The Great Zo

Thank you! Thanks for your contributions. I should have sub-titled the final section "the last cinnamon roll."

Final Thoughts I have TPR emails in my archives from as early as February 2006, but back then, I doubt I could have imagined I'd go on a trip with the group seven years later. When I decided to join the Texas/Midwest tour for 2013, I came in as an outsider. I had no connection to the theme park industry. I had never been to a TPR event before. I knew nobody on the trip (minus one meeting at a hockey game, you rotten Pittsburgh fan). Was this really the right choice for someone who usually travels solo? Now that I'm on the other side of the trip, I can say that I've not only answered that question, but reversed it. Traveling with the TPR group now feels like the right way to visit a park. What a way to have fun while riding roller coasters, or to make fun even when the situations aren't ideal. This was a really accepting group that was very easy to get along with, even with its size (over 90 people were on the tour). With just a tiny bit of effort, it was easy to make friends, and meet people from all around the world. TPR trips are so fast-paced that there's little time to rest, but that's one part of the tour that did align with the way I usually travel. Did the itinerary work out for me? Absolutely! I picked up credit #100, then hit credit #150 six days later. I learned how to reasonably control myself on a FlowRider. I had my internal organs re-arranged on the 10-story shoe slide at City Museum, then had them re-arranged again two days later on Hades 360. I said "hi" to an umbrella cockatoo named Susie. I gained a new favorite wooden coaster in Outlaw Run. I watched a deity carve Texas out of a quarry wall with lasers. I got up close and personal with the LIMs on Mr. Freeze, and the hydraulic motor on Top Thrill Dragster. I got two tiny bites of cinnamon bread, and two is greater than zero. I rode a Ferris wheel on the roof of a high-rise building in downtown St. Louis. I soared 400 feet over the north Texas landscape on chain-connected swings. I remembered the Alamo. I overindulged on candy from New Zealand and Germany. I had 13 rides in 65 minutes -- at night -- on my favorite roller coaster on the planet. It's not an exaggeration that these were two of the most entertaining weeks of my life. Simply visiting these parks by myself wouldn't have been nearly as fun. Could I have done the trip on my own, and for a lower cost? Sure, but that's just not the same -- it's a different experience entirely. TPR trips are a premium product, and you easily get what you pay for. The schedule is packed from top to bottom. The planning is meticulous. The work to set everything up is very thorough, and the effort to amend the agenda for unplanned adjustments is equally painstaking. Obviously, the perks we received at the parks are a huge part of the reason to do a trip, but the TPR crowd is just as much an aspect of why they're so successful. Overall, it was an experience that was thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish. Thank you to everyone who made this trip (and trip report) possible. First and foremost to Robb and Elissa for, well, basically the entire thing! To the rest of the crew at the front of the buses, who helped keep everything organized through the journey. To those I borrowed pictures from for the report -- Robb, Elissa, Andrew, Chris M, Marcel, Neil, and others. To Stacy G, Neil, and James H for rescuing me at the airport and an awesome first two days in San Antonio. To my Q-Bot group of Victor, Stacy H, and Tim K, for making the most out of our days at the Six Flags Parks. To kiwi Matt and kiwi Andrew for the white chocolate, to Kristen for the Jr. Gemini credit, and to Yin for being the last person I saw before my departure. Thanks to you and to everyone else for contributing to the experience! This trip was so much fun that it almost felt like a once-in-a-lifetime experience... ...it's too bad I have to wait a whole four days to start another one.

Day 13 -- The End of the Trip Sunday, August 11, 2013 Waking up on the last day of the trip was even harder than the day before, but unless we wanted to be stranded at Cedar Point -- I can think of worse fates -- we had one last early morning to get through. Despite that, a few of us had time for a breakfast gathering at the Perkins in the Hotel Breakers lobby. Suitcases tend to get in the way of the narrow walking paths in a restaurant. Our bus pulled out of the Hotel Breakers parking lot at 900 AM sharp, arriving at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport just over an hour later. Over the next eight hours, the count of TPR members at the airport would slowly tick away one-by-one, as the tour participants made their way back home. Despite traveling a shorter distance by air than anyone else on the tour (I was heading to see family in Detroit), I had the second-latest flight out. Only Yin's first leg to the west coast (and eventually onward to China) had a later departure. I had plenty of time to see off several new friends in their last few hours of vacation, before finally boarding the plane myself, with wheels off the ground at about 630 PM. At 800 PM, as I walked out of Detroit Metro Airport, my TPR trip came to an end -- roughly 15 days and 13 hours after it had begun. Pictures from Day 13 One last view from the hotel room window. The clouds made an interesting angle with the Magnum lift hill. Packing up at the front of Hotel Breakers. Unfortunately, it was time to leave Cedar Point. Power Tower and its smaller, patriotic counterpart in front of the hotel. I never got my front-row ride at night. Another day, TTD. Another day. Welcome to Cleveland! There it is -- the big one is the Key Tower, the tallest building in Ohio. The main passenger area at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. A new control tower under construction over the west end of the airport property. To the right is NASA's John Glenn Research Center. To the left is the radar tower used by the National Weather Service -- that's the one with the closest view of Cedar Point. Does Ian Hunter get royalty payments every time this phrase is used? Hey, who else remembers this awesome contraption in one of the airport terminals? I should have taken video of it! It's part of a display for Akron Children's Hospital. Fly Paper. The giant paper airplanes are in the entrances to the tunnel between Terminal C and Terminal D. Reflections from the windows, as the hours of waiting for my flight to Detroit continue on. A scene from the rejected Soarin' Over Cleveland. Downtown Cleveland from many miles away. I was on the correct side of the plane for that, and got some great views of southern Ontario. However, had I been on the left side of the plane, I likely would have seen Cedar Point as my flight headed west. Just about anyone who has flown through Detroit has been here -- the incredible light tunnel between the two sections of the McNamara Terminal. Cedar Point's many colors at night have nothing on this acid trip! It's an overwhelming barrage of changing colors, synchronized to an original score. The panels change colors and animate as the music plays on. It's really quite bizarre. For most people, ultimately, it's still just a way to get from point A to point B. At the center of the main terminal is a fountain designed by WET Design. If it looks Disney-ish, that's because it is -- the same people designed fountains at Epcot. I know at least one or two people took pictures of this fountain on their inbound trip through Detroit before the TPR tour began. Oh, and see the train on the second level, two pictures up? Time for one last ride and report! Here's a station shot from Detroit Metro Airport's mile-long ExpressTram. They even have an electronic sign for wait times, but Fast Pass was not available. POV shot! Reverse POV shot! Great, the trip's been done for less than a day and I'm already having coaster withdrawal. Time to head back to reality -- a welcome to my original home state of Michigan.

