8/9/03-Great Day at The Point

We got started a little late and because of traffic we did not get to CP until noon. Since it was a Saturday, the park was very crowded and the lines were long. As soon as we got there we headed over to TTD. This was my 5th trip to The Point this year, and in my previous 4 I only got to ride Dragster once, so I was determined to get another ride. The sign said it was closed but may open later, so we moved on and rode Magnum. The line was not too long and we got a great ride, smooth with a lot of airtime on the bunny hills.

After Magnum, we decided we would go ride Gemini and then head around to Millennium Force. The wait for Gemini was short and the ride was pretty good as usual. When we got to MF, the line was 2 hours, but we knew it would be long and decided to get in line. After about an hour and a half, we noticed that trains had stopped flying by. That's when they made the announcement that the ride was down. We were pretty close to the station so we decided to wait. While waiting, we saw them start testing Dragster and launching empty trains. The first couple rolled back as usual and the people behind me thought that just because it rolled back it would not open today. I also heard one of them explain to the other that there were no breaks on the launch track to stop the train when it rolled back. We talked to them for a while since we had nothing else to do in line and explained that there are roll back brakes and that a rollback did not mean it would not open. Fifteen minutes later, they started sending empty trains on MF and then started loading again. We got all the way up the ramp and it broke down again. Another 10 minutes and they had it fixed and we got to ride. MF was as smooth and fast as usual and we had a great ride.

After MF, we decided to head to TTD since we had seen them testing. It was open and we got in line. It went down after about a half hour in line and stayed down for a while. We still kept moving because every time they made an announcement a few people would leave. Those of us that stayed in line actually had a lot of fun with it. Since all we could see above the wall were the "Pre-Stage" lights, we would all start cheering when they went on. The entire crowd started yelling "go go..." when the test trains were climbing the hill and would yell when they rolled back. Finally they started loading and the crowd went nuts. Thanks to people leaving, we were pretty close and only had to wait another 20 minutes. Finally after a four and a half hour wait, we were sitting in the back seat of the second train. While we were sitting there, the operator at the controls started making announcements telling the other ops to reset the brakes. I was afraid it would go down again, but then we heard "clear" and we were off. That launch seemed even more intense then the first time and I got a great view of MF from the top. The wait was completely worth it.

After we left Dragster, we still had an hour until close so we decided to ride WT and Raptor. We got a great ride on WT as we always do and then moved on to Raptor. We rode in the back, which is normally a really good ride, and at night it is even better since you can't see what is coming.

We left around 11:30 and got home around 3 am. Yet another great day at The Point.

-Paul

Great trip report! Sounds like, even on a Saturday, you were able to have a lot of fun.

How about that 3 hour drive back to Lansing though, eh? I'm always very grateful when I pull up to my house, walk inside, and hit the bed. :)