LoneRider92

Dive to Atlantis. My God, every single time I went, the line was very short (30 or so people) and somehow every time it managed to be an hour wait. The ride itself was okay, but the capacity on the thing was atrocious. The picnic area that replaced it is a drastic improvement. Dragster for me was an hour and a half wait. Not painful by any stretch of the imagination, but enough waiting for my taste. Going to Fuji Q on a bad day, I cannot even imagine...

Well, before I was enraptured with roller coasters, I loved trains more than anything else in the world. While they are not tops on my list anymore, I still get a great deal of enjoyment out of them. I noticed a few people here also said that they like trains, so I decided to do a little photo trip report of my number one train location. The Illinois Railway Museum is located in the small town of Union, east of Rockford. While the town is quite small, the museum is HUGE, the largest in America to be exact. I have been going to the museum for 14, maybe 15 years now and I still am wowed by the collection they have. Steam engines, diesel engines, electric engines, freight cars, railway machinery; you name it, they probably have one or two of them. The museum also holds several "firsts", "onlys", and "lasts" and allows guests to explore it all. Pieces in the collection range from a horse-drawn car over 150 years old to one of the biggest steam engines ever created. This isn't just a museum where you look at all the equipment just sitting there. Oh no, the museum has an operational mainline that allows you to take a ride behind any number of different trains (coach, interurbans, caboose, etc.) on a 10-mile round trip. Each of them ride differently as well; riding in a comfortable streamlined passenger train is much different than a rough-riding freight car or rapid-transit unit, so the ride is almost a new experience every time. This day was a special day, as the museum was hosting a celebrity (sort of). Steam has not run at the museum in 6 years, but it has reappeared this year (full story later). Lots of pictures of Leviathan too (No, not that one!) If you love trains, you should try to give it a visit if you're nearby. If you just have a passing fancy or love heavy machinery you should still try to stop by once. It's a great way to spend the day and learn about history. Welcome to the museum. All volunteers too. Wow, quite the line today. What could be going on? Prices, which include unlimited rides on the mainline and trolley loop and access to the barns and displays. Considering the size of the museum, it seems a very agreeable price. Trains in the station, waiting to give people a ride. The caboose train, ony brought out once in a while. Here is probably the crown piece of the collection, the Nebraska Zephyr (formerly Twin Cities Zephyr). It was built in 1940 and ran across the midwest for several years before finding a home here. The engine powering the train is the only example of the E5 left in existance. A very shiny and popular train. The train is the movie star of the collection as well. Movies it has appeared in incude A League of Their Own, The Babe, Flags of Our Fathers. You can sit in the same seats Tom Hanks and Geena Davis sat it. They still take the train to rail events as well. On the last trip they had it going at 90 mph. Not bad for a 70 year old train. TRAIN NERD SHOT! (Conductor shoe for an elevated car, to be shown later) Ah, the star of the day has arrived! This is Leviathan 63, a replica of one of the original 4 engines purchased by the Central Pacific Railway in 1868. Leviathan was built by Kloke Builders, a preservation group. The project took 10 years to complete and was finished in 2009. Leviathan is the newest steam locomotive in the world, and the first one constructed in almost 70 years. I will say, since the museum's main steam engine (Frisco 1630) went down several years ago and has been struggling to get back in operating condition, I thought days of steam at IRM were gone. Leviathan 63 proved me wrong, and it was AWESOME. If you haven't experienced it, riding behind a real steam engine is truly remarkable. Visiting the museum is truly an immersive experience. They do a great job. You almost feel just like you're riding a train in the 1940's. Stores are all over the property, selling any sort of train merchandise you can imagine. Wouldn't you know, Leviathan stopped right where we were having lunch while heading to refill on water. Thank you very much L63 crew! Too much walking to every exhibit? Hop on the trolley loop, featuring trolleys of many shapes and sizes. This is the Green Hornet, built in 1948 and still looking snazzy. Lots of small exhibits like this that allow children (or adults) to get a little closer. Little info on Leviathan. Leviathan swag to proclaim your train nerdiness. Train enthusiasts were out in force today taking pictures. I felt right at home. Alright, I managed to get ONE theme park thing in here. Hop on the trolley and explore the vast museum grounds. If you're looking for some of the biggest and baddest stuff, check out barn 9. You're greeted by monsters like this. (BTW, the Frisco 1630 is called a Russian decapod and the orange engine here is called a Little Joe. Anyone know why?) Here's a biggie for you; Norfolf and Western 2050, a mammoth articulated 2-8-8-2 steam engine. A little info on the engine. Let's see... Almost 270 tons in weight (engine only), 114,155 lbs in tractive force. Fairly impressive stuff. o.O Throw in a 26 ton tender and you have one BIG engine! Now the largest diesel ever built. (Union Pacific built not only the largest diesels ever, but the largest and second largest steam engines ever as well. Guess they needed a lot of power.) THIS. This wheel is 80 (WOW) inches tall and rests under the heaviest engine at the museum. Info on the engine. What does that say in the middle? That's right, this engine weighs almost 1 MILLION lbs. That's over 6000 me's! (Or 14 Acers) Across the way is this small guy, notable for something else. Yep, still around after 130 years. It's possible that famous engineer Casey Jones operated this engine (Heck, Jeff Johnson might have too). The museum has lots of ideas, but being operated by volunteers they take a LOT of time and may not happen at all. Here is a turntable, still waiting to be constructed. An example of some of the facilities on-site. Trains everywhere you turn. No shortage of them here. A yard full of them (The engine on the right is a gas turbine engine. Yeah, they added a complete turbine to an engine. Pretty impressive.) A volunteer hard at work restoring some elevated cars. Little touches like this all over the museum. Maybe you might recognize them. Onboard the Zephyr. This was very luxurious back in the 40's. And it's even air-conditioned! (Huge advancement back then) The depot, which also has an interesting story (later). While it's not as spectacular as the Durango & Silverton or Cass Scenic Railway, it's still a relaxing ride. Beware though, the rocking motion of the Zephyr is VERY powerful! Shiny and pretty. The view from a caboose. This will NOT be a smooth ride like the Zephyr (BTW, the 1630 is called a Russian decapod because it was sold to Russia and was to be used on the Trans-Siberain Railway. However, the Baltic Revolution occured and the engine was never shipped, the same thing with the Little Joe (named after Joseph Stalin). The marks where the buffers were placed on the Little Joe are still easily visble.) Careful, this caboose is ARMED AND DANGEROUS! Leviathan blowing off steam as it enters East Union. Another caboose train shot (If you can, give a ride in the top a shot. Very interesting ride!) Rapid transit cars from earlier. Anyone remember riding these? Anyone? Leviathan rolling past again. Such a beautiful engine. The steam, the smoke, the smell, the sound. You may think I'm crazy, but it's amazing. Little details again. This elevated station was an actual station relocated to here. The depot is actually from the nearby town of Marengo, built in 1851. It was moved here in the 60's when the museum acquired this property. Leviathan 63 with the Zephyr passing. The Zephyr, looking quite majestic. The end of the update. Thanks for reading! Questions, comments, concerns? L63.wmv A short video showing Leviathan in action.

