hoppedup

My first ride on Lightning Rod was at night. As we pulled into the station all I could think was, "What the hell just happened?" The same thing happened with The Voyage and I rode it in broad daylight. Wish we could have gotten more rides. How does it do all that with one lift hill? Do the laws of physics cease to exist in Santa Claus, Indiana?

^I was planning on visiting TGE pretty much just for the bobsled. If it's down next month, I may re-route my trip. Then again, that TGE stop puts SFNE and a lot of other parks sorta on my way back home. Hmmm...

Sweet! I'll be there about two weeks later.

Accurate description. I wasn't prepared for the force of those ejector pops.

Day 3: The pilgrims reach the holy land We arrive at around 8:10. My daughter is questioning why we have to arrive so early. And why don't we just use the main gate. "It's right there.", she said. I explain that it's because I read TPR and listen to folks who know a lot more about these parks than I do. I explained the Maverick/Steel Vengeance combo awaiting us and how we needed to use the gate by Magnum XL-200 to get there quicker. The rope had moved into the park a bit farther than it was last year on my visit. We waited patiently and fast walked back to SV. It was still testing so we made a beeline for Maverick for two quick rides. I knew we were getting FL+ so I wasn't super concerned about Steel Vengeance. Maverick was awesome as usual. It is still my favorite coaster. We boogied over to Millennium Force next for the second best coaster in the park. Another amazing ride. We did it x2 because I had forgotten where the camera was (and it is a great ride). It was nearing 10 so we decided to go get our FL+ passes. Again, since I read these forums I knew to ask if I could get FL+ for FL price. Yes indeed. Thanks, TPR! We did Raptor and Valravn next. There was a language barrier with the Raptor FunPix person so we got our photo and someone else without cropping. I decided we should probably ride Steel Vengeance next, so we made our way over there. On the way, TTD was running so we dipped in for a quick ride. Thanks again, FL+. We made our way back to SV, skipping Gemini and XL-200. The offspring said she wasn't touching any more Arrow coasters or woodies this trip. I was definitely cool skipping Gemini and Corkscrew. Steel Vengeance was so much fun. We got three rides in about 30-35 minutes. When we went back later in the day we had to wait about 15 minutes and the app was showing 135 minute wait times. Steel Vengeance: Maggie approved. We then went over to Gatekeeper. It's a fun ride, the keyhole elements are cool. But my daughter agreed it was her third favorite wing coaster after Thunderbird and Wild Eagle. Next up was Rougarou. It was fine, but with the big three awaiting elsewhere in the park, it was one and done. We used the Sky Ride to go back towards the front gate so we could reapply sunscreen. It was a walk-on headed that way and had quite a line if you were going the other way. We still managed to walk 12 miles that day. We ate at the new BackBeat Que. It was good. Kinda similar to Miss Keat's with fish and shrimp added. I had talked Maggie into riding XL-200 but the line was a deterrent. Maybe next year. That's a wrap from Cedar Point. After every trip I ask what my daughter's favorite parks and coasters are. Cedar Point was no surprise, but she threw me a curve when she said Mystic Timbers was her favorite coaster this trip. We spent almost eight hours in the park, a new record for us.

At Maverick on Sunday, the grouper was leaving the station almost completely empty on both loading areas. Then sending two people to each line, waiting for them all to load before sending anyone else . It was bizarre and seemed to slow down things a bit, IMO. I saw a lot of times when the grouper told someone where to go and they would ignore it and go wherever they wanted. Only a couple of times did I see the grouper say anything to those people.

Ride Carolina Cyclone, Hurler, Vortex, and Nighthawk on youtube. Much less painful that way. I love Fury as much in the last row as the first. I like front row on Copperhead Strike and Intimidator. I love Afterburn in any seat.

Thanks. Your signature says it all. Why are there not more Chance hypers? That thing was awesome.

