25 replies to this topic

[The BeastFan]

Well, instead of making a few threads on different park visits, I thought I'd make a single thread for the 2010 season and said park ventures. Luckily, unlike the last two seasons, I don't have the bother of surgeries, which means I am free-er (word?) to go to parks and such. Along with the usual visits to Kings Island, I am going to Holiday World in late June/early July and there is a remote posibility of going to Sandusky as well. My family usually goes somewhere for vacation as well, and if we go to a park, I'll be sure to report it here. Another big thing for me this year is the ability to go to water parks after my extended absense in not being able to do that, so I'm looking forward to that as well. KI's and Holiday Worlds for sure, but not CP, as I've done it before and wasn't all too impressed. BTW, CP will probably be a two day trip if and when it occurs. So, check back here around April 28th (KI's first Sunday), and you'll see the first of many TR's!

The BeastFan

[The BeastFan]

So, contrary to what I said in the previous post, I will be actually attending opening day on the 17th. For the trip, it will be an epic endevour on my part, as I plan to get there at the crack of dawn to beat the crowds to get my season pass processed before the line gets too long, so I plan on getting there about 9 am. As for ride itinerary, I will be sticking to most of the higher capacity coasters and a few other rides. The ride list is as follows

1. Diamondback
2. Beast
3. Vortex
4. Racer
5. Flight Deck
6. Delirium
7. Drop Tower

Most of the trip will be spent getting photos for the site as well. I will try to get photos of most of the major rides as well as some atmosphere shots, not to mention Planet Snoopy. So, if you have requests for pictures, please post here so I can get the shots you want. I'm still contemplating whether to stay for the first Beast night ride...sounds a bit ambitious for opening day (they are open from 10-10 though...)

[Kevin Dice]

Well one thing that comes to my mind...station pictures.
We don't have that many photos of ride loading platforms.
I don't really have any preferences on what rides you take pictures of. Just take a look at the RG's and see which rides need photos more.

[krosscoasters]

I would say more pictures of Vortex.

[The BeastFan]

Well, upon my first visit, I got a lot I wanted to do done. I left around 1 because after I ate lunch, it got really crowded really fast.

I got to the park at 8:45 am. Since it was so early, the season pass processing was fairly unbusy, so I got that done within a minute or so upon arrival. This was my first opening day at Kings Island. It certainly felt different for sure. A sense of anticipation you don't feel on any other day, as this is a mark of summer's coming.

The gates opened at 9 and gold pass holders (such as moi) got ERT on Diamondback and Beast. I hit the SRL on DB and only waited about 15 minutes compared to the actual lines 25-30 at the time. It felt soooo good to ride her so early in the season. It definately still has the new coaster sense about it and it just purred along its course. I rode in 3-1, and the trim on the hill before the MCBR actually provided air even when engaged. The rest is still as great as ever. It was a tad cool, and with the splash, it was even more so around the Rivertown area. Next I hit my baby in 1-2. It was running a little rough in some spots, but still awesome. It was fairly quicker for a day ride as well.

After that, it was around 10:30, so the rest of the park was up and running, so I headed to Vortex. I rode in 6-1, which surprisingly was just as smooth as teh 5th car but with much more air and hang time. It was very, very smooth as well. Next I went to X-base to check things out. FoF's queue extended beyond Racer, and Firehawk presented the theme of the day, if it was Vekoma, it was down. Firehawk, Invertigo and Flying Aces were all down during the time I was there (Invertigo opened as I left..) So I passed that and went to Racer, of which only the Blue side was running. Most of the morning was relatively uncrowded, so some rides were at reduced capacity. Vortex and AE only ran 2 trains, Racer only had one side running. Racer was unusually good today. It rained the day before today, and Racer's rails were still a tad damp, which ment it just burned through its course. All the hills aside from the lift and the turnaround had near ejector air. It was incredible, one of the best Racer ride's i've done in a while (1-2 was the seat). Adventure Express was lenghty in wait at the time, so I headed to Action Zone and Flight Deck. Last year, it was a tad jittery due to lack of paint, but it seems to have been smooothened a bit. It was an average ride for what it was. After that, I ate lunch on I-Street at LaRosas.

