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^Just wants to shine. v"Headin' Out to Eden," while still in his prime.

Actually, the latest series of pictures has left me blind. But if I'm blind, how am I typing this? I can see! It's a Christmas miracle! dgkjbtrer eporjtg9er Oops! Went blind there again, for a moment . . .

I think that would've helped--sure helped Flight of Fear at PKD.

^Has only that hard candy that is fused into a solid mass in the shape of the bowl it came in. vIs still upset over the cancellation of the Paula Poundstone Show.

See more antics of Justin and the Railsback clan (and me) at Carowinds' Winterfest ratchere: http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=20987 Chuck "Sheesh, I'm a shameless thread bumper these days" Campbell

^Hah! Not sure I'd trust Angus with a rifle, though. He's a sweet cat with people, but he's deadly enough to the local bird population with just claws, much less bullets.

^Well, some guys are leg men, some guys are into breasts, but you're into ears. To each his own. If I were Prince Charles or Alfred E. Newman, I'd be worried.

Here's Angus McNasty's official Christmas picture. Must be tough trying to sleep with that damned Monorail rumbling about.

Yeah, but ya have to pay more interest on those ears, don't ya?

^^Now that is truly frightening. Even scarier than what's below . . . Elfboy Meets the Winter Warlock

I recall being a bit perplexed when I first rode Volcano at PKD. Riders with "loose-fitting shoes" (like sandals) were required to take the shoes off and sit on them. OK, that makes sense. But riders without shoes were not allowed onboard. Perhaps the park used to provide shoes for shoeless people to sit on.

Hmm--this splintery old pole provides a rare opportunity for a "do-it-yourself" vasectomy."

Here's the link to the "shopping for fireworks" thread I mentioned earlier: http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=20993 Chuck "Shamelessly bumping up his trip report" Campbell

That ride gave me two enormous bruises on either shoulder and a throbbing headache the first time I rode it. Robb's right about knowing when to brace yourself, but I was never particularly anxious to ride it again, and shed no tears when it was removed. It made a dandy nesting place for bald eagles, though.

I second Soren on that--nice job, Chrissie! That first picture looks like a tree as decorated by Spider-man.

Well, he is a math-and-science whiz with an interest in chemical engineering and the space program. Hmm . . . I was celebrating the glorious Fourth at a friend's house a few years ago, when this skyrocket with some Chinese name lifted off majestically like the space shuttle, turned sideways, and blasted fireballs out of both ends, forcing us to flee for our lives. I guess the Chinese name in English was "Run You Yankee Dog!"

There was an even bigger fireworks store behind this place. If you're a pyromaniac, this is the place.

Before checking out Winterfest at Carowinds yesterday (Dec. 10) with my friends the Railsback clan, we ambled over to some of the local purveyors of pyrotechnic mayhem to check out their new wares. Here's a little sample of what we found. Remember, I'm not advocating anything here, but if you can't be good, be careful. Justin with a potentially interesting piece of ordinance. Now that says it all. Instructions: "Face towards spectators. Light fuse. Run like hell." OK, I don't even want to guess what this is all about. I say, I do believe that many of these names are meant to be sexually suggestive. Of course, I could be mistaken. Sometimes a "flaming ball" is just a "flaming ball." And about their spelling of "barrell ". . . Hmm--says here it "shoots flaming balls." I'll just bet it does. And "Boomers" sounds like a great name for a ripoff of what famous restaurant chain that features an owl on its logo? "Hello there. I'm Satan. Hope you like my store. And remember--don't smoke 'em even if ya got 'em!"

^Hmm--I thought I heard a "disccouraging word" in the general vicinity of the Phantom Flyers. They did seem to be whipping around pretty good that night. This is only the second Christmas theme-park event I've attended. The first was, ironically enough, Winterfest at the pre-Paramount Kings Island with Brian, Sandy, Travis (who was about 3 at the time), and Justin (who had to be hauled around in a backpack). Cadence wasn't even a gleam in her parents' eyes at the time. We still have the wooden ornaments that the Days Inn across from the park gave us as part of their Winterfest package. (Not as snazzy as the new ornament, but it does have sentimental value.) The "original" Winterfest/Days Inn ornament.