Day 12 -- Cedar Point (Final Night) Saturday, August 10, 2013 This report -- my final segment from Cedar Point -- picks up where I left off on Saturday evening. I had just finished a short photo set from the beach at sunset, and was still armed with two exit passes for Millennium Force. After another quick stop at the hotel shortly after 8 PM, I went into the park for my final run of rides and pictures. I met up with Brett and offered him the use of my second Millennium Force pass. We made our way around the back of the park, riding Gemini Red, and then headed up to Millennium Force. This was a first-time experience for both of us -- entering through the exit and being those guys already in the front row as the train pulls into the station. The ride op at the exit warned us in advance about the bugs, but we gladly accepted of our fate as human windshields. It did, unfortunately, require a bit of cleaning up after the ride. Brett and I took some pictures from the dock of the marina, then got in our last rides on Blue Streak and Raptor before splitting up. I had two more photography subjects I wanted to cover near the front of the park -- GateKeeper's keyholes and WindSeeker. Between the two, I stopped at Toft's for some of the best ice cream at Cedar Point. Toft's isn't too hard on the wallet, either. Thursday night ended on Maverick, and Friday night ended on Millennium Force. It seemed fitting that the final ride on Saturday -- the last ride of the trip -- should be on Top Thrill Dragster. I met up with Brett again, and we got in line for the front row about 15 minutes before midnight. The line was a little too long, unfortunately, so the timing didn't quite work out. We ended up being relocated to the middle of the third-to-last train of the night. It was still a great way to end the trip, while still leaving just a little more to be desired -- just one more little hook that will keep me coming back to Cedar Point in the future! Now well past midnight, we ended things again at TGI Friday's, though admittedly it was a smaller and quieter crowd than the past two nights. Steps away from the dark of the Lake Erie beach, we headed off to prepare for the trip home. Pictures from (the night of) Day 12 The evening photo set began again in Frontiertown, where Maverick was doing what it does best. Maverick makes the dive over the swan boat pond. Heading past the water cannon and into the rocks. Millennium Force rises over the trees. Snake River Falls was quiet at night. The Glass Blowing Theater is well-lit. Heading out toward the marina, Millennium Force dominates the skyline. Walking past Famous Dave's on the main pier at the marina. Boats and reflections on the water. Nice view of the southern section of the park over the water. A closer look at the Raptor and Blue Streak lift hills. Heading further out on the pier to get a better view to the north. Millennium Force shines over the outdoor seating area. Awesome reflections from the colored lights on the Millennium Force lift hill. An array of colors on Millennium Force. Millennium Force and a gas pump. A smoky sky at Cedar Point. A closer view of the rainbow color scheme on the lift hill. Millennium Force in brilliant green. A wider view of the reflection between the docks. Several other tall Cedar Point attractions are also visible from the docks. Power Tower looks like it's glowing. It was good timing to be set up for pictures, because Luminosity was just beginning! The sky begins to light up. Lights, smoke, and some interesting reflections. Fireworks in the air near Power Tower. More colorful explosions. The rockets' red glare. The bombs bursting in air. Unfortunately, Mantis was still there. Now for a look off to the southwest, with the lights of Sandusky in the distance. Green light for outgoing boats. One more view of the south end of the park from the docks. Getting ready for one last ride on Blue Streak. Nearby, Raptor goes through the zero-g roll. Raptor on the return leg. Raptor flips through the vertical loop. GateKeeper looks stunning at night. Even if there were issues with a few lights on the trains not working correctly, the effects generated by long exposures were still incredibly effective. GateKeeper goes past the front gate on the return leg. As much a signature shot of GateKeeper as any picture could be. Flipping back past the gate. Inverting beyond the towers. Towers and lights. Keyholing at night! Is there a catchy name for the almost-keyholing on the return trip? Green lights and red lights at the front gate. Another GateKeeper view over the gate from outside the park. HalloWeekends advertising already? A quiet crowd on the plaza outside of the front gate. The big flip through the turnaround near Blue Streak. I usually close out a Cedar Point trip with a stop at Toft's. Maxair and the Giant Wheel in action. GateKeeper swings through the Immelmann. Compared to the Banshee station, it's striking just how big the GateKeeper station has to be in order to accommodate the wide trains. Couldn't pass up a chance for a couple more shots of the Giant Wheel in motion. The colors simply look fantastic. The real reason I came over to the southeast side of the park was to get some similar shots of WindSeeker in operation. Even at ground level, the glow of the lighting package is pretty nice. It's not just the ride arms, either -- the sign changes colors as well. There's no question that Cedar Point is a more colorful place at night than it was when I last visited in 2008. WindSeeker looks like a buzz saw as it heads up the tower. Very bright and pink. The lights on the bottom of each seat create curved streaks through the sky. A wider view of WindSeeker at its highest point. Turning blue as it comes back down the tower. Reliability concerns aside, don't these rides look awesome? A slightly shorter exposures gives a bit of a stair-step zig-zag appearance. Even when a ride cycle is not running, the top of the tower remains lit in multiple colors. Intentional blur as the next cycle begins. It almost looks like a bright pink lamp. Too many colors to count! Before, I was seeing a multi-colored checkerboard. Now, I'm seeing Tetris. Bright blue and purple at the top of the cycle. I think it's watching us. It looks like an eye, doesn't it? Starting back down the tower. Not sure how to even describe this pattern. A green buzz saw near the bottom of the tower. Light yellow and pink as the ride cycle comes to a close. How about a few Dragster shots to close out the night? This one looks like an explosion. Another train launches up the tower. The Christmas tree lights up the night sky... ...and a train crests the top hat. Streaks of light as a Dragster train launches. Pulling up to the staging area... ...and launching to 120 MPH. A blurred train launches forward. Another launch cycle begins. It's short, but it's easily one of my favorite coasters anywhere. How anyone could call it a "bad investment" is beyond my ability to comprehend. The enthusiast community generally seems to like the ride, and more importantly, it's a monumental hit for the average park guest. People still stop in their tracks on the midway to watch a train launch up the tower. Time to close down TGI Friday's one more time. Magnum stays well-lit into the early morning hours. Ghosts outside the hotel. One more shot of the WindSeeker tower. Very dark out on the beach -- the brightest light is from the lighthouse at the end of the breakwater. The beach is lit only from the hotel, with distant lights way off over the water. The distant orange glow in the sky appears to be from far enough away that it could be Cleveland. Stars over Lake Erie in the early morning sky. That's it.

My "favorite" part is thin film of liquid residue. Just wash it off and try not to think too hard about it. I rode both of those twice. Blue Streak had a short line in general, and Fast Lane helped a ton on Raptor. The major attractions were 30-45 minutes even with Fast Lane, and I think saw a 60 at one point on TTD (a couple hours after it opened). Taking it easy that day was definitely the best choice.

Pictures from (most of) Day 12 ...continued After my quick walk to the front of the park for the Tweetup, I headed back to the hotel, stopping to get this classic WindSeeker shot on the way. I know it's not an uncommon thing, but it's still amusing. Not a bad view from a hotel room bed, is it? Much fewer people in the water today. Cloudy skies and temperatures in the 70s will do that. Oh, look what's running again! Blurred... ...or not blurred. Do they still use that "Race for the Sky" tagline? A word of advice -- keeping your mouth wide open on a fast Cedar Point coaster is sometimes not a good idea. Ride TTD or MF in the front row at night and you'll know why. It's pretty exciting, though. Coming down from the tower. Heading for the finish line in a one-vehicle race. Another group survives! Oh, there's also this coaster just behind it. There has to be a better use for that plot of land. Corkscrew had a 45 minute wait. Corkscrew. Power Tower on Fast Lane, however, had no wait. Interesting angles under the tower. Aesthetically speaking, this is the S&S tower to which all other S&S towers are compared. Raptor heads into the second half of the course. Raptor's vertical loop. Vertical loops are fun. Much better than cobra rolls. Even with Fast Lane, the three big Intamins were still long waits. Not so for Raptor, which was usually just a couple cycles. Blue Streak was also a quick trip to the station platform with Fast Lane, though the line was short even without it. Take a look at the picture in the Blue Streak logo letters... Disaster Transport survives another day! Long live Dick Kinzel's shoe size! No long line for Blue Streak, but it was running quite well. Hands up. Blue Streak's station in all its simplicity. GateKeeper as the light begins to fade. The Wicked Twister sign, as sunset approaches. I probably spent too much time taking pictures on the beach already, but the colors were pretty awesome. Cresting the second hill on Magnum. WindSeeker flipped its lights on. Hotel Breakers in the sunset. TTD is on fire. Sunset over the hotel. The best picture of any TGI Friday's ever. Magnum in the sky. The south end of the hotel. A line in the water. Orange, red, and blue. Still a few people out in the waves. Very, very orange. Almost purple. Another view north. Would have been an awesome time for a ride on Magnum. Bright towers at the south end of the park. The Hotel Breakers rotunda. The view from my hotel room window just keeps getting better. Gemini station. Magnum station. One more shot of TTD to close this "most of the day" photo set. The final batch from the trip will be posted this weekend!

