McSalsa

I actually remember those commercials. They made sense when SOB was still "just a baby". Now that SOB is 9 years old, they don't make much sense anymore.

Still better than some of us...

We all have to start somewhere...and some of cannot afford to buy season passes. Don't feel too bad. But make every trip count!

A bizzare dream I had a few weeks ago- Son of Beast reopened after the recent injury, with new trains.Trains that looked like...baby carriages!?!? Wheels and all. Yes, I rode it in the dream. And it was rough (I even woke up with back pain!), though I have never rode Son of Beast in real life (I have said it before, KI trips are rare for me and the one time we went recently, on May 16th, SOB broke down). Perhaps I was given this dream by the image of SOB shown at the end of "The Beast: 25 Years of Terror" film on Google Video... Yep. Imagine that, but larger for adults, and on Son of Beast and you'll get the idea...and all the cars had the SOB Logo on the side.

Yeah, this one is pretty explainatory. If you cannot remember all you have ridden, give a estimated guess. BTW, I am still a noob...I have ridden 9 roller coasters, 1 short of being a Amateur...and have only been to 2 parks(Indiana Beach in 1999, Kings Island twice in 2000 and 2009)

Yay I won! Thanks...I think...

Umm...we already have one of those. It's called Diamondback. Having 2 B&M Hypercoasters would be a waste of money, unless you build it right next to DB using a similar layout and make it like Racer...

A simple idea that popped in my head. You win a contest and get KI to yourself and a group of your friends for a entire day (I suggest bringing about 30 or so, as some rides cannot operate unless a certain number of people are on them). All rides are operating and running at 100% (even SOB). You also get free unlimited food and drinks for the day. What do you do?

I do not think so. OH NO! I JUST REALIZED Cedar Point VIDEO WAS IN THIS TOPIC! (As I am writing this, a massive tidal wave destroys Cedar Point) NOOOOOOO!!! LOL PS: Just a joke...a massive tidal wave did not just destroy Cedar Point, in case you were wondering or worrying about the rides or people there, etc.

Wow. I actually did not notice that until now... Uh-Oh.

Having only been to KI... #1-The Beast (At Night. Drops to #3 during daytime though.) #2-Diamondback (#1 during daytime) #3-Flight of Fear #4-Red Racer #5-Vortex Now, I am pretty sure most of these except Beast & DB will fall out as I head for other parks. I will probably update you then.

Here are some more vids he put up since last time worth watching: Cedar Point, July 2009. This one is brand new. ***** Son of Beast, right before closing in 2009. (Aka SOB in action) ***** And one month later...(Aka SOB closed) ***** Kings Island July 2009 overview. *****

Remember my "Back in 1997" post, about a video coaserbob62 had made? Well, he made another good one, this was from 2006: May these rides rest in peace. You will not be forgotten. Quick Update: Changed name of post to be more clear. Once again 111% Coasterbob62's work.

I know, I was just kidding!

It is a honor only the most historically signifigant coasters earn- the ACE coaster landmark. Beast & Racer have already earned this honor. Now, what I ask is this: what other coasters here will earn this honor? My guesses as to which ones are most likely: Vortex For It: It was the first coaster in the world with 6 inversions, and remains popular today. Against It: It is enjoyed, but is far from the most loved coaster in the park... Flight of Fear For It: First LIM launched coaster in the world. Against It: There is another Flight of Fear that opened alongside it at KD. Flight Deck For It: It's one of the last of its kind. Against It: They seem to be tearing these down now. It needs to survive. Son of Beast For It: World's First Wooden Hypercoaster, and it did try to do a loop, but failed. Against It: Freakishly rough and being a wooden hypercoaster won't mean a thing if that doesn't catch on. Diamondback For It: Amazing ride. Is bringing a lot of lost KI lovers back. Has some unique elements new to hypercoasters. Against It: Not much at all. Runaway Reptar For It: It was the world's first suspended coaster for kids. Against It: I don't know if ACE names a bunch of kiddie coasters... Adventure Express For It: One of the best mine train rides in the world. Against It: Same as Reptar- do Mine Rines earn ACE status? I think so, but still... All right, those are my "best picks". Now, If I had my way, I would dub all of them ACE landmarks right now. But that's just me. Enjoy yet another fun(or lame, your choice) poll!

WOW. That would be sweet. New for 2010 at Kings Island- Screaming Swing & Ferris Wheel! (Screaming Swing in particular would give KI yet another great giant flatride- now DT and Delirium aren't by themselves! Sorry Crypt, you're not a great ride.) BTW, what rides are those in real life and where are they, because I know you photoshopped this. Good job too, it looks like a real photo at first.

