I'm now officially a Coaster-Maniac. And I've got the t-shirt to prove it

[agt_spooky]

Hey guys! I'm back from Coastermania at Cedar Point in Ohio and I lived to tell the tale. :-)

Andrew and I had a FANTASTIC time. Even though my body is bruised and battered all to hell and I was on my feet for eighteen hours a day. It was most certainly worth it. *g*

I HAVE CONQUERED TOP THRILL DRAGSTER!! I haven't been to Cedar Point in seven years, so this was my first time riding this coaster. And I admit, I was a bit nervous. We're talking a 400' drop straight freaking down going 120 mph. But after my first ride, I was hooked. :-) It was AMAZING. Because the crowd was pretty sparse both Friday and Saturday (which was unbelievable) we got to ride it SEVEN times. And once in the front row!

All of the other coasters were fabulous as well (all 19 of them!). Maverick was one that I'd never ridden before, either, and I loved it. And I'll always love Millennium Force and Magnum XL 200.

Andrew and I met up with his friends Jim, Scott and Scott's girlfriend, Gina on Friday, who were also there for the Coastermania event. We hung around with them all day and night and they were all such fun! I'm glad I met them.

Part of the event was that we got into the park hours before it opened (6:30 am) and got to stay hours after it closed (12:30 am) and that was fantastic. It allowed us to ride the coasters over and over before the regular crowd got there at 10 am and again after the park closed at 10 pm.

Man, everything was just so much FUN. The weather was absolutely beautiful (I even got a bit sunburned) and we met lots of nice people in the lines and had great conversations, and it was just nice to hang out with Andrew, doing something we both love. It also brought back so many childhood memories of my family going to the park.

Andrew's always joking with me about the "coaster nerds" that go to these events and I told him I bet they're not much different from all of my "fandom nerds" that I meet at my conventions. And guess what? I was right! LOL! These guys talk about rollercoasters and how they're built and what new rides are being developed like we dissect episodes and speculate on upcoming spoilers. :-)

So yeah, I'm exhausted and I've got a blister on each foot, but it was a weekend that I'm going to remember for a long time. :-)

Now I've got to go and try and get caught up on all the comments I couldn't get to before I left on Thursday!

Have a good Monday, everyone!

Comments

[monkeyfun1.livejournal.com]

Oh, how I wish I could have gone with you. I so love the rollercoasters. I got addicted to them when I was small and we lived in Colorado. There was (might still be) a park there called Lakeside that had an old, rumbly wooden coaster that went out over the water. There was lots of lore about it going off the tracks and killing a bunch of teenagers. This, of course, made me only want to ride it more because of that thrill factor. I also spent much of my youth at the other park in Denver called Elitch Gardens. Oh, I so miss those coasters.
Thanks for the memories.

[agt-spooky.livejournal.com]

The best thing about rollercoasters and amusement parks in general is that they just let you be a kid again, no matter how old you are. :-)

But wow, a killer coaster? I wonder if that's where they got the idea from for Final Destination Three! LOL!

a random comment

[yougenia.livejournal.com]

Just before I get on a roller-coaster, I always wonder if I should be placing that much faith in the Engineer that built it. And then I think that it's really Physics that I'm trusting my life to, and if you can't trust that, you can't trust anything :)

Your trip sounds fun :))) Gotta try that someday!

Re: a random comment

[agt-spooky.livejournal.com]

and if you can't trust that, you can't trust anything :)

LOL! Wow, I never thought of it that way before!

Your trip sounds fun :))) Gotta try that someday!

Oh, definitely! If you get the chance, go! :-)

[celtprincess13.livejournal.com]

Oh man, I am SO JEALOUS! I would love to go into Cedar Point early and get to stay late. That's awesome that they do that for Coastermania.

Did you ride the Raptor multiple times for me? I love that one best, of all the coasters I've ever ridden, at all parks.

[agt-spooky.livejournal.com]

While it was very neat to be along Lake Erie in the early morning hours, it was positively creepy at midnight in the park with hardly anyone there! It just felt so spooky! LOL!

Here's a funny story about Raptor - it was the last coaster left open for all of us on the one night and Andrew's friend Jim gets on the train ahead of us. Just as the clock strikes midnight - the ride breaks down halfway through with Jim on it! They were stuck up on the block breaks for a half hour before maintenance gave up and they all had to be taken off the ride one by one and led down a 100 ft. tall spiral staircase! It was crazy! Poor Jim. :-) It was a very interesting way to end the night!

[jenni-fromtexas.livejournal.com]

You're a far braver woman than I! LOL! Glad you had a great time!

[agt-spooky.livejournal.com]

LOL! There hasn't been a coaster built yet that I won't tackle! The bigger and faster the better. Gotta love that need for speed and the feeling like you're flying. Nothing better! :-)

[tracys-dream.livejournal.com]

Do you wear your glasses on roller-coasters?

[agt-spooky.livejournal.com]

Actually, yes, I do. I've got a strap I wear, though. Because that would be the scariest thing for me, to go on one without being able to see where I'm going! :-)

[tracys-dream.livejournal.com]

Yeah that would be scary.

[dairwendan.livejournal.com]

So let's see the t-shirt!

I'm glad you had such a great time! I would LOVE to ride Top Thrill Dragster!

[agt-spooky.livejournal.com]

So let's see the t-shirt!

I need to take a pic of it! It's got the Coastermania logo on the front and the a list of all the coasters in the park on the back. It was a nice souvenier they gave all of us.

I would LOVE to ride Top Thrill Dragster!

I can't even describe the feeling of going that fast, that high, then just kinda hanging there before dropping 400 feet. Freaking amazing! Like you're flying!

[mayphoenix.livejournal.com]

Oooh, I'm SO jealous! After my trip out west, I've gotten good and hooked on coasters -- PJ says I start to drool when an amusement park ad comes on the television. :D

Glad you had a great time!

[agt-spooky.livejournal.com]

Oh, man, Tami, you would LOVE Cedar Point. It's got the most coasters of anywhere around and they're all top notch. And man, it would be an easy drive for you from Michigan. There were so many folks down there with Michigan gear on. :-) If you get the opportunity, go for it! You'll have a BLAST!