Finally, my KI closing day TR

[touchdown62]

Ok, enough stalling. I'm going to share my closing-day trip with the world...

It all started at about 7:30 in the morning in a frigid Muncie, IN. I had to scrape frost off my windows before getting started. Scraping windows to go to Kings Island... there's something so wrong, yet so right about that. After getting breakfast, large mocha, and gas (no, not from breakfast... for my Jeep), it was 8:10. I was hoping to make it in time for ERT and meet up with other members of KIC who said they were going to be there. I've made it in 2:15 before. I need to get moving.

I was making good time until the cone convention met between Dayton and Cincy on I-75. 55 mph for almost the distance between south Dayton and Tylersville-Mason Rd... and the construction was ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY!!

GRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!

I did make it in time... barely. Pulled into the parking lot at 10:23, parked in my favorite spot in Gold Pass Parking, gathered my stuff, and headed for the entrance. I got to the security checkpoint just as the gates opened up. I made my way in and looked for a group of KICers, to no avail, so I went toward Diamondback, since that's the only way they let you go. Diamondback hadn't opened yet, so I went on to The Beast. Beast must've known it was the last day. Even at that early time, Beast gave a kick-a$$ ride. When I exited the ride, I heard the siren for Diamondback. YAY!! I walked as fast as my legs could take me, without running, for DBs entrance. I got there and... nothing. Line. DB wasn't running. The siren was just a tease. Since I was there, and the line wasn't too long, I waited it out. Few minutes later, another siren, and the trains started going through the circuit. DB passed all its standard tests and it was OPEN!!! I got 1 pre-open ride in, and since the line was pretty much nonexistent, I went back around.

After the second ride, I had a seat on the bricks opposite the entrance for DB for a few minutes. I noticed a small group of KICers, so I decided to join them. I did ask, of course. I ended up in the group with Adam (pkiboy), Dave (DaveStroem) and his family, Beast79 (sorry, don't remember your name), Jackson (Beast1979... duh), and John (I believe... didn't get screen name) . If there was anyone else, I apologize for leaving you out. BTW, I know we know each other on here by our screen names, but I like to go by real names.

At this point, I was a little disappointed the large group didn't materialize, but I it was nice going around the park in a group and getting to meet some of you in person finally. I was game for pretty much whatever (but not everything, as some in the group found out later), so I just followed everyone. We went from the DB plaza to X-Base. FoF was first, and it was a walk-on. I've had a station wait before, but never a walk-on. I ended up riding solo because I'm 6'2 and need the second row in the car. I'm a big guy, so I usually need help getting the belt to buckle. I'm just not flexible. This was the first time I was able to buckle myself in... EVER!! Losing weight rocks!! We got off, and I thought we were going for Firehawk, but next thing I knew, we were in the space ship again. No big. I enjoyed the first trip. Man, was it dark in there. Usually there are a few lights on, but today, just the final brake run. I was wearing my sunglasses, so I couldn't see a d### thing. It was like riding the coaster for the first time again.

Now off to Firehawk. WALK-ON. Never saw that before either, even after a mechanical problem. Only person in line was the ride-op who sends groups of 24 to the station. We didn't get that far. Yes, we ducked under the rails. Bad llama. As we left the station, we came to the realization that it was still morning. That means Evil Day Star in the face on the lift hill. Enjoyable ride. Plenty of Gs. Definitely a face-melter.

Coney Maul... um, I mean, Mall. HH sign was still up. Station-wait for Racer, red side of course. Blue side all tucked in for winter. There was a herd of trash can on the other side. Sorry, didn't get a pic. Rode solo again. I need 2nd or 3rd row in car... I need a place to put my feet. I will always like this ride. Classic down-back woodie. It's better if it races, but alas... next season. I hope they give the red side some lovin' in the down-time between November and April (aka offssssss... see, can't say it).

Next up... Adventure Express. Sat next to Jackson on this one. It's a tame enough ride, we could hold a conversation. All was going well until he uttered 2 words that curl my toes... Drop Tower. UH-UH, HE!! NO, NO WAY, EFF THAT NOISE!! Homeboy does not do Drop Tower! I've been on it twice, and that's 3 times too many. NO WAY! I can't stress that enough.