After that, as said, it got really crowded really fast. Most of the lines were at least an hour on each ride, or so I thought. I headed to Delirium which only looked about a 30 minute wait, but then it broke down. I went back to AE with high hopes only to be rewarded for a bit of patience. It was walkon on my return journey to it. Sat in 2-1 and it did its Arrow Mine thing. There's usually this big jolt at the base of the lift, and they seemed to have gotten rid of that. The first lift seemed a bit faster than usual as well. After that, things were worse, so I left.

I did get mass pictures. The only rides I didn't get were FoF, Adventure Express, Firehawk, White Water Canyon and I didn't get up to the Eiffel Tower. About 3/4 into my stay, my battery died (which seemed fast as it was fully charged when I got to the park, something else to check on I guess). I got a ton of Diamondback, Vortex, Racer, SOB, Flight Deck, Invertigo as well as shots of every other ride, a lot of atmosphere shots, a few noticable buildings like Feasthaus, a lot of the Eiffel Tower and I-Street, and some misc. as well.

As for Planet Snoopy, I was thoroughly impressed from the moment I caught eye of it. Every ride looked brand new, even Woodstock Express which is an original ride with the park, turning 38 this year. All the theming was high quality, both in visual aspects and use of material, it was a much brigher, easier going enviroment, and was well occupied by Peanuts characters. The surrounding music was top notch as well (though I did catch a few Disney tunes in the mix O.o).

Also to note is that Backlot's coasters are striped of theming as KD's are, but to a lesser extent (some had headlights, some had grills, etc). They didn't look as bad as I thought and I'll get used to them I guess. Also, AE had seatbelts added, which add nothing to the restrain system what-so-ever IMO. Also on AE is the fact that the recordings from the Paramount days are still present, which surprised me a lot, but I guess its not a big deal as the Indiana Jones theme isn't playing anymore. As much as the park is stripped of Paramount/Nick theming, Spongebob 3D is still present seemingly at FX Theater by Vortex. That'll be CF's next thing to change I guess. They aren't known for those type of simulators to my knowledge.

Also....this may be something irrelevant, but I did see some wooden stakes, perhaps markers in the grassy as you go between Backlot and DB...

[Ryan Shrout]

Thanks for the great TR. Detailed as always. Will we get the chance to see any of these pics you took?

[TwiDragon]

^What he said times two

[The BeastFan]

For those of you who want to see photos, head for the Park and Ride Galleries (Kings Island and respective rides) and you'll get to see my 350+ photos I took at Kings Island on opening day including more than 30 of Diamondback, 35 of Vortex, a dozen of Beast, Son of Beast and Racer, about 2 dozen on Flight Deck, and pics of most of the rides and buidlings (including a bunch of the Eiffel Tower I'm quite proud of).

Here are some to stir up some forum discussions.


My pretty new gold pass, complete with parking and ERT on Diamondback and Beast every morning (the later makes me one happy BeastFan )


The new park map, complete with a map without Son of Beast (though we can all see its there, c'mon KI, make a decision already!!!)


The Gold Pass entrance to head to Diamondback/Beast for the ERT.


Amazingly, Cedar Fair hasn't stripped KI of everything Nick yet. Spongebob 3D is still advertsed at the FX Theater (the theater between the Racer turnarounds)


Another thing new at Kings Island for 2010, trash can #9791!!! It seems quite popular as about 2000 people have frequented it! (anyone who can get the trivia behind that number gets a cookie)


Oh snap!!!


Best. Patio. Ever.


Here's one of the spots of clearing I saw behind Backlot. This is the smaller of the two with only a bit of stripped land with straw on top. Doesn't look like much would fit here...however...


This is the clearing that has me thinking. Its enough to fit a few flats or so. If you look closely, there are wood stakes in the ground.

Also, in that area around Backlot, the Starlight Experience is being set up. There are lights strung on a lot of trees there. I can't wait to see that area lit up!

[steel-Rock]

I hope that someone takes pictures of Backlot Stunt. I would like to see good ones of the toy cars before I go up there in June. I still say that one is a "fun" ride.

