights, and Intamin Drop Towers scare me to death. I really didn’t want to, but I didn’t want to skip it either, so now was as good a time as ever. Pitt Fall- It was really, really good! I wasn’t so bad on this one, don’t know why, even if I was terrified at the top. I didn’t like the clanking noise it made, but the ride its self was fantastic. I would have done it more during the day, but we never got back around to it. We walked back over by Thunderbolt, but the line was still long, and they hadn’t added the second train yet. We walked by Gold Rusher, which had no line. I love dark rides, so Lori said we should go ahead and ride. Gold Rusher- What a funky little dark ride. Kinda reminds me of the mine ride at Knott’s, but with a ‘spooky’ theme. It was fun, and a nice rest from the heat. Later in the day, the line grew significantly. As we walked thru the park, we walked by Auto Race, the only one left in the world. Lori said we needed to ride, so who was I to dispute a Kennywood expert. Auto Race- This was an interesting old ride. Hand slapping between Lori, who was a car in front of me, was fun. The ride wasn’t really a thrill, but was definitely fun and interesting. And any time you can ride a one of a kind ride, that makes it even more interesting, knowing that so many people don’t know this kind of ride even exists. We then walked over by Log Jammer, which hadn’t opened yet. Then we walked over towards Racer. I’m not a huge Racer fan, so I said I’d rather get in line for Jackrabbit first. I know some people have not been happy with Jackrabbit’s new logo, but I thought it was funky and funny. The line was around between Jackrabbit’s first drop and the building beside it. We may have waited 20 minutes with two train op. Jackrabbit- Even with the new seatbelts, this ride is still just as good as ever. They don’t tighten the seatbelts at all, so it is much like riding it with just the leather strap. Some people have complained, but there was no change to this ride. The first drop is still great. The first time we rode, the double dip scared both me and Lori, as we both came out of our seat, but I went just a bit higher than Lori. I’ll never hold my hands up on that double down again. Even knowing how it was the last time, I wasn’t expecting it. Still a great old woodie. The line for Racer was the normal length. We figured we’d better stop now, since they line was sure to be about the same for the entire day. I think we may have waited 20 min. once again. Racer- We rode the back of the red train on the right side facing into the station. Wow, these trains look like they just rolled off the production line! PTC did a great job of ‘refurbing’ them. The ride was good, with a shot or 2 of airtime. But I still just don’t ‘get’ Racer. I don’t dislike it, but it really isn’t my favorite coaster, much less at Kennywood because they have such good rides. Oh well, 4 out of 5 great adult coasters isn’t bad. Thunderbolt finally added its second train, so now was a good time to get in line. My only complaint is that the queue doesn’t have any covering, but the wait wasn’t long. Thunderbolt- We sat in the back seat (of course). As good as Thunderbolt was on my first visit, nothing could compare to this…yet. Thunderbolt was running wild, with a great drop out of the station. Thankfully, Lori got in first; otherwise she would have gotten flattened in the helix. This thing was running great. But this wouldn’t come close to what we got later. At this point, Lori and I were both hungry, so we rolled on over by the Potato Patch. The line was long, so we skipped by and went to the other Potato Patch in Lost Kennywood. There was a line there as well, but not for very long, so Lori ordered some fries with Xtra cheese, and I got Chicken strips and fries with cheese. They were hot out of the grease, but very good. So we sat at the bottom of Phantom’s first drop for a long while, eating and talking about loads of things (maybe even you). The park was fairly crowded, and some lines were fairly long. Kangaroo was fairly long, Swing Around was fairly long, quite a few others as well. Phantom had stopped on the lift when we were heading over to Lost Kennywood, but they got it running again, so we jumped in line for another go. This was just as good. I really love Phantom. I won’t do a rundown for each ride because each one was really great. We sat in the back each time. Once, the kid in front of us left his hat on, which blew off going down the second drop. I think we did Noah’s Ark after Phantom this time. The line wasn’t too bad. I love dark rides, esp. walk through attractions. And this was something else rare, only 2 more in existence? You know I’m gonna ride. Noah’s Ark- Yes, the horn is annoying (HomeyG, we thought of you). This ride seems smaller than it is. The ‘elevator’ wasn’t working, but the rest of the ride was interesting, esp. the rocking back and forth in the ark. I wish there were more of these around, it really is fun, and a nice break from the norm and heat. I didn’t quite get the last room, but it was all still fun enough for at least once each trip. I would have loved to have ridden King Kahuna, but it really does drench the riders, and since I didn’t stay till the evening, when Lori said they turn the water down, I didn’t get too. I don’t mind, though, since I did the Top Spin at Knott’s with water effects (that were turned down). Volcano looks really cool as well, but even with Ginger pills, I didn’t feel quite up to it. So we went to the Merry-Go-Round. Merry-Go-Round- I haven’t done one in years. I love them, but usually forget to ride when I’m at a park. The paint job looks amazing, they just finished recently I’m told. Even the blue leather (?) on the benches (which I sat on) was in good condition. You get a good cycle, and this thing really is classic. Another shot of nostalgia for us. We walked over and took a spin on the train, which is something I’ve been doing at parks in the last year or so. This one was a bit different, but still fun and a great break from the heat. Then we went to see what the line for Log Jammer looked like, but it was way too long after they opened it. All of the water rides had a decent line, and I didn’t feel like waiting that long to get drenched on the rapids and Shoot-the-Chute. We walked thru the park some more. I wanted cheese on a stick, but we couldn’t find any. Lori said she thought they stopped with cheese on a stick, but I noticed they do have it at one place in the park once I looked at my park map after I got home. Oh well, next time. We headed over to the Old Mill to ride Garfield’s Nightmare. I didn’t get to do the Old Mill on my last visit, so I was looking forward to this. The line was decent, but you’re in shade most of the time. Garfield’s Nightmare 3D- The 3D effects were okay, but the paint was more fun than the cutouts. The ride was cute, quirky, and fun. We managed to get our own boat. Since there were only 2 of us, we caught up to the boat in front of us. The ride is fun, and another dark ride was ridden. Swing Around was closed when we walked by a few minutes before. We stopped for another shot of Jack Rabbit, then the other side of Racer. We also took another spin on Thunderbolt and Phantom. When we walked back by Swing Around, we waited near there drinking water while they opened it back up, so we hopped on. Swing Around- I think I may have been on one of these at a fair once. But this was different as being on top of the building. The forces when you swing low are really intense, and the feeling at the top of the swing make my stomach feel all funky and happy. The cycle was pretty long. In fact, they give a long cycle on all of the flats we rode. We headed back over to Lost Kennywood once again, stopping for our final Phantom ride of the day along the way. I don’t think I could ever get tired of this coaster. Supes in New England and Expedition G-Force are both going to have to be stellar coasters if they hope to break this out of my #1 spot. Phantom is short, not too short, but in the amount of time you’re on the ride, it really packs a punch. I was so afraid I’d have to re-evaluate it’s ranking after having rode almost 3 times the amount of coasters I had under my belt during my first Phantom ride, but it still stays put firmly at #1. Finally, when we walked by Kangeroo, it had a smaller line. This looked insane. Kangeroo- What a great old flat! Why aren't there many more of these? I nice pop of air on top of the hill really made this ride stand out. Slightly less tame, really, really fun, and I'd like one of this out front in the yard, please . After that, we went over and walked around Lost Kennywood some more. I have been wanting to try a whip for the longest time, and today was the day. The line had shortened from our last traipse through this section of the park, so we hopped in line. The Whip- What a cool old ride. This was another exciting ride that you just don’t see any longer. You really do whip around the corners, and the ride cycle was quite long. The breeze made it even better, esp. since this whip no longer has a cover. Now I see what all the fuss is about. I believe that was our last official ride of the day. I could be wrong, but either way, it was a nice way to end it. We walked around a little more. Lori was hungry as was I, so I stopped for a pretzel, and she went over to Pedro’s where she got a taco salad that she couldn’t even finish because it was so large. Even though we rode quite a bit, Lori and I spent a large portion of the day just hanging around, sitting and talking, or walking and talking. This time we sat and watched King Kahuna some more. There were a few other flats I would have rode, but I told Lori that I would be leaving at 7pm, and it had quickly gotten closer to 7. We walked around for another Phantom ride, but the line was longer than I wanted to wait, so we headed out of the park. All in all, I had a really great time. Kennywood is just that type of park that you can hang out at, not even spend the whole day riding, and still have a great time. What would I change about Kennywood? I’d make it closer, and that is it. I really had a nice time finally meeting and hanging with Lori, even if the rest of the U’s didn’t get to show up. I’m thankful Lori tagged along, and acted as my guide, I just hope I didn’t bore her too much . I will be back to Kennywood, sooner rather than later. Now I know where to get cheese on a stick, so I’m sure I’ll make a day of eating. After getting out of Pittsburgh, I headed south on I-79. I got to Morgantown and got gas. Then got to Clarksburg as it was getting dark. I called mom to let her know where I was and that I’d probably be stopping somewhere to rest along the way as I was sleepy from the different schedule (again, I’m a nite shift guy). I finally stopped in Weston at Sheetz for a little while, but after waking back up and driving for just a few miles, I was still in no condition to drive, and thankfully passed a sign stating there was a rest stop just ahead. I pulled off and slept till 5am. The next morning, I woke up and headed home for my own bed. Another trip down, and one more credit. Next stop? Dollywood for more on Thunderhead and Tornado!

