WillMontu

Impressive. I will need to make it down there some time. One of the local museums up here is collecting a load of Space Shuttle related artifacts, such as one of the orange external fuel tanks and one of the simulators, though they are still trying to raise money to put together a building to house everything..

I remember that show - I've might have it on VHS somewhere. I'm thinking that it was Extreme Rides, though Discovery has recycled that title several times. Not sure if she became a convert - she said "That was not fun" and let out a slight laugh at the end of the ride

I think I have everyone added to my friend, and my town is starting to take off. My animals are kind of weird though - I had a kiwi[fruit] stool in my house and they kept want to come by and eat it. By stool I mean a chair, and not scat, and I'm not sure how likely my animals will be eating kiwi droppings - I wouldn't be surprised if they did As for my town, I have imported a few types of fruit, both foreign and tropical. They are getting more plentiful than the native peaches, but the Recycling store is still paying the fixed price for them. Supply and demand dictates that as supply increases and demand remains constant, prices decrease. This does make me wonder what they do with all that fruit, and where they get those extra bells from. On the topic of bells, with all those bells entering my town's economy, I was expecting massive inflation and a resulting recession, but the economy is booming instead - in the past few weeks, the general store has expanded, two new stores have opened, a club is under construction, and the "Dream suite" is planning to open its doors tomorrow. I'm not sure how long this bubble will last, but business seems to be good. In other news, rumors have been spreading about Boone and Marcie getting together, though both deny the fact. I may have to build the Resetti Surveillance Center to find out what is really going on, because Resetti's powers are paralleled only by the NSA. The introduction of "extra magic hours" policy for all businesses received positive response. The lack of venues serving alcohol does not appear to be bothering anyone, though Just yesterday, Gulliver washed upon my beach. Apparently he was looking for Canada. He is VERY lost. I think I should start a business catching mozzies and selling them. It would work very well here in Florida. The animals remembered my birthday, and they gave me a shanty wall. How thoughtful of them! Later that day, one of them came and wanted me to trade it away for a piece of clothing. Rrrommmeo! I'm a mighty pilot and captain of this vessel! Prepare to be boarded! (upper class, and zones one and two only at this time)

I'm sure it's not uncommon, but unlike some phobias, it's relatively easy to overcome - usually it takes a ride or two to turn someone who feared thrill rides to loving them. It reminds me of a program that Universal had back in 1999 when IOA was opening. They took in a few people who had "coaster phobia", paired them up with enthusiasts (I believe it was with Coaster Zombies), and had them ride Hulk before the ride opened to the general public.

Granted, but in typical Fox fashion, all the good stuff gets cancelled in the first season. I wish Florida had a few B&M or Intamin hypers.

I once saw Wild Adventures when I was in the traffic pattern for Valdosta, though I did not get very close. Some day I will get an instrument rating and/or CPL and do some long distance flights to areas that have parks, like Orlando.

For anyone who remembers FlipDude's "Little Robby Robb" comics, I was a minor character. The comic is based on the 2007 TPR Midwest trip, and I hung out with him a few times at Coney Island (Ohio).

I'm not new by any means, but I'm sure a lot of newer members are not familiar with me. I was a regular poster up until about five years ago - I did not have the the best reputation on TPR (let's just say that my social skills were not the best and that my quirks accidentally upset some people despite good intentions) and and went on a bit of hiatus. Fast forward five years, and while I'm not the enthusiast I used to be, I still have a casual interest in going to parks, etc - I've done TPR trips in the past (including the original UK trip in 2006), and haven't ruled out doing more in the future. Since then, I've matured a bit more, started a new job, learned to fly a plane, jumped out of a plane (while someone else was flying it, of course), and am finishing another Master's degree. Never could get a girl though - I guess nice guys do finish last.

I'm sure I'm not the first, and definitely not the last to rant about bad drivers. I like to use a bicycle to get around, especially on campus, as it's cheaper and more convenient than taking the bus, but some drivers are just too impatient. Most of the roads on campus have bike lanes, which is great, though there are times when I need to use the other lanes, such as when I want to make a left turn. The other day I was riding home from work, doing about 20 MPH (which is the speed limit), and as I'm about to make a left turn, the person behind me crosses over into the opposing lane and speeds past me - not only did they cross the double yellow lines, but they were speeding, and if I made the left turn, I probably would have hit them. Is it worth it to break two laws just so you could save a few seconds of travel time? There are other times when drivers literally drive me crazy. I'll be out riding minding my own business and they will honk at me for no apparent reason. I don't know who you are or why you are honking at me.

