Big Mike Posted November 17, 2009 Author Posted November 17, 2009 Thanks Brandy!!!!!!! Fantasy Football IS still going on, I just did not want to bore The Valuable Big Mike Readers with it each week I will put up an up to date standings later in the week after I put up the really super special Six Flags Chicago report TONIGHT!!!! Peace, Big Mike
jamesdillaman Posted November 17, 2009 Posted November 17, 2009 Someone must have cursed the Pittsburgh Pirates at some point. Pittsburgh - City of Champions with the Penquins and the Steelers.....oh, yeah, and the Pirates too. Didn't the Steelers get swept this season by the Bengals....? Won't likely be champions this year if they can't even win the AFC North... Oh Yeah, Big Mike you're awesome! -James Dillaman
Big Mike Posted November 18, 2009 Author Posted November 18, 2009 Hello Fantastic Friends!!!!! The wait is over The Big Mike Road Show 2009 made a visit to Six Flags Great America in Illinois for one of the absolute best stops so far on the two year tour around the World! The Big Mike Road Show 2009 Mission Statement located on page one of this thread said this year was going to be all about going out and hanging out with some awesome and tremendous friends, and this stop on the tour has got to be a perfect model for what I was wishing for at the start of the year! I was met by old friends, I was met by new friends, I was met by family and friends of these friends, and we all had a wondeful day together..... and thats what it is really all about, isn't it?? Now all of this was an extreme highlight for Big Mike, who loves to meet brand new people as he criss crosses the globe, but the fun and loving times that occur when we all get together took on a new meaning when I got home and received a VERY TOUCHING thank you note from Jo!!! The Big Mike Road Show Tour is such a whirlwind of activity from moving from park to park, that I don't think I ever realized just what an impact one tiny little visit... on one day of the year... at one park ...really accomplishes!! So, in the letter you are about to read that made Big Mike really stand back and think.... I REALLY AM making a difference here on Theme Park Review in a positive way and helping Robb and Elissa continue to expand this wonderful website!! This aspect was always goal #1 stated right from the first post ever as I feel I am indebted to them for all the wonderful things they have done for me and the platform they have given The Big Mike Road Show!! I hope I make them proud! So on that note, I happily and triumphantly present to all The Valuable Big Mike Readers and the rest of Theme Park Review.... THE BIG MIKE ROAD SHOW 2009 SUPER SPECIAL SIX FLAGS CHICAGO FRIENDS FIESTA EXTRAVAGANZA!!! I hope you enjoy, but first, please take the time to read my very humbling thank you letter Hey Mike, I've been meaning to send you a big "thank you". If it wasn't for you going to SFGAm that Memorial Day weekend, I would not have met you, Craig, Cameron, Matt, Abra, Griffin, Larry and Patrick. Because of YOU Big Mike, I have made some of the greatest friends EVER! (Of course this includes you too!!) Since that wonderful trip, I have gone to the park with Cameron, Matt, Griffin and Patrick a few times. I was also able to spend a day at the park with Mel and Renee as well. So THANK YOU for coming out that day and letting me spend the day with you. You are such a wonderful person. I am so glad that we met. Love, Jo ... and thanks to everyone in group 2! We close wondering if Cameron actually grew fond of Craig afterall or just wanted to strangle him! Hope you enjoyed and see you out there on the road hopefully! Peace, Big Mike Well we come to a close of another edition of the Big Mike Road Show and since there were so many people attending this visit, I needed 2 group pictures to get everyone in. Thanks to everyone in group 1.... I would like to thank Cameron, Craig, and Matt for coming out and saying hello, all of which I already knew were cool dudes! I would also like to thank Griffin, Jo, and Patrick for coming to hang out too! These 3 new friends took it on thier own to visit a scheduled Big Mike Road Show visit, and I am so glad they did! This does lead me to a very important and curious question though..... I am wondering how many people actually did make The Big Mike Road Show the first opportunity to meet someone from Theme Park Review??? Also, if you did know someone from TPR already, how many people came to visit a park on a day just because they knew The Big Mike Road Show was going to