carolinacaniac Posted May 2, 2010 Author Share Posted May 2, 2010 Hey everyone, As I was surfing the internet today, I saw a deal for a rental car that I couldn't pass up on, as it would cover the same amount of time as I had planned for the weekend before to cover the parks listed, but would save around 50 dollars! So I have updated the schedule as shown here, and on the front page! - June 15th: Arrive in Seattle, time with the family - June 16th: OPEN - June 17th: OPEN - June 18th: OPEN - June 19th: Kitsap Destruction Derby at Thunderbird Stadium, Bremerton, WA - June 20th: OPEN - June 21st: Wild Waves Theme Park - June 22nd: Mariners Game vs. the Chicago Cubs at Safeco Field - June 23rd: Enchanted Forest and Oaks Amusement Park - June 24th: Pick-up the rental, Drive to Spokane - June 25th: Silverwood, Riverfront Park - June 26th: Playland (First International Park and Credits!!!!) - June 27th: Remlinger Farms, drop off the rental - June 28th: Back to North Carolina I am really looking forward to it as it is now about 46 days away!! -Gary T Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carolinacaniac Posted May 5, 2010 Author Share Posted May 5, 2010 Update time!!!!! This is for another side adventure that I took a couple weekends ago before my last visit to Carowinds, as the North Carolina State Science Olympiad Competition took place in Raleigh on April 24th at the North Carolina State University Campus. I went as a chaperone for the night before with my mom's team from E.B. Aycock Middle School, and the day of the competition I split time between them and my school's team as they made it to state's too. At one point in the middle of the day, my school's baseball coach/fellow 7th grade teacher, Randy, told me about a softball game between N.C. State and Maryland that he was going to check out, and invited me to tag along with him. So we checked out the game at Dail Stadium, which was a really cool stadium that is kind of like an ampetheater as it is built into the hill to one side, and a road runs along it. I also took a few pictures of Reynolds Coliseum, which, for those who follow college basketball, is the current home N.C. State's women's basketball team, and former home of the men's team (who now play at the RBC Center). This is the same building that saw one of the best known coaches, Jim Valvano (a.k.a. Jimmy V) lead the team that would eventually win the 1983 NC State team (Not that they won it at the place, but it was where they had their home games). So another little side adventure to share with you all. Hope you enjoy it! -Gary T The night before the competition, we got to stay here.....a nice joint if I may say! On par with what you could expect for a TPR Trip hotel! A nice room to stay at for those competing the next morning.....or those who taught that afternoon! Even a couch to chillax on And here we have the E.B. Aycock team, the one my mom was the coach of, getting ready for the big day at NC State Pretty cool that the parents showed support for their kids in the competition this way, like many student athlete parents do About halfway through the day, Mr. Stuckey and I went ahead and had an A.G. Cox teacher mini trip to see the NC State/Maryland fastpitch game. The stadium was pretty neat The stadium shows who this place belongs to A look from beside the press box A look from one side, the side that is built into the hill While the concession stand looks like it is from the 70's or 80's, much of the campus looks like it too. A better view of the stands The scoreboard of Dail Stadium......this game didn't have a lot of scoring involved And one last look at the field So by this time, everyone is heading to Reynolds Coliseum as it was where the awards ceremony was being held. State's campus has a couple of these tunnels around, one of which permits students to place grafitti on it. Didn't grab a picture this time though Just outside of Reynolds Home of the Wolfpack Women's Basketball and Volleyball Inside of one of the lower level doors, you can find the offices of the women's team On one side of the curtain they had is the volleyball court. for basketball games, this would be covered with portable seats, and the curtain would be up On the other side was where the ceremony was being held For the 35 North Carolina Science Olypiad State Competition. Another view of the crowd Here we have my mom's team from E.B. Aycock.... ...and a candid family photo of me and mom! (She didn't even know I took it until I showed her about a half hour or so later) Deciding it would be neat to check out the upper deck until things got started, I found that they have a running track on the upper concourse for track runners and athletes on rainy days. A sideview of the Coliseum An end view.....I was surprised by how long the coliseum was from one end to the other. Makes for some funky sightlines when you sit in the corners Especially if you have this seat......I kid you not, I was sitting in a seat of the upper deck, and this is what I saw! Good old obstructed view seats!! Another view of the volleyball court that is behind the curtain And in the navy blue shirts with the faces looking at the camera, that would be the kids from A.G. Cox!! (They did us proud as one pair got a sixth place medal, and a group of four got a fourth place medal......both a first for A.G. Cox) A full view of all the teams as the ceremony was about to start They also have a tribute to Kay Yow, one of the winningest coaches in women's basketball, who passed away last year to cancer. They had a nice tribute for her at a Hurricanes game I went to last year shortly after she passed Gotta love old school scoreboards!!!! Now, this looks like it could be a display case for all things that our good pal Big Mike has won in his lifetime......... ....but I have a hunch it looks more like this! And that does it for this update from my little sidetrip to the NC Science Olympiad Competition. I hope you all enjoyed, and I look forward to making more updates soon! