McSalsa

That audio track makes me ponder something...if the track the ride itself "goes" on is the one that's supposed to be closed (Track 2), and Track 1 goes to Outpost 5...then if there were a track 1...(imagines Adventure Express Track 1)... Ride-Op: OK! Enjoy your ride on Adventure Express Track 1... (Train departs and goes straight for about 30 seconds, climbs a chain lift, and then stops in a familiar station...) Other Ride-Op: Welcome to Outpost 5! Enjoy your ride on Son of Beast! Or...during Haunt since SOB has been SBNO... Same thing...but when you reach station... Some Dude: Welcome to Outpost 5! Prepare to be mauled by werewolves! McSalsa: AAAAAHHHH!!! Oh, my crazy imagination...

2012 Total Parks... 5/5: Kings Island That is all... Total Rides @ Kings Island ridden: Red Racer: 1 Firehawk: 1 Diamondback: 1 Vortex: 1 Viking Fury: 1 Monster: 1 Beast: 2 Adventure Express: 1 Flight Deck: 1 Flight of Fear: 1 2012 was a big step down for me from 2011...still, something's better than nothing, right?

Well, time for another "annual" poll. The last 2 years, I did this BEFORE Halloween Haunt began...this year, I decided to wait it out a bit longer...oh well, last-day-of-the-year works... This is really a simple poll: how well do you think Kings Island did in 2012, and which of the several events that happened this season was the most "noteworthy" to you (there is also an "other" option for those who think something other than what I listed was important for question #2)? Enjoy the poll...if you dislike, click back...

UPDATE: 10/24/2012... Now Google Maps has the updated 2012 image. WindSeeker is there now, and Invertigo is blue now. Street view is still 2011, though.

Wow, did not even notice when checking the HW website yesterday that those slides were gone as well as Congo River...well, RhinoBlaster can probably replace AmaZOOM and Bamboo Chute, but Congo River...that's an odd one, looking at one of my HW park maps it would not block any new entrance I can think of (the slides, however, do, creating a bottleneck in that section of the park along with the Thanksgiving section) and its removal will just increase the crowds over at Bahari River...granted, these Lazy Rivers are giant in capacity and it may not be a problem, but having 2 lazy rivers, even if one was better themed than the other (Bahari>Congo), I don't see why Holiday World would be removing it...worth noting is this will mean 3 of Splashin' Safari's original attractions will be gone in 2012...only Crocodile Isle remains... Granted, there is also the chance this is a web site mess-up, and none of these rides could be leaving as no official announcement has been made...but, given the fact they are building a new entrance (hopefully one that gets rid of the bottleneck in that section)...and the location of the rides that are leaving...it seems feasible... PS: Nemo, Holiday World did add a second wave pool...in 2005. But they do have 2...so a new wave pool for them would mean THREE wave pools! Also, out of randomness- I like the old wave pool, "The Wave", better than the new one... Oh, and since I took some of your time, here are some pictures I found on Holiday World's Wikipedia page...in 1957, there was this... And now, in 2012, there is this... And that's not to mention all the stuff on the other side of ZOOMbabwe (where this pic was taken): Raven, Legend, Sparkler, other rides, etc etc...

^ Yeah, probably...but, even if not now, I do still think the BGBW money could probably go into Holiday World at some point...unless the Koch's try buying another park soon, that is...in which case, that is where the BGBW money will probably go...

^ I'm not sure on that. Ed Hart said he thought it was, the Koch's say they really did mean to re-open and run KK, and they would be the only ones to know for sure. However, I'm leaning towards the Koch's telling the truth here. I also think the large expansion coming this year could be coming from some of the money the Koch's had built up for the BGBW project, but since that failed it could be going into Holiday World instead...and I have the strangest feeling they might have had more than $6.5M saved up for BGBW...which is good news for hopes of a new steel coaster going in at Holiday World.

Well, wow...this is far, far more than I was expecting...Splashin' Safari gets even better next year with RHINO Blaster (great slide name!), and they just got Mammoth to boot...a new teacup ride for Holiday World...new shows...Pilgrims Plunge getting re-named Giraffica (not the best name ever, but neither was its old one, so...), a after-dark light show...new dive show stadium...and the price tag isn't as extreme as I expected at $6.5 million, either... Consider me suprised...and impressed. Holiday World really seems to know what they're doing...here's their cool new for 2013 youtube video... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocLKj8pYNW4&feature=youtu.be Holiday World, please, keep being this awesome for years to come...

