MDMC01

Agreed. Cirque is amazing! As I said previously, what a season it's been. From Yannick (I still miss him...) and the new and improved Hand2Hand to Ariel effortlessly spinning those rings and getting to know Sam these past couple weeks, it's been a great Cirque season. Before Wednesday's 3 PM show, I asked one of the ushers if she could "confirm or deny that Cirque is coming back" (borrowing Don's verbiage about Son of Beast lol) and she said she could not (or something to that effect). So, I say, Cirque performers, if you read these forums at all, thanks for your awesomeness and inspiration. EDIT: Also, I must find the song that played during Hand2Hand (and currently during the ring segment).

I saw lots and lots of rebar today whlle riding the train. I also got to see where the hillside was being cleared out for what I'm presuming is the turnaround.

While riding Adventure Express today, I noticed the following thematic elements: jungle noises when coming out of the station, an arrow that popped out and went back in (I don't think I'd ever seen that working before!), the creaking bridge sound effect, movement from most of the statues on the final lift, glowing "lava" and "Now you will pay" audio. I was so impressed by the arrow's movement I rode it a second time!

Caught the 3:00 show today and sat in the very front. The cast was really hamming it up today with great humor, awkward silences and whatnot; Sam even sat next to me while we watched the slack rope guy do his thing. Sadly, that will probably be my last Cirque show of the season, but what a season it was! I still miss Yannick (for some reason, I expected him to come out from the breakway wall with the rest of the "gnomes"), but Sam is cool (plus I know Sam a bit better than I knew Yannick). Oh, and Sam and his partner nailed the Russian Cradle today; she stuck a great landing!

When I was younger, I loved everything about Top Gun (I started riding it when it was painted grey) and still referred to it as such when the name was converted to Flight Deck. When the change came, I was sad and didn't like it at first, but now I love the ride, possibly more than I did as Top Gun (though hearing Kenny Loggins in line was cool back then). The theme may have changed (in my mind, riders are now flying over a rainforest), and the new colors collide beautifully with the foliage (it also helps that the orange is close to the original red color scheme the ride had when it first opened), but at it's core, it's the same beautiful ride that I grew up with.

I've got a better one- have him marathon Wild Mouse at Dorney Park (or Skyrush at Hershey) from open to close. That'll teach him! Seriously, though; wow! I'm curious about the events that led up to this guy grabbing Pinky (like, was he mad at someone, or did he do it just because?).

Speaking of the playlist, I noticed they recently added some new songs, including "We don't talk anymore" (Selena Gomez/Charlie Puth), "Work from Home" (Fifth Harmony), "Me Too" (Meghan Trainor) and one of my favorites, "Wild Things" (Alessia Cara).

Double post because Mobile. Sorry

When I think of Mysti, I think Misty from Pokemon, specifically a Youtube video where this trainer throws a Pokeball at Misty because he thinks she is a Pokemon!

Fun Fact: Mai Thai is the name of one of the elephants at the Cincinnati Zoo.

I thought the same thing and came up with a theory (similar to the Banshee/Hoenn Region of Pokemon theory I came up with on Opening Day of this year) that Rivertown could have some ties to Harry Potter*. For example, Beast = Gryffindor and Diamondback = Slytherin. The one thing that doesn't match up is White Water Canyon. However, I do like the current name of Mystic Timbers. Also, I have 4 burning questions that have nothing to do with the shed: Will there be a Single Rider Line (like Diamondback pre-Fast Lane), will the trains be named (like Maverick at Cedar Point), will the trains have working headlights and will there be an on-ride photo location? As I've mentioned before, I think Mystic Timbers will be a great addition to the park and I'm very much looking forward to riding it! In fact, I think all the "haters" have made me love this ride even more as I feel this ride will be the underdog that will surprise us all! *Not really, but just go with it...

I was at the announcement last night (my second one ever) and I was/am pleased with our new addition. I like GCI and the layout looks cool. Also, I noticed in some of the fan-made videos prior to last nights reveal that the ride had a double-dip, which I did not like. I'm pleased that that's not in the final ride design. Also, I just noticed the trains are themed to trucks. Cool. EDIT: Looking at the other posts, I'd like to make some more comments. I'm really glad we finally got a modern wooden coaster. Oh, yeah, and haters gonna hate! Sure we didn't get an RMC or Giga, but this thing looks cool and I, for one, will be enjoying it in 2017.

I think Mystic Timbers looked cool. As for what's in the shed, I'm thinking drop track, an inversion, a dragon (because of the smoke!), teh Splitercat, or possibly a backwards launch... -MDMC, who is just throwing things out there EDIT: Fixed formatting. It originally posted in blocks because I was on my phone. Although I'd really like to see a dragon, I don't know if it can be attacked with an axe as Don said "you'll need this" to the press...

Almost 13 hours until all is revealed! Woo-hoo! Final guess: GCI (but I'd ok with an RMC).

I can confirm that Soak City had the regular playlist; dunno about the rest of the park! It was great hearing that instrumental music towards the end of my shift. I now know why the old-timers (those on the site that are older than me, who remember a time when this happened) want International Street to have instrumental music again. It just brings a warm nostalgic feeling to the park! Please KI? EDIT: Snoopy had its regular playlist as well.

