bert425

if there's a ride to get stuck on, that's it tho. I mean, yeah, I LOVE the ride, and would gladly sit on a horse for a while anyways. . . but it's covered (out of the sun/rain), not high off the ground (the horses never really go up as high as a carousel anyways), and you have a great view of the midway

I did *not* like the trains/restraints. (they land on my thighs, and there's no place to hold on securely - other than that one "rope" handle on the one side. So the bunny hops/ejector air hurt. The exact same issue I had on Twisted Timbers and why I don't ride that. so yeah. . just my opinion, but I didn't care for it. however, i will say, that diving 1st drop is incredible, and if the trains/restraints were different? I probably would have loved it.

once I remembered we had eaten that, wasn't quite so freaked out by it!

hands down my favorite there was Thunder Run. . it was amazing in the front row. but most will tell you Lightning Run, since it's the only one of it's kind on the planet.

yup. .they announced it yesterday during day 1 of Roller Coaster Rodeo. from the presentation, and shared to me by a friend there: more announcements are supposed to happen this afternoon and tomorrow.

baseball cap..that you stop and wet under the water fountain occasionally helps a lot too! oh, and don't forget to hydrate. Free cups of water at any service place, you just have to ask for them.

the Roller Skater there is great, with a lovely setting. don't worry about being an adult riding it. . MANY adults ride it. including the TPR folks

did you get your free beer? they announced that it was back starting yesterday that Passholders get a free beer every visit!

will try to get day 2 of Coasterstock! (and perhaps Kentucky Kingdom) up in the next couple of days. but if you're curious about "Tru by Hilton". . which is the hotel we stayed at really close to the park, here's some pics of the room. although it is very "minimal" (no drawers, no closet. . tho open pipe with hangers in the room to act as a 'closet' and plenty of storage under the raised bed). . it was very comfortable, with a great shower. The lobby is much more "modern" and had a pool table (and amenities included pool with hot tub, and small exercise room, as well as a very decent breakfast in the mornings, and pretty decent coffee all day/night). For the cost, and location? I was very pleased, and think it's a "book again" for next year if we go again. after all. . how much is one really in the hotel if you're coming for the park. view from my room and there's the park, behind the hotel across the freeway.

yeah. . I believe this is closer to the coloring on the supports they were actually going for: I mean here's the concept art from the park itself: but yeah. . it doesn't look great as is... so I'm thinking they realized it's not working, so stopped messing with it for the moment until it gets figured out

^ the paint color scheme is actually a PERFECT fit for the area of the park (CrackAxle) and the surrounding quarry. Keep in mind, it's not supposed to have bright yellow supports. the track and track support looks beautiful there against the browns and tans of the quarry rocks and wood in that section of the park. I'll agree with you that the attempt at patina just isn't working - and I have to hope they realize that, and will be doing a different attempt at painting over the coming months that will really tone down that yellow.

they haven't. . but the trains have been on the tracks, and I'd expect water dummies to show up really soon (if not by this weekend). there's still a bunch of theming and work on the queue ongoing (and supposed to be really hot every day this week, so that might slow them down). . but I will not be surprised if this ends up opening July 4th weekend. but no, they haven't announced an official opening date, tho they had intended to have it open by this coming weekend for Roller Coaster Rodeo. I completely understand why they won't give a firm date at the moment, as they need the certification done, and all the testing done. . but it's coming soon!

from Mr. Siebert (via Twitter). all I can say, is hell yes!

^ that's why we rode it with the LIGHTS ON ert ! LOL. .it did NOT help. We were the only ones on the train too, and when we got back and they asked "how was that ride???" we both just stared at them dazed. LOL

Orion has color changing ground spotlights, that light up the track for the rest of the course here's a good shot of them: yeah, Poltergeist is SO smooth. . . FoF is so awful. .it's crazy how different the rides are!

^ saw Jeffrey tweeted today that Supes is down until Thurs for "improvements" I'm guessing that means the return of the 3rd train, but perhaps some new paint as well? and they've been promoting that last hill as an extreme airtime element. . so I'm taking a wait and see attitude on it, but they certainly are promising some good air there coming out of that final helix before hitting the station.