They don't even have to build the ride now. The station will be awesome enough. Of course, if they do build the ride, it will just make Europa that much more amazing. I must try to visit there sometime in my life.

I'm getting a wisdom tooth removed this Friday, and truthfully I'm a little freaked. I've never had any surgery worse than some stitches and I've never been put under before. I'm also a little nervous about the pain, but everyone seems to be saying it isn't so bad, so there's some hope. Oh, and my Friday schedule? 8 am - Calc final (HELP), 11 am - wisdom tooth removal. Hoo-ray.

Someone sleeping with a girl and waking up in bed with a hungry great white shark. What's worse than when something goes crunch in something you are eating that is NOT crunchy?

^^ Thanks for making me LOL in the middle of class. Will Flaming Dog S*** also be a stand-up wooden suspended shuttle coaster?

Undone by Five Finger Death Punch. One of my favorite bands and my first heavy rock band. I am anxiously awaiting the release of their new album this year. Definitely looking forward to it.

For my filming, I am using a Fujifilm XP20. It takes very solid pictures and is waterproof, so in my book that makes it a pretty good camera. It's a good enough camera that my mom asked me if I wanted to switch with her.

What's weird is that I can handle almost anything with a straight face. Dragster launch? Piece of cake. Scorpion's Tail? No problem. Free fall rides? NO FRICKEN WAY. Something about that uncontrolled free fall gives me sea legs. I can take on any coaster or flat ride with a smile, but a short free fall tower has my knees buckling. I tried the drop tower at Beech Bend because I thought "Oh, this isn't too tall, so it shouldn't be a problem." Wrong. I had to sit for a bit to regain my composure (Nice to hear though that Robb says it's totally terrifying. I'm not the only one who thinks so).