It was so funny when we were there, I didn't give it another thought, but once you put that in your TR on URC, I couldn't help but laugh. Oh well, I saw you briefly at SFMM on the back of Goliath and nothing bad happened, except the cold, gloomy weather. Can I blame you for that too?

...there is a first time.-old Vulcan Proverb Subtitle: Tekno & Jamaal's SoCal Solace Vacation 3-12-05 So this was the day. The reason for my journey had come. For the first time since it’s inception, I was to attend Knott’s Berry Farm’s Winter Coaster Solace VI 2005. Was I ready for my first event? The park started ERT at 7am, a full 3 hours before the park opened to the public. During this time, a substantial amount of coasters were running. Five of seven, actually. Also open for early business was Supreme Scream, joining Xcelerator and Timberline Twister at 8am to the lineup. And event attendees got free parking, not that we needed that. I really wanted to arrive at the park around 7 or 8, but after our concert the nite before, neither Jamaal nor myself was able and willing. Plus, Tim had fallen ill at the Pre-Solace Radisson event, so he was okay with a later arrival. Eventually, we made it to the park around 9am. The first thing we needed to do was pay and get registered for the event. Apparently, Robb and Elissa Alvey (by their own admission) snagged the last lanyards for the event, so no lanyard for us (I can’t remember who in the group later was complaining because they had gotten there first and instead the girl gave the lanyard to ‘some other couple’, but it was funny reading Robb’s TR and finding out it was them). Anyhow, Tim told the girl that was taking money and handing out T-shirts he’d get mine and Jamaal’s on his card with his, so we could just give him the money. This proved to be useful for us, because Tim had a CF season pass since he works at Dorney, so we all got in for the Season Pass Price. Sweet! That worked out to Tim not even having to pay for gas since we chauffeured him around L.A., so it worked out nicely for all 3 of us. Once inside the park, I wanted to hit Monty first. Many have told me that the Flywheel version of the shuttle loop was better, so I wanted to see if that was true. The park was fairly empty at this point in time. First event for me, and first ERT ever. I could possibly come to like this, but in the end, I could care less one way or the other. The dead park was a good thing, though. So we went and got in line for Monty, me in the front seat (of course), and soon we were off. Montezooma’s Revenge- I couldn’t tell a difference in the launching, but you do get a bit further up the back spike on the flywheel versions. Very nice. I liked it just as good as Greezed Lightnin’. I remember telling Jamaal that someone had died on this ride, to which he replied “Why are you taking me on all these rides that people die on?” as we had ridden BTMR earlier at Disneyland. I then explained that this one wasn’t the fault of the park or the ride. I really wish there were more shuttle loopers around. It pulls some major forces backwards thru the loop. Since we were so close by, Jaguar! was our next destination. Tim mentioned what I had posted some time ago about Jaguar! being so cheap. Hey, the station and queue are really well done, but $20mil? Jaguar!- This was a fun coaster. Again, a walk on which we all had our own seats for. They were running one train full and the other empty for ERT, but that was okay since there wasn’t a line. I was amazed at how long this coaster is. Not really that thrilling, but the coaster was a lot of fun. For now, though, it was only worth one ride. Perhaps later? Next up we got a little turned around by Silver Bullet. But eventually we made it back to Xcelerator, where we found a small line to ride. Jamaal and Tim were taking tons of pix, but I just wanted to ride the darn thing already. Eventually we got in line. We could have waited for the front, but since I knew I could ride again later, we opted for second car. The station is nicely themed, as are the cars. Xcelerator- One thing I didn’t know was that you launch from inside the station. I didn’t even realize until we were in the station. I’m used to seeing the train roll out to the launch area and then go. I guess maybe because this was the prototype. The launch on Xcelerator was one of the most intense launches, possibly the most intense launch ever. I liked it even better than TTD’s by far! I couldn’t believe how fast we were going, and then you get that wondrous pop of airtime over the top hat. The rest of the ride is cool too with over banks going every which way and all. Definitely something I’ll be doing again. I am not a huge fan of drop towers since they really scare me. It isn’t the drop, but I’m afraid of heights, and I’m used to Intamin drop towers holding you at the top for a while. I did like both the S&S and Chance shot/drop towers I’ve ridden, though. This would be the first time I’ve been on a drop version of an S&S. Supreme Scream was right near us, so I guess it was time. Supreme Scream- I was scared. There wasn’t really a line, so after one cycle, we were on and going up, facing away from the park. But Supreme Scream is no Intamin. As soon as you get to the top, it latches or something, and down you go. This was one of the best drops I’ve ever experienced! My new favorite drop tower with Maliboomer & Big Shot tied for favorite shot tower. Three S&S towers in a week. Yep, I’m blessed. Wonderful. Okay, so after that we headed over to Boomerang. This would be my second one of those. I really like the color of the coaster now that it has been re-done. Another shot of ERT, and the park was almost ready to open. Boomerang- No headbanging. This was a standard boomerang, but it didn’t seem to go up the second spike quite as fast. We sat in the back of the train for this one. I still get that feeling in my tummy when I drop on a Boomerang or Invertigo. It isn’t that steep, and really isn’t that tall, but it does something good for ya. At this point, the park was opened up and getting packed. Knott’s was offering 2 for 1 rides on their other new attraction, the Screamin’ Swing, which is an up charge flat ride. Screamin’ Swing- Another great flat by S&S for sure. I hoped I wouldn’t get sick and that I wouldn’t get tired of the ride, but instead I could have stayed on quite a bit longer. Since it was 2 for 1, I gave Jamaal my ‘free’ ride. It was really good, I want to see more of these in parks, and I hear we will. I still hadn’t met up with any of the people I knew other than the 2 I was with. We walked over to the park entrance when my phone rang. Beth was on the other line and her and Mike had just gotten to the park and no one had called them yet. I figured they were with the rest of the group, who was leaving to go to Adventure City. I told her to meet up with us when we were getting on the Calico Mine Ride and would meet them at the entrance. Calico Mine Ride- This was interesting. The ride starts out on a tour of a ‘mine’ and is rather well themed. One thing can be said about Knott’s-they have good themeing and dark rides. I only wish I would have gotten to see Kingdom of the Dinosaurs. But this was a nifty little ride that has some excitement at the end. Our train was filled, and the train has no restraints. It was kinda fun, but only worth one ride per visit. Okay, so we were finished with that and saw Mike and Beth on the midway. The first thing we had to do was take a spin on Silver Bullet, last year’s new coaster (even though it opened at the end of the year). The line looked deceptively longer than it was, but I’m glad we waited it out, since the wait was only a few minutes. Silver Bullet- The crew was kicking butt on this thing, getting trains dispatched very quickly. The guy on the mic doing the spiel was really funny. At one point he said something about “Enjoy your day at Magic Mountain”, so when I got on I asked if this was ‘That Batman Ride?’ We waited for the front row, with Tim getting on the train just before us. So here we were, Jamaal, Mike, Beth and I on Silver Bullet. This is my new #2 Invert, and ranks HIGH up on my list. Not intense enough? Whatever. That helix was almost as intense as Goliath. I loved this thing, and how quite it was was unnerving. The Stengle Dive-esq over bank was great, with a pop of air once you’re inverted. I really can’t say enough about this ride. I could have ridden much much more. A couple of us were hungry at this point, so we decided on pizza. The price wasn’t too bad for a whole personal pizza. This was my first experience with Boysenberry juice. Boysenberry Juice- Yum. Yum Yum Yum!!! More please! This is the nectre of the Gods. I should have brought some home with me. Yes, it was so good that it deserves it’s own rundown here. Next, we headed over towards Ghostrider, but the line was way too long. We did walk around the park and took pics of the Topspin. Then we got on the Timber Mountain Log Ride, again which was a lot of fun. Timber Mountain Log Ride- This was probably the longest line we waited in up to this point, and still it wasn’t that long. Have you ever seen 5 geeks in one log? I was in the very back, with Tim in front of me and Jamaal in front of him. After the seat divider was Mike then Beth. Neato log ride was this. Esp. if you ride with your hands up the entire time. Try it, its fun! Good themeing was again very well, and Mike pointed out some of the animatronics that came over from KotD as well. Five slightly misted thumb way up. Eventually, we saw where they were taking the group photos, which we didn’t include ourselves in. We also took another spin on Silver Bullet, either before or after lunch. Yep, it still rocked, and the line was way shorter this time. Now it was time to get my grub on. The five of us headed across the street to lunch, which was catered by Knott’s Berry Farm. As soon as we get to the line, we ran in to Ed and part of the gang. I know I won’t remember every one I met, but I do remember meeting Eric, the URC webmaster, Frisbee Rob, Recess Kyle, Sparky Frank and his dates, Iggy Craig and his side kick, and many others. We were let in to lunch as they gave us little bags with Silver Bullet keychain/pens shaped like a bullet. We were later told not to have that with our carry ons on the plane as Airports don’t seem to like them. First things first, we all got tables near each other and awaited the other members of the gang. Then it was time for drinks, so I got in line and got Sprite. Little did I know they had Boysenberry punch at lunch too! Then it was time for food. Knott’s provided rolls, BBQ ribs, some type of sausage/wiener with BBQ sauce, mashed potatoes and gravy (I had to laugh at a gravy, inside coaster joke to those that don’t get it), and of course, Fried Chicken. Very Yum! Lunch was when they had the raffle and people met up with others and such. Earlier we had met Jim, who works for Knott’s, as he was with the photographer that took our pix and got our names. Every time we saw him he was making some quip about West Virginia. Very nice, funny guy. I wish all park people at all parks could be like this. After lunch, everyone was going to Scandia, but Jamaal and I had plans for a nap. We were going to go to Adventure City for the credit, but decided to nap for a bit longer. I think I napped for about 3 hours, waking up at 7pm. At that point, Jamaal decided to call it a nite, as I headed back to Knott’s for some nite rides and ERT. I got back over to Knott’s as every one else was on their way back from Scandia, where they had a blast. Maybe I’ll hit it up with them next year. I got in to the park and went straight for another ride Xcelerator from the front of the train. The line was just slightly longer, and again, I didn’t want to wait for the front, opting to get in the second train and hope that eventually they’d need a single rider for the front seat. Fortunately for me, just as I was going to be on the next train, the train before me needed a single rider for the front. Yes! A front seat ride was even better. I really loved this ride. It definitely has the most intense launch I’ve ever been on. After that I headed for a back of the train ride on Monty, which had a fairly long line at this point. This ride was just as fun, but as I was sitting in the train, my phone (which was over by the exit) kept going off. I knew this was Tim telling me he was at the exit to meet me. So we met up once I got off the ride, and then went over towards Xcelerator. This was when Xcelerator broke down. We were told it would be open in an hour, but I figured that it wouldn’t open back up so late. It did, but I didn’t get any more rides. So I saw that Perilous Plunge was going, and I wanted to try it. Sure, I might get drenched, so I had to change out of the T-Shirt I was wearing and just wear the button-up. Once I got in line, they told me I needed at least 6 people. I waited for a while till we eventually got enough to ride. I’m glad I waited. Perilous Plunge- You get completely soaked. Thankfully I didn’t wear jeans on this ride. This is the best Shoot the Chutes I’ve ever been on, with the exception of Jurassic Park, and then only because JP has such good themeing. The drop on this thing was amazing. What an angle to drop on a water ride. Such a shame about its history, I was freaking some girls out confirming what the ride ops had told them about someone loosing their life. But I assured them it would happen now that they had shoulder straps (which aren’t as bad as people let on. Yeah, I got soaked, and it was a cool nite. But I dried off pretty quickly. After changing into the dry shirt, Tim and I went to ride the Top Spin. I like them, but they really make me sick. So far this week I hadn’t been sick, and hadn’t even needed any Ginger pills. This was the newer type of Top Spin, and it had the fountains going on it as well. As we were in line, we saw Mike, Beth, Frank and his girls. Rip Tide- Another vomitless flat for me, yay! The riders before us got five consecutive flips, but our most was 2 ½. Oh well, it was still a killer ride. Not quite as good as Tomb Raider at PKI, but still great none the less. The park was almost starting to close, but I needed the kiddie credit, so we headed to that with Mike and Beth. I waited in line, just to be told I couldn’t ride since I was too tall. Tim got on, however, and got the credit. I should have hit it during ERT that morning, since it seemed anybody could ride, as a few people much taller than I got on. Oh well. The last ride of the nite during park hours was on La Revolucion, a KMG Afterburner. I had been on one at a fair, but this one swung past 90 degrees. La Revolucion- Another great flat for me, yay! The one ride op had been there all day and wanted to go home. I could sympathize. As we were talking about rude and uncooperative people, 2 rude and uncooperative girls gave him some trouble. I really felt for this guy, he was so nice. So we rode, and I loved it again. The floor was different than the one at the fair when it lowered. You really get some air, and it seemed that every time we would swing, our branch was at the top of the swing, except the last time. After our ride was over I asked the Ride Op “So, do you want to go home and go to bed, or do you just want to get off work and go out on a Saturday Nite?” I won’t say what he said here as I don’t want the wrong person to read it, but his response was priceless and hilarious. It kinda made me hungry. Now the park was closed. We had gotten our Lanyards during lunch to allow us to participate in late nite ERT, which was offered on Silver Bullet and Ghostrider. The first thing we did was a nite ride on Silver Bullet near the middle of the train. This ride at nite was even better, and I still love that pop of air on the Stengle Dive/over bank thingy. The park cleared out quick and we headed over to Ghostrider, which was dying out. We went up and in to the station house. The infamous ‘Stapler’ was no longer employed by Knott’s as of the nite before, so I missed that. Saw a few more peeps in the station that I knew. We got on near the back, I think. Ghostrider- I don’t remember when I rode in the front, this may have been it. Regardless, I really liked this ride. They turned off the runner lights for ERT, so it was slightly darker. Definitely has great laterals, and if people thing this coaster is still rough, then I think someone is smokin crack. This was a really great ride. The drops were good, air was plentiful, and I’m glad this was saved for last. After the first ride, we went for the late nite snack provided by Knott’s. Another thing they had to drink there that most places don’t was Sarsaparilla and it was good. We had chips, cookies, Oreos (no they’re different that just ‘cookies’) and I had something ice cream and chocolate. Maybe an Ice Cream Sandwich, I don’t recall. We sat, Craig had me cracking up, and eventually we headed back for more Ghostrider. This time I know I got on near the back, and rode with Moosh. Finally, I got to see what all the fuss was about. Yeah, I got mOOshEd. Was I supposed to have enjoyed it like that? Maybe I’m a masochist. We rode a few other times as well, but eventually we got on the last train going out. I think I stayed on Silver most of the time, but did get a ride on Gold at one point. Somewhere along the line, I lost the T-Shirt that we had just gotten a few minutes earlier. I really wanted it, but oh well. So the nite was over and Tim and I had to walk back to Days Inn. Then we had to get up and out early the next day and head to Six Flags. Would we have a repeat of this morning and sleep late/show up late? Or would we leave on time that morning. Would we even find our way to Valencia at all?