Continuing on Day one, as dusk started to fall. We made a stop back towards the front gate (to window shop for some T-shirts to buy the next day) and to grab some sweets from the Bakery (omg, the Peanut Butter bon bons were so rich!) as well as for Danielle, Joel and Kim to get Skyline Chili - of which I tried a bit, but focused more on the desert stuff. I think the Tower always does do the color changing in the evening, but it sure was lovely with the 50th decorations on it. we were right there, so I think we rode "something" and then I think it might have been close to 9pm or so. And the park closed at 10 pm. we had evening ERT this first night on; Beast, Racer, Orion, Flight of Fear (lights on), Backlot Stunt Coaster, the Autos and Zephyr. So we decided - having learned from last year's rainout of the 2nd night of ERT (and this year's 2nd night including Mystic Timbers & Diamondback) not to wait. . . so for the last hour, we headed over to DiamondBack and Mystic Timbers to get in some night rides, before the park closed, even tho we knew there would be lines. tho to be honest? they weren't too bad, although Mystic Timbers did take about 25 minutes I think, and we went there 1st. here's myself, Joel, Kim, and Danielle sending hello to my Austin friend Sean - whom Kim and Joel had met a couple of weeks prior at an event at BGT. yes, without Fastlane+, we got to "experience" the back part of the queue. . an area that was new to me. where one gets a view of the shed! speaking of the shed, Kim *again* got Bats. . LOL. she got Bats on every single ride, until the last ride she took on it the next night (with myself and Danielle) where she got TREES!!! So it took riding in a train with myself and Danielle to break the "curse of Kim and the Bats" we then headed over to Diamondback, figuring, if we got in line before closing at 10, we'd get to ride, and by the time we got off, it would be almost time for 10:30 ERT to start, and we'd be right near the Beast. which ended up working out perfectly. it wasn't QUITE dark yet when we got in line, but it got dark really quickly by the time we got to the station, where I waited for front row. this ride really is amazing at night, as noted in part 1. The only lights are on the front end for the most part, so once you drop? it is zooming thru the dark.. so, so good! by the time we exited, and made it over to Beast, ERT was just starting. But I stopped for a 2nd try at the picture (remember, onride camera for Beast was down, and I wanted a pic). .this time moving ~3 feet to the right of the pawprints telling one where to stand. perfect: we got two fantastic night rides on Beast (or maybe it was 3, can't recall), and when we exited our last ride, Joel was antsy to hit Orion. I had found out from Danielle while riding, that she'd never been on Backlot Stunt Coaster, so Joel and Kim headed to Orion and we detoured to take a ride on Backlot. .. were there were literally more staff hanging around than folks waiting to ride. They were excited to see us come up, and we got stellar service - 4 ride ops made sure we were secure in the front row of the red cars. almost all the effects were working (do the helicopter blades spin? if they are supposed to, then that's the one effect that wasn't working). And it's super intense at night with that completely dark underground portion, and that great fire effect. I mean, it's a dumb family, coaster, but it's a fun, dumb coaster. She liked it, I think, and then we headed towards Orion. . where we made the *huge* mistake of stopping to ride Flight of Fear. now, this was horrifically awful last year - but we had been directed to back seat. So I figured: 1) it's Lights on, we can brace for transitions, 2) it's ERT and there's no line, we can likely sit wherever we want, and 3) I LOVE Poltergeist at SFFT, and this is the same model, albeit indoors and with mid course brakes. so we hopped in line. Front Row. OMG. . .SO. AWFUL. the transitions were terrible, snapping our backs from side to side, and it had jackhammering. . . yes! in the front row! on a steel coaster! OMG.. terrible. at least it gave Kim, Joel, Tom, and Jan something to make fun of us over - why did you ride that. never again, even if I go back next year.. . it's nuts, since Poltergiest runs so smooth. . what the heck happened to this ride here??? they take such loving care of all the other coasters, but something has gone horribly wrong on Flight of Fear (needless to say, we did NOT ride it the next night when it was standard "lights off" ops). tho I will find a positive here - the queue is really great, and it's a lot of fun to go inside the spaceship to get to the coaster. at least right next door (tho we were both walking crooked from the thrashing we had just gotten) was this lovely palate cleanser. we closed out the night with multiple rides on this (I think I was 3 and done, but the others rode it a few more times than that).. .very fun and so fast, but it's pretty brightly lit up, so no "dark" rides, unfortunately. Still good tho. and with that, it was Midnight, and time to make our way out to the parking and back to the hotel.. we had another full day of Coasterstock to get to in the morning. and Kudos to the park, that they keep the fountains and all the lights on until everyone is out of the park, as it was well over 2 hours after official park close, so I appreciated how lovely the area still looked for us while exiting: exhausted, and my ankle was throbbing pretty good, but you can tell I had a great day. exiting the gates, I remembered to turn around to snap a pic of the huge mural they have over the entrance. I hope they sell this as a poster, or as a series of posters, as this is lovely. and here's a bunch of the onride photos from the 1st day. . no idea what order they are in. . . and sometimes didnt' get the pics, but mostly did and if you're wondering: "Why do they look happy if it sucked that bad??" well, it's because the photo snaps in the launch tunnel. ie: the smooth part of the ride. (the only part slightly smoother is the mid course brake.. which we were thankful for the moments of no pain there). closing out day one with a picture featuring myself & Danielle in row 2, and TPR forum member Piano John, and his hubby Sean in the front row. day 2 coming up in the next few days. think I have less pics on day 2, as there was some heavy rain that impacted the day, and the evening ERT. . but still, had a great time! hope y'all enjoy the pics.

