KI 7/23/2013: A Special Day

[VortexBFForever]

Part 1 of 3

There are multiple reasons why Tuesday, July 23, 2013, was a special day for me. I'll list them right here:

1. It was my 40th ever trip to KI

2. This day was exactly 3 years after July 23, 2010 - the day I took my very first ride on Vortex (my first looping coaster! <3). In other words, it was also 3 years after I experienced my very first inversion - a simple vertical loop!

3. I rode my first log flume, Race For Your Life Charlie Brown, for the first time (I wasn't much of a fan of water rides before, but I'm starting to enjoy them now)

4. I took my 160th and 165th ever rides on Vortex

This trip was also the first time in a while that I was going with only my mom. The last time it had been only the two of us was on Thursday, June 20. Between June 20 and July 23 I had been on four trips with different groups, and by the end of the fourth group trip I was itching for another trip that I had full control of (in other words: going without a group). Now I finally had my chance to be in control once again.

We arrived at the park and got into the ERT just after 9:50. It was 9:57 by the time we reached the rope drop in Coney Mall. Vortex had finished testing and WindSeeker was in the middle of another test cycle.

I did not take a video while the national anthem was playing (the music playing at 3-Point Challenge would have kind of ruined it anyway). In my opinion, I wish that someone would turn off the music at 3-PC when the anthem plays...

http://youtu.be/1-JtRsmSVSI

This shot is one of my favorites:

At rope drop, I and a few other guests quickly skedaddled off to Vortex. I was the first onto Train #3, which was the train waiting in the station (on another note, it's usually Train #2 that's in the station, but this morning #2 was stopped on the lift when I arrived at the station). This meant that Train #3 would be taking me on my 160th ride on this great Arrow mega looper. I crossed the train, lifted one of the front row harnesses, put my backpack and souvenir cup in the storage bin, and took my place in the front row of the train where I had lifted the harness a moment before. I pulled it down, buckled my seatbelt, and waited for the "All clear!". Within mere moments Train #3 was taking me (and the other 4 passengers on board) out of the station and onto the lift hill. When we came up beside the drop leading into the corkscrews, Train #2 (the train ahead of us) was going down that same small drop at the same time! I call an occurrence like this a "criss-cross". For a visual reference, I have a picture of a "criss-cross" that I saw on Opening Day:

On another note, the other 4 passengers on board were all in the back car, so I was the only one sitting in the front of the train, let alone the first 6 cars! This is probably the closest I've come to having a train to myself (the only time I was ever alone on the train was on 9/26/10; I would LOVE for it to happen again). Train #3 crested, then the 5 of us riders were off on an adventure down drops, over hills, through loops, corkscrews, and the boomerang/batwing, and up the helix. What a great ride to start the day!

After that fun ride I hurried across the midway to WindSeeker to see if I could still catch a ride on its first cycle of the day. But alas, I was late by a minute - the 'Seeker was already taking off when I entered the queue. On the other hand, I would be on its second cycle of the day!

I was in Seat 49 for the second WindSeeker cycle of the day. Today was a bit different concerning some cycles and soundtracks - occasionally there would be what I now call a "silent cycle" - for example, a cycle would not have a soundtrack playing, then on the next cycle the soundtrack that plays is the one that was supposed to play on the previous cycle. This is the first time ever that I've ever dealt with "silent cycles" - is it some kind of issue?

Well anyways, I mentioned it because on this particular cycle, no music played. The ride itself was still fun in its relaxing/thrilling way, but there's normally a soundtrack playing on every cycle.

After WS, I headed back to Vortex, which still had a nonexistent line. Literally. For a time I was the only one waiting in the station!

I once again got in line for 1-1, the front row. It turned out that Train #1 would be taking me through this cycle. I did just what I did the first time: cross the train, put my backpack and cup in the bin, and took my seat.

And then I was off on another fun ride. Six inversions and a few minutes later, I was back from the exhilarating journey. I went back to WindSeeker to ride again.

This time, I was in Seat 50 - next to where I had ridden earlier (Seat 49)! This time, a soundtrack played - it was the theme from 2001: Space Odyssey (a.k.a. Also Sprach Zarathustra) for this cycle. It was great to listen to it while going up - as if we were floating away to outer space. Hey, at least the top of WS is 301 feet closer to space!

After this windy ride, I went back to Vortex again. This time it had just more of a station wait. I timed it with my watch and by the time I stepped aboard Train #2 in row 6-1, the watch said 4:22.61; the wait was no longer a walk on, and now it was just under 5 minutes. I got a little pop of airtime on the first drop; it was a great start to another great ride on Vortex.

After this cycle, I had gotten pretty thirsty, so I went to the Juke Box Diner and filled my souvenir cup with root beer and ice. After paying $0.99 plus tax for the refill, I got back in line for Vortex and waited another 4-5 minutes, all while sipping some ice cold root beer.

I chose to ride in 5-2 this time. Like always, it was a fun ride to say the least.