Pictures from (most of) Day 12 ...continued Back in the park and preparing for a ride on the train (Myron H., to be specific). Here's why -- the rain was just starting, and most of the rest of the park was shutting down. A huge line for Millennium Force turned into a huge stopped line, thanks to the rain. The rain forced the temporary closure of Millennium Force, and yes, they stopped a train 20 feet outside of the station. I don't know why they opted to hold them on the lift hill, but they all got a good soaking. A view of the awesome first drop from the train. Looking out over Sandusky Bay. Downtown Sandusky from the train. A straight-on angle of Maverick's first drop and launch tunnel exit. Maverick was also on a brief hiatus. Mean Streak had temporarily closed as well, and this may be the most ridiculous picture I took on the entire trip. Those people are all standing around outside of Mean Streak, waiting for it to re-open at some undetermined time in the future, so they can wait in line for another 45 minutes, and then ride Mean Streak. I can't believe I just typed that. You Are Dead. Ha ha ha. Nice view of TTD from near Camp Snoopy on the train tracks. Millennium Force and Shoot the Rapids from a similar vantage point. Our Thursday evening photo tour took us past these props near Mantis, but from the train ride, I got a chance to see them in action. Off the train now -- how long is the wait for Millennium Force? Two hours. Here's the park's oldest engine, Albert. It's on display near Millennium Force. There are still plenty of craftsmen and craftswomen on the frontier trail. In addition to the blacksmith, there are people working with leather, wood, candles, and plenty more. Irons in the fire. Fort Sandusky on the frontier trail. The Frontier Folks put on a show... ...in which a bumbling moron gets shot. Myron H. heads past the frontier trail. Millennium Force was about to resume operations -- here's the yellow train shooting blanks. A view over the petting farm area, which I believe has been significantly improved for 2014. Chicken. Cedar Point is one of just a few amusement parks in the country certified as Storm Ready by the National Weather Service. I am always happy to see large venues with well-marked storm shelters. A water wheel at the far end of the frontier trail. Bottles in the wall. Snake River Falls -- a classic splash boat with no shortage of water. Unfortunately, they wouldn't let any non-riders on the bridge or deck areas, so my photo opportunities were limited. So much water that the boat can't even be seen. That's a pretty big wave. Next up -- a tour of the Town Hall Museum in Frontiertown. Or, the Post Office of Miller City, Ohio -- established July 18, 1883. Miller City is a small village about 50 miles southwest of Toledo. Tons of old artifacts set up in the General Store area of the Town Hall Museum. Cedar Point has won a few Golden Tickets. Here's the winning K'Nex roller coaster from Cedar Point's Math and Science Week. It's called "Sinuous," and it was designed by Riverview Community High School (Grade 9) in Riverview, Michigan (near Detroit). The museum has scale models of several rides, including Blue Streak. They also have a model of the "New for 1982" White Water Landing, built by Arrow/Huss. I miss the ride, but I'm certainly not upset at what replaced its physical location. I'm more upset at what they built to replace its slot in the park's lineup. The Automatic Wonder -- Steinle's Sandusky Clock. 12 feet high, 9 feet wide, 2000 pounds. Over 40 animated figures, and built in 1897. American LaFrance's Steam Fire Engine #496. The Armored Horse from the Denzel Kiddieland Carousel. This is part of a small display set up through the Merry-Go-Round Museum in downtown Sandusky. I love maps, and there were several old maps in the Town Hall Museum. My favorite was a topographic map from 1900, but it was tough to photograph. I also found this one -- a detailed Ohio Inspection Bureau plot of the park from 1935. This is the southeast section of the park, and it looks like the Coliseum is the only remaining structure. The coaster labeled "Cyclone" is in the spot now occupied by GateKeeper. Hotel Breakers still looks fairly similar to the plot shown here. The "Bon-Air Inn" section is where we stayed on this trip, and it was obvious it was one of the oldest parts of the structure. The lobby and the rotunda have changed very little, but several of the surrounding structures were removed or altered significantly.

Pictures from (most of) Day 12 A waterfall in Planet Snoopy. Joe Cool Cafe -- remember when this was Macaroni's? Cedar Point is an old place with a lot of history. Helen Keller even has a connection. This is one of the park's most historic structures -- the Cedar Point Coliseum. It was built in 1906. The first floor houses an arcade. The second floor of the Coliseum is a large ballroom, which was almost completely empty at the time I walked through. The Coliseum is on the National Register of Historic Places. A recent Cedar Point logo painted on the wood floor. The art deco styling of the Coliseum ballroom is pretty awesome. The south second-floor exit offers a nice view of the Kiddieland Carousel. Cedar Point has three carousels, all of which with rich history. This one was built in the mid-1920s. It first operated at Hunting Park in Pennsylvania, and was acquired by Cedar Point for the 1968 season. The Cedar Downs Racing Derby is perhaps the park's best-known carousel, and it really moves quick. This one began its operational life at a park near Cleveland, before moving to Cedar Point in 1967. M. Balming and Assoc. -- HalloWeekends advertising on the main midway. Let's check out some wait times -- two hours for Raptor? Welcome to Saturday in early August. I met up with Bas and Werner for some shots of the vastly-revamped front gate area. This view to the northeast has changed completely since my last visit! The new Guest Services building straddles both sides of the front gate. Just behind it to the left is the ancient storage/restroom building that hasn't changed since I first started coming to the park in the 1990s. This, of course, is the most striking of the many differences at the front gate. Keyholing over the entrance is a brilliant design move. My complaints about the ride aside, they hit a home run with the aesthetics. People head into the already-crowded park. This building (just left of the entry plaza when facing the front gate) is also completely new, replacing the old restrooms and season pass area. Keyholing again. Flipping through the tower. This is the key shot with all of the new elements -- the orange-tile buildings, the LED board, the new blue sign, and a brand-new B&M barreling through the towers. It's hard to even envision what this place used to look like. As I saw someone else point out, the wall styling on these buildings and the Banshee station is virtually identical -- only the colors are different. Welcome to Cedar Point. No birds on the new blue sign! Here's a view of the revamped ticket-scanning area. Yes, the "pit crew" was hard at work on Dragster, as we had just seen the night before. They got it running well before the end of the day! Happy park guests on GateKeeper. Werner's got the camera ready. One more keyhole shot. A look back at the new entry plaza from the front gate. Zoomed in on the LED board. Cedar Point: "The Queen of American Watering Places." Kiddy Kingdom is easily one of the most dated sections of the park. I have to admit -- I miss the spherical fountain that used to be here! I know it moved to another park, but I can't remember where. Driver's ed. Raptor through the trees. Time to head out on the marina pier for some more photography. First, let's check the weather forecast. Millennium Force rises over the boats. Four coasters in one shot, two of which in operation -- not that it's tough to do that at Cedar Point. WindSeeker high above Famous Dave's. A couple boats head out of the sheltered marina. The sign says "Have a Safe Day Boating." How safe can you be on one of those tiny motorized rafts? Heading out to the other side of the park to catch a launch on Wicked Twister. Spiral up... ...spiral down. Time for a walk on the beach... ...or a launch up a 200-plus-foot twisted spike. It makes sense, since it was early in the day on Saturday, that these were the longest lines for GateKeeper that I saw during our three-day stay at Cedar Point. Coming out of the Immelmann. It almost looks like a big pretzel. The inverted drop looks so strange, but it's not as intense or interesting an element as I was hoping. Heading further south on the beach to switch up the angles a bit. Coasters reflecting in the water. Not exactly a perfect beach day, but still some interesting views. Good timing on this one -- Wicked Twister, GateKeeper, WindSeeker, and Magnum are all in operation. Here's the view further south on the beach. Yes, there was a bit of wind, so the waves were coming in. A view north toward the breakwater.