Ok. .day 1 of Coasterstock! lots and lots of pics, so will post in two parts. part 1: we were up and out of the hotel by 8am, as gates open early for this incredible event. ERT this morning went from 8:30am-10am with available options staggered for: Great Pumpkin Coaster (kiddie, so I didnt' bother), Woodstock Express (which was supposed to be one of the 1st open, but was delayed and did open closer to 10), Diamondback, Mystic Timbers, and Flying Ace Ariel Chase (which I rode last year, and had zero interest in repeating the headbang this Jr. suspended Vekoma offers). someone was taking pics of the Tie Dyed shirts, so here I am in the line waiting to get into the park, with a Joel photobomb we were deep in conversation with the wonderful lady on the right, wearing a dress that she handmade featuring the classic Flyers on the skirt. so I'm a huge Carousel nerd (for those that don't know me from here), and so is Don Helbig from KI. . and we had been excitedly chatting on the KI Coasterstock page about the Anniversary of the Carousel and the refurb work they had been doing on it for said Anniversary. Also in this conversation online, was Danielle. So we had interacted online, but I had not met her or knew what she looked like. . . and the universe stepped in and we ended up walking next to each other from the parking lot to the front gate. and within moments, realized that we were the two who had been chatting about Carousels online. so yes, we ended up hanging out most of the two days, also meeting another wonderful attendee named Jan (appropriate, since Jan lost Mike's plans on the KI Canoes way back in the 70's. . . .oh, Jan!!!). anyways, so we ended up with a core group of 5-6 of us each day that hung out thruout the day, occasionally meeting up with PianoJohn and Shawn, and Stacy Gretchen, and a few other folks from here at TPR Forums. Once we got in the gates, we made our way over towards Diamondback since that's where they gave us juice, donuts, and we could pick up our FunPix cards, and drink bands. Oh, and ride Diamondback a few times, before going next door to ride Mystic Timbers a few times as well, before heading over towards Woodstock Express. but first? gotta stop for a pic. The fountains weren't on yet, but the front was quiet enough to get one without tons of people around. as noted, multiple rides on Diamondback, Mystic Timbers (Kim kept getting Bats in the shed, LOL) and then we discussed what to do next. At 10am was a photo and video Q&A with the Train Engineers, and the 1st ride of the day on the train. But we had done that last year, so we skipped it and instead we headed over to Woodstock Express, where we got a private ride (seriously, the park had just opened but no one was over here yet). it's riding much smoother than it was last year, so I'm wondering if perhaps they did some off year trackwork on it? no idea what's up with the date on this. . 4/12/22 ? LOL. . was 5/20/22 and then the crowds started to show. . but we were right next to Woodstock's Whirlybirds. which really didn't have any line at all yet (tho it would later, as they only run a few at a time) I hadn't even noticed them last year, and have NO idea how I missed them.. but once I saw them online, I was determined to squeeze my butt into them for a ride. It turns out, the insides are VERY roomy, no issue there, and they encourage adults to ride. it's a slow moving powered (and breezy, since the sides are open) loop around the Peanuts area. *but* it's powered and has a slight lift-hill and drop, so does it count as a coaster? such a pretty area. we got Joel to ride! so that implies it must count as a coaster, as he was willing to get on see how roomy? Danielle and I easily fit, and tho there were pedals you could work, and a joystick that moved? really it was a sit back and enjoy the ride type of thing. see behind that orange one? a lift hill! oh, and Orion. Red Racer was starting to test. Blue wouldn't open until later in the day, and then broke down while we were waiting for it. so never actually got to ride Blue, but got 3 rides on Red. as much as I love Carousels? yeah, this one didn't look like it could support me, so I didn't even try. Besides, I knew the Bigger Carousel was in my near future, as we had to head over the Eiffel Tower for the group photo at 11. here's the Group Photo taken by Kyle. . . they never reveal numbers, but assuming most everyone showed up? I'd guess it's capped at somewhere around 1200 ? and since the ERT always has multiple "big" things open at the same time, it splits the crowd really well, and the ERT really is not much of a wait ever. SUCH a good event. Lunch wasn't for an hour yet, and we were sorta closeby, so we swung over to the Beast for a ride (waiting only about 20 minutes). the retracking is amazing, and it's running SO smooth. I was iffy about it, but I went ahead and rode Row 17 on this 1st ride, and it was AMAZING. yes the brakes are still hitting hard - mainly at the end of the "bridge" before the turn into the woods, and slightly on the drop into the Helix.. but wow, it picks up speed so quickly again, and this sucker is just flying. and as noted. . smoooooooth. LOVED it and rode it several times during the two days at the park. It doesn't unseat my #1 - Mystic Timbers - but Beast is easily my #3 now (just behind Phoenix) in terms of my favorite wooden coasters. sadly tho, the Beast onride