be there! PLEASE respond after you finish reading the report because if Robb and Elissa see what a great good will ambassador I am to Theme Park Review, it will help me get a bigger raise at the end of the year and a better chance of being renewed for 2010! There was also another special award to be given out too! Craig was extremely cool enough not only to let me make fun of him in this report, but also picked me up and dropped me off at the airport, drove me around the whole weekend, let me sleep over his house, cooked me breakfast, and let me borrow his son Casey for a few credits that you will see in the upcoming trip reports! Craig also saw a lot of the Mikestery hiding spots, so in order to keep the game on the up and up and to thank him for everything he did for Big Mike that long weekend, Craig was also awarded an Official Mikestery Treasure Hunt Card so that he also has a chance at The Big Mike Reader of the Year Grand Prize of a Free One Week Condo Stay!!! Anyone else interested in a free one week condo, it is not too late to check out page #1 for the rules on how to win! There is a "special" award to present today also! Back in 2008 on a Big Mike Road Show Mall of America visit in Minnesota, Big Mike hid a dollar bill under the "C" in the Mall of America sign and asked the Valuable Big Mike Readers to go find it. I did not know if anyone would be interested in playing, but Jo was the one who went and found it and can take credit for being the person who gave me the idea for getting The Mikestery Treasure Hunt Game off the ground in 2009! For that, and for also being a Big Mike Road Show "Show Stopper", AND for being an awesome friend.... Jo was awarded her very own and Official Mikestery Treasure Hunt Card and will be added to the standings which everyone can find on page #1 of this thread! Picking someone to check off the shirt for today was too tough for Big Mike to decide, so I left it up to a group vote and... Griffin checks off Illinois on The Official Big Mike Road Show 2009 T-Shirt! Cameron was with us at our previous stop at Indiana Beach, so Cameron checks off Indiana on The Official Big Mike Road Show 2009 T-Shirt! The best view to see from up here though was the "Have a Great Day" sign! This was a perfect motto for our group that day! Before we say our goodbyes, we still have some business to take care of though.... It was also a good chance to get to see the water park and go cart track. We also rode the Sky Trek Tower because Big Mike had to go hide a Mikestery Treasure Hunt Card up there completely undetected by the whole group! This will also be the last of the ride pictures for this report since I am running out of room and just noticed that I now have to upload all my own ride pics to the TPR Park Index! Ugh, more work! ... but good for others! Craig is all smiles while you can just see Cameron saying "What was I thinking?" It's bad for some.... A lot of force squashes you into the person. Patrick! Griffin and his Dad. Well look who got paired up once again! Maybe it will be a molestion free ride? Big Mike and Jo sat out the spinny ride Fiddler's Fling! I lined all the suspects up and tried to figure out which one looked guilty! It was time to go check out the rest of the park and find some other rides and it seemed like we were playing follow the leader around the park.... until.... someone pinched Big Mike in the butt!!! ... and this is a shot of Demon. We didn't get to ride two coasters. This is an overview of Whizzer..... Big Mike and Jo!!! Six Flags Chicago or the TPR China trip? I don't care how much fun everyone makes of The Official Gold Big Mike Road Show T-Shirt, admit it, you spotted me in no more than a tenth of a second!!! Father/Son bonding time, nice! Overview. Viper! Yep! I knew it! I think this may be the first ever 5 thumbs up across picture in Big Mike Road Show history! Big Mike actually had a chance to pry Cameron away from Craig for a ride, but this means Craig must be up to no good again! Tunnel. Big Mike's favorite restraints! Drop. Overview. Raging Bull! (Big Mike's Favorite) Bonus Pic #3 - By this time of the day, the whole group felt like one big family. Iron Wolf! Cameron seems to be baffled trying to figure out what animal this is? Finally, a picture of Craig and Cameron apart! Wonder where Cameron is? Lift. Spacely's Sprocket Rockets! Bonus pic #2! Patrick and Griffin! Patrick actually made it to the Finals of the 2008 Big Mike Road Show Find the Ducky Championships last year! Patrick is also a Big Mike Road Show "Show