My silly trip with Peabody -Day 3 (LONG)
Associated parks:
None
*(it should be day four, as Jeff actually wrote DAY THREE at SFwoa himself. I forgot that DAY ONE should just have included driving to CP. Sorry)*
As I can’t recall exactly what Jeff wrote in his “recap” of Day 2, let me assure you that TTD was indeed “silly,” and the trip after the park closed, to the area surrounding PKI, was long, arduous, tiring, and gorged with late night food.
That, and Scott Eddy (Chitown) called us on Jeff’s cell to say hello, catch up with us, and terrify us with his voice…. A literal Barry White. ;)
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Rob still doesn’t sleep because Jeff snores too much. “Must invest in sleeping pills or earplugs. Perhaps both.”
Jeff and I awoke to the day, knowing full well that we were going to catch up with some fellow enthusiasts, with baited breath and decent, not-yet-rainy, weather. We knew we’d get some sun, and it’d be fun, but we took some Tylenol to cut into the yet-to-exist headaches from SOB, amongst others. ;)
A short drive from the hotel ($30 bucks on Priceline) and we were there.
YAY for late May, as kids are still in school, keeping the crowds down. BOO for senior trips that didn’t keep the crowds down.
At the park, I took advantage of a free pass that was given to another enthusiast, who knew of my travels, and knew he couldn’t use it, so he mailed it to me. Honestly, it’s been so long now (I am writing this in January 2004!), that I can’t recall who it was that sent it. Was it Joe? Mike? Aaron? Sheesh… I can’t remember! Anyways, I got in free, and Jeff paid a small fee per his membership in ACE (geek). Some sad news to start the day, though. Top Gun was down (from a fire, of all things!), as was the backwards Racer (I wasn’t gonna get that backwards thing ever, was I?)
A quick turn to the left to see Danny Perkins (Dannyp85), who was instantly recognizable from his CB profile pic, and off to ride the dreaded Face Off. Once was enough, as anyone can attest, but the ride gave a very, very intense trip through the rails, especially on the return trip. Only a few days later, FO would get “stuck.” Oooooo… lucky riders!
We decided to head back to the gate, as Rob Bob (Robocoaster), and Mike (Incidentalist) agreed to greet us around 10:30. We met up, shook hands, asked what the HELL Mike’s name meant (Do you like music? Have you heard of the String Cheese Incident? There you go… it’s so obvious, isn’t it?), and headed off to the “big line” stuff to get the new coaster and flat credits.
I won’t tell you the rides in order, as I can’t remember this day that well now. I don’t know why, for sure, but I can guess that although the people were VERY impactful to my trip, and an absolute blast, I was so tired from the previous 2 days, and that nasty after hours commute, that I was totally off the deep end in lala land. In other words, I was really fricking tired. Stupid tired. Dead on my feet. Since I know I won’t say them in exact order, let me say who I met. Besides Danny, Mike, and Rob Bob (again from the previous day), I finally had the chance to meet Lori and Steve Uhing (loriu), and Greg Legowski (gregleg). It was a pleasure. There was someone else I met that day, but I can’t recall who at this moment…. (actually, I know he’s reading this and getting pissed off, so I’ll leave it for now. ;))
Delirium. Outside of the occasional park I might find a Zipper at, I’d have to say that this ride became my number 1 flat in 10 seconds flat. Just amazing. The line was a bit long for early in the day. After arrival, it was already 45 minutes, but Delirium IS new, after all. What was I expecting? I couldn’t resist taking my shoes off, and reveling in the fun, with my tootsies dangling! (no other comments, please!) On board, it seems as though you are completely inverted. Granted, when your feet are over your head, you are inverted, but try telling that to someboy who calls MFs turns “overbanks.” LOL! Still, this ride kicks, and I can’t really find the right adjectives to describe it. If you haven’t ridden it yet, get to PKI. What are you waiting for, besides the season to come around again? ;)
Over to Scooby Doo, the new dark ride. I just don’t get these. They aren’t fun, and I suck. Nuff said. (maybe it’s because I suck?)