[Vater]

Here's one half-decent pic of the trains.

[The BeastFan]

*raises hand*

I took some pictures of the trains. Its in the set of pictures I added to the Ride/Park galleries.

[The BeastFan]

Well, I gave myself insentive to get through the rest of the quarter at UC in good shape. Through I have an exam on the 10th, I get done by 10 am, so I think I may head to Kings Island right after I get done. No camera this time, just going for fun. I'll be posting a TR here and on the blog.

[The BeastFan]

Yeah...ignor that last post. A few things, mainly weather, got in the way so I'm going on Thursday, June 13th now. I'm contemplating on whether to hit Boomerang Bay or not...it is going to be 86 that day...

[Vater]

I is cunfoosled. June 13th is not a Thursday, nor is it in the future. At least in 2010.

[The BeastFan]

Whoops! Well, in any case, I'm not going Thursday the 17th, but rather Friday the 18th as things have come up.

[The BeastFan]

Well, now its 99% confirmed that I will be headed to Santa Claus, Indiana, probably in July, for a vacation close to home, and more importantly, a visit to Holiday World. I'm stoked that I will be riding 3 of the best wooden coasters ever built, and I hope to spend some time at Splashin' Safari and try out wildebeast and Pilgrim's Plunge as well. It will certainly be erie now that Will is no longer with us. I'm very curious as how it'll stack up to Dollywood as I know both parks are known for being the best in the all around package a park can deliver. I'm pretty sure my wooden coaster rankings will get an overhaul. I'm going to try to be as unbias as possible, as all 3 are worthy of knocking the beast of my #1 perch.

So, for those who've been there I need any and all advice feasable. I do have some questions...

1. Best place to eat?
2. Any good shows?
3. Other ride recommendations?
4. I've been looking up other things to do near Santa Claus, so if anyone has any recommendations in reference to that, I'd appreciate it.

[Ryan Shrout]

^Beech Bend in Kentucky is about an hour's drive. Home of the Kentucky Rumbler.

[The BeastFan]

^ I don't think I could convince them to go. First, we like to do a variety of things in an area besides parks, so we usually only do one park (2 days at whatever park if its a bigger park like CP). So, with Holiday World being the clear better deal compared to Beech Bend, we'll be going there. Also realize I'm really the only one into parks/coasters in the family. My parents used to be, but age caught up with them.

So, in order for me to do one of those mass coaster trips like some people do, I need to do it with an equal minded group, which isn't looking good (perhaps with KIC and KIE members, but thats iffy at best). Money is a big factor in this as well. Trust me, if I had it my way, I'd have double the coaster count from my 63 credits by now, especially considering the fact I've been to huge coaster hot spots like Virginia, Pennsylvania, Florida and Southern Tennessee/North Carolina/Georgia.

[The BeastFan]

I'm here now to post the results of my visit to Kings Island on July 30th.

I got a later start than anticipated due to having to take care of some things in the morning, but I got a lot in that day. Got to the park around noon. My first order of business was to check out the Royal Fountain. Why you ask? Kings Island recently ran a promotion with the Susan Koman Cancer Foundation to let people buy pink rubber ducks for a chance to win prizes (not sure about the details) In any case, part of the fountain was pink and I did get pictures. As many of you know, I am all to familiar with certain medical conditions and am equally supportive of anyone with any other disease similar circumstances, so it made me real happy to see something like this come together. Kudos to Kings Island for that.

Onto the rides. I then headed left of the entrance and went over to Action Zone. I checked a few of the rides and saw fairly long waits, so I headed towards the end of the area and started the day on Flight Deck. For a Friday, it was more crowded than I expected. A lot of the rides early in the day had an average of a 20-40 minute wait. I spent 25 in the queue until I boarded Flight Deck. I rode in seat 4-2, practically the dead center of the train. Most of the rides ran well today. Flight Deck ran pretty smooth that day with a few bits of rubbing in the far helix, but otherwise good.

