The other night I was at my girlfriend's house celebrating not only finishing but shattering the projected time for my first 5k run. While we were both exhausted, I did find it in me to put the gears in motion for another seven months of fun. I grabbed her hand, looked her in the eye, and asked her, "when May rolls around, and we're assuming there's no Rougarou media day, can we start our season at Cedar Point?"
Our season. Not my season. Our season.
While 2015 will be an incredible season filled with all sorts of fun, more creds than ever, parks in states I've not been to, working my new hobby as a triathlete into this existing hobby, and multiple bucket list creds being crossed off my list, I did never give 2014 a proper farewell (though I did thoroughly terrorize CF with an extremely Jarrett-ish TR of my final 2014 trip), so I thought I should.
2014 was kind of the transition year between me relying on others to help me get creds and start getting them myself. I had gotten my driver's license just as 2013 was waving goodbye, and was learning to drive and go long distances. However, the biggest thing I knew going into this season was the addition of a shiny new B&M invert at my home park, Kings Island! I had been flipping out about Banshee since she had been announced and after months of checking the webcam between (and sometimes during) class, I was ready for the season to kick off and get on my first cred of 2014!
Dad showed me how to drive there the weekend before the season started...and I got construction pics from the Great Wolf Lodge parking lot!
The first day of the season was a grueling 36 hours. I didn't sleep the night before (curse you, shift work disorder!) and I had a chemistry exam that night, so I knew it would be brutal. However, I went for it and I'm so glad I did! Getting to ride Banshee before most people was incredible, and the coaster itself blew me away! It became my favorite B&M (a title that was given up to a different country later on in the season) and by miles my new favorite invert, kicking Montu to the curb after holding the title for only one offseason. No joke, it kicked Afterburn out of the slot at the very end of 2013, and then as soon as 2014 starts it loses the title. All ranks aside, it's an amazing addition to the park and I much prefer it to the horribly designed death trap that stood dormant in its place all those years. I can't be the only one who doesn't miss it, half the time when the flame goes out it takes them hours to relight it. Amazing addition to my home park, there's a reason it's my most ridden coaster of 2014.
Sadly, this trip did make me realize that I was unsatisfied with my current coaster club, so I stopped doing things with them and began the search for a group that was a bit more me.
My next trip was the biggest of the season. I was flying out to Las Vegas to meet my cousin Brittany and her husband Paul (who made many appearances in 2013) to knock out the Vegas and Los Angeles creds. However, this meant conquering one of my biggest fears; flying. I already hate heights (coasters don't bother me for the most part since you're restrained but if I'm not restrained I hate them) and I'm claustrophobic, so that makes it really hard. However, I got in that plane, and flew all the way across the country! I was so proud of myself!
My Las Vegas welcome was a trip to a crappy casino for a $10 steak and lobster dinner and then a trip to The Linq to hit up High Roller, the latest and greatest in Las Vegas! While I had no issue with the size of the glass capsules on the wheel, I didn't like the height that much and it did bother me a little. However, it was so worth it! Once you get up there you can see all of the casinos rising into the sky and the sprawling lights stretching over the horizon like an ocean. One of the most beautiful things I've seen in the hobby.
The following night we went to New York New York Casino to put me through one of those creds often treated as a hazing ritual by enthusiasts; Big Apple Coaster. The coaster looks beautiful perched atop that giant themed building like that, and I loved how they themed the queue line like a New York subway station. The former theater kid in me wished they had been playing Broadway music in line. I also liked how the sign clearly cited a Nevada safety law barring intoxicated people from riding coasters and yet they let this group of incredibly drunk people carrying their alcohol with them onto the ride without batting an eye. Finally I was in the front of the line and got on what was my first cred of Vegas! And what a horrible way to start racking them up out West! This coaster was AWFUL. I faked a smile for the camera and did get some mildly enjoyable airtime on my first Togo, but the whole thing was just awful as an experience. I had analyzed a POV before and tried to spot the shoddy transitions so I knew when to brace on those unnecessary shoulder bars, but that hardly helped. Those stupid things were literally just there so you could have something to hit your head on, the coaster made sure you hit your head on them, and those inversions were god awful. To put things into perspective, the Vegas strip is beautiful at night, the view I got on High Roller was spectacular, and riding a roller coaster on it should have been incredible. They took an experience like that and made it horrible, I don't know how you can screw that up but Togo screwed it up. Horrible cred, and Togo joined the ranks of Gerstlauer as manufacturers I disliked because of just one coaster. However, that list would soon be wiped clean.
