Hello again. So, I have been thinking about what's next?
Well... I liked being the roller coaster road tripper this summer. It was a great 8 days... as you already know from reading my blog. It was the time I needed this summer. I really did felt like taking a road trip this summer... on my own... with time to reflect on life. Some warned I would be too lonely on a 2300 mile road trip... but I didn't feel lonely. I was all pumped with adrenaline... had to have been... otherwise there was no way I could have managed to function on little sleep with long days and long drives. I had many of you on the trip with me... I could count on you to keep tabs on me via this blog or on Facebook... and that helped a lot. Your words in comment along the way were precious. I also had a handful of you that I could call during the longer and late night drives... nothing like good a conversation with a friend to help the miles go by. Too bad my favorite friend to talk with (as we could argue about anything and everything for hours) was away in Iraq this summer... but I managed.
Back to my original question. What's next? Well... for now... I might take the occasional trip up to LA to visit Knott's or Magic Mountain... but I had a different idea the other day... what if I take this road trip abroad? Hmmm...
There are some other coasters here in the US that I would like to ride... I am even thinking of heading out to Cedar Point and Six Flags Great Adventure again... and even Busch Gardens... since those parks were so amazing. But... some of the top coasters reside in Europe and Asia... so... maybe... just maybe... next summer I plan an extended trip to Europe to visit the handful of park there. There are parks in Austria, Denmark, Spain, Germany, and Italy... that could make for a fun trip... and maybe... just maybe I will leave time to visit historical landmarks and be a tourist while I am at it.
And then there is Japan and South Korea... both have some cool parks and record breaking rides.
Anyone wanna come along?
So... for now... I will be signing off... I will post to Facebook if and when I update this blog again.
Thank you all again. I hope you enjoyed the ride.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Top Ten Continued
Okay all... sorry for the delay in getting this done. Other aspects of my life have been taking priority. But, I have committed to get this done... so here is the top 5. I hope you enjoy...
5. El Toro - Six Flags Great Adventure, NJ - This ride is touted as the best wooden roller coaster in the United States... and I would have to agree. This was an amazing coaster... it was fast, gave a lot of air time on the hills(9 times in total), crazy switchbacks, and has an amazing 75 degree first drop... which was unprecedented for a wooden coaster (record breaking in fact). I managed to hit this ride 3 times in a row... once in front and 2 times in the back... and I could have rode this all day long if I wasn't at the park with a friend... and all he wanted to ride was the Big Red Car (photos will be posted later).
And here a first person point of view that someone recorded and posted to You Tube:
4. Maverick - Cedar Point - This ride brings us to Cedar Point, home of 3 of the top 4 coasters on my trip. There is a lot to be said for this part as a whole, but let me focus on this ride. The one was very unique as it is driven my electro-magnets called Linear Induction Motors... this made the trip to the top of the 105' first hill happen in like 3 seconds. And... when at the top of this hill, you get dropped back down at 95 degree angle... which is pretty amazing when sitting in the front car and you cannot see the track ahead of you. There were just thrills at every turn on this ride. They even stop you in a tunnel about 1/2 way through... just to accelerate you through the tunnel using these LIMs again... it was cool the first I rode. This ride has won many honors and awards... it was expensive to build... and made well worth the wait to ride this. I managed to get on it 2 times in 2 days... and had to battle the rain to get on. On my second day, I waited just under 2 hours for this ride because of the rain... but I wasn't going to miss not riding it again.
So, in case you wanted to learn more about this ride, here is a wikipedia for this ride. You will learn a lot and understand why this ride is so amazing.
Here is a digital virtual ride video... explains all the ride features and gives you a virtual POV... pretty neat but a little long:
And, here is a POV video produced my Cedar Point:
And, a reverse POV "Point-Cast" from Cedar Point... they went all out.