Now I knew if I was going to be with a big group, I was going to have to ride Drop Tower. I resigned myself to that fact. That doesn't mean I was willing to go quietly.

We left AE and turned right toward Action Zone. No idea where we were headed. Invertigo? Flight Deck? Nope...

The group turned right into the line, I turned left for the water fountains by Invertigo. I WILL NOT do Delirium. It makes me nauseous just looking at the thing. It's not butterflies. It's (:-x) nausea. I also don't need to know you'll be swinging at speeds up to 76 mph. If I rode that thing, they would have to change the name to "Rings of Saturn" or "Guess What Touchdown62 Had For Breakfast."

The group got off the Spew Machine and headed for Drop Tower, with me bringing up the rear... WAY in the rear. DT was a walk-on. Not that it mattered to me. I was NOT looking forward to this. Of all people, Jackson came back to encourage me to keep walking in the queue. Growl snarl hiss. He actually grabbed my arm and pulled me around to the far side of the vehicle that "faces the park." Is it legal to beat up a 13-year-old? I knew I was going to ride, but I had to put up a bit of a struggle. He found a good seat and shoved me in front of it. I sat, surrounded by Beasts (Beast79 on my right, Beast1979 on my left). There was no getting out of this... or was there? I pulled the harness down, slid the buckle as far down the belt as it would go, and... NO GO!! I can't fit!!! The ride op tried to push. Nope. Oh darn! I guess I can't ride! Then the op asked her partner if there was a seat with an orange belt open. There was. Crap. Of all the rides that need fat-people seats, Drop Tower IS NOT ONE OF THEM!!!!

This may seem counter-intuitive, but I'm afraid of heights. Seriously. I know... coaster enthusiast who's afraid of heights. I'm sure there's a 12-step program for that, but I've never found one. If I look down, and there's nothing below me but my feet, I freak. I can't climb ladders. I DON'T climb ladders. I don't have a problem with coasters because most have a floor. I don't mind inverted coasters. I have a bit of an issue on Invertigo. I like to be as far "back" on the train facing forward on the first pass. I like having the long first drop, but I can't stand watching the ground go away from me. I like going to the top of the Eiffel Tower (both the one at Kings Island and the one in Paris). The view is amazing, and most of all, they have a FLOOR. There's also no way you can fall off. I also love flying, in a airplane that is. Again, you're inside, and there's a FLOOR (anyone notice a pattern here). I don't know if anyone has noticed, but there's no floor on DT.

On the way up, the 2 Beasts flanking me were doing all they could to console me. Jackson had to point out our shadow, which showed us not even half-way up. Thanks for that. Beast79 explained what they had to do to get the ride vehicle to spin when they first built the ride. Great. More good news. Thanks. Someone's going to die. If I survive, I'm going to kill someone. About 2/3 of the way up, I could see my Jeep in the parking lot. Hmmm. My prior experience on DT told me to NOT look straight down. All sort of strange thoughts enter my mind when I look down. Hmmm, What's down there has to get up here somehow. What if I just got off right now (at the top)? Would I need to be cleaned up with a sponge or a spatula? It was bad enough I was almost 300' in the air with nothing but ground below me... WAY below me. Jackson also gave me a nice piece of information. The catch car lets go 5 seconds after it reaches max altitude. Thanks. I don't want to be able to count down to my doom. The ride finished its climb, Jackson started counting down. I think I screamed something like "SHUT UP! NOT HELPING!!," took a deep breath, and waited. CLICK. One prolonged primal scream later, we were on terra firma again. I'm proud of myself. I didn't swear. In fact, I didn't say a thing... just screamed. Jackson laughed. I looked off into space . Check please.

I just got done with Drop Tower, now these crazy people wanna do Skyflyer. YEAH RIGHT. Sorry. Not doing it. As I let everyone else know, THAT IS NOT A COASTER!!! I sat this one out while other members of the group went swinging.

These are the best pics I have, considering I take my pics with a cell phone...