Tomb Raider: The Ride. Oh boy. Now here’s where the day started. You know how you spend pretty much your entire time in lines (especially long ones), looking to see the various kids sitting on the rails, letting their friends cut into line, etc.? Well, this was one of those moments where the whole world shrinks to just you and the “bad guy.” I was tired, as I had previously said, and well… this kid just kind of pushed the wrong buttons. We were standing there minding our own business in a line that WASN’T moving, only to have a little girl decide she wanted to cut in line. Not little in the 6 year old variety, but smallish, and definitely OLD enough to know it isn’t cool. Not in the slightest. (Can you see where this is going?) I basically body checked her, and threw my arm out to stop her, when her big (maybe bigger than I) brother (so she says) decided that it wasn’t cool for me to stop her from cutting. Basically, we were pretty much ready to throw down, and I won’t brag, but the brother would have been a seriously injured brother had it, but my not getting out of his face (in the dark of the queue) was apparently intimidating enough to get him to give in. Afterwards, still shaking from the testosterone overload in my system, I actually still let her cut in, and told him that the best alternative would be for his friends and he to move BACK in line to her. Duh. Let’s hope he learned his lesson that day.
The greatest part was looking at my friends there, wondering if they were thinking I was a total d*** or just a frustrated dude who was making a point. Apparently, the thought it was pretty cool, because I heard about it the entire remainder of my trip. I guess I am a legend in my own mind. ;)
Danny convinced me I should try out SOB again this year (I did in opening season, and although I didn’t hate it, I am just too much leg for the trains). He said the new trains (new headrests?) were doing the trick and making it far less painful. I kowtowed and into the last car, middle row. Please tell me how the “non wheel seats” really can possibly be better than the “wheel” seats? I don’t believe any of you who say it matters, no matter how many times I try it. Energy transferred is energy transferred, right? It goes into my ass, head, shoulders, etc., no matter where I sit, if I am in this train, right? OK. End rant.
We shot down, around the initial drop, into the lift, and pop! Pictures! Up the lift, and oh… what a view. They did something right with that view. Thank God, and Ohio. The big drop, and the rough descent is ok, but the ride really kicks in that first helix. Granted, it gets old, but it’s intense. The loop. Silent. Sweet. Perfect moment of coaster nirvana, and I could care less about the loops. Back to the real world, though, and another helix, with the nice ending into the brakes. Afterwards, Danny runs off to the photo station (where he works?), and comes back with some pics he picked up for us. Thanks for the nice gift, Danny! I don’t ever buy that stuff, so this was cool.
Hey, let’s go to Drop Zone. I hadn’t been on this before, and yes… I am afraid of drop rides. I do them everywhere, but that first time always just freaks me out. It never really stops, either. Cold sweats, swearing, and basically general unease (along with possible incontinence ;)) until the ride does its thing. Well, it does its thing. Rob Bob was terrified, as he’d never done one, of any kind, before, and I (the afraid guy) am trying to get him onboard. Perhaps it’s my “don’t die by yourself” philosophy, but I do like to share others pain! J We conned him on, and he sat next to me, where, yes…we held hands.
Like little school girls.
Like little babies.
Like lovers.
Sweaty, nasty, man hands. You get the point. The 360 degree turn is amazing, as you can see anything and everything. I guess that’s the point when you are 250+ feet in the sky. J Nice. Quite the drop, although not even kind of as intense as the 2nd generation Intamins. Oh well. Still fun, and we did it twice.
The second time we didn’t hold hands.
Rugrats Runaway Reptar is fun, but I have to say that although Vekoma (they built it, right?) does kiddy rides well, this one wasn’t up to snuff. Perhaps it’s the inverted part I don’t like, but that layout is smallish, and being inverted makes the ride a little too intense for the trains. MY opinion, but I stand by it. I still prefer Woodstock at CP.
