On Saturday May 15, my church group and I stepped foot into Cedar Point met by rainy, cloudy, chilly weather. We were told, due to the rains, to meet at Top Thrill Dragster at 12:30 to decide if we would leave early. If we were not going to leave earlier than planned, we were to meet at the pavilion at 7 PM. We all ate a McDonalds breakfast and split up into small groups of 5 (or so) to go in the park.
As my small group entered the park at 10:00 AM, we made a mad dash to Top Thrill Dragster. Seeing as I was one of only two members of our group of five to have ridden it, the group saw it best to ride it first. Due to my lack of physical fitness, I pooped out halfway down the main midway. I gave it a nice "power walk" to the fork in the midway at the Corkscrew.
My friend asked an attendant if TTD was running yet, and she said (seeing as it was a slight drizzle) "No." It was here that we decided to head up to Millennium Force. We entered the queue lines at approximately 10:05 AM. While in line, I noticed all three trains were running. I thought this could be a possible portentous sign of the length of the wait. I was wrong. We ended up waiting 45 minutes. I was surprised it took so long seeing as only the last section of queuing had people in it. When we entered the station, I realized why it had taken so long.
Although all three trains were running, the operators, as everybody knows, were stacking the trains. A feeling of worry began to arise in me, as I did not know if I would be able to fit in the seatbelts. When I finally got on the blue train (9-1, lake side), I immediately tried to put on my seatbelt. After a bit of repositioning, I got it buckled but, not being the smallest guy around, could not pull an inch of slack. The ride-op came by and told me that he needed to see an inch of black belt for me to ride, so my friend and I both yanked and tugged on the belt as hard as possible. Honestly, we could only get 1/4 inch to show, but seeing as two people can pull as hard as possible without anything happening, he let me go.
Anyway, while in the station, we started a slow clap with a gradual accelerando. To my surprise, nearly everyone in the station was clapping. As we went up the lift hill, I was once again in awe of the view. Before I knew it, the front of the train was headed down. We were whipped over the top. I must say, the hang-time off the first hill in the back of the train is AMAZING. Overall, Millie was running as fast, yet not as smoothly as I remember from last year. Still, it is one of my favorite rides at the Point.
After an hour in total at Millennium Force, we took a trot around the pond and walked into the line, or lack thereof, at Magnum. After cleverly being hidden by the line for the front, we slipped right in the one-train line for the ejector seat (1-3). Still, this ride gets me every time. Going into the turnaround, I anticipated a fairly large trim, as it had been last year. What I got was a pleasant surprise when we were oh-so-slightly trimmed. The turnaround is quite intense on the outside and the camel-humps are still rockin'. I only had one problem with this ride (I guess its my fault). I happened to find out that if a guy sits wrong on this, it REALLY hurts a certain region through the camel-humps.
After we got off the Magnum, we decided to hit the Gemini, seeing as TTD was not yet open. When we arrived at Gemini, I laughed when it was "closed due to weather conditions." The rain had turned into a fine mist, which, at 60 mph, HAD to hurt more than raindrops at 92 mph. :-) We were a little disappointed, but decided to hit Mean Streak. I was hoping for a trimless ride here, but it wasn't meant to be. We got on the gold train (5-1) and went up the hill. On the way down, I felt a little jerk forward and the trademark "pshsssss" of a trim brake. Oh well... this ride isn’t as bad as most people say. It may be because the recent rain may have softened the wood, but it didn't seem too awful rough. Call me crazy, but I'm still emotionally attached to this ride; it was the first I had ridden at Cedar Point.
After Mean Streak, We stopped off to get an elephant ear. Mmmmm that was tasty. Anyway, it was 12:15 and we needed to head to TTD to meet the rest of our group. On the way we stopped off at the Dippin Dots (I got a large Banana Split). We got the good news that we weren't leaving any earlier than planned and that we'd have another 6.5 hours to ride. We decided to head on over to Wicked Twister and see what the line was like.
With a five-minute wait, we got in line in a heartbeat. I hopped on the second to last row and away we went. I still absolutely adore this ride. Going up the back spike is one of the greatest sensations on a rollercoaster ever. Next, we hopped on Chaos, my favorite flat ride. We only got the car to complete a full 360 degrees thrice (3 time for those who didn't know). I was disappointed, but it was still fun. We then headed over to Raptor to see what the wait was. 1.5 hours seemed a bit much at the time because we knew when TTD opened, the lines would go down. We also checked the Blue Streak at this time, but, being used to walk-ons, 45 minutes seemed outrageous. Seeing as there were no coasters with low waits at the time, we headed to Turnpike Cars! One of my peers had the idea to stop behind the bridge where the ride-ops couldn't see us. Apparently he caused a traffic jam of about 7 cars. When we got off, we noticed a line of slightly perturbed people and we hurried off to get some grub.
Half of our group went to Sky Ride Refreshments, whereas the other half went to Spicy Nachos/Cold Drinks. The wait was ludicrous. I had to wait 15 minutes for an order of Cheese Fries and a Medium Mountain Dew. Anyways, the fries were excellent, as always, and we enjoyed a nice break from standing as we took a seat and ate. One member of the group went to toss a fry to a bird when he looked up and saw it. Top Thrill Dragster was testing and consistently making it over. We all quickly finished our food and jogged on over to TTD. When we arrived, we hopped in the line forming at the fence, putting us at the Christmas Tree. Testing went on for about 45 minutes, and in the process, about 1/3 of the people in the line left, moving us up about 100 feet. When the line was allowed into the queuing area, I thought to myself, "I'm finally going to get to ride this a second time."