The next day we did two creds at Circus Circus Adventuredome, including the Vegas one I had looked forward to the most. The first one was one I went into with low expectations. Canyon Blaster looked like just another little Arrow Looper. Was expecting something somewhat like Carolina Cyclone but a bit rougher. Boy was I blown away! This became my new favorite "classic" Arrow looper, it's so smooth, yet the intensity of the loops rivaled that of Vortex at Kings Island! It was like a little Vortex meets Tennessee Tornado that doesn't suck! Probably the biggest surprise of the season right here.
The final Vegas cred for us was the most anticipated one for me; El Loco! The lastest and greatest coaster in Sin City, I was looking forward to this one since that picture of the twist and dive with the kink picture showed up in the construction topic. And boy was this ride worth the wait! The drop was sick, the twist and dive in question was awesome, and the end of the ride was so wacky I couldn't help but die of laughter! Great coaster, I loved it!
Then came the two grueling days in LA, starting with the extremely unpleasant dump known as Six Flags Tragic Mountain. Everything about this park that isn't Full Throttle is awful. Awful clientele, awful ambiance, awful theming, awful operations, just an all around awful park. Six Flags Over Georgia held this record since 2006...Tragic Mountain quickly took that badge of shame! The rides there seem to fall into one of a few categories; painful yet mildly enjoyable (Colossus, Viper, Green Lantern), meh (Batman, Apocalypse, Tatsu), god awful (X2, Scream), mildly enjoyable (Riddler, Goliath, Ninja), and AWESOME (just Full Throttle here ). Add in spites on the kiddie creds, one side of Colossus, both sides of Superman, and Revolution and you get a horrible day capped off by a very overrated In-N-Out Burger. Worst park I've ever been to, and while I always knew that was a popular opinion of this dump, I finally believed that a park with such a vast lineup could be the worst park on the planet if you do it right. Anything is possible!
And then the trip was ended at a very spiteful Knott's Berry Farm. I get in to find out that Xcelerator, one of my most anticipated creds on the trip, was down for maintenance. Same with Ghostrider. Frustrated, I went into the park alone and just cred ran the place out. And then getting off of Boomerang, I caught the back pocket of my shorts on the little grab bars on the side of the train and ripped my shorts open! I tied the button-down I was wearing around my waist, but it was still horrible! And then I got around to Pony Express (wasn't expecting much but I always loved the idea of a coaster were you ride a horse)...SPITE NUMBER THREE!!!!! People were clearly unable to control their children at this park, and if you add in some of the other winners I saw you have what would actually be a fairly nice park ruined by idiots with children. Saw this group of about 14 unsupervised 8-year olds jumping line for Coast Rider and then yelling at their friend on the midway to go line jump with them...with no adult around to take charge of the situation. However, parts of this park were actually really nice. The theming on the boardwalk and around Silver Bullet is wonderful, Jaguar had one of the most elaborate queues I've seen in Cedar Fair's territory, and I just liked how parts of it were more oriented towards non-riders. It's a park I'd like to bring my family to someday. But I did have some good news! I got my 100th credit in the form of a surprising Montezooma's Revenge, and Silver Bullet wasn't the snoozefest I heard horror stories about! I was expecting it to be unoriginal and basic like Raptor or Batman but it was actually really enjoyable. Instead of something that just nailed you with force, it was more of a smooth, fast flight around the water feature. One of the most hated coasters out there and I really don't think it deserves all the crap it gets. I put it on par with Alpengeist.
The following week was my first trip spent with a CFer! Rtotheizzo17 was planning to do both major Ohio parks so I tagged along and we Ohioed about together for two days! The first day we went to Kings Island for some Banshee action and I got to show another CFer my baby that I watched being built for an entire winter. We knocked most of the park out with the exception of a few spites. The next day was my only trip to Cedar Point this season...and we got rained on. However, I did get to hit up GateKeeper, the coaster I had been itching to reride all offseason as well as two of my favorites; Maverick and Millennium. Double dipping on Millennium in the back as the morning fog was coming off the lake was nice. Really nice.
