cfc

You know, that was almost funny enough to have been one of the trailers in Grindhouse. Now, if they had put "Machete" in that flick, they'd really have something.

I'd like to hit the Ohio parks sometime this summer, but my fiendish plans keep changing, James. I'll be in touch.

Griffon has upped the ante for BGE's coasters--it's a great, smooth ride, but Sheikra does have that cool drop through the ruins (call it a wash there). And DarKastle is fun (and, let's say it, even if it isn't as good as IOA's Spider-man). I guess what you need other than the coin toss is to figure out what sort of vacation you want. If you want to go theme-park crazy (and who on this site doesn't), head for Florida. If you want a good mix of stuff--theme parks (Kings Dominion is only a little over an hour north of Williamsburg), historical sites (Colonial Williamsburg, Jamestown, Yorktown), and the beach (Va. Beach is only about an hour away)--then you should consider Virginia. Hope this helps.

It all depends on what you're looking for. BGE is a much prettier park in a nicer location, while BGA has a larger assortment of coasters. I lean toward my home park, but only ever so slightly.

^^If you're sitting on the ends in the very back, you can experience a little splash. And after you make the turn toward the station, you do cruise through a little refreshing mist.

I was pleasantly surprised with this park (and especially Wild One), too--and I might even check it out again this season if that Skull Mountain thing ever gets up and running. (Even Mind Eraser wasn't as bad as I'd feared.) Good pics, as usual, Derek.

OK. I was at the park too! Too funny. I didn't even see you. But I was only there 10-Noon to get my flyer and Top Gun fixes. Funny--I was there from 1:00 to 4:00 (posted a TR yesterday).

^When I was at Carowinds last Sunday, the longest wait for for Borg--30 minutes with two-train operations. This was better than I had expected.

Alpengeist has chronic stacking problems--I'm not sure why. Apollo was bad last year, but has been better this year.

I believe it is a ghost or a screaming spirit. Yep--a generally female spirit, with a rather high-pitched scream, who arrives when someone is about to die in Irish mythology. Disney's Darby O'Gill and the Little People has a very freaky scene featuring a banshee (scared the hell out of me when I was a kid).

