Buckeye Brad

My guess is that any feelings about the court's decision are still dwarfed by heartbreak from the loss of a fine man, 3 and a half years ago.

Legend opened with a single Gerstlauler train in 2000. For 2002 they added a transfer track, and replaced that train with 2 PTC trains. The reasons "I read about" included discomfort with the Gerstlauer lap bars, and the desire to standardize their wood coaster trains (with the PTC on Raven. Interestingly, the station was somewhat different when it opened in 2000. The current loading area was a straight open air pre-ride section. The "dead space" in the the current station (behind a loading train) was the original loading area. This extension to the front gave them the ability to stop a second train while one is loading.

Yes. What a shame that our society has become rather inhospitable to something so classic, so beloved, and in my opinion so necessary (innocent fun that can be shared across generations. Several years ago, my 5 year old son rode Stricker's Tornado with his grandpa, a veteran of Chicago's Riverside and the Bobs. One rider reliving his youth, one launching his. The laughter and joy they shared was priceless. I wish those kinds of memories for everyone.

In the past few years, we've seen two brand new parks fail quickly: Wild West World and Hard Rock Park. Have any new major parks been successful in the past few decades? Disney and Universal have done it, but they have established brands and properties nearby to build from. I would love to see more small parks, the size of Stricker's Grove, Cincy Coney, and Denver Lakeside Park. Each with a nice selection of flats and a classic wooden coaster or 2. I have this romantic notion that back in the early 1900's these parks were all over the country, in small towns and supported mostly by the locals. I suspect that many passionate folks have aspirations to open parks in small towns, but get discouraged by the high initial investment, high insurance, short seasonal operating seasons, limited growth potential, and slow ROI.

My boys (7 and 10) and I loved Adventure Mountain. My wife wanted no part if it ;^) In fact, when we visited this past spring this was the first thing they wanted to "ride". They felt like really big kids navigating the "dangerous" cliffs and rope paths. The line was often slow, but we felt like we got our money's worth because sometimes we were on the course for 15 minutes or even longer. It was such a unique attraction, for a theme park anyway. My guess is it required too many employees to staff it and be profitable. Or perhaps a lawyer or "risk-assesser" got jittery about the whole thing. We will miss it. Hopefully it's replacement will be fun. I would think that Adventure Mountain could be moved to another location or facility. It seemed very heavy duty and well constructed.

"What specifically about the inversion caused the problems?" A lawyer could argue that the loop is at fault here. 1. If not for the LOOP, perhaps a more reliable vendor could have designed and built KI's 2000 coaster 2. If not for the LOOP being 118 feet tall (and in the middle of the ride), the coaster could have been smaller, and therefore perhaps designed by a more reliable vendor 3. If not for the LOOP being 118 feet tall (and in the middle of the ride), the trains could have been lighter, and might not have beat up the track so badly 4. If not for the LOOP, the coaster could have possibly run standard, more comfortable trains 5. If not for the putting all of their eggs in the LOOP, the designers might have designed a more thrilling, well rounded coaster So you see your honor, even though the LOOP was the smoothest, most trouble free part of the coaster, the LOOP is actually behind all of the problems. -Buckeye Brad, who is not really being serious but showing how easy it is to invert the truth.

I sarcastically predict the Timberliner announcement will be in October, 2013. It will state: "Perhaps you have noticed the new trains we ran on the Voyage all this past summer...those are called Timberliners." ;^)

It is ironic that essentially the entire original water park will become an entrance plaza for the current waterpark. A testament to how much the waterpark has grown. I am curious to see the final plans. If you look at aerial views of the 2 slides being removed, you see that they could reclaim a ton of space for the dry park by doing this. They could easily fit a couple of "scrambler" sized flats where the slides are, or more if they reconfigure the parallel paths (one to Thanksgiving, one to Splashin Safari).

