PPP + Me!
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Weather: Really phreakin' cold, then rainy, then sunny
Crowds: Minimal (it's too cold to be outside for most people)
Phun fact: If you drive anywhere in Pennsylvania, you will pass Chris Baran at some point
As I contemplate my sore feet, my light case of "Flyer Back", and my slightly jet-lag-wracked mind, these arethe things I will recall about PPP in 2003:
Pittsburgh and Kennywood
- Arriving in Pittsburgh, settling in at the Hertz line, and then noticing my friend and fellow CPG'er Gator two places ahead of me in line. "What are YOU doing here??" ;-)
- Meeting Gator's cool S.O. Jill, who REALLY deserves sainthood for having to travel and live with Gator.
- Climbing the ultra-scary Monongahela Incline to an awesome view of downtown Pittsburgh. Wow! Nothing scarier than a 100-plus year old funicular that's about 1000X steeper than Magic Mountain's! Perhaps the best thrill ride in Pittsburgh.
- Entering Kennywood's tunnel, only to be greeted by a wave of fog so thick I had to put my hands in front of my face to walk. I found two huge linebacker dudes and hid behind them, half-expecting to be scared out of my wits at any second. The best part was at the end; it was still light out, and the end of the tunnel looked like the Pearly Gates..awesome.
- Finally having the Phantom take his Revenge on me. When I was last at K-wood in 2001, Phantom had been 2(!) days away from opening. This time it was ready to go, and Bill, Jill, and I were on train one out that evening. What an amazing ride, and really kind of odd in it's flow/layout. The second drop is incredible, and that double-down is really from another planet. These are probably my favorite steel trains ever...Intamin's actually ride a little better, but the looks and restraints of these Morgans pulls them even in my book. Extra kudos to Kennywood for flooding the concrete chasm near Thunderbolt with fog and green lights...made that wierd sort-of-airtime moment far better. And PR was #250 for me...go Mikey, go Mikey, its ya birthday! I think this ride will go in at #5 in my top steel list.
- On that same 2001 visit, Thunderbolt was also down due to PR construction, and Jack Rabbit went DDM with a burnt-out lift hill motor before I got on it. I rectified both of those mistakes this year. It's so cool that K-wood has three of the most unique woodies on the planet. T-bolt was a blast; not a lot of air, but lateral wars were in full effect! I understand the "no single rider" rule a lot better now, you really could get tossed if you weren't jammed in there with a buddy.
- Jack Rabbit may be my favorite woodie in the entire park. There's just something cool about Pennsylvania; unusual woodies with odd restraints and trains and a real lack of cookie-cutter layouts. I got two rides, the first in the front seat and the last in the AMAZING back seat. It's all about the double-down here, although there was also some really cool fog and under-lighting in the wooden "tunnel". Gator and I were screaming at the top of our lungs on the DD.
- I skipped most of the mazes (wuss!) but I did do the "haunted" Noah's Ark. This was an absolute blast! Highlights: Gator leading our pack, saying over and over "Why do I have to be in the front?"; the crowd of teenage girls behind us who eventually stampeded us due to one very persistent monster; getting the CRAP scared out of me by someone popping out of a window; and, at the end of the ride, turning around suddenly and yelling "BOO!" to the monster that was sneaking up behind me! Almost gave the poor guy a coronary! Payback is a *****.
- Finally riding the Turtle! Really fun, but needs the non-stick coating back.
- Getting some amazing rides on the Racer, which was running much better than my last visit.
- The skies darkening and eventually breaking into rain in the last hour the park was open. Getting rained on in the front of PR (ouch!). And driving almost two hours through the rain to my hotel in Bedford, Pa.
Knoebels and Phun Phest
- Waking up to see the rain had not stopped, and was in fact stronger. Driving 2 1/2 hours through at times torrential downpours, wondering how in the hell we were going to survive riding Phoenix in the (probable) snow we would have this evening.
- The beauty of rain-soaked, fall-colored, granite-faced northern Pa. blasting up I-99 and then across I-80.
- Blowing past Chris Baran and Top Thrill Magster for the first of many times somewhere north of Altoona.
- Arriving at Knoebels and trying to decide how much of my rain gear I wanted to bring in. Wondering if I might rather spend PPP in my hotel room, nice and dry.
- Seeing Dave Thomas looking happy (if a bit damp) as I took my first rides of the day on Phoenix.
- Wandering the park in the rain, looking for the NYC guys, and riding Twister solo in the back seat during a heavy shower.
- Phinally Phinding the NYC guys in, where else, the Fascination Parlor.
- Sitting down, cracking my knuckles, predicting a win at Fascination, and then actually winning...twice! I rule.
- A string of Phlyer rides (5 or 6 in a row, I think). I may have commented in my Con TR that I hate the Phlyers. Well, I think I finally got some good flyer rides. I know that I finally snapped, and I was finally getting some real mayhem out of my tub. Now I know why people are addicted to these things! I just need to hone my technique now, and I will soon be ready for a Phly-Off one of these years.