Family Guy. RCCA or Togo?

Just a little something central to my current project. Sorry, if it's kind of hard to read. What is the destination?

^^ I still think my favorite line scrawled in a safe room was in the first game on the No Mercy campaign on the last level. "No zombie is safe from Chicago Ted."

^ Get Up is one of my favorite songs now. Dubstep is different and might be too different for some people, but I think it totally rocks. Right now, it's Street Dreams by Hollywood Undead. Ugh, I can't seem to hunt it down on Napster.

Grrrrrr! DX I love playing Left 4 Dead 2, but there are times where the people make me not want to play anymore. If you don't know, there's a feature online to kick disruptive players (shooting teammates, acting like idiots, etc.), which I think is a great idea. HOWEVER, what annoys the hell out of me is when people think it's just the most hilarious thing in the whole world to kick players for NO REASON. I'm normally one of the stronger players, and I never act like an idiot. Today, however, I've been kicked THREE TIMES (new record), and once during my best game in a while. This isn't new; it's been going on as long as I have been playing. *sigh* I hate people who abuse things used to try and help people.

Eh, after the laughable Orlando Thrill Park and Festival Tennessee proposals, I'll hold off on this one for a bit. I'll just wait for some more details before I trust this project. It would be cool if it would be built, but $4 billion sounds a little daunting.

What?! You guys actually had a GOOD day at Fuji-Q?! Say it isn't so! I was looking forward to another story on how awful the park was! Wow, it almost looked like a completely different place with clear skies and lack of horrendous lines. It's nice to hear that it is actually possible to have fun at Fuji-Q. Personally, though, it would take a couple more positive visits to make me change my opinion of the place. Takabisha looks sweet, it's too bad it wasn't open yet. Thanks for the update!

Couple of weeks ago the tree in our backyard blew over. I was cutting up the limbs with a handsaw but the saw kept getting stuck. Being a little annoyed I pushed with all my might, the saw popped out of the cut and ran straight into my hand. Required a decent number of stitches, so nothing major. However, having my hand shredded is easily the most painful thing that's ever happened to me. In addition, waiting in the emergency room was so excruciating I didn't know if I was going to be able to stand the pain another second.

Just when I thought the story couldn't get more ridiculous, it did. And again. And again. It's too bad a large chunk of proposed parks end up becoming pure nonsense. In the end, proposals like this might end up scaring away investors from true, promising projects.

Yes, you can purchase tickets for single rides on the coasters in the Dells. One thing to think about; at Timber Falls they charge $6.50 for one ride on the Avalanche, but for the wristband price of $19.99 you can get 5 rides, and you can get those rides in quick enough that you don't spend more than 10 minutes there. If you want just one ride, go ahead and buy a ticket, but Avalanche is like potato chips; Betcha you can't do it just once!

1pizza14 - Oh yeah, there are some pretty strong forces for a waterslide. The turn at the bottom of the drop pulls some pretty strong positive g's and, depending on how much you weigh, the loop can pull some good g's as well (I swear I almost hit Schwartzkopf forces a couple of times). You'll definitely feel them.

Nexus - If you go in expecting a high-class resort like the park advertises itself, you will be disappointed. I do agree that the employees aren't the best and that all the coasters could use a little TLC, but there should be enough to do to have a great time. One thing about the park is the selection: there are a good amount of go-karts, yes, but if you only devoted a single day to riding them you would have a pretty short day. For a larger park, Mt. Olympus doesn't have that much to do. After riding Hades, Cyclops, and the main tracks like Turbo Track, Poseidon, and Trojan Horse, and spending some time in Poseidon's Rage, there isn't too much else to do. Maybe spend some time on the second day exploring the Dells and checking out other attractions (Personally, my days at Mt. Olympus used to include a short visit at Timber Falls down the road. You could ride Avalanche over 20 times, the log ride and play a round of mini golf and be done in an hour. With the 5-ride limit on Avalanche now though that isn't the best option. Still, for $20 you get 5 rides on one of the wildest little coasters EVER, tons of mini-golf, and a solid flume ride. Not bad.) It's true, Hades has been let go a little, but there are no rides besides Hades that give me an eye-watering, leg-shaking good time like it does. For the smoothest possible ride, sit in the very front seat. Unless you can't tolerate a little wooden coaster roughness, you will LOVE it. Zeus actually was worked on a little in the off-season and is good fun. Only give Cyclops one ride for THE drop, because he hasn't aged too well. Mt. Olympus gets my vote for the worst park I have visited, but it by no means the worst in the world. Just don't expect "DISNEY OR UNIVERSAL RESORT!" and you should do fine.