Subtitle: Tekno & Jamaal's SoCal Solace Vacation 3-9-05 Chapter 1- We woke up on Wednesday morning a bit later than usual with plans to go sightseeing in Hollywood. Jamaal, however, had a different idea once we got going. We had seen a huge shoe store on the way to Disneyland the day before, and he definitely wanted to hit that before we left Anaheim, but first we had to go to Downtown Disney for a few souvenirs and pictures of the place. So we checked out of our Motel 6 and headed back to Disney. There was a 15-minute parking area for dropping off/picking up, and since we were picking up stuff from the gift shops, I figured we’d park there, since it was just a run in, run out kinda thing. We parked and walked toward the entrance, snapping pix along the way. Once we got to Downtown Disney, we stopped into the first store and picked up a few shot glasses, magnets, and Key Chains. There were some funky Mickey gloves, but I wasn’t spending $17 for them this time, so I got the one thing I was determined to get for my first trip to Disney: Mouse Ears. I got the traditional Disneyland Mouse Ears (been wanting a pair for ever) for $7 with my other things, took a pic of me at a fountain, and back to the car in about 20 minutes. After getting back to the car, we headed to the shoe store, after stopping once again at Carl’s Jr., and Jamaal suggested leaving early and heading to Vegas. I thought about it for a sec, and gave it. More time in Vegas we fine by me. I was hoping that since we’d be in Hollywood Friday, maybe we could head to Venice Beach then, and get more pix of the Hollywood sign. So we shoe shopped and asked for directions for a good bit, then it was off to Vegas. The drive was just at 3 ½ hours out in the desert. We gassed up and got more food for the drive at Quiznos and Starbucks. Then it was off on the most beautiful drive ever. The snow capped mountains and desert terrain was stunning. Traffic moved swiftly, rarely reaching below 90mph for us. We passed by Calico Ghost town (yes, I’m directing that to * you * you-know-who), and then into the desert. Simply beautiful… 3-11-05 Chapter 3-(hey, you know what they say, “What happens in Vegas…”) So I wanted to get a picture of the billboards on the way back that said, “What happens in Vegas” & “Dosen’t get past this billboard”, but we went by too quickly. Oh well, next time. Speed: The ride was fun for the 2 rides, food was great, Manhattan Express wasn’t the worst, but definitely not something I’d pay for again, and High Roller Sucked. The other rides (that were running) on the Strat were still good, though. Grumbles…Insanity…Grumbles. I’m just glad I didn’t wet myself on Xscream. And Star Trek: The Experience was awesome. Next time I’ll spend more time at the Adventure Dome, and in those Sexy newer Arrow trains on Canyon Blaster. But now it was time for #106. Buffalo Bills was interesting. In fact, I wouldn’t mind staying a couple days there on our next trip. The casino was nicely themed, and the Log ride looked like fun, but we only got tix for Despy, even passing up what would be our 3rd S&S tower. Desperado- Slightly rough, yes. But the trains were prettier than Maggie’s. You start in the casino. Jamaal and I were in 1-1 with two other guys being in the very back. We waited for a few minutes and then were dispatched. You go down a dip, and then start up the lift that takes you outside. The first drop was great, just a bit rough at the bottom, but still wonderful. The subsequent bunny hops were air filled for us, and both of us liked the ride, which circles the casino. I’d rate it above average. Another hyper down in the books. Another former record breaker. We were already 40 minutes past Vegas, so our drive back from here wasn’t bad. Eventually we stopped at a gas station in a little settlement in the middle of the desert that we had stopped at on the way to Vegas. I don’t think the temp ever got below 80 the couple days we were there. We were going to meet up with the Strat group that morning, but were told Insanity wouldn’t run till later in the day (maybe, grumbles), so we got our Despy credit early and headed back. Though I may have wanted to do more sightseeing, once we got to Hollywood it was already around 4pm, with a concert at 8:15. So we parked at the bottom of the Universal Hill and took a tram up. Ate at Citywalk (Panda Express, a theme in our trip) and did some shopping round there. It was getting cold enough. We really didn’t have a lot of time before getting in line for the concert. Eventually, we were in line to be let into the Universal Amphitheater. This was a very nice place. Finally we made it to our seats, yay for tired legs! Still didn’t know who the opening act was. Then someone told us: Phantom Planet, the guys that sing the theme song for ‘The OC’. Plus we found out this was the opening nite of the tour. Phantom Planet was great, they made a new fan. The crowd loved them as well. They had a fairly long set with many good songs. It is always refreshing to hear a good * Live * band. During intermission, we went for a potty break, and I spotted someone I walked by that looked familiar. I knew I recognized this person. At the top of the stairs, I mentioned it to Jamaal, and coming back down the stairs, he was like “oh my, it is him”, our first celeb sighting…Ian Ziering. Yeah, my sister watched 90210 for years (ugh). Oh well, we had better seats than he did. Then it was time for the Main event. Maroon 5 came on to screaming fans. They did the songs off of their album and some new songs as well. Another refreshingly good live band. I could and would see them again in a heartbeat. At the end, they went off stage, and of course the lights stayed off. I knew it wasn’t over because they had yet to play my favorite song. Then they came back out, spewing thank yous to the crowd while playing ‘talking music’. Then they went into it, and I knew the end was near. I really love “She will be loved”, and the audience went wild for that one as well. Bravo! After that, Adam Levine (lead singer) mentioned that the drummer had been off the tour due to injury, and they had a (very capable) back up drummer. But since it was L.A. and this was their hometown, Adam took the drums as the Drummer came out to play guitar and sing 2 songs. Their rendition of “Seven Nation Army” by White Strips (a fave here) was great. Then it was “Highway to Hell”, which just happens to be a song (if I’m not mistaken) about being on tour. Great way to end a Killer show! When are they coming around again? Oh, that’s right, they’ll be in WV on the 31st. Too bad I can’t go. One interesting tidbit: The lead singer from Phantom Planet actually sat with his girl friend and family right behind us for the entirety of Maroon 5’s set. Great nite. Then it was a late arrival at Days Inn in Buena Park. We met up with Tim Danner (dannerman) who was also staying there that nite for a few minutes before bed. Was I going to be too tired for ERT in the early AM?

