Magenta Lizard

Yesterday a teenage boy in front of me in line managed to knock his wallet out of his back pocket when he was getting back up from sitting on a railing (because the line had moved) and didn't notice. I grabbed it and handed it to him when I caught back up with him a few seconds later. A simple thanks would have been nice, but most things would have been nicer than the suspicious look I got instead. Yeah buddy, pickpockets don't hand it back to you.

As I was leaving tonight, the vehicle was being towed so I could see this was even more of a potential tragedy than I initially thought. There are several feet of deep gouges in the asphalt. So, I initially thought the driver hit the sign, knocked it over, and got wedged on the block. In fact, they seem to have hit it, and either dragged the block several feet before stopping, or pushed on until it finally disabled the vehicle. The forces involved suggest either high speeds (and I don't really see how someone could be going terribly fast entering the drop-off area) or intense acceleration: flooring the pedal. I really hope the driver is ok, because a medical emergency is one of the ways I could see this potentially having happened. I don't think they'd have been injured in the actual event, though. There was no ambulance or sign of the driver when I first came upon the scene, so I don't know. But, if anyone had been walking through at the time this happened (and there almost always is someone walking through there), they would have been seriously injured if not killed.

Ugh, as if I needed a reminder that jerks are jerks and idiots are idiots. I was waiting for Diamondback, in my favorite row. I got in line behind a couple pairs waiting in that row. When I got to the front of the gate to wait for next train (with a couple other sets behind me), two girls who had gotten into the next row toward the front of the train asked if I would "switch with those boys back there." I wasn't even able to tell who they meant at first, because the boys didn't seem to give a crap if they rode together with the girls or not. I could tell the girls were really annoyed I told them no, which apparently isn't a response they're used to getting. Seriously, as a single rider I try to be loose about making things easier for others, and will comply with most requests that make things easier for groups, but these girls' plan was going to shuffle around five pairs of riders (the boys, two pairs behind them, two pairs behind me) and me, all just before our train was ready to load. It made very little sense except being the outrageous late request posited by these girls. It's not as though it was a power hour, there was plenty of time to organize an arrangement (one that didn't inconvenience anyone else) before that moment. So anyway, we get on and they're radiating hate at me, and the boys are paying little attention to them. Halfway up the lift hill, surprise, surprise, out comes the phone to take selfies, and it stays out until the last brake run. Fortunately I didn't get it in the face, although I was hoping she'd drop it in a non-injuring fashion. A police officer (black uniform security) came up the exit ramp when we were still sitting there behind the station, and I had an insane hope he was coming for her because they had seen it on the cameras and actually take it seriously. No such luck, he left again before we even got in the station, and I couldn't find any security after I got off. I checked the photos, but she had concealed it behind her other arm during the shots, so I had no proof other than my word anyway. Sometimes people really steam me.

I loved COSI as it existed when I was in middle/high school (I graduated in '94). I had no idea what it had become. I seriously need to plan a trip!

I only saw it after whatever happened, but I assume it was something like that, because there was no rear damage. I'm very thankful it was a sign rather than a human being.

More "do" than say... An Infiniti fought a no parking sign. Similar to one of these, with the concrete base Aftermath:

Crowds are still quite light. WindSeeker was pretty much walk on.

If anyone is trying to decide about the all you can eat picnic, the food is pretty good. I especially like the chicken. Everything tastes better than what they served at the Coaster Crew Banshee Bash earlier this year. And they have the same yummy chocolate chip cookies they served us during the fireworks at that event. BBoBH was less than 5 min wait at 2:30 or so.

Dry park is still pretty light crowds. Two trains were being evacuated from the two brake run locations. I guess the third was in the station, but didn't look closely enough.

Diamondback is undergoing a brake run evacuation. No idea why. I was surprised I couldn't see any line till I saw it was closed. Beast's back car is roped off too. The guy working didn't know or couldn't say why. Guess it is time for some all I can eat. Surf Dog was a walk on.

Some pics I took through the windows of the arcade haunt. There's some sort of dummy on a table you can see from one end of the arcade, and a vehicle on the other end.

Crap, I already rode it. Got perfectly wet though. Enough to cool off but not like I took a shower fully clothed. No wait to speak of for WWC tho.

