The trip began with a wonderful breakfast at Bob Evans. On our way to PKI, we missed our exit, but soon got to where we were going :)
Upon entering the park, my family and I headed for the bathrooms. I have to say it was really awful! The lines weren't bad, just the stench of it! We decided that we were going to head for The Beast as an opener for the day. We made our way back and got in line. To my surprise, the wait was less than 45 minutes long. I never get tired of this ride! It just throws something new at you every time you ride it! My little cousin rode it and loved it to death.
3 of us decided that we needed to get cooled down.. so after a drinking some refreshments, we made our way to the Congo Falls. This was my first time riding this ride and I was loving it! Besides accidentally banging my knee on the top of the carriage, I enjoyed it!
We slowly made our way to the Son of Beast entrance. Everyone else was reluctant to board it just yet, so instead we went to Top Gun. Another fun ride! The line was about 20 minutes long. I got into a conversation with one guy about the Bat that used to be there. I really don't know much about it, but he made it sound like it was a great ride that they got rid of.... After swooping through the twists and turns we arrived back into the station from another great run on the Top Gun.
Next on our list was the Racer. I really don't enjoy going backwards as much as I do forward; my cousin CoeDee found out why ;) She took the backwards coaster while Schuyler and I took the forward facing train. We went ahead of CoeDee's train, so we didn't get to race them. While this is a kind of jerky coaster, it's still a classic and an enjoyable ride.
Adventure Express... That name conveys a sense of, "ooOOoo... that's gonna be fun!" doesn't it? To me, in a way, yes, in another way, no. The line was short so we all got on it. Fun little ride, but I think they could have made it a little longer. I even heard little kids complaining how short it was, lol. But again, this was a fun ride for any age.
Soon after we exited this ride, CoeDee went to find her Dad. So, Schuyler and I went walking around searching for the Vortex's entrance. She was really nervous about getting on it. Going up the lift, I looked around enjoying the view. I had forgotten how high this actually goes ;) The first drop was pretty decent, but the second hill/turn hurt! I got slammed to the side, almost biting my tongue off! Ouchies! hehe. It was a rough ride. Probably the roughest steel I've been on. The only cool part about the ride was the corkscrew. Got some major airtime on it! Before we knew it, we were at the station.
Exiting the station, we were found by everyone else. We headed to a cafe and at lunch! I got a little too full, so I sat around, letting it settle down. CoeDee didn't feel like riding again, so Schuyler and I left around 5:45 and headed for the Son Of Beast....
"The wait from here will be 1 hour and 15 minutes" That's what the sign read.... We jumped into the line. Surprisingly, the line went quickly! I couldn't believe the wait. I saw a camera taking video of the trains coming back into the station, so if you see a clip of that and see a guy with his coasterbuzz shirt on, it was me! :) When we got in line on the seperate queue lines to get on the train, the wait had been only 45 minutes. Ahead of us, there was a couple boarding the train. The guy was too tall to get in. I never thought that it was actually possible to be too big. But he was! So he and his girlfriend left. Boarding the next train, I sat down in the same seat as the previous guy had sat in and found out why it was too small for him. I could barely fit! With a 'SHH!' from the brake release, we were on our way down the hill to the turn around, where we had our pics taken, and up the hill we went!! It was a really noisy lift! It ascended really quick as well. The noise was deafening at the top of the lift, then it was quiet. We slowly rolled around to the top of the first drop and down we went! WOW! I couldn't believe the speed! Going into the helix I was just totally and utterly speechless! I couldn't really yell that much from the G's it pulled. But I loved it! Intensity and being thrown around. Somehow my lap bar tightened down more and stapled me in, making some points of the ride painful, but I really didn't care! Schuyler was loving it as well.... Soon came the loop. I was really wondering what it would be like. All of a sudden, the ride went smooth and up we went into the loop. In all honesty, it was probably the best loop I've ever been on! Smooth and perfect, WAY TO GO PKI! After getting off, we bought the pic. As soon as I get my scanner back up and working, I'll be sure to post that picture up for all to see... That was a great way to end the day at Kings Island!
We met up with everyone else and exited the park. All I have to say to those who haven't been on SOB; get there and ride it! :)
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Shawn Bailes
110 Drumline
http://ohiodrumline.tripod.com
