Coastermania, Cedar Point, 6/3/05

I've never tried to do the whole Coastermania, because I think it's insane to put in a 20-hour day at an amusement park. That said, a late arrival for a few rides sounded like a good plan, so I met Pete at the park around 6:30 p.m. We went straight to Friday's.

Sadly, the gift certificate I won at the mini-golf fund raiser was not good for the alcohol, but Pete and I had some adult beverages anyway. We assumed the dirty old man position near the windows in the bar and talked about politics and stupid people.

Around 8 p.m., we split for the Red Garter, because we heard that the show is not to be missed. However, the last show was at 6. Whoops! We bought the last two beers served for the night. Unlike the 2003 event, we managed to get through the night without Pete having to borrow any money from me.

Before the park closed, we decided to hit maXair. This was against my better judgment, because having consumed alcohol I figured I would be asking for trouble. Surprisingly enough, it is a good buzz ride. We were seated in the upper 40's, which gave an OK ride. I continue to believe that building this was one of the better decisions the park has made in awhile, and the surrounding revitalization of that area was very much needed.

We hit Disaster Transport next, just before ERT began. While I realize that the ride attracts a fair number of riders, for what it is, on that plot of land, it's a monumental waste of space. With the maXair and game improvements, I feel more strongly than ever that the whole area would benefit from restoring the lake view and tearing that horrible building down.

Off we went to Raptor. Somehow they let us in for the ERT first, so we took front seats. I haven't had a front seat ride in a long time, and I forgot how cool the visuals are. No measurable trim at the mid-course at all, and man was this thing flying. What a great ride. The other B&M inverts I've been on come close, but I still think Raptor holds just a little advantage over the rest.

Next up, Blue Streak. I don't know what the Canadians did a few years ago, but this ride has come from nowhere to be one of my favorites anywhere. When the upstops slam up and the road wheels slam down, that my friends is airtime. The thing that stood out for me on this particular ride was how fast the train moved through the turn-around. Wow. Awesome ride.

We zipped back to maXair for another lap, then went to Magnum. Yet another surprise there... no trims! I assume they figured coaster geeks could get in an out of the ride fast enough that they wouldn't cause any setups. I watched, and boy were they pushing the limits. Great crew. Even with the trims off and the much shorter ride, the next train was already half-way up the lift by the time the other train went through the safeties.

I'll restate what I've said for a long time... pulling the seat belt as tight as you can is the only way to ride, especially when it's all-out insane like this with no trim. That soft belt is a lot better than those hard lap bars over those last few hops.

I hung out for a little while longer after Pete left, waiting for the hour-per-drink to pass so I could drive, and I hit Magnum a few more times. Good times. I was actually geeked up a little, something I haven't done in awhile.

On both of my maXair rides I've been seated in the upper 40's as well. I'm looking forward to other seats in the near future.
I really love those trim free rides on Magnum. My Aunt from out west recently visited and I took her to PKI and CP on consecutive weekends. After her trimless ride on Magnum she hated it and said that wasn't the same ride she rode in 1989(the last time she was at The Point). Ironically, and I don't wanna open that can of worms again, her favorite ride at PKI was Son of Beast! ;)
We haven't caught the show yet this season at The Red Garter but I'm looking forward to it. My favorite so far was the Monsters Rock thing from last Halloweekends. I love the ice cold Bud(real Bud, not the light stuff) on tap there.
I agree with you about the Magnum seat belt. You're gonna get air no matter what, so do you want it with or without purplish yellow thigh bruises? ;)