Hank

If SOB were not at the park, there wouldn't be 10,000 stupid threads about it on this site - all of which seem to repeat themselves!

I have heard that Jump2's are not very reliable. Anyone care to back me up on this?

Jump2...http://www.hussrides.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=110&Itemid=169

I walked into the women's bathroom, head down and not looking until I realized there were no urinals!

I bought 2 fanny packs on Ebay a couple of years ago - 99 cents each plus $2.50 shipping for both. They are leather but are water proof and they hold tons of stuff. It only took a few days to receive them. Just search Ebay and I'm sure you'll find them.

^ Thank you!

I STILL can't believe the kind people that keep talking about "weight" or "girth" - I started by mentioning torso and boob size. Should my wife have to get a breast reduction just to ride a roller coaster? I don't think so. Even IF there is a test seat WITH a seatbelt that is EXACTLY the same as the ride's, if a person can't fit, why should they bother spending the money to get into the park in the first place? I am also totally amazed at the amount of "weight loss physicians" that are responding to this thread. If you, and all the REAL weight loss physicians, know so much about how to lose weight, or get "fit", or get thin, or whatever you want to call it, why isn't the ENTIRE world thin, or fit, or whatever you want to call it? If you can't except people for what they are, shame on you! You can't help it if you're not the "perfect size". One does not choose to be "wrong" and I'm so sorry that others have a problem with that. So yes, it could be like Rosa Parks and the bus thing - she could not change the fact that she was Black, just like I can't change the fact that I am tall - or my wife has big boobs - or that dwarfs are short - or that little children are under 48" tall - or that ride manufacturers don't know how to measure Americans - or that I'm sure to get hate mail for this post. But, I at least displayed my frustrations with some of the people who have posted such hurtful comments about us "big" people.

This was posted in today's Toledo Blade newspaper..... http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100520/BUSINESS03/100529967

I have just returned from a visit to the CF Martin Guitar Factory in Nazareth, PA. I have been there multiple times and I, myself, have built guitars from raw lumber - so it's always cool to see the "pros" in action and take-in the latest techniques used to make my favorite stringed instrument (unless you consider piano a stringed instrument). There are various ways of deep examining wood. Most guitar parts have wood that is very thin and it can be through-viewed using a strong back light. This is what is done at the Martin Factory. In my "build it at home" world, we use tap tones and pure touch to try and uncover defects and flaws in the wood. These processes don not take very long - just a few seconds at the factory and a minute or so at home. And so, after knowing the above information, I ask....could not the wood to be used on a roller coaster be inspected prior to using it for construction? I ask this, and have put this topic in this forum, because I am keeping Son of Beast in my thoughts. No matter how heavy the load could be on a section of coaster track or how much extra bracing would be used to accommodate that stress, if the wood is "faulty" a mere "butterfly sneeze" could split it apart. All of the world's greatest engineering could not prevent a faulty piece of lumber from doing its assigned job. Am I way off base on this? I could be - but I feel that a better inspection and a more accurate grading of lumber to be used in such a massive project as So Of Beast should be incorporated into the planning of such creations. Any views on this will, of course, be most welcomed.

I've said it before...people in this country are getting bigger. If the parks want to attract and keep customers, they're gonna have to do something about the seating arrangements, and this includes CP & KI. If safety is the problem, tell everyone ahead of time and they won't bother coming. If it gets to be too big of a problem for the parks, arrangements with the ride manufacturers will need to be made for design of products with the capability of accommodating larger riders. Until then, I will not be visiting parks as it is a waste of money for me - and for god's sake, please don't tell me how to diet or any other crap like that - I am simply too tall in the torso to fit on most rides (and I KNOW I am not the only one with this "problem") Furthermore, just because a person is overweight or has big boobs shouldn't prevent them from enjoying an amusement ride. I don't give a darn what excuse is used to prevent said people from riding - when the MAJORITY of the country gets larger, I guess that reason will be used to explain why a park has to close.

I filled out a KI questionnaire a year or two ago and it asked what I thought of free drinks, free parking, and a meal deal. I have only seen the meal deal at the park since then.