3. Millenium Force - Cedar Point - This ride was the #1 coaster in the world for a long time. It was the tallest and fastest... and it was amazing to ride... 3 times in total on my trip. It features a 310', 80 degree, 92 mph first drop. In fact, when this ride opened, it broke 12 world records. Impressive! They built the lift mechanism using some new and lighter system so that they could make the first drop 310' tall... other wise it would have been too heavy. Check out the details here. Well over 15 million people have ridden this monster since it opened in 2000. This ride has all the classic elements of a steel coaster except they made them taller, faster and more thrilling. It is the #2 coaster on coasterfanatics.com, even after all these years.
There are some great POV and animations on the official website, so just check those out.
2. Griffon - Busch Gardens Williamsburg - This ride trumped Millenium Force for the #2 slot. At first, I wasn't planning to visit BGW but I am glad I did. This ride blew me away. My first ride on this was on the 2nd row... and after that I had to hop back on for another trip in the 1st row. This ride was just exhilarating! This ride is amazing because it was designed to give you chills and thrills. It is also the most unique ride of my trip. 1 car, 3 rows of 10 people... it's a behemoth of a coaster. The best element of this ride is the first drop... they intentionally hang you off the first drop before releasing you down the first drop. That is why they call this ride a "drop coaster". While hanging there, all your weight is on the harness that is holding you in your seat... a very nice feeling... very exhilarating ride... unique... and after riding it 6 times. Definitely a favorite.
Here are some videos...
This is a great one... professionally done... with a good play by play.
This video is funny. The screams are precious.
And... this video is a little more of an emotional reflection on what makes this ride so amazing. I mean... you might understand why some people have an emotional connection with these thrill rides.
The other thing that impressed me about this ride was how professionally run it was. They kept the ride moving at a fast pace, engaged the riders in conversation as they loaded the ride and did their safety checks. And, at the end of the night... the lead ride attendant thanked his fellow employees for a job well done... commended them on their energy and attention. I liked hearing that... it made me feel special because they actually care about their jobs and want to ensure riders have a good experience. (As opposed to Six Flags New England... pooh pooh on them.)
And finally... the number 1 ride of the trip...
1. Top Thrill Dragster - Cedar Point - The name of this ride almost speaks for itself. There are very few words I can share about this ride... it too was record breaking. They don't even call this a roller coaster... they call it a stratacoaster... it even has strobe lights on it so that planes don't hit it at night. When it first opened it was the fastest coaster at 120mph and the tallest at 420'. Both of these records were broken by the big brother to this ride named Kingda Ka (at Six Flags Great Adventure in NJ). I was not able to ride Kingda Ka since it got struck by lightning back in May and has been out of commission since then.
So, why is this one #1. Well... just from the shear magnificence of this ride and from the overall thrill of going 120 miles an hour in just under 3 seconds and then to be shot 420 feet straight up and right back down again... in a word... Thrilling! I rode the smaller, slower version of this at Knott's Berry Farm... but it just wasn't the same. So... maybe I will let the video show you how immense this ride really was.
Check em out...
This one covers all angles:
Half of this ride is the initial anticipation. And, as the guy says at the end... this ride is "off the chisel".
Funny promo video.
And, in case you are wondering... the crest of the ride is pretty awesome... you almost feel like you are going to come to a stop at the top... but you don't. It only adds to the thrill of coming back down again. My only regret... was only riding this one time. But... I will be back to Cedar Point... oh yes... I will be back.
Okay... so there is the top ten from my trip. I hope you enjoyed them all... and as much as I did. There will be more to this blog. In the days ahead... so keep checking back periodically.
Thank you again my friends... for coming along on this trip with me.
5. El Toro - Six Flags Great Adventure, NJ - This ride is touted as the best wooden roller coaster in the United States... and I would have to agree. This was an amazing coaster... it was fast, gave a lot of air time on the hills(9 times in total), crazy switchbacks, and has an amazing 75 degree first drop... which was unprecedented for a wooden coaster (record breaking in fact). I managed to hit this ride 3 times in a row... once in front and 2 times in the back... and I could have rode this all day long if I wasn't at the park with a friend... and all he wanted to ride was the Big Red Car (photos will be posted later).
