July 20th

This was my second trip to the Point this year. My friends and I all took the day off from work and left for the park at 7. I was driving and we took the turnpike and ended up at the park at 9:30. Dragster and most of the major coasters and rides were open and running. We got in line for Dragster first and the wait was an hour. This was my 5th time on the coaster and I sat in the last row of the last car. It was a beautiful day which made the view from the top spectacular and the airtime was awesome. The coaster seems to be pretty consistent with speed as most of the trains went over the top at the same speed without pausing. I don't care what everyone says about Kindga Ka, the view from the top on TTD wins me over.
Next we walked over to Power Tower and rode the space shot. They only had two towers open but the wait wasn't too bad. Corkscrew, as always, didn't have a wait so we rode that. It is hsort but sweet and I don't find it painful or rough at all. The seatbelts are there for safety so stop complaining. We then walked over to Magnum and only waited for a few trains for the last car. It seemed like the coaster had a lot more speed then usual; maybe they eased up on the trims because I was getting some serious ejector air that my legs hurt from the lapbar. After Magnum we took a ride on Gemini which has always been a smooth, fun coaster for me. I rode red train and lost.
We continued towards the back by riding Cedar Creek Mine Ride. On the lift I saw a park worker with a clipboard walking along the train tracks looking at the ground nearby. Nevertheless, the ride was fun and not too rough. We wanted to ride Snake River Falls but it broke down so we rode Thunder Canyon twice. By then Snake River Falls had reopened so we walked back over to find it broken again. So, we walked over to Mean Streak and only waited for a few trains and got on. I have always loved this coaster and don't think it is rough or bumpy at all. The only thing that could be done to improve the coaster would be to get rid of the trims so the ride would have more speed.
We took the train Mantis and waited a half hour. I don't know why people complain because I love Mantis. It doesn't hurt if you properly adjust your seat. I love the inversions, especially the inclined loop and the changes in direction are my favorite part. I like stand-ups. Following Mantis we walked to Wicked Twister and waited a half hour (I think maXair is bringing in the crowds) and rode in the back. I love this coaster and wish more parks would build taller impulses. Having ridden Vertical Velocity at SFMW and Steel Venom at VF I can say that I do miss the holding brake but you get so much more twisting on Wicked Twister. maXair was broken and I saw some workers up top working on the motor so we rode Disaster Transport. It was a half hour wait but the A/C made it worth it; it had been in the 90s all day. The black light theming was an improvement but the theming on the ride isteld leaves something to be desired. The coaster is really fun but the theming is pathetic.
We left Disaster Transport and had some ice cream at the place around the corner which is my favorite for ice cream. I always get one scoop of mint chocolate chip and they give you a heaping mound of it. Raptor had broken down sometime earlier and I noticed a crane working on the bottom of the lift hill or somewhere near there. The ride didn't open for the rest of the day. We decided to go on Millennium Force before we left so we walked on over. The wait time was an hour but ended up being more. The DJ made things more enjoyable. However, there were times when trains would not go by for a long time and we could see the last train just sitting on the brake run. Since 2000, it seems like MF's crew has gotten worse. Finally we got on and I rode in the last car. Wow! MF is still be favorite coaster and nothing can compare!
On our way out, maXair has started up again so we got in line. This was my second time riding but it wasn't as good as the first. Every ride is different because of where you sit and this time I guess I sat in a bad place. The ride just wasn't as exciting as the first time. Our last ride was Demon Drop. This ride is scarier than Power Tower because it older and just feels more rickety. I love it.
All in all, it was a great day. I rode mostly everything and there were hardly any disappointments except for the break downs.

Good Trip Report. Too bad about the breakdowns though.

You mentioned that a worker with a clipboard was walking along the train tracks. Do you remember what color shirt they had on and which side of the tracks they were on?

They were walked alongside the tracks on the side closest to the mine ride right where the turn into the lift hill is. He had a collared shirt I believe on that was white with grey stripes or something. It was a grey or white shirt and I thought there were stripes or something but maybe not. He looked like someone in management or something, not an ordinary employee.

Yeah, I was thinking that maybe it wasn't management, but possibly a surveyor or someone from P&D scoping out the area.

It could have been a supervisor from your description, but there wouldn't be a reason for them to be back there especially in a ride area while that ride is operating. They also don't have any stripes on their uniforms. Management is generally dressed up more than the average employee too, so it doesn't sound like it would be one of them. The clip board is also an interesting thing. I mean, employees just walk around with clipboards all day long (other than the people giving out questionnaires) so there was obviously a purpose for it.

This, and the fact that there are markings painted around that general area makes their presence there pretty interesting.

What you saw is definitely pertinent to the discussion going on over in the big thread in the General section about the construction markings.

*** Edited 7/21/2005 5:58:07 PM UTC by CP_bound***