Intamin drops sometimes freak me out (feel like you're going to hit the ground), but I would probably ride this

I do a bit of volunteer work - some with Civil Air Patrol, a non-profit that partners with the Air Force to teach teenagers about leadership, as well as search and rescue - I've flown one of their planes a few times. I also started donating blood on a regular basis

Town name: Gatorton Fruit: Peach Code: 0920 0360 9573

I finally got some time to post the second part of this TR, covering Jurassic Jungle Boat Ride and part of the drive back to Florida. Edit: I give up. Sometimes I wonder why I even do this when there isn't any interest. If I can't do a good PTR, I will just have to post my photos elsewhere. The Jura [sic] Jungle Boat Ride is one of many "attractions" in Pigeon Forge. It combines the best elements of Jurassic Park (boat ride) with the best elements of Dinosaur (dark ride) With this ride, explorers go back in time to get up close and personal T-Rex normally dominates, but only raptors can open doors, and they know no fear This poor guy discovered that the hard way. Can someone find some more duct tape to re-attach his arm? Now, come with us as we go back in time to dark places and scary dinosaurs This gentle giant poses no threat to us The "Exit" sign is a nice touch The ever elusive "Flash-a-saurus" shows its stuff to Chuck and Cameron Nooo! Don't eat Erik! Not our dino! This guy's been injured by the raptors We were all expecting this one to squirt water at us. The ride concludes with a disembodied T-rex head roaring at us and the boat rocking a little bit Just get out and ride this. It may cost a little more than a ride on Manhattan Express, but this one won't kill you (unless you count the raptors) There are coupons around. Knowing that raptors can run at 10 m/s, with a top speed of 25/ms, Erik and I headed into the Smoky Mountains. The little white Hyundai, normally accustomed to flat Florida, took it in stride. They shouldn't be able to catch us up here "We are savages"? Not as much as the raptors Fairly overcast today, but still a very impressive view, especially for us Floridians. Another stitch The long and winding road Part of the AT passes through the area, and is one of the highest points along it. Moving to the cloud is the big thing at the moment, whether it's using Azure, iCloud, App Engine, or U.S. 441 Walking up to Clingmans Dome There was not much to see from the observation tower today, and it probably won't to much to protect us if the raptors make it up here The architecture has that distinct 60's feel It's almost unreal, like something out of a movie or a game Going back down the other side, there are more spectacular views Thank you for reading. I can post high resolution versions of any image (including the stitches) if anyone is looking for some desktop wallpaper.