Speaking of meeting CFers, last November, CFer Darren B invited me to meet him, Ian, and ECG at Kings Island on their credit run! I happily went and we had one heck of a time! Got to show off my home park on a crowded day and we all had one crazy day! Got grilled by this creepy girl in line for Backlot Stunt Coaster, saw people smoking in line for Beast at night, and had one of the funniest meals of the season at Waffle House!
The next day we met up with another group consisting of Peter, Rach, Richard, and John and had more fun! Even though we ended up in the middle of a bad thunderstorm trapped in the Coaster Connection shop by Banshee.
Continuing my search for a group I liked, KICentral, a fan forum I'm on, had partnered with paid club Coaster Crew and was doing a joint event with them. Intrigued, I decided to go to Banshee Bash, try to fit in and see what happened. And I really liked it! Made a new friend there who I contact a lot outside of the hobby, and as for the stuff I got to do...AMAZING!!! Got to go behind the scenes of Banshee, Beast, Diamondback (which was a total surprise as it wasn't on the itinerary), won a FireChaser Express tumbler at lunch, got to see the fireworks from inside the defunct International Restaurant inside the park's front gate, and got the last rides of the night on Banshee with all the effects on...while heat lightning lit up the sky! I loved Coaster Crew and ended up joining, any group that gets on the train and yells, "WE'RE ON THE TRAIN TO WALLY WORLD!!!" and makes the ride hostess crack up over the mic is a group I want to be a part of.
My next major trip was to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee with my family on our way to Charleston, SC for our vacation. I just needed FireChaser but I wanted to go to the park at night during Great American Summer. However, what started as just a pop into a park in the afternoon for a cred turned into one of the most memorable days of the season! I got a Q-bot to combat crowds and it was wonderful, I was able to just throw myself back in line whenever. And Firechaser was stunning! Decent layout, tame but fun first launch, but the magic of the ride comes out when you hit the show building. The park spared no expense at making sure FireChaser Express's pyro effects made the ride live up to its name. There was fire EVERYWHERE. And then the crown jewel of the ride; the second launch. That launch, no joke, I thought would knock the wind out of me. Just a lap bar to hold you in as you get thrown backwards by friction wheels with that intense acceleration? Perfect way to make a family coaster fit for enthusiasts and parents to enjoy! Another winner for Dollywood right here!
And then the evening was put into jeopardy. While I was marathoning Thunderhead in preparation for its close at 9 for the fireworks, they shut everything down for lightning on a clear summer day. Well I get off and look around...it was heat lightning; it can't hit anything on the ground! Frustrated, I walked around and photographed a bit until I heard them launch a FireChaser train...and got in line for Wild Eagle. And that was probably the best timed thing of the season, I got on JUST in time for the fireworks! We went down the drop and into the loop...BOOM!!!! A luminescent explosion burst right below my feet and continued to surround the mountain as we swooped and dived around the trees as heat lightning helped light up the sky. And then I used m Q-bot to double dip on FireChaser in the heat lightning.
The next day we said goodbye to Pigeon Forge by hitting up Smokey Mountain Alpine Coaster; my first alpine coaster. I was expecting just another overpriced cred...boy was I wrong! This thing hauls it down the mountain and I really loved it! I loved the feeling of danger that you get scooting that fast that close to the rocks. Love this thing, I wanted to ride another!
After this trip, it was time for another major one. Taylor (LiveForTheLaunch on CF) had told me via Facebook that if I wanted to, I could drive to her house and we could go to Canada's Wonderland together. This would entail me driving to Detroit, a drive I wasn't sure I was ready for, but upon getting on the highway, I knew I had it in the bag! It turned out I was actually a much better driver than I thought and compared to others, I had my head screwed on a bit better (though compared to Ohio and Michigan drivers, that really doesn't say much ) I was so proud of myself for making that drive when I drove over that overpass in Detroit, saw Ambassador Bridge on the horizon, and went right for it! Even though I did get my car searched at the border after almost an hour waiting in line.