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgwfreak777 Posted May 7, 2010 Share Posted May 7, 2010 Nice report Gary. I can't recall the last time I saw the inside of Reynolds. I love old stadiums and stuff like that too. Totally random trivia: at the time it was built, Charlotte's Bojangles Coliseum (then Charlotte Coliseum) was the 2nd biggest dome in the World. It's still in use today, with it's old wooden folding stadium seats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carolinacaniac Posted May 11, 2010 Author Share Posted May 11, 2010 ^ That is neat to know, I actually passed by it when I went to Carowinds the day after as I took a quick driving tour around 277, and accidently took the exit for the highway that goes towards the Bojangles Coliseum. So I have another random update from life for everyone, this being from May 1st as one of my fellow beginning-teachers, Kim, had gotten married that afternoon, and I was invited along with many others to attend the reception that took place at the Greenville Hilton in one of the ballrooms. Not as many pictures as other updates, but another small update of things that I have done thus far in 2010! Hope you all enjoy! -Gary T. That's right! Gary is trying to look slick for the occasion! Here we are at the Carolina Ballroom at the Greenville Hilton for the reception! As you can see, they had a very nice set up! They even had live guitar players that played very well. I really enjoyed their version of "Crash Into Me" And here we have the happy couple during their first dance! Certainly would like to wish Don and Kim the best! And at this table we have mostly fellow teachers of A.G. Cox, whom I sat with for the meal Here we have some of the lady teachers of A.G. Cox Middle School, including the lovely bride! And one last picture of the two coolest beginning teachers of Pitt County! Hope you all enjoyed the update! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carolinacaniac Posted May 19, 2010 Author Share Posted May 19, 2010 Hey everyone, A week ago from this past Sunday, I spent a day with my younger sister, Alysa, at Busch Gardens as the next weekend (this past saturday) she left North Carolina to head to Southern California for a summer internship. The day was a great day, even if there was not as much riding as other times, about two laps on each of the four big coasters, as well as a spin on DarKastle and we also checked out Europe in Air, which was a pretty fun replacement for Corkscrew Hill, although I would have rather they kept it. The way they rethemed it seemed a bit.........minimal? Not really sure how to put it, but the line itself I think would have been better themed as a security line We also got to see the new Celtic Fyre show, and while not as good as Emerald Beat, it still proved to be a good show. Also caught the last part of a Ramp Jam session, this time was featuring Bucky Lasek. Cool event that certainly drew a crowd. Overall, I really enjoyed the chance to hang out with my little sis, and hope that she is enjoying SoCal so far. But I am sure you would all rather just see the pictures from the day, so alas....here they are! -Gary T. On the way there, you can definatly see some interesting things........ Like a miniture circus! There was another van behind it with a similar sign, so I guess it was a fairly small operation While I would like to say we were both estatic about going to Busch Gardens, I am not exactly sure what the hell I was looking at Apparently I can pull off the state trooper look! A nice decoration that they had for Mother's Day on the fountain The next few pictures will show some of the changes made to Corkscrew Hill making it Europe in Air So this is supposed to be an airport now? Can't say I have seen one like this. Ooooooh!!!!! It's obviously an Airport Now! Since they swapped torches for triangular lights!! Well, since this is an airport now, I might as well get ready for security They changed some of the signage inside And for what it is worth, I thought it was a pretty cool video More signage Just incase you forgot what we were seeing here The screen after the video that tells you about the adventure you are about to go on Yeay! Time to fly through Europe in a couple minutes! With her aviator sunglasses on, Alysa could easily pull off being on the crew!sses, she is a part of the crew!! One thing that is neat about the new sheep exhibit is that you can see them hearding through the walkways. Little one gets left behind. A great thing for the day would be the lack of lines in the morning, although they did grow thanks to two train op on most every coaster Such a photogenic coaster......I don't think many people can disagree! Although the skyride would help to get some new angles I had not yet gotten of rides here SKLOOOSH!!!! (From the skyride) A view of Alpengeist I had not taken before the carosuel "Hope you enjoyed the