Flight of Fear called me to try out the new (for me) restraint system. All I can say was I wasn’t impressed. It’s much too bumpy a ride, and although I love the complexity of the layout, those Premier trains SUXOR. L Sorry, but I just wasn’t into it. Still, I’d do it again, which I can’t say for something like Psyclone at SFMM. If you want to ride a real Spaghetti Bowl, get online and buy tickets to Japan. Mad Cobra at Suzuka Circuit is everything this ride dreams to be, and they have OTSRs that are just crazy cool.
Beastie. One thing I can say. These little woodies are awesome. All I could think about the entire time was Dawn Marie’s onride photo! LOL! (insert inside joke here)
Off to Taxi Jam, where I conned a lady into letting me use her daughter, as a ride partner, to get my stupid little credit. This precious little girl came into the station with her hands already raised high, and was so adorable that Lori couldn’t resist snapping some shots of it. She never did put her hands down, and after my ride with her, still sat there, in the car, ready for another round, still faithful to the coaster gods, keeping those hands up. So damn cute.
Over to the racer, where we got the front facing ride in. Back was closed, for now. Fun, with nice gentle air, and some decent laterals into the turnaround. All in all, cool. Later in the day, when they finally opened the backward facing side, I got my first ride in, and my first time riding a coaster backwards. Stunning, and defining, as it was nothing like I expected. It was much more fun, and actually much more terrifying. Brilliant!
Over to the Flyers, where, while standing in line, (drumroll please!) this dude comes up to me. He looks vaguely familiar. I know I know him, and yet…. I am not sure. After my Dan the Man experience (at CP in line for Raptor), I don’t know who, or what I will bump into. (Especially being a drummer. I swear I attract that strangest people. Like we are all Tommy Lee or something? I swear that was a wide angle lens. ;)) So, this guy is saying “don’t tell me you don’t know who I am!”, and there’s this pale looking bro with him, and all of a sudden it strikes me. This is Brian. Brian Yarborough. Homey G. The legend. We had talked a lot online, but I admit his presence caught me off guard. He’s very intimidating in person, and if I didn’t know better, I’d say he was a player. ;)
*side note* - All of you are equally loved, but I had to give Brian his dues. He shot tons of video of me, and that rates high in my book. Call it ass-kissing tax. ;)
Anyways, I had never ridden (flew) the Flyers before, and after some watching (I am a quick study… at least to what’s important to me = amusement rides, video games, sex) I knew it was my time, so into the tub I went. I seem to remember that Jeff and I flew together my first trip, but the second time around, I did it myself. Even though I would never claim to be a “snapper,” I betcha with some practice, and one somewhere in my vicinity (say within 500 miles?), I could get to be like Nathan (Black 7 at PPP – another trip that I will probably never write a TR for). These things are fun. Someday, when I get super rich, I will have some in my back yard. Come on over and play, won’t you?
Off to the Beast! In 2000, I got my first taste of the Beast, and I was underwhelmed. No night rides were had then, (nor on this trip for that matter) and it just didn’t live up the hype, and the legend. Call it anticipointment, but I digress. We hopped in somewhere near the tail of the train, with Greg one car in front. Up the slowest lift hill in history (this puts SD2K to shame!), and off we go. I have to say that this was much more fun this time. Perhaps the people you hang with make a ride better? It seems so, because it was a blast. Not perfect, nor anywhere near top 20 status (IMHO), but a great ride, with only 1 heavy trim. The shed was scary, and fast. Afterwards, I was talking with Greg, where he pointed to a reddish blotch on the tips of his left hands’ fingers. His hand had struck, albeit briefly, the wall of the shed! Incredible. I thought the clearances were a little broader than that, but not in this case.
Hey Greg! Perhaps some salve will take care of that? ;)
Danny had to take off, and that sucked. Great guy, and I wish (and hope) we could have hung out more. Perhaps this coming year? I look forward to it!
