The beginning of my coaster enthusiasm was while attending US Space Camp when I learned that going upside down is fun. After that, I proceeded to ride a few smaller coasters before heading to Las Vegas where I rode Desperado, Manhattan Express, and Canyon Blaster. I had a lot of fun on those rides, but it wasn't until the next summer when I visited Busch Gardens Tampa that coasters became a part of my everyday life. After one ride of Kumba, and being blown away by its smoothness and power (which from someone who had only ridden Arrow and Togo coasters previously is a huge step) I was hooked. The bad part is that Montu was closed when I went to ride it so I didn't get to ride an inverted until my trip to Riverside (now SFNE) later that summer.