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Very cool, Jeff, for a cheap credit whore. Your picture on the Dragon coaster is a classic. For me, the best thing at Mall of America is the log ride, but I haven't visited there since the 1990s.

Hi Scott, Well, my postcard arrived, but I had a little trouble getting it, as you will see below. Chuck "So, this be yer postcard, sez you? Gimme all yer doubloons, and we'll see, sez I!" Stupid Blackbeard!

Wow--that looks pretty impressive! Very nicely themed. I didn't realize that you were seated on either side of the track, either. Thanks for the pictures.

I caught the Blue Man Group's show in NYC a few years back and thought it was hilarious. Might be worth catching this version next October. Thanks for the TR, Eric.

^Bizarre, indeed. There goes my theory that it was Kenny Loggins's cover of the theme from The Munsters.

I did a little research. The show lasted two seasons--season 1 used SFOT, while season 2 used Coney Island in Cincinnati (or so Wikipedia claims).

I have yet to visit any Texas parks, even though I've always wanted to check out Six Flags--because it was the official theme park of the Banana Splits. (Boy, does that date me.) Six Flags Over Texas looks great. So, what is this "Fantastic Journey" dark ride all about, Jim?

^Nah--they play that while your waiting for Flight of Fear at KD, along with the theme from Green Acres.

Silver Comet looks great--as does that beef sandwich with the fennel seeds. O-o-o-o-o-o . . . fennel seeds . . .

^Ren and Stimpy blew the lid off that story years ago--all left socks are transported through "the hideous vortex of the black hole" and deposited on a distant planet where our physical laws don't apply. So, rest easy.

As long as the resort doesn't discriminate against paying guests regardless of race, creed, color, or ethnic origin, there's absolutely nothing wrong with their policy. Locals will just have to pay and and stay there like any out-of-town guest, so there's no discrimination here. Plenty of folks in Williamsburg give weekends at the local Great Wolf Lodge, which has an indoor water park, to their families as Christmas presents.

They were at Oakwood Lake, as I recall. Used to have a great inner-tube rapids ride, too.

Fixed Double fixed.

^^There's quite a bit more to the Mariners Museum. It's nirvana for model-ship fans.

We continue our tour of the Monitor Center. Thanks for reading. The Monitor's turret is in this huge tank, where it must be treated and preserved for a number of years before going on display. Don't drop the anchor yet! Old Glory waves from her stern. I can tell you for a fact that this bell is very loud. Shall we take a stroll on the deck? Here's the Monitor's actual prop. You know, it's really dangerous to play with guns. It must've been pretty loud when these gears were turning. And here's a cutaway view of the turret when it was brand spankin' new in 1862. Here's how the turret looked when they pulled it from the sea. Hmm--the Monitor's quarters were a bit nicer than I would've expected (at least for the officers).

The remnants of Tropical Storm Barry hit southeastern Virginia last night, and it's been raining most of the day. So much for the yardwork I had planned to do. What a bitter disappointment. So, I decided this was a good day to check out the new Monitor Center at the Mariners Museum in Newport News. The museum is the official home of the artifacts of the first Union ironclad warship, which makes sense because the first battle of the ironclads (the Monitor v. the CSS Virginia, the first confederate ironclad) took place in Hampton Roads (just a few miles away). The battle itself was a draw because neither ship had enough firepower to sink the other, but it did signal the end of the wooden warship (wood just couldn't beat iron). The new center is something the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C., would be proud to have. It's chock full of re-creations of both ships, actual artifacts (such as the Monitor's prop and gun turret), and some nice multimedia and interactive features (you can even design your own ironclad). It's definitely worth a look if you're in the area. Here are some photos. Unlike the Monitor, shown here, the "Awesome" has two turrets. More pics to come. Ha! Prepare to feel the wrath of the "USS Awesome," Johnny Reb! I took at stab at designing my own ironclad. How did I do? This theatre features an impressive multimedia re-creation of the big battle. These giant gears rotate when the Monitor's turret is in action. My, that's an awfully big gun you have there. And here it is--sort of. This Confederate sailor invites to see the inside of the Virginia. The CSS Virginia was originally the USS Merrimack, a wooden ship. These rather pale gents are turning her into an ironclad. This signal light was the last thing the Monitor's tow ship, the Rhode Island, saw when the ironclad went to visit Davy Jones. They re-create the storm off Cape Hatteras, N.C., that sank the Monitor (this spot is known as the "Graveyard of the Atlantic"--the cape, not the theatre). . . . to enter the exhibit. You walk past the Monitor's actual anchor . . . But why the hell are these sprinklers on? Barry is being quite generous with all his rain, you know. At least all the rain is good for the landscaping. Newport News's Mariners Museum is in the grip of Barry! Oh my God!

Hmm--they probably assumed you were a terrorist operative who was "casing" the carnival as a prelude to a future attack when that same carnival sets up in the same place at some undisclosed time. Either that, or you were photographing the Zipper so that you could copy its design for some other nefarious scheme! Perhaps there's a big black market for Zippers and Tilt-a-Whirls.

Glad you enjoyed your time in the U.S., Soren--y'all come back now, hear? Nice job, Erik. I'm glad to hear that the Haunted Mansion is fianlly getting the refurb it so desperately needs. I preferred it slightly to the West Coast version until I saw (well, mostly heard) what a state it had fallen to last October.

Are you sure you weren't at Kings Dominion? I was waiting to enter KD last year (it was pretty slow getting through the metal detectors that day), and witnessed a very unpleasant shouting match between a guest and KD cast member. Not a great way to start the day. Hearing about an incident like this at DL is pretty distressing; then again, our whole society is going that direction--anything goes as long a) you don't get caught, or b) you can shout or bully your way out of it.

Maybe Edgar Winter could do a benefit concert at Hershey for the albino squirrels. Whew! Quite a whirlwind tour there, Scott! I live in Virginia, and I still haven't hit the Pennsylvania parks.

Lots of good pictures--maybe a few too many, but all good. Sometimes, they do "overtrim" Apollo; other days, they don't. (That first drop following the turnaround is like having the floor drop out from under you.) You're off to a good start on your TRs here. I think I would cut down a bit on the number of pictures and use a bit more narrative and captions to describe the day (but that's just me). Looking forward to seeing more from you.

You two sure crammed in a lot! London is a wonderful city. Although I liked most of Blackpool's coasters, Valhalla and the dark rides make that park really stand out.

^You can have Hypersonic with my blessing.

^Ah ha! Another one of those closet Drachen Fire fans!

I love touristy cave tours. Had to miss Dollywood a few weeks back and settle for a few hours at Carowinds, but I'm glad your crew had a good time, Eric.