Cedar Point 7/23/02...finally, first time! (long)

this is a TR i have been waiting to write for years, and finally i am ready to write it:) going to Cedar Point has been like a pilgrimage for me, and without the help of Rob and Kristin (Robodud and Kicksthesky) it wouldnt have been possible...so let me take this opportunity to once again thank you guys for making my first trip to the Point a most memorable one:) ill always remember it.

i was told by 2Hostyl a year ago that when go to CP for the first time, not to drive....he wasnt kidding. riding shotgun with ROb and KRistin, turned past Breakers Express and headed up the causeway...and there it was. the most impressive park skyline i have ever seen. there, not a mile away, stood Magnum, which ive been waiting to ride for 13 years...and a plethera of other coasters that were calling my name....today was going to be glorious:)

we parked in the front, and walked around the side of Blue Streak to the marina gate. there we met up with MooreOn (Chris), and waited the longest 20 minutes of my life:) finally, we enter and i step foot onto the end of a long pilgrimage..so sit back all you CPers out there on the Buzz, and enjoy Cedar Point from the eyes of a first timer!!! ;)

we ran, and i mean RAN to MF...running past Wildcat and Iron Dragon(haha:)) i got so excited.....till we stopped at the entrance to MF's queue...it was getting long yes, but thats not why i stopped...i stopped because of the hellacious steel structure that i was now 20 yards from, and had only seen in pictures.......

Millenium Force....wow....from start to finish, haha, wow:) we opted, at the behest of the rest of the group, to go for the back seat. i loved every minute of it....even the auto spiel saying "Welcome to Millenium Force..":) then, without much warning, we began the pretty stinkin fast ascent up the 310 foot lift hill. this elevator thing definitely gets you up there quick, but it does kinda zap the anticipation. no matter though....there is something about looking down at Lake Erie 300 feet below you....cant really describe it. MFs drop is unbeatable. so freakin extreme, i couldnt even yell or scream....just stare in a terror stricken smile :) the first turn was way intense, and i loved haning off to the side....i swear we went upside down. now i know what your saying..yeah the rest of the ride is lame. true, no real airtime, but who cares?!?! like the Beast, with speed and forces like that, it just doesnt matter. no, MF is not my #1, but it still kicks some major hiney! ;) this ride was awesome....i went on it with no premature thoughts, and had a blast:)

next would have been Mantis....but upon getting up to the airgates for our turn, it broke down and the ride op said it would be for an extended period of time. so we opted to head down Frontier Trail, where i got another really awesome look at MFs first drop and turn:)

Cedar Creek Mine Ride....it was fun, although im not sure why Arrow banked a long stretch of straight level track..help anyone? still though, some fun helices :)

we walked around a bit, and the park was getting extremely crowded, much to my shagrin. so we decided to get an early lunch, and Rob, Kristin, and Chris took me to Macaronis:) dude, ive never been to a theme park that had a restaurant where you are waited on..that was a new experience for me. and the food was great!! guys, what did i have? haha, i cant remember:)

leaving, we walked down by Wicked Twister, and it was not running....and it never did open that day. sucks, but oh well, what can ya do?

Disaster Transport.....i loved this ride!!! the Avalanche at PKD is the only other bobsled coaster i had ridden at this point....Intamin had the idea!!! it was so much fun..the turns were quick and intense, and it kept a very nice speed throughout the entire course. yes...the theming was horrible. perhaps it rocked when they first changed to DT, but as ive heard, Cedar Fair is not big on upkeep of theming. so it looks cheezy..but still, a very fun ride:)

we took a long walk back up the midway, and Chris had to leave soon....so we decided to go ahead and walk back to CP's other hyper before he left.....ok, im tearing up now...