Subtitle: Tekno & Jamaal's SoCal Solace Vacation 3-9-05 Chapter 1- We woke up on Wednesday morning a bit later than usual with plans to go sightseeing in Hollywood. Jamaal, however, had a different idea once we got going. We had seen a huge shoe store on the way to Disneyland the day before, and he definitely wanted to hit that before we left Anaheim, but first we had to go to Downtown Disney for a few souvenirs and pictures of the place. So we checked out of our Motel 6 and headed back to Disney. There was a 15-minute parking area for dropping off/picking up, and since we were picking up stuff from the gift shops, I figured we’d park there, since it was just a run in, run out kinda thing. We parked and walked toward the entrance, snapping pix along the way. Once we got to Downtown Disney, we stopped into the first store and picked up a few shot glasses, magnets, and Key Chains. There were some funky Mickey gloves, but I wasn’t spending $17 for them this time, so I got the one thing I was determined to get for my first trip to Disney: Mouse Ears. I got the traditional Disneyland Mouse Ears (been wanting a pair for ever) for $7 with my other things, took a pic of me at a fountain, and back to the car in about 20 minutes. After getting back to the car, we headed to the shoe store, after stopping once again at Carl’s Jr., and Jamaal suggested leaving early and heading to Vegas. I thought about it for a sec, and gave it. More time in Vegas we fine by me. I was hoping that since we’d be in Hollywood Friday, maybe we could head to Venice Beach then, and get more pix of the Hollywood sign. So we shoe shopped and asked for directions for a good bit, then it was off to Vegas. The drive was just at 3 ½ hours out in the desert. We gassed up and got more food for the drive at Quiznos and Starbucks. Then it was off on the most beautiful drive ever. The snow capped mountains and desert terrain was stunning. Traffic moved swiftly, rarely reaching below 90mph for us. We passed by Calico Ghost town (yes, I’m directing that to * you * you-know-who), and then into the desert. Simply beautiful… 3-11-05 Chapter 3-(hey, you know what they say, “What happens in Vegas…”) So I wanted to get a picture of the billboards on the way back that said, “What happens in Vegas” & “Dosen’t get past this billboard”, but we went by too quickly. Oh well, next time. Speed: The ride was fun for the 2 rides, food was great, Manhattan Express wasn’t the worst, but definitely not something I’d pay for again, and High Roller Sucked. The other rides (that were running) on the Strat were still good, though. Grumbles…Insanity…Grumbles. I’m just glad I didn’t wet myself on Xscream. And Star Trek: The Experience was awesome. Next time I’ll spend more time at the Adventure Dome, and in those Sexy newer Arrow trains on Canyon Blaster. But now it was time for #106. Buffalo Bills was interesting. In fact, I wouldn’t mind staying a couple days there on our next trip. The casino was nicely themed, and the Log ride looked like fun, but we only got tix for Despy, even passing up what would be our 3rd S&S tower. Desperado- Slightly rough, yes. But the trains were prettier than Maggie’s. You start in the casino. Jamaal and I were in 1-1 with two other guys being in the very back. We waited for a few minutes and then were dispatched. You go down a dip, and then start up the lift that takes you outside. The first drop was great, just a bit rough at the bottom, but still wonderful. The subsequent bunny hops were air filled for us, and both of us liked the ride, which circles the casino. I’d rate it above average. Another hyper down in the books. Another former record breaker. We were already 40 minutes past Vegas, so our drive back from here wasn’t bad. Eventually we stopped at a gas station in a little settlement in the middle of the desert that we had stopped at on the way to Vegas. I don’t think the temp ever got below 80 the couple days we were there. We were going to meet up with the Strat group that morning, but were told Insanity wouldn’t run till later in the day (maybe, grumbles), so we got our Despy credit early and headed back. Though I may have wanted to do more sightseeing, once we got to Hollywood it was already around 4pm, with a concert at 8:15. So we parked at the bottom of the Universal Hill and took a tram up. Ate at Citywalk (Panda Express, a theme in our trip) and did some shopping round there. It was getting cold enough. We really didn’t have a lot of time before getting in line for the concert. Eventually, we were in line to be let into the Universal Amphitheater. This was a very nice place. Finally we made it to our seats, yay for tired legs! Still didn’t know who the opening act was. Then someone told us: Phantom Planet, the guys that sing the theme song for ‘The OC’. Plus we found out this was the opening nite of the tour. Phantom Planet was great, they made a new fan. The crowd loved them as well. They had a fairly long set with many good songs. It is always refreshing to hear a good * Live * band. During intermission, we went for a potty break, and I spotted someone I walked by that looked familiar. I knew I recognized this person. At the top of the stairs, I mentioned it to Jamaal, and coming back down the stairs, he was like “oh my, it is him”, our first celeb sighting…Ian Ziering. Yeah, my sister watched 90210 for years (ugh). Oh well, we had better seats than he did. Then it was time for the Main event. Maroon 5 came on to screaming fans. They did the songs off of their album and some new songs as well. Another refreshingly good live band. I could and would see them again in a heartbeat. At the end, they went off stage, and of course the lights stayed off. I knew it wasn’t over because they had yet to play my favorite song. Then they came back out, spewing thank yous to the crowd while playing ‘talking music’. Then they went into it, and I knew the end was near. I really love “She will be loved”, and the audience went wild for that one as well. Bravo! After that, Adam Levine (lead singer) mentioned that the drummer had been off the tour due to injury, and they had a (very capable) back up drummer. But since it was L.A. and this was their hometown, Adam took the drums as the Drummer came out to play guitar and sing 2 songs. Their rendition of “Seven Nation Army” by White Strips (a fave here) was great. Then it was “Highway to Hell”, which just happens to be a song (if I’m not mistaken) about being on tour. Great way to end a Killer show! When are they coming around again? Oh, that’s right, they’ll be in WV on the 31st. Too bad I can’t go. One interesting tidbit: The lead singer from Phantom Planet actually sat with his girl friend and family right behind us for the entirety of Maroon 5’s set. Great nite. Then it was a late arrival at Days Inn in Buena Park. We met up with Tim Danner (dannerman) who was also staying there that nite for a few minutes before bed. Was I going to be too tired for ERT in the early AM?