"Preemptive strike"? Of course. If KK is to reopen, it's quite logical the Koch Development Corp. would like to be the ones doing it. A better, more timely proposal increases the chances of this happening. "...to discourage Kentucky Kingdom's reopening" I don't see any evidence for this. Look at how aggressively HW and SS have been expanding their business....Voyage, Thanksgiving section, two huge water coasters, Happy Halloween Weekends, etc. It's only natural they would want to expand to another park at some point. They know the Louisville market, it's close to home, KK is similar in size to their own park, and KK was "on sale". Seems to me like a great opportunity to expand. In my opinion, they underestimated both the money needed to refurbish everything, and the government red tape that prevented them from striking a favorable deal. Another thing...even if the Koch's didn't plan to reopen it, I don't see how their bid prevents another party from submitting a bid. Why wouldn't the Louisville government entertain any serious proposal? All my opinion of course. I'm sure much goes on in the "war rooms" of these organizations that I will never know about. Or don't really care to know about. ;^)

How great would it be if Coney could build something similar to Quassy's Wooden Warrior? Pros: -Fits family demographic (42" height requirement on WW) -Appeals to thrill seekers too (based on reports of Wooden Warrior) -Fits in a small area -If designed by Gravity Group, it would make a great story (local company designs their first local coaster) -They could name it "Shooting Star" -It could look and feel unique compared to the coasters at KI Cons: -$2 million+ price tag -Flooding (would using steel supports be better, more expensive?) I know it is just a dream, but it is a fun dream....

Re: Dan Koch and The Raven: For weeks in 2005 Paula had me thinking that their "eggcellent" new section would be Easter. Do not believe those misleading sneaky red herring throwing Holiday World folks for a second. ;^)

My guess for the "renaming" is Raging Rapids. While not a "premier" ride, I think it's fair to call it a "major ride". Plus, it's the only dry ride who's name and logo are not really themed to the area. In the water park, my guess the "the Wave" (pool), for the same reasons. Based on my track record with guessing Holiday World announcements, you can be certain it won't be those. ;^)

KI lover, this past Saturday the lines were mostly short. There was 1 train operation on both coasters, which meant average lines of 15 minutes on the Raven, and 20-25 on Voyage. Depending on the row and time of day, you can probably find 5 minute waits too. I don't think you've got anything to worry about with the crowds. The line for the corn maze looks longer and slower than it really is. Make sure you explore the entire park and look for the dioramas, they are fun. I hope you have as much fun as we did! For more info, check out my post in the trip reports forum.

I never actually said I "rode" it. ;^) It was indeed closed all day, and for the season. Just my little attempt at a humorous spin of the truth. "Forceless and boring" = closed. ;^)

