Thrill_Biscuit

Wow! I didn't realize they were going with the "used" motif

^3 I know, right? There are days when just strolling in, stopping by the Glass Blower to watch Wayne create a colorful, sparkling trinket with fire, buying a souvenir, then walking over to LaRosa's and buying a slice or two and a refill, and just chillin' out by the Royal Fountains to reflect on the long day, is all it takes to make a trip. You gotta be a season pass holder, though, or it just doesn't feel right.

Give it about 30 years! EDIT - Illustration withheld until permission can be secured from original photo owner.

I wear cargo pants to the park. Sometimes, I buy some souvenirs that are just the right size to fit in my pockets. When I start to take on that 1991-MC-Hammer look, I simply walk out to the truck and leave the souvenirs there and come back for more coaster-ridin' bliss. I do not do the moving sidewalk dance, though. I can't touch that.

About the only place along the ride that seems suitable for any kind of extra theming is where the rider just might have enough time to catch his/her breath after having just come out of a giant loop and then a high-arcing 360° roll to the right. A similar opportunity comes about 4 seconds later at the bottom of the pretzel-like element of the ride, but just what kind of theming could compare to the sheer thrill and pure gut squish of that element?

The Epic Awesomeness of the Year award goes to TOPGUN1993! Oh, my gosh! The joy your clear, high-quality pics bring is impossible to describe! Thanks for posting these!

Most I waited for Diamondback on opening day in 2009 was an hour and 45 minutes. I rode it 5 times. There is NO way that like was ever 3 hours long. They over estimated it and is what they told people when they asked. Impressive considering the line was almost to Icee Mixitup at about 10:45 that morning! maps.google.com

It became challenging to come up with new names. I made a quick, randomizer spreadsheet and came up with a few wild ones. So, who's up for a spin on "Ned's Poncho?"

At least they didn't say it was 1,412 feet tall.

I often dream of having built a theme park in Billings, Montana. I even made a couple of RCT/RCT2 parks following along the lines of that dream (never RCT3; it kept freezing up my laptops). There had been real talk of a "Western Heritage-themed" park there (complete with a giant cowboy observation tower) about 20 years ago, but it never became a reality. Here's what I'd come up with: 1. A wooden twister called "Rimrock Rampage" (Billings is known for its "Rimrocks," a cliff wall that runs along the northern edge of the city); 2. An out-and-back "Racer" called "Alias: Smith & Jones" 3. A mine train called "Sluicebox Sam" 4. An inverted, steel coaster called "Yell-O-Stone" I'd have also named my flats such things as "Sidewinder" (Troika); "Big Sky Bandit" (Wave Swinger a'la Zephyr); and "Teton Tango" (Jump2), among others.

Amusement parks, especially ones we've visited throughout our lives, bring out a certain reversion to a state of mind first experienced during youth, that kind of manifests itself even into our early adult years. It's a sort of "check your maturity at the door" phenomenon that drives us to want to "pick up where we left off" each season... thus, you might see folks -- whom you might otherwise expect to show more restraint -- running a little bit. Then, in a flash of momentary couth, you'll see them laughingly "hit the ol' brakes." It's a fun observation of human nature, at least from the perspective of one who has made an impulsive, Beast-ward dash every once in a while, even in his late 30's & early 40's, only to realize that setting a better example is a much more gratifying (and less embarrassing) option.

I've become accustomed to making The Beast my first coaster ride each season. I'll ride Banshee soon enough, and plenty of times this season the Lord willing.

Yes, but you get peanuts. Ones you can actually eat!

No doubt linked to my biometrics and other personal data... for ease... of identification... perhaps...

The park has my permission to record my scream of "Here we go again!" if they want to. It is going to sound like a Banshee.

A foreshadowing of things to come 30 years later?

The closest I could come up with is this 1994-2010 comparison I made in PowerPoint a couple of years ago. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MosdvHJx4y4

For Diamondback, we got in the park at about 10:30, and then directly got in line about where the approach to the splash-down hill crosses the midway in front of The Beast-area Arcade. It was about a 4-hour wait for us. I think it will be somewhat similar for Banshee, so prepare accordingly -- (This post brought to you by the letter 'P' ).

They could simply change its name to "Schiffschaukel" (swing boat), but the inevitable tongue twists might result in unintentional profanity.

I think I'll slow down in 2014, and try to take in the experiences of life (the good ones) with a little less 'taking of things for granted.' Apropos of the topic, I'm listening to one of my favorite songs right now: "Time Stand Still," by "Rush," which has been there throughout many, many seasons, and can bring up memories from any one of them. It was released when Vortex was "born." The math: ~27 years ago. At the young age that I was, I didn't really care about the words of songs. Being at an age now -- where time seems to go by very quickly -- some words make a little more sense: "Summers going fast, nights growing colder; Children growing up, old friends growing older; Freeze this moment a little bit longer, Make each sensation a little bit stronger... experience slips away." Holy cow, they're right! So, stop, breathe, enjoy the good days. Each is so precious!

"Fiery Fist of Pain," from one of the last of the semi-decent Spongebob episodes (before the show jumped the shark completely and became utter garbage).

Timber Tantrum Rocinante Rimrock Rampage Cataclysm Moe

You'll worry about feeling old until you get there, and then you won't care about it anymore.

Going through my video from that night... I'm pretty sure I heard LMFAO's Party Rock Anthem in there, right after one of Don's quarter-hour countdown breaks... it would be a good "pump up" song, if but just for the crazy synthesizer in the breakdown ("Ev'ryday I'm Shuffelin')...

Well, maybe the stairs won't suck that much, given how slowly riders will likely be ascending them. I remember when "Tazmanian Typhoon" opened 10 (!!!) years ago, the stairs on that comparably stubby attraction seemed formidable, only to realize that it was really just a "vertical" queue line, with all its wonderful, trademark slowness.