Subtitle: Tekno & Jamaal's SoCal Solace Vacation 3-8-05 Disneyland is definitly traditional. The front of the park looks very traditional. After traipsing across the courtyard between the 2 parks and Downtown Disney, we had our Park Hopper tix scanned and entered Disneyland. Of course,Space Mountain wasn't up yet, and Splash Mountain was down for maintenance, as well as Jungle Cruise, I believe. Oh well, that gives me more reasons to come back later. We first found a restroom, and then waited at the Castle for the other three. I don't care what anybody says about the size of Sleeping Beauty's castle, it was still very nicely done. If you're that hung up on size, I'll buy you a bottle of Enzyte and you can 'grow' to like it. One of the first notacible things was how much more crowded Disneyland was than DCA. The first 'ride' I saw was the Astro Orbiter. I almost took a spin, but the line was just a bit too long, since we were meeting someone. Then, we saw Peter Pan's Flight. This line was uber long, so we opted out of that. Maybe next time. So we walked back thru the castle and I saw Tina waving for me. We went over and quickly met Bill (rollergator) and Jodi (coastermom). Then it was off for a ride. I'm pretty sure I have this in order, but there may be some discrepancies. If so, I'm sure one of the 3 can correct me. First, I was up for some Huanted Mansion. The line wasn't short, but the wait wasn't that long. Haunted Mansion- Granted, the actual ride portion wasn't a bit scarey. But the streaching room kinda was at the end. Never the less, I really like dark rides, and this was no exception. I know there were some changes recently, which is cool. Overall, aside from being a bit too cool for us, I really enjoyed the ride on Haunted Mansion. I've been waiting for many, many years to ride one of those, and I believe this is the origional, correct? Now when are they gonna add that 1000th ghost? After Mansion, I needed a coaster, so we headed over towards Big Thunder Mountain. But first, we passed by The Many Adventures of Winnie The Pooh, and I just had to take a spin. The Many Adventures of Winnie The Pooh- It was pretty good. I said I like Dark rides, and it was a nice break. The ride looks very nice, and brand new. But then, so does the rest of Disneyland. I'm just glad Pooh got his Honey before the ride was over. I liked his Heffalump dream world scenes the best. So it was time for another coaster. I was kinda worried about this credit, since I know about it's recent history. Oh, what the heck, I would be riding Monty and Perilous Plunge @ Knott's, and I've been on other things after tragic accidents. Might as well give this a try as well. Big Thunder Mountain Rail Road- After just a few lifts and drops, I proclaimed "If we were at Carowinds, It'd be over by now". Bill agreed, Tina and Jody just laughed. This was my first ride with Bill. The trains were comfy to sit in, the ride was paced just right, and the theming was, once again, just blissful. Disney really is in a class all to themselves. Then there is that lift in the tunnel. After that, I proclaimed once again "If this were Adventure Express, it'd be over by now, and I'd be once again disappointed". Bill was also making some Adventure Express comment (okay, so I did like it my last visit to Kings Island...). But BTMR was more than both of the previously mentioned mine train coasters. Heck, it is kind of the origional. It was a fun ride, nicely paced with some decent ups, downs and laterals. I'd do it again. Well, that was #98. Next up was another classic Disney Ride, and one that has been in the rumors lately: Pirates of the Carribean. One neat thing was the resturaunt that the ride actually navigates around. Pirates of the Carribean- Another golden oldie, We really like this (Jamaal & I). It was fairly long, which is a good thing. More time to sit down. Plus it was a dark ride. Yay! The one drop was unexpected, and the animatronics were all in top notch order. Heck, I've been in some more 'up to date' dark rides that weren't this good. Another oldie down, and another satisfied customer. Okay, so now should have been the time I checked to see what all was in Disneyland. Instead, we rushed over to Matterhorn for another coaster. Had I looked, I would have realized all that Disneyland had to offer. In fact, I didn't spend any real time in Tomorrowland, didn't even go near the closed Space Mountain, and almost missed out on two of the better rides in Disney. But enough about my non-regrets. I rode another coaster. Matterhorn (right side)- We were told to ride Matterhorn's right side in day time, and left side at nite, so we felt that was good enough advice. This was it. The first tubular steel coaster. It was also the last of my double digits. It is a fairly intense ride, just slightly Arrow rough, but I've been on newer coasters that are way worse than this, Arrow or not. Again, good theming, good coaster, and the water as a natural break is funky. The mountain actually looks almost real as well along the skyline. We all were in one train for this one, me by myself. Bill, Tina, and Jodi were hungary, and Jamaal and I still needed pictures for DCA and to use our Screamin' Fast Pass, so we headed back over to say goodby to DCA. I found out that the Monorails were only for onsite guests, that kinda sucked. Would have been a nice way to get over to DCA. Oh well. So we picked up a disposable camera on our way into DCA and took pics all around before heading over to California Screamin' again. The second ride was just as good as the first, and with 99% less waiting. No front seat again, but we were in a different part of the train. Again, nice launch, good coaster. Not my personal favorite, but strong none the less. A few more pix and DCA was closing. We were over there for almost an hour. Another ToT ride would have made me happy, but oh well. Two was a good thing. So we headed back over to Disneyland. Again, Disneyland was much more crowded than DCA. Oh well, they don't know what they're missing. Or do they? Next time I'll know I need a full day for Disneyland and 6 or so hours for DCA (if not more, I really did like it). But on this trip, I'm just happy to be there. I couldn't get the gang to answer, so I figured they were in line or on a ride and had no Cell reception. So we walked over towards Tomorrowland when I saw the one thing I had forgotten Disneyland even had. I am an Ubergeek. I like comics (okay, I don't really read them anymore, but I watch all the movies), I like coasters (duh), I'm a Trekkie (we'll get into that later...), and I like Star Wars. So when I saw the 'Star Tours' sign, I bout flipped out. Thankfully, Jamaal is a Star Wars geek too. Star Tours- We just hadta. I even called my other best friend, Jon, to tell him what I was doing. The line was long, but moved swiftly. This was the only thing in Tomorrowland I did, but it was Star Wars. So we saw Tina and Bill and Jodi in line up ahead, told them to wait outside. Eventually we got thru all the scenery and were off on our mission. It was fun. I mean, I'm not a huge simulator fan as they make me sick, but just doing something physical that deals with Star Wars was cool enough. The movie was funky, and I'm glad I got to do it. Again, Yay Disney! So we met up with the others and walked around, all the while taking pics of the park. Just outside of Star Tours was the newly soft opened 'Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters', which had no wait for the other three earlier on. For us, it would have been 40min. I wasn't willing to wait, so off we were. Then it was that time. Time for #100. Everyone counts coasters in their own way. If I'm riding something like American Eagle (SFGAm) or Thunder Road (PCar) which is 2 tracks, but a racing coaster, I only count it as one. I count dueling Coasters (only been on one, Twisted Twins @ SFKK) as 2 (even though I only got one side, I count it as one of two coasters). Matterhorn has two semi-dueling sides. The sides are different, and that makes it, to me, 2 different coasters. So it is kind of odd that my 99th and 100th coasters are the same. Matterhorn- Big Whoop. Yes, it is 100. Yes, it was 99. Yes, it was still the first tubular steel. It has history. So that was, to me, a good choice to make it both the last of my double digits and the first of my triple digits. Not that it matters to anybody but me. Enough lines dedicated to my 100th coaster. Seriously, I wasn't thinking about that during the rest of the trip, even though I did spend it with some cool peeps and one of my 2 best friends. The other side was definitly more intense. Was it because it was nite? I dunno, but it was also a little rougher. Oh well, Matterhorn was still sweet, and being in the night riding a partially dark coaster rocks. Heck yeah, I finally conqured something Disney! Okay, again, I forgot what all Disney had to offer. We were going over to do the Kiddie coaster when I saw something else that is impossible to pass up the first time. Another classic, and I dont' think I'll ever get that darn song outta my head... "it's a small world"- Yes it is, but the line wasn't. Again, though, we're at Disney Capacity, so it wasn't a long wait. The ride, however, was about 15 minutes too long for me. Okay, I had to do it once, and I'll probably do Disney Worlds when I get down there. It was funky, and a good family ride. But couldn't they do a remix of that song, just once? Another classic down, and then we were at another coaster. The last tangible Disney credit. The theming was again just superb, even if I'm not an Inspector Gadget fan. Gadget's Go Coaster- Another Rollerskater. It was fun, it was themed, and it was #101. Nuff said, lets move it along. (okay, so it was the best Rollerskater I've ever been on, out of 3). Another funky ride I saw was Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin. I used to love that movie, how would the ride be? Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin- Spinning cars that go thru the track? Flippin Sweet! I loved this! It was again nicely themed, just the right length, and a whole lotta fun. Jamaal was with Bill, Jodi was with Tina behind me, and I was all alone. Yay Spinny Cars! Tons o' fun yet again. Thank you Disney! There were lots of other things I'd like to have done. Didn't do Dumbo, didn't do Snow White's Scarey Adventure, didn't do this, didn't do that. But it was all up to me, as the other 3 had been there all day and were letting me lead the way. That, and Jamaal wasn't so in to Disneyland. So I decided to take us back for a last spin on the Haunted Mansion. But one thing everyone had mentioned was Indy, and how we needed to do that. I thought it was the stunt show. Boy was I wrong. So when we passed by it, they turned me towards that enterance instead. Indiana Jones Adventure- This was the best ride at Disneyland that I rode! You board Jeep like vehicles after the long long themed queue. Then the ride starts. It was amazing, all the effects seemed to be working on time, and I really had a blast in this thing. Second row ride in our 'Jeep'. Heck yeah, I'll do it again in a heartbeat! So that was it. Wr went back by Pirates and Haunted Mansion for pics. But Disneyland was officially closed. The park was ultrasweet, and I can't wait to go back again hopefully next year. Even whith all that I missed, we got do do some importand things. But next year I'll know to schedule more time for Disneyland. We headed up to Jodi's car for some USH Mummy posters she had (thanks again Jodi!) and then Tina and Bill left as well. Jamaal and I were going to eat at Downtown Disney, but our legs hurt too much to walk back. And then we lost our car. Thankfully, we found it just where we had left it (thank Alamo we had a panic button on the keychain). After a quick stop at Carl's Jr. (Hardee's for you east coasters) and their nasty new burger I didn't like (hey, they can't be perfect all the time), we headed back to Motel 6, and I was soon to sleep.