Happy Halloween Weekends Saturday, October 13, 2012 Useless stats: this was my 6th visit to Holiday World (2000, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2011). Saturday morning I packed up my wife, my 10 year old son, and my 7 year old son and we left Cincinnati bound for Santa Claus. This trip was originally set for last weekend, to coincide the Coasterbuzz fall affair. That was ultimately cancelled, and the weather was looking nasty, so we waited a week and were rewarded with a forecast of 70-80 degree temps all day. Fantastic for October in the Midwest. Around 10:30 local time the Holiday World skyline came into view. We promptly drove past and stopped at Santa's Lodge to pick up our park tickets. The Santa Claus attractions are really pushing tourism this month, and we paid $175 for a double queen room plus 4 park tickets (3 adult, 1 under 54"). A few minutes later and we arrived to a mostly empty parking lot, right near Ravens second hill. I like to walk near the Raven fence, comparing the "short" lift hill to the tunnel way down in a deep ditch. It's very deceiving. The hills visible from the parking lot look so gentle... As we approached the front gate, I saw a spunky little "witch" smiling and welcoming guests. She was doing her best to deal with a guest who was disgruntled about something, and who walked away in a huff. The witch, otherwise know as Pat Koch, sincerely and desperately called out... "Sir, this is a business. Have a great day". I don't know what the issue was, but I'm betting the witch was in the right. I shook her hand and then strolled with my family into Holiday World. It was nearly noon "our time", and we grabbed some pizza at Kringle's cafe. The pizza was decent, the breadsticks surprisingly warm and delicious. With the necessities taken care of, it was time for the real fun: a spin on The Raven. The line was just out of the Poe house. While in line my older son asked where the dive show was. "You can actually see it from this line, it's right over"...As a matter of fact it isn't. Totally gone. No concrete, no sign of the dive tank, nothing but a big hole. We did spot the bench lined up neatly near the woods, and a bulldozer nearby. Are they building a 400' tall WindSeeker there for 2013? Or perhaps a new dive theater? We'll have to wait and see. 20 minutes later we climbed aboard the middle of Raven's single operating train. I love the way the entire station shakes and rumbles as the train hits the breaks. It was a middle of the road ride by Raven's standards, which means it was still fantastic. Not rough, not as smooth as it can be, but just fine for an October morning. Raven strikes me as a normalish sized coaster taken at 3x speed. Drop, tunn... Did we just skim the lake..plunge.....leftrighthopleft...brakes. Slam, bamm, over just like that. We all loved it as usual. When I ride the Raven, I like to imagine riding along with Will Koch in 1995 on his first flight. What was he thinking? 1. That was an awesome awesome coaster ride! 2. This huge, risky investment of my family's money and reputation turned out better than I could have dreamed. 3. This changes everything for the future of my park! 4. I've got an incredible coaster in my own park! I believe he was thinking all of these and more, beaming from ear to ear, giddy as a child on Christmas morning, anxious to share the joy of his creation with the world. We all skipped down Raven's exit, jolted by the adrenaline rush and bad hair only a coaster can give. Next stop:Legend. Legend may be my favorite coaster of all. Unfortunately today, I could not have been more disappointed. On the bright side, there was no line. But it performed badly. Dispatch intervals were eternal, there was no grease on the track, and it was horribly understaffed. Instead of the typical crazy lateral filled out of control ride, today it was forceless and boring, a shadow of itself. My worst Legend experience in 12 years. Oh well, I'll have to wait until next year to get a decent Legend ride. Since KI removed their antique cars, at other parks we hop on them every chance we get. Holiday Worlds version, called "Lewis and Clark" is unremarkable but still fun, especially if you are 7 or riding with someone who is. 10 minute wait. Like KI's, these are set in a nicely landscaped area. Come to think of it, this is a big prime piece of real estate in the front of Holiday World. They could squeeze a great little Wooden Warrior style family coaster in there, and link it to 4th of July, Halloween, or Christmas. On the other hand, this is a nice quiet area, and it would be shame to tear it up. Graveyard Smash time. Somehow I'd never gotten around to seeing a show at the Hoosier Celebration Theater. We arrived just in time, finding a crowded theater, yet a few open seats in the front center row. We all loved it. My 10 year old son is getting dangerously close to being too cool for this sort of thing though, but even he got into the fun. You have about 10 monsters ranging from Dracula, Wicked Witch of the West, zombie bride, zombie punk rocker, zombie Jack Sparrow, and so on. All singing and dancing to Halloween parodies of everything from Dynamite to Thunderstruck. Hilarious and fun. Warning, the performers get in your face if you are up close or on the aisles. Next it was Sparkler time, or Spookler time to be precise. A great little ride, it fits this side of the park well. One cycle wait. It goes up, it goes around, and it doesn't give me the goosebumps that WindSeeker does. It also provides some new views, including a maintenance shed with all of Legend's trains neatly lined up outside. That dashed any hopes that Legend might just reopen today after all. To be fair, I'd read on Facebook and even on the map that Legend was closed for the year, apparently getting its winter spa treatment now instead of waiting for Happy Halloween Weekends to conclude. Still a bummer. Later that night we saw "Spookler" lit up in a monochrome yet neat white lighting display. My boys jaws dropped as I told them somewhere in Texas they were building a 400' version of this. I wonder if the entire tower spins on that one like here...I doubt it. We walked up the impossibly narrow ramp to the bumper cars. These are always a hoot despite the smart alecs who decide to drive the wrong way. 2 cycle wait. It was now the moment of destiny: The Voyage. Last year, both of my boys just didn't have the nerve to tackle this monster, the clincher being my