6-24

[PKIDelirium]

Trip Report PKI June 24 2004

After a doctors appointment in Mason, we got out early enough (before 1PM), so, heck, the weather’s great, so we just drive a couple miles up 71 to… well… you know!

I went straight back to The Beast, and rode in last car, middle row, with only one-cycle wait. Wheee! The Beast is much better now that all the trees and foliage have come fully out (I last rode The Beast on Opening Day, April 9), the only problem was that the trims on the first drop were on pretty hardL

My train got back, and there were a few empty queue so I tried to re-board another row, but I got caught in the exiting crowd, so I had to exit and walk around again.

After another ride in the middle of the train, I took some pics, and, after correcting some people that were calling Tomb Raider an indoor roller coaster, went to Vortex.

At Vortex, I took several photos of Bat remnants around the station, and went on into the line. There was only a one-cycle wait, so I got in line for car 2, row 1.

Well, I boarded, the restraints locked, and they checked them. SO I checked my pockets like I always do before a ride starts (So I don’t lose my wallet, phone, and camera) and waited..

And waited…

Then the guy in the box, well, one of them, hollered on the PA for the guy in the back of the exit platform do hang up the phone for dispatch, but he didn’t. They sent someone over there, and he went back and said he could not get off the phone yet.

After more yelling on the PA, the second guy in the box stood up, and just THREW a big binder (I’m guessing the safety book) to the floor of the control booth, and gave a big “ARGRGRGGGGHHHHH!!!â€, so the guy finally got off the phone, and they dispatched, with me having trouble not cracking up laughing!

Well, this was an unpleasant Vortex ride. I had more stuff in my pockets than usual ( my rechargeable batteries for camera were low, so I carried a pack of Aas, and the shorts a was wearing didn’t have fastening pockets! So I had to put my right thumb through my hat’s loop, and then put my right hand down by my right pocket to hold my camera, phone, and wallet in. My left hand was holding my sunglasses and the harness.

After getting off, I went and walked on Zephyr as soon as the current cycle ended. On this ride, I tried a few techniques for riding, including leaning back and looking behind the swing, looking straight up at the disc (disc? Support? Ring?) of the ride, and looking down and too the sides.

Next, I headed to Flight of Fear to check the line, because everything else ahd been short-to-nonexistant today.

Cool! Only a fourth of the hangar queues are full, so I hopped in, almost having a collision with rails when the lights died during the preshow movie. 15 minutes later, I was in the station, and got in line for Car 1, row 2, where I messed with Night Mode on my camera, trying to get clear photos in the dark station.

Only two-cycle wait once in the line, then I boarded, this time handing my glasses and hat to the attendant, and FOF’s deep seat and lap bar was holding my pockets in, so I could just relax.

ZOOM! FOF is going great today! It flew through the first inversions faster than I’ve ever seen, and the flew around the high curves. The only problem was, the Midcourse brake was on pretty hard to compensate for the speed L But it gained it back quickly, and zoomed through the low trackage and the final corkscrew, were I got brave and did hands-up through the last turns and inversion.

In the unload station, I got off and went to the shelf to fetch my hat and glasses, and took off toward Racer, but not before having a near-miss with a bird in FOF’s exit tunnel.

Racer Forwards was a walk-on, with only 45 people in the front seat queue, and a few toward the back, so I hopped in the next train, right about in the middle, and had a great ride, which was my first Racer ride of this season.

When I got back, all the queue had filled from a large group entering the line L So I went to recaR.

I waited two cycles for recaR’s back, err, front, well,,, I guess it is the back, facing backward, at least, car, middle row.

I must say, Recar is better than Forwards, And when I got back, I moved to another seat from the exit side, that had no line. The ride-ops were saying all the time that you could, and a lot of people were re-riding. But, the people who HAD been in that seat’s queue went yelling to the attendant, who had me move to an empty seat three rows back, next to a guy, and his friends in the row behind us.

ON the way up, we started chatting, and he introduced himself as Brandon, so if there’s any Brandon’s here, Hi again!

After another good ride, Brandon and his friends reboarded in another car, and I stayed there because of no line, so I got a third ride.

I got back, moved to another no-line seat, and rode again, which I continued to do until I had done 6 straight rides on recaR! And I never had to leave the station because of the terrific Recar crew! They found empty seats for me a couple times when the rows were full.

On Recar, I did a few experiments, starting when my sunglasses (on a strap) almost floated over my head during a moment of high airtime. SO on my last ride, I hald my hat up and let it float while cresting the hills. Then, in the brakes, I pulled my phone out and tried to call my mom. When she answered, the train was still moving and making noise, so she couldn’t hear, so I had the train cracking up when I started going, “Can you hear me now? Can you hear me now?†trying to be loud enough to be heard. LOL, that was funny!

Next, I took a quick ride on AE, in the next-to-last car, and got a GREAT ride with all effects, and some new sound effects, working.

Next, Top Gun, one-cycle wait, front row of second car, after hiking a darned mile doen into the ravine. It always amazes me how close Top Gun’s train gets to trees and bushes, it seems like they come withing a few feet, which they probably do.

On the way out, I jumped the rail and entered the Son of Beast line, well, path to the station, and there are no real lines today!

I got to the station, finally, and found it less than half full, with no lines for the middle cars, at all. It was kind of like the usual situation in Viking Fury’s station, with the middle running empty a lot.

I got in car 4, row 1, right side, and pulled my bar down, tossing my hat over to the shelf, and pocketing my sunglasses.

They checked the bars, and mine got STAPLED badly, I had pulled it snug already, and the op pushed it down past the next click, and to another! So when there was a delay in dispatch, I waved at the ops for awhile, and finally hollered, and he pushed the pedal so I could loosen it. MUCH better! If I had ridden like that, I would’ve been cut in two!

Out of station, down first drop, and around toward the camera, where me and everyone else (almost) waved for the camera. Then, up the chain.

Over the top, around the swoop, and down the drop, so far, so good! Nice and smooth.

Made ya look!

Hitting the hard right turn, my bar stapled itself again, and almost tore me in half. Then down into the helix, where I was almost turned into salsa, so much for the re-tracking!

I was relieved when the train hit the midcourse brakes, but it was short relief. The drop to the loop was the worst I’ve ever felt it, but then, the loop was another nice relief from the roughness. Then, it started again,buffeting its way through the second helix, and up and around the last turn, then dropping down over some seemingly speed-bump-covered track, and down and up into the brakes.

Well, this was a SOB Neck-Breaker™ ride, so I looked at my photo, but didn’t buy it, it went to meet my mom at the gate.

I cought up with her, and we got LaRosa’s cheese stick to take to the car, and left.

I would have checked the line for Face/Off, which I have not ridden since August 2002, but it was getting later, so we went ahead and left.

DO NOT RIDE Son of Beast RIGHT NOW! I was strongly tempted to file a safety report on it, and I still might.

[m@ilman]

lol, your post topic says 6-34...not 6-24.

Nice trip report though.

m@Ilman

[beastdude]

I was just thinking the same thing.

[coasterbilly]

haha oh well, it was still a nice detailed report, thanks!

[KIBeast]

Great report! Did you get the pics back with The Bat remnants? I would like to see this as I have looked before and found nothing.

[flightoffear1996]

The SOB is a tracking nightmare becasue that stuff wasn't ment for handleing 70 mph and the wieght of the train.

[PKIDelirium]

yeah i got them! link in my sig

[KIBeast]

Thanks...interesting pics. The infamous Bat...sure wish that layout would have been used for TG's layout. I mean, with the obvious banking problems fixed. TG is just too short.