Afterwards, I got back in line for WindSeeker, as another "silent cycle" went on. I wonder what is up with these "silent cycles"? Like I said before, I've never encountered them until now...

After waiting for a few I was assigned to Seat 58.

When the cycle began, I was surprised by...Test Drive! It's a really great soundtrack not only for How to Train Your Dragon but also for an experience like this. It (and the ride itself, of course) was awesome! I got back in line and heard "See You Tomorrow" play on the next cycle, as it should...

As you can tell, my fourth WS ride of the day was in Seat 19. This cycle after "See You Tomorrow" was supposed to have "This is Berk" playing as the soundtrack, but instead we encountered yet another "silent cycle"! Instead of the cycle I was on, "This is Berk" ended up playing on the next cycle! I got in line yet again to see if I would have another ride with a playing soundtrack. The next cycle (the one before my fifth and final WS ride of the day) also had a playing soundtrack, "Flying" (a song from Peter Pan) that played during a night ride of mine on July 11.

Part 2 continued in next post

[VortexBFForever]

Part 2 of 3

This last WS ride of the day for me was in Seat 17, just one row up from where I had just rode in Seat 19. This cycle also played a soundtrack (like it normally should)! To my delight, it was yet another track I recognized: "The Launch" from Apollo 13! The last time I had been on a cycle with "The Launch" playing was when I rode WindSeeker at Cedar Point on 9/09/2012. It was amazing yet again!

By the time I had joined the line for Vortex again, the wait had increased to 9-10 minutes, according to my stopwatch. To be exact, I waited 9 minutes and 15 seconds!

During those 9 minutes and 15 seconds I experimented with several of the different settings on my camera.

Miniature Effect:

Super Vivid:

Poster Effect:

Color Accent:

And now, we’re back!

To normal…

After setting my things on that little white shelf on the opposite wall of the station, I took my spot in row 7-2, on Train #2. In the meantime, inside my wild imagination, I started making up something poetic:

“T’was Train #2 and a little white shelf

On Vortex’s station wall, it holds things by itself…”

…and Train #2 left the building, just some moments later.

Up the lift hill and over the top,

this ride – no, it was not going to stop!

As it flew down that drop, with airtime galore,

It was only the beginning; so of course there was more!

Speeding straight towards the loops as it went,

Thrilling riders 100 percent! (note: I got the 100 percent part from "Horton Hatches the Egg.")

…I could go on and on, but I have this TR to finish. Seriously, I could make up a whole entire POEM about this ride!

What a thrilling back seat ride on Vortex! I really wanted to go again, so I got back in line, waited another 10 minutes and rode in 1-2 on this next ride.

I had fun once again; need I say more?

After this ride it was about 12:30. We had agreed on leaving at 1:00, so if I was going to ride Race For Your Life Charlie Brown today I would have to do it NOW. So we walked to Planet Snoopy, having ridden Vortex 6 times and WindSeeker 5 times in the past couple of hours. And like on every trip, I always have to take pictures along the way

These next two pictures are ones I took without looking at the camera – I would instead be watching the train going through the loops when I pressed the shutter button (although I occasionally glanced at the screen to see if the camera was pointed the right way).

I got some cool batwing shots:

Part 3 continued in next post.

[VortexBFForever]

Part 3 of 3

It was about 12:40 by the time I got in line. The wait was perfect – 10 minutes! (it was 12:50 when I got on). I was in #5, as anyone can tell by the above picture. I took out my blue rain poncho and put it over my waist pack (and only my waist pack) for my camera’s sake. Then I was off on a pleasant journey through the woods…

Mom took a video of when I came down the final drop. I’m on the third boat in the video (the second one that comes down the drop). I’m in the front of said boat.

I liked my first ride on my first log flume. It was nice going through the woods and down a couple of small drops and especially the bigger drop at the end. I got wet, but not too wet (just how I liked it!).

On our way to the Front Gate we saw several Peanuts characters being escorted to the International Street Bandstand for the 1:00 Peanuts Party in the Plaza show.

Annnnnd…last but not least, I decided to look around Lotsapalooza.

This 40^th ever Kings Island trip may have ended……but my fourth year of riding Vortex has only begun. Who knows what adventures lay ahead?

More TRs to come: The Beach Waterpark 7/27 and Opening Day of the Greene County Fair on 7/28! Stay tuned…

+Vortex: 6

YTD: 30

Overall: 165

+WindSeeker: 5

YTD: 19

Total: 37

+Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown: 1

Notes:

-WindSeeker’s frequent “silent cycles” as I had mentioned before

-multiple times I was the only one who cheered after a ride (which kind of started to feel miserable)

-Race For Your Life Charlie Brown’s line moves very quickly

-Drop Tower was testing at the beginning of the day, but was closed for quite some time during the day

-and next time I go during ERT, I have a new plan to try: go to WindSeeker after rope drop and ride its first cycle of the day, then go power-ride/marathon Vortex a little (if line doesn’t grow too quickly)

[ohiocolts]

Another very good trip report! Thanks for sharing with us and great pictures!