Stopper"! Big Mike likes Patrick and hopes to see him soon again! A HA! Poor Cameron is locked in and defenseless to Craig's sexual advances! Double seat belts! I wonder why? Who could benefit from this? Train. Overview. Going artsy for the index. Vertical Velocity! Overview. There are SO many Batman the Ride signs all over, I thought that we could skip the TPR Park Index shot this time for a nice group picture! Big Mike is going to throw in a few bonus pictures in this episode!! Bonus Pic #1 - Griffin! Griffin is 13 years old, going on 14 next month. Griffin fit right in with all of us, held an in depth conversation, and for sure knew more coaster info than Big Mike did! Big Mike thought Griffin was very cool and would hang out with Griffin any chance he gets! Overview. Now that Big Mike is complete, time to hit some other coasters! Superman - Ultimate Flight! Lift. American Eagle! Credit #782 for Big Mike! I know, this is two credits for two tracks, but I had ridden it before I started counting and was not sure which side I rode, so I only counted it as one until I could ride both sides again! Big Mike wants his coaster count to be official! Not a couple! Hmmm, Craig and Cameron together again. A single rider line just in case you were not with a huge group of friends like I was!! Overview. Since I try to help the TPR Park Index as much as I can, a different ride sign. Ragin Cajun! Credit #781 for Big Mike! Finishing The Dark Knight, Matt and Abra look happy, yet Craig looks like he just got caught doing something! Well he was in the back seat in the dark with Cameron, and there was some flirtatious advances documented between the two in a previous trip report here, so I will keep an eye on them from here on out! Credit #780 for Big Mike! That is everybody, so now it is time to go get the 3 credits that Big Mike still needed! Dark Knight! Another Valuable Big Mike Reader found us too! We also ran into Nolan who spotted us as we strolled the park. Matt's wife Abra, who you have to give props to for also enjoying theme parks with Matt! Griffin's Dad, who I admire for letting his son have so much fun! Patrick's friends, who when I asked both quickly said they were not a couple but were like this all day long! Craig (IggyACE) Cameron (Cameron) Matt (mcjaco) Patrick (traincrossin) Jo (Jojo19799) The special guests stars of this report and my good friends: Griffin (B&Man) The prices. Six Flags Great America in Gurnee Illinois!
GriffyTiffy Posted November 18, 2009 Posted November 18, 2009 Big Mike, I have to thank you for that great day, and thank everyone else for making it great too! I hope to see you again soon! And yes, this was the first time meeting someone from TPR!
traincrossin Posted November 18, 2009 Posted November 18, 2009 I have been looking forward to this trip report ever since our awesome meet up. What a perfect way to cure the off-season blues by looking back at some truly great memories of one of my favorite trips to Great America this year! I had so much fun meeting you Big Mike along with everyone else. It is because of you that I was able to meet so many new friends from TPR for the first time ever! I had a wonderful day and have had other fantastic trips with all of my new friends. Thanks again for all of the hard work you put into the one and only Big Mike Road Show! By the way, you were VERY sneaky when hiding that treasure hunt card!
IggyACE Posted November 18, 2009 Posted November 18, 2009 Wow Mike, that was well worth the wait!!!!! Great trip report! (not cause I'm in it!) Craig P.S. Poor Cameron!
GriffyTiffy Posted November 18, 2009 Posted November 18, 2009 ^^ We were even in the picture of him hiding it!
nay Posted November 18, 2009 Posted November 18, 2009 Great update! I got to hang out with most of that group when I visited SFGAm over the summer and agree that they're awesome. This does lead me to a very important and curious question though..... I am wondering how many people actually did make The Big Mike Road Show the first opportunity to meet someone from Theme Park Review??? I know on GAdv opening day this year, you had many Big Mike fans come up to you to say hi!
STR8FXXXINEDGE Posted November 18, 2009 Posted November 18, 2009 What a great update! Looks like everyone had a blast. I really wish that I could have made it over there for that visit. Big Mike, you were the first and only person that I have met from TPR. This will soon change when I go on the 2010 Europe trip, which I was bummed about when you told me that you wouldn't be attending it.
