Meteornotes

^And remember, there was a FOUR HOUR line for Hypersonic at the media day! Which is why Robb & I chose to ride Hurler and Rebel Yell the whole time. And in all my visits to PKD, those two coasters NEVER ran better than they did that night! Still one of the best nights of rides ever... dt

Yeah, if you get there before opening, you can totally bang out most of the major rides before the place fills up, especially at IOA. I didn't see a mention of Mythos in your report, I hope you didn't skip it! dt

"everything you are looking for is on the moon." This may be the most goddamn brilliant thing you have ever said! That is the perfect response. I'm going to add that to my collection of answers to questions I don't feel like answering... dt

I'm loving these TRs, but the phrase "I was never so happy to see a Walmart toilet in my life" may be the greatest thing ever... dt

Ah, Canada's Wonderland...the park where the powered mine train is the best coaster there! Actually, the best ride in the park is the Top Spin with water where you get almost drowned! The park looks nice, but it has one of the worst ride collections ever. But you did get to hear someone singing "I Like Big Butts" in Klingon, so it sounds to me like the whole trip was worth it! Too bad you didn't capture that moment on video... dt

These TRs are great, and the pickle domination picture RULED! dt

^No, actually I was going to post the same thing. I think BGW is highly overrated and think that PKD is a lot more fun. Plus, don't you guys have Paramount passes? I guess if you've never been there BGW might be OK. I just have never gotten why everyone thinks it's so amazing. The weather here at that time of year is usually hot. 80-90 degrees, maybe more. As always, I advise looking at the weather report closer to trip time, but it's rarely cool at that time of year. Let me know when you get around to looking at hotels. You'll want to stay clear of anything near SFA... dt

Well, the DC airports are closer, but the Baltimore one is a LOT easier to deal with. I guess it depends on where the most reasonable flights are. If you are going to SFA, let me know. I have no idea what we're doing that weekend, but it's about an hour from where we live. dt

BonBon Land is just...wrong. There is no other way to describe it. I've been trying to explain it to people, but it is something you need to see. Though honestly, I doubt I'd ever go back there, as there's nothing I would likely ever want to ride again. But it was certainly an interesting experience... dt

You'll probably want to fly into one of the DC airports and drive to Richmond from there. Be advised that the cost of living is high in VA, though perhaps it's a bit lower in the Richmond area than in and around DC, which is just insane (if not more) than California. Traffic is also pretty bad. I'd get online and look at housing prices, if you haven't done that already. For parks, you'll be close to Kings Dominion and BGW that weekend. I'd stay out of both of them on Saturday if possible. Any other questions, ask away... Dave "east coast rules" Thomas

You'll miss Mary by a couple of days, as she left the UK today for a week in France. Like you, she was home from the Europe trip for a short time before she had to get back on a plane! I'll be happy when she gets home next Friday night... dt

I still need a picture of that sign. I tried to take on, but it didn't come out for half-assed pointing a camera at a sign while going 70mph... dt

Supreme Commander, a new RTS from the creator of the greatest RTS of all time, Total Annihilation. Katamari 2 will also be great! dt

^Pretty much all chain stores have pulled it from the shelves. You might be able to find it in some store with a lazy manager or something, but as far as I know, no chain stores will sell "Adults Only" games, which is what this version of the game is now rated. A new version without the offensive (and locked) material will be out in September or so... dt

We'll be in Atlanta for Prog Power 6, otherwise this looks like an event we would go to. Perhaps next year... dt

^^Agreed. Europe parks seemed so "hassle free" when compared to most US parks. It seems that this whole situation could have been avoided if the mother had contacted the park ahead of time. Like others have said, due to our culture of no one being responsible for anything ever, parks have to be extra careful... dt

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2005/07/20/state/n135226D99.DTL Best Buy, Target and WalMart have already pulled the game from their shelves, and I've seen a report somewhere else that Gamestop has also stopped selling the game. I think that WAY too much is being made out of this, but I tend to be much more liberal about sex in entertainment media than many people. Thoughts? dt

No Del Tacos in the east as far as I know. I don't think I've been in a KFC in over 10 years. They were pretty skanky back then, I can't imagine what they're like now! As far as the Carl's/Hardee's thing, the one that I was recently in had the same menu as Carl's. Perhaps there are some variations depending on where they're located. There are none around here, so I only see them when I go to NC. And what are sliders? dt

Hardee's and Carl's Jr are the same restaurant. They are named Hardee's in the east and Carl's in the west. They used to be two different chains, but the company that owned Carl's bought out Hardee's a few years back. Dave "stops at Hardee's whenever driving back and forth to our North Carolina house" Thomas

Guinness, Guinness and Guinness! Actually, I like Amstel and some other random beers. We had some tasty beers in Europe, but other than Amstel I can't remember what they were... dt

^Wow, I had no idea that existed! I'm signing up now for the prizes! I'm thinking I might be able to win a beer and cheese steak stained t-shirt from one of the ride ops... dt

^Heh, that is true. "Other bands play, Man O War kills!" Those guys are entertaining... Dave "metal owns" Thomas

Hey Ted, that was a pretty good video. Lots of nice shots. I'm not much of a Man O War fan, but it was a nice change from DDR music... Gregg, I'll upload a video at some point. My goal is to have a DVD of stuff I've done over the last four years finished by the end of the year. dt

It's been rumored for a long time that the old indoor stadium will be torn down, and they'll use that space for a water park. There was a movement to get the building designated as a historical landmark, which would keep the building around. That particular building wasn't in the best shape when I worked there 20 years ago, so I can only imagine what it's like now! A water park would be a killer move for Hershey. I'll be curious to see what they do for the 100th anniversary next year. My vote would be for the first US version of Expedition Ge Force... dt

Knotts site is a textbook example of how NOT to do a website! What a disaster. I honestly don't look at parks sites too often, as all I'm usually interested in is opening/closing times. Cedar Point has a pretty good one. And Knoebel's is easy to use and find the info you're looking for. dt