#KIProject2017 is currently trending on Twitter!

Anyone (on here ) know if Christmas music is playing throughout the park?

I just read (or re-read, I can't remember) your Kentucky Kingdom Trip report; good stuff. When you said that Thunder Run is rougher when it's warmer, you are absolutely right! It was super-hot yesterday and TR ran like a beast (and not necessarily in a good way...). Also, let's agree to disagree on T3. I loved T3, quirkyness and all (well, except when one gets stapled; then it's super-painful!). I also enjoyed your in-depth analysis on Storm Chaser. I probably won't read your Holiday World thoughts until I've gone (which I hope to be sometime next month...), but I look forward to "comparing notes" ( ) to see how our experiences varied.

Haven't been keeping up on the thread much this weekend, but... after riding Storm Chaser, I'd be very ok with KI getting an RMC for 2017!

Leg 1- Kentucky Kingdom- 7/23/2016 Hey All, I went to Kentucky Kingdom yesterday and had a blast. Before getting on to the good stuff, I just want to give you all a word of warning: If using a 2-day out of state ticket, please go to the ticket counter first to redeem said “ticket” as this is only a voucher, not an actual ticket (at least in my case; I went thru AAA, ymmv). So, after getting into the park and getting a locker in my usual “waterpark lockers” location, I decided to tackle the first new coaster of the day, T3. I wasn’t sure that it was running (it didn’t look like it at first), but the moment I saw it operating, I got super-excited. As you may or may not know, T3 was my first SLC and one of the first of its kind. I sat in the front and enjoyed the ride. However, halfway through the ride, my body slid forward and my thighs felt very snug under the restraint. Overall, it was a good ride, but weird in that regard. I then rode again in the back and instantly fell in love with the ride, snug thighs and all (though this time, I didn’t feel the snugness until the very end). After twirling about on T3, I decided to trek over to Storm Chaser, my first RMC coaster. On the way there, I saw signage for the old Top Eliminator Dragster attraction that operated when Six Flags owned the park. I read the signs (back in the day, it was $10 for two races!) and reminded myself to take some pictures. The grandstand was blocked off and there was a fence where the ride once stood saying “Fun Under Construction”- project 2017, anyone? So, once I got to Storm Chaser, it was down. However, a bunch of people left, so I was next in line for the 2nd row of the first car. The ride reminded me of Son of Beast (probably because of its wooden-like nature (I know it’s all steel) and inversions. After 20-some minutes, we were given the all-clear to board. I really enjoyed the ejector air and this coupled with the fact that the inversions felt like filler reminded me a lot of Maverick. After the ride, I stated that “this is what Lightning Run wishes it could be”. However, I rode again in the very back and got a very violently airtime filled ride. After the two new coaster credits were obtained, I wandered back to my old friend Thunder Run. However, Thunder Run must have changed since 2014 as it was not as enjoyable as it used to be (I rode in the middle-ish). I then rode the Rapids Ride since it was so stinkin’ hot out. Predictably, it was the longest line of the day so far and I made some friends in line who worked for their local Ren Fest (Oddly enough, their names, Dave and Tina, are the names of my two Blastoise on my Pokemon LeafGreen and Y games, respectively). The ride was very fun and had most of its theming from when it was known as The Penguin’s Blizzard River (umbrellas and all!). My pants ended up getting wet and the rapids made the boat very wibbly-wobbly. While in line, I was starting to get hungry, but I decided to ride T3 again before I ate. The line was longer than before and I sat in the very back. Unfortunately, I got stapled, which made the ride a little more painful than usual. I then got my stuff out of my locker and walked around to take some pictures of the rides, such as T3 and the Top Eliminator Dragster Entrance/Exit signage. I then picked up a T3 shirt before eating at Louie’s Fresh Market. According to the map, this stand is new for the season and it was pretty good. I got a ham/salami/cheese sub that apparently came with some chips. While the sub was very delicious (there was a unique flavoring to the ham), the chips were not. After I ate, I decided to ride the Giant Wheel as I hadn’t ridden it before. It gave a nice view and I sat with some nice people. Afterwards, I decided to tackle Skychaser, which was new to me since last time. The ride is out in the middle of nowhere (well, technically near the waterpark) and looks interesting from afar. For this ride, you are restrained via a chain seat belt (like Zephyr, but with a seat belt instead of a clip) and a lap belt that went across your chest. I asked the ride op if I had put it on correctly (as I thought it might go in one’s lap) and she said yes. I soon saw why this became apparent as we started spinning really fast and stuff. It was definitely an interesting experience. After riding everything I’d wanted to ride in the back of the park, I moved the front of the park. Once there, I chose Breakdance as my first ride in the front. Breakdance was down the last time I was at the park, but thankfully, it had the shortest line of all the rides I wanted to ride in the front half of the park. It was an interesting and fun little ride, and the way the ride stops at the end was definitely different. I then rode Cyclos, which is a pendulum ride that goes upside-down. It was