Subtitle: Tekno & Jamaal's SoCal Solace Vacation 3-8-05 It’s kinda odd. After getting back, I was talking to my sister on the phone, which has been to Disney World. I've yet to go to Florida, but when asking me about Disneyland, she mentioned that she always had this idea that Disneyland was old, rundown, and not very nice. What’s odd is that I always felt the same way. Esp. after reading the one of the reasons Walt built Disney World was because he wasn't very happy with motel/hotels and fast food joints going up around Disneyland in Cali. But Anaheim was a very nice place, and I was overly impressed with Disneyland. If Disney World is as good as this (and I've heard it is better), then I'm gonna be happy come October... So after day one, we went to bed early, so naturally I woke up fairly early. Seven A.M. early. Not usual for me. Actually, at 7am in my normal life, I'm just getting off of work and going home. So I asked Jamaal if he wanted to join me for breakfast at the Denny's across the parking lot. He declined, opting to sleep longer instead, but I told him I'd get him some breakfast. I was going to call Tina (coasterqueen) and Bill (rollergator) and ask them if they wanted to join me, since they were staying at Motel 6 as well, but it was early, and I figured I'd just call them after breakfast. so I got ready and traipsed my way over to eat. While eating, I made sure to call Jamaal's sister (3 hours ahead of us) since we couldn't get her on Monday, just to let her know we were okay. After getting something to go for Jamaal, I headed back across the parking lot. It was getting close to 8:30am, and Disney opened at 10, I wanted to be there at or near opening. So I let Jamaal get ready and let him eat as I watched the morning news (nothing new for me, I usually switch between east and west coast news at home, since we have satellite). Then I called Tina. She said that once they got ready, they'd come down, since I still had yet to meet Billy-gator, who was as anxious to finally meet face to face as I was. So, a few minutes later, as we were readying to leave, I get a call from Tina; "Hey, what room did you say you were in again?" "Um, 315, I thought I told you." "Well we're outside the door" Clint opens the door..."No you're not" followed by hysterical laughing on the other end. "Oh my, we must be at different Motel 6s!” "Are you at the one in Anaheim, Tina?" "No, we're near Knott's Berry Farm, 7 miles away!” So there went our morning meet. We were so sure the entire time that we were at the same motel, when we were really a few miles apart, us near Disney, them by Knott's. So we decided to meet at Disneyland later in the day, Tina and Bill were meeting up with Jodi (coastermom), the SoCal ACE rep. Just before 10am we were finally ready. I had ordered special 1-day park hopper tickets for us for $54 a piece, and almost didn't get them in time. We got them the afternoon right before we left, thankfully. So other than parking, we were already set to go. So we got directions to Disney, got a little turned around, but a few minutes later were entering the Anaheim Resort, with Disneyland & DCA as the centerpiece. We paid our $10 for parking and headed to the parking building. So far, everything was up to the standards that I had heard from Disney. During the drive, you finally come upon Disneyland/DCA, and see the Tower of Terror and Maliboomer. It was another exciting moment, much like seeing Cedar Point from the causeway for the first time. After parking, we went down and hopped a tram to the front gate. The front gates were simply Impressive! Downtown Disney was straight ahead, with DCA to the left and Disneyland to the right. It was just after 10am, and everyone had given me the advice to go to DCA first, since we probably wouldn't spend too much time there. How wrong that was! We got into DCA quickly, and headed straight towards the Sun Wheel. Sun Wheel- The Sun Wheel is based on Deano's Wonder Wheel at Coney Island, in NYC and was built by Intamin AG. I was excited to see the swinging cars in motion. This was defiantly the lowest capacity ride in the park, and the line showed that. The Sun Wheel coulda been a lot of fun, but it was just too slow, and it had to stop 2 times during the continuous cycle for scared kids and the like. Woulda, shoulda, coulda been funner. Oh well. I wasn't upset. So after the Sun Wheel, we were close to Maliboomer, a 3-tower S&S shot tower complex. This was wonderful! The wait wasn't long at all, even with only one Tower running. Actually, so far, the park was fairly dead. Maliboomer- I had been on Power Tower at Cedar Point, but I was so nervous that, though it was fun, I didn't enjoy it as much as I should have. I knew what to expect with Maliboomer, however. This was wonderful! The air pop at the top was great. Even with the annoying 'Scream Shields', the ride was fun, and would be worth 2 more re-rides later in the day. So we got off of Maliboomer and wandered around Paradise Pier towards California Screamin'. This was a very nice section of the park. In fact, it could fool you into thinking you were at a small seaside park at the beach. Very nice, clean, and friendly people. But enough of that, it was time for some more Intamin Goodness, this time in the form of a coaster... California Screamin'- This was Number 96. The line was slightly long. We quickly got a fast pass for later, since Moosh gave us the secret on how to exploit those. Then we got in line. They were running, I believe, a green, yellow, and either orange or red train. Maybe they were running orange and red, and not yellow. I don't know. But the line was about 20 min., like that all day. After getting in the station (they were running only one side of that as well), we were put on near the back. We made our way down to the launch area. One thing I noticed was that the soundtrack was also not playing. Oh well. The launch came, which was a nice launch. The coaster was very smooth, and I liked how the LIM lift had the sound of a chain lift to it. It was a fun coaster, not my favorite of the trip, but definitely good and worth a few rides. No head banging, the loop was cool. I'd rate it above average. Points on the launch and themeing to a woody. So we had our ride and our fast pass on Screamin'. What next? Another quick go on Maliboomer. We were put in the same seats, facing the park. I really loved this ride. While walking back thru Paradise Pier, it was time for another coaster. Mulholland Madness was close by, and the only other credit in California Adventure. Even though Jamaal was going to opt out at first, since he said it looked like a kiddie coaster, I explained to him that wild mouse coasters scare me still, and that it was for adults. The fast pass was not available on this, the line was a little long, but we got on. Capacity was good on this ride, however. Mulholland Madness- Defiantly tamed down, but still a really fun mouse. The themeing is cool and the ride is normal wild mouse. We were in the front of our car. There isn't much to say, after a point it is just another wild mouse. I still love 'em, they still kinda scare me. 'Nuff said. So we headed thru the Golden State, past Sunshine Plaza, and into Hollywood Pictures Back lot. We went into the Disney Animation building, but nothing much was going on at the moment, so it was on to the next thing I came to Disney for, Tower of Terror. The scenery beside Aladdin's theater was another forced perspective that was done very well again. So we rounded the street towards the 'Hollywood Tower Hotel'. We got a fast pass for Tower of Terror first, before getting in line, which, again, was very short. It was nearing noon, and still the park was pretty empty. The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror- Flippin Awesome! If the Florida version has more and is 'better', then I need to get my behind to Florida before the end of the year! The tower looked really cool. We saw it from the road outside of the park, and I couldn't tell if it was another hotel, or Tower of Terror till we got closer. We waited a couple minutes and were led into the first room of the preshow. The effects of lightning and the 'Twilight Zone' episode showing the story were both really cool. The boiler room was nicely themed as well. After a few minutes wait, we were led to our elevator. I must say, the special effects that did make it to the California version were impressive. The room turning to a field of stars, everything was cool. I won't give away any surprises, but the first drop caught me off guard, and I was out of my seat almost every drop. This was better than Maliboomer! This was definitely my favorite ride of the trip. I even liked it better than all of the coasters I rode, and some of them will be ranked highly up there! We were in the back row, I was on the end, and the ride just flippin' rocked my sox! Blissful! Whew! That was incredible. So after Tower of Terror, we went back to the Animation building and explored it some more, going thru a few rooms and shows in there. It was a nice break; I highly recommend it for any Disney buffs, and especially artist. Jamaal & I were both Art Honor students, so it was right up our alley. Then we headed to Muppet Vision 3D. I had seen a lot of this as a younger kid, I was interested to see what it was really like. Jim Henson's Muppet Vision 3D- I'm thinking this is just like the one in Florida, but I have no confirmation on that. It was cute, I enjoyed it, esp. the sitting down part. Moosh said it was about 10 minutes too long, and he was half right. It lasted about 5 minutes longer than I had the attention span for. But it was nice to finally see it. Still a better 3D movie than most. We were getting hungry, so we headed over to see what the line for Grizzly River Run, and to find some food along the way. Then I remembered one thing Moosh had said to do as soon as we got into the park, just before the Sun Wheel, which I had forgotten: Get a fast pass for Soarin' over California. Oh my! I know wait times on this are outrageous, so we went to get our fast pass, only to find no line at all! Yippee! Soarin' over California- Soarin' was another awesome experience. I really like that Disney can take things like this and make them into a successful ride. We didn't get into the seats we had been told to ride, so there were feets hanging down above us, but it was still a lot of fun. The ride carriage was interesting to say the least, and it was nice to see some of California that I still have yet to venture to. Overall another winner at Disney's California Adventure. Now when does Soarin' over Florida open? There was a burger joint, the Test Pilot Grill, right beside Soarin' which is where we decided to eat. The touch screen was interesting, and the food was rather good. Jamaal was kinda tired, his sugar was acting up, and he doesn't like to get wet, so I went over to see if I could get in line for Grizzly River Run. Once getting there, I realized that I needed a fast pass, as the line was too long to make Jamaal wait on me, so unbeknownst to me, I took the long way around back to the Pilot's Grill to get my ticket for a fast pass. After getting back, however, the Fast Pass was closed, but there was a single rider line... Grizzly River Run- Yay single rider lines! More rides/parks need this for sure. I got in the line and got right on a raft for the ride. Best Freakin Rapids Ride. Ever! It was very nicely themed, all the way thru. The first drop got me kinda wet, and the last drop finished the job. But it was a blast, the day was rather warm, so it was okay, and I love water rides. This is my new favorite rapids ride! Okay, so I was drenched, but we needed to get to Disneyland. So, just before we left California Adventure (it was about 2pm by this point), we used our Fast Passes for Tower of Terror. Another excellent ride, which I could go on and on about again, but I'll spare you. At one point, however, I was out of my seat once as soon as the drop started, and never touched my seat thru the whole drop/ascent/drop sequence. It was definitely the best air I've ever had! So it was time for a break from California Adventure, so I called Tina. They were in line for 'it's a small world', so she told us to meet her in front of the Castle. So we left Disney's California Adventure and headed to the one, the only, the original...Disneyland!