report of nasty washboard roughness. It just wasn't that fun last year, for me anyway. Even the first three drops beat me up. Even though the new Gravity Group trains were delayed again, the track improvements were encouraging. One bummer was the one train operation today. There are few quieter, less exciting places than the Voyage station during single train operation. That train is gone Forever, and you begin to wonder if it will ever cone back. When you estimate a good 5 trains until you board, multiplied by the eternal dispatch interval, you get discouraged. But hey, this is one of the most amazing coasters in the world, so shame on me for complaining. It is kind of a miracle that the Voyage even exists. Think about all the stars that aligned: 1. A park (not called Kings Island) willing to build a 6000' long wooden coaster 2. A park with a large enough piece of sloping, wooded, available land 3. A park who really cares about the extras, like tunnels, tunnels, tunnels, station flyby's, tunnels, ridiculously excessive turnarounds and finales, tunnels... 4. A design firm competent enough to engineer the thing 5. A park willing to do whatever it takes to keep it running in top form If those weren't enough, add these improbabilities: 6. This behemoth is actually themed to pilgrims on a boat, in a section called Thanksgiving. Not a snake or something huge and intimidating 7. The fact that all of this happened just 3 hours from my house I got off track there, but my point is that Voyage might be the most unlikely coaster ever, built in a park that really didn't need it. But they built it and I'm so glad. So back to the ride. We were all pumped...my boys have been looking forward to this ever since they chickened out last year. The four of us took our seats in the third car, and off we sailed. In short, we were thunderstruck. What a ride. The only rough spots I detected were on the last sidewinding stretch under the lift hill, and part of the finale, but even these were not bad. Though I forgot to heed my own advice from 2006: don't try to brace yourself too much, instead just go with it and let the coaster have its way with you. It sounds counterintuitive for such a crazy ride, but it works for us. While we loved it, my boys and my wife debated if a second ride would happen, or if one was more than enough. They all leaned towards "one and done". They were stuffed, so why eat a second Thanksgiving dinner on the same night? Time for a breather. We lined up near Pilgrims Plunge, and 20 minutes later we were on a tram headed to the corn maze. There were two actual hayrides, but we got the vanilla tram both ways. The maze itself was interesting in that it was on uneven hilly land, and in some areas the stalks were barely 5' high. So in some spots you were deep in it with zero visibility, in others you have a commanding view of most of the maze. There were panic flags at various checkpoints, which also helped you navigate since many were visible from afar. Overall a nice diversion from the noise and activity of the park. We skipped the kiddie maze. Gobbler Getaway. A hoot as usual, though I never know if my low scoring is caused by my aim or a faulty gun...errr turkey caller. I also wonder if I am too distracted by the shooting/calling deal to miss the fun details of the ride itself. With the exception of Toy Story Mania, I'd rather just take in the view on my dark rides. What else...oh yes, we checked out the Halloween activities in the picnic grove. Face painting, pumping decorating, trick or treating, the usual activities aimed at families with little ones. Worth a stop if you if that fit that group, and very similar to what you'd find at your local fall festival. We did enjoy the many Halloween dioramas throughout the park. These were set up by park employees, using skeleton mannequins and a wide variety of props. Each won an award of some type, like "best use of theming", or "best use of bobble head Pat". All were tasteful of course, and added a humorous personal touch to the park. Another Halloween exclusive was the lone "haunted house", in glorious 3D, in the Holiday Theater. Again , no big scares here, save for a few surprise characters who come to life and startle the little ones. And even me. The 3d effects were outstanding. I am not usually impressed with 3d at the cinema. A great family haunted house, made better by the 5 minute wait. This is getting long winded so I'll try and cut to the chase. My boys are fans of night rides, so we scored another Raven ride (4 train wait), and my family "Thank"fully regained Voyage fever. Two more Voyage rides (front seat at dusk, third seat in total darkness). 20 minute waits for each. Breathtaking. The 2006 Voyage is back, for now anyway. Now it was for perhaps the best attraction of the day: pumpkin spice funnel cakes at Funnel Cake Factory, covered with some sort of cream cheese frosting. These are not as nutritious as you might think. But they are delicious. I will try to clone those for the scout campout next weekend. It's a good sign when you ask the workers in the food stand if these are any good, and they all light up with an emphatic, sincere, "they are sooooo good!!!!". They were right, and we got fat and happy. While munching we walked around the"back stretch" of Holiday World, near the Indian river ride and the "eagle's fright". I like these quiet, mature (tree-wise) paths in parks. This was made all the better by the glorious fall colors and the leaves literally falling by the hundreds and blowing in the breeze. Quiet and peaceful. Speaking of Eagles Fright, it was begging for riders, so we hopped on for a quick spin. We each got our own bird and enjoyed the peaceful flight in the cool, autumn night. We arrived at the Christmas plaza at 8, just in time for the laser show. It was a mishmash of funny laser animations projected on a big movie screen, fog effects, and the big cool real lasers that pierce the night and wiggle around, all set to Monster Mash, Thriller, Ghostbusters, and other Halloween staples. Fun show and a great way to end the day. So that was our day at Holiday Work. It was quite different without the waterpark and the Legend, but I think they did a fine job considering their family market, and taking their first stab at a "Halloween"event. It made for a nice 30 hour fall getaway from Cincinnati. Thanks to HW and the Kochs for a good time! PS: don't get a room at Santa's lodge near the banquet hall. Loud!

