XGatorHead 8904

Mrs. Gator and I were discussing vacation plans this morning. She said that a co-worker mentioned that Niagara Falls is only two hours away from Erie, PA and Waldameer, and she knows I've been wanting to take GatorGirl there. So of course I said, "Toronto's only another two hours or so from there..." She knew what I was hinting at, and she's the one that brought up Canada's Wonderland and the fact that she's never been there (I have twice, in 1996 and 1997, so it's been a while). So tentative plans for Lakemont & DelGrosso's have more than likely been pushed back to 2015 where they originally were, and we may be making a trip to a beautiful Canadian park now, not to mention a mighty natural wonder!

Ah, I see that now on rcdb. They're new since I've last ridden too. Hopefully they're more comfortable! Coincidentally, when I pulled up rcdb, the "Random Roller Coaster" it showed for me was Superman - Ultimate Flight at SFGAdv.

And here I thought Roller Coaster at New York, New York was also in that category for you.

Wow... I had to restrain myself from replying to one woman. First she said, "I have it on a very reliable source that it is complete. Not sure if this is an older in process pic, or if maybe they had to remove some parts just to get through this Arctic blast but it is completed! Woo Hoo!" Someone replied to her that it's not done yet and to check out the live webcam, to which she responded, "Those cams aren't reliable, and I know the one who told me is, but I will also ask a worker who has been onsite on this since day one to confirm." I almost replied with "So a LIVE webcam isn't reliable? A camera that shows you pictures of the coaster as it looks right at this moment? Wow... And why would they need to 'remove some parts just to get through this Arctic blast?'," but I didn't want to start an argument with someone who is completely ignorant of coaster constuction. Not that I'm all that knowledgeable on the subject myself, but at least I have some knowledge, plus enough sense to know that a live camera is more than likely showing me the truth. Seeing is believing, as they say.

I used to do this manually for Admissions back in the day, looking at sales transaction reports. Now there's an app for that!

I've only ridden three flyers, Stealth at Paramount's Great America during its opening year, Firehawk and Superman - Ultimate Flight at SFGAdv. Out of those, I definitely prefer the Vekomas over the B&M.

^I think I still have a Yogi one somewhere at home.

Yes it was... ... and yes it was!

^I'm the exact opposite. When I go on roadtrips/vacations, I avoid national chains whenever possible and insist on trying the local flavors. Why get the same stuff that I can get anytime at home?

1. Gatekeeper Media Day & OSU Day were definite highlights of the year. Going to bed at 7:00 the night before and waking up a little before midnight to drive up and be there by 4:00am, then taking that first ride in the dark, spending most of that bright sunny day reading since GK was difficult for me to fit into and I don't fit on MF or Raptor, but also spending a lot of time with friends (and who can forget the two free meals at Midway Market) and walking a lap around the park as all the associates were getting it ready for opening. Hanging with chugh43 and another friend on OSU Day, being stopped by Matt Ouimet and him joking with us that we weren't allowed to sleep in the park (since he had seen us the day before) and impressing me that he actually stopped to talk with us and has a sense of humor (something we felt prior management wouldn't have done), the three of us waiting with Don in line for Iron Dragon and as a result trying to start a rumor about the land clearing that was being done in Action Zone, and chugh43 convincing me to give Mean Streak another try (I won't be making that mistake again). Too bad I couldn't stay with you for more fun on the next day too! 2. Participating in Coasting for Kids for the second year in a row, this time with Mrs. Gator & GatorGirl for their first time, and getting 99 laps on The Racer! 3. Visiting WDW, experiencing New Fantasyland, and GatorGirl getting her first ride on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. 4. My first visit to Conneaut Lake Park. 5. Attending the announcement for Banshee, being smooshed in with lots of other fanatics who also got there early to get a good spot. 6. Visiting CP again, this time with the Gatorettes and friends for HalloWeekends, and GatorGirl getting her 50th coaster credit (Gatekeeper, which is now her favorite ride anywhere). 7. Working Haunt once again and bringing Sam the Butcher to life for the 5th year!

I was disappointed with the news at first, but I'm willing to give vanilla Pepsi a try (since I always ordered vanilla Coke there before).

UDF was actually where Cinnabon is now. The current Graeter's location was a shop. I wouldn't mind seeing the national chains (Subway, Chik-Fil-A, Panda Express, Starbucks, Cinnabon) leave, but keep the locals (LaRosa's, Skyline, Graeter's) and possibly add even more local establishments! -Gator, imagining Busken or Bonnie Lynn in the park, which would be much harder for me to resist than Cinnabon!