camera was down, so no onride pic today, so settled for the "photo spot" which I remembered from last year is off by about 3 feet. So giggling, i posed for it anyways : we still had time, and Danielle and I were antsy about it. . so on the way to go get lunch, it was Carousel time. sorry in advance, but lots of Carousel pics upcoming: the special Anniversary Horse it *stunning* Joel and Kim behind me Danielle in front of me the colors are so bright and vibrant. .they put so much love into this! and then we noticed Jan (tho we hadn't actually MET her yet) waiting for the next cycle - she waved, so we waved back. . and we got a great onride pic that she took. Lunch was chilidogs, burgers, chicken fingers, Potato Salad, and a few other things that I didn't try. KI has really stepped up their food game, as even this (what appears to be "basic" food) was so damn good. tho the chili had beans in it. .what's up with that??? it was still really good tho. Everything I tried was good! after lunch, Kyle took a pic of the "tie Dye" people... love this too, tho it was post lunch, so feeling rather "large". . LOL on the way back into the park, we noticed some "theming" peeking over the fence from the Waterpark area (wasn't open yet for the season) it was a little confusing, but highly amusing even tho we had ERT on it later that night? we hadn't been over to the left side of the park at all today yet.. so we headed over to Orion, and waited ~25 minutes for it. Not bad at all, considering we did NOT have FastLane + until the next day, so this was general queue. Orion is all about the speed. And for me, that first wave turn after the drop. I like it a lot, but I think my favorite (non wood) coaster in the park is still Diamondback. we still rode the crap out of Orion on these two days tho. after meeting up with another of Kim's friends Tom and getting a ride on Adventure Express and Racer, Kim wanted a sit/chat break so they hung out while Joel and I headed to the flats on the midway that I had missed last year, and was determined to ride this year. 1st up? Monster! which I learned from this ride op: "Monster goes "Rrawrrrrr" something I'm still doing, much to my spouse's annoyance every few hours - complete with Lady Gaga "raise your paws" gesture, and lisp while saying it. by it's nature, it takes a while to load, so Joel and I were facing Orion & Racer for a good bit while they loaded the other arms. So with permission of the ride op, I pulled out my camera (I had promised to put it back in my zippered pocket when the cycle was to start), and snapped some pics of Orion: us and Racer after Monster, next up was Scrambler - which also was running a great program. I think we took another lap on Adventure Express here - but first stopping for one of the photo ops spread all over the park. this one is out near Racer, and was my favorite. tho even the basic ones were nice backdrops for selfies. and then we all decided that it had been long enough after lunch, that we really needed some Blue in our lives: it didn't' taste as "blue" as it was last year, so not quite as sweet, but man, was it good. Drop Tower was down due to wind, so we just enjoyed the shade spot, and watched Delirium and Banshee cycle. that's Tom on his phone there in the center Kim doesn't do well with "swinging" or "spinning" rides, but we convinced her to make the long trek back to "the Bat" (me hobbling, as sitting was helping me rest my bad ankle, but man, the Bat queue has a LOT of steps, an walking). but she rode it. . even in front row with Joel. we had skipped the behind the scenes tour of Beast (it had POURED the day before all day, and the idea of it being muddy back there. . along with my worry about not walking on flat ground cinched that I was gonna skip it, tho Danielle had gone and said it was great), as well as the Diamondback behind the scenes, since had done it last year. So really we had nothing on the schedule until 10:30 pm Nighttime ERT. and I think it was around 6pm now? so we just wandered around, taking pics, riding things as we got to them, and enjoying the park. Ok, I lied. .this backdrop MIGHT be my favorite but the Racer one is close! we took a spin on Phantom Manor (I think that's what it's called). . the targets/shooting could use an update, but the Omnimover ride vehicles are great, and it's a nice, long, airconditioned, dark ride. to bad we were a few weeks too early for shows tho, as would have loved to see the show they put together based on this attraction. another photo spot, near the French Bakery on main street. we decided to take another ride on Diamondback or Mystic Timbers, but the lines had actually gotten a bit long, so we instead headed to the train to take a ride. you can get some great views from the train, and if your timing is good? some decent pictures too: Mystic Timbers Diamondback this ride is just so damn lovely. . and very little light makes it back here, making it a fantastic night ride (the back half of the coaster is so dark). . not sure why more don't rave about night rides on Diamondback! theming from the train! to be continued with evening/night pictures in Part II and more onride pics, which I just decided to put in part II, as we rode Diamondback and Mystic Timbers SO much, I have no idea which pics are from which ride. . LOL.. but you can tell they are different since moving form seat to seat between photos