^ But, the street view was taken, according to the Floral Clock, on August 12th, 2011 (I know it was 2011 because of Invertigo's color scheme and the fact WindSeeker is there)...the fate of SOB at that point was still almost one year away from being known... Also, I just checked Google Maps (PC version) and it is still the outdated version for me at least- I'm getting Yellow & "Pink" Invertigo...my gosh, looking at it now, boy did it NEED that new paintjob...

I too love the smell of wooden coasters...for some reason, it seems "stronger" on Beast than on Racer, or any of Holiday World's wooden coasters...perhaps because it's mixing with the natural smell of the trees in the woods, or something... And, of course, there is the smell of the food...ahh yes, smells so good...(McSalsa's Brain: NO MCSALSA! IT TOO EXPENSIVE AND WE BROUGHT FOOD IN THE CAR! NOOOO...oh fudge he's not listening...)...Mmm...well, there went $20...

Ahh, the sounds of Kings Island...too much to choose from, but I'll try... Beast's "bada-bada-bada-bada-thud-bada-bada-bada-bada-thud..." as it approaches the first lift hill Vortex's lift chain, "woosh" as it goes around the track, and brakes Flight Deck's different-sounding yet similar "whoosh" and brakes Son of Beast's loud anti-rollbacks, which we shalt never hear again... Firehawk's high-pitched rollbacks that make it sound like the chain is going at 4X speed... Flight of Fear's launch Racer's anti-rollbacks and brakes, which are even better sounding when both trains are going at once Drop Tower & Invertigo's "Ka-Thunk" they make right before dropping That should about do it...

^ D'oh! That's what I get for posting that at 4AM...yeah, I actually was kept up looking at these they were so cool...

^^ Add Canada's Wonderland to the list of parks that have this. Of course, no Leviathan because it was still under construction...so it's pre-giga CW but still...also, don't bother checking Holiday World, they are not in on this maps thing...yet... I am loving this feature of google maps..."visiting" parks I both have an have not been to...Cedar Point is a lot prettier than I expected, and with LOTS more trees than I thought. SFGadv is much better themed than I expected, too, but the sheer amount of ads kind of kills the vibe...and Kingda Ka is closed in virtual SFGadv...fudge! At least virtual El Toro is open... UPDATE: Just checked out Canada's Wonderland...wow, what a BEAUTIFUL park...and one that I must admit even beat Kings Island for its entrance plaza...that big mountain is beautiful, and has TWO roller coasters built into it (Vortex, their version of our "Flight Deck" and a Mine Train called Rolling Thunder)...and apparently, CW gets crowds like crazy...this park gets an A+ for park atmosphere, or at least the 2011 pre-Leviathan version does...would like to see a 2012 version, but alas, I doubt Leviathan's placement could have been so bad as to destroy an entire park section like Diamondback did to KI...could it? UPDATE 2: And then I click on Busch Gardens Williamsburg, and while CW was nice, I realize I haven't seen anything yet... UPDATE 3: OK, BGW has had this for a while now...or they have rebuilt the Big Bad Wolf...(the date says June 2009 or something around that time...)

We made from Indianapolis to very close to KI in about 1 hour once...which was too quick for the park (it was still an hour before opening, this was during HH 2010), so we stopped to eat and ended up arriving at our usual 1 1/2 hour time...which is our normal. However, once we got stuck behind a super-slow semi truck and that added a whole 20 minutes to our "wait"...

Well, now Coasterbob62 has a video of SOB as it comes down piece by piece...this from 9/29. Enjoy. Not my video...

Oh boy, get ready for someone who doesn't get to go to Amusement Parks much... Hoosier Hurricane, Indiana Beach. Have not ridden since the summer of...1999. Yep. And it's still there, and operating too, so it counts... At Kings Island, it would be...Backlot Stunt Coaster. I enjoy the ride, but only rode it once, back in May 2010. Ever since, the lines have simply been too long for it (it's not the best ride for capacity in the park) and we skip it. I've also only ridden Invertigo ONCE, and that was back in October 2010...so it would be second. My most recent coaster, BTW...The Beast. May 5th, 2012. 11:30PM (yeah, it had a long line and did not close early for some reason, possibly because it didn't open until 2PM that day due to some sort of repairs or something it needed...) Full Moon, too. It was a great ride, but I'm wanting to ride more coasters bad...but cannot due to financial restraints. Sigh...

