ytterbiumanalyst

Glad to see the new signage around the garage. As a first time visitor last fall, that was the one part of my day I hadn't planned, and it wasn't super clear how to navigate it. I played it by ear and made it in time for opening, but signs are a definite improvement. It's always the little things.

You can probably get away with it. We turned it on for the first time yesterday when the high was 83. And I don't normally eat cereal, usually boiled eggs on weekdays and fried eggs and bacon on weekends, because weekends should be fun. But I did have some oatmeal on Sunday if that counts. Have you ever touched aquatic animals?

^ That's a great song. U2 are ones who sometimes create the most beautiful lyrics, and sometimes I just shake my head and wonder how that made the album. Here's one of my favourites: If the door is open it isn’t theft You can’t return to where you’ve never left Blossoms falling from a tree they cover you and cover me Symbols clashing, bibles smashing Paint the world you need to see Sometimes fear is the only place that we can call our home Cedarwood Road And then there's this: Unos, dos, tres, catorce Yeah, Bono, you don't know Spanish. But I doubt he cares.

California for WCB. When was the last time you went whale-watching?

Yes, back when you were knee high to a tadpole. Have you turned on your air conditioning this year?

We're going to be staying at Dollywood for three days, so it's not like the fast pass would even really be necessary. The only reason I care is that it's an amenity for staying there and this system has turned from "do whatever you want anytime" to "manage how you use this wristband, and make sure you and your kids don't lose any tabs." It's a whole lot less vacationy.

Coast Rider at WCB When was the last time you had coffee?

Ice cream

Gouderix, because I'd rather be in France than Las Vegas. Which coaster would you rather raise from the dead: Big Bad Wolf or the original Bat?

Great trip report as always! Glad to see Lightning Rod is up consistently enough for you and several others to get on it. Looking forward to trying it out myself in May.

Wow, that is incredible. Vacation of a lifetime right there, and this is only one stop on the trip. I've always wanted to go to the Middle East--such history. The only thing that's stopped me is the violence. So awesome that your organization would give you a path to visit these cool places.

Yes, they are only connected by two little points and they are very prone to fall off especially if you are wearing a jacket with long sleeves. I'm not happy about this. My son is prone to pick at things, and with his limited verbal skills, I'm seeing a near 100% possibility that he picks off a tab not understanding that it means we can't go on the roller coaster for a while. Whereas I could manage the Qbot and he just enjoys his day.

Yes, Patriot. Do you still own a Walkman?

Thanks, and I'm with you here. I don't think they've used those switchbacks in 15 years, or the one inside the station building om the lower level. Once they got Wildfire, the line just hasn't built up that far. I hope the pictures get a sense of scale on this thing, but I really feel like you have to be there in person to appreciate it. Once you see how far back from the path this is, and then how much farther back it goes, you know this is something special.

Gwazi [youtu_be] [/youtu_be] https://rcdb.com/9848.htm Sky Rocket at Kennywood Intamin Giga Coaster

Sunset

Peach Cartmanland or Krustyland?

Yes Did you go or are you going to any St. Patrick's Day festivities?

This is a great move! Boomerang was the only coaster I didn't ride at Knott's last year. Glad to see they're getting rid of it. There's so much more they can do with that space; almost anything would be better.

Best coaster ending I've been on is Outlaw Run's double barrel roll, especially in row 11. Worst is YOLOcoaster's brakes all the way down the drop.

