Paramount's Carowinds (and DDR :P) 4-1-02

I arrived at the park with my friend Aaron at about 9:20 AM. I had parked in the employee lot last weekend for media day, so I was surprised to find a new parking area for season pass holders, right up next to the gate. Also, security was tighter and guests were being scanned as they entered. We hit Top Gun first for 30 minutes of ERT, and took a ride in the front seat. Maybe it was just the way I felt at the time, but Top Gun actually seems to be running better than the previous years. After the front seat we rode 7 times in the back seat and headed for Ricochet.

In the new Carolina Boardwalk area we met RCmuzikGuY (tim) and his friend Andrew (not sure if he has a Coasterbuzz screen name). The four of us hit Ricochet, which still had some brakes on, but thankfully the brakes on the first set of hairpins are still off. We then rode the Carolina Cyclone twice in a row. It was my first time in the season on this one, and I am very impressed. New OTSR were put in, and the coaster is still running amazingly smooth (at least in the back). I know in the past it has been rough near the front, but the back is where the thrills are anyway.

Heading into 'Thrill Zone', we hit the Drop Zone which was fun as always, then took a ride near the back of Hurler. Its fun, but much, much better near the front. We hit Scream Weaver then Hurler once more, this time near the front of the train for some great airtime.

Aaron and I decided to go eat somewhere outside the park, so we headed for the exit. We went through the arcade near Super Saturator on the way out, and I was pleased to see that they have a Dance Dance Revolution USA mix. I hadn't played before, but I was interested in it as I've had a lot of enthusiasts recommend it. We left the park and drove to Carolina Place Mall for lunch, then returned to the park.

After getting our season passes processed, we hit Thunder Road fowards, riding in the back seat. With more retracking done this year, it was smooth and even had a bit of airtime on the first few hills. The first drop on Thunder Road is great. We met up with Tim and Andrew again then hit the Frenzoid (looping pirate ship). After losing a lot of change and being held on the ride so the ops could discover who was spitting, we hit Thunder Road again. On the last hill before the turnaround, I slammed down into my not-very-low lap bar, and my chest is still bruised. Fun ride though.

We made the trip into Animation Station to see how Scooby Doo is running this season. After a fairly good wait, we took a spin on it. I still love this junior coaster; it has some peppy little spots of airtime and a slight out-of-control feeling. I might just have to say I like this one as much as Thunder Road, if not better :)

We then exited the park and stopped by Celebration Station on the way back. There was a DDR USA mix there as well, and since I hadn't played the one at Carowinds (big crowd and people waiting to play), I played there. I don't understand the connection between enthusiasts and this game, but it was really fun, even though I was horrible at it. I'm sure I'll play it many more times at Carowinds this year. Overall, it was a great day and I hope to return this weekend.

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|| Jonathan Hawkins ||
http://www.starcoasters.com
http://www.thrillspot.com

Well crap, I went yesterday, and we had to take shelter due to a tornado! Check out my pics ( the links are in the general buzz forums)

At least you had nice weather today :)

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"Enjoy your record-breaking ride on Millennium Force"