Magnum XL 200.....ive wanted to ride this thing since i was 9 years old. walking up to it, entereing the queue..i actually did get a tear in my eye. a childhood dream was becoming a reality by the moment....sorry if sound pathetic, but you just dont understand:) i decide to take on the middle of the back car for my inaugural ride.....the first drop was very nice, and bottomed out harsh....i love it!!! arrow pain rocks:) the second hill and drop by the lake are legendary.....nice little float of airtime, and a sweet drop into the...oh no...trims?! i didnt know about these.....they didnt slow it down too much, but i could feel it in the turnaround....something was missing. i was imaging this ride used to cook around these turns...no matter, later that night i would have a nice treat:) then comes that return trip.....haha, Arrow really knows how to make bunny hops. forget those fluffy up and over things on Nitro and SROS clones.....arrow makes triangles!!!! haha, dude..insane airtime!!! i was so freakin giddy the whole way back to the station. my first ride on Magnum wasnt QUITE what i hoped it would be, but it still was incredibly awesome!!! loved every moment of it, and will remember it the rest of my life:)

we said goodbye to Chris, as he had to go to work, and Rob and Kristin continued my tour of this mecca park;)

Gemini....a smooth arrow???? huh??? Toomer, were you high?? ;) dude, this coaster rocked!! i love that you can high five riders in the other trains. if you could do that on Rebel Yell at PKD theyd arrest you, haha:) VERY nice headchoppers at the bottom of the first drop. awesome speed, and some decent airtime moments. the final helix was cool too...even COOLER that night when they cut the trims off....haha, then it just became Arrow insanity...ahh, i love it. gemini was definitely one of my favourite coasters at CP ;)

i forgot to mention this, so ill squeeze it in....earlier that morning, we all got a Freeway stamp for MF, so prior to Magnum, we went back to MF...and i got a front seat ride!!!! yes....man is able to fly...dont believe me? ride MF, front seat. the only comparable sensation would be to strap yourself to the front of a 747 and do a nice nose dive:) anyway....yeah i love back seats, but MF is the exception:) anyway, moving on....

ok. so back to after passing up Mean Streak...we walk back down Frontier Trail....time to conquer some more coasters:)

WildCat.....such a long wait, but it was a lot of fun. Anton did nice job on this....the drops were quick and intense..the final helix wasnt as great as it was tooted to be, but still a fun coaster...

Iron Dragon....ok, after riding Top Gun the day before, this thing pretty much made me laugh:) what a joke...sorry, but it really is iron dragging....i hate putting down a coaster, except for Rotting Lumber, haha:).....but seriously, its just so lacking. it has the potential to be quite fun, but its just so compacted, and the terrain is kinda flat...so i guess what can ya do. the final helix combo was pretty cool, but nothin to write home about.....

Blue Streak.....a nice little woodie....not the airtime i was told it had, but it was still fun. it was nearly a walk on too, so that was cool:) but hey....its a coaster, its an old woodie...so i like it anyway ;)

Raptor.....very nice!! good job B&M. its not BTR intensity, but it definitely packes more of a punch than Alpengeist or Great Bear(of course:))....i would put it up there with Top Gun: Jet Coaster....just a hair under the B:TR clones.....and that final helix was awesome!!!! oh yeah....so far, Raptor has the best invert drop i have been on....i love it when an invert can pull of a straight drop :)

after a quick spin on Demon Drop, we walked back up the midway to check on Mantis..still not running. ..so i took a spin on Power Tower...the Space Shot...loads of fun:) moving on....

Corkscrew....actually, my first "corkscrew" christened Arrow....it was fun:) neat little drop, a very tight loop, and the corkscrews were takin at a nice little speed too. again, i love arrow, so this was just plain neato!! hehe:)

Woodstock Express.....haha.....another dissapointing Vekoma, but hey..its a junior coaster, so what can you expect right? still though....pretty fun...it made for laughs :)

finally....Mean Streak:).....allright, ive been waiting to write this section. and i am prepping for a flaming...i didnt think that MS was all that bad....oh no!!!! haha:) seriously....i mean, it was by no means a GREAT coaster, but i didnt think it totally sucked. it wasnt nearly as rough as a lot of you guys say it is...and it did have some rather speedy moments. i even got a hint or two of airtime. still though....sliding through trims down a drop like that is unGodly!! ive been told that MS cooked its first season, and it makes me so sad, cause i can see where that coaster probably could pack one helluva punch if it werent for those stinkin trims. but all in all, i actually had a good time...i had even more fun being sarcastic about it the rest of the night and yelling to everyone to go ride Mean Streak!! haha:) whatever....you all may hate MS, but i enjoyed it, and am proud to have it on my TR...hey, after all it was coaster #98 for me ;)

the night was slowly coming to an end..we made our way back up to Mantis for the third time that day...it was open now, but the line was a good hour long. so there i was ......with the chance to add one more coaster to my TR....OR, get some night rides on Magnum....i looked at Rob and Kristin, and MUCH to their suprise, said "screw this...i want Magnum:)" so there it was....to me it was just too important to get a night ride on Maggie instead...and BOY am i glad i made that decision....