Day 12 -- Cedar Point (Day Three) Saturday, August 10, 2013 Lesson of the Day: Be a good ambassador for TPR and for the enthusiast community as a whole. Our tour shirts and TPR name badges were easy conversation starters with other people at the parks, especially when waiting in line for rides. There were plenty of opportunities to share stories about the fun of our hobby, the distances some people traveled to participate, and the place on the internet we call home. I know there are a lot of people who like to separate a dichotomy between enthusiasts and the general public. While I'm not a huge fan of that distinction, we -- as the big-time park tourists -- absolutely had the chance to make a good impression on the everyday visitors. Hopefully we were all successful. Scorecard: Cedar Point and Lake Erie Railroad (Full) Power Tower Space Shot (x2) Blue Streak Raptor Gemini (Red) Millennium Force (Front) (Exit Pass) Blue Streak Raptor Top Thrill Dragster Day 12 -- Cedar Point (most of Day Three) It was difficult to wake up on the last park day of the trip! I knew that Friday -- with 17 unique coasters and 13 rides on Millennium Force -- would be impossible to top. With no specific goals for Saturday, I opted to take it easy, especially after a pretty late night. I didn't even get out of Hotel Breakers until 1145 AM. Saturday was sort of a difficult day in a few respects. Half of the TPR group had already departed for Cleveland, ready to catch flights to their home destinations. The 40-ish TPR members still remaining were tougher to locate among the huge Saturday crowds. Attendance was indeed the largest I'd ever seen at Cedar Point, though it had been a very long time since I went on a Saturday in the middle of the summer. Because of the crowds, Fast Lane was not as effective -- turning completely impossible lines on the major coasters into waits that were still pretty bad. I did start to wonder if perhaps they had sold a few too many. Finally, it was far and away the coolest day of the entire trip, with temperatures only peaking out in the mid 70s. I had considered taking Saturday as an opportunity to finally visit Soak City, but despite the light crowds in the water park due to the cool conditions, I opted to stay dry. I first met up with Bas and Werner for some photography at the front gate and marina. After that, I headed to the south end of the beach for some different angles of GateKeeper and Wicked Twister. As rain started to look like a possibility, I decided to catch a ride on the train, which I knew would be one of few attractions still in operation. As I made a complete lap from the front station, the rain did come down, with the large crowds unable to cycle through the park's roller coasters. My train ride finished at 315 PM, as the weather had begun to improve. I went for a walk along the frontier trail, exploring all of the shops and buildings, and taking some pictures along the way. I ran into one of the short Frontier Folks shows near the southeast end of the trail, with three performers acting a short skit. I was also impressed that the three actors stayed in character before and after the show, as they continued to interact with park guests. I was on the frontier trail when Tony Clark announced he'd soon be holding a Tweetup for a few prizes, which I certainly hoped to get in on. I was perusing the Town Hall Museum at 425 PM when Tony hinted that the meeting would be held near the front of the park. I quickly headed out and started walking in that direction, learning shortly thereafter that he was at Hurricane Hannah's next to the front gate -- a full mile from the museum in Frontiertown! I arrived at 443 PM and was just in time for the Tweetup. I was also the only person to show the winning tweet as a text message on an ancient flip-phone! For my knee-busting walk across the entire length of Cedar Point, I was rewarded with a few items. The standard prize for all Tweetups in 2013 was this commemorative coin. It measures two inches in diameter. Here's the back of the coin, which celebrates the introduction of GateKeeper in 2013. The coins are very special, with only 500 created, and each one individually numbered. My coin is #216. The coins were, as far as I know, not available for sale anywhere in the park. Tony also passed out skip-the-line passes for several coasters. When Millennium Force -- my favorite coaster -- was offered up, how could I say no? Thank you, Tony! Needing a short break, I went back to the hotel just after 5 PM. I headed back to the park and went on Power Tower (Space Shot) twice, Blue Streak, and Raptor -- all with minimal waits, thanks to Fast Lane. I decided to try Pink's for dinner, but wasn't particularly impressed. I've never been a fan of places that throw the kitchen sink on a simple item (like a hot dog), emphasizing style and excess over actually being able to eat the thing. The sunset made for some outstanding colors in the sky, so I headed to the beach at about 8 PM to take advantage of an outstanding photo opportunity. I'll stop here to get caught up on pictures. My next post -- which will be the last one -- will include the rest of the Saturday report, in addition to a few items from Sunday and a brief review of the two weeks as a whole.

Thanks -- and you're right, it was tough to time out with the wheel. I got the "moving" shots in about a 5-minute span, after which the wheel stayed pretty well parked doing loads and unloads (that's when I did the short-exposure pictures that don't look as nice). I'll send you a PM! I'm happy to hear some people do like it! As David said, they're as fun as they look. If this trip report has doubled as an advertisement for TPR's tours, that's fine by me. Once you meet everyone, everybody fits right in very easily, and has a great time together.

As of this moment, there are stories about Cedar Point on the front page of The Detroit News, The Detroit Free Press, The Sandusky Register, WKYC Cleveland, 19 Action News Cleveland, and who knows where else... ...and they haven't even announced which coaster is getting the name change yet! Brilliant PR move by Cedar Point.

Thanks for the info -- I really didn't know that had ever been an issue. Probably not as fun as a TTD rollback. Thanks and you also David!

Pictures from Day 11 (The Second Half, Part Two) My credit run continued at the Hitchin' Post. Maverick was solidly lined up all day, but Fast Lane put me on the steps very quickly. Has anybody actually seen a Maverick rollback? Climbing the steps to the Maverick station platform. White Water Coal Co -- an awesome nod to an old ride! Even Mean Streak looks decent with the colors of the sunset. Speaking of sunset, I stepped up to the Maverick platform just in time to get this picture! One of my favorites from the trip. There's Ben, one of the six trains named for characters from the Maverick TV franchise. Maverick trains prepare to head up the lift. The sun had disappeared behind the clouds, lighting the sky in contrasting blue and red. What a view from the Maverick station. The sun lights the clouds from below the horizon, but most of you are just looking at the airtime hill. This hill provides ejector air! Twisting through the twisted horseshoe roll. Looking out to the Sandusky coal docks from the back of the Maverick platform. Twisted track, rock work, and downtown Sandusky. The speedy lift climbs out of the Maverick station at dusk. Maverick's six trains usually resulted in a short period of stacking as many as three on the brake run. This picture is a typical scene -- Maverick was solidly lined up through the entire set of three days. I think everybody doing night photography at Cedar Point gets this picture of Wave Swinger. A blast of water on the Maverick turnaround. A blurred train heads past vertical. The top of the glass blowing building looks, not coincidentally, like a soda bottle. Lights on the frontier trail near the water rides. Cedar Point painted their barn for the Ohio Bicentennial, as many barn owners did across the state. Most of the frontier trail is very dark and peaceful at night, illuminated mainly by strands of colored lights. The re-creation of Fort Sandusky on the frontier trail. Millennium Force goes patriotic. Mantis completes the huge vertical loop, which is probably my favorite part of the ride. It was not quite time to start Luminosity, so I continued south toward the front of the park. A night view of the waterfall in Planet Snoopy. Wicked Twister is awesome for a night ride -- primarily due to the really short lines. A view through the fence from Wicked Twister's queue. A look into the station platform. Wicked Twister and WindSeeker on the Cedar Point beach. Distant lights on the Lake Erie shore. The beach, awash in purple. Watching a cycle on Wicked Twister. Streaks of color at the front of Wicked Twister's track. A night view of the GateKeeper plaza. Sonic the Hedgehog at night. The GateKeeper sign looks awesome at night! Maxair looks flat-out strange with long-exposure photography. The colors sure stand out against the dark sky. Maxair, TGI Friday's, and the Giant Wheel. Speaking of the wheel... How awesome is this lighting package? Simply spectacular! A closer view of the wheel -- curved panels of light created by an extended exposure. The patterns almost look like they were designed for this. This one is very sci-fi. I could have taken pictures of the Giant Wheel all night, but there were a few other things on the agenda. The Giant Wheel looks a lot different with a shorter exposure. Cedar Point sure does enjoy the red, white and blue color scheme. Another view of the wheel with a square inside of a circle. Circles of color. Finally, a clean look with every spoke lit. Heading north again, I passed Power Tower and Corkscrew. Luminosity was just beginning! Pyrotechnics are certainly one of the show's strong points. They use the fog to great effect with spotlights... ...and with lasers. Blue and green towers of light. Lights in the trees next to the Good Time Theater. The show ended and most of the park guests began to head toward the main exit. However, after the show, they keep the lights going as a DJ plays music. The Luminosity stage, well lit in an array of colors. More lasers. The north Sky Ride station with people heading for the front gate. Draggin' Iron, closed for the evening. What in the Welches? Yes, people could tweet and have it appear on the board. Plenty of people still gathered around the Luminosity area. Awash in green. The back end of the railroad, parked for the night. Millennium Force storage devices. What better way to end the night than this -- 13 rides of Millennium Force in a truly incredible ERT session! On the way back to the hotel, we saw the door to the Top Thrill Dragster engine room was wide open. There it is -- the hydraulics that power one of the fastest coasters in the world! Huge cylinders -- danger! A pressure gauge on the nitrogen cylinders. Nitrogen tanks along the near wall in the engine room. Give these guys credit -- we know TTD is a tricky thing to keep maintained, but Cedar Point's crew was working after midnight to get it ready for a huge Saturday. I'm no engineer, and I have no idea what any of this stuff does, but it sure looks awesome. A huge reel of cable, just behind where the maintenance crew was working. Thanks TPR and Cedar Point for one of the best days of the trip!

