VortexBFForever

I haven't eaten at Juke Box Diner in a long time! (and yet I work across from there, lol) I never got to try the Pig Pen burger but I'm glad to hear it was really good! Also, I hope everyone who visited yesterday fared well in the heat. My crewmates and I survived , WindSeeker was unfazed by the heat, and Vortex did fairly well outside of a little hiccup that closed it for a couple hours. I'm heading back out into the heat today, as I work a close! (and I work all day tomorrow) Hooray for working outside -- sunscreen, water and shade (and AC!) are my very best friends right now.

Hope your shoulder feels better! I'm glad you enjoyed your flight on WindSeeker. The Beast has been doing that pretty often as of late (stopping trains to retrieve a cell phone). I rode The Beast last Wednesday and my train got stopped, and I also saw a train stopped during my post-swing-shift ride on Vortex today, all for someone having their phone out. I like how they are doing that, though!

@malem I hope I'm still riding coasters when I'm a lot older! I occasionally see middle-aged/older adults ride Vortex and WindSeeker. I always think, "I hope I'm still into coasters when I'm their age!" As for rides in one day, I know on some days I've gotten at least 20 rides total in a 4ish-hour visit. As for individual rides, those who know me well know I have ridden Vortex as many as 18 times in one day (October 14, 2012, and October 20, 2017) and I'm planning to ride at least 20 times in one day this year! And yes, my head is/will be okay, as it has been ever since I first rode Vortex almost eight years ago.