A few more snappy snappies. A nice shot of Black Anaconda. Loving the light crowds and the sunlight. Berries n' cream, berries n' cream... A nice shot of Time Warp. Aww man, the kooky clock on Time Warp says it's time to go.=( Hmm, maybe I should've made this my TPR name instead. Sounds cooler. One last look at the Big Kahuna. Plenty of Noah's Ark merch in the stores to remember your very wet day in the Dells. A park map to give you a general idea of where everything is. Some pretty fountains. And my dad says our water bill is high. Ha! Thanks for having us today! This place is awesome. Go here. Have fun. Hmmm. Something EXTREME used to be here. A WORLD of some sort. Oh well. No shortage of Ducks in the Dells. For dinner, we ventured in downtown Lake Delton for this place. No shortage of fantastic pizza in the Dells. "Puny humans! I'm going to suck your brains, through these BENDY STRAWS!" Pizza Villa is actually a very nice place overall. A little pricey, but they also have awesome salads and pasta. For an amazing Italian meal, give it a shot. Yummy. =D Hmm, the next SyFy channel original movie perhaps? Comments/questions/concerns would be appreciated (I'm still learning. Go easy).

As long as I have been hanging around TPR, I have waited for the day that someone reviewed America's largest waterpark, Noah's Ark. This year, I accepted the challenge by buying a waterproof camera and setting out to do the first photo trip report at the park. I came back cold, tired, and half-drowned, but I believe that I accomplished what I set out to do. [WARNING - READING AHEAD] So now I proudly present, LoneRider's Guide to Noah's Ark! (for you out-of-towners) Normally priced at $14.99 Alright, Noah's Ark started in 1979 with just the bumper boats and a go-kart track. Today it has 49 waterslides, 2 wave pools, mini golf and much more. True to it's claim, the park is giant, with a seemingly endless amount to do. Personally, Noah's Ark is my number one waterpark (higher than Splashin' Safari or any of the Hurricane Harbors I have been to) for several reasons. One is free parking; in a time where things are getting pricey and other places like Mt. Olympus are charging $10 to park, it's nice to pull into Noah's Ark and not have to fork over money before you even get in the park. Even then, the admission price seems very fair for the amount to do in the park. Another reason is the selection of rides; Noah's Ark has been adding steadily to the park, but it has also retained some original slides. It's gives the park a nice mix of old and new slides. While some of the slides are a little lackluster (Bermuda Triangle, Congo Bongo), others still deliver a fun ride (Jungle Rapids) and others still are completely nuts (The Plunge). The new slides are all pretty good, but some definitely stand out. Dark Voyage is an awesome family raft ride (I like it more than Zoombabwe, which was a little disappointing), Flash Flood, for a simple concept, is totally awesome, and Black Anaconda is kinda like Balder on water. Anything else? Oh yeah, Scorpion's Tail TOTALLY ROCKS. I can safely say this is the most intense water slide I have ever ridden. I know Bert the Conqueror is not viewed very highly on here, but he did get one thing right; Scorpion's Tail is the best water slide I have ever ridden, and thanks to today's weather I was able to clock 10 rides waiting less than 8 minutes total, whereas last year I waited 70 minutes for one ride. Oh yes, the weather. That was an interesting one. I can say that the lines, even on really nice days, never get too crazy, thanks to the massive amount of stuff too do. The longest waits are normally Scorpion's Tail, Black Anaconda, and Time Warp (Stingray's line can get a little lengthy). On this day, however, the longest I think I waited was five. People, not minutes. It was almost the perfect day, if the sun had come out earlier than 4 in the afternoon. My God was it frigid. It was SUPPOSED to get sunny and a little warmer earlier, but it never did. My suggestion; for the shortest waits and most rides, go on a day that it's cold or not the perfect weather. You might be cold, but the waits will be non-existent (as shown below). I know it's Wisconsin, and it's ALWAYS cold up here, but going to a waterpark in 60* weather, at times, seemed like an awful idea. Alright, if you were interested in visiting the Ark, I threw the rides into categories to give you an idea of how the rides shape up: => Category 1 - Must rides (try to do at least once) - Scorpion's Tail, Black Anaconda, Flash Flood, The Plunge, Point of No Return => Category 2 - Solid rides (best to at least try, but won't ruin your visit if you miss them) - Kowabunga, Dark Voyage, Black Thunder, Jungle Rapids, Time Warp, Noah's 4D