Pictures from Day 11 (The Second Half, Part One) Additional pictures and bigger versions of these images can be found here and here. Picking up my photo set from after the farewell dinner, I decided to head north along the beach. If it's not mayflies at Cedar Point, it's seagulls, and there sure are a lot of them. Something set this flock in motion... ...and they quickly took off southbound... ...for reasons I didn't stick around to investigate. The breakwater looms off to the north, well beyond the main beach area near Hotel Breakers. The northern expanse of beach is a pretty quiet area. The waves were rather gentle. No photo-trickery involved -- just a beautiful scene on a beautiful weather day. A wide view of Hotel Breakers -- my last chance to take this picture before the renovations. The view south along the beach, with the southeast corner of the park in full view. A closer look toward WindSeeker, Wicked Twister, the Giant Wheel, and GateKeeper. A bird in the water. Humans in flight and a bird on the ground. It's not just birds and beach further along the peninsula -- Magnum is the prominent figure in the park's northeastern skyline. Continuing the walk on the path beyond Hotel Breakers... ...leads to a walkway that borders Magnum through the entirety of its course. Off to the east, the lighthouse is still visible... ...as are several boats on the open water. Off to the west, sections of Soak City can be seen... ...along with a one-time world record holder... ...casting shadows of steel on the beach below. Although this was a very busy Friday at Cedar Point, I saw almost nobody on these trails, outside of those on the Magnum trains. Not many people venture back to get these views of Magnum. Hairtime in the sun! A train crests the second hill... ...and dives for the tunnel. Magnum hits the turn-around. Finishing the 540-degree turn on the way to the return leg. Cresting the lift hill through the supports on the turnaround. The big silver supports frame the train on one of Arrow's tallest coasters. Looking up at the second half of the turnaround. From this angle -- nearly straight up -- it almost looks like an inversion. A view from a little further north along the path. Heading toward Sandcastle Suites at the tip of the Cedar Point peninsula. Sandcastle Suites certainly looks like a nice place, and it's much more secluded than Hotel Breakers. This picture barely even looks like something you'd expect to find at Cedar Point. I actually considered the possibility of going out on the breakwater for more pictures, but it's basically a mile-long pile of jagged rocks. Bryan Edwards confirmed it wasn't accessible. A boat in the channel between Cedar Point and the Marblehead peninsula. Sun over the water. More boats heading out of Sandusky Bay. Continuing a walk around the peninsula, I headed southeast toward Lighthouse Point. The Breakwater Cafe, just outside of Sandcastle Suites. Anyone ever been here? A view of the water from near Sandcastle Suites. Looking out across the water toward the Marblehead peninsula. The distant piece of land at the right side of the picture is Kelleys Island. A view east toward Bay Point. No trespassing involved -- but wouldn't these Lighthouse Point cabins be an awesome place to stay? I passed the front area of Sandcastle Suites... ...and headed toward Camper Village... ...a slightly less-upscale set of accommodations. No, I'm not talking about Mean Streak. A view of the park's skyline from the back parking lot. Magnum and Soak City. A closer view of Magnum and one of Soak City's larger slides. Sun dogs fire on the horizon -- this one over Mean Streak. Gemini trains racing up the lift. Alternate caption for these photos: thank goodness the red train is running again. In the 90s, this was the coaster to conquer at Cedar Point. Time to head through Challenge Park and back into Cedar Point... ...getting one more view of Magnum from near the go-kart tracks.