Fingers crossed it doesn't get too awful. It's only 11, and the heat is already making me think of WWC. Diamondback's line is a little longer than the stairs. Beast was pretty much walk on.

Granted, it's still 5 minutes until open, but the crowds waiting at the gate are about what they would be on an average weekday at this time, in midsummer. So pretty light for a weekend. I think the projected heat today will keep a lot of people either home or in Soak City. Also, Dollar Days (and Labor Day) may make people decide to wait until next weekend instead.

I haven't been able to find the $20 BAF in official writing anywhere yet. Went to the full site and everything, it only talks about the $1 food. Same with Facebook and Twitter. I'm sure since jdf21972 actually called the park and got the info it is true, I just don't know why they aren't mentioning it.

I still enjoy the train, although part of it is nostalgia. I ride it at least every other visit to the park. As much as I walk at the park (got a Fitbit now, so I know I average ten miles during an eight hour or so visit) it is nice to sit for awhile but still have something interesting to look at. I like to imagine all the little things they could do to make the train ride more exciting again. Heck, even the addition of Pikachu peeking out of the Mary Rose Inn early in the season was something. Just small touches can make all the difference. Last time I rode, the young woman on the mic was giving some different trivia than what I have been hearing most of the season, so that was refreshing. She got off at Soak City though and the young man who took over was back to the same patter. My biggest gripe at the moment (about things that exist rather than things I wish existed) is the music on the way back from Soak City. I much prefer the songs used out of Rivertown, they go along with the old train better. So, since I've never been to a KI fall event before (Haunt or earlier), do they actually do anything that interacts with the train at all? I was sort of hoping they did have something in store, I've noticed what looks like an extra platform next to a grassy area along the tracks, and thought it might be used in Haunt. It seems to me like the publicity they got from the Ghost Hunters episode made it natural for them to play off of it, more than a brief mention during the dry train patter.

I think he can be forgiven for confusing this with the food discussion thread. It's all my fault!

I just made pancakes for lunch. With real maple syrup, yum!

I renewed today with the meal plan. I really can't wait to get to use it! I wish it included a single use this season I assumed Italian Job 2005 meant "of the chain restaurants in the park, only the Cincinnati based ones are included" rather than "of all restaurants, only Cincinnati based chains are part of the plan."

The chant of the girl was not at all like that, but that's an interesting precedent. I think one of the incidents (the first, before I was realizing this was more than a one-off) may have been kids on The Monster singing that back and forth between different cars. I didn't hear that as clearly as the incident on The Racer, just noticed pancakes and waffles mentioned.

Is there some sort of pop-culture reference to pancakes or waffles that I haven't caught up on yet? A few times through the season I've heard young people shout "pancakes!" or "waffles!" jubilantly during or after rides. One was a teenage girl in the brake run of The Racer who shouted like a little cheerleading chant: "Pancakes for breakfast! Pancakes! Pancakes! Pancakes and waffles!" It was odd enough once, but that I've also heard similar things makes me think it's "a thing."

Thanks for the pictures and info! Very interesting. Not sure I even want to know what prompted "Bowlin Butter". Sounds like the guy I was talking to had the correct info, just outdated. It didn't sound like the typical sort of rumor one hears in the park.

On Wednesday I could see a bit of a set piece sitting inside, but only from the brake run. Since they got the roof on, there's very little change to take pictures of, for the average guest at least.

I was talking to a guy at Flight of Fear (another single rider I shared the front seat with), and he mentioned that the trains from King Cobra were stored along the perimeter of the FoF building. It was the first I had heard this rumor, but it didn't seem improbable. Has anyone else heard this? Seen them during a rare lights-on ride? Etc? Related to this, has anyone else noticed something along the brake run of Flight of Fear? I keep seeing something to the left of the train at the beginning of the run that looks to be about head level if someone were standing on the walkway there. The first time I thought it might actually be an employee's face. It's so quick and dark I haven't been able to figure out what it is, beyond determining it isn't a figment of my imagination.

That picture of deep fried cheese on a stick was just cruel. I've been wanting some for just about forever. Last time I was at Cedar Point (several years ago), they didn't have it. Last I got some was at the Warren County fair, and it wasn't any good.