And here a first person point of view that someone recorded and posted to You Tube:
4. Maverick - Cedar Point - This ride brings us to Cedar Point, home of 3 of the top 4 coasters on my trip. There is a lot to be said for this part as a whole, but let me focus on this ride. The one was very unique as it is driven my electro-magnets called Linear Induction Motors... this made the trip to the top of the 105' first hill happen in like 3 seconds. And... when at the top of this hill, you get dropped back down at 95 degree angle... which is pretty amazing when sitting in the front car and you cannot see the track ahead of you. There were just thrills at every turn on this ride. They even stop you in a tunnel about 1/2 way through... just to accelerate you through the tunnel using these LIMs again... it was cool the first I rode. This ride has won many honors and awards... it was expensive to build... and made well worth the wait to ride this. I managed to get on it 2 times in 2 days... and had to battle the rain to get on. On my second day, I waited just under 2 hours for this ride because of the rain... but I wasn't going to miss not riding it again.
So, in case you wanted to learn more about this ride, here is a wikipedia for this ride. You will learn a lot and understand why this ride is so amazing.
Here is a digital virtual ride video... explains all the ride features and gives you a virtual POV... pretty neat but a little long:
And, here is a POV video produced my Cedar Point:
And, a reverse POV "Point-Cast" from Cedar Point... they went all out.
3. Millenium Force - Cedar Point - This ride was the #1 coaster in the world for a long time. It was the tallest and fastest... and it was amazing to ride... 3 times in total on my trip. It features a 310', 80 degree, 92 mph first drop. In fact, when this ride opened, it broke 12 world records. Impressive! They built the lift mechanism using some new and lighter system so that they could make the first drop 310' tall... other wise it would have been too heavy. Check out the details here. Well over 15 million people have ridden this monster since it opened in 2000. This ride has all the classic elements of a steel coaster except they made them taller, faster and more thrilling. It is the #2 coaster on coasterfanatics.com, even after all these years.
There are some great POV and animations on the official website, so just check those out.
2. Griffon - Busch Gardens Williamsburg - This ride trumped Millenium Force for the #2 slot. At first, I wasn't planning to visit BGW but I am glad I did. This ride blew me away. My first ride on this was on the 2nd row... and after that I had to hop back on for another trip in the 1st row. This ride was just exhilarating! This ride is amazing because it was designed to give you chills and thrills. It is also the most unique ride of my trip. 1 car, 3 rows of 10 people... it's a behemoth of a coaster. The best element of this ride is the first drop... they intentionally hang you off the first drop before releasing you down the first drop. That is why they call this ride a "drop coaster". While hanging there, all your weight is on the harness that is holding you in your seat... a very nice feeling... very exhilarating ride... unique... and after riding it 6 times. Definitely a favorite.
Here are some videos...
This is a great one... professionally done... with a good play by play.
This video is funny. The screams are precious.
And... this video is a little more of an emotional reflection on what makes this ride so amazing. I mean... you might understand why some people have an emotional connection with these thrill rides.
The other thing that impressed me about this ride was how professionally run it was. They kept the ride moving at a fast pace, engaged the riders in conversation as they loaded the ride and did their safety checks. And, at the end of the night... the lead ride attendant thanked his fellow employees for a job well done... commended them on their energy and attention. I liked hearing that... it made me feel special because they actually care about their jobs and want to ensure riders have a good experience. (As opposed to Six Flags New England... pooh pooh on them.)
And finally... the number 1 ride of the trip...
1. Top Thrill Dragster - Cedar Point - The name of this ride almost speaks for itself. There are very few words I can share about this ride... it too was record breaking. They don't even call this a roller coaster... they call it a stratacoaster... it even has strobe lights on it so that planes don't hit it at night. When it first opened it was the fastest coaster at 120mph and the tallest at 420'. Both of these records were broken by the big brother to this ride named Kingda Ka (at Six Flags Great Adventure in NJ). I was not able to ride Kingda Ka since it got struck by lightning back in May and has been out of commission since then.
So, why is this one #1. Well... just from the shear magnificence of this ride and from the overall thrill of going 120 miles an hour in just under 3 seconds and then to be shot 420 feet straight up and right back down again... in a word... Thrilling! I rode the smaller, slower version of this at Knott's Berry Farm... but it just wasn't the same. So... maybe I will let the video show you how immense this ride really was.
