cfc

Yes, it is Screamin', but the two Rock'n'Roller Coasters and Space Mountain in Paris are also launched rides. Or were you referring to just the California parks?

So much of Phantasialand just ruled--especially River Quest, Winjas, and the awe-inspiring (if difficult to find) Hollywood Tour. Who can forget Hollywood Tour's re-creation of that unjustly neglected classic "King Kong v. PT 109"?

The park's Web site says "Opening Soon," but I think it's said that for over a year, at least.

OK, I have found three other places where "Robb and Elissa Are Not." By some strange quirk of fate, all of them are located in Firebaugh, Calif. Robb and Elissa are not: 3. enjoying a nice carnitas platter with rice and refried beans at this restaurant. Hmm--I wonder where else Robb and Elissa are not? 2. shopping for high-end merchandise in this local emporium; or 1. taking a refreshing dip in the community swimming pool;

There must've been some federal law that required each state to have a Christmas-themed amusement park. When I was a kid we had Santa's Village, which I think was in the hills near Santa Cruz, Calif. My family has old home-movie footage of it somewhere.

Sherlock Holmes once said, "Once you eliminate the impossible, what ever remains, how ever improbable, must be the truth." So, perhaps we can determine where Robb and Elissa are by first determining where they are not. Robb and Elissa are not: 3. under my house. Tune in later for another thrilling installment of "Where Robb and Elissa Are Not." 2. in my dishwasher; or 1. in Angus McNasty's cat bed;

^I tend to agree. Thank you for sharing the information, but, most likely, this thread will degenerate into a lot of gassing off about "stupid woman, blah. blah, blah" or "stupid park, blah, blah, blah." That being said, I'll leave the thread unlocked for now. But if it degenerates into complete stupidity, it will be locked. And as for my take on this, if the bench was seriously defective, the park is at fault--and the case will probably be settled out of court.

^And to be fair to the ride ops at Grizzly, a lot of the group did descend on them there at the same time. Still, they seemed pretty puzzled by the "exit passes."

This trip sounds like the coolest birthday present ever.

Those barrels in Flight of Fear's queue are actually part of a Haunt maze--they never took it down after setting it up in October 2007. It really screws up FoF's queue.

Just got my Bag 'o' Crap from the caption contest! Woo hoo! Thank you, Robb and Elissa.

I moved to Virginia from California in the mid 1980s and found Kings Dominion to be, at least, on par with Busch Gardens in Williamsburg; in fact, KD may have had a slight edge, thanks to Rebel Yell and Grizzly (which were both excellent rides then) and a good selection of rides for the whole family (particularly the Haunted River and the Smurf Mountain train ride, which were both where Volcano is located today). But since then, the equation has changed. BG steadily improved and developed a solid selection of coasters (Drachen Fire being one misstep) and a world-class dark ride (Curse of DarKastle), while KD has, frankly, fallen behind--especially when it comes to customer service, food, and atmosphere. That being said, I do enjoy visiting KD. The park is at its best in the springtime, before the temperatures become brutal and the crowds too large (the staff is usually happiest then, too). And Haunt, while cheesy, is fun. Dominator and Volcano are great rides, Flight of Fear is good, and Scooby Doo's Haunted Mansion is a decent shooting dark ride. But the quality drops off quite steeply after that, I think. The park just seems so "generic" now.

What is this? ET--Master Ninja? Really, it looks like a whole army of alien ninjas are out to kick our butts and insert probes into unmentionable places.

Apparently like this:

My god, do you realize the implications of this? If tacos could walk and were as big Great Danes, they'd wipe us out within a month! With jogging chili rellenos as their allies, there'll be no stopping them!

Anaconda--all that kindling going to waste. Yes, Lou and Steve's Bandit on-ride video must be shared with the world.

Wow--Sea World's Manta theming is more immersive than I thought.

Much better than anything in the actual movie.

^Because you went to bed two hours too late the night before. Why is a "free" range chicken so expensive?

^Yeah--especially the ones who go around eating brains and ripping out people's guts.

Happy Birthday, Kristin! Enjoy your "walking on a curb" ERT. "Bestest thing ever!"

^You caught me. I'm actually a homeless guy who lives on the Universal Backlot. I scrounge through City Walk dumpsters for food, and after midnight the local bartenders sell me the runoff from their bars all mixed together in one enormous jug (great buzz for only a quarter). My summer home is the wrecked plane on the War of the Worlds set. ^^And, Robb, it's always about the bush with you, isn't it? I'm glad that you recognize the important role the bush plays in scrubbing our atmosphere of greenhouse gases.

^None of my coworkers who lived up in Richmond made it to work today--I'd heard it was pretty bad up there.

Glad that Abra is staring to "get" Disney, Matt. Next time, you and I have to hit that microbrewery.

As many of you are aware, the East Coast has been getting clobbered by snow recently--even as far south as Virginia. Now Virginians, as a rule, hate snow, are totally paranoid about it, and will close down all the schools is they see as much as a quarter inch of the fluffy white stuff. Sure does make Williamsburg look purty, though. I decided to take a little walk during my lunch hour and take some pictures of Colonial Williamsburg (CW). Join me, won't you, as we amble back to the 18th century--sort of. What? They didn't have John Deere tractors in the 18th century! Bad show! Thanks for reading. There are usually sheep in this pasture, but, unlike the cow, they had the brains enough to stay in the barn. I rather liked this tree. Not sure why now. Luckily, my mouthpiece was able to plea insanity in time for me to go back to work. (The Courthouse is right next to the stocks.) On second thought, maybe not. It's a lousy day to be out in the stocks. Aha! The Powder Magazine! I shall get me hence, secure arms, and foment a rebellion! Looking down DOG Street at the Colonial Capital. If you come here in the summer, you can see Benedict Arnold take this building in the name of King George. Bastard! This cow, not so much. Even so, this dog is totally into it. As you've probably guessed, it's pretty damn cold (wind chill was in the teens). This is the Governor's Palace. He has lots of guns and a ballroom; so, people have to dance the minuet there at gunpoint. Nor at the bazaar. Hmm--not a lot of business at the garden shop today. . . . complete with an 18th-century graveyard. This is Bruton Parish Church (Episcopalian). Unlike most of the buildings in CW, this isn't a reproduction. It's the real deal . . . One of CW's sidestreets. There is nothing down there. Really. Well, there is Matthew Whaley Elementary School. So, I guess there's something. My bad. Looking down Duke of Gloucester Street. If you want to sound like a "cool" local, call it "DOG Street." CW's upscale shopping center, Merchants Square, and beyond that, the Wren Building of the College of William & Mary. (Hmm--no outdoor dining at the Trellis today.) This is the reconstructed Eastern State Hospital, an 18th-century insane asylum. (NCSC is built on what used to be its graveyard.) HBO shot some of the "John Adams" miniseries here. In the spring. With fake snow. . . . and to our honored Confederate dead. (Yeah, every town in Virginia has one of these monuments about every 20 yards or so.) I stopped to pay homage to this casualty of the storm . . . Off we go to CW--by way of this little park (which will be loaded with obnoxious school groups eating box lunches come spring). A car once plowed into this sign--the car got the worst of it. I work here at the National Center for State Courts. The doors, which operate on a timer, opened about 20 minutes late this morning, thanks to a computer snafu. The neighborhood--a lot of people were off work today (especially if they worked in Richmond). First stop, my house. And car. And bush.