- Being impressed with how good Dave Fraser and Jim McDonnel have gotten at phlying. Along with Walt, Todd, and a few others, these guys were tearing it up!! Most impressive.
- Finally getting to see and surprise Dawn (well, not really surprise), who always puts a smile on my face and makes me laugh, even when she's telling me to shut up, which is often.
- Riding the incredible Skyride and seeing the sun come out, revealing a KNOCKOUT view of the park and the surrounding hillsides. It was like floating in a dream for a second there.
- Another great ride on the best bumper cars on the planet.
- Seeing Nasai look so tired, and finally getting to meet the ultra-cool Peabody! Get some sleep yet, Rob?
- Riding the incredible Haunted House, the ne plus ultra of old-school dark rides, and screaming out loud due to a silly little piece of string, LOL!
- Taking the Pioneer Train deep into the spooky, scary woods. Blair Witch, The Ride.
- Finally getting some good Twister rides, and nearly squishing poor Dan Miron into guava on the lateral before the double helix. Sorry, Dan! Twister was more impressive than 2001...still not in my top ten wood, but closer. I really love the lift and first two drops of this ride, but the helix is kind of "meh" and the rest of it just seems to meander around without any particular force. Great setting though.
- Phinishing the night on Phoenix, which was running at an amazing level. This one will definitely be taking a big leap upward in my top woodies. This ride is just so much fun, words fail me. Rising up into the chilly air, surrounded by fog, the beautiful hills, and the amazing clouds/stars/moon-scape, I just had to scream out "I love this place!".
- Post-game party at the Pine Burr Inn with the NYC guys, a few CPG'ers, and one sleepy Moosh. All I can say about the Pine Burr is that tacky has a new shrine, and it's located in Mt. Carmel, Pa. Book the Hampton Inn next time guys, jeez! ;-)
- Driving back to the Hampton at 2 am all alone in the rising and thickening fog. Spooky as hell.
Lakemont and Ridefest
- Waking after 5 hours sleep to sun. Sun!!
- Driving in a haze through a gorgeous Pa. morning. Fresh air, fall color and sunlight. I actually had to break out my sunglasses AND my camera for the first time this trip.
- Blowing past Chris Baran and Top Thrill Magster again, this time somewhere out on I-80. Pulling up next to them, waving, honking, and shouting for 5 minutes, all to no avail. Hmm, I think they were more tired than I was. Floor it!
- Almost getting pulled down for speeding three times in and around State College, Pa. Can we just raise the speed limit to 75 mph across the country please?
- Seeing Delgrosso's shining in the morning sun from I-99. Cute park, very colorful.
- Seeing Lakemont hiding behind the Altoona Curve's stadium. What an odd layout.
- Stepping into the sun and almost wishing I had put on shorts. Soaking up the sun and a beautiful day in Pa.
- Finally getting to ride the incredible Leap the Dips. This thing was so much fun! It goes a lot faster than I thought it would, and it's really pretty scary! No upstops = fun! I noticed a big difference between the front seat and the back. Front = smoooth and fun, back = slamming but still fun. That last big drop can be a back breaker in the back seat, it was nice once I learned to brace for it.
- Riding another Toboggan, this one even more rickety of a tin can than the Ocean City, Ma. one. I braced myself for the slam to the side but instead got slammed into the roof, ow!
- The last new coaster for me, the Skyliner, was also a lot of fun. The front was it for me, and that incredible airtime burst out of drop one. The back was nowhere near as bad as advertised, and I didn't detect any potholes on the first drop. Perhaps some re-tracking was done? The ballpark-side drop was brutal in the back, however. I enjoyed this ride a lot and the double circuits were fun.
- The park put on a nice event and a great banquet. No gravy (;-() but some good lasagna and tasty veggies. Plus awesome peanut butter/chocolate cake! Thanks Lakemont!
The one negative: getting stuck in a massive traffic jam at LAX. I think I spent more time on the Fly Away bus than on the plane. ;-(
This was yet another awesome trip! The parks did a great job on each individual event. It was also nice to see so many of my friends, and to see the fall colors. I also have to say that it was nice to experience 2 positive ACE/enthusiast events, with no mishaps, no whining, and no B.S. It was hard not to think back to what happened in May, but this event did a lot for me in terms of getting the bad taste out. This is how it should always be.
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Mike Miller - The CPG: The ORIGINAL flash mob
mOOSH
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2004 Wood Coaster Calendar now available. Order online before Oct 5th and save. See S&D Greetings for details. Visit our booth at PPP!