Last weekend (March 31), Erik Johnson and I made the trip up north into the deep south for a weekend of rides, culture, and more. I start this out with Dollywood. I haven't been to the park since 2007, and even then, I did not get to stay for very long. Obviously the biggest addition is Wild Eagle, but there have been a few other changes, such as changing the "horseshoe" layout into a complete loop. While there, we met up with Chuck, Cameron, Guy, and a few others (sorry, I missed your names) in addition to the little friend we call the Q-bot. With the cost of a season pass less than two days of admission, it is worth it. Plus there's a special entrance. I only wish Universal had something like this. Waiting for the rope to drop This is what we're here for HDR composite of the eagle statue Chuck, Erik, and Cameron chat all post their photos. What did we do before Facebok and smartphones? I guess we resorted to more primitive forms of communication, like text messaging (as those of us who were on the original 2007 TPR Midwest trip will very well remember) The seats are similar to B&M Flying Coaster seats, though the harness does not lock down at the base - this means that they can lower slightly during the ride - unless I braced for it, it happened on every ride. Maybe this ride is trying to suffocate me. The front seat, on the outside is the best way to enjoy this ride. The inside seats are okay, but the metal bars limit the ability to stretch your legs. Note to self: Clean lens Cameron and Erik enjoyed their ride Going over the top Next ride was Thunderhead, but it wasn't ready to open yet. The ride ops here do a very good job compared to most parks. With loose items, for example, they will put them on the cubbies to save having to cross the train and then come back - Six Flags on the other hand, would rather charge you a few dollars to store it. A little blurry, but I like the way this came out. Yes, through the trees. Despite issues a few days prior, Mystery Mine was up and running though some of the effects were not. It goes down Tornado was running well and was very re-rideable The first few cars have been equipped with cameras In case you want to buy a coaster like this, here's the company you need to contact. It does have a few Toomer elements to it In addition to Ohio, Georgia, and Carolina, we have our balls in Tennessee too The irony! We had a few visits by Miss. Lillian Cameron gets blessed, while some random kids watch in horror. Over to the other side of the park. There are a few remnants of the Silver Dollar City days Everyone has to have this photo #70 "Cinderella" was running today It takes some time to prep the train between boardings, so we went over to the carousel. We skipped on the kiddie coaster - I need the credit, but I'm not that sad and pathetic. Up the hill Blow the horn! She's looking good No diesel or propane here. This is the real deal. Over to the Screaming Swing for a quick ride. As a private pilot, this section is right up my alley, though I'm not endorsed to fly tailwheel. Clear prop! I see they did their research. These are all true. Dollywood's famous cinnamon bread I think she likes Chuck That's it for now. Following soon will be the Jurassic Jungle Boat Ride, an attraction that puts both Dinosaur and Jurassic Park River Adventure to shame, and a drive around the Smokies.

Would this work for you? Slightly grainy (point and shoot camera with ISO set too high), but at a better resolution.

While everyone else here stayed in town to watch the Gators beat the Vols, some of us had other things on our mind, such as Deep South Bash. This event reminded me of how much fun a TPR event can be. SFOG is one of the nicer parks in the chain and they did a great job and putting on this event. There was ERT on all the coasters, and (for those who drink) "exclusive beer time". Having fixed up my 28-135mm camera lens after breaking it two years ago, I had some opportunities to test it out I have been to SFOG several times in the past, so I did not ride everything Mindbender - Still running like a Schwarzkopf should. I'm not too fond of the wraps from last year (which are really peeling). Dare Devil Dive - A good new addition. The lap bar restraints make the ride very ridable. Monster Mansion - They appear to have removed the photo booth Goliath - Still a good ride. A little bit of rattle at the bottom of the first drop GASM - Running very well this year. Plenty of airtime Ninja - Skipped for obvious reasons The crowd starts to gather on a relatively cool Saturday morning (well at least cooler than anything in Florida at this time of the year) Ticket to ride Robb is really excited about a coaster wheel The morning's ERT included Dare Devil Dive, the park's new Eurofighter. The lap-bar restraints make this ride quite enjoyable (except for the roll at the end - a bit hard on the legs) This ride should be renamed "Top Gun". Why? For one thing, it goes through the fire, and then it buzzes the tower... ...and it goes right into the Danger Zone (cue Kenny Loggins soundtrack here) Is this school FAR Part 61 or Part 141? There was also ERT on Batman and Mindbender. That train does need a bit of love though. Robb approves of ERT on the Public Relations Golf Cart ride. Over to Monster Mansion. There was a bit of a wait, but the ride operator was really into her job. Don't rock the boat Any advice from a company named Schwarzkopf is good advice - so we rode Mindbender instead This was the blue train from GASM at Great Adventure. Compare it with the original train above. Gathering for lunch behind GASM The park president stopped by to say a few words. Several attempts were made at a group photo Random turtle near the lunch pavilion This also gave some good opportunities to see GASM up close. What is she doing in the second row? NERDS! The photo walkback covered most of the park It kind of reminds me of RCT And we're walking... A rare look at Superman's lift Superman's lift again Superman's train Yes, we're nerds The walkback continues back into the park over towards the log flume DDD from a rare angle Everyone loves Mindbender There must be some reason why they were only running one train that day. Something tells me that they are missing a lap bar. NERDS! Schwarzkopf vertical loop goodness I quite like how this one came out. Through the trees Schwarzkopf rides of that era have these unusual supports. Was Anton a) crazy, or b) a genius? Thank you for reading so far. The rest of my photos will be posted over the next few days or so.

