pete4winds

If you DO get to stop by Battleship Cove later this month, look me up. Shoot me an email (the email buttons below and on my profile are set to accept), and if I'm home on the day(s) you're in the area, we'll hit the carousel.

1: I'm an avid motorcyclist and was once a certified motorcycle safety instructor. 2: I've had six wisdom teeth pulled (whereas most people only have four). 3: I DON'T hate Vekoma OR Togo coasters (I just don't ride them as often as I do other coasters)...in fact, I've never found a coaster I truly didn't enjoy. I just like some less than others. 4: I'm a hardcore paintball player...recreational woodsball, specifically, but I once did play to a third place finish on a thrown together team at a tournament of about 28 teams. 5: I lived in Japan for nine months.

OK...my personal top ten anything anywhere rides, in no particular order: 1: The above-mentioned Battleship Cove Carousel. It was a favorite of my childhood having formerly stood at Lincoln Park, and having it within view of my living room window is a huge bonus for me. 2: Great Bear. Because of its placement, it's so unique among B&Ms. Awesome surroundings to boot! 3: El Rio del Tiempo, EPCOT. I love dark rides, and for me, this is one of the best. This always stood out in my mind as one of the most realistic dark rides I've ever experienced. 4: Superman: Ride of Steel, SFNE. If I had to name a single favorite coaster (which, realistically, I can't), this would probably be it. The perfect mix of speed, airtime, and elements. Not to mention the perfect location on the Connecticut River. The star attraction at my home park. 5: Joker's Jinx. I'm also a huge fan of launched coasters, but Jinx is enough of a tangled mess that it stands out above most. Rather than being a proverbial one-trick-pony like KK or TTD, Jinx delivers! 6: Disaster Transport. I'm including this for reasons one might not expect. My wife is a non-coaster-rider for motion sickness reasons, but this is one of two I've managed to get her on. Cedar Creek Mine Ride is the other, but Disaster Transport wins out because of air conditioning! 7: The Whip, Whalom Park. My personal favorite Whip anywhere. 8: Turkish Twist, Canobie Lake Park. When I was a kid I spent a day at Canobie riding Turkish Twist almost exclusively. I'm sure I got other rides in, but I can remember getting right back in line on TT for maybe fifty rides or more. 9: Log Flume. Not just any log flume, but one in particular. I don't remember which one it was (maybe Canobie, but I'm pretty sure it was somewhere in New England) but I distinctly remember a giant buzzsaw blade at the top of the last drop. It scared the crap out of me as a kid (which is why I remember it so fondly now). Does this sound familiar? If so, let me know where it is/was. 10: Hershey's Chocolate World. All I can say is "free samples at the end!"

Sure...I'll play along. Early 2006, sportin' contact lenses and a rare unbraided-hair moment...scary! And, yes, my eyes really ARE two different sizes. An older video of me shooting video on my since-retired Super VHS-C. Obviously my avatar - me and my wife Jen, Thanksgiving 2004.

So far of these first five, I'm totally diggin' Julian's video. Not a big fan of the music, but as a complete package it went well, and the video really gets away from focusing on one park or coaster. Two of the three I sent were park-specific, but I really prefer videos like this one that showcase a wider range of stuff. I also really liked the reversing effect...I'm a big fan of MXC, and that effect reminded me of that show. Pete "nervously waiting to see if I made the cut" FourWinds

I'll have to give some thought to rest of my list of top rides ever, but since you mention the rarity of brass ring carousels these days, I thought I'd mention the one sitting within view of my living room window. These days it's a three-season attraction at Battleship Cove in Fall River, MA, but Southern New Englanders old enough to remember would know it as the Lincoln Park Carousel (PTC Carousel #54, 1920). Here's a link and a photo...it's a nice reminder of a favorite park of my childhood. And while my home park might be a two-and-a-half hour drive, this classic is a within a ten minute walk. I'll put this one at the top of my list of best carousels ever. http://www.battleshipcove.org/carousel.htm Photo courtesy of Battleship Cove

Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't "What is your favourite Themepark" and "Hi. I just wondering if you guy's have ever been to Canada and visit this two theme park 1- Paramount's Canada's Wonderland in Ontario and 2- Six Flags La Ronde in Montreal,Canada" two entirely separate and unrelated questions? I was always under the impression that the thread title and the first post should generally be related...maybe it's just me, but...