Day 11 -- Cedar Point (Day Two | Second Half) Friday, August 9, 2013 Pull up a chair, this is gonna be a long one... Lesson of the Day: Don't mind the small expenses. These trips aren't cheap, I admit, and I'd never advocate being a spendthrift. However, it seems funny to worry about the cost of a small souvenir when it's such a tiny fraction of the cost of the entire tour. For me, it boils down to this, as I thought to myself while enjoying a double-dip cone at Toft's on Saturday night: you may not remember the $6 you spent on ice cream, but you may remember the ice cream. Artifacts: Here's two of our meal vouchers for Friday and Saturday, with Theme Park Review branded on the front! I also picked up a brochure for the 50th anniversary of the Cedar Point & Lake Erie Railroad. The railroad was opened in 1963 by George A. Roose, then president of Cedar Point. Today, the park has five locomotives -- Myron H. (No. 22), George R. (No. 4), G.A. Boeckling (No. 1), Judy K. (No. 44), and Albert (No. 3). Albert, built in 1910, is the park's oldest -- though it's now on display, after being retired from operation in 1991. What am I doing with two used-up glow wristbands? What a huge part of Friday night these were! Read on to find out why. Finally, the last artifact from the day is like a printout of a 300-game in bowling, or a box score of a no-hitter in baseball. This is my scorecard from August 9th at Cedar Point, which includes the entire run of 17 roller coaster credits at the park. It's an accomplishment I never thought I'd actually finish off. Scorecard: Iron Dragon (#1) GateKeeper Tour Sky Ride (To Back) Magnum XL-200 (#2) Jr. Gemini (#3) Top Thrill Dragster [Front] (#4) Corkscrew (#5) Mantis (#6) Mean Streak (#7) Cedar Creek Mine Ride (#8) Gemini (Blue) (#9) Woodstock Express (#10) Blue Streak (#11) Raptor [back] (#12) GateKeeper [back] (#13) GateKeeper WindSeeker -- Final Group Dinner -- Gemini (Red) (#14) Gemini (Blue) Maverick (#15) Wicked Twister [Front] (#16) Millennium Force (x13) (#17) Day 11 -- Cedar Point (Day Two) Cedar Point is my home park. I grew up in the metro-Detroit area, and visited Cedar Point about an average of once a year (at least) from the mid 90s onward. I'd been to the park about 15 times, I would guess. However, after moving to southwestern Ohio, I went an abnormally long time between visits. Before the TPR trip, I hadn't been to America's (Rockin') Roller Coast since May of 2008. Five years later, I'd finally get another chance to visit the park, armed with a three-day ticket and a good camera. My top priorities for the visit were photography, TPR's special events, and getting rides in on some of my favorite coasters in the world. In the back of my mind, though, I knew I had the opportunity to go for a remarkable coaster achievement on Friday -- a day I'll call the coaster-est of my life. After 11 days with TPR, 12 including Schlitterbahn, and 14 on my vacation in total, my energy level was starting to wane. Although TPR had use of hotel guest ERT, I didn't feel like waiting in the huge line just to get into the park, and didn't enter until about 9:15. I ran into Doug on my way in, and as we noticed that Iron Dragon was part of morning ERT but not on Fast Lane, we opted to open our day with a quick ride (with the line just barely on the steps). After that, it was almost time to meet up with about 15-20 other TPR members for a backstage photo tour of GateKeeper. Photos from the tour, which ran from about 1000 AM to 1030 AM, were included as part of my last update. I walked over to Wicked Twister and found the line a little long for my liking. At the time, the ride was not on Fast Lane. I had my camera and equipment with me, so I wasn't allowed to get in line for GateKeeper, which has a partial ban on loose articles. That convinced me to make my way back toward the hotel and drop off my camera, so that I could make a run of coasters without being weighed down. I decided to make another northbound trip on the Sky Ride, taking some pictures along the way. It was almost 1130 AM, and I had all of one coaster credit on the day. As I passed Top Thrill Dragster, I made a quick swing over toward Jr. Gemini to see if anyone from TPR was around, but I found nobody there. I rode Magnum on my way out, returning to the hotel to rest for a few minutes before heading back into the park. Without a clear path to getting a spin on Jr. Gemini, I thought the dream of coaster completion was fading quickly. I took a seat in my hotel room and opened up my computer... ...when, at 1158 AM, I saw this tweet come in from the TPR account. There's Victor, my Q-Bot teammate, picking up the elusive Jr. Gemini credit! I shut down my computer and sped out the door as fast as I could, hoping I'd get there in time to meet up with Elissa and Kristen. I barely made it. With Elissa's permission, I jumped in line, as Yin was just getting on for his lap. After one time through, Yin swapped out for me, and I picked up my third coaster of the day on the toughest credit in the park. It only took me 15-ish visits to get a ride in! Thanks Kristen! Just 50 minutes after the first picture went out, TPR's next tweet included me with the rest of those who rode with KidTums for the rare Jr. Gemini (now Wilderness Run) experience. Kristen's services were compensated with a few tries on the rope ladder game just across from the coaster -- she's a heck of a lot better at it than I would be. Suddenly, my goal to ride every coaster in the park seemed within reach, even though I still had 14 more to go. The credit run continued with a group of TPR members who had been at Jr. Gemini, including Yin, Bas, and Marcel. We went straight to Top Thrill Dragster for a front-row ride (photo credit: some person with Marcel's phone). It was a good thing that we got our TTD credit when we did -- the ride broke down later in the afternoon, and did not re-open until Saturday. We worked quickly through Corkscrew, Mantis, Mean Streak, Cedar Creek Mine Ride, and Gemini Blue. Right after our ride on Gemini Blue, we hit a road block -- just one or two cycles after we had finished, Gemini Red stalled out. Just two days after almost missing out on American Eagle Red at Six Flags Great America, the curse of the red train struck again. I honestly can't remember exactly where it occurred, but I do remember that guests had to evacuate the red train from a location other than the station. I'd have to come back later in the day to see if it was open again. I split from the group and met up with a couple other TPR members for a ride on Woodstock Express. This was another new credit for me, and brought my total for the day up to double digits. I headed up to the front of the park on my own, getting rides in on Blue Streak, Raptor, and twice on GateKeeper. GateKeeper was also a new coaster for me, and was my last new credit of the trip. I finished out 2013 with 154 coaster credits, and I'll enter the 2014 trip with 155 (thanks to Banshee Media Day at Kings Island). With only four credits left to go, it seemed like I'd have plenty of time in the evening to finish my coaster run. As the time was approaching 5 PM, I decided to head back to the hotel to prepare for our farewell dinner. I got in one ride on WindSeeker, and walked over to Hotel Breakers to pick up my camera again. I spent some time doing pictures of the hotel, which were posted in the last update. We met up at 6 PM for dinner, which lasted about 70 minutes. The whole "TPR is summer camp for adults" thing really took off, as several members with white tour shirts got them signed by the rest of the participants. Those may be some of the best keepsakes on the entire trip! After dinner was done, I didn't feel like heading right back into the park, so I went for a long walk to the north end of the peninsula. For a long time, I've wanted to stroll the length of the beach and the nearby paths around Soak City, Magnum, and Sandcastle Suites. Some of the scenery is very nice, especially with the sun starting to set over Sandusky Bay. I don't think very many park photographers make it all the way around the north end of the property, so there's a few rare views in the photo set that I'm pretty happy to share. I re-entered the park at 750 PM, with four credits to go and just over two hours with which to get them. I went straight to Gemini and was thrilled to find the red side back in operation -- I gave that a ride, then boarded a blue train to race with a few other TPR members. From there, I went to Maverick -- a ride I'd just been on 11 times the previous night. Honestly, and perhaps blasphemously, if not for my mission I would have been OK to skip it. Though the Fast Lane queue sign advertised 45 minutes, I was on in about 20 -- that was still one of the longest waits of the day, comparable to Woodstock Express and likely only bested by TTD. I now had only two credits to go, with about an hour before the park was set to close. That gave me some time for some night photography -- first along the Frontier Trail, and then near the entrance to the park. I made sure to get a ride in on Wicked Twister, which was down to about a 5 minute queue. I waited an extra 5 minutes for the front row, and was out by 930 PM, with plenty of time to shoot some scenes of the Giant Wheel and Luminosity. I couldn't have picked a better way to end it -- my final credit of the day was our evening ERT on Millennium Force, my #1 favorite coaster. All of TPR gathered in front of the entrance just after 10 PM, but we could tell it would be a little while before we could board, as there was still about a 45 minute wait at closing time. As we congregated near the Millennium Force storage devices, Bas revealed an awesome surprise for the last ERT session of the trip -- wrist-sized glow sticks! What better way to ride Millennium force than with colorful glowing bracelets on our arms? Once the line had cleared, we made our way up the ramp to the familiar theme music of one of Intamin's best creations. With glow sticks around our wrists, the first Millennium Force ERT trains climbed the lift at about 1050 PM. With one circuit in the books, I had completed my coaster achievement -- all 17 Cedar Point coaster credits in one day! I would suspect that there aren't a lot of people who can lay claim to this, thanks primarily to the difficulty of getting on Jr. Gemini. In addition to that, I had the good fortune of riding Dragster early in the day (before the breakdown), having Gemini Red fixed up in just a few hours, and running into perfect operations everywhere else. 17 unique coasters is a record for me for one day, but my total coaster ride count of 31 is also (as far as I can remember) my greatest one-day total. Fast Lane makes it a little easier, but there's still an element of good fortune in making it through 17 unique coasters in one day at the park. One Millennium Force ride certainly wasn't enough, though, and I ended the our 65-minute ERT session with 13 laps. It was really awesome to be able to try out all the different seats on the ride, especially with how well Millennium Force was running. I can hardly begin to describe the mood of the ERT, but it was all-out energy that may have even topped the Maverick session from the night before. I'll let some of TPR's Vines tell the story: clapping and cheering, hand-slapping through the station, chanting, and all-out insanity on the last train of the night. This event -- the last official TPR event of the trip -- was a perfect way to bring the tour to a close. Our interesting night wasn't quite done yet. Just after midnight, as we made our way toward the resort gate, we found the large door to Top Thrill Dragster's engine room wide open. The ride had been down for the second half of the day, but Cedar Point's maintenance staff was hard at work trying to get it ready for a busy Saturday -- which they did. The crew was extremely accommodating to our curiosity, telling us about the huge hydraulic motor and allowing us to take pictures. I only wish I could remember what they had said. That's a "lesson of the day" I didn't get to -- when learning awesome things from park employees, write it all down as soon as possible! Upon exiting the park, a huge portion of the TPR group retreated to TGI Friday's, as per tradition. There are lots of different people on these trips -- some who go out late at night rather frequently, and others who keep things quiet after a long day at a park. Late night trips to Friday's at Cedar Point were different -- not just for the bar crowd, but really as a final gathering spot for everybody. I'm not going to sing the praises of the restaurant -- honestly, the service was so-so and the cuisine isn't exactly Epcot -- but it's more about the atmosphere and the group. It probably wasn't until 130 AM that I finally turned in for the night. It was easily my second favorite day of the trip, and bested only very slightly by our long day at Silver Dollar City. Although about half of the TPR group was staying for an extra day, it was clear that this was the high water mark. This was the top of the mountain, and we rode back down with our hands up. -------------------------------------------- A Review of Cedar Point: It's hard to put together an objective review of Cedar Point, a park I've been to so many times before, and always had a high opinion of. However, what really helped was having immediate points of comparison with so many other parks. There were one or two duds, but we visited several good parks, and a couple that were very impressive. Ultimately, only Silver Dollar City's incredible theme and atmosphere could match up in overall enjoyment with the huge scope and outstanding rides at Cedar Point. Simply put, Cedar Point is the best pure amusement park I've yet to visit. I'll start with park operations, which are frequently heralded at Cedar Point, and for good reason. This was easily the most striking difference between Cedar Point and most of the other parks we visited. Cedar Point's ride ops are far and away the most enthusiastic, funny, engaging, and efficient ride ops of any park I've ever been to. I may give the slight edge in family-friendliness to Silver Dollar City and the Disney parks, but Cedar Point's ride ops are the complete package, and add so much to making a day at the park as entertaining as possible. They tell stories, they add their own riffs to the typical spiels, they find ways to interact with the guests, and they do it all while moving people through the rides with a speed I've never seen any park come close to matching. I noticed this immediately on Thursday