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^Might take you up on that sometime, James. Have fun at Holiday World. I'll probably be checking out Water Country's "Passholder Preview Day" next Sunday, if the weather doesn't completely stink. (Busch has a knack for selecting heavy-thunderstorm days or unseasonably cold days for this event.)

1. My howetown (Patterson, Calif.) is the "Apricot Capital of the World." 2. I started out as a horticulture major at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, but graduated with an English degree. 3. I once told Mel Blanc where to find the men's room at the Cal Poly University Union. 4. Two of my most prized possessions are two original one-sheets: Sergio Leone's A Fistful of Dollars and Ed Wood's Jail Bait. (Always on the prowl for more.) 5. I have yet to set foot in a Six Flags park.

^They are all Dr. Ruth because, as the diminutive sex doc used to say, they are all "on ze air!"

And so Irwin Allen's Lost in Space vision has come to pass--there are go-go clubs in space.

"Must . . . have . . . good . . . beer!"

If you go with the plaid blazer, be sure to hike your pants up to your nipples--that'll give you that "retired old dude who has just moved to Florida" look.

BGE certainly has been accomodating to military families the last couple of years. According to this morning's Daily Press (Apr. 29, 2006), there was a reenlistment ceremony at the park (hours before opening) for members of the 7th Transportation Company stationed at Ft. Eustis, which is just down Rt. 60 in Newport News. The group took their oath in front of Apollo's Chariot, then got a bit of ERT (would've been a chilly ride yesterday). I'm glad that Busch is doing this--these folks are sacrificing a lot whether you agree with the war in Iraq or not.

Disney used to sell the most pointless souvenir of all--a light bulb from that parade that was "glowing away forever." Too bad the Electrical Parade was running at DCA two years later. My Mother bought one--just looked like an old Christmas tree light to me.

^I have no problem with the "old-school" Bat, but they need to get him the proper cowl. I suspect the Joker is behind this!

^^You have a future as a copy editor, Louise. Well, being as it doesn't pay all that well, maybe not much of a future. And now, my favorite copy-editor joke: How many copy editors does it take to screw in a light bulb? QUERY: Unclear. Do you mean to replace a light bulb or have sex in a light bulb?

Hmm--SFMM's Batman has the Michael Keaton/Val Kilmer/George Clooney cowl with the Adam West suit. "Holy fashion faux pas, Batman!" Oh, the irony--I'll be driving right past Tatsu on I-5 on my way to the Anaheim HoJo's after my niece's wedding in August. Probably won't get back to Valencia to check it out. I must have a 100 drive-bys of SFMM since the last time I visited the place (when Revolution still ruled). But I'm looking forward to getting back to Disneyland again; haven't been there since 2001.

It seemed to have a bit more charm back then--still a fun place today, but it became more of a thrill-ride park.

I remember riding the Haunted River when I first moved to Virginia (was going to finish a master's degree and leave, but "the best laid plans of mice and men . . ."). The best part was that rather steep drop at the end. I thought. Below is a rather dark picture I took last weekend after riding Volcano. I had never noticed these skeletons down in the pit by the exit--they look like leftover theming from the Haunted River. I remember the fountains in the entry plaza looking a whole lot bigger in the movie Rollercoaster. And how about those singing mushrooms? Thanks for sharing, Jeff--Rebel Yell's old queue house was pretty cool (as was that lake). Sorry the picture's so dark. Looks like these poor guys have been hanging around Volcano's exit for quite some time.

^And if you'd read the initial version of this thread, PKI also had a Vortex!

One other little thing--PKD was running empty trains on the Hurler late that afternoon, so all you Hurler fans out there (I suppose there's one or two) can probably get your fix by now. EDIT: Make that "I" a "D."

Aghh! I never could figure out how those things worked. But the Pirates of the Caribbean game was great, and Cyber Space Mountain was fun. I kind of liked that game with the remote control trucks in the ancient tomb, too. (Any bets on whether some of this stuff will end up at other Disney theme parks?)

Too bad they don't use OSRs on Timberline Twister--these guys are used to banging heads.

My donuts are stale, And my beer ain't cold, Canadians on flame With rock and roll! A thousand mounties, Begin to fry, There ain't no back bacon, Up in the sky! With my apologies to Blue Oyster Cult--and to our friends up north.

Sorry you couldn't make it, Jeff--turned out to be a good day. Looks like there's been some progress on Italian Job, at least, but opening in May? Hmm . . . maybe very late May.