Ghostwood Estate > Phantom Theater and Boo Blasters

I second the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk advice. When we went there years ago, we only planned to stay about two hours... which eventually turned into eight hours. We couldn't tear ourselves away from the place, it was so nice! Of course, that made our drive to San Simeon that night a lot later and darker than we had planned. As far as our plans, there's the ones we do every year: Kings Island, Cedar Point, Stricker's, Coney, and Dollywood in November. I'm also planning on going to Kentucky Kingdom on opening day. As I've said before, I want a front-row seat to what I think will be a fiasco. KK was far from a pleasant experience last time I visited, hopefully they'll surprise me. For once, I'm not entirely sure that I'll make it to Holiday World in 2014. I've been going every year for about 5-6 years, and we usually go on our way back from my family reunion in IL, but depending on schedules, the Gatorettes might not be joining me for that reunion and it may be a solo trip. I'm not sure that I'll feel like going to HW&SS by myself. We've been going to new PA parks each year after her family reunions, and we are definitely planning on our first visit to Waldameer in August. Mrs. Gator mentioned that she wouldn't mind extending that trip to include a few others, the ones she specifically mentioned were Lakemont & DelGrosso's (both of which we've also never been to), but if we're going to make that our full vacation, I wouldn't mind going to Dorney for the first time, and possibly a return visit to HersheyPark.

Ah, 1991... a simpler time in my life. October 6th (the date the video was taken) I had completed my 3rd year in Food Service at KI (in Rivertown Karts), leaving much teenage drama behind in the process, and was about a month and a half into my freshman year at college. Good memories. Thanks for posting that, it was nice to see things again as they used to be (and thanks for explaining the stabilization, I would have wondered what was up with that crazy frame).

Out of all the times I've gone to CP, I only rode it once, after I had heard that it wouldn't be coming back the following year. I enjoyed it but was disappointed I had waited so long to take the time out from the thrills to slow down and enjoy that hidden gem. At least I got to experience it once before it was gone.

I rode Conneaut's this past August. I liked Kennywood's better, mainly because of the better view.

BLASPHEMY! One could argue (and I would) that if you went to Dollywood's Smoky Mountain Christmas without seeing any shows, then you haven't truly been to Dollywood's Smoky Mountain Christmas. For the Gator family, the shows are the main draw during the event, and the rides are a bonus... the rest of the year, the two are even (ok, maybe a slight edge to the rides). I completely agree with you. Those are both classic rides that one should not miss. When I rode Turtle though, I couldn't help thinking that KI's Tumble Bug was faster. I just wrote that off as me being a kid at the time and it just seeming faster to a much smaller me.

Oh come on, Tanna. I thought you enjoyed it when you encountered a certain butcher who burst into song a few years ago!

At least you could understand what they were saying on IJ:ST's audio, and it wasn't blasting directly into your ear. Now on the other hand, I greatly enjoy the auditory experience on Rock 'n' Roller Coaster.

The music on Bizarro was awful. The music was blaring, and the dialogue couldn't be understood because it was too loud for the speakers to handle. Worst audio I've ever been exposed to on a ride.

I am so excited to hear the Queen of Kings Island again! This is some of the best news so far this off-season! I just realized... GatorGirl has never heard the Wurlitzer 157. She's heard others at other parks, but not KI's, the one that I grew up listening to.

We took GatorGirl and her second cousin from Florida to EnterTrainment Junction the day after Thanksgiving. Being the enthusiast that she is, GatorGirl was enthralled with the Coney Island display. She turned to me and said, "I wish someone could just make us small so we can ride those rides!" I just had to say, "Me too." Kudos to the staff who put together and maintain this wonderful display, as well as all the other displays there!

Would you rather us not take our jobs seriously? Depends on the scareactor. Some of my best, most memorable scares have been big guys! Unfortunately, a majority of the time when popping on a big guy, they don't react (and that's probably why some scareactors quickly stop popping on them). But when they do jump, it's great! Definite yes to this. The past three years I've had a great hiding spot from which I could pick my perfect victim. If someone looks freaked out, that's who I'm getting. If a scareactor touched him, it was more than likely by accident. It sometimes happens. I have a very strong suspicion that that will change come next year.

Gross! Emoticons count as words right? Well, they do say that a picture is worth a thousand words, so sure, why not?