night, having just spent the past two days at a major Six Flags park and a Wisconsin death-trap, and it was unbelievably refreshing. Congrats to Cedar Point for whatever they do to keep their employees so motivated. The park's overall atmosphere is also unmatched, at least among properties without a cohesive theme. There's a vibrant energy that fills the peninsula, with non-stop action just about everywhere. However, no place on the point is ever too far from the quiet of the Frontier Trail, or the serenity along the Lake Erie beach. It's a place that just feels fun, and genuinely so -- without the corporate blandness of the Six Flags chain, or even some of the other Cedar Fair parks. Cedar Point has one other huge advantage over most parks -- a beautiful setting, almost completely surrounded by water. Every coaster has a view of something awesome -- the open expanse of Lake Erie to the east, the Marblehead Peninsula to the north, Sandusky Bay and downtown Sandusky to the west and southwest, and world-class rides in just about every direction. As a photographer, I ran out of time before I ran out of options for things to shoot. I really didn't even miss my zoom lens (left behind in St. Louis) -- there was plenty to take pictures of without it, and I still have some vantage points and rides (including the Giant Wheel) that I didn't get to. Doing some night photography at Cedar Point was also a goal of mine, as my usual trips to the park typically involved nothing but coasters during the final hour of operations. On these three days, I had plenty of time to set up some long-exposure views. I do have to admit that I missed Space Spiral, as the park is now lacking an observation deck. In a perfect world, Cedar Point would put in another tower in the next few years, but with so many other tall rides I doubt the park sees that as a priority. This was also my first time using Fast Lane, which didn't yet exist when I last visited in 2008. I've always timed my trips to the park on days with manageable crowds -- usually weekdays in June or Sundays during HalloWeekend -- so this was my first trip in a while during the busy heat of summer. Fast Lane seemed almost a necessity for making the trip enjoyable. On Friday, in terms of the crowds, Fast Lane turned "pretty bad" into quite manageable. As I'll touch on in my next post, Saturday was horrendously busy -- Fast Lane was needed just to get the lines down to the normal queue levels I was used to. I liked the simplicity of Fast Lane, which worked as easily as just getting in line for an attraction. What I didn't like was that it wasn't as effective as a Q-Bot in actually cutting down on wait times, with a few early merge points and occasional lengthy waits in the Fast Lane queue. For anyone who isn't planning to visit the park multiple times, I really do think it's a good purchase overall, as it may be the best way to ensure multiple rides on the three big Intamins (even on a day with only moderate crowds). I could only find three minor things that I wasn't as enthused about during our visit. First, the dining options are still a little on the sub-par side for a park of this size. There are a lot of the typical amusement park options, and an increasing chain presence too. In Cedar Point's case, the chains aren't necessarily a bad thing -- it would be a different story if the park had their own unique (and high-quality) offerings, like Silver Dollar City or Epcot. Ultimately, I know that Cedar Point's focus probably aligns closest with sticking to the basics. The best options are probably the restaurants just outside the park's east and west gates -- TGI Friday's and Famous Dave's. Second, the loose article policy on GateKeeper was being inconsistently enforced. Unlike Millennium Force and TTD, which clearly allow nothing on the station platform, GateKeeper allowed certain small items. Unfortunately, this introduces judgment calls into the line operator's decisions. Perhaps an all-or-nothing policy would keep things more simple. Third, I had intended to take some pictures from the platform near the bridge over Snake River Falls, but was denied access without first having gone on the ride. Obviously, that wasn't an option with camera equipment and street clothes. Most parks allow anybody to access overpass areas near the big splash boat rides, and you'll frequently see kids standing around waiting for the next big wave. I can't see how that would hurt for Cedar Point -- perhaps just to make the bridge a public space, and move the controlled exit gate to the side near the ride platform. So, after five years away from Cedar Point, I was very happy to find that the park still provided the same experience I had grown to love. For good reason, Cedar Point is at the head of the amusement park class -- executing operations and atmosphere like it's second nature. Those are the hallmarks of what makes for a good day at a theme park... ...and I have yet to say anything about the rides... -------------------------------------------- Reviews of the attractions at Cedar Point: Millennium Force: MF survived a very tough challenge from Outlaw Run, but it remains my #1 favorite coaster overall. It's certainly been surpassed in intensity, and other rides (including Maverick) cram more action into a smaller plot, but I have yet to find anything that can beat MF in terms of overall fun and the sensation of speed. After 13 rides in just over an hour, I can definitely say that MF was running great, delivering air over all of the hills (at least floater, with borderline ejector in the back of the train on the way off the island. The first drop in the back feels like a freefall, especially when not quite stapled. However, the view from the front is really something special, given the coaster's location -- and it's even worth acting as a windshield to disgusting clouds of mosquitoes and other flying insects. Millennium Force is simply a pinnacle for me as a coaster fan, and though I know the popular enthusiast opinion usually bumps this ride a few spots down the list, I'll keep it up at the top of mine Maverick: Amazing what an awesome ERT session can do for a ride! I'd only ever been on Maverick two or three times in 2007 and 2008, and I can't say that I immediately loved it. After this trip, I figured out why it's so highly ranked, and I bumped it all the way up to #4 on my steel coaster rankings. It's fun, action-packed, and quite varied in terms of ride elements. Maverick pretty much throws the book at riders in terms of forces, which are quite strong in just about every direction. Taking the first drop from the back row may be my favorite part of the ride -- it's a remarkable out-of-control feeling. Also, any ride that re-brands itself as MaveShark for TPR deserves some extra credit points! For the record, I do miss White Water Landing -- I love flumes, and that one was better than average. Maverick, however, is clearly a superior replacement by leaps and bounds. Top Thrill Dragster: TTD is the last of the three Intamin coasters at Cedar Point that made their way into my top ten steel coaster list -- I have it ranked at #6. I know it's a short ride, and I know it's a kind of a gimmick, but it sure does a heck of a job of pulling it off! Those brief moments at the top of the tower are almost like an out-of-body experience. There isn't enough time to truly process the view, but there's just enough to realize that towering over Millennium Force by over 100 feet is rather incredible. I also have to give Cedar Point credit for the detailed, but self-contained theming -- it's exactly what an amusement park should be shooting for. They pulled off the drag racing motif quite well, and with a fair degree of authenticity. The "Christmas tree" lights on the tower are one of my favorite icons from the entire park. GateKeeper: If I'm going to put three Cedar Point coasters in my overall top ten, I guess I should to be honest when I have to go in the other direction. I love how GateKeeper has revitalized the front of the park, and it's a photogenic beauty. Unfortunately, it just wasn't all that fun to ride. I only found the first drop and Immelmann forceful, and the rest of the course just seemed to progress too slowly for the size of the elements. I also don't think that the freedom of the winged seats is worth their inevitable roughness. At the time of our visit, the vest restraints were still locking, which affected me significantly and led to uncomfortable rides. After comfortable rides on Banshee, which opened with the vest issue corrected, I have some optimism that a future ride on GateKeeper might be more pleasant. I know my opinion on GateKeeper is shared among a decent portion of the enthusiast community, but I'm a little worried that it wasn't a huge hit for Cedar Point in general. During our three days at the park, I can't ever recall seeing GateKeeper with a line of over an hour, even as the three big Intamins (and even Raptor at times) were well into the 60-120 minute range. I just can't see GateKeeper as one of the major "destination" coasters at Cedar Point, and I'd bet that most of the public agrees. Raptor: After factoring in Banshee, Raptor still sits at #13 on my steel list. It's my third-favorite invert, with Banshee and Montu coming in just ahead of it. It's a fun and disorienting ride, and it keeps up its intensity through the entire circuit -- the helix is one of the best coaster endings at Cedar Point. Where Raptor loses points (and ranks behind Montu and Banshee) is the darned cobra roll. I'm not a fan of that jerky element at all. Mantis: Most people seem to dislike Mantis because of the uncomfortable restraints (or the stand-up gimmick as a whole). I dislike Mantis because the second half is plodding and boring. The first half almost makes up for it -- the first drop and vertical loop are a lot of fun, and I'm a big fan of the inclined loop as well. Unfortunately, the rest of the layout just isn't very inspired. It's not one of my least favorite coasters in the world, but it's in the bottom half of my steel coaster rankings. Magnum XL-200: When I was growing up, Magnum was Cedar Point's signature attraction. It was the ride you dared people to go on in elementary school, and it was the ride you lied about conquering to try to impress your friends. So, for me, Magnum is always going to have a bit of that mythical aura around it. I do like the ride, and I respect its place in coaster history, but I truly think that B&M has improved markedly on the hypercoaster concept. I admit that I struggle with the return leg -- the restraints are simply not ideal for repeated bouts of ejector air. The floater hill going into the turnaround is probably my favorite part of the ride, and the beach view is outstanding. Mean Streak: I know that there are a lot of people who really believe that Mean Streak is one of the worst and roughest wooden coasters on the planet, but I suspect that most of them haven't been to too many other amusement parks. I was just a few days removed from riding The Boss and Hades 360, which made Mean Streak feel quite tame by comparison. The two rides I had on Thursday night before our Maverick ERT were, quite honestly, rather enjoyable. My ride on Friday was in the far back row (Yin's idea, not mine) and it was admittedly a little more rough. Overall, though, I don't think Mean Streak's that awful. The layout doesn't do nearly as much as it should with such a huge structure, but from that, I think it follows that Mean Streak's offense is more being bland than being bad. I have it right in the middle of my wood coaster rankings. Blue Streak: Blue Streak is a classic, and it was running quite well during our stay at Cedar Point. There was air to be found on the hills, and just enough of a rickety "old wooden coaster" feeling, without being painful or jarring. Wicked Twister: I love Wicked Twister's beach-side location, and I love the ride experience in the far front or back. It's fun to hit the twists at maximum speed. In one case, a rider ends up with the entire train spinning around below them, facing straight down to the ground (over 200 feet below). In the other case, a rider spirals up into the sky, seeing nothing but the furthest tip of the track structure. With short waits in the late afternoon and evening, this is a coaster I have no problem riding multiple times. Gemini: The quality of a Gemini ride is not measured by its height or by its speed, but rather by the number of hands slapped on the big turns. I guess I got lucky, as most of my rides on Gemini were accompanied by enthusiastic groups on both trains. This racing classic is a ton of fun. The layout is admittedly awkward -- unfathomable for a new coaster in 2014 -- but somehow it works! Corkscrew: Corkscrew isn't a great ride, but with such a small footprint, I can't envision this coaster (and its iconic inversions) disappearing from Cedar Point any time soon. I got my lone credit on Corkscrew during the Friday run, but it's hard to justify giving it any more than that. Iron Dragon: Iron Dragon just isn't that great of a ride. Yes, it's part of a dying class of coaster, and it's one of Cedar Point's classics. It's also credit #1 for me, as the first coaster I remember riding. Despite the nostalgia, I think it's a weakness in the park's lineup. It would be great to have a modern, creative family coaster in its place -- as long as it keeps the finale over the pond. Cedar Creek Mine Ride: The last of a plethora of Arrow mine train coasters on the trip, Cedar Creek Mine Ride isn't one of the best. It certainly can't stand up to Roadrunner Express (SFFT) or Thunderation (SDC). Woodstock Express: A standard small Vekoma coaster, though still big enough to scare a few of the kids in the queue. Jr. Gemini: So short that I barely even remember the ride -- just that I finally got the credit! Power Tower: I always enjoy riding the Space Shot tower a few times, since lines are short and the views are fantastic. Cedar Point & Lake Erie Railroad: Cedar Point's railroad offers good views of several coasters, including the first drop of Millennium Force and most of Maverick. Some of the show-pieces could use a refresher, but others still worked well. WindSeeker: I prefer the openness of the Funtime Star Flyers, but WindSeeker (its maintenance faults aside) is almost as good. I never looked at this as a thrill ride at all -- it's more of a huge, spinning observation deck. Semi-major attractions skipped during the three-day visit: Skyhawk (inop), Shoot the Rapids (inop), Thunder Canyon, Snake River Falls, Maxair, Giant Wheel.