down when I got there, but I was quickly on the next cycle once the ride opened back up. Unlike Delirium, I got to choose my seat, so I chose to face the parking lot and most of Lightning Run. It was pretty crazy and fun, so I did it again. While waiting in line for the second time, I counted the number of the times the other cycles went upside-down, which were 6-7 and 3-4 (or so I thought…). I then wondered aloud if there were different cycles, but no one seemed to know. However, the second time I rode, we seemed to go upside-down more, but maybe that’s because I miscounted the last time . Also, there were two ladders chained together next to the ride; don’t know if that was supposed to be there… Afterwards, I moseyed on over to Professor John’s Flying Machines, a flying scooter type ride. I waited one cycle and had some fun soaring my glider high. The ride seemed to go slower than KI’s gliders, but I got some hang time, and that was worth it. After the ride, I personally thanked the ride op as I said that “back where I’m from, you can’t fly like I do”. After flying high, I headed to Enterprise after contemplating Tin Lizzies and briefly waiting for the 5D movie (which I did not see). The Enterprise was a fun ride and reminded me of Witches’ Wheel at Cedar Point, which is the same type of ride. I then went over and rode Tin Lizzies. This was the last new ride I really wanted to ride as I had planned to ride it last time, but didn’t get the chance. Since I hadn’t been on an Antique Car ride in years (and back then, I don’t know if I actually drove it), it took me a second to figure out that the bottom of the cars bump into the guide rails and that you actually power the car (I thought it was like Woodstock’s Whirlybirds, where you would be on the guiderail and you can push the gas to go and turn the wheel if you want). After riding, I thought the ride mechanic (as in, how the ride works) was tedious as you have to keep pushing the gas down in the cramped car. I can see the appeal for kids who can’t drive yet, but for people who do have their license and drive regularly, it was not very enjoyable. However, I did like the scenery throughout. At this point, I was starting to get pretty tired, so I went back to the back half of the park to give T3 another go before I left. The wait was probably the longest I had waited, but it was worth it as I didn’t get stapled (I pulled the restraint down myself) and let the quirky little coaster do its thing. During this ride, I sat in the fourth row. Afterwards, I then went to the front of the park to buy a pin before leaving for the night (I was also going to try to visit this new roller coaster store, but it was in the back half of the park and I was in front and didn’t feel like walking back…). I had a great time and it will be interesting to see how this park fares over the next few years. One nice thing is that for most of the day, there was Christian music playing over the loudspeakers as Way-FM was in the park. The songs that I enjoyed the most were “Diamonds” by Hawk Nelson (heard it 3 times- heading to Rapids, waiting for Skycatcher, and walking in the front half of the park) and “Move (Keep Walkin’)" by Tobymac, which has a nice island feel to it (it also reminds me of “Mike, Lu and Og”, which worked as most of the day was spent near the waterpark). Other songs of note were “I am” by Crowder, “Touch the Sky” by Hillsong, “God is on the Move” by 7eventh Time Down, “I am not alone” by Kari Jobe, “He Knows” by Blanca and a song by Lauren Daigle (she sounds like Adele). And speaking of the waterpark, I did not end up spending anytime in the waterpark as it was too crowded (the wave pool alone was a sea of people and the slide lines that I saw seemed long). Also, at some point during the day, I explored the bumper car/game area that I did not know existed (I didn’t ride the bumper cars, though!). Finally, most coasters (with the exception of Lightning Run, which had both trains running) had one train running. At T3, they told us the orange train was “on vacation”, which was ok for the first two rides, but as the lines got longer, I feel like they should have added that second train on. Well, that’s it for this trip report. Stay tuned to this thread for more #Roadto100 trip reports Ride Counts for the day are as follows: Breakdance: 1 Cyclos: 2 Enterprise: 1 Giant Wheel: 1 Prof. John’s Flying Machines: 1 Raging Rapids River Ride: 1 Skycatcher: 1 Storm Chaser: 2 T3: 4 Thunder Run: 1 Tin Lizzies: 1

Hey all, I just wanted to create this thread for this summer's trip reports. As you may or may not know, I am hoping to make Nighthawk at Carowinds my 100th roller coaster. At the beginning of this summer, I was at 91 coasters and I'm slowly making my way towards that magic number. Below are my actual trip reports. I've traveled to Kentucky Kingdom (see below) and I'm planning on going to Holiday World soon and ending this series of trips at Carowinds. Keep watching this post as I'll update when a new trip report is added. Also, as a note, the numbers after the location and date are the coasters I've ridden that have gotten me to my current count (see About Me page). Enjoy! 2016: Leg 1- Kentucky Kingdom- 7/23/2016 (92, 93) Leg 2- Holiday World- 8/20/2016 (94-97) 2017: Leg 3- Mystic Timbers- 4/14/2017 (98) EDIT on 7/9/2017: So, it looks like I will not be able to make it to Carowinds this year to ride Nighthawk; therefore, the Road to 100 series stops with Mystic Timbers (this was originally Leg 2.5 and now that is Leg 3 as I am declaring the ongoing tour over). However, I will make an attempt next year to make it to Carowinds so that Nighthawk (or perhaps Fury 325?) can be my 100th!