homestar92

I'm putting links, rather than embeds, so that those on limited bandwidth aren't too bombarded. I've been going to a lot of parks this year, and I decided I needed to go to Kennywood. So I called up Kevin, my college roommate, who is working on-campus this summer, to see if he wanted to go to Kennywood (his home park) on a Saturday. We chose a day, and so after work on Friday, I made the drive from Loveland all the way to New Concord, Ohio. While on the beautiful campus of Muskingum University, I had to stop and get my beloved Wally's Pizza (If you're ever in the Cambridge, OH area, I really can't recommend Wally's enough). I met up with Kevin around 8:00, and we hopped into his car to head for Pittsburgh. His brother lives in Pittsburgh, has two extra bedrooms, and needed a housesitter for a weekend, which worked out really nicely. He also talked to a friend who works at Kennywood and got us vouchers for $16 entry. Free lodging and $16 entry is not too shabby at all. Almost makes me forget the $80 in gas that we combined to spend driving there... At any rate, we crashed at his place Friday night and headed to Kennywood on Saturday morning, arriving just in time to be greeted by rain. https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/1072622_638554932828824_460078012_o.jpg https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/1077015_638555102828807_443463627_o.jpg At the beginning of the day, the rain was light enough to not be terrible, but crowds were light. First stop was the Grandprix (Kennywood's bumer cars). I like these cars because the arena is totally open, not a circle like KI or a square with a barricade in the middle like Coney. Total chaos . We WERE heading straight for Exterminator after this, as it is low capacity and lines get pretty long, but we noticed that Phantom's Revenge was a walk-on, so we made a slight detour and rode it first. https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/1077317_638555332828784_1096828241_o.jpg I have to say, as much as it breaks my heart to see an Arrow looper destroyed, Revenge is a great coaster. Though I don't like the lap bars much. They leave a lot of wiggle room for a skinny guy like me, and there are a couple of pretty crazy airtime hills on this thing. But it barely edged out Maggie as my favorite hypercoaster. All-in-all, it is the most enjoyable b******ization of an Arrow Dynamics coaster I've ever experienced. I'm sure you know which word was used there After getting off Phantom, we then headed back to Exterminator. Again, we walked on. Twice. Coincidentally, this was coaster number 50 for me, which is kind of a big deal. https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/1073174_638558209495163_142515312_o.jpg After the obligatory Dalek impersonations on Exterminator, we decided to ride the Whip. I'd only ever ridden the kiddie one at Stricker's (which, coincidentally was the exact moment when I lost my last shred of dignity, as I was 21 at the time) and I decided that a full-size one would be cool. https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/1085049_638557212828596_1778880194_o.jpg Alas, the platform was too wet, and despite the operator's best efforts, it just wouldn't go. Not to worry, though, as it opened later for our riding enjoyment. Around this time, the rain had really started to pick up, so we found a bench that was under a roof and waited out the storm. I stopped by the Potato Patch to kill the time, and let me tell you, those were good fries. Are they as good as Rivertown Potato Works... Not sure I can give an unbiased opinion there. But they are VERY good. Being that we were already soaked, we figured it was as good a time as any to ride the Raging Rapids. We were paired with a very nice family who rode at the request of their Young'uns. They very clearly did not want to get wet. It gruntled me to no end when their side of the boat went directly under the waterfall. After we got off, I changed my socks and took this priceless gem of a picture: https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/1077055_638556106162040_591350915_o.jpg Being wet, the best way to dry off is a coaster, of course. So we headed for The Racer, one of only three Möbius Loop coasters remaining in the world. For those who don't know, a Möbius loop is a seemingly twin-tracked coaster, but is actually one really long, continuous track. On this one, if you board on the left, you return to the station on the right, and vice-versa. THis pic is from later in the day, but it is a nice one, and it really shows off the great look of this classic coaster. https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/1094682_638559179495066_1012552946_o.jpg