^^ The Racer has already been "touched" and in some's opinion "messed up" quite a bit since its 1972 debut...the trains were lengthened, the paint was changed and allowed to fade & chip into its current state, the tunnels at the end were not always there, it originally had 4 car trains with no headrests and buzz bars instead of 5 car trains, each side had one red & blue train each (instead of the matching colors of today), and it had one side turned backwards...then forwards again. This ride has gone through a LOT of changes since its opening in 1972...oh, and Beast has too, if anyone was wondering about that... As for what I'd do...hehehe...bring back Racer V1.0 ('72 edition)...buzz bars and epic airtime, here we come... ...and the 4-car trains won't be such a problem for capacity anymore because there are now lots and lots of high-capacity coasters in the park that draw attention away from Racer, which was NOT the case in the early 1970s, when Racer was the ONLY big coaster at Kings Island (there were 2 others- what is now Woodstock Express, a "kiddie" wooden coaster, and a tiny steel coaster named Bavarian Beetle, but neither were "full-sized" coasters for intense thrill seekers, which is what Racer was back in 1972)...but, if you aren't restoring it, don't touch it any more...it's been changed enough... Granted, I was not alive to ride The Racer in its early years, and while I did ride it in 2000 (did it still have buzz bars in 2000? I'm not sure...), I don't recall much except being scared for my life because of the airtime...when I returned in 2009, the "current" version was in place...while I'm told the ride isn't what it used to be, I did have an excellent ride on it on May 5th this year...(First Train O' Day, Front Seat, Red Racer, Great Floater Air, and Super-Smooth...the first ride I ever held my hands up on for the whole ride! ) Just some comments on this ride and topic...

Oh, another interesting thought...what if these rides were built, then the Cedar Fair take-over still took place in 2006...what the heck would Cedar Fair have re-named them? Remember, these are the geniuses who brought us such great re-names as Drop Tower and Flight Deck... My guesses: Addams' Family Coaster: Guess what...my mind is drawing blanks so...Spooky Haunted Castle Coaster! Yogi's Cave: Snoopy's Cave?!?!

^ I like BLSC, but a Euro-Fighter at KI does sound like it would have been cool...except for low capacity...which, ironically, is also a problem with BLSC (thank you, 3-car trains!)... And what was Yogi's Cave supposed to be anyhow? A walk-through dark attraction similar to Frankestein's Castle at Indiana Beach, because that's what I'm imagining...

Wow, we thought it was a recession back in 2003, eh? We had no idea what would happen in 5 years when the housing market failed, did we... As for what the topic states, I love the idea. I had a similar one without even looking at this, but it involved a museum instead of the Former Paramount Story/Tower Gardens area...

Screamscape is reporting that Thunder Alley may have given its last runs during Labor Day weekend this season, as there is now a rumor the ride is being retired and will be demolished, which could make some sense as it is right next to Son of Beast. The rumor also states the park is wanting to use more of the former King Cobra ride area, and removing Thunder Alley could let them do that. Another part of the rumor states that a Luminosity-type show is coming to Kings Island in the future. This IS Screamscape though, so I'd take this with a grain of salt, but they were correct about The Crypt earlier this year and to be honest, I can see Thunder Alley going... Any thoughts/comments on this one? http://www.screamscape.com/html/kings_island.htm