Subtitle: Tekno & Jamaal's SoCal Solace Vacation 3-7-05 I had planned it for months. I wasn’t planning on it originally, but Mike (boblogone) informed me I needed to go to Knott’s Winter Coaster Solace IV. The original plan for the year was Florida in February and SoCal later in the year for 2 major coaster trips. But one nite in an IM chat, Mike talked me into Solace, so planning begun. One thing about my job now is that I can get off work really easy, and I started accruing leave from the first day I started working (gotta love working for the state). And since the DHHR of West Virginia (the dept. under which the Hospital I work for operates) got a $1000 bonus at the end of last year, I was more than on my way to a SoCal trip fund. So I talked one of 2 best friends into going with me. Jamaal had been to Frisco and Sacramento before to visit his aunt, but that was about 10 years ago, and now we were both adults, and going without parents or restrictions of being children. So after literally months of planning, saving, and hard work Monday and Tuesday nites, Jamaal and I had our trip planned. It was rough at first; we had problems getting the airline tickets thru American Airlines and tickets for Maroon 5’s first concert on their Honda Civic tour. The week leading up to our trip was busy. A couple last minute reservations and almost not getting our ultra cheap Disney/DCA park hopper tickets, and then Saturday started. Saturday was going to be busy, as I had something important at 3pm, and then work that nite, then Sundays, which are always busy for me, and then leaving around 2pm, driving 5 hours to my Grandmothers was grueling. I had about 2 hours of sleep in 2 days, it sucked. But once we got to my sisters to visit, I was okay. Then we headed through town to my Grandmothers house, where I visited a bit, used my brother’s computer (and my brother to do it) so we could check in for our flight the next morning. We decided since it was cheaper, that we would fly from Dulles to L.A. I live about 6 hours from Dulles, but we were able to get to my grandmother’s and stay there the nite before, and she lives just 2 hours from Dulles. So Monday, March 7, we woke up early (though later than we should have), got ready, and headed the 2 or so hours to Dulles Airport outside of Washington, D.C. I have 2 friends that work there (2 brothers, Jon & R.W.), so I was able to get there and park for free thanks to them (I owe them big time!). We got there around 8ish, and our flight was for 9am. We got to the baggage check in about 1 min. before our flight’s cut off (whew!). After hurrying to check in and thru security, we were at our gate. We got in to our plane on time and took our seats near the back. I hadn’t flown in over 14 years, and was excited to take off. Promptly on time, our plane took off. I had almost forgotten how it felt. Our lady pilot must have had a ‘lead foot’, as we took off and arrived 20 minutes early. We would have had almost an hour early arrival, but the pilot had to slow down over the Rockies so that that didn’t happen. The flight was very nice. We flew over the Appalachian Mountains, over the plains of the Midwest, then over the Rockies and Grand Canyon. Our in-flight movie was ‘The Incredibles’, which I had seen and loved. I kept trying to sleep, since I hadn’t slept much the night before, but it was pretty useless. I hated Jamaal for being able to. So instead, I took pics from the air, watched some of the movie, and tried to doze off. Not long before noon we finally arrived at our destination, touching down at LAX. The flight had been fairly turbulent (yay!), and the touchdown was again fun. So after touching down, we went to baggage claim, and then hopped a shuttle to Alamo, where Jamaal had rented the car. Thankfully, the girl at the counter thought he was cute, so we got an upgrade from the economy car to a slightly sportier Cavalier. At least it was comfortable and had a CD player. Oh, and the unlimited mileage was good too, but we’ll get into that later… So we got directions from Sepulveda Blvd. to Universal City for our first park. The ride took about an hour, but it was, according to mOOSh, the long way around. Oh well, we got to see L.A. and the Hollywood sign, so that was cool. After arriving to Universal City, we headed up the hill to park ($10, yikes!), changed cloths, and headed into the park. We entered first into Citywalk, which was neato. Then I gave them my $15 off coupon for admission (thanks again CoasterMom Jodi!). I was impressed by USH. I wasn’t expecting it to be as cool as it was. We passed by the Van Helsing walk thru, which was only operating at certain times, and not at this point, so I looked at our map and decided that we should head down the hill towards Mummy, our fist coaster of 2005. Can you say ‘Escalator’? I’d never been to a park with so many of these before. It was odd going down the mountain side to the lower level of the park, but once down there, we saw ‘Revenge of the Mummy’ and ‘Jurassic Park’ rides. Of course, we headed to Mummy. The line was about a 5 to 10 minute wait, but we weren’t allowed to pick our seat. The queue of Mummy was highly themed, with booby traps and a pre-show. We got into the loading station and got in next to the back of the car, which was rather comfy. Then it was into the themed section of the ride. Revenge of the Mummy- I won’t give away any of the ride, but it had some good special effects in the first themed part of the ride. The launch was cool, as well as the launch backwards. I do wish that it was a bit longer, but the ride was really good. The animatronics and such were working correctly, the sound was working, and the last room was neat, even though the ending was slightly a let down. Still a great coaster, #95 for me and first of the year. That was a lot of fun, and I appreciated the free (for an hour) lockers located there, even if we did leave our stuff in over an hour and had to pay. So next, Jamaal needed food and I was rather hungry, so we went to the Jurassic Park Café for some grub. Although expensive (shoulda took advantage of the $20 all you can eat all day deal they offered), the food was good. I had a large soft chocolate chip cookie, a grilled chicken sandwich with fries, and a peach Arbor Mist Chardonnay. After eating, I noticed that we just happened to be sitting very near to Jurassic Park- The Ride. I’d wanted to do this for quite some time, and was told we wouldn’t get very wet, so we gave it a shot. It was nearly a walk on, so we hopped into the back seat of our boat. Jurassic Park: The Ride- The ride was very nicely themed, and all the effects were working well. The only thing that didn’t seem ‘on time’ was the falling Jeep. I was kind of amazed at the forced perspective as you get near the top of the lift. I guess because of it being darker in there, I was fooled. The T-Rex were cool in the building, as well as the Raptors and smaller dinos outside jumping thru ‘boats’ and fighting over popcorn. The last T-Rex (won’t spoil it for anybody who hasn’t been on yet) was working great as well. We didn’t get very wet on the drop, which was a good thing even though the day was hot. All in all, I was not disappointed. There were quite a few decent attractions on the lower level of the park. After taking a few more pictures, we did the Backdraft effects show, which was also very interesting. I jumped at the end when the ceiling came down. After Backdraft we once again got in the very short line for Mummy. During our time in the station house, I heard the ride ops say “Welcome to Superman: The Escape”, which was kinda funny. The ride ops looked more like Pirates, though. The second ride was just as fun from the second row. I liked the ride, and can’t wait to try the different Florida version some day soon. So after spending some time at the lower end of the park we headed back to the first level. The first attraction we did at the top of the park was Van Helsing: Fortress Dracula. More parks need walk thru attractions, but… Van Helsing: Fortress Dracula- They should be slightly better than this. Don’t get me wrong, the actual themeing was good, the rooms were filled with sets and effects, and there were Scaractors in there as well. The last huge guy did scare me a bit. But the attraction falls short. You know there is someone lurking around because there is a Scaractor ‘guard’ standing around each scare actor. It could have been better if it was actually more ‘PG-13’ like advertised, instead of a neutered PG. After that, it was getting late. The park closed at 6pm, and we had to make a decision on either watching Waterworld, which I really wanted to do, or the Studio Tour, which we decided upon. It was an hour tour, but very worth it. Universal Studios Studio Tour- This was the best part of the park, and I loved the rest of the park. The tour goes thru many things such as the subway scene, the King Kong scene, which I was really happy about since I didn’t get to do Kongfrontation at USF, as well as the Mexican town with a flash flood, and many other things. Jaws was fun to finally see, even if the Shark needed some skin work. One of the last things we saw was a just added scene from the forthcoming ‘War of the Worlds’ remake. It looks like this might be a good film. Jamaal took pictures and filmed quite a bit. We both enjoyed the Back lot tour. I had wanted to do Terminator and Shrek as well, but we didn’t have enough time. We did opt for Back to the Future: The ride, and I’m happy with that choice. Back to the Future: The Ride- I had and have heard bad things about the ride, but it was still fun for a first time. The queue was nicely themed, the pre-show was funky, and the actual simulator was pretty good with the movement and fog, etc. A fun ride, but something I could skip the next time. At this point, the park was closing, and my Cell was dying. But we were making plans to hook up with Matthew (Mamoosh) for dinner. I called Matthew and he called me, but we were at different parts of the park. After finally meeting (for the first time) we said our introductions, and M@ took us into Hollywood. We parked near the Kodak theater, which we walked thru part of, and down by the Chinese Theater, which was beautiful, as well as the Disney owned theater. I still didn’t get to see Janet Jackson’s star on the walk of fame, but we did see Michael’s (whatever) and ate at Hamburger Hamlet’s across from the Chinese Theater. Dinner with Matthew was very nice; I really appreciated it, and owe him big time once he gets back to the east coast. The food was good, and though I’d have liked to spend more time hanging with him, we had to get some sleep. So we opted to call it a nite and headed to Anaheim to our Motel 6. We talked to Tina (coasterqueenTRN) and Billiam (rollergator) who were staying at our motel…or were they? After a new episode of 24, I fell fast asleep. Day one was over. Universal Studios was great, Dinner with Mooshy was great, and sleep was even grater, after only about 6 hours of sleep in the previous 3 days.