It was warmer now, so we ran over to Vortex (to get it out of the way). It’s still really headbangy, but I have say that if you lean forward (like you should have to do this?), it’s pretty sweet. I mean… come on… the layout IS cool. Still, once was enough.
Back to Drop Zone, where we spy Brian flying into the heavens on a slingshot. Why, oh why don’t they have the “bungee model?” That would be worth the admission!
On Drop Zone, we noticed Top Gun running! We had to get off this thing to get and ride before the park closed! Augh!
Top Gun = Fun! (it also rhymes, but I digress). We raced through the mindlessly long queue, and got in line, where we had a one train wait. I know most days there would be a huge line, but given the locale of the ride, and the sign that still listed it closed (!), we got in a sweet ride. My only compliant is the ride seems too short. Granted, beggars can’t be choosers, but it would have been nice of Arrow to give us more. It’s still not my fave, as I prefer Big Bad Wolf more, whatwith “that drop,” but all in all, it’s wonderful, and I was really glad they got it opened. Paramount DOES care. J
Time to leave the park, parting ways with great new friends, and wonderful memories. (sadly, many of which are fading in my mind quickly these days…. I’m only 37, God!)
Rob Bob, and Mike took off to their respective cars, as did Lori, Steve, and Greg. I kind of lost track of Brian until our time to leave, but we knew most of us would meet up at SRM, and there was a lot more to do this trip! There was so much in front of us, and we had no idea.
First off was the drive to Louisville. When you are jet-lagged out, and you haven’t had any sleep for the past 3 days, whilst driving somewhere near 800 miles, and walking approximately 20 miles in a park, you get dehydrated, punch drunk, and loopy. That was Jeff and I. Burned out like no tomorrow, and the next day was gonna be huge, with SFKK, and SRM (how do you spell fun?). We needed sleep. We tried to find something to eat in Cincinnati, but nothing doing. We were screwed, and we knew it, so we drove the 2 hours to Louisville (we found a Wendy’s on the way), made some cell calls, and relied heavily on the map I printed out from Mapquest to get to our hotel. It was downtown, and while following the map, we made a right turn (the wrong way) onto a one-way street. Well, hell, now this was dangerous, and embarrassing, but screw it! We just kept going, not hanging a U-turn, and drove all the way up the road the wrong way, with cars honking, and people flipping us off. It was glorious! I guess you could say that our day was bookended by getting in a fight at Tomb Raider, and almost getting killed in Louisville. I bet you all want to hang out with me now, don’t you?
Our hotel was across the street, so we pulled across 4 lanes of traffic to make a hard left, pulled into the drive, and parked the car. Nice Business Hotel that Priceline set us up in, and it was cheap as well. $35 for both of us. You gotta love that! The next morning, we took off to start our day at SFKK, when we immediately (again, no purposefully) drove the wrong way down a one way street. Get me out of Louisville.
Stay tuned. *** Edited 1/7/2004 12:29:59 AM UTC by nasai***
The Flying Turns makes all the right people wet - Gonch
nasai said:
Beastie. One thing I can say. These little woodies are awesome. All I could think about the entire time was Dawn Marie’s onride photo! LOL! (insert inside joke here)
w00t! :)
As always Robbio, nice TR, but don't you forget who coined silly. ;)
-Mark
Never Has Gravity Been So Uplifting.
Thanks, and everyone let it be known. Frank is a stud, and he was very nice to me. If you become friends with him, you too can get free passes to your favorite parks! ;)
The Flying Turns makes all the right people wet - Gonch
-Danny
Nice PKI TR Rob. Visited for the first time this past July with my daughter and had a blast.
