Beaten, Bruised, Battered....Bliss! -- HWN TR

My body is beaten and bruised, my concepts of Roller Coaster reality battered; but damn what a fine weekend!

We thought we knew roller-coaster insanity. We had ridden Raven and Legend in the dark at Stark Raven Mad, and Rampage in the rain. "They were crazy!" we proclaimed, "Absolutely insane!" Little did we know what was truly possible. The Voyage has taken us to school. We either need to redefine our concept of insanity or come up with new terms to describe the Voyage. If the Voyage is indeed "insane" then those other coasters are little more than a nervous tic or maybe a slight behavioral problem. The Voyage takes out-of-control to a whole new level and then, after dark, it trumps that too. The coaster leaves its riders gasping for breath; virtually speechless--only muttering a few expletives or appealing to a higher authority; or like I was, simply laughing while my brain tried to comprehend what had just happened. It is as close as we have come to roller coaster perfection.

I'll skip the full blow-by-blow (as others have done a fine job of that) but here are a few observations on the weekend:

I liked the opening air time hills on the Voyage best in the front of the train, the triple down was best in the back; but any seat on the Voyage is better than the best seat on any other ride.

The darkness when you get out into the woods is incredible. The only way you know you've entered the third tunnel is the change in temperature and sound. This is the signal to put your hands down and prepare to be owned by the Voyage on the ride back home.

I wonder how my bruised ribs will survive Rampage this weekend?

Was the Legend really lackluster or did it just pale in comparison to the monster down the hill?

Where did all of those people who ate dinner get off to? The ERT lines at both HoliWood Nights and Rumblefest were much more managable than those at the food trough.

I was worried the Kentucky Rumbler would pale in comparison to the Voyage; but it was more like a fine dessert that caps off the best meal you have ever eaten. [The Raven was a fine appetizer, Legend the servicable salad course, Voyage the incredible entree, Looping Star the trip to the toilet, the Wild Mouse a good cup of coffee, and Rumbler a tasty dessert].

I can't imagine parking myself on the Voyage for nearly 45 minutes straight like I did at the end of the night on Rumbler. I think I would need a break, since two rides in a row on the Voyage made me slightly wobbly-legged when I got off.

The staff at both Holiday World and Beech Bend are top notch.

Beech Bend is no longer an "I should stop there sometime" place but is instead a "must stop" on any trip to the Kentucky-Indiana area.

You know I don't even know why I bother reading HW trip reports. All it's going to be about is how awsome voyage is. It is really getting old.
But it sounds like a great coaster and I can't wait to ride it! Great TR.

Cool trip report. Other coasters as a "nervous tic". That may be the best comparative description I've read yet. All these incredible trip reports on Voyage are making me drool. I will finally get to ride on June 14th. I can hardly wait.

I can't wait to get back to Holiday World this year. Voyage is awsome and this time I'm taking my kids. Voyage is going to blow their minds. My oldest daughter of 12 went to SRM 2002 with me when she was 8. She's going to love this.

*** Edited 6/2/2006 2:02:41 AM UTC by Wabash Cannonball***

Nice TR there. Glad you enjoyed the weekend!