Meteornotes

This continues to be awesome. I'm happy to see that you did ride Dinosaur and experience it in all of its amazing glory. And the only band that should be allowed to play at Epcot is Starship. This would be the greatest movie ever made. SyFy better get working on this now! dt

That was amazing. dt

Awesome pics, but I did not see any mention of riding Dinosaur while you were at AK. Hope you did not miss that marvel of engineering... dt

Looks like the park is having troubles again (both of these spotted on Screamscape) : A local TV news report discusses how the park has had difficultly paying employees. Then this article discusses the latest in the bankruptcy case. Quote from the article: Doesn't sound like the park has a positive future... dt

As spotted on Amusement Today: I'll be honest, I have been one of the biggest critics of this project, but I think breaking away from ACE might actually get this thing built. This is certainly a step in the right direction. dt

So many things to comment on... Haha, this is awesome! Metric skeeball was amazing! HOLY CRAP, I MUST OWN THIS!!!! Seriously, I hope someone has the contact info for that company (I can't quite make it out on the sign). I'd love to get this. One of the many, many reasons why Elissa is awesome... I am loving the coverage. But want more IN DEPTH coverage. Especially of cleavage. dt

OK, you posted this topic already today, and it was locked. Starting it over again is not a good idea. Please don't do this again. Thank you. dt

As seen on Amusement Today

Fixed. dt

I want a pancake machine. And more in depth coverage of it. dt

Remember also that is is very difficult for people in China to travel outside of their country, so putting a Disney park in China is going to make it a lot easier for many people to visit. I look forward to checking it out some day. dt

That looks badass. I'll have to watch the videos at some point. I'm so glad they put effort into it and made it a really good production, instead of half-assing it just because it's a "kids show", which is what usually happens. This is a good lesson in that just because something is for kids, doesn't mean you shouldn't go all out and really try to make it as entertaining and as impressive as possible. Some parks could really use this lesson... dt

That was pretty cool. Thanks for posting those. That's probably a part of the world I'll just never get to, so it was great to see pics of the place. dt

^Yeah, I remember at one point counting twenty cans of Fat Tire on the table. And that was just the Fat Tire, not all the other beer or margarita cups. It was insane. There needs to be a "TPR Beach Party" on every trip from now on! Even if we have to build out own beach to have it. dt

I AM SO GLAD SOMEONE POSTED A PICTURE OF THIS!!! I did not get a picture of the table, and was very sad. People that were not there will have no idea how much alcohol was consumed that day! The waitress kept bringing us tray after tray of beer. It was amazing! Not to mention...TWO DOLLAR MARGARITAS ALL DAY! And they were good and strong! Thanks so much for posting this. Though I should point out that by the end of the evening, the table was completely covered in cans. It was an epic sight. Between all the booze, the food, the rides (especially the bumper cars!) and the insane ERT session, I will always proclaim this as the single best day ever on any TPR trip! It was that much fun. This thing delivered INSANE rides! Elissa was NOT happy! Thanks for posting all these pics. I'm really enjoying this report. dt

OK, time for another update! We continue the Food In Portugal theme, this time with some random restaurant by the ocean. I had fish (I love fish) and it was the freshest piece of fish I have ever had! It was likely swimming around in the ocean that morning, and I thank Mr. Sea Bass for being so tasty! dt And a bonus photo of Ice Bat by the water! Next update soon! TASTY FISH! It was really good! Restaurant in seaside town that I can't remember the name of at the moment. But it was awesome.

^I still say I should be invited to your Cupcake Bakeoff as a judge/consultant. I'll even waive my usual appearance fees. dt

Here's a press release from the park discussing the new ride, and some events being held at the park for the 2010 season:

This. dt

THREAD RESURRECTION!!! Yeah, it's been awhile. Many months of non-stop travel kept me away from this. But since I'm home for awhile now, I figured I should return to updating this thread. The next set of updates will cover the places I ate in while in Portugal. I went to Portugal about three days after returning from Scandinavia (I don't really recommend making two trans-Atlantic flights in the same week, even if they're all in business class), and after a long nap after arriving, went out in search of food. There's a cool area of restaurants right near the hotel. located along the water, so off I went to the Irish Pub for some Guinness Steak! Yum! dt And we conclude this update with another pic of the water! Next update soon! And of course, no meal would be complete without...BEER! And for dessert, some sort of chocolate pudding that was amazing. Like pretty much any meal you have in Europe, you get fries. I think you even get fries if you order fries. They were awesome when dipped in the Guinness Gravy! Guinness Steak! It was very tasty. Ice Bat is quite excited to be in Portugal, a new country credit for both of us. Like I said, the restaurant was right by the water.