It was getting on somewhere around 1:00, and hunger started setting in. We split up and headed off property for lunch. Afterall, we only have so many nickels.

End of part 1. It's late. I'll try to finish in the morning... ok, when I wake up.

[Beast79]

I hope you washed your face before eating since you kissed the ground after ride Drop Tower hahaha just kidding! I wished that I borrowed someones cell phone to call home before I left because when I got home I found out that I was nolonger going over to my in-laws for dinner and that I could of stayed longer!!! GRRRR But I did have a fun time riding on the last day with friends and meeting new ones!

[standbyme]

A VERY entertaining trip report! I look forward to Pt.2.

P.S. I had never heard road construction referred to as a "cone convention".

[trint2004]

Ok i am right there with ya, i dont do Drop Tower, have before but never again, just reading about you doing it made me nervous, Im right with ya give me any rollercoaster and its fine but once on a drop ride i freak, but how ever there is one that i can ride, Demon drop due to the fact it has a floor. Thank you for clearing up why im afraid of drop rides

[DaveStroem]

Nice TR. I enjoyed meeting you and hanging for the day.

[touchdown62]

Ok, now let's get on with part 2. No guarantee it's going to be as entertaining as part 1. Part 2 was relatively uneventful.

After lunch, we all rendezvoused inside the front gate. We thought it would be a bad idea to go hardcore coastering so soon after lunch, so we headed toward Nick U. We hit SDatHC, as it turns out, for the last time ever. To show how light the crowds were, there were no cattle movers open in the queue. The wait was maybe 10 minutes. As usual, the guns didn't work very well, and many of the targets weren't on. I still beat Jackson, so I'm sure he'll want a rematch. As soon as I finish testing on my time machine, we'll go back and have that rematch. I will miss Scooby. Do you think we may be flying in Red Baron's biplane shooting targets?

Afterward, we assembled for a group photo at the Mystery Machine. I don't have a pic of that, but I'm sure someone in the group would be willing to post one. Then we did something I've never really done. We walked around Nick U for a while. The closest I've come to going through Nick U is walking to the path toward the Picnic Grove and Boomerang Bay. There was passing interest in riding Beastie, sorry, Fairly Odd Coaster (I know... no tunnel), but since we were kinda like "Eh," we passed.

Since there was little desire to do rides in Nick U, plus some concern I was too tall to ride certain kiddy coasters, we headed for Vortex. Awesome. I prefer my lunch shaken, not stirred. I sat next to someone who hadn't been on Vortex in like 4 or 5 years... in other words, during the Para***** days (sorry, don't want to swear in front of the kids). On the way up the lift hill, I told him the ride is much faster now than the last time he rode Vortex. That freaked him out. Vortex was a little slower today, but still a whole lot faster than in the pre-CF days.

There wasn't really a clear plan the rest of the day. Not sure there was a plan prior to that. If I remember, we headed back for Diamondback. We kept riding DB over and over since we didn't know what else to do. While some in our group went to talk to others they knew, a few of us, mainly me, Dave and his girls, and Jackson just kept lapping. Over the next 2-2.5 hours, we essentially marathoned DB 13 times. During that time, we found out that Andrew was closing in on being the second person with 1500 rides on DB. The mission became to help him get to 1500 before the end of the day. The ride ops were being real cool and letting him reboard a train if there was an empty seat after loading. Also during the 2 hours or so, I met StalkerChick, rotag, and Indyguy4ki that I can remember. We also ran into Cory Butcher and his rather annoying friend. Apparently another Terpy impersonator.

In line, we noticed this sign. Guess they really mean "Do Not Enter..." Look real close:

Oh yeah, gave this guy a little grief too:

Captain Nemo, letting people go where ever they wanted to go. Slacker.

The lines were so short all day, there was no need for row assignments. He just made sure the platform didn't get too full.

I also can't get enough of the splashdown, I just can't time the cell phone camera worth a poop:

Almost.

Oops. Oh well.

There are people with over 1000 rides, 1500 even. While I like riding the coaster, I could just sit in a lawn chair all day, with my, ummmm lemonade, and watch the rooster tail. Diamondback really has a sweet ass.

