Closing Weekend (Insanely LONG)
I'm going to try and hammer this out while I still remember it, because between the coasting, the alcohol and two nights in an uncomfortable bed, I'm more fried than Keith Richards at a crack party.
After the less than stellar weather last weekend, I knew this weekend would be crazy. Friday saw a crowd three times what they were expecting (though still manageable) and Saturday was a record day, topping off somewhere around 45,000 people.
The people in close company were my lovely bride, Stephanie, my cousin, his hoochie and best friend. We arrived at Breakers around 6:30 and checked in to our phat suite with lake view. After spending more time there later, I became irritated with some little things, namely the uncomfortable beds (nothing compared to the sofa bed) and the mold around the tub. Come on Cedar Point... accomodations is the one place you seem to always let me down, even if in little ways.
Despite the 10,000+ Friday crowd, waits weren't bad at all. I was surprised at how much I liked Iron Dragon at night, and Raptor gave some fast rides. Mantis had an insanely long line, and it was back to stack-o-rama, so we bypassed it.
We jumped in line for a 45 minute wait at The Force. After some little turds tried their best to get behind us, we landed front seat. The experience was nothing short of religious, and I don't think I'm exaggerating. The three key airtime points, Magnum hill, return hill and bunny hop, each pushed so hard that I could actually feel the hard part of the lapbar, something I hadn't felt since Superman at SFDL. I was shocked. The raw speed around the dark island would have been a powerful enough experience, but this was insane. Watching that moonlit track pass below me at high speed was nuts. For lap 46, it sure did surprise me.
A quick jump on a space shot and we headed back to the Breakers Love Shack, where Steph had fallen asleep (something about teaching at 6 a.m. that morning ;)). After sucking down a few Hornsby's adult beverages and tying one on, something my cousin and I started last year as a new closing weekend tradition, cuz, his hoochie and I headed out to the empty beach. We crashed in the sand below the moonlit silence of Magnum's shadow. We discussed the meaning of life, the importance of not holding in your gas and the lack of real election choices. It was a real moment of zen. Still not sure how I got sand in my shorts, but the chafing was minimal.
On Saturday, the girls started the day at the hot tub, and both had stuff to do back home. The boys and I entered the beach gate following the national anthem and walked to The Force, where we got on in about 20 minutes. Not as warm and fast, but still a good time.
We crashed on the Thunder Canyon observation deck to contemplate the impact of Einstein's Theory of Relativity. (Actually, very little thinking took place throughout the weekend, but it's the only way to explain away the little in between parts.) I had never seen Thunder Canyon start up, so we sat and waited, since most things still weren't open until noon. There came the trickle, followed by the flow, followed by the rapids. They sent a few boats, but I noticed the water level wasn't quite up at the line on the wall of the trough. Later, on the train, we'd see them pulling the boats off the ride, putting it to bed for the season. As it turns out, the unusual loss of leaves in the neighborhood crippled the ride, and they couldn't keep the water up where it should have been.
Once the park was opened for business, we hit Mine Ride and Gemini with short waits, and 20 minutes at Magnum.
I'm not sure what crack baby was given the oversight to care for Magnum this year, but they should be fired. The axel problems seemed to be handled, but the wheels were in sad shape, making for a very rough ride.
We jumped on Corkscrew to visit Melissa, "Magnum" Dan's team leader and better half, and ended up waiting 15 minutes. Hmmmm... that's odd...
From there we witnessed a FULL Power Tower queue. Didn't we just ride Magnum in 20 minutes? Back to the main midway, I saw how crazy it was. Wall to wall people. I'd later find out that they cracked 45,000 guests, a big day even in July, let alone October. The boys and I were beat, so we returned to the room and crashed for two hours.
Steph returned from her errands and the boys went home. We tried to get something to eat, but the service restaurants were all swamped, including Bay Harbour (where several snobby boaters gave us dirty looks). Since two ATM's were cashless, the other thing that the park always fails at, we jumped in the car for the off-point McDonald's. I should have known better... those idiots still don't have a clue at that place. We took our value meals to Battery Park to take in the fully illuminated skyline across the bay.