I predict that there will be be a new diving show theater for 2013. Yesterday at Happy Halloween Weekends, while in line for the Raven, my boys asked where the dive show was. "It's right over......oh. It's gone." That's right, completely wiped off the map. No concrete, no dive tank visible. No nothing. I did see the benches neatly lined up near the woods, and a bulldozer nearby. Later on the kind employee at Goblin Burger confirmed my suspicions that "they are probably just rebuilding the theater". I hope so, since we always enjoy the dive show.

FOFreak, There may be a sliver of truth behind what you've heard. I remember reading an interview with Will Koch years ago. He made the case that wooden coasters are generally more family oriented than steel ones, and therefore woodies are a better fit for his "family park". Think of Raven vs. something like Raptor or Top Thrill Dragster. Many grandparents and small kids (and coasterphobics) might give Raven a chance but not go near Raptor or Dragster. Now, we know that there are plenty of exceptions (Voyage is much more intense than Big Thunder Mountain Railroad), but I think Will was referring to the bigger, more intimidating steel coasters. Disclaimer: this is from my memory, and years ago, so I might have it all wrong. I did not interpret his words to mean "never" a steel coaster at HW, rather "this is why we build wooden coasters here, not steel". I think I read this before Voyage was built, for what it's worth. Even if he were still with us, it's hard to for me to imagine him building a 4th wooden coaster before venturing into steel.

While the increased minimum wage appears to be intended to help those at the bottom of the economic ladder, I believe there is an unintended consequence. As mentioned, companies hire less at that level, and they likely simply eliminate many positions at that level altogether. The result: fewer and fewer options for those at the bottom looking to take the first step. That first step, or rung of the ladder, gets higher and higher, and more difficult.

I'd love to see Mickey get his own dark ride. "Mickey's Castle of Illusion" -inspired by the old video game "Mickey's Fantasia Adventure" -obvious "Mickey's Adventure in the Studio Vault" -needs a catchier name. The premise: Mickey is a janitor at a Disney film studio and discovers a vault full of dusty old reels from Disney films, old and new. Of course the reels are magic, and characters and scenes come to life...

To help distinguish a "steel" coaster from a woodie, I don't worry about the supports. Instead, I look closely at what the wheels ride on, and how that is supported. Most* coasters have steel "running rails". On traditional wooden coasters, that strip of steel is thin (<1.0"?) and is completely supported by wood. It actually follows the contour of the wood. It is really only there to prevent wear and tear on the wood. The wood can be made from laminate strips that are bent as a group, or a laminate chunk that is machined instead of bent. On steel coasters, that "running rail" is actually a tube or beam, and is strong enough to define its own shape. It is only supported by the structure at intermittent points, a foot apart (or more). The topper track pictured above looks to me like a hybrid. The running rails are steel tubes, and much more rigid than the rails on a typical woodie, but it is completely supported by wood. I suppose a park could get away with calling it wood or steel. Ultimately this distinction is interesting to us fans but somewhat trivial, unless parks are making marketing claims. "Outlaw Run" looks fun regardless!