Looks like a place that I would love to visit if I were ever in the area. It reminds me of a place my family used to visit near Christchurch, NZ called Ferrymead Heritage Park. They had a similar concept in which old locomotives, trains, and trams (streetcars) were kept in operating condition.

It depends where the money comes from. It it's just printed up, it would just lead to inflation to a point that money is no longer worth anything. If it is taxed, the government, in theory would have an unlimited amount of money (Any non-zero/non-negative percentage of infinity is infinity). See inflation argument above. Now if an insanely large amount of money was given to me that was already in the economy (e.g. a Nigerian prince transferring his fortunes into my bank account), I would: Buy a private jet, get rated to fly it, and fly around the world with a few friends. It wouldn't need to be anything big - maybe a Citation, Lear, or Eclipse Buy a nice place to live, probably near the coast with a private runway to land said jet on. Use sustainable energy/fuels where possible Depending on the amount, I would invest some of it. If I had more than what I knew what to do with, I would also use it to help fund education - give everyone access to quality schools and college education, and improve transport infrastructure (favoring rail over roads).

I really wanted to go there when I visited DC last year (we had to settle for the one at the Mall, which was still very impressive). One of aircraft there that I am interested in is the Boeing 367-80 ("Dash 80"). It looks like a standard 707 airliner, but it has in interesting history. During flight testing, the pilot actually performed a barrel roll - more thrilling than any coaster.

Here is a quick update from July 4. As a side note, if you ever stay for the 4th of July fireworks (or any such late night show), do not park in the front (preferred) lots. Traffic out of the front lots was very poorly handled (if even handled at all) and it took at least an hour just to get out Cheetah Hunt had a wait of at least 60 minutes throughout the day, even after the afternoon thunderstorm, the wait was at 65. Here's something we haven't seen in a while. I'm sure at least one Schwarzkopf fanboy is going to wet himself I've got a great idea for a game. It would involve launching these from a slingshot...oh wait. New sign. Not a new credit Caught this kitty at just the right moment An albino wallaby (I'm assuming a wallaby, as it was smaller than the fully grown kangaroos) in Walkabout Way. How rare are these? The nighttime show in Gwazi Park allows for some unique shots of Gwazi and Shiekra I can't say I was a fan of the music, but the stunts were impressive The fireworks show was fairly solid.

As Erik posted above, we went down to BGT for Memorial Day. As I usually do, I brought the DSLR along and got some nice shots. Please excuse my poor attempts at captions - it's been a while. This was the reason for coming here! It's re-opened! The ride is just so much better now, though the Nairobi queue was out the door, while the Congo side was a walk-on. Plus now it goes under a coaster On top of that, we have more big kitties. This was the only one we saw - I'm guessing that there were others, perhaps in the old Clydesdale building And there's a new coaster For Barry, it's #500 Close-up of one of the trains I don't think the old Monorail station's ever seen this much of a crowd The train's that way! The supports penetrate the gift shop. Truly hard core coaster porn And now for some closeups The top of the "tree" There are many places to get pictures of this ride A missed attempt to catch the train from the skyride. [insert Through the Trees joke here] And through the water On the return leg The second launch And for the truly sad and pathetic: New name = new credit Hey, Big Mike, I think they want their shirt back.

Here are some photos from yesterday. As mentioned, Gwazi with the MF trains was a big improvement. Unfortunately only Lion was running, but crowds were very light otherwise. As an added bonus, I dug out some old web pages from an old B&M fansite I ran back in 1999. Back then, Clinton was President, RRC had an unusual obsession with zebras (for reasons I do not remember), and people played a game called "Guess the Neon Coaster" at a certain website on Geocities. I had my first digital camera, and my photography skills were abysmal. Back then, they had a model of the ride on display and later on, one of the original PTC trains. I uploaded one of the pages (complete with cheesy photo captions), in almost completely unaltered form to http://www.extremerct.com/Retro/gwazi.htm. The primary draw today was the new trains on Gwazi. As smooth as they were, the marketing people here obviously haven't ridden an Intamin pre-fab. Finally, Florida has a GCI that rides like it's supposed to What's with the pink hair on that gal (or it a guy) in the fourth row? The Cirque Dreams Jungle Fantasy show is at BGT for the winter, but don't expect it to stick around for much longer. Not much has been done recently on this section of Cheetah Hunt The third launch track...through the trees! Plenty of twisty Intamin track This ride is going to be very photogenic when it's finished The first (and only) inversion (as far as I know) Taken from the new pathway from Nairobi to EoA Yes. There is going to be penetration by the skyride Coaster enthusiasts aren't the only ones getting horny Over to Jungala to see the tigers "I can't see him" "Meow" The giraffes didn't seem so excited about the ride Intamin trains will once again pass through the old Monorail station More progress on the station Lots of changes being made