I knew this day would be quite chill thanks to it being a weekday and the forecasted rain, but little did I know that even more surprises awaited! The day started off like many others; I worked an opening shift so I arrived at the park at 8:50. Not long after I arrived came the first surprise of the day. It started off normal though, when I went back to Vortex to start the usual morning tasks, such as opening the line, making sure there's no trash on the ground, etc. I guessed correctly which train was in the station (it was Train #3). Looking back from the station, I saw we still had two trains on the track and one on the transfer from the previous day (when it rained a lot). That would not be for long though, as maintenance arrived soon after I did. I got to watch them transfer the third train back onto the track and cycle the trains themselves! It was pretty cool. #geekmoment I had brought one of the chocolate bars that I bought at Sweet Spot last year (which fittingly enough had a Vortex wrapper on it) and I munched on that while I watched maintenance do their thing. After they were done, I continued with the morning tasks, including my favorite task which entreats me (and any associate who walks down there, pretty much) to some cool views from the ride area. When I returned to the station, it was time for startups. Since maintenance was here earlier, we had just enough time to get everything done by 10:00 (we usually finish with 10-15 minutes to spare). In fact, I was the last person to test ride and "Come Alive" was playing as I rode so I belted it out as I test rode! It surely is fun to multitask. My shift was very chill as I expected; my hourly rotations were at Dual, Clean/Separator (and I got to hop on WindSeeker for a ride during the time I was cleaning!), WindSeeker Drive, Break, Unload, and Vortex Drive. Not much happened at all except for a brief downtime at Vortex. We occasionally had almost full cycles on WindSeeker and at least three-quarters full trains on Vortex, but on a day like this, those happenings were few and far between. After driving Vortex for an hour, the time came for me to clock out. I headed to the locker room to change into my street clothes so I could reenter the park as a guest. Little did I know what would await me in the next several hours... ...which actually started out as a typical, sunny, not-busy summer afternoon. Toothless and I rode the Carousel (with our usual pre-ride pic, of course) and I picked up some gummy bears and gummy worms at Sweet Spot before heading to the Kings Island theater to catch Gravity at 5:00. I sat in the middle of the second row (where I normally sat for Origins last year if the first row already filled up). This was my third time seeing Gravity. While it's obviously not Imagine or Origins (both of which I dearly miss), Gravity definitely suffices! I noticed the rola-bola act was missing, so the show ended a little earlier than usual (5:20ish). Toothless got his own seat next to me. If you want a unique souvenir, ask the cast to make silly poses at the meet-and-greet! I had plans to binge-ride Vortex, but before then I had seen that Diamondback's wait was only five minutes. So I went there first, but not before... ...heading to the Inside Peanuts museum and the Peanuts Sketch School, where they had just started drawing Snoopy. After skimming the exhibit, I grabbed a clipboard with paper and pencil and slid into a seat next to @Magenta Lizard. I frantically did my best to catch up (which I didn't need to do much of, thankfully) and my Snoopy drawing turned out pretty good! After that fun detour, I finally reached Diamondback. It had barely a station wait. I waited only one train before boarding Red in Row 14. I got a weird surprise here: I had always been able to ride Diamondback with my fanny pack, ever since I started visiting with one in 2011. This time, however, was the very first time I was told I could not have it on the ride with me. The op said the policy never changed from last year, but the funny thing was that I rode Diamondback with my fanny pack last year (I was even told word for word "You can ride with a fanny pack...") and this year when I last rode it in May! I willingly complied and handed her my fanny pack to put in the bin, but I was SO BAFFLED. Not mad at all, just baffled. After riding Diamondback 100+ times over the last nine seasons (and this year!), I was always allowed to ride with my fanny pack...except for this time. Going up the lift hill, I saw Vortex had gone down. But since it was just after 6:00 and I still had about two hours to enjoy the park, I wasn't too worried, especially when we FLEW down the 215-foot first drop at 80 mph!! Since Vortex was down, the line was short, and my fanny pack rejection didn't stop me from enjoying my ride, I hopped right back in line and rode Diamondback again! This time it had started to rain, so I got my first legitimate (as in, a steady rain) rain ride on the tallest, fastest, meanest coaster to ever strike Kings Island! This time, I did put my fanny pack in the bin along with Toothless when I again boarded the Red train. The only differences were that it was now raining and I rode in Row 11 instead of 14. As you could tell, we had our eyes closed and/or were covering our faces as rain hit us at 80 mph! I had my eyes closed for most of the time as I knew that getting hit in the eye with a stray