Just so you know, we drove all the way back to Baltimore (4 hours) after PPP, even being as tired as I obviously was, and yes, it was hell, but all the sex talk on the way back kept me from passing out on the I-81. ;) That, and the car accident that somebody had in the median, but refused our help for a phone call. I wonder if those ambulances, and firetruck were for them? Will never know. Hearing about Roy getting attacked by a lion in his Las Vegas show. Being kinda sad about that, as I have never seen their show, and always mocked it from afar. :(
All in all, this was a short, deadly and wonderful trip, where I was able to see what all the fuss was about, and get another 10 or so credits! :):):)
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Rob - Jerk/Loser - Standing up for the unfunny and unattractive. - Click here for details
BaSSiStiSt said:
- Blowing past Chris Baran and Top Thrill Magster again, this time somewhere out on I-80. Pulling up next to them, waving, honking, and shouting for 5 minutes, all to no avail.Hmmm...
First we don't see you going out to Knoebels, then we don't see Moosh after 7pm at PPP, and finally we completley miss you riding next to us for several miles on the highway.
I don't know what to say. I guess we're just all 'basking in our oneness and sh*t.' ;)
Great trip. Great times. See you guys in March, I swear! :)
I am still pissed I couldn't make it out this time but I am happy to hear everyone had an awesome time and Rob got to talk about sex without me. ;-)
I have heard that about Gator. He's not hard to please. :-)
Glad everyone had a blast! There is always next year for me.
-Tina
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Gimme speed, height, airtime and plenty of LAUNCH!!!
BaSSiStiSt said:
- Jack Rabbit may be my favorite woodie in the entire park. There's just something cool about Pennsylvania; unusual woodies with odd restraints and trains and a real lack of cookie-cutter layouts. I got two rides, the first in the front seat and the last in the AMAZING back seat. It's all about the double-down here, although there was also some really cool fog and under-lighting in the wooden "tunnel". Gator and I were screaming at the top of our lungs on the DD.
So that was you with Gator that we gave up our back seat Rabbit ride to. :) Glad you enjoyed your ride, it sure sounded like you guys had a blast.
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Mike Miller - The CPG: The ORIGINAL flash mob
Phantom's Revenge....excellent theming, ride was meh...;). Just KIDDING, it honestly impressed me to the point where I have it tied with SFA's RoS for the coveted bronze medal position....
Great meeting up with all you sickos at PFN, PPP, and/or Lakemont, I guess after being *surprised* by bASS at the Pittsburgh airport, the trip had nowhere to go but up....;)
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We're whalers on the moon, we carry a harpoon, but there ain't no whales so we tell tall tales and sing a whaling tune...
-'Playa
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The CPlaya 100--6 days, 9 parks, 47 coasters, 2037 miles and a winner.....LoCoSuMo.
*** This post was edited by CoastaPlaya 10/7/2003 1:26:12 PM ***
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Mike Miller - The CPG: The ORIGINAL flash mob
*** This post was edited by BaSSiStiSt 10/7/2003 1:32:15 PM ***
EDIT: Speaking of costumes...Who won?
*** This post was edited by chris 10/7/2003 1:36:02 PM ***
I had to laugh at that guy's original comment, wish I would have copied it before he changed it. I've read plenty of trip reports that reference names I've never heard of, but I've never felt the need to complain about it. I'm on the wrong side of the "clique-wall" over there since I'm friends with Moosh, but I'm still going to keep posting there since I've been reading that site since the day it was created. My TR referenced people from RRC, CB, <and> WC, and I'm not writing three seperate editions for each site...I'm way too lazy for that!
FYI, the Top Thrill Dragqueens took top honors. The Coaster Clowns were second, and the Flyer Troop was third. I still think the guy with the TTD tire had the funniest costume, though.
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Mike Miller - The CPG: The ORIGINAL flash mob
Nice TR, bASS, as always. It was a delight to see you all again...though I've got another toothache...so I'm pretty sure you, Moosh, and Gator are somehow related to my dental troubles. ;)
And, yes, the car made it all the way back! :)
Still, at least I don't post on Westcoaster...:)
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We're whalers on the moon, we carry a harpoon, but there ain't no whales so we tell tall tales and sing a whaling tune...
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Rob - Jerk/Loser - Standing up for the unfunny and unattractive. - Click here for details
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Be polite and ignore the idiots. - rollergator
"It's not a Toomer" - Arnold Schwartzenkoph
"Those who know don't talk and those who talk don't know." -Jeff
The mountains and the leaves changing colors always makes Knoebels and PPP a great way to end the event season, and I can't imagine missing the event again. Definitely a highlight, and thanks to everyone whose company made it even more special. Whew, made it without even one assterisk....and it wasn't easy! ;)
edit: Stealing Bass's TR certainly was easier than writing my own...thanks Bass! :)
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We're whalers on the moon, we carry a harpoon, but there ain't no whales so we tell tall tales and sing a whaling tune...
*** This post was edited by rollergator 10/8/2003 12:32:32 AM ***
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Be polite and ignore the idiots. - rollergator
"It's not a Toomer" - Arnold Schwartzenkoph
"Those who know don't talk and those who talk don't know." -Jeff
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