This beat out Blue Streak at Cedar Point for the title of oldest coaster I'd ever ridden, as it opened in 1927. This title wasn't going to last long, though, as next stop was the Jack Rabbit (which opened in 1920 or 1921. I don't remember the exact year). https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/1079100_638555409495443_1714847727_o.jpg The Jack Rabbit is a true terrain coaster. It follows the hillside nearly perfectly and has some great airtime. It also has bench seats, no seatbelt, and a literal one-position lapbar. As in, the bar doesn't move. It is locked in the "down" position, and you have to maneuver yourself in. It leaves lots of room for people to stand up and become victims of Natural Selection. And in my book, that is A-OK (but only if they bring it upon themselves by acting stupidly). Sadly, I lack train pictures Next stop was Thunderbolt, and boy, what a crazy coaster. It has literally THE BEST lateral G's of any coaster I've ever been on. In fact, due to the extreme lateral forces, single riders are not permitted, and the larger person in the party is required to board first and sit on the right. https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/965172_638556082828709_1724337501_o.jpg We had to leave at two to return to Kevin's brother's place and let his dog out. Small price to pay for free lodging, though. But on the way, we hit up the Sky Rocket, which was a blast (pun not intended). I don't think the ride itself is as good as Maverick, but I like the experience better, as the restraints are not Chinese Torture devices. https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc3/1077017_638556796161971_1533809662_o.jpg Upon returning to the park, we decided to ride some flats, having already hit the coasters. My personal favorite was the Noah's Ark walk-through attraction. It is basically like a ride meets a carnival funhouse. It is very classic, VERY unique, and highly recommended. Alas, I have no pictures of it The rest of the day was all flats and re-rides of coasters, so I'll spare the details for the most part. I did enjoy a ride on the Kangaroo, the very last surviving Flying Coaster (which is a flat ride, not a roller coaster) in the whole world. And it's a shame there aren't more, because it's great fun. https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/1074650_638559166161734_97884274_o.jpg And my favorite highlights came from their two dark rides. While boarding Ghostwood Estate (A shooting dark ride a la Boo Blasters), a fellow in line yelled up at us up top, "Have fun in Escalator Land!" I of course replied, asking "when do we get to the ride?" As expected, his reply was, "This IS the ride!" We both cheered, and he became my favorite random line stranger ever. I'm sure he didn't expect someone to catch his admittedly esoteric reference, though it would have been more appropriate on a Fairly Odd sort of ride rather than a standard dark ride. Finally, we rode Garfield's Nightmare. What a disappointment. I don't even think a young child could find ANY appeal to it, unless they REALLY like the Garfield comics. But it did give me an opportunity to snap this picture. I will preface this picture with a story. It's called, "The Boring Ride." Once upon a time, there was a boring ride. It was SO BORING that everybody died... The end. https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/1072654_638046909546293_1695481722_o.jpg I'm in the back, by the way, in my snazzy Cedar Point T-Shirt. And that was the whole day. I really enjoyed the park and will DEFINITELY go back at some point. I'm going to link the rest of my pictures here that I didn't feel like explaining in the story. https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc3/1074848_638558489495135_1652683082_o.jpg https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc3/1075529_638558992828418_521766484_o.jpg https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/1077699_638559486161702_1743908191_o.jpg https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc1/1072571_638558406161810_504262637_o.jpg https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc3/1079096_638558189495165_703461974_o.jpg https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/1072086_638558232828494_1736179907_o.jpg https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/1094070_638558472828470_2021930858_o.jpg https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/1091208_638557259495258_1775390078_o.jpg https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/1072540_638556956161955_473655894_o.jpg https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc3/1073091_638557042828613_1385315631_o.jpg