This trip also had something that the others didn't...ALCOHOL!!!! Because I was in Ontario and their drinking age is 19, I was able to just grab a beer and drink up! Literally the first thing I did upon getting to Taylor's was grab myself a legal beer...which went right to my head. You can imagine how mortified my parents were when I Facetimed them to let them know I arrived safely only for them to be greeted to a screen full of their son drinking a beer with some friend he met on the internet. On this trip I was also introduced to whiskey in the form of whiskey and ginger ale, and while I don't drink unless I'm in a different country, it's one of the best drinks I've had.
As for the park, it was absolutely incredible. Definitely the second best Cedar Fair park I've been to, and considering how much of their property I've been to, I'd be willing to bet this is how the general consensus is overall. My favorite ride there was, as you might have expected, Leviathan. That massive B&M is just so aggressive. Insane airtime over those camelbacks, vicious and relentless pacing all throughout, and it flies right through some of those turns! While it isn't as violent as something you'd expect from Intamin, I really like how this one turned out. Earlier I said that Banshee lost its title as my favorite B&M later on in the season...this is the coaster that took it! Across the park was Leviathan's sister and rival coaster, Behemoth, which also top tenned for me. I love Behemoth's location on the water, and it boasts the most amazing airtime on any B&M I've ridden. Other creds there that I really enjoyed included Wonder Mountain's Guardian (that vertical drop took me by surprise and I laughed so hard!), Skyrider (Have fun in Italy ), and Vortex (totally kills its clone plonked over a parking lot at Kings Island). However, I was subjected to two more enthusiast hazing rituals here. Time Warp, my first Volare, was already a capacity nightmare on a crowded day, but ended up being absolutely horrible with my claustrophobia. And it wasn't even the worst thing I rode that day! Flight Deck, my first SLC, took the cake as the worst coaster I've ever ridden. Again, a capacity nightmare, and it rattles so much that the wheel assembly was touching the track less than it was touching it from how things felt. I knew it was the worst cred in the world when it rattled and I hit my head on the turn back into the station...out of the brake run that's taken at 3 mph-ish. The park should have moved Skyrider over to where this thing is and relocated this thing to somewhere out in the middle of nowhere in Nunuvut where it can freeze and fall apart far away from any person, moose, or arctic hare that doesn't deserve to put up with it! I literally would have taken the brutal drive back to Detroit at 3 in the morning over Flight Deck any day! However, bar that horrible cred, it's an amazing and beautiful park and while I wasn't expecting anything spectacular that wasn't called Leviathan, that's what I got from this park and I hope to come back here in the future...because it was so crowded I missed creds.
And then I got a kiddie cred at Columbus Zoo on Labor Day weekend. Because I literally had nothing better to do. The flying scooters snapped a lot though!
FLASHBACK TO TWO YEARS AGO (This next one's kind of a long story )
Fall of 2012. I had just started college, I was developing the closest thing I ever had to a social life, and that stupid Gangnam Style song was everywhere. I was taking four classes that semester, and one of them was this Western Civ course that met at 9 in the morning. One day I was sitting around waiting for this class to start and made a self-deprecating comment about "those weirdos that obsess over roller coasters." And that's when this girl sitting in front of me whirled around in one of those awful lecture hall swivel chairs and snapped, "hey, I'M one of those weirdos!" So I told her, "oh, I am too, I was just joking." So we talked coasters for a bit and class started and we both shut up and tried to stay awake. And then, every day before class started, the routine became to meet her outside and talk coasters and discuss the crazy things we saw happen at work that weekend if it was a Monday. I was so glad to have a coaster buddy...but as they say, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. I soon learned that this girl was moving to a different state to do a co-op at a theme park and then planned to switch schools. So we continued to chat coasters before and after class, and I just made sure not to get too attached to this friend. So the class ran its course and the semester ended, and I thought that was the end of our friendship. As sad as it was, I knew she was going great places, put it behind me, and moved on to befriend other people. Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened.