Day 2: Kings Island We awoke to a steady, light rain. And the news that my daughter hadn't packed a rain jacket. We were in no hurry so we went in search of one. We had to go to three stores to actually find a jacket that was something either one of us would ever wear again. Apparently the recent weather caused a run on rain gear. After a hearty breakfast at The Mason Grill, we set off for KI. The rain died down and we never saw it again on this trip. We started with The Bat since it wasn't on the FL+ list. I love this ride. We then did Banshee and Invertigo. Banshee is right up there with Afterburn among B&M inverts for me. I also really enjoyed the inverted boomerang. We have a season FunPix pass, so: Next up was Mystic Timbers x2. We both absolutely loved it. It was hauling ass. The Shed video was not working on any of our rides. Also, the FunPix booth wasn't open. The first drop of Mystic Timbers. So sexy: Then we rode The Beast. I feel like I regained my daughter's trust in my judgment of wooden coasters with Kentucky Flyer and Mystic Timbers. Then The Beast destroyed it in just a couple of minutes. We did the FunPix selfie spot at The Beast and it didn't show the sign so we took our own. I didn't realize until we were at Cedar Point that they can edit the photos, so we got this from The Beast: Now it was time for the star of the show, Diamondback. We were in the station in no time. A guy probably an hour back in the queue loudly exclaimed, "I ain't paying $90 for that shit" as we breezed by. I didn't stop to tell him that I paid $60 on the Presidents' Day sale. And that we had already done 6 coaster rides in just over an hour. We had about a three train wait. We were next in line when they decided to add the third train. It had some issues and we bailed, figuring we'd come back later. It was not to be. An hour later all three trains were off-track. Almost got it: Sad sight: We leisurely made our way through the rest of the coasters. After Vortex, my daughter said she never wanted ride another Arrow coaster again. I told her to try to remember the good times, like Loch Ness Monster and Tennessee Tornado. We also did the Eiffel Tower and Windseeker. Banshee & The Bat from the tower: Our visit to KI marked our longest day at an amusement park yet (until the next day at CP). We decided to head toward Cedar Point. I figured we'd check in to the hotel and get a preview at CP. Only I goofed and cancelled my reservation and forgot to re-book. Everything was booked up or $200+ per night. I found a Super 8 in Port Clinton for $130 and booked it through the WR app. We arrived to a situation similar to Jerry renting a car on Seinfeld. Overbooked. We ended up across the street at Clinton Inn & Suites for more money than I have ever paid for a hotel room (probably not that expensive to some, but hotels have always been a place where I skimp) We were tired and hungry, so I sucked it up. We did catch the sun setting on Lake Erie:

We left HW and were soon at Kentucky Kingdom. We made our way back to Storm Chaser. It was fun, but we both agreed it was our least favorite of the RMC conversions we've ridden (7 total). I only took a couple of pictures at KK. I thought the park had an odd layout. Lots and lots of chain link fence. Kentucky Flyer was the only coaster running two trains. It was fun for what it is and an excellent first woodie for a noob. T3 wasn't running when we got there. It was when we were done with Lightning Run, but we didn't feel like walking back over for a potential beating. I talked Maggie into doing Thunder Run somehow. She was a little leery of woodies after The Legend. Lightning Run was a lot of fun. The airtime pops were great. It was the star of the park for us. My daughter knows nothing about the parks before we get there, and she said, "This feels like a Six Flags park." Smart girl. We were done quickly with this park as I figured we could make KI for night rides as is it was our next stop. The other picture I took: We arrived at KI about 8:15. I saw the full parking lot and kept driving. We had FL+ already for the next day, so there was no need to deal with the crowds. Next up: Kings Island!

So my daughter and I took a long weekend and hit 4 parks. First up was Holiday World. We arrived before rope drop and queued up with the crowd, with the intent of hitting The Voyage first. The theming is great in this park. I honestly didn't do a lot of research and figured the whole park was Christmas themed. First up, The Voyage. We were front car on the first train of the day. What an amazing ride! Intensity in ten cities! It was a little rough, but not painful. As we pulled back in to the station, I was snapped out of my amazement by an announcement from the operator that The Voyage would be down briefly for maintenance. Lucky we got that first train. A thing of beauty We headed over to Thunderbird and rode both sides in the back and front. Butter smooth, but the launch really adds to the fun factor. Maggie loved the free soda stations! We went back to The Voyage and the last train of the day carrying people was going up the hill. It did not reopen while we were there. Boo! Our longest wait was a 35-40 minute wait to be abused by The Legend. Seriously intense but brutal. Bring the pain! After The Legend, I couldn't talk my daughter into doing Raven, The Voyage was down, and we'd had our fill of Thunderbird, so we headed toward Kentucky Kingdom. I really enjoyed Holiday World. I wish I could have gotten a few more rides on The Voyage, but I'm sure i'll be back at some point.

1. Maverick 2. Fury 325 3. Mystic Timbers 4. Phoenix 5. The Voyage 6. Iron Rattler 7. Twisted Cyclone 8. Skyrush 9. Afterburn 10. Millennium Force

I try to avoid chain restaurants when I can. The Mason Grill (124 E. Main St.) was an excellent choice for breakfast Saturday. Huge portions, quite tasty, and reasonably priced. There is a craft beer store two doors down as well. Edit: Just looked up the beer store. Turns out it is actually a brewery. The Common Beer Co.