There's a 400-foot tower in New Jersey made entirely of green Intamin track!

I would have expected you to vote for White Water Canyon.

I fail to see how converting a wooden coaster into a steel coaster would HELP them remain competitive in terms of woodies...

Holiday World has a rather large water tower just across the street with their name on it (literally). Perhaps that played a part in their ability to operate?

I saw a Youtube comment from somebody claiming they were at Kings Island the day The Bat had its accident. Lucky Son of a Beast. I wish I had LSD and a TARDIS like he does...

My ability to remember lyrics and then google them later helped me to learn that the opening number is "New Born" by Muse.

What if the number between 1-31 is the number of millions Project 2014 will cost

I always thought it was "Action Zone"...

All I was doing was posing an idea. I don't desire a change either, simply wondering if a change could make it more enjoyable for the GP who are... less fond of Ron Toomer's design ideals than I am. I also agree that the new trains would only stop one of many complaints people have. And while I disagree about lap bars being usable on Vortex, I see where you're coming from and concede that we have a differing opinion on the matter. Either way, I just hope that for the foreseeable future, KI will do anything and everything necessary to keep Vortex going for years to come!

Visit the link and look at the picture of it. You'll see why it looks so great

For turning and braking of the normal variety, you wouldn't need OTSRs. For that particular turn, you do. I love Vortex, but that one particular element is about 15 different types of ridiculous. A Boomerang has no turns that sharp and quick, nor do they generally slam the brakes anywhere near as hard as Vortex does at that point. Keep in mind also that when those brakes are applied on Vortex, you literally JUST got out of a VERY sharp, VERY underbanked turn. Additionally, on a Boomerang, the brakes are applied while the train is travelling backwards. I'm sure that has an effect too, as when you come to a stop, your body will continue to move backward (into the seat) as opposed to forward into the restraint (or into nothing, if there were no OTSRs)

"There may not be a day this summer that we announce what we're building for the future." Perhaps Fire-Beast-OF FEAR is on to something. What if Don's quote implies an announcement date coinciding with another attraction's anniversary from a previous summer? Corny, I suppose, but it beats Intamin vs. B&M debate. Also, Don said that there may not be a day this summer. This, of course, leaves the possibility that there will be, though hints against it.

Hate to revive an old thread, but this was needed. This isn't on KI's website, but it looks as if Carowinds has just installed the greatest go-kart track ever. In fact, it looks to be a clone of something we have at KI... https://www.carowinds.com/things-to-do/thrill-rides

Darnit, Skippy, you ruined it! This is why we can't have nice things. Just kidding. Didn't you get the text from KIClub? We're getting a side-friction.

The only issue with that is that Vortex NEEDS OTSRs. The forces on Vortex require some sort of stabilization of the upper body, and those restraints wouldn't do that. They work on a Boomerang, but think of that turn after the loops and just before the corkscrews. That turn, coupled with the slamming of the brakes, basically require shoulder restraints.

They almost certainly would have prevented it, by merits of the fact that a seatbelt, in all likelihood, would have rendered the victim unable to fit on the ride. Roller Coaster seatbelts are not very accomodating to larger guests. And not to sound like a jerk, but when safety is on the line, they shouldn't be accomodating.

Steel Phantom's trains are still Arrow trains, but have been retrofitted by Morgan which included the restraint change. Again, I should have been clearer, I guess. With that, I was referring to the fact that I would prefer new trains over a complete track layout overhaul. Though I don't much care for Phantom's new restraints. They just don't feel that secure for a skinny guy like me.

I know that, I wasn't really referring specifically to a Vekoma retrofit, more to retrofitting trains in general. Probably should have been clearer, my bad. Now I think about it, I guess Son of Beast could be added to that list, too.

*I will add that while I don't WANT any changes, if it got to a Point where our choices were this, or "Vortex's Revenge" (a la Kennywood's Steel Phantom/Phantom's Revenge), I'd prefer new trains.

I have a random question that I was thinking of. I love my Vortex. And I mean LOVE it. I've ridden over 50 coasters, and it's my #1 overall, wood or steel. But a lot of my friends don't like riding it because they think it's rough (and refuse to believe that 5-1 alleviates any issues). Despite my love for all things Arrow, I See der Point, and was wondering if this is a problem that can be solved and bring new life to the ride. I think the new Vekoma trains (as seen on the Carolina Cobra) could solve this. The problems people cite always seem to be restraint-related. Having ridden the Carolina Cobra, I gotta say, those trains make a boomerang glass smooth, which is quite a feat. I know the trains are compatible, as the Carolina Cobra originally operated at Geauga Lake with trains identical to those seen today on Vortex and many other Arrow Loopers. So basically, I want to know how you all feel about this, or about the idea of retrofitting rides with a new train style. It was done on Steel Dragon 2000, the Carolina Cobra, and probably many others. Why Not Vortex? For those unfamiliar with these trains, they can be seen in action here: *Photo originates from Theme Park Review

I have an intel-based Windows 8 tablet, effectively rendering my laptop useless. Depending on where I am, I'm either on my iPhone, my tablet, or my gaming PC. Very rarely, and only when taking my lunch break, I will use my work PC to access KICentral, but even then, I've only done that once, and it was to keep tabs on the Soap opera that was the 2014 thread.

The problem with going alone, for me, is that I tend to have A.D.D. moments. You know, like when I'll get off Flight Deck, and think "hmm... I'd like to ride The Beast." Then I'll get off The Beast and decide I could really go for a ride on Delirium. You see the issue with this, I'm sure

If I am not mistaken, GK has a specific row for larger guests. It does. Still didn't work for him. Yet Corkscrew did. So regular Arrow restraints are more fluffy-friendly than the larger B&M ones.

Yeah, I have difficulty riding Disaster Transport now too. Wow haha, I just pulled that all off their website, they messed up Also, it makes no mention of Gatekeeper. And my father, who fit many of the rides in the list, wasn't even close on Gatekeeper.