Cameron

Great photos, Dan. It was really nice to meet you .. although I didn't know you got sick on Behemoth. I must admit that I had to take a break on the night ERT, hence there would have been more than one "food escape"! Cameron.

I will echo the positive comments left by others, and say that it was a really awesome day. We spent close to 16 hours in the park, and I doubt anyone was bored for a second (just the opposite in fact!). I was thrilled to get to see many old friends again, and also got to hang out with some terrific new ones. Thanks so much, to all involved! Cameron.

Ok, I am as disappointed with the crappy new Indiana Beach as everyone, but new rides always have issues. Everything else at the park this year is completely inexcusable, but problems with Hawg can not be the park's fault .. if you want to blame someone, blame S&S. Cameron.

So your wife like to ride high, huh? Say No More! Cameron.

See to me the crossovers are the "worst of both worlds" .. They aren't as safe, nor do they handle as well as a car, they are less efficient, and have only a marginal amount of additional space. Why not just get a hatch or wagon? I'd put money on a VW Golf or Mazda 3 being able to carry just as much crap as an average crossover.. Cameron.

Awesome photos! I especially love the low clouds from the Sears Observation deck. Glad you enjoyed this (under-rated) city so much .. it's much like Viper at SFGAm Cameron. PS: Your cat is awesome..!

Some day I'm going to get rich by inventing a way to punch people over the internet.. Cameron.

Whatever - they're all just different names for "suburban grocery cart" Cameron.

Just buy a Tahoe (which is what a Hummer really is anyway..). Cameron.

A gallon of diesel goes much further than a gallon of gas, so you still come out ahead. Plus a diesel motor is less complicated than gas (and infinitely less complicated than a stupid hybrid) .. I can't fathom why they are not more popular (well I can, it's just that no-one markets them). Congrats on the Diesel Jetta - they are awesome! Cameron.

Well I drive a German car, so I'd have to replace them every 2 years. Except it will turn out that the bulb is fine, and that it actually works as long as the passenger-side window is all the way down. After months of searching, and several trips to the dealer, we will discover that the fix is to replace the faulty radiator-fan module! The Germans are probably the best mechanical engineers out there, but someone really needs to teach them how electrons work Cameron.

LED Tail-lights .. They're expensive, they're ugly, they're harsh, and the duty-cycle beats with streetlights at night and is supremely irritating. Not to mention how ugly and harsh they are. I mean seriously, they are a solution to a problem that doesn't exist. In the front of the car is an engine where something like only 20%-30% of energy is turned into actual movement (the remaining 70%-80% is heat - which you then need to cool) .. but you're right, not having to change a light-bulb every four years is a more important problem to solve Cameron.

I've been busy the last week or so, so missed much of the conversation. The Evo - Awesome car, but I really don't like the looks (especially the front end). Audi A8: Also love the looks, but those LEDs are hideous. In fact I have yet to see a single use of external LEDs on any car that didn't make my eyes bleed. A horrible and pointless trend that achieves nothing. Audi needs to stop trying to be Lexus and go back to making cars that capture the spirit of driving, rather than cars that are full of useless toys and junk. I mean of all the car companies out there, they are trying to be LEXUS?! Cameron.

The first time I watched Ferris Bueller was when I was home from school, sick! Papas: Sorry for my negative comments about the North Shore! There really are some wonderful little pockets up there, and being within walking distance from Ravinia would be pretty sweet. Matt: I'd love to do a ride with you one day! I really want to ride up along the Des Plaines river, and I think the trail is finally complete from Chicago (Devon/Caldwall) all the way up to northern Lake County. Jahan: You come to Chicago, and I'll get you in shape for the ride - You'll love it! Scott: Hotdogs is just part of all the awesome food I'd miss if I were to leave Chicago. I was in New York City late last year and I was seriously craving a hotdog, but alas there were none to be found. I did recently learn that Portillos now has a store near Knott's (8390 La Palma Ave Buena Park) - everyone should go try it out; although I don't know if they'll use Vienna Beef franks out there. Cameron.

^ Or just not ride them. Cameron.