Unfortunately none, as I was too busy riding! Hanno took several though -- might want to check out his photo website.

The last person has just exited the car. By the way, as seen on the NBC feed, it's Train 3.

Now only Car 1 is left, with four riders.

The NBC stream just showed one of the remaining riders from car 2 row 1 being evacuated safely.

Heh, same scenario with this one -- a raw audio feed. "7's gotta be running out of fuel sooner or later..." --channel 5 KTLA

In defense of the guy, it really sounds like it's supposed to be internal communication between the speaker, the pilot, and perhaps someone else at the station. I wonder why they set up the live stream to play that audio? Stream just cut out.

I wonder if the station employee "narrating" the NBC feed knows he's being streamed to the internet. "What, we should all go to Magic Mountain after work? That's why Ryan's the boss!"

Nice report so far. Great to see some updated stuff from the parks I'll be visiting in a few weeks! Do you remember where the 1997 flood sign at Coney Island is located? Would love to get a picture of that myself.

Thanks guys! Well, there's TGI Friday's, which TPR at least knows how to make fun. We stayed at Breakers during one of its last pre-renovation years -- I think the rooms are all undergoing a major overhaul over the next off-season and the place should look completely different in 2015. It's not cheap but it's a question of how much you like the convenience of having your hotel right there. If I were planning to have two (or more) full days at Cedar Point, I'd think its worth it.

Pictures from Day 11 (first half, part two) For the Sky Ride control panel enthusiasts. A glance back into the station. Up, up, and away. Dude's gonna fly now. ...and there he goes. Hitting the vertical loop. A view to the south. The parking lot was maybe half-full, but still filling up. Blue Streak rises over the marina. Blue Streak crests the hill, with downtown Sandusky in the background. I've been waiting years to get this shot, and I got it! Now, what are the chances of lining this up with a train on either of the two rides? How about both of the rides? Nearly impossible, I'd guess. Another view of the marina, with the Sandusky Bay coal docks in the background. Coasters on the west side of the park. Several tall towers just to the north. A beautiful view over the open waters of Lake Erie. Another look over to GateKeeper. Raptor and Blue Streak. Floral art. WindSeeker looks great from up here. Just a little bit of elevation adds so much to a photo like this -- raising the level of the water in the background. Another Sky Ride car floats on by. I was taking pictures of Power Tower after I got off the Sky Ride, but I noticed something only when reviewing the pictures later. Take a look at where the train is on Dragster... ...and look at it now! Yup, I'd accidentally taken pictures of a rollback. The iconic Cedar Point water tower. Corkscrew makes the turn at the far end of the circuit. Corkscrew doing what it does best. I know it's not a great ride, but it takes up so little space, and you get pictures like this! Another view of the corkscrew on Corkscrew. Iron Dragon over the lagoon. Dragster prepares for a launch. Keep arms down, head back, and hold on. Dragster wheels. Are these guys "ready to go?" Dragster? Check. Dragster sign? Check. TPR member taking a picture? Check. Are we ever going to see Bas' pictures? I hope so! Guy's got talent! Dragster heads over the top hat. This is about as far as I could push it without the zoom lens, which was still sitting in St. Louis back at the City Museum. Spiral down. Cedar Point's tallest structure -- it's very yellow. Now for some history in Hotel Breakers. I love this old-style postcard picture! The steamboat A. Wehrle Jr., en route to Cedar Point. Oh yeah, try to imagine one of these things getting built today. Maybe in Scandinavia. I won't post the whole set, but I thought this timeline of the hotel and the park was really well done. It's an entire history lesson! Here's the main lobby of Hotel Breakers. Another view of the lobby. A chandelier at Hotel Breakers. Stained glass of what appears to be Sandusky, Ohio. The big rotunda at Hotel Breakers, just a short walk from the lobby. Four levels in the rotunda. The bottom of the rotunda. Heading out to the deck that overlooks the pool and beach. A view out to the open waters of Lake Erie. A look southeast toward the hot tub. WindSeeker makes an appearance. The pool at Hotel Breakers. The small protected swimming area on the Lake Erie beach. A view out to the Sandusky / Cedar Point Breakwater, and the lighthouse on the end. Heading back through the hotel, and coming up on another famous TPR location. Where is this? Crazy junk on the walls? Cheesy slogans? Must be Friday's. Can't beat the view, though. Magnum drops just to the north... ...and WindSeeker flies off to the south. Out in front of the pool at Hotel Breakers. The main hotel tower is sure to look different whenever I make it back to the park. Take a trip out to the beach. You don't even have to be a hotel guest to do it! Parasailing over the beach -- I'm sure the view is incredible. Fun fact: Lake Erie is the shallowest of the great lakes, and the fourth smallest in surface area (only larger than Lake Ontario). Another Cedar Point / Hotel Breakers history lesson. I bet Professor Albert Cook was a huge star. Looking south along the beach. WindSeeker, Wicked Twister, and an airplane. The view off to the north. This picture almost looks two-dimensional, like from an old side-scrolling video game. WindSeeker down low. WindSeeker up high. WindSeeker coming back down again. Time for our farewell dinner at the Cedar Point Convention Center. Sad? Bittersweet? Perhaps -- but part of another great day on the trip. Check back soon for the full report and the second half of the pictures!