"Call Mr. Gun, that's the name./That name again is Mr. Gun."

Hmm--looks like a set for Rob Zombie's next horror flick. How about, "Theme Park of 1,000 Corpses," or "The Devil's E-Ticket"?

Doswell, Virginia, April 22, 2006--It was a somewhat damp day. OK, it was wet. OK, so it was stormy. OK, so there was some guy in a robe herding a whole bunch of animals, two by two, up the queue for Volcano to a waiting gopher-wood boat on the mountain's peak. That sucker must've been 80 cubits long if it was a cubit. Yes, not a day to visit a theme park; rather, a day to stay indoors, catch up on one's correspondence, sort out the spice rack. Yet I was on the interstates between Williamsburg and Richmond, driving through the blinding rain, fighting the very elements, a massive tidal wave bearing down on me, harpies and sea hags nipping at my heels (OK, the last two parts are a lie). Why? Two reasons: 1) I'm certifiably insane and had managed to escape the nice rubber room my keepers had prepared for me, and 2) There was a chance to meet two more TPR folks: James and Julia (in from Cincinnati to check out PKI's cousin to the east). Yes, I had to uphold the honor of TPR's Mid-Atlantic Division! I ambled into the park around around 11:00, and killed some time with a ride in the front row of Shockwave (a Togo stand-up machine of death, with restraints courtesy of the Spanish Inquisition). It's rather fun in front, actually--just be wary of your "naughty bits" on the bicycle seat, gents. I checked out the progress on Italian Job, too, before meeting J&J under the Starship Enterprise under the Eiffel Tower (a brillant bit of theming by Paramount). The upshot--splish, splash, but a great day, nevertheless. Lots of fun, and the stormy weather, while it shut the coasters for a few hours that afternoon, failed to dampen our spirits, even as it drove the crowds away. After riding Shockwave again (J&J miss PKI's old stand-up, King Cobra), we managed multiple rides on Volcano, Hypersonic, Avalanche (Julia had never ridden a Mack bobsled before), and Grizzly, as well as a turn on the backwards side of Rebel Yell, Anaconda (an Arrow torture device that was running a little better than usual, but not what I would call "smooth"), and Scooby Doo's Ghoster Coaster (a fun little woodie for kids). We even survived the Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera! But I think the highlight for J&J had to be the American Flyers. Yes, PKI had removed their flying scooters, and they were feeling a bit snap deprived. And, boy, did they snap 'em good in the blinding rain last Saturday! I took some pictures, but they don't quite do J&J's mad snapping skills justice. So, I also shot a one-minute video with my little Fuji Finepix camera. (It's a shade over 9 Megs, so I really can't post it here, but I might in the video forum.) It's definitely in the "amatuer(ish)" category, but it's fun. Here are some pics. James, feel free to toss in your own thoughts and photos. I had a great time last Saturday, rain and all. EDIT: Oops! King Cobra was PKI's old stand-up; Vortex is the stand-up at PGA. DSCF0032.zip And here's my first attempt at uploading a very amateur video--their ride on Hypersonic. Hope it works. J&J prepare themselves for the sucker punch that is Hypersonic. See that tree on the right? James helped out PKD's grounds dept. by pruning it with his scooter! "Fool in the Rain" No 2.! (No. 3 is the one in the scooter behind her taking the picture.) Presenting "Fool in the Rain" No. 1 and . . . Imagine J&J shouting "Yippee! Flyers!" "Yes, I'm happy that I got to ride my first bobsled. Can we get outta the rain now?" Oh, did I mention that it got a bit damp that day? James and Julia show how much they miss King Cobra by taking a picture of Shockwave--kind of sad, actually. and the obligatory vertical loop (I understand that some fellow named Derek has a fetish about these things). Shockwave's big drop . . . Here's the so, so sexy "parking garage" theming for the ride's Helix of Death. (Actually, I'm kind of looking forward to this ride.) First, a look at the Italian Job site. James said it looks like a clone of PKI's, for which he's very, very sorry!

I don't have a huge file of coaster pictures, but I think this rather "artsy," through-the trees shot of Apollo's Chariot is about the best, mainly because it's a shot you get only on opening day. Once those trees leaf out, forget it. The trees give the ride some scale, and the pic a feeling of "discovery" somehow. Apollo's Chariot through the trees, taken on the bridge to Festa Italia in March 2006.

^^If that ever comes to pass, many of us may go blind for other reasons.

^How about "Jaws v. Jason"? "Alien v. Jaws and Freddie"?