dare-to-fly

I love the coasters that still use the old skid brakes. They're out there, but they are getting harder and harder to find.

I was laughing too hard to think about it, but it didn't hurt so you're probably right. The most memorable experiences on that ride were seeing The Beast splash through a puddle at the bottom of the hill between the brake shed and the tunnel, and being splashed in the face with a curtain of water exiting the first trip through the helix tunnel. I loved every minute of it.

It depends on how coaster crazy you are. I rode the Kentucky Rumbler on New Years Eve. The park opened at 5:00 and was 31 degrees. I was on it until about 12:15 - you decide what the temp would have been, but it had to be in the low 20s. PS. I rode 30 times even.

You were in the wrong park for that, but the prices of things are a matter that I have come to overlook these days. They are overshadowed by all of the other good stuff.

I got to really ride The Beast as a water ride last May. That was amazing. BTW...I'm not just talking rain shower...I'm talking POURING. It was the day that they closed early last year due to the weather and lack of crowds. I got two rides in a row even with single train operation.

At the beginning of the day, the lubrication in the wheels isn't yet warmed up, and therefore causes the coaster to run slower. The colder the temp, the colder the grease. EDIT: You beat me to it. That policy is still annoying, and at the end of the day on a fairly sunny day...again what's there excuse on Corkscrew? Now you really did it.

I had a great time as well, and think you should know that I enjoyed your presentation. One bit of trivia that struck me off guard was what you said about the location of the stations for the Sky Ride. I had no clue one was still there.

None of them. They will all be out of money by the time they buy their own refreshments from those exhausing walks. You've got the right Physics problem idea.

Well of course you did! Or that's what you would like us to believe.

If all of the guests had memories like that, popularity would soar. This...in my opinion...is where Kings Island shines.

Oh, no. Here we go again!

Is it? In one scenario, the nickel is traveling at a high rate of speed. The other scenario has the train traveling at a high rate of speed and the nickel at a much slower rate. Either way, Mr. Kinzel wouldn't want to catch it.

One thing that's in their favor is the park mangagement. They seem to really be very committed to helping the park prosper. I was also told that Thunder Run is getting some track work this off-season, so it should be improved.

Share some with me, would you? Not having any this off-season is starting to tick me off. It keeps the withdrawals to a minimum. And no...it's not just you. The dream that made me the maddest was a dream I had that LeSourdsville Lake was open again. I was sitting in the train of the Screechin' Eagle ready to dispatch and woke up via the alarm. Needless to say, I was MAD. Just take a look at my avatar - that's a photo of Screechin' Eagle. The words "dare-to-fly" were printed on the back of the train. We're big fans.

Those of us who attended the ACE Midwest Storm last year were treated to a whole new perspective of SFKK, and I have fond memories as a result. They obviously need to work on making sure all of the guests have as great of a day as we did.

But they usually continue to operate in this fashion until the line gets at least 5 minutes long, leading to a very annoyed dare-to-fly. Installation of retractable seatbelts or removal of the belts altogether (I know...don't even say it) would fix this problem. PS. What's their excuse on Corkscrew?

Nice, and familiar photos. I also took a picture similar to the one you had of the view from one of the rooms of Great Wolf Lodge. I liked having that amazing view of SoB's most infamous portion of the ride. I'm ready for it again! It was a bit amusing when someone looked out there and mentioned Son of Beast and also "Top Gun." (Ahhh. Forbidden word.) Then they proceeded to insult the ride and say that "the Dumbo ride at Disney goes down faster." If the person that said this happens to read this post...My suggestion is that you ride in the back row rather than the very front row if you want a truly amazing experience on Flight Deck. As for the coaster that you actually saw, if you look at the photo again, that would be Firehawk. It could be recognized by the Flight of Fear building to the right, or the fact that Flight Deck is on the other side of the first drop of SoB from that angle. Of course, then there's the whole over the lift hill and toward the right thing. Everyone is entitled to his or her opinion of a coaster, but misidentification leads to amusing humiliation. PS. The speaker that you weren't sure of the name would be Nick Lacastro of Park Services and Boomerang Bay.

I've landed. I lived. The really twisted part is I like the dreams where I'm falling because landing never hurts and the fall is always so much fun! Usually those dreams twist my stomach worse than any coaster ever could...but I'd rather ride a coaster. Unfortunately I haven't had any dreams that are KI related this off-season. It's starting to aggravate me. I had them nightly for all of December and part of January last year.

That surprizes me to be honest that two inches is that different. As for the old trains on SoB...in a word...ouch. I can usually fit into about anything and tolerate it long enough to ride it, so maybe I just don't pay as much attention. Vortex and Flight Deck in the back seat of any car would be the only place I have trouble, and that's just knees.

They are probably just suffering from the economy these days just like everyone else. Give them time.

I believe you mean Cedar Point. I've seen them do this before too. I've also seen them close cars on certain coasters. In my own opinion, it's just to keep the lines longer so that the coasters aren't just walk-ons. I should also mention that it is among my top annoyances of that particular park, and I haven't seen that practice at any other yet...thank goodness.

Those seats perform every time. I still haven't figured out what draws people to the front. I'll never understand, as I'm too much of a backseat person. Every coaster that I've ridden in the front on I go right back.

Isn't it sweet?! Same situation here...same excitement! Life is so sweet at the moment.

Why stuck? I'm 6'3" and comfortably ride in whatever seat I wish. Does two inches make that much difference. I could relate on Vortex and Flight Deck about the back seat of any car. The jury is still out on which seat is better on FoF. As an afterthought, the left side of The Beast is better anyway due to the helix, so at least that's in your favor. I have noticed that rides on The Beast vary wildly depending on everything under the sun. Factors that I have noticed include but are not limited to time of day, dampness or dryness of the track, temperature of the air, and most of all...how full the train is. Throw trim strength in there, and that gives you a range of about 35-40mph depending on when you ride it. Most of those are unpredictable. So, yes, there have been many times that I have had a number of different experiences on The Beast even within the day.

Do you need some cough syrup so that you're well again in time to ride all of Cedar Point's coasters at Coastermania? (preferably trim free) ...And just like that, back on topic. We didn't stray too far.