Ki Man Posted December 30, 2007 Share Posted December 30, 2007 I took two days to go down south with my aunt and uncle to Beech Bend, their cabin, a scary cave with bats and cave crickets, and some random farm! With Jennies! I think it's a female donkey... Anyways! It was about a 3.5 hour drive, leaving at 12:30 to get there before 5....but we forgot about the time zone change and got there at 3PM instead of 4! So to kill some time, we stopped at Godfather's pizza. Eh, I've gotten ahead of myself, I'll tell it with the pictures! Mmm.....B&M....always a nice sight. Ah, after about 3 miles of country roads, you drive up this little hill to finally see.... This nice little park with a massive coaster dominating the skyline. Dominating, yup. You like it when I say that? Beech Bend Park's Holiday of lights. Open until January 5th from 5PM to 10PM CST. Mmm...it's taunting me, now. So we pull up to the gates around 4:15 and ask this woman if we can walk around the park until it opens. She said no it opens at 5. But we had a funny little conversation: "Sorry, hun the park doesn't open until 5. But...back in town there's some shops and....TWO WALMARTS!" - Woman "TWO WALMARTS?!" - Me "Yeah! And you can find a discount coupon in either of 'em!" "Ah, cool! How crowded will it be?" "Well, on a week night like this it might be abit crowded. Usually about four or five cars line up!" "Alright...we'll go get that discount." And so I drive back into the town and get lost abit. Find this walmart and there is a ONE dollar off coupon. But I had to buy something to get the coupon. So I spend a dollar on candy and 14 for admission. I get lost again looking for the park and eventually find directions. Mr. Dallas Jones sure loves his 2 miles of lights. If you found Rudolph, email PKIVortex Christmas isn't about presents or friends and family....it's all about little 5 lbs 8 oz baby Jesus. Alright, I've gone through the 12 days of Christmas, Random trees, long messages I can't read, and a freaking maze the drive through! Get me outa here!!!! Se we almost drive out of the park because there is no directions or people telling you where to go. Acually, they told us to turn off the headlights.....so then you wouldn't be able to see the little arrows! Well, eventually you park in the race way and a tram waits for people to get in. TOO LONG. So I bolt off in the park. Ah, an empty station! It's been two months without a coaster, and it's great to hear that lift chain runnin'. Mmm...Kentucky Rumbler. But wait, the station is still empty. It's 5:15 and there's no one here! No one in the station. Lift chain running. Lights on, I was even able to get the restaint up! There was really NO ONE there! So I walk out and look around the park for a minute, then come back and magically a ride op is there. Me and Mike head for the back seat! Wow, is that me wiping a tear from my eye? Probably, it was a darn good coaster. Hey, check out the wear-whatever-you-want uniform the ride op is wearing! Yup it's dark out. And about 45 degreese. It's one coaster experiance I won't forget! The chick on the right asked about my hat. She called it a 'toboggan' and called me a 'Buckeye' because I'm from Ohio. Oh you Kentuckians. Did I mention it's dark? Hi, I like roller coasters at GCI makes. GIMME MORE WOOD!!!! Beech Bend also has lights, music, and movies around the park. It's quite nice. And also has other coasters. Isn't it good this one is closed? (The Pinafari) Only in Kentucky.... Over across the pond, they have this amazing ride. I've heard some Midwest Trippers claim this to be their new favorite drop ride.....and I had no clue how this could be better than Drop Zone at KI..... You may not be able to tell, but I am completely out of my seat. First off, the thing above your head is preventing you to see how high up your are. And second, the drop is so abrupt and the harnesses are so crappy, you can move them 4 inches off you. Your body is really out of that seat. It probably made Terrance made thet WHEEN sounds. BEST drop ride I have been on!!! After my awesome Shock Drop rides, I ran into some lost family members! Power Surge....oh, how I wanted to ride it. But it was closed. :cry: More pretty lights... Hell, I'll pay three bucks to wait a few minutes to ride this fantastic coaster! If this was at some other park, the wait would probably be 30-45 minutes easy! OMG POV. LOL. This awesome nerf rocket launcher. Go ahead, instert your rocket polishing joke in here for me. Rumbler Station. Ya'll ready to rumble? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ki Man Posted December 30, 2007 Author Share Posted December 30, 2007 And so that concludes the theme park part of my TR. Now is the "Kentucky Adventure" part. So if you're here for the coaster pics....you can go back now. It's the end of that world as we know it....it's the end of the.... Hah, no. It was really fun shooting this gun. It's a .22 or something like that for all the gun enthusiasts. I shot the Mtn. Dew can 34 ft.! Mike was impressed. So this is the creek you need to cross to get to the cabin. It's rained alot since last night. Here we are...in the middle of a rising creek... So...my uncle decided it would be fun to drive the two wheel drive Mercury Mariner through it. Until we went to deep and had to go back. Kinda stupid but fun. Only he would do that... Well, we went into the woods and to a friend's private property because there is a cave. Not a touristy stt up, already cleared path guide, lit up cave. We spelunked for about 10 minutes. There were bats, spiders....and....CAVE CRICKETS! One jumped on my head and that was the point to turn around and head out. Farm across the street. A female donkey called a Jenny! They HATE 'yotes and keep the cows safe! DONKEYS SAVE LIVES PEOPLE! They looked abit angry. A group of nice horsies! And a nice country side picture to end this TR. Thanks for reading! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoastersRZ Posted December 30, 2007 Share Posted December 30, 2007 Nice trip report. Glad to hear some response from Beech Bend`s holiday event. I`ve never made it out to Beech Bend, and really want to. Especially since I`ve never ridden a coaster designed by GCI yet! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted December 30, 2007 Share Posted December 30, 2007 Thanks for the fantastic trip report. Beech Bend is a very strange park that simply must be experienced to be believed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeliriumDreamer Posted December 30, 2007 Share Posted December 30, 2007 Geez, I remember my last trip to Beech Bend. Something involving having to pay 50 cents for a cup of water, going putt-putting, riding the Rumbler, then going home because it was a little on the boring side, no offense... The one of the few good things I remember from that trip was this amazing ORP I got of myself and my friends- one of whom had this great Bevis impression going on in the pic. And of course, the amazing Rumble-fest t-shirts... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fan of beast Posted December 30, 2007 Share Posted December 30, 2007 sounds like a fun little trip. at this point, any coaster would help with the withdrawals. i have a need for SOB. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted December 30, 2007 Share Posted December 30, 2007 By the way, are you SURE Jenny is not a mule? Donkeys are rather rare in Kentucky... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ki Man Posted December 30, 2007 Author Share Posted December 30, 2007 Hmm...you know, what? I think it's a mix of either horse and donkey to get a mule...or a mix of mule and horse to get a donkey. I forget what the farmer said! Just that it's a Jenny and it keeps the cows safe! Thanks for the comments! Oh, for those who get all disgruntled about "POV shots", the one I took was from the station, and they do allow POV's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted December 30, 2007 Share Posted December 30, 2007 It's a horse and a donkey to get a mule....That one I know and didn't have to look up! Anyway, here's a cite, for those so inclined: http://www.ruralheritage.com/mule_paddock/mule_compare.htm Terpy, who grew up closer to a farm than he'd have liked...New Jersey, anyone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ki Man Posted December 31, 2007 Author Share Posted December 31, 2007 Ah, thanks Interp. That was just eating me up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PKIVortex Posted December 31, 2007 Share Posted December 31, 2007 What's up with the PKIVortex comment? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoddaH1994 Posted December 31, 2007 Share Posted December 31, 2007 Geez, I remember my last trip to Beech Bend. Something involving having to pay 50 cents for a cup of water, going putt-putting, riding the Rumbler, then going home because it was a little on the boring side, no offense... The one of the few good things I remember from that trip was this amazing ORP I got of myself and my friends- one of whom had this great Bevis impression going on in the pic. And of course, the amazing Rumble-fest t-shirts... I remember having to jump from a ride... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JacksonPKI Posted December 31, 2007 Share Posted December 31, 2007 Nice Pics, KI Man! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ki Man Posted December 31, 2007 Author Share Posted December 31, 2007 Thanks! And Vortex, I just put in someone's name that I met haha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JacksonPKI Posted December 31, 2007 Share Posted December 31, 2007 yea, those CCI and GCI coasters look great. Bet it was a great ride! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted January 1, 2008 Share Posted January 1, 2008 yea, those CCI and GCI coasters look great. Bet it was a great ride! What CCI coaster did you see in those pictures? Sigh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cory Butcher Posted January 1, 2008 Share Posted January 1, 2008 I was actually wondering that as well Interpreter, life lessons are certainly hard to come by on a message board for many. Speaking of which, if Im not mistaken Shivering Timbers is a Dinn creation by CCI correct? I have been wanting to ride it, it looks quite fun, and very photogenic, how does it ride if you have been (un?)fortunate to ride it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted January 1, 2008 Share Posted January 1, 2008 I am a longtime member of what was at first a very small minority of people who were not incredibly impressed with Shivering Timbers. When it opened, it was one long floating airtime hill after another, followed by a piece of VERY odd trick track, then a long, boring helix. Having become accustomed to the wonderful coasters of Herb