Em is a far cry from a musician. I'll give it to him that he is a good rapper, but he isn't a musician, he dosen't play insturments, and dosen't sing. I wasn't talking about his current little lullaby to his lil girl (and he does mention killing the jewler, or at least hurting the jewler), but on his first album, he and his little girl 'killed' kim in a song. I don't 'think' he grew up in a middle class family, he admitted that himself, so I'm not 'stupid' for stating an obvious fact. Rap was fun when it was a bunch of thugs rapping about life in the hood because it was rebellous, but when it became some tired old white man rapping about 'ho's', 'cash', and what not, it lost that charm (and I ain't talkin bout Em here either, so don't crap your pants fanboy). Rap was fine when it was rebellous, now it is a shell of its former self. Where is Salt n Peppa, NWA, Public Enemy, MC Lyte, and 2Pac when you need em?

Edited Post (by TeknoScorpion): After doing some calling and research at 3am my time, midnite Vegas time, I found out that if anybody is planning on riding Insanity on March 10th, you'll want to change your plans . It will be a party for Press and contest winners (and probably employees?), but the ride opens @ 10am on Friday, March 11th to the GP (hey, thats us!).

No, its just that (no offense here) I'm not 14 anymore, and I can tell the difference between good music and popular music.

My last name is Beavers, so can I have mine as 'Beaver Hunter'? Seriously, my last name is Beavers.

Good Charolette. Why? Well, besides the fact that they suck, How can you make a song about how celebraties do nothing but 'piss & moan' on "Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous", and then turn around lately and make a song about how you 'just wanna live', complaining about how people won't leave your famous life alone? Hypocrites! Simple Plan. Why? Okay, you hated your dad, and you were a middle class teenager that had no real problems but you do nothing but whine because you got picked on. Big Freakin Deal! It's called life, and now you're making money off of whining (see also-Good Charolette). Matallica. Why? Sell outs to the Nth degree. They sold out years ago, their bassist left them for it, and I hate them for how hypocritical they were about Napster. Like they're still not millionares. Eminim. Why? See Simple Plan and add in that he can make jokes about anybody, but God forbid someone poke fun at him, they're terrible if they do! Oh, and anybody that sings a 'lullaby' to their daughter about killing people need not have unsupervised visitation. Plus I'm sick of hearing about his mom that didn't take care of him (even though he grew up very middle class), his dad that didn't love him (get over it after 3 decades), and his ex wife that was screwed up in the first place, then he married, and divorced in less than a year. Didn't he expect her to be this way? Get over it!!!

I'm 24, and my first coaster was Scooby Doo's Ghoster Coaster @ PKD or slighly possibly Lil' Eagle @ MBP.

Brian, Goldeneye=Best 1st person Shooter. Ever(sorry robb ). Any time you can be James Bond and kill people that have huge heads with paintballs is a fun time had by all.

Season 4, any favorites?

Jehovah's Witness, bet you didn't expect that here . Commence bashing, I'm used to it by now...

March-USH, Disneyland, Vegas, Maroon 5 the nite before...Solace, Coaster Bash May-Annual spring PCar trip, may hit Dorney, SFGAdv, and Hershey later that month June-Kennywood, PKI & SFKK & Holiday World more than likely, and/or a trip to Mass for SFNE and a few others if my sister's family goes in June. July-Camden Park, Dollywood August-possible alternate for possible Mass trip, PKD & SFA & BGW I'm hoping, CP & GL during dead week. Sept-Myrtle Beach, alternate PKD & SFA & BGW trip Oct-SFoG & Florida & Wild Adventures Dec-annual Dollywood in December, then save up more $$$ for Japan & Europe/Africa in mid/late 2006

I never did get into Sega. I had just about every Nintendo system, which, for some reason, stopped with the Cube, just havent' gotten around to it yet. I may get a DS, but I'll probably wait for their next gen system. I have a PS2 now, that I hardly play. I just borrowed Vice City and am enjoying that as much as I loved GTA3, but I like classics myself. Of course, I played my N64 nite and day with Mario 64 and Zelda and Golden Eye...

And here I thought the hardest to get 'credit' would be Orphan Rocker...Maybe if you guys beg and plead, you can get it whilst in Ozland?

Robb, what is your fav. video game (since you are in the industry...imagine my suprise to read an interview with Robb Alvey that doesn't mention coasters )? I have to say, Tetris, Mario 64, RCT 2(of course), and some Mortal Kombat and GTA games are at the top of my list. How bout you? And does Elissa Game as well (are either of you 'gamers' for that matter?)?

This past summer, while @ Geauga Lake for the first time, I hit up Dominator, and then ran (well, walked) over to Sup...err...Steel Venom for a first ride. Having just rode Wicked Twister the day before, I was excited to ride an Impulse with a holding brake. So we launched up, I was in the front by myself, then we came back and launched up the back spike. Again up the twisty spike, and then up the back spike. But something was kinda weird. We hit the Mag Brake to hold us there, and it was like it cought, and then released. I just thought "it seemed like it held you longer when I was watching from the ground..." So we coast back thru the station for another trip up the twisty spike...and stop. I was in the front, and the only person that was just past the concrete walkway, so I had quite a ways to the ground. The ride ops yelled and asked if everyone was okay, and told us it'd be a few min. After about 6 or 8 min. we started moving back. Don't know if it was an E-stop, or what, but it was kinda weird. Rode it 2 more times that day without problems.

Camden. havent' been in years, hope to remedy that this summer (still need the credits.) But, eventhough I live in WV, I consider PCar my home park, as I'm close and hit it up annually.