great visit to SFFT yesterday with my friends Sean and Amy despite the heat (I think it hit 104), so lots of breaks in the shade, or inside a show. The good thing is that the Waterpark does drain almost all of the crowd from the dry areas once it's open. . so even on a Saturday when the parking lot was packed, most rides were very reasonable with short waits or even close to walk ons. With a couple of exceptions: both being the water rides. and Iron Rattler. some heads ups for those who haven't been to the park recently and are going in the next couple of weeks: - Iron Rattler is one train ops (sounded like an issue with train 2, and train 3 hasn't been delivered yet). So that one gets a line fast, and will hold the line all day. if you're solo make use of the single rider line, or buy flash pass. Otherwise it seemed to be pulling hour+ waits most of the day. - the water rides are full to overflowing, and all the waterfalls/squirters are on. so you WILL get soaked on both Bugs and Gully Washer (not a complaint, I mean why else ride a water ride? but just a heads up). - the whole park is not open until Noon (even tho gates are at 10 and rope drop at Los Festivales is at 10:30). So if you get there before noon, only Los Festivales (Goliath & Boomerang), CrackAxle (Roadrunner, iron Rattler, Daredevil Dive, Gully Washer), Spassburg (Carousel & Bugs - tho it didnt' open until later in afternoon) and DC Universe (Superman, Supervillain Swings, Joker, and I think the kiddie area) will be open. Whitewater Bay (waterpark), Rockville (Poltergeist, WW, Batman, Hustler, Scream, school bus, taz tornado) and the Boardwalk (Wave Runner, Pirates, Pandemonium, Spinsanity, Hurricane Force 5, and the Super Loops) dont' open until noon. - Dr. Diabolical's Cliffhanger is looking amazing, and is coming along great. The train was (briefly) on the track during our visit, and I suspect water dummy testing will be happening soon. the queue is coming along nicely, and I suspect will be done by end of June at the rate they are going. . if not sooner. we were there on Deaf Awareness day, and it was so wonderful to see so many interpreters on most all the "big" rides, signing the announcements for everyone. And Rockin at Rockville High was absolutely fabulous, with two ASL interpreters on either side of the stage just rocking out while signing the show/songs. I think it's the best show I've ever seen in the park. some pics from the day: Gully Washer Queue is SO good for getting great pics of Iron Rattler. and it was pretty full too. . . (more water in the ride and in Bug's Flume, than I've ever seen in decades of going). it was great. this is what I expect from a water ride, and was not disappointed (and that's why I always bring baggies with me to parks) they had one of the trains on the track today, but didn't get to see it on the lifthill. .where folks were up there working to get this sucker ready! I've seen and heard a lot of complaining about meal options removed from the Dining Plans recently.. but there are still lots of good options avail in the park! and if eating at Sangerfest Halle, gotta ride the Carousel. I mean, it's right next door! the 30th Anniversary revival of Rockin at Rockville High is *so* good. . and added bonus? inside in the A/C with padded seating/bench backs. added bonus was the ASL interpreter on our side (we were the Sophomores in our section), who was emanating pure joy (and looked like he was having a ball) during the performance. the cast sticks around after the show to pose for pics if guests would like them (and people were lining up, because yes, the show is that good) and I discovered this for the 1st time (new?) snack option - Pineapple float. Pineapple Ice cream, Pineapple Juice, Sprite, and chunk pineapple. . . it was really good. (and a bit sticky) bet it would be fantastic with some rum added (Amy went and checked, and the bar at the pizza place does sell shots of rum..but decided for $15 for a shot (and the heat of the day) it would be a mistake. so just enjoyed as is. the we waited in the queue for Bugs (it was about 25 minutes), but when I found out Amy had not only never been in the queue, but she'd never even ridden it? Yeah, was all in to wait. and we even convinced Sean to ride with - tho he was still wet from Gully Washer earlier, and REALLY wanted to dry out. so. . ..yeah. (after this pic was taken, we had to sit down in the sun and take our socks off to dry -- as at the top of the drop, no kidding, about 5" of water filled up the bottom of our log. . LOL) more pics of Dr. D's Cliffhanger. Looks like it's gonna be so amazing.