Back to present day-ish, as in September of 2014. I was eating lunch talking to some CFers online when I looked over at another table and saw a very familiar face and thought, is that Michelle? A familiar face I thought could have been anywhere in the world, and she was sitting right there at the table on campus! I started trying to muster up the gall to go over and say hi, nervous that she would find me creepy or wouldn't even remember me. Turns out I didn't need to, as soon as her eyes met mine, her face just lit up into a giant cheesy smile accompanied by a very enthusiastic wave. I packed up and went to sit with her...and then it became too much goon for one food court! I learned that her plans didn't go as she had expected them and was back at my school in a major she liked that I thought suited her more than her old one. It turned out she did a Wonderland trip over the summer as well, and we both ended up being in the minority of enthusiasts that like GateKeeper! And both hated Tragic Mountain! We had access to each other again, this was great!
Later on in the month I shot her a text asking her if she'd like to go to Kings Island with me one Sunday after work. She didn't respond and I thought she wasn't interested in us being friends. Turns out she was waiting on information that would dictate that...and followed up with me one very crazy evening that involved tanking a physics test and testing out a cardboard canoe built for one of my classes. So I was freaked out having to respond to her, but we worked out a date in two weeks in which we could go. After a horrible night at work I got home, woke up incredibly nervous, and left to meet Michelle at campus. From there I picked her up, vented about work for a bit, and we went to the park together. Getting to the park and walking through the gate for the first time with this enthusiast I had known for two years was terrifying. I felt like I had something to prove to her, and the fact that she gave me control over the lineup that day didn't help. But I picked Diamondback as our warmup ride and we went from there. But it it didn't take me long to realize that I had nothing to be nervous about around Michelle. Our warmup ride ended with my jacket blowing around the back of the seat in the back of the train and just getting absolutely soaked. XD And from there it went incredibly smoothly. Got a few decent rides on Beast, got a relatively tolerable ride of FoF (I was more concerned about the lethal fart someone released RIGHT as we got in the saucer in line), got a horrible rain ride on Diamondback that left me with swollen red eyes, got to ride one of the rides Michelle used to operate when she worked there with her, and then we went to Banshee. Michelle didn't like Banshee when she first rode it but after I suggested we get a few in on it, she said it started to grow on her. So we marathoned it until we hit 8 rides and I hit 50 on my total count! And then we just marathoned Beast until the park closed and drove home in the dark laughing about work stories, Waffle House, and just being the couple of social deviants we are. I got back to campus, dropped Michelle at her car, and went back to my house. My parents gave me a hard time for being nervous to go the night before, but we laughed it off. I was just so excited; I had found somebody who lived close by that I could go theme parking with! However, little did I know that the dynamic between Michelle and I wouldn't stop at just coaster buddies...
A week later, CFer Chris Coasters and his friend Jake were coming through to do Kings Island and Holiday World with me. The night they rolled in we spent a dark and stormy night at Kings Island running about the park to get creds...and it was AMAZING!!!! The fog for Haunt had rolled all over the park and made for some incredible night rides on Beast and Diamondback! We did get a little drizzled on, but that helped make it fun! I got to show them the joy that was Montgomery Inn BBQ sauce and run around the park nabbing creds while getting rained on and freezing...but there was a catch. We get into the park; NO BANSHEE!!!! Banshee was down when we got in so ran around the park trying to ride everything that wasn't Banshee while we kept our fingers crossed hoping that it would start up again so we could get it on that spooky night. Finally, walking out of Coney Mall, I saw something eclipse the lift lights on Banshee, heard the trademark scream, and saw the faint silhouette of a train with feet whip down the drop. I shrieked with excitement and brohugged Chris before we ran right for it. And what an incredible ride we all got! And while we were riding and Jake was being bag lady, he was standing by the dive loop and saw an iPhone fly out and shatter into pieces three feet from him. My reaction? "PLEASE tell me it was an iPhone 6!"
The next day after taking Chris and Jake to breakfast and Kings Islanding all morning to get any creds we missed that night, and then went to Coney Island. I didn't know this place still had a cred until recently so it was nice for all of us to get a cred...until we found out that that cred was made from a little more than wire coat hangers, staples, spray paint, and probably a few pieces of duct tape to help hold it together. This thing was SKETCH. However, we paid 11 dollars to ride so we rode; an experience I'm amazed I survived. We didn't stick around much because the park was packed and just flat out awful. I had asked Michelle if she wanted to come here with me the other week and felt really bad...friends don't bring friends to Coney Island in Cincinnati. There's actually a Nickelback concert at Riverbend (concert venue located in Coney Island) in June. So you can go walk through Coney Island to go listen to Nickelback. I wonder how much they're paying people to do that because you'd probably have to at least take care of all of my college debt to get me to go back there period, let alone with Nickelback involved.