Frightful Falls: a short but amusing flume ride that offers great views of Legend Scarecrow Scrambler: typical scrambler, but set against a cinder block wall, creating cool near collision moments Freedom Train: pretend you are 5 and enjoy the nostalgia. This one is old school (from 1946). If you are looking for snacks, try Mrs. Klaus' Kitchen. Old school treats at old school prices, like a banana dipped in chocolate for $1.79. Have fun at Holiday World!

In addition to the "Garth-mobile", I recall a miniature submarine from "The Hunt for Red October" and a gold idol from "Raiders of the Lost Ark". That used to be a very nice, quiet, charming area. The Tower Gardens, Carousel, and the Antique Cars, all in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower.

@theCrypt Good point. I did debate about talking with guest relations. I may take your advice and send them a message. To be fair, I did see the "warning" signs on the way out. But the sum total just seemed out of character from every show I've seen at KI. Maybe I'm just a square. Whether something is "appropriate" depends on so many factors, including my fickle mood at the time. ;^) Actually, my comment had more to do with the choreography and less to do with the hemlines. At the very least, the music could have been turned down. @ Colonel_SOB_fan Funny that you have no issues with Drop Tower either. My feelings exactly! I think the big differences are that on Drop Tower we: 1. Are attached to a rigid structure, not a freely swaying arm 2. Cannot see the tower. Watching the WindSeeker tower swirl and swirl made me dizzy. I still loved the ride, and I think it did exactly what it was designed to do: be mildy insanely thrilling. ;^)