TO ADD: in an example of what a fantastic park SFFT is, and the Management team there, I've already been reached out from the park Mgmt, to thank me for my comments, and noted that: "we are hopeful that napkins and other guest amenities will return to guest facing soon." So I really hope that this is just a short term thing! But honestly, I'd be fine if just a few napkins are automatically handed when serving the food. Regardless. . this is why I LOVE this park!

was at SFFT yesterday and despite the heat (and the continuing staffing issues that result in ~1/2 the park not opening up until after Noon, despite 10am front gate/10:30 rope drop open), I really did have a fantastic time. that said, the one thing I really did have an issue with yesterday - and I'm not sure if it's chain wide now, but I *absolutely* suspect it's coming from Six Flags Mgmt, and not the park itself: NO MORE NAPKINS out on countertops. (no silver or condiments either. . but my big issue was the napkins). Not good at the Ice Cream places, the messy nacho place, or the funnel cake stand where you're going to need multiple napkins. I feel awful for Park Mgmt that's going to have to deal with the poor impression fallout that seems to be clearly coming from a level above the parks (and I know they're already dealing with many complaints from so many "Meal" and "Snack" options being removed from the meal plans - again, not an individual park decision. so. . . just a heads up on this sudden change, and I'd love to know if it's happening at other Six Flags parks. . . I strongly suspect it is.