Everything from the time we left Coney Island to the time we got to Holiday World was just miserable. I was already a bit sad because Michelle had tried to join us but couldn't due to stuff she had to do. The drive was long, the hotel I had picked out for us was so sketch we had to barricade the door with furniture, I ended up getting horrible service bringing take out from the sketch Mexican place in the hotel parking lot, multiple weird sleep meds-induced dreams occurred that night, and the wait for Holiday World to open the next morning took FOREVER. At least the road to the park had airtime! But once we were in it was incredible! I love this park so much now! We started with Raven which I was expecting to be like Hurler...and boy was I wrong! That little coaster packs such a punch, I love it! From there we went to Legend, which was my least favorite of the three. It felt like some kid playing NoLimits went through and took all the banking of a decent coaster and set it to 0. If it wasn't at Holiday World I'd want it RMCed, it would have a lot of potential that way. And from there it was off to the crown jewel. The coaster I had been waiting to ride since we planned the trip; the coaster Michelle swore was the best coaster in the world. The day I told her I was going to ride it, she shot me the "angry look" as I call it (the look I get when she finds out I want to do a half marathon in September or finds out I got harassed at work) and snapped, "YOU HAVEN'T RIDDEN IT YET???" I knew it was her number one but I was expecting a smooth wooden airtime machine, like Thunderhead meets an Intamin. That's not what happened. Voyage is smooth, but it's REALLY aggressive. Instead of floating over some of those hills, you feel like you're being ripped right out of your seat. Those tunnels really add to the ride, but the one going into the spaghetti bowl is probably the best headchopper on a coaster anywhere. And the section of ride that follows makes the ride. It's jarring, it's intense, and it doesn't let up at all, I love it! As Michelle says, "the first time you ride it you hit the brake run thinking 'WHAT DID I JUST RIDE???'" So after nervously texting her that she was right and that it was my new number one by miles, I went for another. And then I found out why she wasn't saying much when I threw out the idea of marathoning it. That coaster is so aggressive you can't even ride it more than twice without wanting to crawl under a rock with some free pop in fetal position! From there I got duped getting the Howler cred, dominated at Gobbler Getaway, and all in all had an amazing day! After getting back to my place and parting with the New England bunch, the trip was done and what a fun one it was!
The next week, Michelle, sad that we couldn't go share our number one together, hatched a plan. She wanted to go to Holiday World that Saturday. As much as I wanted to go, knowing I had two shifts to work, one before and one after, I went. Even though my brain was fried from sleep deprivation working the night before. So I get home, eat breakfast, wash up, and wait on Michelle. Well she got me at my house and I attempted to sleep in the car as Rush played softly in the background on the way down. That went well until I started waking up in Cincinnati when I heard Michelle going through stuff in her car (just trying to get gum out) and my incoherent brain decided, "we got to the Canadian border, she's getting the passports, I'll wake up if the officer wants anything from me." Well we got to Holiday World, and then the biggest goonfest ever happened. We get to the Voyage station, and Michelle and I just start jumping up and down and exclaimed, "VOYAGEVOYAGEVOYAGE!!!! VOYAGEVOYAGEVOYAGE!!!!!" over and over again as people stared at us. And we got just what we wanted. A lovely Voyage ride in the back full of airtime...while fighting sleep deprivation! After a few rides on Voyage, a decent ride on Raven in the back, and my fried brain getting me a score of a big fat turkey egg on Gobbler Getaway, we went home and Michelle stayed for dinner at my place. We had so much fun together and that's a day I would love to relive! Holiday World was packed so that took away from it a bit, but overall, I loved getting to go to such a lovely park with Michelle.
The next week I decided to go close out my season at Kings Island. I renewed my pass, got a free fast lane, and got sixteen rides in on Banshee in one day, bumping me up to 70 for the season! What a great way to close out the season!