Magnum..at night....no trims!!!! Rob took me in the famous seast 1-3...yes, it is the ejector seat!! as we flew down the second hill...something happened....we kept on flying, and TORE through the turnaround...Rob looked at me screaming..."no trims!!! no trims!!!". he and Kristin got off so happy like they had just won the lottery or something:) needless to say, before closing, i got two more glorious back seat rides on Maggie!!! without trims, this coaster IS everything its supposed to be. absolute, sheer Arrow insanity.

i walked out to the car with a smile on my face, and a new skip in my step. i had finally spent a day at Cedar Point, America's RollerCoast. i had ridden the world famous Magnum, with and without trims..day and night. i had taken on Millenium Force, the worlds second highest coaster. i had survived Mean "Squeak", Shake 'n' Brake, whatever you wanna call it, and actually enjoyed myself:) i had had the pleasure of riding some of Ron Toomers greatest masterpieces in his long and illustrious career. though the park was crowded, my first ever visit to Cedar Point will always live on in my mind with the fondest memories...from the first sighting of the park that morning, to the final harrowing rides on Maggie, to the glourious final rearview look at the skyline as we left.....thank you Cedar Point for being everything id hoped youd be:) and again Rob and Kristin, thanks for puttin up with a 22 year old child in his fantasy land :)

Tim (yes, probably too mushy and poetic, but hopefully some of you understand...it feels so good saying youve been to Cedar Point:))

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hey...thats my story..and im stickin by it!!! :)
PKD 2003...drop rides will never be the same...Intamin rocks!! :)

The CoasterBuzz Street Team(TM) strikes again.

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Jeff - Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com, Sillynonsense.com
"Let's stop saying 'don't quote me,' because if no one quotes you, you probably haven't said a thing worth saying." - Dogma, KMFDM

Glad you had fun at the Po!nt. Sorry I didnt get to talk to you longer in the Magnum queue at night but the wife really wanted to go. Maybe we will hook up somewhere else in the future!

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Bob Hansen

A proud CoasterBuzz Member

"So you think your'e really brave, gonna see the DEMONS cave.
You silly dude, your'e only food, for the DEMON"

Great meeting you Tim! I'm so happy you got to experience a trimless Magnum, but I am also very jealous! I knew I should have switched shifts with somebody and met you guys at night! Oh well, at least I got to ride MF in the front seat with you (the glorious flying banana). Hope to hit some parks with you again in the future!

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It's 106 miles to Indiana Beach. We've got a full tank of gas and a half-full cooler of cokes. It's light, and we're wearing Disaster Transport 3-D glasses....hit it!

I also got a night ride on Magnum trimless. I would almost rank it as high as MF. Nice TR.

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-Sean

Man, it makes me wish I would have stayed in line and rode Magnum that night with you guys. My wife was complaining over the radio when I told her that it was like a 15 minute wait and that she wanted to go because two of the girls were freezing. Oh well, I rode it the next night and got the same ride. It was freakin incredible.

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Bob Hansen

A proud CoasterBuzz Member

"So you think your'e really brave, gonna see the DEMONS cave.
You silly dude, your'e only food, for the DEMON"

haha, Chris!! i TOTALLY forgot about the flying banana!! :) for those of you who werent there.....i have christened the yellow train on MF. the flying banana....works for me:) and yeah, Kick (Bob), really wish you could have stayed as well. i was tryin to keep an eye out for you that day, cause i knew you were going to be there. no matter though....well try to hook up another time:)

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hey...thats my story..and im stickin by it!!! :)
PKD 2003...drop rides will never be the same...Intamin rocks!! :)

You won't get bashed by me for liking Mean Streak either. Yes, it is a shadow of it's former self with the trims on it. The trims make is less rough (notice I said LESS rough, it's still a shake n baker), but also takes the wild meaness out of it.

Glad you finally made it to the Point.

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I'd rather die living than live like I'm dead