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What a GREAT update! Thanks for showing us all of that, Big Mike. Shane seems like a very nice guy, and that was super awesome what he did for you. Glad to see everything is working out in this tough economy. I'm not a huge water park person, but when I finally make it back that way, I will definitely have to pay Shane and the Cowabunga Bay Water Park a visit. I LOVE the old car that used to be his Dad's!

Every time I have ever stayed near CP I have stayed at the Econo Lodge that is directly across from the hotel that you are talking about. It's nothing fancy, but it's not dirty at all, and it's nice enough for me to keep going back. They always seem to have the cheapest rates of any of the hotels around. If you're not looking to party at the hotel and have an indoor water park, it may be worth looking into for you. Plus, you could still walk right across the street to the restaurant in the other hotel, or TGIF is right there as well. Have fun, and good luck hotel hunting!

^ Belize-Man... say it fast. Sounds like Policeman. Maybe when I grow up, I can be a "Belize-man!" It's funny to me anyway.

I could be wrong, but I think Wicked Twister may have a height limit. You definitely wouldn't want to catch your legs on the ground while flying through the station. *Edit* Just checked the website and it says that guests over 6'2" may have difficulties with a number of rides, including a handful of coasters.

Driving to the Dells after spending a full day at CP is going to be gruesome, if not impossible to do without stopping and sleeping. It's about an 8 hour drive. You guys may want to rethink that one.

^ I never said I wouldn't go back. I've had a season pass every year since 1998, and I have also been there MANY times this season and I have NEVER seen spiders that bad. There is a big difference between seeing A spider, and seeing HUNDREDS of spiders. Speaking of snakes. I saw a girl get bit by a snake in line for Magnum one year. It was just a little guy, but it still bit her. She was provoking it by trying to pet it though. I unfortunately didn't have my camera or phone on me to snap any photos. I did some research on Google though and I can say that I'm about 80% sure that they are not Brown Recluse spiders. From what I have gathered, Brown Recluse spiders are solid colored. These spiders had more of a Tarantula style color with the different shades of browns, tans, and blacks from what I could tell. They were not hairy though, and did not even come close to the size of a Tarantula. There were some visible during the day, but as soon as it got dark they were ALL OVER the damn place! Maybe it was just an odd day. I know the Mayflies get bad at CP during a certain time of year, so maybe it was the spiders turn that day. Who knows. All I know is that I hope they aren't nearly as bad the next time I head down there.

I made a little observation while at the park today. It's nothing exciting. It's actually disgusting and super creepy. It was the crazy infestation of some wicked looking spiders that were EVERYWHERE! I have had a season pass for CP every year since 1998 and I have NEVER seen anything like this. Today/tonight was actually the first time I've noticed it this season too. When I say they were everywhere, I literally mean everywhere. Everywhere you looked they were there. You couldn't lean or touch hand rails, fences, benches, etc. without touching them or having them crawl on you. I kid you not, there would be like 6 to 10 per square foot. I flippin' HATE spiders more than anything in the world. They looked identical to black widows, except they were brown. Has anyone else noticed this?

The theming, the layout, and lots of surprises!

If you're into aquariums at all, be sure to check out the Underwater Adventures Aquarium in the basement of the MOA. I was skeptical because it's an aquarium in the basement of a mall, but I was pleasantly surprised by the size and quality. Also, don't let the theming of the Moose Mountain Adventure Golf fool you. It's a terrible and boring course. I wish I would have just skipped it and saved the money. Like someone else said, the mall is an attraction in itself. It took me a whole day to get through it, and that was hauling ass. Definitely don't skip the Log Chute in Nick Universe. One of the best I've been on. I was also surprised by how fun the coasters in there were. I was only expecting to like the SpongeBob coaster, but they were all really fun. As for Valleyfair! It's your standard Cedar Fair Park, and I loved it. I had a lot of fun. I was there in the beginning of August last year, and I barely had any waits for any of the coasters. I'd say Renegade had the longest wait, and that was only about 30 minutes. Have a fun and safe trip!

HOORAYYYYY! Thanks a ton to everyone that voted for my photo! I'm super excited that I won. I got an e-mail a few days ago letting me know, but I didn't want to say anything till the results were actually posted. Congrats to Natalie too. That photo is awesome!

Great update, Big Mike! I flippin' LOVE this picture! it's cute as hell. Glad you got to smooth everything over with some treats.

Haha... good news for you, looks like you wont be eating your hat this time. Bad news for me... I lost another round of find the duckie! I actually just recently asked my DM about the contest cause I've been super curious. He said that he has district standings, but is waiting till they come up with the store and individual standings before letting everyone know. The contest is still running though. I've been busting my ass at work talking to customers to try and get them to sign up. As soon as I hear anything else, I'll be sure to post it in the original thread that I started for the contest.

I did not see that thing on Scat 2. Hopefully that's something other than a duckie!

I'm with you on this one! It's hard for me to watch things like this. I wouldn't want to be there if something went wrong.

Really? While it is your opinion, I don't think your opinion could be farther from the truth.

I have ridden 9 of the 11 choices. I went with Montu as my favorite. Alpengeist is a VERY close second though. This may surprise some people, but I would say Raptor is my least favorite B&M invert that I have ridden. It's at my home park too, so It's not a biased decision.

What a bummer! Glad I got there this summer to finally ride it. I remember really wanting to ride BBW ever since the mid 90's when the 3-D Roller Coaster videos came out on VHS. There aren't too many coasters out there that I have been more excited to ride, and BBW did NOT let me down. This is truly some sad news. Something flippin' amazing better be going there, and it BETTER utilize that hill down to the Rhine.

I'm gonna go with 6 duckies! Great update Big Mike. Looks like you guys had a blast. I was there a few years ago and Kentucky Rumbler was hit by lightning and we didn't get to ride it. Luckily, the people were so nice at the park that they gave us comp tickets to come back. We just happened to be down that way for Holliwood Nights at Holiday World, so we just headed back to Beech Bend the next day to ride the Rumbler. Awesome coaster, and super friendly staff at that park!

I love your updates, and they are always entertaining... but this one had me laughing from beginning to end. I am also not a big water park person. This one does look nice, though.