I just got back from a weekend trip to Carowinds to check out Winterfest with my old friends the Railsback clan, where we took in the festive lights, excellent Christmas dinner, and, to our surprise, multiple rides on Top Gun (the only coaster running that evening). The verdict: thumbs up to both the park and the event. We had a great time--definitely worth checking out if you find yourself in the Carolinas this month. This was my first visit to Carowinds, a park of which I'd heard mixed reviews. I found it quite charming (at least for Winterfest) and plan to visit it again when it's going full bore during the regular season. Its compact layout is a plus, although that didn't stop this crew from getting hopelessly lost from time to time during this visit. I'll let the pictures do most of the talking (some of which are rather blurry), but I would like to share what I learned from the park's big Christmas show, Santa's Toy Factory: Elves have rather large butts, but thin legs and torsos, making them disturbingly asymmetrical. Elves face very tight deadlines, which they might have an easier time meeting if they didn't spend so much time dancing, singing, cavorting, and measuring their Christmas spirit (about every 30 seconds or so). When confronted with a depressed elf, Santa prescribes not Prozac, but singing penguin puppets (the hell?). We did miss the big parade at the end of the night, but being as we were riding Top Gun at the time, it seemed a pretty good trade. But now, some pictures. And the official Winterfest ornament. Merry Christmas, everyone! Yes, even artificial trees get a little love from Cadence, the Tree Hugger. More purty lights. "We are Sponge Borg. Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated!" It's a holly, jolly Christmas outhouse! This is Holiday Illuminations--a nice little light show in Rivertown. But then he rode Scooby. Oh, well . . . Why, he even looks excited about waiting to ride Scooby Doo, along with Justin and Cadence. Travis looks excited to be riding Top Gun. He even has the right jacket. Here's Scrooge--the most ill-tempered piece of foam rubber since Statler and Waldorf on "The Muppet Show." "OK. Where is that Scrooge show?" Look at me, my pretty! I'm a Christmas witch! Bwa-ha-ha-ha!" "Well, Brian and I are OK with this being an elf stuff, but we draw the line at curly shoes, tights, and extra butt padding." A Christmas tree, ahhhh . . . The Sky Tower, oooo . . . The back of the main gate, ahhhh . . . Lots 'o' purty lights and stuff. The main gate, oooo . . . And me, with the "I'm headin' toward Columbia, but my butt is stuck in North Carolina blues." Meet the Railsbacks: Cadence, Brian, Sandy, Travis, and Justin. The park, taken from a fireworks store across the street (more on this in a future thread). Top Gun, the one coaster that was running that night, is on the far left (although politically, it's more to the right).

DL's Space Mountain has this little drop that always catches me off guard--I never see it coming. (Since the recently finished rehab follows the same configuration, I assume it's still there.) That last drop toward the river on the Big Bad Wolf at BGW is pretty cool, too.

The problem with Limo was not the "ride system," per se, but the lame concept and execution of the scenery and "animatronics" (basically just giant bobbleheads of ABC TV stars). The ride vehicles, with their video monitors, were actually the best part of the ride, I think.

I agree--DarKastle isn't as good as Spider-man, but it's definitely in the same league (an excellent addition to BGW). Best hit it first thing in the morning, though, to beat the lines. Here's a rule of thumb: if the line starts right at the Kastle's main gate, the wait will be about an hour. Another tip: if the ride malfunctions while you're on it, tell the CM as you exit, who will probably give you a VIP voucher that allows you to skip the line.

Claudia looks like the model for those big-eyed-cat greeting cards. Why is she "evil"?

Sheesh! Sounds like Vancouver is somewhere near Williamsburg--sums up the weather here, too.