Good-evening all, In years past I have managed to go for 20-30 mile bike rides almost every weekend, however this year I've been so busy that I've only ridden twice (including today). I am bummed that I haven't been able to ride more this year, and I'm terribly out of shape, but really enjoyed the ride today. It's 25 miles round trip from my apartment in Evanston, to downtown Highland Park and back; and it's one of my favorite rides even though it goes through some horribly rich and boring suburbs. Hopefully I'll get to ride lots more before the snow starts to fall... And all of this was brought to you by... Thanks for reading. The best part about doing this ride is stopping at Mustard's Last Stand for a delicious Chicago Style hot-dog (and fries). MMmmmm. Almost home and I ride past Ryan Field, the football stadium for Northwestern University. Pound it, dude.. Just as I was getting ready to leave, a lady walked up with her dogs. One was so hot and tired that he just lay-down right in the fountain. I'm not a dog person, but damn that is cute! About half way home now, and I stop for a drink by this cute fountain in Glencoe. Note the Metra train in the background, remember that the bike path runs next to the train tracks. (I do not like Glencoe either, but this is a convenient place to take a break). This is downtown Highland Park, and isn't it awful?! I know I'm a total anti-snob; the grittier the suburb, the more I like it. But this is just appalling. It is so boring up here that the town had to push businesses to stay open longer just so the kids would have something to do! (I guess being young, beautiful and rich wasn't enough ). There's no-one from Highland Park on TPR, is there? I'm in southern Highland Park now, and the trail is deep within the trees. As much as I hate Highland Park, I just love the trail up here. It was at least 85 degrees today, yet the trail was smooth and cool. Only thing you need to watch out for are suicidal squirrels! Just north of Lake-Cook Rd is Ravinia, a large park where white yuppies gather every Saturday night to eat cheese, fruit and wine on the lawn. The odd thing is that they're all listening to live music (which they can't see) over a PA system. I have only been once, two weeks ago, to see Dave Brubeck live. We sat in the pavilion, and it was freaking amazing .. the guy is a genius! Back on the bike-path now and I'm crossing Lake-Cook Rd, which runs along the border between Lake County and Cook County Illinois. Those who have driven to SFGAm from Chicago may recognize the name of this street, which is just a tiny, quiet road this far east. This neighborhood is unique in that it has a bridge designed by Frank Lloyd Wright - supposedly one of the only in existence. It's a very peaceful and beautiful spot, surrounded by trees, shade and birds. Second Wright house that is across the street from the previous, nice car in the driveway! There is a 23 mile, self-guided ride that one can do through the North Shore that passes 16 Wright houses. I have done it, and it is great! I took a small detour to ride past this fabulous Frank Lloyd Wright house (and there's another across the street - see next photo). In 2004 I saw the FLW Falling Water house near Pittsburgh, and it was amazing .. Since then I've really been interested in these. The southern-most portion of this ride runs along roads and alleys, but now I'm on the actual Green Bay Trail (which actually runs all the way up to Kenosha WI!). Most of this path is built along the rite-of-way for the old Northshore Electric Line, which was an electric train/streetcar/light-rail that ran from Chicago to Milwaukee until 1963. The Metra train still runs along here, and you can see it to the left of the bike path. This cute little fountain sits outside the Kenilworth train station (in Kenilworth!). This small town borders Lake Michigan, and was a planned community. It is very wealthy, and I find it a little awkward to ride through.. Riding along Lincoln Ave in Evanston, crossing the North Shore Channel. This was completed in 1910 to flow into Chicago in order to flush sewage out of the Chicago River. Now it's used for boating and is teeming with wildlife. Further south, there is a bike path running along the channel - I shall ride that soon. First scenic stop on the way is the Grosse Point Lighthouse - which was built in 1873 and is now a National Historic Landmark. It's a beautiful building, and a lovely lighthouse. (This is on the shore of Lake Michigan). Starting out in Evanston, just north of Downtown. This street has been torn up for the last few years, and it's just now all nicely put back together.

Nice photos.. Turns out I was able to swing by Dollywood on the 30th too, so I got to ride Mystery Mine for the first time. I will say that I wasn't really expecting much, but ended up being extremely impressed with this ride. They've done a fantastic job it's a really well themed and fun coaster. As for the "upper loop" .. Very nice to have the two ends of the park connected, but it really looks barren up there. Hopefully the big additions for the next few years will be trees Cameron.

I have tried several GPS navigation systems (Garmin, TomTom, Navigon), and sadly I can't call any of them good. They will all get you there in the end, but they are also all slow, clunky and just not designed or implemented very well. That said, the sat-nav industry is a pretty fascinating one to watch. I don't think you will go wrong with any unit, but I would suggest buying one of the cheaper ones (simply because they all will be obsolete quite quickly). Cameron.

^ Hey - quit copying my list!

?!@@# - I completely forgot that you were coming up here, and that I was planing on tagging along. DAMN MY SENILITY! Looks like you guys had a really awesome weekend! That EuroFighter does look fun - and I agree with you that the park there is surprisingly entertaining. Cameron.

