Meteornotes

The good thing is that if you have a helicopter, you'll be able to fly from CA to FL in just under ten seconds, at least according to 10.5... dt

^Wes, you are a God. dt

I still think that the amount of warnings (both visual and audio) they give before the ride actually make some people more nervous, causing them to get sick on a ride that otherwise might not bother them. Some people are very suggestable, and placing the thought in their mind that they might get sick (especially if they had problems with any sort of spinning ride in the past) might cause them to achieve illness. The other factor might be that people cannot see what the ride does beforehand (although it is illustrated by an animation in one of the pre-show videos), which may also play a part in someone having a reaction to this ride, where they might not have a reaction to a normal spinning ride. Obviously, the case being discussed here is not applicable, as the death was caused by an undiagnosed condition. Which I'm not sure that anyone can really be held responsible for. dt

A tire that had spent a thousand years in the sun and used as a nest by vultures would have ended up tasting better than that "hamburger". Like Derek said, that was the worst food we encountered on the trip. And I wisely did not do those skate things. Much to the disappointment of all, I'm sure. Dave "UK trip injury free!" Thomas

Well, that's good to know. Depending on how "cool" anyone thought the Ice Bar was, of course. I cannot believe people went to the Ice Bar and missed out on PEPPER STEAK!!! At least I saw Derek & Nicole partaking in this godly meal at Liseberg. It did suck that the place didn't open until 5, otherwise I think a lot more people might have checked it out. Oh well, this just means the next time we go to Liseberg, we need to stay for a full day! Dave "there's no such thing as too much Balder!" Thomas

Mary and I would qualify for that club. Though we are hardly sad & pathetic, in fact we are quite cool. Well, Mary is, anyway... dt

Until I read this thread, I had no idea that so many junior high schools offered a MBA program... dt

One of the fun times on the trip was when Dan and I were emailing each other in the Big Blue lobby. So much fun was had over the last couple of weeks... dt

Spiderman is one of my favorite non-coaster rides (others being ToT and Valhalla). Having said that, there is NOTHING on the planet that compares with the awesome stupidity of Dinosaur! Seriously, this ride is so dumb it cannot help but entertain, and is easily one of the best attractions at DAK. How can a ride that lurches around in the dark, with random loud noises almost destroying your hearing, and the a dinosaur head pops out and you hear "RAAARRRRR" or some other silly sound, followed by "not our dino" NOT be entertainin?!? That's right, it cannot fail to entertain, and that's why every time I'm in Orlando, I make sure to ride this craptacular attraction at least once. I still cannot wait to take Mary on it... dt

OK, got home last night, and am leaving again for a writer's conference tomorrow morning, so I don't have a lot of time to post anything right now, so detailed commentary will have to wait. Mary and I had an awesome time, visited a bunch of new parks, and got to ride Balder again (about 30 rides or so)! In short, the trip kicked much ass. Hope some people were occasionally amused or entertained by me. Sorry I didn't lose a limb like so many were looking forward to happening. For those I freaked out (I know of at least one person), all I can say is that Mary has to put up with me every damn day, so be thankful you're not her! Nicole rules. She is my favorite new person. Even if I did have to threaten to put an axe into her skull at one point. And Derek and I almost broke her a couple of hours later. But we had an awesome time with her and Derek for most of the trip. Thanks Robb & Elissa for all your hard work. I don't think a lot of people realize how much work goes into these things, and this trip often went well beyond what anyone thought would happen (Blackpool and Liseberg especially). Loved the extra stuff, especially the pillows, which came in handy on the bus and on planes, though we didn't need them on the flight back, as we got upgraded to business class! Woo! I still think Elissa owes me something, though, since I came through the trip injury free. You guys ended up using more bandages than I did, which is pretty rare... dt

OK, today's fun included Chessington (who knew you could have that much fun in a zoo?), and a stop at the most random sea side park ever, complete with BATHROOM OF DEATH. Seriously, I should have taken a camera in there. Well, actually, probably a good thing I didn't. Trust me, you've never seen anything that was this funny and scary at the same time... dt

If you enjoy the swing ride at parks, you should enjoy the starflyer, as it's just like that, only much taller. The up/down movement is slow and smooth, and nothing like a drop tower (I'm thinking a starflyer moving at that speed would be dangerous!). We rode the one at Hansa Park in Germany last year, and I really liked it, even if it was a bit strange to be that high up in the air in a normal chair swing... dt

Indiana Beach rocks. I need to get back there sometime. Chicago traffic is horrible. I love the random tolls there, especially the strange amounts of change you need to get through them. I always pack a lot of coins when I go to the area. Too bad about the flight. I still think all children should be stowed in the overhead compartment... dt

T2 was brutal when I rode it many years ago. I see that it is consistant! Cool photos. Looking forward to the next installment... dt

Looks cool. I thought the back restraint on the Booster Bike was sort of uncomfortable, while the one on the DiskO didn't bother me, so maybe I'd find this ride is a bit easier on the back. dt

I'm still bummed my guest spot fell through. I have awesome stories, too... dt

Lydian Sea - Temptation's Shadow dt

Well, if you have a helicopter, you'll be able to avoid any sort of apocalypse-type activities, since they are capable of flying from Denver to Houston in under three seconds. Dave "just one of the many things I learned from watching 10.5 Apocalypse last week" Thomas

I don't think we're going through any long tunnels on the trip, so I guess we're safe from all of these disasters! You will be missed on this trip. dt

Skid Row - Youth Gone Wild dt

Guns & Roses - Knockin' On Heaven's Door

One other thing I noticed about this TR is that for years and years all I heard about is how amazing Family Kingdom and the Swamp Fox were, and what a dump the Pavillion was. And yet the photos and reports here show us the exact opposite to be true. I guess this is sort of like how Miracle Strip was supposed to be "awesome", especially since it's gone now. Just thought that was interesting... dt

Liseberg rocks. Balder is godly, Kanonen is fun, and Lisebergbanan is a seriously underrated coaster. Ask Mary about our one "memorable" ride on Lisebergbanan last year. The whole park is one of the best I've ever been to. Oh, almost forgot the other reason to visit Liseberg: PEPPER STEAK!!! They better still be serving it at that one restaurant! dt

I worked at Hersheypark for five years, and by far the toughest ride to work at that time was the skyride. You had to bring the car to a stop to let people out, then push it hard enough so it would go around the curve to the other side to let more passengers on. Sometimes one operator would do both the unload and load, walking the car around the turn. That made for a very long and tiring day. dt

^I think it's more hard times for the publishing industry. About a decade ago, a lot of consolidation in the magazine/periodical market started. This resulted in companies owning hundreds or even thousands of publications, and they are hyper-focused on the bottom line. There's not as much ad revenue as there once was (with dollars being spread around in traditional media, as well as new places like the web), so any sort of marginal publication is quickly put on the chopping block. So my guess would be the magazine was not bringing in the advertising revenue they needed. Last time I looked, the tourist industry was actually doing pretty good. Travel and tourism is supposed to be high this summer in the US, despite high gas prices. Hard to say what's going to happen at the beginning of the season, of course, but the various articles I've read recently have been positive... dt