Back to the park where I shot a little night video of The Force, and we quit for the night around 11.
This morning, Steph headed for Indiana to pickup her wedding dress, and I did the beach gate thing. The weather then proceeded to suck. It was wet, cold, gray and generally ugly. The very stuff that causes seasonal affective disorder. I jumped in line solo for a Force ride and hooked up with Pete Babic for two more to round out the count at 50. All of the usual suspects were there, including Mr. Althoff, ShiveringTim, IrishCoast and others. Having reached my goal, Pete, Dan and I headed for... refreshments.
To Red Garter for the Hot Country Hoochies, I mean, Nights, show and a few adult beverages. They changed the show a little and added a cute replacement with brown hair to the singing lineup. The modified show included red wigs, to go along with the leather skirts, so naturally I was all about that show. That's not PC, so sue me, I'm heterosexual and have a pulse (and a fiancee who doesn't feel threatened by me identifying attractive women other than her). The fiddler in that show is nothing short of amazing. Trust me, I'd sooner have my toe nails removed with pliars than listen to country music, but the talent in that show this year was amazing.
I was burning out by this point in time, and continued walking around the trail. Sitting all alone at the Thunder Canyon entrance was Natalie/Backstreet Girl/Nat the Cat, oddly enough back in uniform. Seems she was there for fun but got suckered in to working! I spent some quality time chatting with her and moved on.
At about 6, I split, not prepared to close the park as I was tired from the long weekend and had stuff to do. It was another outstanding season, but I didn't feel like turning the celebration in to a funeral.
On the way out, Toledo's ABC affiliate was shooting on Perimeter Rd. doing a story about the weather and its impact on the park this year. My favorite PR rep was there with them, so I took advantage of it and parked the car to shoot video from the road.
Overall, it was an outstanding weekend... one spent with family and close friends for a change. It was nice to share something with them that's so much a part of what I do in my spare time.
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Jeff
Webmaster/Guide to The Point
Millennium Force laps: 50
After the less than stellar weather last weekend, I knew this weekend would be crazy. Friday saw a crowd three times what they were expecting (though still manageable) and Saturday was a record day, topping off somewhere around 45,000 people.
The people in close company were my lovely bride, Stephanie, my cousin, his hoochie and best friend. We arrived at Breakers around 6:30 and checked in to our phat suite with lake view. After spending more time there later, I became irritated with some little things, namely the uncomfortable beds (nothing compared to the sofa bed) and the mold around the tub. Come on Cedar Point... accomodations is the one place you seem to always let me down, even if in little ways.
Despite the 10,000+ Friday crowd, waits weren't bad at all. I was surprised at how much I liked Iron Dragon at night, and Raptor gave some fast rides. Mantis had an insanely long line, and it was back to stack-o-rama, so we bypassed it.
We jumped in line for a 45 minute wait at The Force. After some little turds tried their best to get behind us, we landed front seat. The experience was nothing short of religious, and I don't think I'm exaggerating. The three key airtime points, Magnum hill, return hill and bunny hop, each pushed so hard that I could actually feel the hard part of the lapbar, something I hadn't felt since Superman at SFDL. I was shocked. The raw speed around the dark island would have been a powerful enough experience, but this was insane. Watching that moonlit track pass below me at high speed was nuts. For lap 46, it sure did surprise me.
A quick jump on a space shot and we headed back to the Breakers Love Shack, where Steph had fallen asleep (something about teaching at 6 a.m. that morning ;)). After sucking down a few Hornsby's adult beverages and tying one on, something my cousin and I started last year as a new closing weekend tradition, cuz, his hoochie and I headed out to the empty beach. We crashed in the sand below the moonlit silence of Magnum's shadow. We discussed the meaning of life, the importance of not holding in your gas and the lack of real election choices. It was a real moment of zen. Still not sure how I got sand in my shorts, but the chafing was minimal.
