WoRsHiPcHiC

Saturday, July 21, 2007

So, I'm not quite sure how I let this happen, but some 11 days later, here's a new post... ugh...

I have several topics about which I am planning to write in the near future. For today, you get the latest highlights from Cedar Point... again... I'm sorry. I know that I am probably boring you all to death. I promise we'll take a real vacation next year so I'll only make one ridiculously long post about such things instead of many throughout the summer months...

On Wednesday, we left the house early (sort of) and hit the road for CP trip number 4. We met my mom and dad there again, and we could not have had better timing. We drove up right behind them on the causeway! The funniest part was that we were driving beside them and waving frantically for some time, but they never saw us. Finally, Phil slowed down and pulled behind them, and they saw us in their rear view mirror immediately.

Unlike our other trips, I went with an agenda this time around. Just before 10:00, we left all four of our little people with my parents, and we joined the mass of people, crowded at the gate. Then, when the gates opened, we began to run. This was slightly amusing to several people we passed, but I like making others laugh, so it's all good...

Since I am seriously out of shape, I did not run far. It would have been helpful if I'd had time to stretch out, but I didn't... bad idea... I'm not sure which is more humiliating... the fact that I couldn't even run as far as the Corkscrew or the fact that my legs are still aching today... At any rate, we ran... jogged... walked fast... walked slower, and eventually we made it to Maverick. The sign proclaimed a wait time of 1 1/4 hours, and we stepped into line. Although my effort to arrive at Maverick quickly was a little less than satisfactory, people who got there even 10-15 minutes after us probably waited well over 2 or even 3 hours to ride.

And let me tell you, Maverick was worth every single second of the wait time. WOW!!! It is not too often that I am this impressed with a coaster, but Maverick has definitely leaped into my top 3 (the others being the Raptor and, of course, the classic Gemini, both at CP).

We got to ride in the front seat, which is always a plus. I was really amazed by the shoulder harness mechanism, because it seems rather flimsy in a lot of ways. Of course, it is completely safe, but the very nature of the way you are strapped in added to the experience greatly.

That first hill is incredible. I actually like that many of the newer coasters have eliminated the slow, painful first lift. I have always hated the anticipation, so I think these quick take offs are much better. What was really amazing, though, was the greater than 90 degree drop. Riding in front, it looks like there is no track and you are headed for a free fall. The only thing that could possibly enhance this experience for me would be contact lenses. Unfortunately, I couldn't see as well as I would have liked since my glasses were stuffed down my pants... uh... yes. You caught that right. I didn't have a bag of any sort with me, and I was afraid that if I left my glasses in one of the bins on the platform they would be crushed.

The twists and turns were great, and the air time was unbelievable. At times, I seriously felt like I was flying. And the tunnel... yeah, another wow...

So, I liked the ride a whole lot, to say the least. Now, I am going to post the pictures, but I feel that I need to say one thing first. I do not look like I am having fun in these pics. There is a reason for this. I do not like losing my breath, so when riding coasters, I usually take a deep breath at the top of each hill and blow it out on the way down. This results in me looking like I might throw up in the pics. that are usually taken on the way down a hill. The truth is, I was having the time of my life. Maverick is awesome...

From there, we headed to the Mean Streak. As many of you know, I have this desire to "conquer" the park, and to me, that means riding every single ride. I currently lack only a handful of rides, and the Mean Streak was one of them. It seems that everyone rode it when it was first built (several years before I became a coaster enthusiast), and no one ever wants to ride it again. Finally, Phil took pity on me. If he hadn't, I might have gone ahead and ridden it alone, because it was long overdue to be crossed off my master list. My assessment of the ride is that it is, indeed, mean. It actually felt as if we were dragging on the track, so I may have had a more mild ride than some. However, I could tell that at top speed it would be very shaky, and I prefer a smooth ride. We were going to buy the picture, but by the time we went back for it, it wasn't stored in the computer anymore. I may ride it again, someday, in order to add to my CP pic. collection, but that would be the only reason. It was OK...

Since we had now been away from our children for close to two hours, we went in search of them. I figured that Ian would be rather hungry at this point. I had called my dad's cell phone 10-12 times, but no one answered. CP can be loud, so I wasn't altogether surprised. They didn't call me, at all, so I figured everything was going fine, anyway... Actually, they had lost my phone number, but everything was still fine. We went straight to Camp Snoopy, but Mom, Dad, and the kids were nowhere to be found. I was a little irritated. I could detail the next hour for you, but you really don't want to read about all of it. What it amounts to is that between Phil and myself, we searched every last inch of the park (and good portions of it twice), and Phil finally found them in front of the Jr. Gemini. I took the kids for a spin on that, and then we headed to the car for our lunch and mid day break. Dad turned the volume up on his phone, and we didn't have any communications issues for the remainder of our trip.

Just as we reached the van, it began to sprinkle. Then, it rained. We ate our lunches, cooled off, and changed diapers. Just as we were ready to re-enter the park, it stopped raining. Great timing...

For the past two plus years, I have had this growing desire to ride the Wicked Twister. Wednesday was the day. Phil and I waited in a short line, while Grandma and Grandpa entertained the kids at Kiddie Kingdom. This was, perhaps, not the wisest decision right after lunch. However, we endured the ride, and it was good. I would definitely ride again if I was with someone who wanted to. Phil did not enjoy it nearly so much, and he will just be glad to cross it off his list.

I talked my mom into getting on the Troika, which was quite an event. If they made a shirt that said, "I survived the Troika," I would definitely buy it for her. However, they don't.

I should mention, here, as well, that my dad rode a plethora of things in Camp Snoopy, and I was quite impressed. I wish I had been there to take video of him on the Camp Bus... hehehe...

It was a hot day, so we eventually made our way to Soak City. It felt so good to ride the lazy river and splash around in the kiddie play areas. The big treehouse area was fun, and I even took a couple of trips down a slide that I am technically too tall for, in order to satisfy Caleb. I also had a great time at Choo-Choo Lagoon with Caleb and Ian. We were literally the only ones there, and it was very relaxing. It was also tons of fun to ride the Family Raft Ride with Phil, Seth, and Grace, while Grandma and Grandpa watched our little guys.

When Soak City closed, we went to Johnny Rocket's for dinner. Then we walked back to the Power Tower, and I took my first ride down. I went up the year it debuted. This brought my "new ride total" to 4, for the day. I was pretty satisfied with that. Phil wanted to ride up again, which he did, but I passed. I was tired.

Realistically, I was too tired to ride anything else, but Seth and Grace talked me into one more spin on Iron Dragon. I will always love that coaster.

We boarded the Giant Wheel for one fantastic late night ride with all of the lights, and then we finally left the park after 12 hours of fun! We were exhausted. The kids fell asleep almost immediately.

We stayed at Holiday Inn Express, and we enjoyed our accommodations. In the morning we filled up on their famous cinnamon rolls and then took a dip in the pool and hot tub. The kids played putt-putt golf with Grandma and Grandpa and had a blast.

We ate lunch at Applebee's, said our good-byes, and did a little shopping. Originally, we were going to go back to CP, but we were just too tired...

So, another great trip is in the books... Here are some pics. Enjoy!