raindrop at that speed would not feel pleasant. Vortex was still down and I didn't feel like putting Toothless in a locker for five minutes just so I could ride Mystic Timbers, so I headed back to The Beast. ...which was a great decision! I walked right on to Row 17 (second to last row). I heard about how much fun The Beast is in the rain, so I was excited to see what my very first rain ride on the world's longest wooden roller coaster would be like. And, it was Toothless' first Beast ride! I will definitely say that this was my favorite ride EVER on The Beast. It was absolutely HAULING! I clutched Toothless in my arms as I was at the mercy of The Beast, hurtling through the woods at 65 mph with a steady rain coming down. It was EPIC! My favorite part (the shallow drop into the helix following the second lift) was fun as always, and my train passed right next to the next train coming down the first drop!! Note to self: RIDE The Beast WHEN IT RAINS!!! I may not ride it very often as I prefer twisting through inversions, but it's definitely fun! Vortex was still down, but the rain was light enough that it could be open. I noticed Troika (Shake, Rattle & Roll) was open and literally waiting for people to board. So I did, along with two ladies who had entered behind me. I enjoyed a great rain ride on Troika! In fact, while I was riding, I noticed that one of Vortex's trains had been transferred off and the ride was once again in 2-train operation. I figured it would not be too long before it reopened... ...which it did, ten minutes later! I stood outside the entrance as one of my crewmates opened the line. Not surprisingly, I was the first rider on the rain-laden Vortex. I had Train #1 all to myself as the rain picked back up to a steady rain. I knew I was going to get wet (as I already was from my other rain rides) so I had no choice but to feel my clothes getting wetter by the second. Like the other rides. I had to either close my eyes or look to the side, as getting pelted in the face with rain at 55 mph hurt as much as it felt good! The inversions each offered me a half-second break from said pelting, which was nice. I took Toothless along with me on the first ride, but he was already getting pretty wet, so I put him and my fanny pack in the closet adjacent to the station (where we store our belongings while working) so they had the chance to dry off a little. I rode Vortex a few more times, aboard Train #1 in rows 7-1, 1-1, and 3-1 respectively... The rain let up a little and had slowed to a sprinkle by my fourth ride, so I was actually able to keep my eyes open for a good amount of the time. But it wouldn't stay that way for long, as my last surprise for this day would be the biggest yet. I finally ended up on Train #3 in 4-1 for what would happen to be my last ride of the day. The rain was still steady at dispatch, but during the climb up the lift hill it started POURING. And I mean POURING. The visibility was soooo low that I could hardly see anything past the loops. I had to put my hands over my face like a visor so I could at least see as much as I wanted/needed. What followed was an experience I can barely describe. The view from the lift was unreal and would make for an amazing picture if picture taking was allowed and I didn't need to sacrifice my camera (which in the meantime was in my fanny pack in the closet, THANK GOODNESS). The downpour continued as we plummeted down the first drop and through the loops. It was a bit of a struggle to breathe as the 55 mph rain pelted me and the two other passengers on board to seemingly no end. I covered my face from the watery onslaught as I felt an abrupt stop as the train stopped in the mid-course brakes for a brief time before continuing. As we hit the corkscrews and batwing, the rain slowed once again as I finished my 537th, and by far most epic/wet, ride on Vortex: That ride was SURREAL, considering Vortex usually doesn't run in a downpour. It was truly an experience like no other. And yes, it was so worth completely soaking my clothes. My two fellow passengers up front enjoyed the crazy experience as well! I can now say that I rode Vortex in a downpour. I will remember Tuesday, June 12, 2018, for a long time and quite possibly forever. Rain rides are something one must experience firsthand to find how great they truly are. After I got off Vortex, it went down once again for weather. Vortex has a love-hate relationship with the rain, and today definitely epitomized that; it can run in a steady rain but to a certain extent (especially if it spontaneously downpours!). Today was definitely anything but ordinary. I didn't care that I was soaking wet, because the numerous rides I enjoyed in this rain were sooooooo worth it!! After hanging out with my crewmates and filling them in on my crazy adventures aboard the first water ride to go upside down six times, it was time for me to head home and close the book on one of the best days I have ever had at Kings Island. I retrieved Toothless and my fanny pack from the closet, said bye to my Vortex family, and headed out. I keep saying this, but it's true: today is a day I will not forget anytime soon, ESPECIALLY my 537th ride on Vortex!!! +Vortex: 6 YTD: 44 Total: 537 +WindSeeker: 1 YTD: 9 Total: 128 +Grand Carousel: 1 YTD: 4 Total: 40 +Diamondback: 2 YTD: 4 Total: 113 +The Beast: 1 Total: 17 +Shake Rattle & Roll: 1 YTD: 4 Total: 35