I left Flight Deck and for that matter Action Zone. I planned to return after lunch, which would be a while since I had a few other rides I wanted to hit early. Next up was Racer, the blue side (former forwards side). Racer was a real surprise today. I rode in seat 1-2 and it really delivered. It felt really brisk in pacing and the air was great. They actually raced them as well, unlike opening day. I think the red side is a bit ahead all the time, for even when released together, red always gets to the chain just before the blue side, and their chain lift is slightly faster (by like .1 mph, but still noticable). Its great when they're racing because all that racket a woodie makes is doubled and its pure bliss.

Next up was Vortex. This was one of the longer waits, up to 30 for today. It was like that all day from what I saw, and this and Beast ran 3 trains, though a certain other coaster took a while to wake up to the crowds today, but that'll come later. Rode in one car behind the illustrious 5 car, in 6-1 for the leg room. What can I say, I'm still amazed that this part of the train delivers as Ron Toomer imagined. It was very smooth even through the 2nd hill section, the forces were superb on most of the elements, and paticularly today, it was a bit more intense through a lot of the curves, mainly the curve into the brake run and the helix. That bright orange is starting to blend in better than last year and the ride looks rather hansom now. I'm still dreaming that it may have the chance to get trains similar to Carolina Cobra, but its still a great ride reguardless.

Onto Rivertown. I started back to Diamondback, wanting to leave my baby for last before lunch. However, I went to Beast first instead, having spotted a no-no on KI's part. I first saw the green train atop the lift, stopped, and empty. There is only one possible explination for that, and I looked towards the train shed, and what did I see? The yellow train was being transfered back to the circuit. I wonder if that's something they do a lot, being they start with 2 trains and get caught off guard and put the 3rd on. I don't get that...

So, I did Beast while Diamondback crews got their act together. A fairly long queue line adding up to 20 minutes, but worth it. Rode in 1-2 and we were off. To be honest, the Beast ran a tad rough in the day, like an old man, angry and hating the world. It shimmied a lot even in the non-wheel seats, but that gave the 2nd tunnel, the valley before the 2nd lift and the helix a bit more character. Pretty interesting day ride.

Finally it was onto Diamondback and having seen 3 train operations in affect. This was the a short wait despite a part of the queue turn stiles being filled, probably 20 minutes. Grabbed 5-1 (5th car, center seats) Great ride as always, and even better due to something we coaster enthusiasts wag our finger at. The trims on the hill before the MCBR provided absolute perfect floater air. I was pinned to the lapbar the entire hill. The rest of the ride delivered up to par and the spalsh was a pleasant top off to a great first half of the day. I did notice something different. I don't feel that shimmey like some of you reported, but there was this rattling sound on the bottom of the first drop (happened reguardless of what train).

I ate lunch at the Festhaus in Octoberfest. I lucked out and came in to see one of the shows starting up, known as Seen on TV. It features tunes from TV shows from the 1950's all the way up to the 90's. That along side LaRosas Pizza, fries and a drink was neat. The show was great, especially when they brought up pictures of the paticular show's footage on tv's around the building. Even better, when they got to Brady Bunch, the TV's showed footage of the episode where they visited Kings Island. Very, very nice (Racer was in patriotic colors!!!, KI BRING THAT BACK!!!)

I then decided to hit the lesser capacity rides to burn off the food. Invertigo was next. This, Drop Tower and Delirium were about 40 minutes a piece, which I timed it with a future visit to X-Base so I could do my Beast night ride. It would work out in the long run. Anyways, rode Invertigo in 7-2 (very end facing the lift). It ran really well today, super smooth through the cobra roll and lots and lots of positive g's. Very worthy of being the most intense coaster in the park, or so I thought (later you'll find out).

Drop Tower was next. As most of you know, I am not the biggest fan of free-fall. But, this time around, I felt much more comfortable. I'm starting to think I'm getting used to it. I rode it, was a bit nervous going up, but I came off feeling awesome, but not such to where I lost a little composure. They do a cruel thing with the ride program though. If you look at a picture, the ride is colored different as you go up. It starts black, goes to purple, green, red and finally yellow. Once it gets to the yellow section, it crawls the last bit up, making you wait longer and the anticipation more of an affect. Whether it was planned or not, it certainly sent people for a loop wondering when their impending doom was going to take place. Then, 7 seconds after stopping, the thump was heard and we headed earth-bound. A great one-two punch after riding Invertigo.

