Cedar Point – May 11, 2001
It’s been just under a year since I was able to visit the Point, but this trip totally blew the last one out of the water. First question, where were all of the people? I was expecting lower than average crowds, since it was opening week and a weekday, but I figured that since it was a Friday, there would have been considerably more people there than there were. The longest wait all day was for Millennium Force, and that was a measly 15 minutes! We got 4 rides in on it that day, and to our fortunate luck, 2 of them were front seat laps! All I can say is….AMAZING! I figured that it would add another level to the ride, but never did I imagine that it would be the big of a difference. This is a top two coaster in my book, but as I will mention in another TR, it still comes in at number two….the Beast at night cannot be beat, even if they are two totally different types of coasters, the Beast simply cannot be beat at night.
Other highlights of the trip….my first ride on Raptor….last year when we were there, my gut was still too big to fit in the restraints. I worked my butt off the last year to lose those few extra pounds I needed to fit and it all paid off! Raptor was a great ride, but a little rough compared to the other inverts I have ridden (Montu and Dueling Dragons). Could it be the age of the ride? I really don’t know, it was still an awesome coaster in my book. On a side note here, this was also my first ride on an invert from the front row, this too adds an entirely different dimension to the ride. I was pleased to be able to experience that first at the Point, and Raptor was a great ride to do it on. We only got one lap in on Raptor, missed the 8 o’clock cut off of the line by one lousy minute. We wanted one last ride on the Force, and did our damndest to book it back to the front for that one last ride, but came up short, but it was ok, I was just happy to get one ride in this time.
Other coaster counts:
Magnum – 2 laps
Mantis – 1 lap
Gemini – 2 laps
Corkscrew – 1 lap
Mean Streak – 1 lap
Blue Streak – 1 lap (It had been 20 years since I had ridden this last, it is still a great classic woodie with lots of air time, I was pleased with how it has aged)
Wildcat – 1 lap
Woodstock Express – 1 lap (just had to ride it to put it in my coaster count)
The other highlight of the trip was my first experience with the “down” side of Power Tower. OMG! In all honesty, that is the most terrifying ride I have ever experienced….and I loved every minute of it. The fear factor of sitting up there at 240 feet for mere seconds that seemed like an eternity was unlike anything I have ever experienced. You just can’t realize how high you actually are on the “up” side, this gives you a chance to contemplate your predicament and make your peace with God! Lol
This was one of the best days I have ever had at an amusement park, with the primary reason I say that is the crowd levels, or lack thereof. I just might have to make this an annual event, even if CP is 1100 or so miles from Texas.
I know what you mean about PT. :)