Easy choice- The Beast's 540 degree tunnel helix finale. At night especially. But Vortex and Flight of Fear also pulled some serious Gs when I was on them- Vortex to a bit of painful degree on my shoudlers, but it was OK. And Diamondback had tons of airtime, and that counts because that means you are feeling "Zero Gs"...wait, on second thought, no it does not! Zero G is No G!

OK, here is a neat idea. Are there any coasters you think every true coaster lover MUST ride at least once before they die? List 10 and your reasons. If you think there are 2 "similar to each other" Reasons may include... -Legendary -Historical -Ride Experience -Record Holder -So bad you have to ride It to see how bad coasters can be! -Other And more. Here is my list...in no order. #1-The Beast @ Kings Island- Legendary, Ride Experience, and Record Holder! #2-Diamondback @ Kings Island OR Any B&M Hyper@ Various Parks- Ride Experience. I suggest DB but from what I have heard nearly every B&M Hyper is great. #3-X2 @ Six Flags Magic Mountain- Ride Experience. It's a very unique roller coaster. #4-Top Thrill Dragster @ Cedar Point OR Kingda Ka @ Six Flags Great Adventure- Ride Experience, and in the case of Kingda Ka, you get the record holder bonus. But the two are very similar rides and both stand over 420 feet, so they can be interchanged. #5-Cyclone @ Astroland- Historical Legend. #6-Leap The Dips @ Lakemont Park- Oldest Roller Coaster Still Standing and operating. Built in 1902! #7-Millennium Force @ Cedar Point- Ride Experience & World's First Giga Coaster. Is quickly earning "Legend" status. #8-Magnum XL 200 @ Cedar Point- World's First Hypercoaster. #9-The Voyage @ Holiday World- Ride Experience alone gets it here. #10-Expedition GeForce @ Holiday Park- Coastergrotto.com's users say it is the best in the world, so Ride Experience. Sigh. I could go on and on, but I will limit this list to only ten. Thanks and put up your own list if you so desire.

Well, in Indianapolis, I hear Meijer has them for $25.99 for single day passes. That's not a bad deal at all. Not sure about the 2-day passes, however.

When I think of "Fear the Four", I think of Vortex, Firehawk, Flight of Fear, and Invertigo- the park's 4 looping coasters. Firehawk replaced SOB when SOB's loop was removed and Firehawk came in. Other coasters at KI I consider as a "group": -"The Wooden Trio" (Beast, SOB, Racer) Big wooden coasters. -"The Junior Quattro" (Reptar, Avatar, Odd Coaster, Giggle Coaster) Kid coasters. -"The Family Thrillers" (Flight Deck, Adventure Express, Backlot Stunt Coaster) Thrill rides that are good when working your way up from the kid rides. Poor Diamondback is all by itself. Don't worry, it will have its own "club" soon enough. The Kings Island B&M Club. (Hey we can all dream!)