Jojo19799 Posted November 18, 2009 Posted November 18, 2009 That day was the first time I met other TPR members. Since then, I've gone to the park several times with the same group, met Renee and Melanie as well, met up with the West Coast Trip at Disneyland, did the Vegas add on and I'm going on the IntimidaTour in August. I'm sure next year will include going to the park with the same group, more of Craig's advances towards Cameron, me not taking pictures when I'm supposed to (because I'm not focused), Griffin "Griffining", me trying to scare random children and who knows what else. I couldn't ask for a better group of awesome friends.
stingrock23 Posted November 18, 2009 Posted November 18, 2009 Loved the report. I really liked the place when I was there in 2007. It was a great park that I was glad I visited. As much as I hate the Bears, I love the Cubs. (I know that doesn't have anything to do with this thread, but I guess it's because there are a lot of Cub fans in New Orleans, but we hate the Bears since we're Saints fans). Although not sure why I even mentioned that. (New Orleans-themed land in a Chicago park?) Maybe this post was meant for the drunk thread. Whoopsie. Still loved the park when I was there on the trip in 2007. The TPR Tattoo was started there. taken outside of V2
mcjaco Posted November 18, 2009 Posted November 18, 2009 A fabulous way to start my day. Good times. Good times. Abra still yells at me for making her get on Raging Bull.
Jojo19799 Posted November 18, 2009 Posted November 18, 2009 ^Abra and I are the smart ones of the group.
dandaman Posted November 18, 2009 Posted November 18, 2009 Cameron seems to be baffled trying to figure out what animal this is? LMAO! From my July TR: None of us could figure out why this possible horse had three ears. Or horns. Or maybe a tumour. Awesome times to be had. Wish I coulda been there! Dan "Maybe next year for an Indiana Beach run before I head back to Florida?!" Smith
Brandy524 Posted November 18, 2009 Posted November 18, 2009 Looks like a great time was had by all! I haven't met any TPR people as of yet, but I hope the Big Mike Road Show will be my first time to meet anyone! Maybe next year the road show will make a stop down south.
Big Mike Posted November 19, 2009 Author Posted November 19, 2009 Hey Big Mike, any idea on when the next Find the Ducky round will be? Also this is my 150th post and it's on the Big Mike Road Show. Hi Shawn!!! Thanks for the milestone post The next Find the Ducky game is right around the corner in the Dorney Park update with The Bebes!!! There may be a few tiny updates before it at some kiddie coaster places though. Peace, Big Mike
kumba830 Posted November 19, 2009 Posted November 19, 2009 Dan "Maybe next year for an Indiana Beach run before I head back to Florida?!" Smith Yes please! I was so mad when I figured out that I couldn't go SFGAm when you visited, and I figured out the night before. Which was a big bummer! Eh...Lets hope I get another chance to meet you soon Big Mike.
traincrossin Posted November 19, 2009 Posted November 19, 2009 ^Well Big Mike only rode one side of American Eagle because the other side was closed and he didn't remember which one he rode last time, so he'll HAVE to come back to make his coaster count official!
Jon34MA Posted November 19, 2009 Posted November 19, 2009 Big Mike and Fans. I have located and secured the Big Mike Road Show Mystery Card from Seaworld Orlando. As soon as I get a few mins sometime before next weekend I will post a picture. Big Mike your Awesome. Now I just need to find me some hidden ducks and get a picture with you and frame to hang on my wall with other celebrities and theme park memorabilia.
Mataceman Posted November 20, 2009 Posted November 20, 2009 Another great TR Big Mike, they are always worth the wait
Big Mike Posted November 22, 2009 Author Posted November 22, 2009 Hello Friends!!! Its time once again to play the fun and exciting game: WHICH FAMOUS PERSON DID BIG MIKE HANG OUT WITH THIS WEEKEND??? Defending Champion - Printersdevil78 Prize - 1st person to answer correctly gets a Valuable Big Mike Reader Pin, an unofficial Mikestery Treasure Hunt Card, and is automatically put on The Big Mike Road Show Holiday Card List!!! Start your guessing NOW with no clues, 1 guess per person, every time a clue is revealed you can guess again!! Good luck! Peace, Big Mike
Homeboy23 Posted November 22, 2009 Posted November 22, 2009 I guess it would have to be a famous woman.
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