^ Personally I love Joker's Jinx, but if it sucks AFTER the first three inversions, how could it rate a "worst coaster ever?" By then you're already about halfway through it anyway...maybe by that standard it could be "worst second half of a coaster ever?"

^^ Hell yeah, paintball! I'm totally there. Every TPR member that plays should get together for a paintball trip to Egypt. Maybe that could be the next official "non-coaster" event!

Yes, I know this thread hasn't been active in awhile, but I thought I'd add my two cents' worth. It may seem a no-brainer to say so, but I don't recall seeing anyone say this, so I will. I don't think it's really possible to ask this quesiton here (or on any other board) and get the one answer you're looking for. Each one of us here that edits video will say the program he or she uses is the "best." That said, my personal preference is Magix Movie Edit Pro 10. There are a select few things that it can't do, and for those times I use Premiere Elements, but I found Magix to be far and away the easiest editing software to learn. For comparison, I've used WMM, Premiere Elements AND Pro, Pinnacle Studio 9, and Dazzle Video Creator 85 and 150 with Pinnacle Studio QuickStart (for converting my older analog videos), and I still find Magix to be the easiest to learn.

^ "...flying mine train..." Now THAT is a great idea. Theme it after an ABANDONED mine and then add a bunch of stolen Batman/bat related theming to complete the picture. And to answer the original question, my personal pick is Hershey's Trailblazer, particularly in the helix/turn (don't remember which offhand) that goes over the kettle corn place. The kettle corn smell really adds something.

I don't know if anyone has seen this article (although I'm assuming this is part of the reason for this thread) but since I didn't see the article in the thread, I thought I'd post it...I found this article at the same time as I was reading this thread, but interestingly, I found them completely independently of each other. Enjoy if you haven't already! http://abcnews.go.com/International/story?id=1862951&page=1&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312

I haven't really done as many B&M inverts as I'd like, so here goes: 1. Great Bear - something about NOT going directly into the first drop just rocks. 2. Raptor - nice long layout. 3. Batman: The Ride, specifically SFGADV, specifically BEFORE the yellow paintjob when the "Gotham junk" theming was still there.

S:ROS, SFNE, the second tunnel, because they still run the mist in that one. First time I ever rode it that second tunnel completely caught me by surprise, because I'd come down the steps...had I come down the ramp, I would've seen it. Best at night...my last time riding it was at night in my pre-contact lens days, so with the mist fogging my glasses, the final bunny hops were all but invisible to me.

Wood: Wildcat at Hersheypark, first drop, in the last car (either row, either side) - I find that floating down the hill an inch or so AFTER the seat is way too cool not to mention. Steel: Also Hersheypark, Great Bear coming OUT of the vertical loop - diving down into the trench just rocks!

"Now on to the not very nice section of the park..." You mean the earlier set of photos was the "nice" section???

Scorpion, BGT, early 1983 (I was 10), and I was instantly hooked. Yes, I went all the way to FLA for an inversion. I didn't ride my home park's inversion Black Widow (SFNE) until later that year. Not my picture...don't remember where it came from...maybe RCDB.

^ Good point, so noted. Wait, let me rephrase... Good point, so noted. No more English class for me. Guy T. is a god.

...and so it begins...

^^ Yeah, true, but my father's the only person I know that pronounces it that way, so I'm going on the assumption that not many people do.

For some reason I can't stream the "final implementation" version from the above link. I have IE, and normally I can stream, but this particular vid crashed me (shrug). I'm more of a fan of downloading anyway.

Good one, but since I'm being nitpicky, isn't "ruined" two syllables for a total of 6 in the last?

^ Lime-ricks-are-GO-ING-to-be-next...in MY first grade class (back when they still taught "normal" math and proper English grammar), "going" would've been TWO syllables...but having lived in SoCal, I know the quality of the education there, so I know it's not your fault.

...and only 6 in the second line here!

Mistakes are ok Count syllables carefully Why won't this thread die?