skyride pictures.....now time for some good old shenanigans!" A proper lady rides side-saddle......so why am I doing so............? Is this a proper riding technique as well? So the people who work here are all fudge packers? "In Soviet Russia......Pikachu Chooses You!!!!!!" So I had a chance to gander over at the Ramp Jam for a bit Bucky Lasek was the featured skater of the day As you can see, they had a good crowd The things that they can do on a ramp......... Is much better than anything I could do on one! These guys were like Wendy's......serving up a triple stack!! While I understand that there is such a thing as progress in the world, it does make me sad when it happens to awesome rides. Nothing makes me feel more like a man than carrying a sheep!! Although this little guy is just too cute! Too cute for just one picture! One of the neater touches to Ireland I feel is the live performers on the outside. Not very often that you can have a LIVE OWL on your arm! I thought it was pretty cool! So I have this amazing ability to pick good seats......especially for Pet Shenanigans! How! And we wrap up this update of Gary's 2010 Adventures with my sister, who I hope is still doing well in California! Hope you all enjoyed the update! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgwfreak777 Posted May 19, 2010 Share Posted May 19, 2010 I love the pic with Pigwidgen (sp?) sitting on your arm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carolinacaniac Posted May 31, 2010 Author Share Posted May 31, 2010 Hey Everyone, As the summer gets closer, and the time for my trip to the Pacific Northwest comes near, I had a chance to look back at my adventures so far, and decided to look at some of the highlights so far! thus I present........ Highlights of Gary's 2010 Adventures! The highlights so far include...... ...Multiple visits to Busch Gardens Williamsburg.... ...Opening Day At Carowinds for the opening of Intimidator... ...A new personal consecutive rides record of 24 on Afterburn... ...First-time visit to Hersheypark with my brother Kellen... ...which included being lured into a secluded room with the promise of candy... ...Kings Dominon and rediculous airtime courtesy of Intimidator 305!... ...Side trips to the likes of Willmington and Raleigh, North Carolina... ...and Various Sports Venues... It has been a great year so far, and I look forward to what may soon come! Hope you all have enjoyed so far! -Gary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carolinacaniac Posted June 12, 2010 Author Share Posted June 12, 2010 June 12th 2010 - Hey everyone, the Pacific Northwest Tour is comming up soon, and I just wanted to update everyone on the schedule one last time before I fly out Tuesday. I am looking forward to what I think will be an awesome time, and if anyone in the area wants to hang out, let me know! I would love to meet some Northwestern members of TPR while in the west! Updated plans are down below! - June 15th: Arrive in Seattle, time with the family - June 16th: OPEN - June 17th: Wild Waves Theme Park - June 18th: Enchanted Forest and Oaks Amusement Park - June 19th: Kitsap Destruction Derby at Thunderbird Stadium, Bremerton, WA - June 20th: OPEN - June 21st: OPEN - June 22nd: Mariners Game vs. the Chicago Cubs at Safeco Field - June 23rd: OPEN - June 24th: Remlinger Farms - June 25th: Silverwood, Riverfront Park - June 26th: Playland (First International Park and Credits!!!!) - June 27th: Time with Family - June 28th: Back to North Carolina Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larrygator Posted June 12, 2010 Share Posted June 12, 2010 I look forward to pictures from the Destruction Derby and the sign for the Ice Mountain Bobsleds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carolinacaniac Posted June 13, 2010 Author Share Posted June 13, 2010 The Kitsap Destruction Derby Association has never disappointed me in the times that I have attended their events. What I enjoy about it is that it is more than just the run-of-the-mill crash'em demolition derby. They start off with races, which include regular left-turn racing and figure-8, the roll over contest, a specialty event and then the finale of the traditional demolotion derby. Definately looking forward to this trip! -Gary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carolinacaniac Posted June 16, 2010 Author Share Posted June 16, 2010 Hey Everyone, I have safely arrived in Seattle, and am now at my dad's house in Bremerton. Yesterday's flight was a bit chaotic with planes leaking fuel and an extended travel time of about 6 hours! I am working on putting an update together of the travel to get here, and will have it up a little bit later. Also, I had looked back over some information, and found that some of the parks were not open when I originally thought, and some other transportation options became available, so I have updated my schedule down below... - June 15th: Arrive in Seattle - June 16th: OPEN - June 17th: OPEN - June 18th: Silverwood, Riverfront Park - June 19th: Kitsap Destruction Derby at Thunderbird Stadium, Bremerton, WA - June 20th or June 21st: Wild Waves Theme Park - June 22nd: Remlinger Farms, Mariners Game vs. the Chicago Cubs at Safeco Field - June 23rd: OPEN - June 24th: OPEN - June 25th: Enchanted Forest and Oaks Amusement Park - June 26th: Playland (First International Park and Credits!!!!) - June 27th: Time with Family - June 28th: Back to North Carolina Looking