Check em out...
This one covers all angles:
Half of this ride is the initial anticipation. And, as the guy says at the end... this ride is "off the chisel".
Funny promo video.
And, in case you are wondering... the crest of the ride is pretty awesome... you almost feel like you are going to come to a stop at the top... but you don't. It only adds to the thrill of coming back down again. My only regret... was only riding this one time. But... I will be back to Cedar Point... oh yes... I will be back.
Okay... so there is the top ten from my trip. I hope you enjoyed them all... and as much as I did. There will be more to this blog. In the days ahead... so keep checking back periodically.
Thank you again my friends... for coming along on this trip with me.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Total Count
Okay... here are some of the numericals of my trip:
Total driving distance: 2243 miles from Clevland, OH to Orlando, FL.
Total time: 8 days
Total number of different coasters: 34
Total number of rides: 55
Cedar Point
Millenium Force 3
Top Thrill Dragster 1
Corkscrew 1
Magnum XL 1
Mantis 1
Maverick 2
Mean Streak 1
Raptor 1
Wicked Twister 1
Dorney Park
Dominator 1
Hydra 3
Steel Force 2
Talon 3
Possessed 2
Six Flags New England
Bizarro 1
Batman 1
Six Flags Great Adventure
El Toro 3
Nitro 2
Bizarro 1
Superman 1
Batman 1
Kings Dominion
Dominator 1
Anaconda 1
Volcano Blaster 1
Flight of Fear 1
Busch Gardens Williamsburg
Alpengiest 1
Apollo's Chariot 4
Griffon 6
Loch Ness Monster 1
Big Bad Wolf 1
Curse of Darkastle 1
Universal Islands of Adventure
Hulk 1
Dueling Dragons: Fire 1
Dueling Dragons: Ice 2
I started keeping track of the amount of time I spent waiting in lines... but then I stopped. I thought about wearing a pedometer to track the number of steps I took walking through all these parks... but that would have been futile to track... needless to say... I did A LOT of walking.
I also rode on 5 coasters the weekend before my trip at Knott's Berry Farm and Six Flags Magic Mountain... but I won't count those as part of my trip. And... I still have the season passes for those 2 parks... so I might just keep this ride going by heading up north later this summer.
I have started working on my Top Ten. I will have that posted maybe later today.
Total driving distance: 2243 miles from Clevland, OH to Orlando, FL.
Total time: 8 days
Total number of different coasters: 34
Total number of rides: 55
Cedar Point
Millenium Force 3
Top Thrill Dragster 1
Corkscrew 1
Magnum XL 1
Mantis 1
Maverick 2
Mean Streak 1
Raptor 1
Wicked Twister 1
Dorney Park
Dominator 1
Hydra 3
Steel Force 2
Talon 3
Possessed 2
Six Flags New England
Bizarro 1
Batman 1
Six Flags Great Adventure
El Toro 3
Nitro 2
Bizarro 1
Superman 1
Batman 1
Kings Dominion
Dominator 1
Anaconda 1
Volcano Blaster 1
Flight of Fear 1
Busch Gardens Williamsburg
Alpengiest 1
Apollo's Chariot 4
Griffon 6
Loch Ness Monster 1
Big Bad Wolf 1
Curse of Darkastle 1
Universal Islands of Adventure
Hulk 1
Dueling Dragons: Fire 1
Dueling Dragons: Ice 2
I started keeping track of the amount of time I spent waiting in lines... but then I stopped. I thought about wearing a pedometer to track the number of steps I took walking through all these parks... but that would have been futile to track... needless to say... I did A LOT of walking.
I also rode on 5 coasters the weekend before my trip at Knott's Berry Farm and Six Flags Magic Mountain... but I won't count those as part of my trip. And... I still have the season passes for those 2 parks... so I might just keep this ride going by heading up north later this summer.
I have started working on my Top Ten. I will have that posted maybe later today.