I haven't watched Jump in its entirety yet, but I have seen snippets of it. I saw Amazing Dobermans once last year and I can definitely say that I like Jump much better! I have made it a goal to see at least one Jump show in its entirety this summer.

Originally, I was supposed to spend this day at home doing (more) schoolwork. But on the night before, my cousin messaged me saying she would be at Kings Island with her family the next day and wanted to know if I was working. Of course, I was off on this day. When I told my parents, they wanted to go meet them at the park and spend the afternoon with them, since the only other time we see them is on Thanksgiving. In other words, my day off would turn into another Kings Island trip...and a special one at that. And for once, I didn't have to talk my parents into it. I didn't even NEED to. That's definitely a first. For the first time since the 2016 season, I entered the parking lot via the normal (guest) entrance. As much as I enjoy the associate lot, I loved driving up and seeing the huge parking entrance appear in front of me! Also, I was able to scan my pass at the kiosk in record time, compared to 2016 when it would take me forever! Glad they improved the kiosks so you don't have to hold your pass every which way just to scan it. My parents and I arrived at the park around 1:30, and we met my cousin, cousin-in-law, and their two sons (a.k.a. my nephews) in Action Zone by Chicken Shack and Delirium. One of my nephews is just above 36" tall and his younger brother is an infant, so we spent a lot of our time in Planet Snoopy. They had ridden a couple of rides before they met us, and we wanted to get some more rides in that my nephew would be able to ride. So we headed back to Planet Snoopy together, with me leading the way. Since it was my nephews' first trip to Kings Island, they had never ridden any of the rides, so any rides that my 36" nephew rode were his first times on each of them. When we arrived at Planet Snoopy, we were in the mood for a water ride, and the perfect ride for that was nearby! So my first ride of the day was the Flume. I got to enjoy my nephew's first Flume ride with him and his dad (a.k.a. my cousin-in-law!)! We all had fun and got a little wet, of course. My nephew was giggling throughout the ride, so I knew he had a blast! In fact, he enjoyed it so much that he wanted to do it again. So we hopped back into the 10-minute line, this time with my cousin! While waiting in line, I managed to re-download the Kings Island app onto my phone so I could find the other rides that have a 36" minimum height requirement. One of those rides was Woodstock Gliders, which we rode next. We waited two full cycles before just making it onto the next cycle. My dad decided to ride with us, so he and I squeezed into one glider while my cousin-in-law and nephew rode in another. During the ride, I happened to almost snap my glider (I got as far as moving the fin at the right times for my glider to speed up and slow down in a way characteristic of snapping) but I was careful not to take it too far in case the 2015 snapping ban was still in effect. I apparently know how to snap now. And of course, my nephew loved his first flight on the Gliders (and my dad enjoyed his too. ). We took a brief restroom/snack break. My dad visited the Planet Snoopy Grill and bought some chicken tenders and French fries, which he shared with my mom and me. And yes, they were very good! After a few minutes I suggested riding the Kite Eating Tree, which was one of my favorite rides growing up. So my cousin-in-law, nephew and I got in line and waited three cycles before being the first people on the next cycle. For me, this ride on Kite Eating Tree (which to me will always be Plankton's Plunge ) was a nice trip down memory lane, and for my nephew it was a really fun first ride! Speaking of memory lane...Woodstock Express (a.k.a. the Fairly Odd Coaster) was nearby, and I was feeling rather nostalgic and wanted to revisit my first real roller coaster and take it for a spin. Since Woodstock Express' minimum height requirement is 40", my nephew couldn't ride it yet. So my cousin and I rode. I felt pretty much all the nostalgic feels possible as I walked through the familiar queue and joined the short line just outside the station. The only difference between this time and the others was that I rode in the very last row, unlike in 2007 where I rode exclusively in the middle (and my front seat ride in 2014 and the 2015 Last Rides ERT where I rode near/in the front!)! As expected, we got a lot of airtime in the back seat. The second drop surprised me as it had even more ejector air than the first! I had a great ride down memory lane (again)! And yes, my shirt was still wet from my two Flume rides. At this point, my nephew needed a small break from the rides, and my cousin-in-law and I wanted to ride Vortex. So we started heading toward the other side of the park. As we headed out, the Holly Jolly Trolley from WinterFest (which was now the Peanuts trolley, decorated with Peanuts theming) stopped by Snoopy Boutique and the characters and their escorts got out and started dancing to the music. I joined in, and Sally came over and danced with me. We boogied together for a few moments as other kids joined in. I may have been the oldest guest who got into the dancing, but I didn't care. It was fun! Vortex is the favorite ride for both me and my cousin-in-law, so we were both excited to take it for a spin!! For some reason, no separator was present when we got there, even though the line went up to the bridge. Fortunately, our fellow guests did a good job separating themselves (the lines for each row were distinct), so it was easy for us to join the line for the front row. After waiting about 10 minutes from the time we joined the line, we stepped into the front seat on Train 3. It was my cousin-in-law's first time riding in nearly ten years, and it was my first time riding since...well, the previous day. Both of us greatly enjoyed our ride together on our favorite ride! "Still as great as I remember!" he said as the train hit the brakes. We wanted to ride WindSeeker, but we were running short on time and we still had not taken my nephew on Scrambler and the Carousel (which I kept mentioning), so after riding Vortex, we headed to Scrambler. We waited one full cycle and then some before boarding. My cousin and nephew rode in one car and my mom and I rode in another. As I much as I enjoy riding Scrambler by myself, it does not compare to riding it with another person. It was the first time my mom and I had ridden it together in nearly three years, so this ride was extra special! Last, but certainly not least, was the Grand Carousel. We just barely missed boarding the current cycle so we waited that one cycle before being the first people onto the next one. My cousin-in-law, nephew, both my parents and I rode all together. The recorded music was still playing because the organ currently was not sounding too good at the moment, so the recorded music was playing to spare all of us our ears and a potentially cringe-worthy ride. Hopefully the organ will be back in service soon!! Taken before the ride, as always. In the roughly three hours we spent at the park, it was a pretty good day! I loved finally getting to see some relatives on a day besides Thanksgiving, and being able to just relax and hang out as a guest since I had the day off and didn't need to worry about working (as much as I love it). I'm glad to be a part of my nephews' first trip to Kings Island (and get to ride some of my previous favorite rides, with plenty of nostalgia on the side) and this was probably the best day off I've had in a while, if ever! +Flume: 2 YTD: 4 Total: 14 +Woodstock Gliders: 1 Total: 2 +Kite Eating Tree: 1 Total: 4 +Woodstock Express: 1 Total: 15 +Vortex: 1 YTD: 34 Total: 527 +Scrambler: 1 YTD: 2 Total: 26 +Grand Carousel: 1 YTD: 2 Total: 38