forward to what I feel will be a great trip, and am looking forward to bringing updates to you all as it goes along! -Gary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larrygator Posted June 16, 2010 Share Posted June 16, 2010 Enjoy the incredibly boring drive from Seattle to Silverwood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carolinacaniac Posted June 16, 2010 Author Share Posted June 16, 2010 ^Will do Larry UPDATE TIME!!!!! This is going to be a unique update to the "Gary's 2010 Adventures" thread as I have started to use a video camera for some filming, and I am going to try my hand at doing some video updates for my Pacific Northwest Tour as well as the normal pictures that I have normally provided. The video is a little choppy at first, but I hope I did okay with my use of Windows Movie Maker. In this update, you will see what happens when I go from Greenville to Raleigh-Durham airport, and what happend that caused delays in my travels. I also have included pictures from my time while at my alternate connection stop of Newark, NJ. Originally I was supposed to connect in Cleveland, but something happend to keep it from happening. What happend you ask? Check out the video to find out! [coastertube]http://www.themeparkreview.com/coastertube/play.php?vid=Pacific_Northwest_Tour_Update_1_mwti[/coastertube] And now, pictures from Newark-Liberty Airport While I may be stuck in NJ for four hours, I managed to entertain myself as you may have seen in the video update, but there were other things I did. The Newark Airport gives a pretty good view of NYC's skyline! Temporary sign for being in New Jersey (until I actually visit a little later in the summer) Decided to take some time for a meal at the Garden State Diner Betty Boop holds the menu for those who may be interested in dining Inside the diner Ummmmm, chocolate shake! A philly steak sandwhich on chibatta bread. Not too bad, but a bit too greasy Lord I hope this one's fuel doesn't leak! Main reason why they call Washington the Evergreen State And a temporary fill in for being in Washington. That's all for this update of the Northwest Tour, hope you all enjoyed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrguy606 Posted June 17, 2010 Share Posted June 17, 2010 Good stuff, buuuuddy. Looking forward to our own adventure in a few weeks. If its as interesting as you're making this trip seem, then it will be a blast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carolinacaniac Posted June 18, 2010 Author Share Posted June 18, 2010 ^That it shall be! Update Number 2!!!!!! Yesterday, June 16th I had a chance to head over to Seattle for the afternoon/evening as part of the plan to pick up my niece Isabella from Seattle since my sister Katie had moved over with her to Bothell (a northern suburb) back in December. The reason for picking Iz up is because my dad and I will be taking her and Kris (my nephew) to Wild Waves later today (Friday). Now a bit about today's video. I features the ferry trip over to Seattle, me finding different things to see and do in Seattle, reuniting with a love of mine, seeing what the present state of Fun Forest is, and taking a ride on the Seattle Monorail, along with meeting up with Katie, Iz and Bob (who you will all get to know a bit better later on). Hope you all enjoy update number 2 of the Pacific Northwest Tour! -Gary [coastertube]http://www.themeparkreview.com/coastertube/play.php?vid=Pacific_Northwest_Tour_Update_2_gy6w[/coastertube] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larrygator Posted June 18, 2010 Share Posted June 18, 2010 Gary - Great video Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carolinacaniac Posted June 19, 2010 Author Share Posted June 19, 2010 ^Thanks Larry!Hope you enjoy the next update as well Update 3!! Yesterday was the first park visited of the Pacific Northwest Tour......Wild Waves! The weather was a little bit gloomy at first and the temps were not really high enough for comfort to do the waterpark side, but I still feel that this update covers quite a bit of what is at Wild Waves. Before you check out the video, a few comments about the park. 1) FIX THE GOLD RUSHER!!!!! That stinkin' thing has been down since 2007 it seems, as I have not seen any indication that it is going to be fixed. What could have been the first new credit of the trip ended up being a miss......but alas, it happens. 2) Timberhawk is underrated in my opinion! Timberhawk was running AWESOME yesterday. It provided a great ride with some good airtime in the front row and the back row, and ran fairly smoothly. They seem to do a great job of maintaining this coaster, and it shows! Now it is time for Update 3, Hope you all enjoy!! -Gary [coastertube]http://www.themeparkreview.com/coastertube/play.php?vid=Pacific_Northwest_Tour_Update_3_7e50[/coastertube] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cal1br3tto Posted June 19, 2010 Share Posted June 19, 2010 (edited) It sounds like Klondike Gold Rusher has always been finicky. Got it on my second trip in September last year. Don't worry, you didn't miss much IMO. Some like it, I didn't. There are way better mice. I thought the airtime was decent on Timberhawk. It is slightly underrated, but I don't think it's great. It is a good fit for the park. WARNING: The Dragon powered coaster at Riverfront Park is probably closed! It is still a decent park, though. Edited June 20, 2010 by cal1br3tto Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larrygator Posted June 20, 2010 Share Posted June 20, 2010 I guess I got lucky the Gold Rusher was operating on my visit last year, although I missed the powered kiddie and both Wild Waves and in Spokane. Timberhawk was pretty smooth last year, but I only recall one decent pop of air. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the ghost Posted June 20, 2010 Share Posted June 20, 2010 A lot of time I dont like video updates, but so far these have been very nice and features a lot of the park and your views, which I prefer to music videos. Nice work, I'm looking forward to see more! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik Johnson Posted June 20, 2010 Share Posted June 20, 2010 I can not remember if I mentioned it yet, but this thread is awesome. Keep it up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carolinacaniac Posted June 22, 2010 Author Share Posted June 22, 2010 ^Thank you Erik! Alyways appreciate a compliment! ^^Thanks ghost, you happen to be in luck, because I have more for you below! UPDATE 4 This video took a lot of patience to do, because I had a lot of trouble with Movie Maker, and ended up defraging my computer, deleting a lot of junk files, but alas I managed to get it done! This is from my night on Saturday at the Kitsap Destruction Derby Association event in Silverdale, WA at Thunderbird Stadium. It has been a tradition in the West Pudget Sound area for a good few years, and they happend to have a show while I was in the area, so I couldn't pass it up! This video has a few highlights of the event, so I hope you all enjoy! -Gary p.s. I have already made my visit to the Oregon Parks, but have not yet gotten to even starting work on that video, and may not get to it tomorrow as I am spending the day with my older sister's boyfriend, and we will be going to the Mariners game against the Cubs. The next few days will be a bit busy, so I apologize ahead of time for the delay, but I will certainly do what I can to keep them comming! Thanks for checking out my thread so far! Here is update 4 of the Pacific Northwest Tour! [coastertube]http://www.themeparkreview.com/coastertube/play.php?vid=Pacific_Northwest_Tour_Update_4_ahcq[/coastertube] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larrygator Posted June 22, 2010 Share Posted June 22, 2010 That was all kinds of awesome. Was the game of "soccer" with the abandoned car a regular event at KDDA or did they throw it in this year due it being a World Cup year? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carolinacaniac Posted June 22, 2010 Author Share Posted June 22, 2010 The way they do these events is that there are a few portions that they always have: Heat Races (lots of left turns), Figure-8 Races, The rollover competition, and the finale which you see at all demolition derbys. Each show (which is about once a month) also has a featured event, which in this case was Demolition Derby Football (if you look at the car they actually paint the stitches on top like one and paint it brown). Other specialty events that they may have include a pole race (where they have to circle a pole each lap), the tow race (where you have a car towing another car, or sometimes a trailer of some kind). Football has always been my favorite though. The difference with this time as opposed to other times I have seen it is that they did it with the smaller cars rather than the big cars. Many times when the big cars are involved, there are these guys from Canada who come down, and so they have Canada vs. USA (Canada would usually kick some tail too). It is always a lot of fun though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carolinacaniac Posted July 3, 2010 Author Share Posted July 3, 2010 July 3rd- It has been a while since I have updated everyone on my trip in the Pacific Northwest, and for the I apologize. I have had a video in the making for update 5 which was the two Oregon parks, but Movie Maker has been very problematic for me since I worked on update 4, so that has been a hold up for me. Also, I had to change plans at the last minute due to issues that came up with getting a rental car so I was unable to get to Silverwood and Playland. While I was disappointed that I couldn't get to these two parks, it was still a very enjoyable trip, and the opportunity to go will come again! Now, on a happier note, I have also finalized some plans within the next week to take a trip to hit many East Coast parks with a friend, Phillip, who is also a member of this site. The itnerary is listed below. My brother Kellen will also be along for the days at Six Flags Great Adventure and Hersheypark. Let me know if you would like to meet up at all! July 8th: Kings Dominion July 9th: Six Flags America July 10th: Six Flags Great Adventure July 11th: Hersheypark July 12th: Busch Gardens Williamsburg July 13th: Carowinds I am also in the midst of making plans for what will most likely be my last big trip of the summer before it is time to go back to work at the school, where I am going up to see some friends in the Ohio/Michigan area. While there, I am heading to Cedar Point and Kings Island (along with Zach, a.k.a. pkiJZman), and possibly Camden Park for a short visit. Thanks again to all of you who have checked it out so far, hope to have the last update good to go soon! Gary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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