(If you wish to read the full 3 day trip report, pop over to www.coasterbuzz.com )
Day 3 started with a long 4 hour drive to CP from PKI. Construction really slowed us down on 71. If you can avoid this route it is recommended. We arrived at the park at 11:30, and thanks to the suggestions from threads here, we parked in the Soak City lot. Thanks to all who recommended it. We were parked right in the front looking at Rip Cord. We went straight for the Force. It was opening late that day and we wanted to survey the line. I took a moment to test the seat to ensure that my beer and pizza filled gut would fit. Thank the maker, I did! :-)
We got in the line that stretched nearly to the new Fronteir Trail tunnel. They opened the que at noon and the line moved very quickly. We waited about 45 minutes all together. It would have been shorter, but they pulled the blue train off. It was really cool to see them do that. I'm not really sure why they pulled it though. Everything I had read about this ride was true. It was the most amazing experience I have ever had. We sat in car 7 and the airtime was amazing. Of course, I had to hold my hands up the whole trip and that certainly added to the experience. I look forward to riding that for many many years to come. After the ride we checked out our photos, and with some luck all 3 of us were in the photo! We each bought one, but the weird thing is we only paid $20 for all 3. I didn't know there was a volume discount on them, but it was still cool.
We walked to the front of the park to ride Raptor, and on the way we stopped into Disaster Transport. I really think this ride is underrated. Although it is very short, it's good for some laughs with friends. Raptor was next and we all took the back seat. Dark clouds were beginning to fill the sky as we took off from the station. The back seat sure is intense. I did the ride with both my hands and feet thrust out in front of me. What a cool feeling. Try it sometime if you haven't already.
We got in line for the Iron Dragon next, and as we neared the top of the station steps, they closed the ride. Was our PKI, curse back? Thankfully, no, they were closing it due to the approaching storm. The rain began to fall now as we walked quickly back to the lockers near MF. We grabbed our stuff and headed towards the FT tunnel. The rain began to fall much harder and the wind quicked up a lot. The tunnel became very crowded very quickly so we made a dash for the woodworking shop nearby. We waited out the rain and shot some video of people running through it.
After the rain, we grabbed a bite and relaxed in the Carosel Pavillion. If you stop there to eat or relax, be wary of the dive bombing birds! We were nearly nailed by 2 birds engaged in a fight.
As we left the Pavillion, the clouds came back followed quickly by the rain. We spent some cash in the arcade near the Mine Ride. After the rain subsided we headed to the car to drop off our bag of goodies.
Magnum was next on the list. Seat 5-1 was my choice and very glad of it. What an amazing amount of air time on that ride. Funny anecdote. my brother, Jenova, lost a freshly opened pack of smokes on the second hill. Good thing there wasn't anyone in Soak City at the time, or they might have been nailed by them. LOL
The Mine Ride was next. Big Kudos to the ops there for making an enjoyable ride even more fun. They sure know how to show the guests a good time.
We said goodbye to the Mine Ride and headed for Gemini. It was time to take in another classic. Again as we appraoched the top of the station steps, they closed the ride due to the incoming weather. Drat. I was really looking forward to this one. Oh well, we headed for the big arcade to play some classics. We spent an hour or so in there playing games till the rain was gone again, and then went for another spin on the Raptor.
The clouds were coming in again, and we really wanted to ride Gemini. Unfortunately, the ride was closed again. We enjoyed some cheese fries and waited to see if they opened it again. From where we sat, the only coaster still running was Woodstock Express and that was only for a short time longer. The rain began to fall harder so as a final goodbye to the park we took in the Tilt-a-Whirl. It is one of my favorite flat rides next to the Rotor. The op there was really great. I wish I could remember his name. He gave us the longest ride I had ever had. It seemed like we were never going to stop! It must have lasted a good 4 minutes. The parents waiting for their kids gave us some funny looks as we finally got off the ride. We certainly had more fun than anyone else riding it. We headed home about 9:30 or so while people still waited in line hoping the Force would reopen.
I'd just like to say thanks again to all the great ride ops that made our day so great at CP, and to anyone who hasn't ridden the Force, get there! Experience the greatest thrill of your lifetime.
-JJFang, Jenova, Btlejim