As we entered the queue, I held out my hands and gave high-fives to anyone willing to do so. I got about 30 people to slap hands with me. We got to the ramp to the station and chose the inside lane for the front half of the station. The first train went with a full 18 people and rolled back. I was stunned at the amount of cheering when there is a rollback. It was now when I had a random thought about the Christmas Tree. Why do they use the three-yellow-lights in procession and then green? Why not use pro-lights when all three yellows light up at the same time and then the green immediately follows? It would add to the effect of a real drag race. Anyway, they cleared out the back 5 rows and ran 8 people per car for many more cars. When we were almost to the station, I heard over the speaker system, "Please open up one more row of seating." The crowd went crazy with applause. Finally, after 45 minutes of waiting for the front row, we got in and buckled up. I was pleasantly surprised that the belt for TTD went on much easier than the one for MF. So, after 50 (or so) consecutive launches (at 1 minute 20 second intervals), we moved out to the launching area. Right now, my adrenaline is pumping through my veins at a rate that I've never felt. We hear the rumble of the "motor" and the "arms down" speech. 3 minutes later, my friend turns to me and says, "Should it be taking this long?" I simply replied, "No." Right after my response, the sound cut out and the pre-stage lights went out. It's now when over the intercom, we hear, "Top Thrill Dragster is currently closed for mechanical problems. We will open the ride as soon as we fix this problem." So I'm out there freezing with the winds, and to make matters worse, I had to "whiz like a racehorse." (I found that line fitting with the Preakness on Saturday, and all). My friends who had already ridden it just trains before came up to the fence and gave me grief about breaking the ride. After 25 minutes of sitting there. I heard a "click" and the train slowly rolled backwards just a hair.
I knew what this meant; the adrenaline kicked in again. The brake fins went down and the Christmas Tree lit up. We were off! My face started rippling in the wind when we topped out at 123 mph, but apparently that wasn't fast enough. We got to the top at a creeping pace and the front dipped down. All the sudden, we leveled out and I realized I'm now facing the sky again. SWEET! I had just experienced my first rollback in only my second ride. I was psyched, the spectators were psyched, and the soon-to-be riders in the queue were psyched. The applause was so enormous that I could hear it easily as we descended the 420-foot ascent. As we slowed to a near stop halfway down the launch, I went nuts after realizing what had just happened (I even have the lack of a voice to prove it).
I have a question regarding this; did we get a rollback because of a cool-down of the track and hydraulic system? I don’t believe it was the wind because I'm absolutely positive there was a tailwind, not a headwind. Any answer to explain the sudden rollback would be greatly appreciated.
It took about 5 minutes for the train to get back to the launching area, and one of the ride-ops asked if we were all right and if we wanted to get off. I just chuckled and thought to myself Yeah right! Anyway, the motor started up again, the fins went down and we were off again! Once more, at 124 mph, my face rippled in the wind. We flew over the top and came cruising back to earth. What a rush! I think a rollback on TTD just overtook my claim as Wicked Twister's back spike as the single-most greatest rollercoaster sensation.
After a well-needed potty break, we set off for Raptor, a coaster I had desired to ride all day. We hopped in line for Raptor behind a group of 6-7 absolute jerks. They consistently mocked many people in line, which I found quite annoying. Raptor, at 1 hour, was our longest wait in the park all day. Anyway, after we entered the station, three of us hopped in line for the second to last row. While in the station, I kept an eye out for Jes to see if I could win a prize! Unfortunately, I didn’t see him. Raptor set off out the station and I was in for a heck-of-a-ride. I’ve always loved Raptor, especially in the back. The lateral G’s at the turn into the descent are amazing. The loop, zero-G roll, and Cobra roll were as intense as ever. We were trimmed very little at the block section and flew through the back half. The double helix at the end seemed to make my face melt as it was pulled downward. Overall, this ride ran well and there were two trains on the track all day. The intervals between dispatch and capacity were both excellent; it was easily the park’s forte Saturday.
After Raptor, it was 5:45 and we still needed to get dinner. Seeing as Wicked Twister had low lines all day, we decided to hit it once more. I went for a solo ride in the back seat and, once again, the back spike was great. After Wicked Twister, we decided to get some chow for the trip home. We went to Burger Patio and I got a large Mountain Dew: Code Red and a cheeseburger basket. It should have been eleven dollars, but the lady at the register charged me for a medium drink, for a total of $10.45. I’m not complaining; 55 cents saved is 55 cents (not) earned! After eating, we began our journey to the exit. On the way, I stopped off and bought a pound of the famous salt-water taffy. When we got on the bus to come back to Fort Wayne, I was still on an adrenaline rush. I didn’t worry about missing it because one of my friends and I are coming to the park the Tuesday after graduation, June 8.
All in all, Saturday was an awesome day, easily the best I’ve had at Cedar Point. Low lines all day and a rollback helped make this trip all the more memorable. I can’t wait to return in three weeks!
EDIT: I noticed two small typos and felt the need to correct them.
EDIT 2: Apparently Jes is a guy, I didn't know that, Whoops! (I'm ashamed and embarassed)
*** Edited 5/17/2004 12:32:44 AM UTC by Theblumarshmelo*** *** Edited 5/18/2004 3:12:32 AM UTC by Theblumarshmelo***
Call me Marsh; it's easier than typing the entire name.
Congrats on the rollback!
Cedar Po!nt – <b>Absolutel Amazing!<b>
TTD:12/Rollbacks:1
Better luck next time!
Hey, how about that! My mistake, I...I'm embarassed to say the least. SO Sorry about that! I suppose all I can say is, "Whoops! Sorry" and have my face turn bright red in embarassment. 'Twas an honest mistake
EDIT: Hey Jes, were you working on Saturday about 5 PM? *** Edited 5/18/2004 3:13:09 AM UTC by Theblumarshmelo***
Call me Marsh; it's easier than typing the entire name.
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