I was the first one showered and dressed, so I went out to Giant Eagle to stock up on drinks and snacks while the girls got ready for the day. [Sidebar] There used to be a Giant Eagle near my mom's place in Pittsburgh, and one day for no particular reason, I signed up for their frequent shopper card. I've used it maybe four times in my life, since there isn't a Giant Eagle within 100 miles of my house, but it sure came in handy today. I know this is starting to sound like "how I saved a fortune on vacation", but I spent $35 on $60+ worth of groceries using the card.[/Sidebar]
When I returned to the room, the girls were about ready to go. I loaded the car again and we were off to the point. Stopped by Elyria for a quick McBreakfast and cruised into the CP parking lot at 8:45. The skies were overcast and it was kind of chilly, and moreover there was no line yet at the park gates. Also no line at the season pass gate. We were in and out by 9:00 and headed over to the Breakers to check in. None of my favorite spots next to Bon Air were available, so I parked several hundred spots away from the front of the hotel. I don't want to say I was far away, but I had to actually walk under Corkscrew to get from my car to the Breakers.
Check-in was smooth and easy as always (props to Mary, the desk manager). Our room wasn't ready, but we weren't expecting it to be at that hour. None of the rest of our party would arrive until noon or so (there were 22 of us in all) so we decided to head out to the park. It was just after 9:30, so except for MF and Raptor, nothing was running yet.
A light rain had begun to fall now, the temperature was in the low 60's, and the park was almost deserted. We headed over to MF immediately and didn't wait 30 minutes for our first ride of our vacation. The light rain stung a bit, so I can only imagine what a downpour must feel like at 93 MPH! Since it was early in the day, Millie wasn't running at top speed yet, and the airtime over the hills to/from the island was almost non-existent.
After MF, I gave Lexi a cell phone and sent her and Tiffany off on their own way while Kathey and I headed to Magnum. With no line to the platform, we grabbed a couple of quick rides, first in 1.3, then in 1.2. The rain had stopped now, but the wind on that side of the peninsula was really kicking. Maggie ran without trims for both rides and still provided thigh-bruising air over the camelbacks.
Now that we've hit two of our three favorites, it's time to try the Wicked Twister. I notice on the way in that they have the requisite test seat at the front of the queue - there must be people who can't get into the OTSR. In addition, I've apparently found everyone in the park. They're in line for WT.
45 minutes into the queues (yes, we watched the towers sway -- seems to be a requisite point to make) we were ready to strap in and go. I said strap in and go. Go. Down. Down, OTSR. Down farther. A little more. C'mon, you HAVE to go.
Nope. No way. I'm about eight feet wide across the shoulders apparently (OK, so my suits are 54 Long), and that's too much chest to fit into the restraints. I huffed and puffed and pushed and still nothing. No WT ride for me. As I was getting out, Kathey chickened out and didn't want to go alone, despite my trying to make her stay.
It was now close to noon. I called back to the Breakers to see if our room was ready. I didn't expect that it would be, but it already was. We checked in, got our room number, and headed up to Bon Air section, third floor. I had asked earlier if we were in an odd numbered room and we were. Most folks prefer a water view, I like nothing better than Maggie outside my window in the morning. I also found that the parking space closest to corner of the wing was available, so I moved the car into that spot. Right next to the stairs for easy loading. Well, as easy as loading can be for three flights of stairs.
Once we were unpacked, we headed down to the lobby to see if any more of our party had arrived yet. So far, only my aunt and uncle (old people) had made it, and they wanted to stay and absorb the ambience in the lobby (old people) and watch people (old people) rather than hit the parks. So, I did what any good nephew would do. I said goodbye and headed back to the park.
We decided to keep the coaster theme going and went over to Raptor (my favorite, Kathey's 2nd). The line looked to be about 45 minutes, and with the light crowds, we knew that we could come back later and wait less. Instead we made tracks (tracks, get it? it's a pun) for a walk-on to the Blue Streak. Last seat of course, so we waited one train. The Streak seemed (like MF had) to be running slower than normal, and while we had some air, we didn't have typical backseat air. Still a fine ride.
By now, the sun had come out and it was starting to warm up. Today was Whirlpool's picnic and from 1:00 on, the park crowd began to swell. By 3:00 it actually looked like a typical Saturday in the park (people dancin', people laughin', a man selling ice cream, singing Italian songs).
Kathey and I called the girls real quick to check in, then headed for Gemini. There still wasn't much of a line (there would be later) so we walked up and sat on opposite trains. I let her pick, and she chose red. Doesn't she read my trip reports? I said last year that red never wins, and it didn't this time either.
I know it's not "cool" to think that Gemini is a great coaster, but Gemini is a great coaster. Sure, it's not a "real woodie", and mine trains in general are kind of dull. But when the crew is "on" (and they were!) the racing element of Gemini makes it one of the best rides in the park and one of my top ten coasters. On the other hand, when it's not racing, I can't get into it (except for the head chopper - which STILL gets me after 25 years).
I got off Gemini and gloated that I had won (as if I actually had anything to do with it). We did two more circuits, but since the line had picked up a bit, we went together in the same seat. Hand-slapping, taunting, yelling -- hey wait. Gemini overlooks Area 51... Hmmm. Nothing much to see there now other than what we already know, but as construction progresses, there's not a better place for the proverbial bird's-eye view than Gemini's turnaround closest to Magnum.
We headed once more back to the hotel to catch up with the rest of our party. Everyone was now there, but as of this point, we were the only ones whose room had been ready. They were all hanging out by the pool, but most of them weren't going to go into the park until 5:00 on the starlight ticket. We visited for a short time, but knew that most of the Raptor crowds we'd seen earlier would have now headed toward the back of the park.