I was genuinely enjoying it!! How was your ride on Vortex??

^I’m working a Close at Vortex on the 7th, so feel free to come visit (and no, you don’t have to ride if you wish not to ). I might visit as a guest beforehand if I have the time. Also, I am adding something to my KI bucket list: -Climb Vortex’s lift hill (it’s my second season working at KI and I still have never set foot on the lift! Hopefully that changes!)

Not necessarily a say, but a do... While I was driving Vortex during the last hour of operation today, I saw a puff of smoke (or vape?) come up from a train I was bringing in. For the first time ever, I spieled "Just a friendly reminder that smoking is not allowed on any ride here at Kings Island...yep, I saw that!" The culprit had an "oops, you caught me" look as he exited. At least he was a good sport about it.

It looks like I will most likely see Gravity for the first time this Sunday, as I work an Open (until 3:45) and I'll be able to catch the 5:00 show! I'm so excited!

I agree about Vortex’s transitions. Since they are quite snappy, they are also the culprit of most headaches. If I could, and if there was a way, I would modify its transitions to be more head-friendly.

That is messed up. How the information got this skewed (especially the "closed until 2020" rumor) is beyond me!

When I rode Firehawk on April 8 during the Dry Run for us associates, I thought I felt strangely secluded walking up the exit path. Now I know why; it's because the fence is different!

@King Ding Dong I actually thought of you when I was at WindSeeker yesterday. In fact, whenever I've been working it lately I think "I wonder if KDD is here right now..."

Today, like yesterday, was dead! I would love to be a guest on one of these days! We again saw Vortex's trains no more than half full, and I saw no more than nine people riding WindSeeker. Sometimes we sent cycles with only two aboard! Also, I got a surprise during the last hour. I started off driving Vortex as usual when one of my fellow drivers came to take my spot and told me to go to WindSeeker. So I went over...and I got drive trained!! I will now remember May 16, 2018 as much as I remember July 29, 2017 (when I became Vortex's newest driver!). -BFF, WindSeeker's newest driver!

The park was DEAD today! Vortex's trains were never more than half full and WindSeeker flew with no more than ten guests in tow (when it wasn't too windy of course ). I even got to ride Vortex a few times during the last hour and I had a train to myself as we were sending out empty trains every few cycles!! Going off of today's experience, DO COME ON A WEEKDAY!!!! And make sure you don't buy Fast Lane. Yes, we saw several guests with Fast Lane at Vortex today. I felt bad for them.

I REALLY want to do this...but it's a Tuesday so I have school and then I work after. My May class starts at 11 but I know my dad probably doesn't want me driving 45 minutes one way to and from Kings Island twice in one day. I know opportunities like this will likely come around again, so I'm not too bummed. Have fun, everyone who goes!

