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Even though I'm rather past the age of the whole "Nick Universe" thing, I wouldn't mind checking out the Spongebob coaster (I like them Eurofighters). Is the shooting dark ride still there? Nice work, Kara--excellent TR.

Yes, long live Flight Deck! All must praise its holy name! Sigh! I remember when Marriott's Great America used to be fun.

Well, this will finish off this TR. Really. . . . but she's still one of the most photogenic coasters around. Thanks for reading. . . . and she can be a bit rough from time to time . . . Yeah, Nessie isn't the tallest or the fastest . . . And finally, the Loch Ness Monster, where all this "ERT" business began--at least according to this plaque. Remember to smile for the camera here. Apollo terrorizes the Roman Rapids. . . . and Angle 2. One hump from two angles. Angle 1 . . . And there's always Apollo's Chariot. Here we see the initial plunge toward "Lake Fabio" from the Rhine River Cruise. People used to stand watch the preshow video, once upon a time. Now they just file past it. Sigh . . . There's always DarKastle. . . . or not. Well, East Coast trippers, they should have BBW sorted out by August. But if not you can always go shopping for your very own wolf hat . . . This is an unusual picture of the Big Bad Wolf today because there are actually people in the trains. They were cycling empty ones most of the day. It broke down again about ten minutes after I took this one.

More from Passholder Preview Day, which is in no way to be confused with Passover. Here's a bit of park trivia for you. The Catapault used to be indoors where Castle O'Sullivan is now, when Killearney was still "Hastings." They used to project pictures of the Battle of Hastings on the walls as you spun around. One more batch of photos to come. . . . absolutely nothing is happening at the moment. But these Roman Rapids runners may be the gutsiest of them all. And what about all those permits BGE applied for that are causing so much speculation? Well, I can tell you, without fear of contradiction that . . . How about the "testicular fortitude" displayed by this young man on Escape from Pompeii? But what about water rides on this chilly day, you may ask. Well, there were some brave souls on LeScoot. . . . Alpie flips you off. A brief "brake," then . . . That's inversion number 2, which in no way is meant to imply any other sort of "number 2." Alpie was fine, but it seemed a bit more "out of control" last season. Those of you with "unusual body proportions" might want to note this sign. Just a suggestion. Not much of a line for Alpengeist yet. . . . and kersploosh! (Note the intrepid kid on the left on this chilly day.) Up and over, around and down . . . OK, off you go! Wait for it! OK, I've toyed with you long enough. Here's what you came to see.

Well, it's March, a Sunday, temperatures are in the 40s, and it's raining, which can mean only one thing: time for Euroburg's Passholder Preview Day! Yes, I can't remember a preview day when it wasn't cold and damp (hell, it snowed a bit last year). But tradition is tradition, so off I went, and it turned out to be plenty of fun, with a moderate crowd and just two glitches: 1) the Big Bad Wolf kept breaking down, possibly because it was off its medication, and 2) DarKastle went a bit out of sync, which happens to the best of us from time to time. So, I thought I'd whet the appetite of you East Coast trippers a bit--here's a look at Euroburg on Sunday, March 16, 2008. "General Lee will not tolerate any brawling in this park, suh." And being as this is Virginia, we all must do what General Lee says. More to come. As long as you don't get all beered up and start a brawl. . . . and eat a nutritious lunch. . . . after you pay due respect to Huge Hummel Boy . . . Well, I guess you could go and ride stuff. . . How about some polka ERT? No? I know! Barbeque ERT! Perfect! You can cook for thousands of people! You could toss a stray relative to these hungry wolves. Or you could listen to the singers in Killearney as they perform their wee hearts out for ye. What? Too cool for that? Well, maybe you can play with this dog. . . . or play with these adorable little signs! Yes, garden-shop ERT would, indeed, rock. Just think! The whole shop to yourselves, where you can check out fancy birdhouses . . . And there's the new garden shop! Maybe you guys will get garden-shop ERT! (BTW, the woman in gray is Irma.) So, what's new at BGE this season? Well, Guest Relations is now over there. Yep--there's Chico. You guys might bump into Chico at BGE. But I can't promise that. Hey, looks like my neighbors Chico and Irma are here. Let's see--TPR hoodie over long-sleeved shirt, water-repellent jacket? Check, ready to roll.

I wonder if all the new plans they've announced have something to do with it. A lot of people might be waiting for the dust to settle from the new construction. It'll be interesting to see how many people Toy Story Mania brings in.

^I think the "flop" perception comes from how Disneyland outpulls its neighbor by nearly three to one. EDIT: Ya beat me to it, Jon.

Good boy--you can have a cookie.

Happy Birthday to the woman who guided us safely through a typhoon in Japan. See ya in June.

^I wouldn't expect much, being as Busch just applied for the permits. They may have started clearing out the old walls and animal pens, but probably not much more than that.

^I imagine BGE will coast on Griffon for another season or two. And while a new kid's area doesn't do much for me, it's probably a good move for the park (KD actually has more extensive offerings for small fry). My coworkers who have children often complain that the park could use more stuff for kids (especially after sacrificing the Le Mans Raceway for Griffon). Using the Sesame Street characters would make sense, too. Time will tell.

Congratulations on snagging the Tobaggan credit. I last rode one of those things at the Stanislaus County Fair (in swingin' Turlock, Calif.) back when I was in high school (a faraway decade called "the Seventies"). The scariest part, to me, was the lift tube, which reeked of cigarettes, dust, and urine (in other words, typical carny smells).

^^He used to be in the Festhaus once upon a time, but he never talked--unless you'd downed lots of Busch products and found yourself talking to him.

I'll definitely have to put West Coast Bash on my radar screen for next year. January's DVD party was my first visit to SFMM in 30 years, and I was pretty impressed with what the park did for our much smaller group. They really are on the right track.

Eagle Fortress does look completely insane; it was a pity I couldn't do the Korea add-on last year (but I did have to get back after being gone nearly a month). It does look like it could be a BBW beater (the best of the suspended coasters I've ridden). I understand the problems of ranking hundreds of coasters (my count is around 280, and I had problems myself). I'm only fairly sure of my top 20 and bottom 10 (everything in the middle tends to run together).

Hummel Boy used to move. He could swing his arms back and forth and shake his head. It was quite frightening, actually. Then his motor burned out, and that was that.

Too bad--KD's Rebel Yell is OK forwards, but rather terrifying backwards.

Another family coaster would be nice, but I think it could use a first-class flume (or even rapids) ride. Gilroy is one hot place during the summer.

I hope this park survives. It's actually a very nice place, especially for families.

I vote for "Sesame Street Wicked Woods," with Big Bird as Jack the Ripper, Bert and Ernie as Druids, and Elmo as a body snatcher.

^Chickens are farm animals. Chickens have wings. Ergo, BGE will build a woodie next year. Please try to be more specific.

^Well, your agent should've negotiated for "Special Guest Star" billing.

Did you mean "leery" (also spelled "leary") of woodies, meaning "suspicious" or "wary," or were you really tired of them? Jahan, this has been one excellent TR (but yours always are).

According to this morning's Newport News Daily Press, BGE wants to build on what used to be the Royal Reserve Petting Zoo, between the England sky-ride entrance and Escape from Pompeii. This is about 1 1/2 acres, so if I were a betting man, I'd put my money on a new area for kids. This is spot is currently the home of Howl-o-Scream's "Wicked Woods" maze--and before that, "Sea Dog Cemetery." The petting zoo was shut down a few years ago.

Knowing Busch, they won't announce anything before fall--they're pretty good at keeping plans under wraps.