Since I'm not a big fan of restrictive copyrights, I release all my work under free licenses. Take this example: This means you can edit the image and do what you like, as long as you give me credit. I release all my future photos under this license

Today I had the opportunity to go down to BGT with family and ride some rides as well as get some pictures of Cheetah Hunt. The park was actually quite crowded, with parking in the Adventure Island lot (with trams picking up and dropping off over there). Since I was not up to lugging around the DSLR, I did not get any close-up shots. Sorry. Gwazi operations were poor and there was a bit of jackhammering, but that is quite normal. This ride really needs help. For example, unlike most woodies, the crew waits for exiting riders to completely clear the platform before they allow other riders to board, and the individual seat-belts need to go. They were dueling the trains, but that won't fix the ride. Montu and Kumba were running three trains, with some minor stacking, with about 15 minute wait for each. In addition to the track on site, there was a piece of track sitting alongside a parking lot tram in a empty lot just north of Adventure Island The park is having New Years fireworks, but we did not stick around for them Gwazi was actually dueling Oh look! They're going to put new trains on Gwazi. Might not be the best for capacity though Plenty of track is up, but there is a long way to go Through the trees... Dirt! Yay! A section of track over by the Skyride turnaround, as seen from the train. This thing is going to be long More of the same track More dirt! Yay! Brake and transfer track on the backside of the Skyride/Monorail building More of the front section Track going over the old Clydesdale stable It looks like the old monorail station is going to be the station I'm guessing that this is the initial launch Rollback brakes being installed.

Two weeks ago, Erik and I headed down to Universal Orlando for the day, being the first visit since the Harry Potter soft opening. This time the weather was much cooler (and much more bearable). Crowds in the Studios were moderate (about a 25-30 minute wait for Rocket), 15 for Mummy, 5 for MIB, 15 for E.T. IOA was significantly more crowded for obvious reasons, with an hour wait just to get into WWHP. We came back later in the day to get our Dragons fix and ride Forbidden Journey. While most rides do not make sick, being a motion simulator, I found Forbidden Journey, to make me slightly nauseous. The later hours for IOA gave the opportunity for a few good night shots. I'm not feeling creative today in the captions department, so please bear with me. Both parks were decked out for the Christmas season. Here we have Curious George filling in for King Kong And speaking of King Kong (or at least Kong's old location), Garfield looks a bit out of place. Over at the studios, Triceratops Encounter had re-opened, though there are no guarantees that it will remain open Triceratops Encounter Wizarding World of Harry Potter was at capacity, with a queuing area set up in Jurassic Park We'll come back later, when there's breathing room. The 2010 Grinch show. The entrance is in Seuss landing, with a pathway going over to the Studios Santa? Is that you? Fast forward a few hours, and crowds have let up a little HRRRRRRRR with its LED lighting setup The Christmas shop is lit up as expected, though most of the year the park closes before dark. Seuss Landing Green Eggs and Ham was open for a change Still crowded, but the line was gone The sign for Forbidden Journey with a "magic" lighting effect. Queue was around 15 minutes, single rider line even less Doing the "castle tour" and bringing the DSLR allowed for some good queue shots, without having to hold up the line DADA class The attention to detail is impressive Loading area Be sure to bow to the hippogriff The shop windows are lit up at night The owlery I like the way this one came out The low clouds and light from the ground resulted in this almost daylight like shot Another look at Seuss Landing Thank you for reading