The Top Ten
Okay... so everyone has been asking me about which was my favorite roller coaster. Well, they were all great coasters. But, there were some definite standouts. So here is my list... in descending order:
10. Bizarro - Six Flags NE - almost didnt make the list just from the poor experience I had at that park. But, it was a solid ride... fast and good ride elements.
And here a first person point of view that someone recorded and posted to You Tube (shows the fire and mist special effects):
9. The Incredible Hulk - Universal Islands of Adventure - This was the best of the stand-up coaster that I rode. It was fast with a lot of unique twists and turns... and 7 inversions (that means I got turned upside down). Overall, it was worth the drive down from Virginia... and this was a fun park. They are building a Harry Potter "ride" that should be open some time next year.
Another You Tube (and by the way... I blame the Discovery Channel for planting the crazy idea for this road trip into my head years ago):
8. Apollo's Chariot - Busch Gardens Williamsburg - This was another fast coaster with some solid high g turns (this means I got sucked into my seat). I went on this one a few times... in a row!
Here is another You Tube of the ride (there is music and screaming... a lot of screaming)
7. Nitro - Six Flags Great Adventure - This was a nice ride. I got to ride this one a couple of time... once in front and once at the back. If I had the opportunity to go on a coaster more than once, I swapped between the front and last row as you get a different feel of the ride. The front car is exciting due to the point of view but the last row is exciting because of the "air time" you get when you feel weightless as you get lifted out of your seat. This ride had some great air time from the last row. The other nice element to this ride was a sharp high g turn. See if you can find it in the video.
Alternate funny video (screaming, swearing... it is funny)
I will come back to this park someday...
6. Superman - Six Flags Great Adventure - This is somewhat of a unique ride... they call it a "flying" roller coaster due to the fact that once you sit in the seat and get locked in, they tilt the seat forward so that you are facing the ground. And... you ride the coaster as though you are flying... like Superman... get it? I have been on a ride similar to this at Six Flags Magic Mountain but this one was nicer. And... my friend Mike was brave enough to ride it with me... since his stomach cannot handle roller coasters... he was so brave.
This ride was highlighted by a pretzel loop and really cool inversions and a 360 degree twist at the end.
Here is a non-POV:
Here is a short video that shows what I mean by flying.
I couldn't find a decent POV video... but here is the best one (it's a little loud).
Okay... well... there is 10-6... I will do the top 5 soon. They only get better... I hope you have enjoyed this post. I still have more to write about... so keep a look out.
10. Bizarro - Six Flags NE - almost didnt make the list just from the poor experience I had at that park. But, it was a solid ride... fast and good ride elements.
And here a first person point of view that someone recorded and posted to You Tube (shows the fire and mist special effects):
9. The Incredible Hulk - Universal Islands of Adventure - This was the best of the stand-up coaster that I rode. It was fast with a lot of unique twists and turns... and 7 inversions (that means I got turned upside down). Overall, it was worth the drive down from Virginia... and this was a fun park. They are building a Harry Potter "ride" that should be open some time next year.
Another You Tube (and by the way... I blame the Discovery Channel for planting the crazy idea for this road trip into my head years ago):
8. Apollo's Chariot - Busch Gardens Williamsburg - This was another fast coaster with some solid high g turns (this means I got sucked into my seat). I went on this one a few times... in a row!
Here is another You Tube of the ride (there is music and screaming... a lot of screaming)
7. Nitro - Six Flags Great Adventure - This was a nice ride. I got to ride this one a couple of time... once in front and once at the back. If I had the opportunity to go on a coaster more than once, I swapped between the front and last row as you get a different feel of the ride. The front car is exciting due to the point of view but the last row is exciting because of the "air time" you get when you feel weightless as you get lifted out of your seat. This ride had some great air time from the last row. The other nice element to this ride was a sharp high g turn. See if you can find it in the video.
Alternate funny video (screaming, swearing... it is funny)
I will come back to this park someday...