Dive-In Theater => Category 3 - Up to you (rides that might not be very exciting. Your choice on hitting these if time is short) - Congo Bongo, Bermuda Triangle, Curse of the Crypt I am still waiting for the day that TPR graces (plagues?) the park with it's presence. I would love to hear what Robb, Elissa, and the others have to say about our little waterpark here in Dairyland. It would be even better if I could be there with them, but we'll see what's on their agenda. For the rest of you, if you take a trip to the Dells, I encourage you to take a day to visit the park. You will not be disappointed. (Sorry if some pictures are a little blurry. It's a new camera and I'm still getting used to it) Ah, we're here! Hmm, 2012 additions perhaps? Today's hours. Plenty of time to get everything in. One-day price. You get MUCH more bang for your buck compared to Mt. Olympus. The big wave pool at Noah's Ark. Time to have some fun! "Gourmet" and "Twinkies" - not usually seen in the same sentence (deep fried for extra nutrition too!). Spongebob was sure excited to see me today. What was he doing here anyway? What an awesome way to start the day! Seating arrangements. Normally this line is full of people. Today, not so much. =D One of many airtime spots. Seriously, this is one of my favorite water rides! It has a TON of airtime and drops and, being one of the longest water coasters, is pretty long. Definitely make sure to hit this ride at least once! The ride broke down for a few minutes, so I snapped a few pics while waiting. Jungle Rapids. Stingray. Hades and Zeus off in the distance. Don't worry guys, your trip report is coming... Hmm, there is something special about this ride... Awesome. Just awesome. It being Wisconsin, there has to be a cow somewhere (this actually marks the line for Kowabunga. Get it? Cow = Kowabunga? Hehe...). Noah's Ark has a pretty freakin' sweet collection of slides in this area. Okay, it's not REALLY a *true* loop, it's just an inclined loop, but is about as close as you're gonna get. Yow, that's a bummer. However, today's line looks like this. *starts singing "BEST DAY EV-ERRRRR...* Important information, especially for all you lightweights out there. Mr. Coon is shocked that people are actually in the park today. "Do you know how cold it is?!" The launching tube. Pretty simple concept; you step in, they close the door... Floor drops out, people freak out. The new Pirates movie at the 4D Theater. We'll hit that later. Me catching Kowabunga riders catching air. Speaking of Kowabunga, it composes of an original slide and a newer one. The older one on the right has less speed but steeper drops and more air, while the newer slide on the left is faster with slightly less air. Both sides are still awesome. If anyone watches Sand Masters, they were in the park working on a weekend project. I'll check back later in the day to see their progress. I at least hope you guys appreciated what I went through to do this report. The temperature for a majority of the day was in the mid-60's, *just* higher than my IQ level. "Cold" is a gross understatement. Follow this sign to have an awesome day! One of the shops. There are an abundace of stores around the park, and they all seem pretty nice. Yep, gotta have at least one "THROUGH THE TREES!!!1!!" shot. It is TPR after all. With no wait, I decided to get in a quick ride on Stingray. A half-pipe style ride like this was actually my first thrill ride EVER. Thank you Rainbow Falls. RIP. Enough freezing to death. Time for lunch at a Wisconsin institution! If you ever drive through Wisconsin, you will notice Culver's EVERYWHERE. They are our gift to the rest of the world. For awesome Dairyland eats, go here. ButterBurger and cheese curds. It doesn't get any better (or more Wisconsin) than this (unless you eat it wearing a cheesehead). "What exactly IS a cheese curd?" When making cheese, the mix developes a top surface which is scraped off. That top surface is cheese curd. It is seriously delicious. Go ahead and try one from Wisconsin, you won't regret it. They are a awesome diet food. Try deep frying it for a healthier option. One of the several park entrances (OMG. Sun. Better late than never). Totally excited to see Spongebob. Back for another ride on Black Anaconda. Only 600 lbs? Not very ACEr friendly... Point of No Return and Scorpion's Tail. PONR was actually 2 slides when it opened, but one was transformed into Scorpion's Tail. If you're looking for a really big, fast, and steep slide, Point of No Return is it. Watching people disappear over a 100 ft drop at the top never gets old. Time Warp - the world's largest bowl ride. The ride is fun, but not as thrilling as Scorpion's Tail or Black Anaconda. Somewhere, buried under all that