^ they weren't Jalapenos. . they were bannana peppers and were SO good. and I got the Fried Mushrooms for the table, not knowing that when Joel said he'd eat them that he'd try one, and decide he didnt' like the mushroom "earthy" taste so it was mainly me eating them - they were so good as well. . . and recall, I DID take that last piece of chicken with us and had it one night later in the hotel . but yeah, was not used to eating so much fried stuff in a 48 hour period.

are they giving them to CoasterMania attendees? Hearing a LOT of really poor reviews of this year's CM. (so maybe they are trying to soothe over bad responses?)

so once we left Holiday World (and got this great pic of Thunderbird, Voyage, and the giant empty space where Pilgrim's Plunge was): we continued on to Leavenworth, IN - for a dinner stop at a restaurant that Kim had "discovered" off the main highway several years ago, called "the Overlook" this place has THE most incredible views: and was very much a place that I could see "tour buses full of older folks" frequenting. the inside just screamed - "we've been here forever, and anyone over the age of 60 is gonna love it!" - TONS of wood paneling, classic comfort food on the menu (much of it fried, all of it very good, tho my tummy later that night wasn't too much of a fan, as I way overate), and deserts that really were pretty amazing. . . .think old skool diner deserts, but served as if in an old Lodge. and again, the view inside from pretty much any seat was great - tho they sat us in a beautiful corner table: it was so cool (and spooky) watching the fog roll in and blanket the river , as waves of rain and storms came and went thruout our meal here. fi you're curious about the place / menu. . it's very much recommended if you're passing thru the area! http://www.theoverlook.com/ stuffed and feeling like I was leaking grease from my pores (but oh goodness was that Fried Chicken so damn good, I totally get why the waitress said they are known for it), we wobbled back to the car, and continued on to Kings Island - Fighting the rain the whole way. . . sometimes dry, sometimes drizzle, sometimes POURING. about 2 hours in, after stopping for gas, Joel wanted to drive - and he did a damn good job and got us there safe, despite the bad weather. eventually we were passing by Kings Island, moments from the hotel: the rain/lightning would continue off and on thruout the evening - with quite a bit of loud thunder. but by the time we woke up for the 1st day of Coasterstock! the sky was overcast, but no rain, and we were ready to have a fantastic day. Swag from Holiday World - since had a lot of time in the afternoon to shop (ie: hide from the downpours) not the magnet I would have preferred to get - especially since really only saw one of these mascots in the park. but honestly, the only one I COULD buy, as the other magnets (tho I liked the designs) were all about as big as License Plates! No really, they were all HUGE, and I just don't have the fridge space for that kind of thing. as noted, oddly not ONE shirt with the Holiday World "Rainbow" logo was available. . . but I did manage to get Nick something close: I bought these two for me: I really liked this one, and it just so happened to show the only two coasters we got on. . LOL I also picked up this one because I liked the color and the somewhat simple design. . I should have put it back tho. . because upon checking out, I saw they had a special that if you spent a certain amount of $$, you could get a more colorful shirt that kinda has the rainbow logo on it for only $9. so I ended up getting one for me, and one for Nick: so I ended up buying more shirts (5) than rides we got on (4) . but I still had a great time at Holiday World, and will go back again if I get the opportunity! up next: Day 1 of Coasterstock!

^ you should have brought him over for a side-bar at the Dipping Dots cart. you coulda gotten *all* the scoop