I got my SFGAm Season Pass for $60-something last year when they had that crazy-insane special .. I wouldn't have bought one otherwise. And the people in the $25 parking area are not all "suckers who paid $25 to park" .. a percentage will be "suckers who paid $50 for a season parking pass" Excellent report, by the way. I'm always envious of people who ride Avalanche...! Cameron.

I saw it last night and pretty much agree with you, Wes. The whole movie felt awkward to me, like it was forced. It also seemed as if each scene was written by a different team of writes, who had no communication at all with the writes of the scenes before and after. The first three movies are just so .. cool .. but this really let them down. (OK.. So Temple Of Doom is a bit - ugh - but Raiders and Crusade are fantastic). Cameron.

Hmm .. I didn't even find it that aggressive. Like others have said, it has a lot more in common with Raven than it does with the other two GG wooden coasters I've ridden (Voyage and Hades). It's really is a fun ride, with excellent forces; and best of all, it doesn't take work in order to ride it. It's exactly what a wood coaster should be. Cameron.

Hey Guys, I did Bike The Drive this morning, and it was just brilliant! This is a 30 mile bike ride along Lake Shore Drive in Chicago (it's closed to traffic from 5:30am - 9:30am). The ride starts in Grant Park (downtown), and riders can choose the northern leg (16 miles), the southern leg (14 miles), or both! I did both, for a total of 30 miles. Now I know riding 30 miles is nothing too special, but it's just such an amazing feeling to have done it by 8:30am! I did this for the first time last year, and enjoyed it so much that I declared to make it a yearly tradition - even if it meant missing Holiwood Nights. Well turns out I did have to miss Holiwood Nights this year; but Holiday World will be there all year, Bike The Drive only happened today. And what a day! I was riding by 6am, and done at about 8:15am. The weather was amazing (probably best weather we've had all year), and the ride was just a joy. When I was done I met up with some friends of mine (who only did the northern leg), for a walk through downtown and some breakfast. Enjoy! Cameron. My friends and I had a delicious breakfast, but then it was time to head home. By this time The Drive was once again open to traffic, and it was quite cool to drive where I'd been riding just hours before. And I'm done! I had to wait about 10 minutes for my friends to finish, so I could not resist laying down and enjoying the beautiful sunshine. Fantastic! Notice how much more crowded it is now then when I was at the northern end. It's about 7:45 now, and there are a lot of people out. Still, there was plenty of room to ride. The southern leg ends at the Museum Of Science And Industry. I haven't been inside there for probably close to 10 years, but I have now ridden down here twice! Almost at the very southern end now, and I'm looking north towards Downtown. The Sears Tower stands tall over the landscape, it's almost 7 miles away. Midway along the southern leg now. I actually really like it down here because there are almost no yuppies, and the road is in such fantastic condition. Plus I don't even drive this section of LSD, so it's a novelty just being there. Always wear your helmet kids, and you too can be as cool as this! On the southern leg now, but looking north back towards Downtown. The skyline is just spectacular, I never get tired of it. Looking west now along the Chicago River (The Lake is behind me). The building under construction is the new Trump Tower. Looking down Michigan Ave - this is known as the Magnificent Mile and is full of super-insane-expensive shops for tourists. I've lived in Chicago for over 12 years, yet I've gone down Michigan Ave maybe 4 times! Heading south now (still on the northern leg), and Downtown is looming. The tall/black building is the Hanckock building, which was the tallest in the world until Sears Tower opened in 1973. The northern end of the drive at Bryn Mawr ave. They had muffins, cookies, bananas, and little cups of Poweraide - all free! The snacks are awesome and give a huge energy boost. Just in case you forgot where you are.. Looking north along the northern leg. The event is open to 25,000 people, but it's still pretty quiet. It's enjoyable like this as I was able to really crank. Oak Street Beach is a ghost town right now, but in a few hours it will be *packed*. The sun rises over Navy Pier, which is apparently the biggest tourist attract in Illinois. It's nice, and a wonderful place to be on a warm, summer evening; however that ferris wheel sucks. The buildings of of southern Downtown are bathed in the early morning light. It's just after 6am. The boats of Munroe Harbor. At the start you must choose to do the northern leg, or the southern. Since I started with the southern leg last year, I decided to start with the northern leg today.

There was a local article I read which quoted the park saying that Hawg may not be running until July. Looking at the pictures it seems ludicrous to expect it any sooner. So please - just chill, and enjoy the zillion other awesome things at The Beach. Edit: Link to the article is here.. Cameron.