Earlier this week I saw a post on Facebook about Vortex’s little hiccup last Saturday and one of the comments went along the lines of “They’re getting everyone off because somebody fell out...”

I have had a few rides where my train has stopped completely in the mid-course brakes, but it wasn’t anything big. My train was up there for about 10-15 seconds tops. Sometimes (usually when someone is learning to drive the ride) we don’t release the train from the first set of block brakes at the end early enough because sometimes the driver “forgets” that a train is there, which causes the next train to stop completely in the mid-course brakes because of the ride’s block system. It doesn’t happen very much though, and it’s no biggie!

It feels like accomplishing a great deal, as my first time on Vortex I was still afraid of inversions. I have surely come such a long way since then, as I love inversions now!! It’s crazy to think that I have gone upside down over 3,000 times...it honestly doesn’t feel like that much!

I live just east of Dayton in the Beavercreek/Xenia area, so for me it takes approximately 45 minutes to drive 37 miles to Kings Island on a good day. Unlike some of you who would rather avoid 71, I personally enjoy driving on 71. I usually don’t run into much traffic as I am on it either earlier in the morning or later in the evening depending on when I work. I do have an alternate though (Colombia Rd). I start out on U.S. 35, on which I spend only a few minutes since I live just one exit down from U.S. 42, which I take south through Spring Valley and Waynesville to Lebanon, where I hop on 48 and get to see numerous drivers pass me while going at least 10 over (I have never seen the 50 mph speed limit more abused in any other place ) before I finally merge onto 71 (or continue going straight to Colombia Rd). If there isn’t much traffic on 71, I will gladly take it, as it is a bit faster and it will save a bit of time since the associate entrance is all the way down at the south end of the park and I come from the north...