The band photos are obviously NOT mine. And were taken with a camera that is worth more than my car. Photos used with permission, of course. The photographer has done CD/DVD covers and band photo shoots for years. I'm an idiot that takes photos of a stuffed animal in front of alcohol. I think it's pretty obvious which one took the band photos... Chuck, and anyone else that is interested, pick up Diablo Swing Orchestra - The Butcher's Ballroom. Should be available on Amazon. dt

ProgPower is a music festival that takes place in Atlanta every year, usually in the fall. It features prog and power metal bands from all over the world. While I am sure almost none of you have any idea of what I'm talking about at this point in time, I figured perhaps some of you might want to expand your musical horizons beyond whatever radio is ramming down your throat at the moment, so think of this as an educational opportunity. As always, Ice Bat went along for photo opportunities. It was fun watching how people would react to this, as like anywhere, there are some people that are just too serious for their own good. Which always amuses me. Anyway, enough of my yammering, let's go to the visuals! dt Thus concludes this PTR! Hope you enjoyed it! Thanks for playing! Don't forget to tip your waitress! Thanks to Glenn, my long time friend and the guy that puts on this show, for another great metal weekend. See you again next year! And the festival concludes with a headlining set from Fates Warning Brainstorm from Germany My friends Jamie and Sarah. Jamie used to live here in Baltimore, so it was cool to see her again. Next was Pagan's Mind, also from Norway. Another amazing live band. Next was Orphaned Land, from Israel. Saturday started off with Circus Maximus, from Norway Kim showing off her awesome Three Cats shirt! My friend Jax, who organizes our Saturday lunch every year. This is my friend Alica. She loves coasters, and I am still trying to get her to go on a TPR trip some day. And again, lucky, lucky Ice Bat! Two more awesome women pose with Ice Bat. These are Kobe Beef sliders. They are amazing. Go get some! Beer is metal Closing out the night was Crimson Glory from Florida. Their original lead vocalist died earlier this year, so they brought out a bunch of guest singers to perform classic songs. Next was Royal Hunt The singer from Sabaton was so insane and so metal, he split his pants during his performance. Next up (also from Sweden) was Sabaton. Totally different from DSO, but still insane fun. She is indeed a trained opera singer and works in an opera company in Sweden. And she has an amazing voice. This guy was one of the best bass players I have ever seen. And he was completely insane on stage. Cello players are metal They're like a combination of swing music, metal, and opera. And they are one of the best live bands I have ever seen. I was in awe. Now the reason I came, the reason I skipped the TPR China trip this year, the band that I sponsored: DIABLO SWING ORCHESTRA!!! And thanks to my friend Babs, I got Ice Bat into the group photo. RULES!!! NIGHT CORSET So the other tradition of Friday Night is that it is Corset Night. All I can say about this is... Next up, from Brazil, Mindflow. This dude is metal. So Day One starts with Cage from San Diego. Lucky, lucky Ice Bat! The T-Shirt sales force. Who wouldn't buy a shirt from them?!? Some of the people that had to put up with me at lunch. The guy in the front (Brian) I've known for over ten years. It's one of the cool things about this festival that there's a core group of people that travel from wherever they are to the show year after year. Gotta have lunch before a long evening of metal. So it was salad time! Another highlight of the event: the buying of CDs and assorted merchandise. I always come home with a giant pile of new discs and some shirts. Since I sponsor a band every year, one of things you're allowed to do as a sponsor is get in early (to get a good seat!) and hang out. Here Ice Bat is excited about watching Diablo Swing Orchestra perform their sound check. The next day begins the main part of the festival. It also means it's time for "bother random people I know with Ice Bat". Here's my friend Kim from Arizona. You can tell she's quite excited to be participating... And closing out the night was Primal Fear from Germany. Crowd during Enchant's set. Next was Enchant, a band from California that I've seen about eight times or so. They never disappoint, as they are one of the best live bands ever. Suspyre rocks the house. Next up was Suspyre from New York. So the Thursday night "pre show" started off with Future's End from California. This was the first time Ice Bat has attended. He was quite excited, though I think he wanted to see Owl City. Though he would have been disappointed to discover Owl City is a band and not a city full of owls that he could have join his Army Of Doom in another of his attempts to take over the world... ProgPower is held at Center Stage in downtown Atlanta.

Holiday World has posted some Wildebeest construction photos on their Facebook page. A couple of them have been placed below. Be sure to go to the Facebook page to check out all the construction pics!

Looks like Blue Fire was a huge hit for the park this year. Plus some information on upcoming winter events at the park : Blue Fire!