On Saturday, the girls started the day at the hot tub, and both had stuff to do back home. The boys and I entered the beach gate following the national anthem and walked to The Force, where we got on in about 20 minutes. Not as warm and fast, but still a good time.
We crashed on the Thunder Canyon observation deck to contemplate the impact of Einstein's Theory of Relativity. (Actually, very little thinking took place throughout the weekend, but it's the only way to explain away the little in between parts.) I had never seen Thunder Canyon start up, so we sat and waited, since most things still weren't open until noon. There came the trickle, followed by the flow, followed by the rapids. They sent a few boats, but I noticed the water level wasn't quite up at the line on the wall of the trough. Later, on the train, we'd see them pulling the boats off the ride, putting it to bed for the season. As it turns out, the unusual loss of leaves in the neighborhood crippled the ride, and they couldn't keep the water up where it should have been.
Once the park was opened for business, we hit Mine Ride and Gemini with short waits, and 20 minutes at Magnum.
I'm not sure what crack baby was given the oversight to care for Magnum this year, but they should be fired. The axel problems seemed to be handled, but the wheels were in sad shape, making for a very rough ride.
We jumped on Corkscrew to visit Melissa, "Magnum" Dan's team leader and better half, and ended up waiting 15 minutes. Hmmmm... that's odd...
From there we witnessed a FULL Power Tower queue. Didn't we just ride Magnum in 20 minutes? Back to the main midway, I saw how crazy it was. Wall to wall people. I'd later find out that they cracked 45,000 guests, a big day even in July, let alone October. The boys and I were beat, so we returned to the room and crashed for two hours.
Steph returned from her errands and the boys went home. We tried to get something to eat, but the service restaurants were all swamped, including Bay Harbour (where several snobby boaters gave us dirty looks). Since two ATM's were cashless, the other thing that the park always fails at, we jumped in the car for the off-point McDonald's. I should have known better... those idiots still don't have a clue at that place. We took our value meals to Battery Park to take in the fully illuminated skyline across the bay.
Back to the park where I shot a little night video of The Force, and we quit for the night around 11.
This morning, Steph headed for Indiana to pickup her wedding dress, and I did the beach gate thing. The weather then proceeded to suck. It was wet, cold, gray and generally ugly. The very stuff that causes seasonal affective disorder. I jumped in line solo for a Force ride and hooked up with Pete Babic for two more to round out the count at 50. All of the usual suspects were there, including Mr. Althoff, ShiveringTim, IrishCoast and others. Having reached my goal, Pete, Dan and I headed for... refreshments.
To Red Garter for the Hot Country Hoochies, I mean, Nights, show and a few adult beverages. They changed the show a little and added a cute replacement with brown hair to the singing lineup. The modified show included red wigs, to go along with the leather skirts, so naturally I was all about that show. That's not PC, so sue me, I'm heterosexual and have a pulse (and a fiancee who doesn't feel threatened by me identifying attractive women other than her). The fiddler in that show is nothing short of amazing. Trust me, I'd sooner have my toe nails removed with pliars than listen to country music, but the talent in that show this year was amazing.
I was burning out by this point in time, and continued walking around the trail. Sitting all alone at the Thunder Canyon entrance was Natalie/Backstreet Girl/Nat the Cat, oddly enough back in uniform. Seems she was there for fun but got suckered in to working! I spent some quality time chatting with her and moved on.
At about 6, I split, not prepared to close the park as I was tired from the long weekend and had stuff to do. It was another outstanding season, but I didn't feel like turning the celebration in to a funeral.
On the way out, Toledo's ABC affiliate was shooting on Perimeter Rd. doing a story about the weather and its impact on the park this year. My favorite PR rep was there with them, so I took advantage of it and parked the car to shoot video from the road.
Overall, it was an outstanding weekend... one spent with family and close friends for a change. It was nice to share something with them that's so much a part of what I do in my spare time.
-------------
Jeff
Webmaster/Guide to The Point
Millennium Force laps: 50
you never fail to give me achuckle Jeff..Great report..Wish I could of been there with you and Dan..Had Haunted House duites locally..Hopefully we can hang more next season!!