13 laps later, it was just minutes until closing time. Since I'm not a member of ACE, I hauled booty, with Dave and his girls, over to Beast. He met with Don and the ACErs while I entered the line. It was right at 7. It turns out I was on the last public train of the season. What a way to end it. Train 3 no less. Night ride, near-full moon, 40 degrees or so, and Beast gave its all. I was not upset in the least that I didn't get in on the ERT for ACE and other clubs.

On my way out, I had to get one parting shot...

B-E-A-U-tiful. Thanks for a wonderful 2009. See you again in 2010.

HA I'm a poet and don't even know it!

[sheikra_rocks]

95% of my time at Ki this year was spent riding Diamondback. I didn't make it to closing day, was getting over a mild case of the flu. I wish I could have been there.

I know the Sunday prior to closing day I was there. My friend rode 55 times, and I rode 45 times. A lot of which we didn't have to leave the station. Then there was a point where I would see an empty seat, give it to my friend, walk around, and be in line as her train stopped. She would just change seats and sit with me. We timed it so we would get our 300 and 400 rides together. In total, she has 307 rides and I have 407.

It was a great season. We had a blast!

[PKIVortex]

I would have been the other one who was apart of the group. Not sure if you thought if I was John or not. LOL. I'm Aaron.

[touchdown62]

That's awesome. It's cool how you synchronized your rides to reach those milestones together. I, for one, could attempt to ride that many times with you, or I could sit by the fence and watch you splashdown all day long. It really is an amazing sight.

[touchdown62]

I would have been the other one who was apart of the group. Not sure if you thought if I was John or not. LOL. I'm Aaron.

I got some names, some screen names, and some names with screen names. I don't think I got either of yours, then again, I don't remember much after my plunge on Drop Tower.

[markhudson17]

I was also on the last public train on The Beast. I was in 6-2

[touchdown62]

I was also on the last public train on The Beast. I was in 6-2

Cool. I was in 4-1.

[markhudson17]

I was also on the last public train on The Beast. I was in 6-2

Cool. I was in 4-1.

It was the best ride The Beast has given me all year.

[touchdown62]

I was also on the last public train on The Beast. I was in 6-2

Cool. I was in 4-1.

It was the best ride The Beast has given me all year.

It definitely ranked right up at the top for me. Beast gave us something to remember during the off season.

[rotag]

For some strange reason, I can't recollect you sir. But sure enough you remember me & who I was with @ a certain time. The only one I can think of (that I saw, was with, & didn't catch a name) was the guy with TOPGUN1993.

Sorry I only use real names in real life & screen names on computer. It adds mystique, class, & seems more correct that way.

It was nice meeting you & we'll have to hang out more next season.

[touchdown62]

Ok, I'll try it your way.

I was in line with Beast1979, pkiboy, and DaveStroem. I was the tall guy with the gray "BPA" ball cap and sunglasses.

[rotag]

Now I think I remember. My memory comes & goes

[StalkerChick]

The group turned right into the line, I turned left for the water fountains by Invertigo. I WILL NOT do Delirium. It makes me nauseous just looking at the thing. It's not butterflies. It's (:-x) nausea. I also don't need to know you'll be swinging at speeds up to 76 mph. If I rode that thing, they would have to change the name to "Rings of Saturn" or "Guess What Touchdown62 Had For Breakfast."

totally with you, but i've found if you sit in seats 5-15. its not bad. you face forward most of the time. thats my problem i can't go backwards

This may seem counter-intuitive, but I'm afraid of heights. Seriously. I know... coaster enthusiast who's afraid of heights. I'm sure there's a 12-step program for that, but I've never found one.

*waves* i'm right there with you. ash and justin likes to remind me how i'm a dork it was great meeting you at DB finally!

[touchdown62]

^Glad to hear I'm not the only one!!

It was awesome meeting you that day too. I love putting faces to names on here.

[Coaster Kid]

Yep I remember you and me haveing a little conversation before I had went off to my seat on Diamondback leaving you on the stairs.