Today I took my son to Silver Dollar City. It's his last day of spring break, and he has been feeling the offseason as badly as a lot of us have. The weather forecast was utterly perfect: 60s and scattered showers! Just the sort of forecast to keep people away and yet be an absolutely fantastic day. Let's get the negatives out of the way: Powder Keg and Firefall were closed all day for mechanical issues. But Powder Keg is often iffy on rainy days, and Evan is now tall enough for Outlaw Run, so it wasn't as big of a deal today as it would have been last year at this time. We started off the day with Fire in the Hole. I kind of let him lead me in the direction he wanted to go, and that's where he ran first. Crowds weren't going to be a problem today (don't expect the same this weekend), so it just became about what he wanted to do. After not riding a coaster for several weeks, I thought it a good idea to do a smaller one first. He may be a fan of Outlaw Run, but he's also 7. Speaking of Outlaw Run, that is where we went next. He knows the way and will often lead me in that direction if we get anywhere near it. I think it's safe to say it's his favourite roller coaster. After two laps on it, we went over to the Giant Barn Swing. He didn't like it when we tried it last year after he hit 48", but he was staring at it and saying "Woohoo!" He's not very verbal, so I kind of have to interpret things. I asked him if he wanted to ride the giant swing, and he ran toward the entrance, so I guess we're doing this. He was pretty enthusiastic until we actually sat down on the ride. Then he shook nervously and held my arm. It apparently wasn't quite what he thought it would be. Still, cool for him to be willing to try it again. It's one of my favourite flats, but I'll admit it's intense, especially for a 7 year old. It was time for a break, so we got lunch. He had a Nathan's hot dog and I a pretzel bratwurst, which is new this year and which I forgot to take a picture of. It was great--go get one. They're sold at the Carousel Barn, next to Tom & Huck's River Blast. Speaking of which, SDC is making a big effort to improve food service this year, and in fact is advertising this season as the Year of Food and Crafts. It's been a sore spot with a lot of longtime guests who remember the park of the 80s and before. Food was always cheap and high quality and in fact was a selling point for a lot of people. As the park grew, they turned to higher capacity food service, and quality suffered. It's understandable, but food was always something they were known for, and fans of the park just hated to see it go to typical theme park quality. Crossroads Pizza was a great first step. It's a super high capacity restaurant with seriously good pizza. This year they're adding lots of new options at existing places, and adding a few new locations as well, including Percy's Southwest Grille in the former Mary's Springhouse. And don't worry, cinnamon bread is back and the same as ever. And that's a nice segue back into the narrative, as we followed up our lunch with the very first cinnamon bread of the year. Mmm...cinnamon bread. What was I saying? Oh yeah, I was telling you about my day. We followed up cinnamon bread by... Mmm...cinnamon bread. Focus! We went over to Thunderation both to ride the best non-Disney mine train in existence and also to check on the progress of what is apparently going to be called Wild Mountain, according to in-park signage. This thing is massive, and the station building is beyond belief. It's about the size of Banshee's station, seriously. There's been a lot of work on it already; the steel frame appears to be complete, and workers were putting up the wood frame while the park was open. We finished up with the Grand Expo, Flooded Mine, and American Plunge. We were there about four hours all total and had a really great day to start out the year! New look for the entrance sign New food options at Wagon Wheel It pays to be early New food options at Lumberjack Camp I love the little details all over the park. All the water rides were open, although there weren't many takers. We're making a left at the crossroads. Lost River isn't testing; it's actually open. The world's greatest flat ride. Yes, Evan is literally skipping to Outlaw Run. That's what I like to see! Hey, some brave souls! Very light crowds this morning. Stop! Puddle time! On to land some firemen. Wait, I think that came out wrong. No fires falling today. Where are we running to now? The ball mess! And now back to the front of the park. Lots to see! This is the new Percy's Southwest Grille, which has replaced Mary's Springhouse. But we're in the mood for something else. Come to me, my precious. First cinnamon bread of the season! And now for a perennial favourite classic attraction. Wait! Who moved the entrance? Aw, man, we can't look over the fence.... We did. Oops. The switchbacks have been blocked off, replaced with a straight path with stairs. And behind drop #1 is this lovely steel structure. The steel frame appears to be complete, and they're adding wood frame now. I totally believe this is the biggest addition ever. That area is HUGE. More can be seen from the Echo Hollow Entrance. And you can see a lot from the porch at the Culinary & Craft School building. Construction photos obtained. Time for more rides! Crowds had picked up a bit in the afternoon, but not by much. Back in the square. And we closed out our day with one of our favourites.

All schools in NWA are out as well. Very large school districts. When you say NWA, do you mean this week or next? Also, Springfield isn't the largest school district in Missouri. Though it clearly is the largest of importance in the area. That "honor" belongs to KC, then STL city, then Francis Howell in St. Charles. I work for the FHSD...and our spring break is next week. And...we're coming down worth another family. I'm expecting crowds. Thankfully I'm also going early June...when it should be somewhat quieter. Either way...I'M HANKERIN' FOR SOME COASTERIN' You'd think KC and STL would be the largest, but they both split their special ed departments into a separate district. The largest in Missouri in order: 1. Springfield (25,670) 2. St. Louis (24,496) 3. Rockwood (21,931) 4. North Kansas City (19,984) 5. Ft. Zumwalt (18,289) 6. Hazelwood (18,193) 7. Francis Howell (18,104) 8. Lee's Summit (18,073) 9. Columbia (17,963) 10. Parkway (17,764) https://mcds.dese.mo.gov/quickfacts/District%20and%20School%20Information/District%20Enrollment%201991-2016.xls

Zutons - "You Will, You Won't" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dt43LMD9D8

Big Thunder Mountain, Disneyland Paris Maurer Skyloop

Not personally, but we have one at the office. Have you watched any of the World Baseball Classic?