Sure enough, Raptor was a walk up to the platform. I text messaged Lexi on the cell phone that we had a walk-on, and she was on the platform waiting for the last car as we were finishing our second circuit.
Since I hadn't ingested my daily required dose of pre-coaster dramamine, two Raptors was my limit. As the girls got on (my cousin's daughter Melanie was now with them), they asked Kathey to hold a teddy bear that they had won. She went back for it, then I took it from her and told her to grab the fourth seat with the girls (yes, I am ashamed. I cheated. There's an irony here that was called to my attention on Sunday night, but I'm getting ahead of myself).
The girls took off on their own again, and Kathey and I headed for Iron Dragon. Typically, I like to hit all the coasters on my first day at the park, but I'd lost some of my enthusiasm since I wasn't able to get onto WT. Nevertheless, I figured a spin on the Dragon with the thick fog would be a nice diversion, and it was. I still prefered this coaster when there were more trees surrounding it, but that's the price you pay for progress, I guess.
After the Dragon, we headed back to the hotel once again. I can't imagine why people would stay anywhere else. It's close, it's convenient, and there's plenty to keep you occupied when you want to get away from the crowds for awhile. I am also a firm believer in staying onsite when I go to Disney World as well. Maybe it's just me, but a midday break in an air-conditioned hotel room beats a break in your car any day of the week...
Back at the hotel, everyone was now settling into their respective rooms when my mom came to remind me that she wanted to take a group picture at 5:00 outside of the hotel. As if I needed to be reminded. I've been going to Cedar Point for more than 30 years, and the only constant is that mom wants to get a group picture outside the hotel at 5:00 on the first day there. Oy vey!
At 5:00, I grabbed my video camera and headed outside. Call it a documentary on the making of a photograph. Mom loves cameras, but she's just not real good at taking pictures. We started at the hotel. Then she didn't like the light. We moved over next to the Challenge Golf. Too many people crossing our path in the sidewalk. Get everyone together and move over to the arcade. Meanwhile, I'm filming every minute of this. 15 minutes later, we have a family picture and I have 15 minutes of hilarity on tape. Someday I think I'll show her what we go through for her sake. But like she says "I ask so little on this trip".
Before everyone separated, we made plans to eat dinner on Monday at Midway Market at 4:30. The nice thing about traveling with a large group is that you can get together with as many family members as you want at any time, or you can just go off on your own. We stayed together for a spin (another pun, get it?) on the Witches Wheel, then did a group run on Gemini. Again, hand slapping, taunting and my blue train winning before Kathey and I figured we'd get some down time in Frontier Town.
Mine Ride was (as usual) a walk-on, so we hit that first. Remembering Natalie and Kevin rupturing my spleen while stapling me into the train last year, I crossed my ankles and braced for the worst. Nothing. No problem. I lost a couple of inches around my waist since last year, so that apparently made a world of difference. It also made Mine Ride very enjoyable (relative to last year anyway).
We did a little shopping before a relaxing train ride up to the main midway. I had wanted to catch the Sky Ride up to the front of the park to hit Demon Drop, but the winds were too heavy for the Sky Ride to run. We meandered up the midway, stopping at the Hat Rack, Pagoda Gift shop, and Snoopy Boutique. Might as well get the big spending out of the way on day one, right?
Finally we got to Demon Drop. It was only a 10-minute wait, and we were put in a car with a young teen with one of the church groups who asked if we minded if he sat in the middle. OK with me, there's two middle seats. No sooner had the car started up the shaft, he started chanting over and over "Oh Jesus save me, Oh Jesus get me down, Please get me down from here, I hate heights, I want to be on the ground"
Since we were referencing religion and all, I threw a little John 16:24 at him -- "Ask and you will receive" (how many of you are surprised that I know that?. It couldn't have been timed better. Just then, CLICK and Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh. We're lying flat on our backs staring at the sky. Now he's yelling "That was great! I want to do that again!" and heading right back for the line. Good for him.
As for us, we were getting close to calling it a night. We hit Magnum once more (another crew that was rockin') before heading back to the hotel. I was working on about five hours sleep over the last 42, so I crashed while the rest of the family stayed up in the rotunda until 2:00 AM. Fanatics! Or maybe I'm turning into one of those (old people).
--
Duane Cahill
I wrote a letter to my dad - I wrote, "I really enjoy being here," but I accidentally wrote rarely instead of really. But I still wanted to use it so instead of crossing it out I wrote, "I rarely drive steamboats, dad - there's a lot of things you don't know about me. Quit trying to act like I'm a steamboat operator." This letter took a harsh turn right away...
DBCahill said:
I wrote a letter to my dad - I wrote, "I really enjoy being here," but I accidentally wrote rarely instead of really. But I still wanted to use it so instead of crossing it out I wrote, "I rarely drive steamboats, dad - there's a lot of things you don't know about me. Quit trying to act like I'm a steamboat operator." This letter took a harsh turn right away...
ROFLMAO!
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Grüvïs Mält
Next year maybe we should have the Annual GTTP Father's Day meeting at 5p.m Saturday at the Cahill Photo shoot. We can all wear shirts that say "I ask so little on this trip";)
And BTW, after the first TWO trip reports you have SAVED $7.00(turnpike fees) +$40.00 (season passes)+$25.00 (grocery trip)...That is AT LEAST 1/2 an additionbal round at the Garter;)
OTT
Who's Mom constantly says at all family gatherings, "You know this might be the last time we are all together before someone's funeral"
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