I am not a computer person. I know how to post on this site, send an email, and Google a few things - but that's where it ends. However, I realize that people are able to do great things with the power of computers - and some of those things are starting to look too "computerized" to me. A lot of great coasters were built without the aid of computers. Their designs were free-flowing pieces of art - and the designers and construction workers took pride in the finished product. This is not to say that today's coasters are designed and built without "feeling", but it has become more of a "put the puzzle together" and "connect the dots" kinda thing rather than a "let's think outside of the box" attitude. These days, a designer creates a coaster on a computer. It is either a sample of what could be done or it's a specific pattern ordered by a park. And there it is - all neat, all engineered, and you can even take a virtual ride on it. Yes, the "package" fulfills the need and can sometimes save a bit of cash as potential problems with the new machine can be "headed-off at the pass", eliminating the trial and error scenario. But character is lacking. Oh, each ride has it's own "thing", but the sum of the whole is not that different from one coaster to the other. The tracks look similar, the supports look alike, the restraints are often nothing new, and the big differences between the machines are an extra foot or two of height, and extra mph here and there, or an additional few feet of track. This is not to say that the ride is not enjoyable, it's just an observation that the ride is not that unique. I remember having an early coaster program from the Disney company. This came way before Roller Coaster Tycoon, which I really don't know much about. The Disney program was simple - even I could kinda work it - and when you finished your design, you could take a virtual ride in the front seat. Almost anyone could have fun with this, much like one could have with a digital camera. Take as many pics as you want, delete the ones you don't like, and if you take a whole slew of shots, you're bound to get a good one here or there. When film was required, the photographer needed to think before shooting - art was involved, and not everyone being an artist, some people's work was just not that good. Sure, it costs more to print a roll of film than it does to view your shots on a computer screen, but some talent had to go into those pictures - and I'm talking about professional photography. Do you see the similarity between the digital camera, Roller Coaster Tycoon, and other at-home computer programs? Anyone can do it - but is everyone a "professional" just because they CAN do it? So you see, my point is that for an older, serious coaster lover like me, my needs are not being satisfied with the new coasters of today. Some of them might have a new element (a new "twist", if you would) that is worthy of note, but in my book they are much like a boxed cake mix - the cake is OK, it is edible, but you can sure tell the difference between it and the "from scratch" creation.

^ ooops! I'm sorry - I said that wrong. But, either way, if Ferrari goes away, so will the cute train covers.

We're all wondering about weight....what about aluminum or carbon fiber track? Just because it hasn't been invented yet doesn't mean it can't be invented!

Just wait until Ferrari pulls their sponsorship - then they'll be similar to Stunt Coaster!

I changed my mind...if it's still around, The Ghoster Coaster would actually fit in my yard, and since I'd be the only one riding it, there wouldn't be a two-hour line!

I could enjoy a couple of those "midway" games - softball in the basket, etc. - then I could get a lot of practice with them. This would allow me to take home several of those extra large prizes! Oh, boy! (not really - I'd even settle for a scale model of The Beast).

By Jove, I think I've got it! Relocate SOB to Cedar Point and when it's being rebuilt, fix the problem areas. (just kidding of course, but you just never know....)

Boo Blasters preview...

I don't care what anyone says - I got to ride The Bat 3 times and it was a darn good ride, unlike the suspended coasters of today (including Flight Deck, Top Gun, or whatever they are calling it these days). I realize that The Bat was plagued with problems, but how those troubles were resolved left suspended coasters kinda blah. Seeing the home movies of the ride brought back many memories, but please note that when watching those films the items in the picture are moving a bit faster than "regular" speed - you can best notice this by watching the tree limbs blowing in the breeze and the people walking a bit quickly.

Sprinkles are OK, but a heavy downpour can really mess up the day!

There is an ice cream company in Sandusky, Ohio called Toft's. They've been there for years and I believe they now have a shoppe in Cedar Point - just like Graeter's Ice Cream has a shoppe in King's Island. Toft's makes a Blue Moon ice cream and it is kinda berry tasting but not REALLY blueberry, as they also make a blueberry ice cream (with real blueberries, I might add). Anyway, seeing the blue soft serve cones at KI always made me wonder - is it blueberry or not? I realize it's not really ice cream, just as most frozen custard places don't really serve frozen custard, but it is blue and therefore I questioned the flavor.

OK - now I seem to recall that the blue soft serve ice cream used to be Huckleberry Hound's Ice Cream - or something like that. Then, it was another name. Regardless, is it really blueberry flavored or is it more like "Superman" berry/tutti-frutti flavor. OR, what the heck flavor does it claim to be - or what flavor do you think it is? I've always wanted to try a cone, but for some reason I just never got around to it, not to mention being diabetic, I really shouldn't indulge in such sweet delights!

^ Westcoaster - did you ever hear of punctuation? It makes reading a heck of a lot easier!

Like I said - I worked at Heinz and they did lots of testing on their product to be sure it didn't lose it's taste when applied to hot stuff, like fries. I'm sure other companies do that too, but I have found that only Heinz ketchup keeps its flavor on hot fries. Hunts - well, not even close. It gets sour.