I then headed across Action Zone and landed in Delirium's line. 40 minutes later, I sat with 49 other people for a go around. It did a lot in calming my nerves after surviving near death by falling. A pleasantly intense ride as it really pours on the positive g's as it goes into full swing, and on the crests, it had really good air time, boarderline ejector at times if the seat was positioned right. Simply loved my favorite non-coaster ride. A worthy replacement of the late King Cobra.

I then headed back towards the rear of the park. Walked passed Sling Shot and onto Adventure Express. The line was longer earlier in the day, but by mid-afternoon, it shortened substantially, probaby 10 minutes for my turn. I chose to be a bit adventurous (pun intended) and went for the front seat. Still one if not the best mine train running, great corners (a place where Ron Toomer transitions are appreciated), good pacing and they even keep the themes going including playing the Indiana Jones theme in the station (Paramount doesn't have to know ) Another great ride from coming out of Action Zone.

I then walked through Coney Mall contemplating, and when X-Base came up, I went in. Locked my things up and headed to Firehawk. Longest wait of the day topping an hour. I don't get on it much due to the wait, but for that reason, I chose to ride it that day. My single rider status lucked out as I managed to grab the front seat on this as well. 2 minutes later, I was simply blown away! Its absolutely fantastic in the front seat! It was in a good way intense with great positive g's, great weightlessness on the horseshoe and rolls, and it really poured on the fun in the area leading up to the inline twists. I may have to bring this into top 10 on my rankings. It may have beaten the B&M inverts and possibly Dragster on my list, no joke. Well worth the wait.

I kept my things in the locker and headed into the AC bliss of Flight of Fear. I do appreciate that CF keeps the theming going inside the building. The video, whilst a tad corny, does set up the ride perfectly (rode 3-1). The ride itself went well...until the MCBR where, again, it came to a near stop. However, the 2nd half was more intense than what I thought due to the slowdown. Its still as intense as ever including that wonderful corkscrew finale.

Back through Coney Mall, Vortex was still long for the wait, but I wanted something different. Turned towards Rivertown, but went for Backlot next, which would round out most of the major rides for me. A 15 minute wait was there was until I boarded row 3-1. They finally closed up the car mold having filled in the former grill and lights and added the Kings Island insignia on the fronts of the cars and removing the windows. Still a great little ride. The fire from the helicoptor section is something you really feel, something I didn't really notice on previous rides. They did have the lights on in the tunnel, which while it was nice to see what the track did in how you could see the trick track, I prefer it pitch dark as it adds to the suspense on what would otherwise be a mediocre ride. Really great lateral g's as well through the s-curves and overbank as well.

By now, it was 9 pm, so I went back to Beast. I waited a while so I could get in line at just the right time. I waited until 9:15 before I joined the queue, so I could be in the station for the closing fireworks and make sure it was perfectly dark. All that came together and at 10:10, I was in the front seat for the night ride. Waiting as long as I did, the track got used to the lower temperatures and made for a smoother ride compared to the mid-afternoon ride. The cooler air also did much in adding a layer of erieness to the ride along with the fact there was overcast at night, so you couldn't see the stars/moon which made it even darker. It all cumulated to a great summertime night excursion on the Beast. Truth be told, I got a little personal with the ride. Upon the brake run before the 2nd tunnel, it felt a little lack-luster. It felt it took its merry time through the tunnel. As we screamed back into the hillside, I called the ride an old man. I think it kind of responded for it really seemed to pick up the pace as it dove into the lowest point with phenominal speed and lateral movement. The helix was absolutely spactacular in the darkness.

This usually ends my Kings Island TR's, but a pleasant surprise still awaited me. I remembered about the Starlight Experience set up between the Eiffel Tower and Backlot. It can be easily seen anywhere as the tower is lit up with color lights and twinkling lights that line the tower and LED's near the base. The tree's are lit with a unique purple/red/blue tone with other shapes such as stars, Peanuts characters and different designs that strobed with remixes of Peanuts tunes (the X-mas theme song as one of them). It was really nice to walk through after the epicness of the Beast at night and with International Street and the Royal Fountain lit up nice, it was a great ending to the day.