water, is me. Some hairtime on Kowabunga. Noah's 4D Dive-In Theater (clever name). The new Pirates movie, starring Leslie Nielsen in his last role, is not quite as good as the Spongebob one was, but it's still a nice break from water slides. Don't be fooled, though. It's not a dry ride. Curse of the Crypt, a dry walk-through. I haven't been on this since it was Noah's Incredible Adventure. It was alright for younger children, but nothing thrilling. There actually is a credit here! Well, not really... Next up, a simple ride that totally rocks, Flash Flood! Gray and gloomy lift hill shot. NERD SHOT! NOTED AND DULY NOTED! These people have NO idea what they're in for (including spidey girl in the middle)... Now that's a BIG splash. O.o Can you even tell where the splash ends and the sky begins? Our boat awaits. It's nothing special, just a standard splash boat model, but I thought putting it in a water park was a GREAT idea. Cresting the lift hill. I should be able to get a good shot here! Hmmm, I actually having some second thoughts about this... Uh. Oh. That is a LOT of unacceptable amount of wetness coming at me in a hurry! "DON'T F*** WITH ME. IMMA RHINO!" Yeah, I have the feeling Dan would stand WAAAAY away from here. Wow, this pic turned out pretty nice. Smile people, you're on Theme Park Review! We decided to visit Mr. Walrus on Jungle Rapids, an oldie but goodie. This would be the "backside" of Jungle Rapids. These tube slides are fun, but if you want a speedy ride, try the body slides, blue mat required to prevent friction burns! Crappy picture, awesome ride! This is THE place for ejector waterslide airtime. Gettin' a little artsy. See that second drop? Seriously scary stuff happens there. What is it with the Dells and extreme airtime? Cyclops has THE drop, Avalanche is an airtime monster, and The Plunge has the single most rediculous moment of airtime on a waterslide EVER. Getting a full foot of seperation between you and the slide is not uncommon. I'm surprised NO ONE has ever flown off. Plenty of stylish mats to almost die on. "Choose thy fate." Yes sir, that is Millenium Force steep right there. No joke. Scorpion's Tail. At least, that's what the sign says. If you get hungry waiting in line, this tree branch has plenty of options to choose from! The two tallest rides in the park. Awesome. For great group fun, look for this guy! He will not disappoint. Like I said, stuff to do everywhere. Paradise Lagoon has a nice selection of small slides and other things. Watching kids fall from the pulley is far too entertaining. NOTED! pt.2 This mess of slides is Black Thunder, nestled deep in the back corner of the park.. Nothing stunning, but still a lot of fun. For more awesome slide airtime, try the middle two. Each of the rides have these nice little tubes to drop your stuff in while you ride. Once again, ACErs might have a problem here... Apparently, everyone today was using those "Invisible Cloaks" like all those people do in Japan. It made for a pretty great (albeit cold) day. "Grrr! I'm a BLUUURY Black Anaconda! Give me some TPR members!" Eh, it's not Poseidon's Rage, but it is still fun! As you can see, the park has a nice setting and offers lots of shade options. Have to give Congo Bongo a little love. Not a bad family ride, but it can be pretty slow in spots. For a better option, give Dark Voyage a try. It's faster than Zoombabwe and tons of fun! Just look for this. Kinda hard to miss with the HUGE black tube hovering over the path. Checkin' out the bowl on Time Warp. I figured I should also get a shot of Bermuda Triangle. Good for a family with less-experienced riders perhaps, but not the most exciting. The nice kiddie tower complex. I kind of wish they would add a really big one for guys like me. Those things rock! Boy, monster amounts of water and sugar everywhere you turn. Dan would LOVE it here. Blurry backside of Stingray. This was the only noticeable change to the Sand Masters sculpture. Hmm, quite a bit of work left to do. Come on guys! Sunday isn't that far away! If you want to have an awesome time, you'll probably hang out in this area for most of the day. Stingray cradling Jungle Rapids. Getting awesome parts of two of my favorite slides. For all you equipment fans out there. Hey, cool! I might end up on TV! =D More pics coming up.

The comment that ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS irks me to no end is when you are glancing through the comments on a video and at least every other one is "This ride is just like [completely unrelated ride] at [some Six Flags]." It makes me want to scream "NO IT'S F'ING NOT!!!1!!!1" at my computer.

Today I get to do the first ever TPR photo trip report at Noah's Ark! And when I get there it will be a scorching 62*!