I was in western North Carolina over the weekend to visit some old friends, and decided to take a side trip to Charlotte on the way back to Virginia to hit Carowinds. I last visited the park during Winterfest a couple of years ago, and the only coaster running on that rather frigid evening was Top Gun. So, Maxx Pass in hand, I cruised down to Carowinds to check out more of the park's hot coaster action. This was a pretty quick stop--I didn't make it to the park until 1:00 pm (Sunday, May 20), and I wanted to be out of there no later than 4:00 for the nearly six-hour drive back to Williamsburg. Call it a wee bit of sad-and-pathetic credit whoring--good thing it was a slow day at Carowinds. My impressions? Carowinds is nice-enough park, with one great coaster (Top Gun), one "interesting" coaster (Borg), and a bunch of average-to-mediocre coasters. Here they are, from best to worst. Top Gun--This smooth-as-glass B&M inverted is CW's best by a country mile. I love the layout, and I think it lasts just about long enough. It's a better ride than BGE's Alpengeist. Thunder Road--Well, y'all, this here woodie shore looks a lot like somethin' in Virginny called the Rebel Yell. It races forwards and bass ackwards, and the only way y'all can get a decent picture of it is from the water park--jest like Rebel Yell. An enjoyable ride, with some pops of air (but a bit "bouncy"). Borg Assimilator-- This Vekoma flyer was the longest wait on a pretty slow day--30 minutes with two-train operation. It's fairly intense and nicely themed, but definitely has the "Vekoma rattle." I prefer its slightly smoother cousin at Six Flags America (Batwing). Carolina Cyclone--This is an old Arrow with two loops and corkscrews and a Helix of Death finish. And, you know, it wasn't that bad--not smooth, certainly, but I didn't leave with a pounding headache. Carolina Goldrusher--Arrow strikes again, this time with a mine-train coaster and two lifthills. This little family coaster is fun, but a little rough, and it has a surprising, high-speed finish. Adults might want to be careful of their knees, though--I banged mine up a bit on this sucker. Vortex--Well, I have reached one conclusion: Stand ups, as a group, simply aren't very good. This B&M with its Nutcracker restraints is not too sweet, and it's a headbanger to boot. Cedar Fair could make a fortune selling athletic cups emblazoned with the Vortex logo. Runaway Reptar--This is a Vekoma kiddie inverted, which seems to hate kids (as well as adults). Well, might as well get those young enthusiasts indoctrinated into the cult of hang 'n' bang early, I guess. The park gets pretty good marks for operations--all the coasters I rode (except Reptar, of course), were running two trains, and waits were pretty minimal (except for Borg, which I think they were running as well as they could). I didn't ride the following due to lack of time, interest, or both: Hurler, Ricochet, and Super Saturator. And now, the photos--enjoy. . . . don't bother, they're here. Thunder Road says "hey," Rebel Yell. Thanks for reading. Send in the clones . . . . . . on Top Gun. Yes, it's "Mission Accomplished" . . . Grr! Me little baby Vekoma! Still beat you up good! . . . yadda, yadda, yadda, you have been assimilated. Yes, resistance is futile . . . blah, blah, blah . . . Well, it's time to add my biological and technological distinctiveness to the collective. Scr-r-r-r-e-w-w-w-w! See? L-o-o-o-o-p! Look, Jahan! It's an Arrow double loop-screw! Yes, Jahan's heart is leaping with joy! The next five pictures are for Jahan, so you might want to leave the room. It's an Arrow mine train! Just take a few spins on Vortex. After this loop, you'll be screaming like a banshee in no time! So, gents--would you like to audition for American Idol, but you're afraid you can't hit those high notes? Yeah--what the hell state am I in, anyway? Hey, Chuck--BGE has opened Griffon early. So what the hell are you doing at Carowinds?

I hated having my eyelids plastered shut on the launch--damn thing needs a windshield.

I wouldn't even give it that much credit, frankly.

Would've been there myself sometime last weekend, but I had to go out of town. Oh, the irony of it all! Great pics, Jeff--were they handing our free water bottles, like they did when DarKastle opened?

Hmm--from the puffiness of Zorro's face, I'd say he's been making good use of the "glutton pass." Sheesh! Kristen has a ride credit that I don't have.

Rumor has it that there have already been two 20-second kings.

^That would be "Illuminations--Apocalypse."

Looks good, Joe. I have a chicken-and-tortellini stew crock-pot recipe that rocks, too.

^&^^It's the current "Flavor of the Month," folks, because it's "new" (at least to BPPB--"From Southport to Blackpool with Love"). Time will tell.

No, it wasn't Kinetix. Imaginique was still playing at the time, which was freaking amazing. It was three summers ago that we were there when Darkastle first opened. It was a show centered around a guy's bag and the stuff that was inside it. I think there may have been a big pearl at one point. It was an indoor theater show. My nephews and niece loved it. I would like to go back some time. I got to ride so few rides, it was just tooooo hot to wait in line in the heat. I only got to ride Apollo, Pompei, Corkscrew Hill and Darkastle. I was so upset, the people I went with were not coaster people. Hmm--not familiar with this "guy and his magic bag" show; then again, I'm not a big fan of theme-park shows.

^The "cirque" show you're thinking of was Kinetix. Last year it ran during the second half of summer (not sure what its status is this year).

Indiana Beach looks great--gotta love those homemade dark rides. One of these days . . .

^^You're right about the "rope" policy--it's still the same.

Please see my boldface answers above--hope this helps.

^The first time I rode Hypersonic, I liked it quite a bit (the first big, launched coaster with a high hat I'd ever ridden). But time has not been kind to that ride.