Schmeck, John Miller and Ed Vetel, I was very disappointed. I also predicted that the coaster would become painful and slow as it aged...a prediction many have come to agree with. It's also probably more accurate to attribute Shivering Timbers to Larry Bill and Dennis McNulty than to Dinn. The coaster IS massive. It was a fun coaster. But, back when it opened, I much preferred Rampage at what was then Visionland in Alabama to Shivering Timbers. Neither coaster has aged particularly well. CCI's require a great deal of care. Holiday World has done that well with Raven and Legend. Most parks have not. Cheetah, Shivering Timbers and Rampage all point out how important maintenance is to the long term enjoyability of a wooden coaster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PKIVortex Posted January 1, 2008 Share Posted January 1, 2008 That's cool, was just wondering. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon Bombay Posted January 1, 2008 Share Posted January 1, 2008 Great Photo TR KiMan! Both of them! Really enjoyed reading them and enjoyed the pictures, it was nice to see some new updates from Beech Bend. Only thing I disliked was the Moeller sweatshirt ( ) but hey, no ones perfect! Did you shoot any guns besides the .22? Back in Athens when things get stressful, my friend and I go out to the range at a local state park with a club and shoot textbooks and other random crap. He owns a Russian made 1943 Mosin Nagant (with a pressed hammer and sickle emblem (the same rifle the russians use in the Call of Duty game series)) that is one of the loudest and most powerful rifles I have ever seen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JacksonPKI Posted January 1, 2008 Share Posted January 1, 2008 yea, those CCI and GCI coasters look great. Bet it was a great ride! What CCI coaster did you see in those pictures? Sigh. Who said I did see a CCI? I'm saying that the paticular GCI coaster looks fun along with the CCI's in other parks! Sorry, I must have phrased it wierd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ki Man Posted January 1, 2008 Author Share Posted January 1, 2008 ^That made no sense at all and has no relavance to my TR. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cory Butcher Posted January 1, 2008 Share Posted January 1, 2008 I think he was saying that the K. Rumbler which is GCI obviously looks like a fun ride, and that all of GCIs coasters look pleasing to him as well as all of the CCI's he has seen. He seems to have plenty of trouble phrasing things in a coherent manner. Basically, he was commenting that K. Rumbler looks nice and looks to be a fun ride. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JacksonPKI Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 ^ Thank you for sorting that out for me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ki Man Posted January 3, 2008 Author Share Posted January 3, 2008 Well, Kentucky Rumbler is a nice, fun ride. It sure as heck beats anything KI has to offer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JacksonPKI Posted January 3, 2008 Share Posted January 3, 2008 yea, i've heared. Did it have airtime? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ki Man Posted January 6, 2008 Author Share Posted January 6, 2008 Yes. About 8-10 times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IBEW_Sparky Posted January 6, 2008 Share Posted January 6, 2008 Wow, I had no idea that park even existed... so it is with newly entering the realm of "enthusiast" and leaving the realm of "rider" I guess LOL. The Rumbler looks sweet, and one question I have is why anyone would be "disgruntled" about POV shots as long as the park ops dont get bent out over it. You grab your camera phone, snap a pic going up the lift hill (for instance) and put the camera phone back in your pocket... BFD, no harm. The only type of coaster I could see it being an issue on IMHO is a LIM coaster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JacksonPKI Posted January 6, 2008 Share Posted January 6, 2008 Yes. About 8-10 times. Wow, I didn't know those types had air, I thought they were about speed and head choppers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted January 6, 2008 Share Posted January 6, 2008 Wow, I had no idea that park even existed... so it is with newly entering the realm of "enthusiast" and leaving the realm of "rider" I guess LOL. The Rumbler looks sweet, and one question I have is why anyone would be "disgruntled" about POV shots as long as the park ops dont get bent out over it. You grab your camera phone, snap a pic going up the lift hill (for instance) and put the camera phone back in your pocket... BFD, no harm. The only type of coaster I could see it being an issue on IMHO is a LIM coaster. It's a big deal as it is against every park and manufacturer's rules. You let go of that cell phone or camera, and someone gets BADLY hurt or, worse, dies. See, for instance, the incident at Geauga Lake where a cell phone bonked another rider in the head and....$3.6 million dollars!!!! http://newsgroups.derkeiler.com/Archive/Re...3/msg00097.html Yes, it may have been a rock. No, they don't belong on coasters either. Loose articles do not belong on roller coasters. Period. And before you say YOU won't let go, others will see you, and they might. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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