I did get lots of pictures, paticularly action shots of Firehawk and Invertigo which I didn't catch on opening day.

One thing I did notice was a little activity by SOB. No, I didn't see trains on the track or anything, but rather, off towards the base of the lift and that last swooping section, I saw clearing. I didn't catch any markers though, but something is up over there, no doubt about it.

I'll try to post pictures later. Hope you enjoyed the TR!

The BeastFan

[The BeastFan]

There is something I've been contemplating lately. In all my visits to Kings Island, there are two rides there I've never touched. Both are amongst the tallest rides in Kings Island and both are pay-per-rides. Yes, I'm referring to both KI's sky coaster, Xtreme Skyflyer and Slingshot. I've been getting used to Drop Tower and I now want to muster the courage to go on the two other free fall rides. If anyone who's been on both could elaborate as to tips and such on what to expect on my first ride, I'd appreciate it.

[greatbearrush]

I haven't done KI's skycoaster, but I have done the world's tallest in Kissimmee. The scariest part isn't even the freefalling, but the in-limbo time while you're waiting at the top of the tower for the ok to pull the ripcord and descend. It's kind of like jumping off the highdive at the pool but 100x taller. You nosedive for around 3 seconds (probably shorter for KI's, I believe it's in the 100-200 foot range) and then you feel the cord pull tight and you bottom out, with pretty cool G's. I would strongly recommend it. It's much scarier than any drop tower or coaster.

[Vater]

I've done KD's Xtreme SkyFlyer a few times. KD's is 150 feet; I assume KI's is the same. The first time was probably the scariest ride I've ever experienced. But like I said, I've been on it a few times, which means I loved it.

Try it, you'll have a blast.

[The BeastFan]

To those who haven't figured it out yet, Holiday Worlds isn't happening this year for various reasons. However, I am planning a big park spree next summer consisting of KI, HW, CP, MIA and possibly Dorney, SFGAm and SFGAdv!

[The BeastFan]

New update for this thread. I'll be going to Kings Island Sunday, August 22nd when UC football makes their annual trek to hype up their upcoming season. As always, they take cheerleaders, the dance team, mascot, and most importantly from my aspect, the Bearcat Bands (I play alto sax btw). We usually do a parade down International Street starting around mid-day, then there's a small pep rally with speeches by park officials, coaches and players. After that, its onto the rides for a few hours. I may plan on going seperate and meeting them up there so I can stay the rest of the day as well. Sundays are pretty casual on crowds, especially that late into August, so things may look good to hit a lot of rides.

[The BeastFan]

Here is my trip report from the Kings Island visit on August 22nd for UC Football day at Kings Island. I went free of charge as part of the Bearcat Bands where I play alto saxophone, part of a 30 piece band for a small pep rally and autograph signings for the 2010-2011 football team. There is a lot of excitement surrounding the team now that they've come off of 2 consecutive Big East championships, possibly in line to go for a third try at it (the schedule looks possible to do so). So we got there at noon, did a parade down International Street to end at the band stand below the Eiffel Tower at the end of the Royal Fountains. We played a few songs, the coach gave a speech, and within 10 minutes, it was done, leaving the rest of the day (until 7 pm) to roam the park.

So, got together with a big group of friends (about half the band ended up in one group with others scattering about). Our first stop was none other than Rivertown to tackle Diamondback. It was certainly a cool day that day and best of all, uncrowded. This was due to a couple things. There was an overcast sky early in the morning, kind of hinting rain though it didn't, and just across I-71, there was the tennis tournament (the recent one you've guys have probably seen on sports networks, yeah, its by KI), and traffic in Mason/Kings Mills is usually horrendous during that event. The max wait we had was 30 for Firehawk. Diamondback was much shorter; probably a 10 minute wait and they were indeed running all three trains from the start (unlike previous times where they start with 2 and add one later...ugh). Diamondback purred in the early afternoon run (I rode in car 4, outer rows). Smooth as always and it was a bit brisk on top, making for an exhilerating ride.