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http://www.msu.edu/~armbrus9/cp.html
mf laps = 100! No More No Less!!
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http://www.msu.edu/~armbrus9/cp.html
mf laps = 100! No More No Less!!
Great report Jeff, funny thing is I've never actually had the chance to meet you. During MM you sat with Hooper a row behind me, when you got off MF on Friday and you high fived Hooper as you were heading out, I was the tall geeky guy standing next to him. Well maybe next year.
As for the Garter, yes this year's talent was unreal, Todd (the fiddle player) is nothing short of amazing and I will miss the whole group (strangely, I feel the same about country music as you do but because of the raw talent and the fact they have all become great friends of mine, I've seen over 250 of the shows this season). Anna is the replacement you were refering too, she worked Cenntenial most of the year.
Once again, a GREAT season, so where we all going now?
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Looking for me?? Take a guess where you'll find me...
As for the Garter, yes this year's talent was unreal, Todd (the fiddle player) is nothing short of amazing and I will miss the whole group (strangely, I feel the same about country music as you do but because of the raw talent and the fact they have all become great friends of mine, I've seen over 250 of the shows this season). Anna is the replacement you were refering too, she worked Cenntenial most of the year.
Once again, a GREAT season, so where we all going now?
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Looking for me?? Take a guess where you'll find me...
Great report Jeff, I'm new to this awsome site, wanted to meet you this weekend. I was working in the Cenntenial for Aaron Radatz shooting his 7, 8, 9 and 10 shows to give to a NBC affiliate. Crowds were of course insane, but gave me some great shots looking down from the platform of Sky Ride with everyone bottle necked on the Midway at the theater enterance trying to get in.
Anyway, Sunday got to play in the park and saw some people with GTTP shirts on. Asked them about you and they told me where you might be and what you look like. Reading your report I guess I was always a step behind you.
:( Maybe next season !! *** This post was edited by Freaky on 10/16/2000. ***
Anyway, Sunday got to play in the park and saw some people with GTTP shirts on. Asked them about you and they told me where you might be and what you look like. Reading your report I guess I was always a step behind you.
:( Maybe next season !! *** This post was edited by Freaky on 10/16/2000. ***
Wow,I could tell that the park was crowded on Saturday, but I never would have guessed that it was that crowded. The park did a fantastic job handling the lines (except for in food services, as stated above). This was my first trip to the park this year, and I found it to be fantastic. I was especially impressed with the fact that most of the lights on the rides were working in good condition. It was awsome to see the entire big wheel lit up once again. I hope that they keep these things up in the future, since lighting has always been a little disappointing to me in past years.
Camper Village was terrific and filled to capacity. We had a nice stay on Friday and Saturday night. I heard the lady at the check in counter telling another customer about next year's camp ground addition. The full hook up sites should be great, and by the looks of it, some of the sites will be located right on the water which will be beautiful if it comes true.
I'm excited for a less busy summer next year. I hope to visit Cedar Point more often even though I do live six hours away. I figure that three days at the park is a reasonable goal for me while still maintaining a normal life.
By the way, it was nice meeting you Jeff. It was sad leaving the camp ground and realizing that nobody would be staying there again until next May. Alright, I think that I've babbled on enough.
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...and enjoy the rest of your day at Cedar Point, The Am-aaaa-zement park!
Camper Village was terrific and filled to capacity. We had a nice stay on Friday and Saturday night. I heard the lady at the check in counter telling another customer about next year's camp ground addition. The full hook up sites should be great, and by the looks of it, some of the sites will be located right on the water which will be beautiful if it comes true.
I'm excited for a less busy summer next year. I hope to visit Cedar Point more often even though I do live six hours away. I figure that three days at the park is a reasonable goal for me while still maintaining a normal life.
By the way, it was nice meeting you Jeff. It was sad leaving the camp ground and realizing that nobody would be staying there again until next May. Alright, I think that I've babbled on enough.
-------------
...and enjoy the rest of your day at Cedar Point, The Am-aaaa-zement park!
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