6. Superman - Six Flags Great Adventure - This is somewhat of a unique ride... they call it a "flying" roller coaster due to the fact that once you sit in the seat and get locked in, they tilt the seat forward so that you are facing the ground. And... you ride the coaster as though you are flying... like Superman... get it? I have been on a ride similar to this at Six Flags Magic Mountain but this one was nicer. And... my friend Mike was brave enough to ride it with me... since his stomach cannot handle roller coasters... he was so brave.
This ride was highlighted by a pretzel loop and really cool inversions and a 360 degree twist at the end.
Here is a non-POV:
Here is a short video that shows what I mean by flying.
I couldn't find a decent POV video... but here is the best one (it's a little loud).
Okay... well... there is 10-6... I will do the top 5 soon. They only get better... I hope you have enjoyed this post. I still have more to write about... so keep a look out.
Thrilling Thought #5
Well... I am home now and catching up on sleep. Adrenaline does wonders for keeping one going on little sleep and long days of walking/standing. And now that I am coming down off that adrenaline high... I am tired.
So... here is my next thrilling thought... and this is an observation from the plane as I was coming back from Orlando. As my plane was landing in Phoenix, AZ... I was looking out the window and saw nothing but dry desert... and the city in that desert seemed almost unnatural.
Having not spent a lot of time on the East Coast in my life, I was amazed by just how green the countryside really is. I expected to see more urban sprawl... and that is there. But, outside of the cities there is lush green country. PA was very green... a lot trees and rolling green fields. I expected MA to be wooded... and it was. But, then on my drive to NJ... I didn't expect there to be so many trees. From the vantage point of the roller coasters at Six Flags NJ, the entire park area was surrounded by nothing but trees... for what seemed like miles.
And, of course the further south I drove, the greener and wetter everything became.
Then, flying back to CA, I became more aware of the desert like environment we live in... even here in San Diego. We, as in mankind, have been able to do some amazing things... like build amazing roller coasters... or build cities in places where cities shouldn't really exist.
So... the east coast was so very beautiful to drive through. And, I was reminded of the rich history present on that coast. There were so many roadsigns that reminded me of important historical events in our nation's past.
Okay... that's all... not too thrilling I guess. Up next... my Top 10!
So... here is my next thrilling thought... and this is an observation from the plane as I was coming back from Orlando. As my plane was landing in Phoenix, AZ... I was looking out the window and saw nothing but dry desert... and the city in that desert seemed almost unnatural.
Having not spent a lot of time on the East Coast in my life, I was amazed by just how green the countryside really is. I expected to see more urban sprawl... and that is there. But, outside of the cities there is lush green country. PA was very green... a lot trees and rolling green fields. I expected MA to be wooded... and it was. But, then on my drive to NJ... I didn't expect there to be so many trees. From the vantage point of the roller coasters at Six Flags NJ, the entire park area was surrounded by nothing but trees... for what seemed like miles.
And, of course the further south I drove, the greener and wetter everything became.
Then, flying back to CA, I became more aware of the desert like environment we live in... even here in San Diego. We, as in mankind, have been able to do some amazing things... like build amazing roller coasters... or build cities in places where cities shouldn't really exist.
So... the east coast was so very beautiful to drive through. And, I was reminded of the rich history present on that coast. There were so many roadsigns that reminded me of important historical events in our nation's past.
Okay... that's all... not too thrilling I guess. Up next... my Top 10!
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
I am home again
Well... the trip is over. But, my blogging is not. I need to rest. I have a lot of work to catch up on for work tomorrow and before my boss leaves on Friday. So... I need to get back at it.
I still owe you all some things... a full ride report, my top 10s... a few more Thrilling Thoughts.
So, for now... I am going to experience some hardcore extreme sleeping... in my own bed (yea!)... check back tomorrow sometime... and on Friday.
And, again... if there is anything you want me to comment or reflect on, let me know... and I will add it to the blog.
Thanks and good night.
I still owe you all some things... a full ride report, my top 10s... a few more Thrilling Thoughts.
So, for now... I am going to experience some hardcore extreme sleeping... in my own bed (yea!)... check back tomorrow sometime... and on Friday.
And, again... if there is anything you want me to comment or reflect on, let me know... and I will add it to the blog.
Thanks and good night.
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