We decided to do what was close and went to my baby. 15 minutes of waiting was all there was between the front entrance and row 6-2 (aka- 2nd to last row). We decided to go for the back, and the Beast really let us have it. The day rides are usually a tad more wild and vicious than at night, and being in the back really let us get hammered by it. Luckily, I was not on the wheel seats (6-1 or 6-3), so it was bareable. It was really wild in the wisping section towards the 2nd lift and the double helix. Lots of laterals all around. We tried for Backlot, but saw a 45 minute wait (not worth it IMO) so we went for Vortex. I ended up in a surprising seat, 4-1, just in front of the infamous fifth car. Usually, the 2nd through 4th cars are a bit rickety to say the least, lots of head banging if you don't hold onto the restraints enough. 4-1 didn't deliver as much, and in being able to keep comfortable, I was able to enjoy one of the most intense Vortex rides I've ever done. Great floater air down the first drop, actual ejector air on the 2nd ascent, great g's on the loops, batwing and helix, so much that I greyed out on all of them, and sweet, brisk hang time on the corkscrews. A definate surprise for me.

After that, we got hungry and decided on lunch. We ate at the Subway by the Racer, where I had a turkey sub. It was just right for me (probably the lightest thing in the park), and along side a blue Icee, it hit the spot. Pretty decent for $10. To burn of the food, we went for a cross park trek and ended on Flight Deck. This late in the season is starting to take its toll on the paint. Some of its gotten so bad, its bleeding pink (the reds faded into the thin grey parts). Its absolutely horrible looking now, and unless a repaint comes either this season or next, I see it going the way of Big Bad Wolf unfortunately (which would kind of make sense given the status of a certain wooden Mt Everest next door). The first drop and 2nd hill are still up to snuff, but the lower s-curves and helix are quite rattly. Doesn't look good for it (BGW fans, I may begin to feel your pain in watching a great Arrow suspended coaster crumble). Flight Deck, btw, was in 3-2. After that, we went for Delirium. One of the longer waits at 20 minutes, but it was well worth it. I love to look up as it crests before it swings, especially at full swing. I'm probably one of the few members on this sight that enjoy flats such as Delirium. Certainly worthy of my favorite flat ride (unless I find a good Top Spin somewhere...)

We stuck with the major rides and worked our way to Firehawk. This was the longest wait of the day at 30 minutes. Rode in the 4th car, and its still a blast to ride. The back half of the train really lets it whip around the loop and barrel rolls, adding another dimension of intensity to it thats rather nice. It really yanks you down the first drop back there as well, and I took note in that I find it rather quiet as well. You can hardly hear it in the far back of the course (aside from the lift sounds).

We started to tire, so we did the natural thing a college band would do, we headed to Planet Snoopy. First up was Surf Dog. For a ride in that area, it was rather nice. Its something that looks that it would end up in Coney Mall or Action Zone. Its really a neat ride, especailly as it gets up to full speed and really rockets up those vertical spikes. The spinning is a big plus. After that was the new and improved Boo Blasters on Boo Hill, the ride that replaced Scooby Doo and the Haunted Castle. It was slightly better than the Scooby version, but still doesn't come close to Phantom's Theater's level of awesomeness. I scored a 950 btw. Alas, we were down to our final hour and half, and being by Diamondback, we decided to give her one more ride before departing. Ended up this time on 3-2, the seat I've done the most by far. A great way to end the day. With a half hour to spare, we hit a show at the International Theater that focused on Motown hits which went well. I feel KI could use a new show facility for the calibur shows CF produces really belong in indoor facilities. And to end the day on a even better note, we caught the end of the Reds/Dodgers game where the Reds won 5-2, making them 5-1 on their usuall west coast trip of doom (though the opposite now, we're ahead of St Louis 3.5 games now).

Didn't get any pictures as I wanted to enjoy this trip. I plan on one more KI trip before they go to weekends only. As for news on SOB, I did find some big differences in the clearing by the Rose Bowl and last hills. Its cleared a bit more, plus there are white objects, either walls or tarps, in that area as well. I'll re-post this info in the KI thread for further discussion. Anyhow, any comments on my PTR would be nice!