Kings Island Sunday, July 29, 2012 I was pumped for this day. My dear “coaster-phobic” wife and 7 year old were out of town for the weekend, so it was just my 10 year old son and I. There would be no kiddie rides, no naptime breaks. Two years ago he tamed The Beast, and this spring he took a few flights on the Wild Eagle at Dollywood. So we both agreed he was ready for a full day of big kid coaster mayhem. We pulled into the south parking gate at 9:00 AM. No line and a mostly empty lot. Ten minutes later we bought our tickets, again no line to be found. I like how open the plaza is sans the metal detectors. At 9:15 we found ourselves on International Street. I love this place before park opening. Fountains spraying, sun rising, sparse folks milling about, and a wonderful feeling of optimism for the great day ahead. Making our way to the Eiffel Tower, I told my son that when I was his age, we could take the stairs up to the 50 foot level and get a nice view. I remember doing that on opening day, April ’87. My first real view of Vortex, man was I excited. Today, locked gates block the stairs to us civilians. To my surprise, at 9:30 the elevators opened and we took and early trip to the top. The view from up there never gets old, and it’s fun to look out over the “King”dom and plan the day. We made it back down just in time for “God Bless America”. I like this tradition. Kudos to Cedar Fair. At 10:00:01 the rope dropped and we were off to Firehawk. I would not have chosen such a crazy coaster to kick off the day, but I’d seen how long the line can get. I’d had only one spin on Firehawk to my credit. It was a rotten one. Two years ago (my last KI trip) I boarded the train, which then reclined and got “stuck”. 15 minutes of lying on my back gave me a ferocious headache. That train was taken out of service, and I was offered the chance to ride the other one. The alternative was to simply not ride that day (long line), so I rode and hated it. Due to my headache, it was a tainted ride. Today it was a different story. At 10:05 it was a walk on, we both loved the ride. “That was AWESOME!!!” yelled my son. The whole loading, reclining, and lift hill on my back deal is still very disconcerting. From the drop on it’s crazy Superman fun. Naturally we then headed into Flight of Fear. At 10:15 the line was already out the door. The “mazes” were closed, so it only took about 20 minutes to get to the train. Priceless reaction from my son seeing the train ahead of us launch and disappear into the darkness. As always, FOF was fast and wicked. We came to a dead stop on the mid-course brakes, which was welcome because I was getting hammered. I’m no coaster train expert, but it just seems to me that the track gage is rather narrow, and the seats sit high up off the track, resulting in a magnification of every bump and twist. Despite that, we both enjoyed FOF. Though my son decided that one ride was enough for today. WindSeeker was next. Walk-on at 10:40. My son and I both went into this one with no fear, but halfway up, we looked at each other and said “whoa, we are high!”. I am normally OK with heights, but the combo of 300 feet plus freakishly minimal seats gave me a healthy fear I’ve not felt since the Vegas Big Shot 10 years ago. I was taking in the view when my son yelled “Dad, my HAT!”. I looked down and saw it gently swirling down, down,down.... I was sure it would land in the woods, lost forever. Somehow though, it landed on a path near the platform. The Star Trek music paused and we got the "It's illegal to drop objects" announcement that we deserved. Great ride, and scary high. But remember to hold on to your hats! Vortex. 25 years (and change) ago I stood in this line on opening day, an eager 12 year old ready for the biggest coaster I'd ever seen. That day got me hooked on coasters, and it was a big thrill to take my son for his first spin on Vortex. For my 200 or so rides over the last 25 years, the wait has always been no more than 20 minutes. Today, same deal. My son asked for the front seat. One thing about Vortex: the ride is dramatically different in the front and back. This is true of nearly every coaster of course, but on Vortex it's night and day. From the middle of the first drop to the apex of the second, it feels like a FOF style launch in the front. Besides the airtime, another constant at that apex is the clinking of coins bouncing around the "tubs" of the train. I was surprised at the big positive Gs going into the loops. I don't remember them feeling anywhere near that strong in the back, my preferred seat. In any case, despite the rough transitions and uncomfortable seats (IMHO) Vortex is still a pretty solid coaster. The trees have filled in nicely over the years, especially near the boomerang. Beast. At 11:00 am, the line was at the pop machines near the plaque. In the '80s this was a working food counter called "Beast Canyon" or something like that. 20 minute wait. My preferred seat is the second to the back. Best Beast ride I've had in years, thanks to much needed trackwork this year. I suppose it feels a bit "tamed". But I love the uniqueness of this ride, and its so fundamental to the KI experience. One of my favorite coaster moments will always be sitting in the back, cresting the second lift hill, and gradually building up speed towards that tiny hole way down there, i.e. oblivion. Diamondback. 20 minute wait. For the past two seasons, my son would not shut up about this one. 2 years ago he was 54.001" tall, but chickened out. I can't blame him. Heck, I chickened out of Loch Ness Monster at his age, and have always regretted it. Today was his chance for redemption. In my opinion, D'back is coaster perfection. Not THE perfect coaster, but A perfect one. Suble difference. I love the fast line, the minimal and comfy trains, the terror of the first drop, and the HUUUGGGEE feeling airtime filled arcs at the top of nearly every hill. I never tire of watching the beautiful splashdown. The only flaw in my opinion is the way it transformed a quiet, serene Rivertown. Walking around Diamondback plaza, it's hard to remember the lake, the planter, the photo stand with the huge King Kong hand, the picnic grove where we ate our Potato Works, and the seclusion I felt in this once shady backwoods corner of KI. But everything has a price. At least the coaster is fantastic. My son loved it as much as I did. We rode in the dead center, his new preferred seat. We hit the Skyline on International Street for lunch. To