My Picks: Best Amusement Park Kings Island Best Theme Park Holiday World Best Value Park Holiday World Top 5 Wooden Coasters #1-The Beast, Kings Island (2010: 3rd, 2011: 1st) #2-The Voyage, Holiday World (2010: 1st, 2011: 2nd) #3-The Legend, Holiday World (2010: 2nd, 2011: 3rd) #4-The Raven, Holiday World (2010: 4th, 2011: 4th) #5-Red Racer, Kings Island (2010: 5th, 2011: 5th) No changes here from 2011 for me. Top 5 Steel Coasters #1-Diamondback, Kings Island (2010: 1st) #2-Flight of Fear, Kings Island (2010: 2nd, 2011: 3rd) #3-Vortex, Kings Island (2010: 3rd, 2011: 2nd) #4-Flight Deck, Kings Island (2010: 4th, 2011: 4th) #5-Backlot Stunt Coaster, Kings Island (Not Ranked in 2010 or 2011) Not much change here besides Vortex & Flight of Fear switching positions...again. It's like those two are dance partners! Also, BLSC kicks out Firehawk because I had a not-so-great ride on Firehawk this year... Best Flatride: Delirium @ Kings Island (3rd year in a row) Best "New" Ride: Viking Fury @ Kings Island!!! It was only contender for it, too... Best New Ride: N/A. I did not ride anything "brand new" this year. Most Beautiful Park: Holiday World/Kings Island (Tie) Best Water Ride: Wildebeest @ Holiday World Best Waterpark: Splashin' Safari Best Park Staff: Kings Island/Holiday World (Tie) Best Kids Area: Kings Island Best Park Show: Still N/A... Cleanest Park: Holiday World Best Halloween Event: Kings Island's Halloween Haunt I STILL really need to go to more parks...2012 was, to this point, an "off" year for me... PS: Buying ad space on KICentral will not influence my picks. Also, I do not have a magazine to sell ad space so ha...huh? (Six Flags Great America offers McSalsa $100,000,000,000)...OK! X-FLIGHT IS DA BEST RIDE EVAH! Wait, how do they have... Six Flags Great America has closed forever because they went into ultra-hyper-giga-bankruptcy for giving McSalsa too much money... (Note: That was a joke, inspired by Terpy's post above! Kind of makes fun of how the real GT awards work...)

Well, Amusement Today has released their 2012 Golden Ticket Awards and once again, it's just the same old stuff! So, here's another "annual" poll from McSalsa (I did this same poll last year and in 2010). Enjoy. What are YOUR picks for the following suggested categories? Or, you may also create your own if you feel I did not include one you'd want, but keep it realistic please (IE: No giving Kings Island an award for "Best Trash Cans", etc.) Some Suggested Categories...(just a suggestion, of course ) Best Amusement Park Best Theme Park Best Value Park (New for 2011!) Best Wood Coaster(s) (You can name just one, or make a "Top X" list) Best Steel Coaster(s) (Same thing as Wood) Best Flatride Best "New" Ride (New for you, does not have to be a brand-new ride) Best New Ride (Has to be a real, brand-new for 2012 ride) Best Park Food Most Beautiful Park Best Water Ride (Includes river rapids, splash rides, and waterslides etc etc) Best Waterpark Best Park Staff Best Kids Area Best Park Show Cleanest Park Best Halloween Event (like KI's haunt, etc etc) Enjoy the poll. If you dislike, click back. A SUGGESTION http://www.KICentral...__fromsearch__1 (for 2011 poll) http://www.KICentral...et&fromsearch=1 (for 2010 poll) If you did this poll last year or in 2010 (link above), click that and see your results from then. Then, for your steel/wood coaster rankings, you can "mark" if they have improved or gone down. Optional but would be nice.

Wow, El Toro actually won best wood coaster. That one's a shocker- after Voyage won last year (and based on the rides I took on it in 2011, it did not seem like it was still a #1 coaster anymore) I was expecting the same this year...wonder if the fact Holiday World was hosting last year had anything to do with that...probably did...also, Raven returns to being a Top-10 wooden coaster at #8...it seems to flip-flop for some reason in these rankings. Also, Wildebeest beat out Mammoth for best waterpark ride...in fact Mammoth did not even make Top 5! Hmm...bigger may not be better after all. And they also lost friendliest park to Dollywood...did Holiday World not buy as many AT ads this year or something!?!? Also spotted: Almost all of the Top 10 steel coasters are super-smooth hyper/giga coasters with large, gentle curves and airtime hills and no inversions. If I was New Texas Giant, I'd feel very alone on this list...the fact it's even on there says to me that this is probably a great ride. Magnum XL-200 should also be grateful it's on there, as from what I've heard (and felt from other Arrow rides), it's not super-smooth...and ditto on Maverick & I305 getting dissed. Never ridden either of them, but from POVs and No-Limits recreations, as well as online rating sites, these probably should be at least Top 10 coasters...and they aren't. Just a few things I spotted. Most of the other stuff is more of the same...

And even steel coasters "wobble" a bit when those heavy trains go across their tracks, for example, here is a music video of our own B&M Hypercoaster, Diamondback... Watch the track closely during the "yellow-ish" scene around the 1:30 mark...it isn't much, but it does "wobble" a bit there.