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Wow, that Flight of Fear picture brings back a lot of memories. It was a very warm and sunny June Monday. I just graduated from Princeton HS and was working in an office in St. Bernard. They didn't want me taking a lot of time off since I was only going to be there for a little more than two months, but they graciously allowed me to take a half day which meant I could leave at 11. I snuck out a little early, stopped back home, picked up my friend Mike in my freshly washed '84 Accord and headed to the park. We got to the park a little before noon and headed back to the ride. I believe the official opening of the ride was supposed to happen at noon. We got to the ride only to discover that there were a few people in front of us. They were holding the line outside of the building, but I remember the line stretching under The Racer (as shown in the picture). We followed the line which then wrapped around to the right, past the swings, past the arcade, past the speed pitch and ended right around the old Flight Commander spot where we found a spot at the end of the line. I believe the line backed up to at least Vortex by the time we started moving after the ride officially opened. There's nothing quite like the energy that flows from the crowd during a big ride opening. I flashed back to the Cincinnati Enquirer article about the new ride, the specs, seeing the track layout for the first time and realizing that we were finally going to turn all of the anticipation into realization. I think that one brief moment is the reason why I love ride openings so much. It's not just the fact that you're going to get to ride but more that your frame of reference is going to shift. Your life, albeit it in a very small way, will be forever changed simply by being in that moment. It's a collection of things that will form an experience you'll remember for years to come. Your senses are heightened. The ride will be there for a long time but the experience of that day is singular. I remember waiting outside in line for an hour and being happy we finally got to the part of the queues in the shade. I remember the anticipation of going down the ramp and seeing the inside of the building for the first time. I remember seeing the mirrors along the wall and mistakenly thinking we were only seeing half of the queue line. I remember the what seemed like hundreds of times we saw the pre-show video while in line. I remember the couple of breakdowns where the line wouldn't move for 20 minutes at a time. I remember finally making in into the spaceship. I remember hearing the launch for the first time and subsequent screams, oohs and aahs. I remember seeing the launch for the first time... Zero to sixty in four seconds sounds impressive on paper, but I doubt that anyone who was there that first day will ever forget what it was like to see that train launch for the first time. Perhaps it was the fact that you could only see the top of the train being propelled into the tunnel only to disappear quickly into the abyss. I remember turning to my friend Mike with what I imagine was an open mouth and him turning to face me with exactly the same look. You then looked around to see the same look on so many other faces. I think that one moment instantly made the wait worthwhile. Five hours in line later we boarded in the second row. It's interesting because I only remember 3 things about the actual first ride: the launch, seeing that first part of the cobra roll out in the distance, and that low to the ground and corkscrew finale being taken at what seemed like a ridiculous speed. And then it was over. "That was fun", we heard the riders in the front row exclaim. Mike and I both nodded our heads in agreement. A great end to what was a cool experience. I probably had more fun at the openings of Son of Beast and Diamondback but the opening of Flight of Fear was definitely more memorable. That ride started what was the best summer of my life up to that point. Each time a major ride is announced at KI I realize that it's more than the ride that I look forward to. Those opening day moments at that ride are forever entwined with the ride itself. It's vivid memories of the park being etched in your mind that serve as reminders for how the park, you and others who shared in those moments with you continue to evolve. There's really nothing quite like those big ride opening days.

Here's one last thing that I have dug up to post during this off-season. This is a May 1980 magazine article about the behind the scenes of The Kings Island & Miami Valley Railroad. I am going to string this out over a few days because there is so much to read...and because I can! I hope you enjoy it.

Compare with this

^ my MacBook Pro functions totally different than any windows based laptop or desktop I've had. No crashes, glitches. viruses etc...

It's ok everyone! Just 9 days. Wait? 9 days?! We're oh so close!

Funny, I have a Windows computer that never crashes, glitches or gets viruses. And all the maintenece I do is Windows updates and keep my antivirus going

It stinks to see that internet meme douchebaggery has not missed KICentral.

Did you miss the part where they "added" a new area called X-Base and added a now-faded aircraft runway paint job on the ground? Did you miss the part where almost three-quarters of Rivertown was redone with the neat pavers and Beast received a new entrance plaza? Did you miss the part where the entirety of Coney Mall received the neat pavers alongside the new plaza between WindSeeker and Vortex?

Are you the same person that came up with the 25 day forecast?

Photo #108

Woe to people who think because something is a Mac, it functions completely different than all other computers made.

It's the same as posting a pic from a Windows or Linux computer - upload it to a photo-hosting site (photobucket, imageshack, etc.), then copy the bbcode from said site and paste it here.

Ummmm, my wife just informed me that if we go to CP this year and its packed we are getting fastlane, so i guess i will tuck my tail between my legs and shut up now! lol

Everything old is new again. Sort of.

Photo #106

This one is going to hurt a little, because I really, really love AE; except for that awesome build-up to the...station!

That's because the little ones love it so much. That makes it worth it. Not all of life needs be spent in the Fast Lane.

It was in the area where Charlie Brown's Windup is presently located. It was on the right after you passed First Aid and entered Hanna Barbera Land. .