May 4, 2018. I originally planned to pick up an Open shift for work and then ride as a guest after work, but someone needed her Swing covered that day. Since my dad would not let me stay for the fireworks either way, I decided to cover my crewmate's Swing, as my double the next day would allow me to see the fireworks nonetheless. Since the Swing shift does not start until noon, I had some time to ride some rides as a guest before work! I entered the park at 9:50 and headed left to catch some ERT rides on a certain Arrow coaster that was finally being included in the morning ERT... I ALMOST got my own train on my first Bat flight of the season...but several other people arrived as the train arrived. Either way, it was nice and quiet aside from Mary Poppins' "Spoonful of Sugar" playing on the FunTV, which was an unexpected surprise. I rode The Bat twice - once in the front and once in the back. I love the pop of airtime one gets coming off the turn into the second drop when riding in the back! On my second ride, I rode with a spider web next to me, which made for some fairly appropriate theming. The web's eight-legged owner was nowhere to be seen, so it missed out on the fun. I decided to take a quick spin on Banshee, as I had a couple of friends on the crew and I wanted to see if any of them were there. So after shoving Toothless and my fanny pack into a $2 locker, I headed into line for my first Banshee ride of the season. I didn't find the friend for whom I originally searched, but I did happen to find Kat! So we said hi as I waited for the back row seat which I had chosen. Yes, chosen, as there was less than a station wait which made for no point in assigning seats! I rode back row, far right on the Blue train. The ride was very fun, but also very rattling. But it was still very fun. I love getting pulled over the first hill, and it's quite intense! I retrieved my locker contents and headed to Adventure Express' empty station. Like The Bat, I would have had my own train had several more guests not shown up right as the train arrived, but that didn't matter since I had a nice front seat adventure on my first Express ride of the season! It was about 10:45, so I headed straight down to Coney Mall's east end. I need to try Coney BBQ sometime! As soon as I entered Coney Mall, I smelled it. YUM!! By now, I'm sure you know why I headed straight to here... ...not just because I of course craved some morning spins aboard Vortex, but also to finally accomplish something I had originally intended to do on last year's Closing Day HAD IT NOT BEEN SO COLD. It took three rides on Vortex today to get there at last. After enjoying two fun, intense, airtime-filled back seat rides, I hopped aboard the front... ...for a ride that I waited five long months for. At long last, I boarded Vortex for the 500th time at 11:12 a.m. (as seen on the Snapchat filter )! This is the first time I have taken a landmark ride in the morning. And in case you're wondering...I rode in the same seat in which I took my 100th, 200th, 300th, 400th, and first test rides of 2017 and 2018! Yes, I was once again on Train #1!!!! This is my visual proof that I rode Train #1; I took it right as I got off. Don't worry, the lady in the foreground is not looking at me. My 500th ride, dare I say it, was GREAT! Surprise surprise. But seriously, it was great! It was amazing getting to experience my first six inversions for the 500th time. Here's to another 500 more!! And this also means I have now gone upside down on Vortex over 3000 times!! While my train sat on the brake run awaiting its station arrival, I thought about the rides I had just experienced this morning. Then I thought this thought that some would think crazy: "Banshee rattled me more than this!" But it was true! Aside from the wacky transitions and slight shuffling typical of an Arrow, the three rides I just had on Vortex were actually smoother than the extremely rattling ride I had earlier on Banshee (granted I rode in an outside seat on the Blue train which isn't the smoothest, but still!). Feel free to not believe me, but I will stand by the experience I just had of a 31-year-old Arrow looper giving a smoother ride than a 4-year-old B&M invert. Banshee needs to step up her game because something's up. It's so crazy to think!! I wanted to cool off with a ride on Flume so I could make it an all-Arrow ride day (aside from my ride on Banshee), but instead I had embarked on a futile quest to obtain the ride photo of my 500th ride. Apparently Vortex's kiosk wasn't working of all times, and even the people at Mystic Timbers' photo station couldn't pull it up. Oh well. At least I have the memories! It was just after 11:30, so I didn't have time to ride Flume and still get back to Vortex in uniform by 11:45. Even though I didn't get to cool off in the way I originally planned, I would get to cool off later when it began pouring mid-afternoon! It was raining hard enough for Vortex to close for weather, so I got to clean the train as well as obtain some aesthetic shots. I'll post only a few as I don't want to spoil it all. Dare I say that some are Photo-Contest-worthy! Overall, May 4 was a good day! For clarification I will consider writing trip reports for only the days that include guest visits, as writing reports for every day would be too much. I may include some details from neighboring work days though, or at least give brief entries about them in the random discussion thread. +The Bat: 2 Total: 102 +Banshee: 1 Total: 26 +Adventure Express: 1 Total: 56 +Vortex: 3 YTD: 7 Total: 500

^Darien Lake in upstate New York had Pentatonix perform there last summer. I don't know if Darien Lake is classified as regional park, but it's close (it's definitely more than a local park).

I also live 45 minutes from the park. 50-55 if there's traffic or if nearly every single traffic light turns red en route. For me, U.S. 35 to U.S. 42 to S.R. 48 to Interstate 71 is the way to go. If it's a day where the park is expecting to be swamped *cough*Haunt Saturdays*cough* then I stay on 48 until I reach Colombia Rd, follow it to Kings Mills Rd and then to Kings Island Drive. That's my alternate trip-finishing route to KI as a precaution to avoid any rush traffic or delays that may present themselves on 71. -BFF, who loves to save all the time she can, especially since she comes from up north and has to drive all the way to the south end of the park to reach the associate lot.

I was working all day Saturday, and at one point we did have a pretty decent line (this was before the rain and the evac) with a wait of at least 15-20 minutes. It usually doesn't have too long of a wait even with a full queue, as the queue doesn't have miles of switchbacks like other rides do. Even with the squeaking, Vortex has been running very well so far this season; it actually gave me a smoother ride (aside from the wacky transitions, of course) than Banshee when I rode them before work on Friday! The squeaking is typical for early in the season; it's usually the new(er) wheels on the trains that squeak a little this early in the season, especially when it's wet outside. I know there is some other squeaking as well, but it is not a huge deal and it doesn't adversely affect the ride experience from what I've seen, heard, and experienced. After all, Vortex is 31 years old. Overall, great trip report! I enjoyed reading it.