The Beast at Kings Island is one of the most famous coasters in the world, second to only The Coney Island Cyclone in that category. It broke nearly every record you could name when it opened in 1979, and still stands today as the longest wooden roller coaster on the planet and the longest in the United States. It's arrival caused a re-theming of Scooby Doo into Beastie(later rethemed again into Fairly Odd Coaster)and even a "sequel", Son of Beast. It easily won my "Greatest Coaster to Ever Grace KI" poll, whooping even Diamondback by over 20 votes. Here is where you come in: many remember their first ride on The Beast. Was yours noteworthy? Here's mine: I did mention this in my TR, and it was fairly recent, but it wasn't super detailed...here we go, McSalsa's first ride...May 16th, 2009... We had 2 rides under our belt(Eiffel Tower & Crypt)and it had just stopped raining, so Beast had just re-opened and we headed for it. I was letdown by Crypt and was hoping Beast would be better. We got in line, and I was a bit shocked at how long it was(though not much as I had just got off Crypt!). I accidently hit my sister with one of the bars in the line (she will be missed). Just kidding! It did give her a bruise, but it was OK. We got to the station, and one sign caught my eye as I wear glasses: "The Beast could take your glasses!". This got me a bit worried, but I saw the storage bin and decided I would leave my glasses there (I can still see OK without them). The spiels were entertaining, they were declaring The Beast the best coaster in the park in spite of Diamondback(later I found out it was actually true, no slam to DB). I had never rode a roller coaster that had a 140-foot drop before and was, of course, a little worried and hesitant. But when we got up there, I got on with my mom. I was also a tad worried about her, she's quite skinny and somewhat frail, but she had rode this ride before. We got on, and down went the lapbars. Around the corner we went. Thump, Thump, Thump. This worried me: oh no, this is gonna be rough! We went up the lift hill, and while it was loud I had been expecting louder. I looked at my mom and said "Hey Look, we are higher than the trees! " to calm myself. Then we reached the top and saw the infamous sight of what is ahead. I knew then..."No Turning Back!" \ (This is what I mean by "Infamous Sight") Drop. The train hurtled into the dark tunnel, reaching speeds of over 65mph. I didn't even notice the trim brake on the drop. We flew into the tunnel and we were racing through the woods at high speed. I was loving every second of it, to my shock, as 9 years earlier Racer had scared me to death. We hit the brake shed and I caught my breath, and then we hit the second lift hill. I was loving it and realized to check on my mom, she was fine. I asked a friend who was on the ride and had rode all the big stuff at Six Flags Over Georgia what he thought of Beast, he said "It's The Best Coaster I Have Ever Ridden." Then my sister got me uncomfortable again: "The worst is yet to come!" The train reached over the second lift hill, and the park was in clear sight. Eiffel Tower, Vortex, Diamondback, Racer, and Drop Tower are obvious from this point. Vortex was so loud, we could hear it from here. Then we had no more time to enjoy the view as the train began to pick up speed...more speed...more speed...TUNNEL! I ducked. The "tunnel" really does work. The ride ended with a few airtime hills, and then we were back in the station. When I boarded the train for Beast, I was scared of big coasters. When I left...well, let's just recall my comment: "Hey (Friend), let's go ride Vortex now!" Diamondback and Flight of Fear would later both surpass Beast, but of course, we took a night ride and Beast reclaimed the "lead" as my favorite later on and was the most memorable ride I rode at Kings Island that day. Sorry again, Diamondback, you are awesome but I liked Beast(Night) better. Enough said. Thanks for reading this, and if you want to describe your first ride (or a bizzare,eventful ride you had) on The Beast, please do post it. Thanks again.

OK, here's my rankings, as well as ratings. RATING SYSTEM 10/10=Awesome. A coaster with no or VERY minor flaws. 9/10=Excellent. It has a flaw or two, but is very enjoyable. 8/10=Very Good. Some flaws, but still quite fun. 7/10=Good. Has either 1 huge flaw or many small ones. 6/10=Meh. A decent but flawed ride. 5/10=OK. Flaws negate most of the fun, only a bit is left. 4/10=Bad. No fun. 3/10=Awful. Makes you upset. 2/10=Garbage. Ticks you off. 1/10=Flush It Down The Toilet! #1-The Beast 10/10. The landscaping is done to perfection, the tunnels really thrill me(especially at night)and the coaster is just fun to ride. #2-Diamondback Also 10/10. Airtime galore, great scenery, and freakishly fast. #3-Flight of Fear Another 10/10. It's super intense, total darkness. And it has an awesome corkscrew at the end. #4-Red Racer 9/10, lots of airtime, a wooden classic. #5-Vortex 8/10. A great ride wounded by the fact my shoulders hurt afterwords. Had it none done that it would have been a 9. #6-Flight Deck 8/10. Great but simply too short to get a higher score. #7-Blue Racer 7/10. Not as much airtime as red, and rougher. RED RACER PWNZ YOU! #8-Fairly Odd Coaster(Then Beastie) 7/10. Fun family coaster, but I didn't enjoy it that much back even when it was Beastie. It was good but not spectacular. HAVE NOT RIDDEN: SOB, BLSC, Invertigo, AE, Runaway Reptar, Avatar, or Firehawk and you told me not to mention Giggle Coaster. KI trips are rare for me.

An idea that popped in my head. We all want the most exciting, intense ride possible. But, usually in the case of a wooden coasters, how much roughness can you withstand as you aim for that goal? I can handle a bit of roughness myself, or even needing advil. But go any further and I'm done.

Oops. I made a unfair fight against BLSC. It's 5 to 1! Oh well...BTW, CB #2:Big Rough & Wooden is now up if you wish to see that poll.

Here is the second coaster battle. This time, we pit 3 of the most infamous wooden roller coasters of all time against each other. They all, at one point, held the record for the world's tallest wooden roller coaster. They are all considered very rough. They were all built during 1990-2000. Who will win this one? PS: Considered adding Texas Rattler @ Six Flags Fiesta Texas but it got changed, so it was removed. Also considered adding Colossos @ Heide Park, but it is too loved (it had a 9.4 rating at coastergrotto.com) so it would have ran away with it.