tjpavlik

..And thats brings back the whole Conversation as to whether Kings Island can actually Have a Coaster very much taller than 300' due to the proximity to The Airport. What airport?

Perhaps history repeating?? From the Wikipedia page of "Silver Bullet" at Knotts. Another B & M inverted coaster: " On May 28, 2003, a trademark for the name "Silver Bullet" was filled by Cedar Fair.[1] Silver Bullet was announced to the public on December 1, 2003.[2] The final piece of track was placed on September 30, 2004.[3] After construction and testing was completed, the roller coaster opened first to the media, then to the public on December 7, 2004.[4][5]"

This morning I noticed several workers in the area behind the fence and several newly poured footers. The best views are from the Delirium which isn't conducive to pics.

I was puzzled about the no glasses policy. I have ridden every ride at KI with sunglasses on and never had a problem. I did ride the DB without glasses in the rain and wished for the entire ride I HAD worn them. There were no rides at Knott's that I felt I would have lost my glasses. ( I did cheat and put them on on the Silver Bullet; no problems) The Log Flume looked neat but it was not operating as well. I'm not a fan of water rides when its under 80 degrees.

I forgot to mention that! No glasses permitted! I normally wear my sunglasses with dork string but had forgotten it that day. Every ride attendant made sure no one was wearing glasses (sun or other).

I was assigned a trip to southern California for 1/28-1/29. Having nothing better to do (other than to get our passengers out there) I packed my platinum pass and made my way up the 710 to the 91 and was at the front gate within an hour of landing. I figured that on a Monday during the school year the crowds would be minimal and I was right. Most rides were either walk right on or a very short wait. Most roller coasters were running with only one train and the other train was being be maintained on the maintenance siding. The only hiccup was with the parking lot attendant who after scanning my pass he said it wasn't valid. I told him I had paid for it a few weeks ago and he let me in to park and told me to go to information booth. I didn't see the information booth so I just went up to the gate where my pass was scanned in and welcomed into the park. As anticipated the WindSeeker was closed but unfortunately so was the Ghostrider, their wooden coaster. The first coaster I had to ride was the Silver Bullet, a suspended roller coaster. It has six (and some say 6.5) inversions. The closest thing KI had to it is the Flying Ace (minus the invertions). A great ride that would fill a gap in the current KI lineup. I then moved on to the Xcelerator. I think the Xcelerator was the inspiration for Kinga Ka and the Top Thrill Dragster. The ride is not nearly as tall but still an intense experience. 0-80 mph then straight up 200 feet, then down, around and back to the station. An added bonus was the view to the north of downtown LA and the Hollywood sign. (20 miles or so in the distance) In my mind the theming wasn't that great but it didn't detract from the ride. A space/aviation theme would work much better. The Boomerang was next. The layout is exactly the same as Invertigo with a Vortex type train. The ride is quick and intense. It didn't bang my head around like The Vortex. But I only rode it once! The next coaster was the Jaguar. The Jaguar is a small steel coaster with great theming. Unfortunately the ride is pretty tame. The best part of the ride is the view of the park it provides. Interestingly enough you could look under the station platform where numerous workers were rebuilding electric motors for the lift hill. On the lift hill I noticed at least three wheels not turning. I then took a break from the coasters and did the Supreme Scream (up, then down, ok) and the La Revolucion (I thought it would be Delirium like but its much smaller and in my mind its better to look out rather than in). The Riptide was an outside version of the Crypt. (The inside setting of the Crypt gave it an big edge over the outside setting but it was probably the best non-coaster ride) I went back to the coasters and tried Montezooma's Revenge. It was the closest thing I had been on previously was the old Screamin' Demon.(Minus the steps!) A very quick out and back looper with a power launch. The lights dimming in the station at launch was an ominious touch (or power surge, who can say) Neat older ride. The Sierra Sidewinder was in kiddie land (Peanuts theme) and was a pretty intense little coaster. It is a small steel coaster with rotating cars. As my car crested the hill it spun and I ended up going down the hill backwards. Pretty cool! The ride ends with a small helix and with your car pointed down it seems as if the gravel is but a few inches away! On the way across the park to re-ride a few of the previously mentioned coasters I stopped and did the Western Stunt Show. About 100 people watched the show which was heavy on slapstick type humor and a few jokes about other parks in southern California. The last coaster was the Pony Express. Another power launch with horse themed cars. You actually sit on a horse like seat to ride. It goes up, around and through a tunnel. The cars were unique but the ride was disappointing. I did the Ghost Town diner for lunch. $17 for a burger, fries and a drink. There were cheaper options out there but I was looking for table service. At that point it was time to head on out. All in all it was a great quick day at Knott's Berry Farm. Having a platinum pass made the trip a no brainer cost wise. Their rides were pretty good and different enough from KI to make things interesting. Being able to walk on to rollercoasters in 60 degree temperatures (cool for SOCAL) in January was a great way to pass the time. Still waiting for the April KI opening!

Cedar Fair is publicly owned (symbol: FUN) and available for purchase. They reported record earnings and the stock is at a five year high.

I thought Fun Perks was the biggest "new" item of the year.

The Bat. When it was operating. The Screamin' Demon. How many times did I climb those steps?? Way too many to count.

Great deals on the food; we had coneys for lunch, pizza and fries for dinner. The rides didn't fair as well unfortunately. The FOF and Firehawk were down before 11 then opened, the Diamondback went down about 11 and did not reopen. The Bumper Cars went down about 11. Aerial Chase, Surf Dog, and Invertigo never opened. The Vortex was on and off all day. The Red Racer was down but the Blue ran all day. Still there was enough to keep us busy all day. A good day.

Just renewed the family and upgraded to platnium. I went to KI so many times this summer I figure my admission per visit was under $5. IMO the Funperks are just icing on the cake. I would have bought the same amount of stuff regardless of the freebies.

Last night a skunk was in the vicinity of the Candy/Soda machines in the Diamondback line. Stinky. Earlier in the season I saw a fawn in the deep grass under the supports for the turn before the corkscrew on The Vortex.

The poor girl sitting at the entrance of FOF was asked at least three times in a minute how long was the wait for FOF. Each time she cheerfully answered: "Forty-five minutes to an hour.... just like is says on the sign."

My wife took a few when she went flying last week. I'll post when I can get them from her camera.