...PSYCH!!! Michelle wanted to go get FireChaser Express with me over Thanksgiving Break, so that's what we did. It was initially going to be us trying some unreasonable day trip to Dollywood and back, but her parents got involved and we made it an overnight thing. And the funniest thing ever happened planning the trip!
That trip was amazing! We got on everything reasonably quickly bar a 1-hour line for FireChaser that ended up with Michelle and I taking selfies with things, leaning on things, annoying everyone around us until they wanted to slap us, and laughing at some guy with horrible dandruff in French. We're awful. Absolutely awful. She loved the backwards launch and the theming just as much as I did. The park was gorgeous and decked out for Christmas, the night rides we got on Thunderhead and Eagle were wonderful, and it wasn't terribly crowded. That evening, spent with Michelle as we walked around a gorgeously decorated park riding awesome roller coasters at night. Later on we made a goony scene in the Thunderhead station waiting to give it a go at night...not knowing that her parents were in line for the front while we were waiting for the back! XD And then we went to Mystery Mine, a very awkward conversation went down between us so we just pretended like it never happened and pennied her parents when they got in line behind us. And then we did a night ride on Wild Eagle over the Christmas lights and then another on FireChaser. And then walked through the park together to get back to the car so we could get in line for the tram. Overall, this was probably the most wonderful evening of the season. The rides were great, the park was gorgeous, and I was touched to learn that Michelle never forgot about me when she went away to do that co-op out of state. I felt much more cared about that day after some of the things Michelle told me, she's such a wonderful friend.
Four creds were visited the next day. Smokey Mountain Alpine Coaster I already had, Gatlinburg Mountain Coaster I didn't, Dragon Wagon I did (and Michelle and folks STILL don't, they got spited ), and Speedway Draft I didn't. But I got two creds that day and Michelle got two as well, so that was fun.
That trip closed out my season with quite the bang! I had a blast the whole way. I had a blast Dollywooding with Michelle, had a blast at the Thai place watching the weird animated Christmas movie lacking sleep, had a blast getting bonus creds the next day, had a blast being bored driving back. But because it was with Michelle. We had an amazing time together on this trip, it drew us closer as friends, and I feel even luckier to have such an amazing person that I look up to as a friend.
And while it didn't happen during the season, it was close enough that I want to include this (very important) tidbit of information. Two weeks after this trip, I mustered up the nerve to ask Michelle to dinner. Not just as a friend and fellow enthusiast, but as a date. She responded ecstatically with a yes and as for now, we just recently celebrated two months together as boyfriend and girlfriend! As wonderful as this was and as much as it had to happen EXACTLY as it did (I've already gone over how unlikely it is that we still even see each other regularly), we were sad that we didn't get to go to a park as a couple together. So we've decided to make up for that by making OUR 2015 season awesome! Not my 2015, OUR 2015. But why will it be so awesome? Here's a sneak peak!
SNEAK PEAK OF 2015: Part 1
As previously stated, Michelle and I are going to Cedar Point to kick off 2015. Another thing my girlfriend and I have in common; we HATE standup coasters! So this makes Cedar Point a standup-free park and I think the colors look wonderful on it! Can't wait to see what else they do to renovate this formerly horrible coaster, but if it's anything like Banshee was executed, I'm not complaining.
Earlier this summer, I was stalking Holiday World's 66 Days at Sea blog trying to piece together what I was almost convinced was a Mack multi-launcher with a show building themed to a storm at sea. However, as the 66 days came to an end, I changed my guess to a multi-launching wing coaster by B&M themed to the Native American thunderbird legend. And look how right I was, bar the multiple launches! While I think it has no place at Holiday World (this thing would be PERFECT for Silver Dollar City, give Holiday World a good racing GCI or something!) I think it'll be an incredible ride. Michelle and I are making plans to ride it together...and she has promised me I won't have to be up for 48 hours this time.
We've been waiting to spill the beans on this one! (See what I did? ) Michelle and I are doing Six Flags St. Louis next season! More coming as it gets closer!
Stay tuned for part 2, in which I reveal the two BIG trips of 2015 I'm taking!
Statistics: Posted by 2012Jarrett — Mon Feb 23, 2015 12:35 am — Replies 1 — Views 24