So will it be about 8 months before the SFGAm report makes the CB digital airwaves? :)
My favorite MJ tune: "Billie Jean" which I have been listening to alot now. RIP MJ.
nasai said:
DAY THREEOver to the Flyers, where, while standing in line, (drumroll please!) this dude comes up to me. He looks vaguely familiar. I know I know him, and yet…. I am not sure. After my Dan the Man experience (at CP in line for Raptor), I don’t know who, or what I will bump into. (Especially being a drummer. I swear I attract that strangest people. Like we are all Tommy Lee or something? I swear that was a wide angle lens. ) So, this guy is saying “don’t tell me you don’t know who I am!”, and there’s this pale looking bro with him, and all of a sudden it strikes me. This is Brian. Brian Yarborough. Homey G. The legend. We had talked a lot online, but I admit his presence caught me off guard. He’s very intimidating in person, and if I didn’t know better, I’d say he was a player.
*side note* - All of you are equally loved, but I had to give Brian his dues. He shot tons of video of me, and that rates high in my book. Call it ass-kissing tax.
Stay tuned.
Checks in the mail, Rob. But a player?? Me?? Nah, you have me confused with that fellow in the mirror.
Scott, yes indeed... Barry White. Scared me on the phone. The voice has resonance, my man!
I will be doing my other TRs very very soon. Promised. This one took about 45 minutes to do, so if I can gather my thoughts a bit better, I should get the rest of 'em done in a few days.
Perhaps then, I can submit one big crazy long TR? A thought.
The Flying Turns makes all the right people wet - Gonch
Hobbes: "What's the point of attaching a number to everything you do?"
Calvin: "If your numbers go up, it means you're having more fun."
Glad you got Face Off, hope you didn't have to look at Danny while riding...:) I love those Invertigoes, and swear the ride itself is at least as good as the GIBs.....Hang-Over is for sale if anyone's interested, LOL.
Frank, can you please at least *explain* the SN to me....I always do a double-take to make sure it's you. Speaking of all the good-looking guys in buzz (nice segue, huh?)...honestly, Brian...you SHOULD be a player...do it for all the geeky white guys who just aren't as good looking as you...ROFL. (I'm just taking it from Dawn's *charts*....and as much as I hate to admit it, she don't lie)...Alas, Brian is just too good of a guy to take advantage of it, LOL...
P-towners, P-burghers, the whole darn country shows up for ROBBIO DAY at PKI, huh? Are you SURE this wasn't a *buy-out* of some sort...
P.S. Next time, I get to hold hands with Rob Bob, or Brian, or Frank, or Greg...:)
Obviously, it's pretty late, and I am feeling...."silly".
-Danny
I do have something to complain about, though. Where's Rob Bob's compliments? I wrote this damn TR basically because he whined so much! :)
The Flying Turns makes all the right people wet - Gonch
I think it's awesome you are unintentionally spreading your TR's out a bit, sorta like a mini-series that's on-going. LOL!
Sweet! Glad you loved the Drop Zone (my favorite). We have to hang out more this year. With Jim coming in I can imagine the antics if we all hook up. Oh the humanity!
Between you and Jeff going up one way streets and Jim used to driving on the "wrong" side of the rode in Scotland it should be more insane than Grand Theft Auto......LMAO!
Can't wait for Episode 4 :-) Keep 'em coming!
-Tina
*** Edited 1/6/2004 8:22:36 PM UTC by coasterqueenTRN***
Sweet story though. I agree with you about Big Bad Wolf. I think by the time we get to #4, it'll be riding season again...and between the old-age haze and Wild Turkey, the story might sound a little like this:
Well, we got to the park (anyone remember which one?), and we hooked up with some folks from the board, one of whom is the Godfather of my son (anybody remember who??), I'm fairly certain we rode some coasters, and judging from my lack of new scar tissue, nobody (well at least I wasn't) was seriously injured. Oh, someone told me that I had fun....now where's that Submit reply button?? ;)
Edited because the Wild Turkey has gotten to me too. *** Edited 1/7/2004 3:48:46 PM UTC by janfrederick***
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