Due to a booking error by me, we ended up in a hotel in Port Clinton Saturday night, right on the water. The hotel rules were: 1. No smoking 2. No partying after 11 p.m. 3. No cleaning fish in your room

It was running for early entry on Sunday.

I just spent a day at KI followed by a day at CP this past weekend. I would go to Carowinds and have a great time today if I could. As a matter of fact, my daughter went on the same Midwest trip and she just went to Carowinds yesterday and had a blast. I've been five times this year and it's always a good time. The US National Whitewater Center is also a good spot. There is rafting, climbing walls, zip lines, ropes courses, good food and beer, hiking & mountain biking trails, live music, etc.

With last visit in parentheses 1. Cedar Point (2019): This place is just amazing. The setting, the coaster lineup. Maverick, Millennium Force, and Steel Vengeance would make this my #1 park if they tore down the rest of the coasters. 2. Kings Island (2019): My favorite CF park for atmosphere. The Bat and Mystic Timbers give this one a slight edge over my home park. 3.Carowinds (2019): My home park. Fury 325 is truly amazing. As is Afterburn. Copperhead Strike did nothing to influence my rating but it definitely makes the supporting cast for Fury better. If Hurler ever gets the RMC treatment, Carowinds will probably move into the #2 slot. 4. Kings Dominion (2018): A great park with a great lineup. I just feel that Fury edges I305. The loss of Volcano stings, as it was my favorite coaster in the park. The bobsled coaster is a definite plus for me. 5. Dorney Park (2018): Another great park that, like many others have noted, does not have a standout coaster. It's a shame that it does not seem likely to get one anytime soon.

So you went to Hattie B's or Prince's? Go to Bolton's or Pepperfire in East Nashville. Both are as good as any other hot chicken in town and you won't have to wait very long. I had a turkey leg somewhere in the park last year. It was good. And a salad from somewhere else.We have the dining plan so we try to make sure we make use of it. Not a SFGAdv pro here, but Superman and Green Lantern were one and done for me. Probably would not ride either again if I went back. I highly recommend Safari Adventure and we normally only do coasters. We were there on an overcast Wednesday in August and the park was pretty dead.YMMV, but from what I read before our trip, crowds are hard to predict at this park.

Steel Vengeance on Sunday

My daughter is at Carowinds today and she is reporting that a Fury 325 train has been stuck on the lift hill all day. Edit: It's up and running. Nothing to see here.

Georgia: Twisted Cyclone Kentucky: Lightning Run Maryland: Ride of Steel Massachusetts: Wicked Cyclone New Jersey: Nitro North Carolina: Fury 325 Ohio: Maverick Pennsylvania: Phoenix South Carolina: Afterburn Tennessee: Lightning Rod Texas: Iron Rattler Virginia: Twisted Timbers Best in the U.S.: Maverick

Thanks. I actually didn't think of that until we were driving over to KK from HW. It was no problem, as we were less than impressed with KK. My daughter, who knows nothing about the parks we visit beforehand (she just gets in the car), said, "This feels like a Six Flags park." We rode all the coasters we wanted to ride once and left. I found the layout of the park a bit weird. And having the water park in the middle of the dry park seemed a little odd.

Had a great day Sunday at CP. Beautiful weather and FL+ allowed us to ride, ride, ride. We got Steel Vengeance three times in about 30 minutes at one point. My daughter said no to anything Arrow or wooden after getting beat up by woodies at HW and doing Vortex at KI. So we rode Steel Vengeance, Maverick, and Millennium Force a lot. With a sprinkling of TTD, Raptor, Gatekeeper, and Rougarou. I talked her in to riding Magnum by the end of the day, but it was about a 30 minute wait, so we bailed. Back Beat Que is a nice addition to the food lineup. Basically the same stuff as Miss Keat's Smokehouse, but with the addition of fish and shrimp. I always ask my daughter at the end of a trip: Favorite park: Cedar Point Favorite coaster: Mystic Timbers

Storm Chaser was fun. But probably my least favorite RMC. Lightning Run was awesome. The ejector airtime on the last few hills is almost criminal. That said, if this were my home park, I would move. Kentucky Flyer is perfect for what it is. The only coaster running two trains Friday.

The Voyage was awesome. My daughter did not agree. After The Legend, I'm surprised I talked her into Thunder Run. The Legend is for masochists. The Voyage was closed soon after we rode it Friday. Not sure if it ever reopened or not.