my surprise, at noon on a Sunday, it was deserted. So much for the lunch rush. I suspect the location has something to do with that. Flight Deck. Of course, nearly a walk on. Of course, a great view and ride in the front seat. Love the nearly inverted swoop to the left (following the first drop) and the near collision with the mysterious wooden structure back there. I do wish they would paint the track red, as it once was. Use the same paint as Firehawk, I don't mind. The current colors are just so...bland. Adventure Express. Line was actually almost to the entrance sign, but took around 20 minutes. Always a bit jerky, but otherwise a perfect family coaster. Lives up to its name. I can get over the non-moving spears, but I really miss the fog effects. Every coaster can use some fog, and the first leg of AE into the spooky foggy mist was fun. Come to think of it, I remember Flight Deck/Top Gun had fog too, in the station. Oh well, they must be saving all the fog for the Haunt. Now it was time for the low point of the day, Ed Alonzo's Psycho Circus of Magic and Mayhem. With a name like that, I should have known what I was getting into. I'll summarize: deafening heavy metal music, too much potty humor, and the dancers were, in my opinion, too often and too suggestive for a family show. We were in the second row, so everything was magnified. Maybe I'm too old fashioned, but I hated it. I saw no humor in the "Anna-Rexia" bit. The actual magic was fun though. Everyone else in the crowd seemed to love the show. Not me. Racer. My first real coaster (in 1982) and my sentimental KI favorite. It feels overbraked and incomplete without its last dip (removed in '96?). But I still love the simple layout and the feeling of rushing out to the end of the park and back. I also like how the first drop leads to a pair of "bunny" hills, as opposed to most coasters which go immediately into a large second hill or loop. Love the opened up station, and the always short line. Don't love the plywood walls on the brake run and the long wait on that brake run. But anytime they make an effort to race the trains, like they did today, I'm happy. Next came the second low point of the day: Vortex ride number 2. Front seat again. Long story short, great ride but when we hit the brakes I was sure was about to perform a protein spill in front of the whole train and all the folks in line. Earlier it day my son asked "what happens if somebody...". I told him about the hoses and the wind powered dryers. Ironically he was about to see firsthand. We could not get back to the station fast enough. I nearly ran over my son and found the trash can near the Fastline entrance. Thankfully, I didn't have to use it. My son asked, "do you have that feeling too, dad?". I used to marathon Vortex when it was a teen, and I'd never gotten nauseous on a coaster before. Getting older stinketh. Now it was time for a needed break. I hadn't planned on doing the Dino walk, but a quiet shady walk away from the masses sounded great. The ticket kiosks were a challenge because I literally could not read them. Too much sun. After much squinting and body blocking the sun, our tickets popped out. I feel bad for the lady taking the tickets. I asked her if the clatter of The Racer tearing by every other minute got old. Her voice said "oh, yes", her eyes said "kill me now". I don't blame her. Anyway, I liked the walk. It was much bigger than I'd expected. My only critiques: the format of the signs got very repetitive, and I'm not sure that millions of years ago every Dinosaur really sounded like Godzilla. Then again, who's to say they didn't? The price was right, and the lack of crowds back there was even better. I think we saw 2 families the entire time. We followed up with the 3d movie, which was fun and had great sound and picture quality. Sadly, I was overstimulated and still woozy, so it was time to exit KI for awhile. My son did not object. All we really wanted to still do were night rides. We hit the road and ended up at Firehouse subs on Fields Ertel. The food was good, the tv showing the Reds beat up on the Rockies was even better. Around 7:30 we returned to KI. Another fabulous ride on Diamondback (25 minute wait), and a spin on the Flying Ace Ariel Chase (30 minute wait). One of the ride ops there was asking KI trivia questions over the PA. He claims the longest ride timewise at KI is Boo Blasters. I say the train. Lemme get my stopwatch, buddy. Around 8:50 we arrived at Firehawk. My son desperately wanted another "flight". The posted wait time was 60 minutes. The attendant advised that it would indeed be an hour, and we resigned that we would not likely get our coveted night ride on Diamondback. But sometimes you get lucky, and at 9:40 we were off and speed walking to our favorite coaster across the park. Half an hour later, we boarded the second last train of the night. We love Diamondback, and it was even better flying over those hills with only the moonlight to show the way. The rush and the cold air were fantastic. With that, our day of awesomeness came to an end. We were exhausted but happy. A few notes: I really miss the music they played when I was a kid. I still remember classical music on International Street, banjo music in Rivertown, etc. It made KI feel like another world instead of just a big park 20 minutes from my house. The constant pop music piped everywhere, all day long, has no such magic and got really old., Maybe I'm old fashioned, but what is with the abundance of ugly t shirts? I'm talking about downright crude words and images. I love the liberty to wear what you want, but I also love the idea of wearing something tasteful to a family place. Lets try to elevate each other, not add ugliness. Ok, rant over. We did not bite on Fastlane (not needed today) but many did. An interesting idea, but I hope they don't forget about trying to keep the lines moving for everyone else. I like going to Disney and studying how little things make a big difference: for example the loading setup on The Alladin carpets: multiple gates instead of one. Thanks for reading. I can't overstate how great it was to spend the day with my son, at the amusement park I grew up in. Well, it isn't exactly the same park, but it's close enough, and we made some great memories.

If a park ever does build a wooden coaster with LIMs, I imagine that the launch section(s) would be steel supported track (might look like something from Rock Mountain Construction, or Son of Beast's loop).