So finally, the rest of the 100!
UGH. I've been whipped and stoned over getting this TR done. I don't write em as fast as I used to folks...I get distracted. But at least I don't forget details easily. Plus, when you have a boyfriend as wonderful as Brian who's a delight to talk to til the sun's coming up and birds are chirping, you tend to forget about writing quite a bit. So if you want to get mad at me...I'm going to re-point your fingers to my beloved Bri and let you place the blame there for him being so much fun. ::smirks:: Oooooh, he better get the warmest welcome GTTP's ever seen when y'all meet him or the smack's comin down! ;)
Anyways...this has been a junky week, laying around eating gummis and reading and being a lump. Life seems devoid of sparkle after something so scintillating as last Monday, seems devoid of excitement. Nothing's like getting up at 4 am with your eyeballs burning, getting in the car and driving, no, swerving down the road blasting rap until your eardrums plead for mercy, and then arriving at the park to have a blast with a dozen plus of your closest friends. Which is what this TR's all about...
I left off on ride one. Rides one through 25, where our first EPT would hit (check Hooper's CM TR) along with some chow, Natalie and I were ripping it up here, being our usual selves, stirring the poop up and bashing everything in sight. I sounded like a chain smoker, but I tried (still recovering from laryngitis). Hooper, Rob, and Jo were around during this time too..obviously the warmup for when the numbers started to really pile up. Everyone was in good spirits and hanging in the game at this point. You'd see Jerry go racing by, friends forming little groups to chat, everyone laughing and taking the day in stride. It was HOT. Hot enough to bake a cow if you laid it out on the sidewalk. I made the mistake of wearing a black shirt, so I was a walking microwave for a good portion of the day. Nat and I both had blue and red ribbons in our hair, but at one point I lost mine to the winds whipping through the last turnaround. Nat kindly loaned me her blue ribbon so I didn't feel quite so bare. We were both fiddling with our hair nonstop, causing Rob to ask us what we were doing. We told him this was how we pass the time; it started that I'd only do it every five laps but that fell through. Between Nat and I, our hairstyle changed about as many times as we rode the Gem.
Twenty five elapsed without much effort. Twenty started to get a little nasty, when I obviously needed a potty break, the sun was beating angrily down on us, and my stomach was eating itself. Started to see a few people drop off here and there..well, it was lunchtime, and I don't know a Po!nter to ever pass by food (unless they are also an enthusiast, meaning they will get PO'ed if someone mentions bladder or stomach issues). I'm surprised we're not all big as houses. Dan was busting arse to total his numbers up, as usual, weaving and darting through the crowd like he was a NASCAR driver, wracking up the rides. One thing I know about Dan, he's gotta be first and he's gotta have the most, so there was no surprise there.
We took it a bit slower, and hit 25 between 12:30 and 1 or so (not totally sure). BOOKED it to the bathroom, and then splashed water on my face for ten minutes. Thank GOD I wore no makeup to smear, distort, and make me look like a mime. Then I drank like a sponge out of the fountain, and the group trudged off to inhale lunch at the fries stand. There we sat, warriors in battle, myself, Nat, Rob, Hoop, among others. We all order fries with random accompliments and collapse in the chairs to eat. Rob takes off his glasses and his eyes look like a puppy dog's begging for chow as he moans "I need a BEEEEER!" I hear ya bro. Natalie inhales water...I piledrive through my fries; someone passes on their leftovers, "GIVE EM HERE!" As stomachs begin to settle, we start to talk about strategy; who's doing what, who will be first, and how we're doing. The longer we sit, the more obvious it becomes that it will be difficult to stand. Yeah...very difficult. Calling it the Gem 25 never sounded better. Yet I brought up the fact that none of us would live it down if we didn't make it to the end, which rallied some enthusiasm. Conversation skipped around, me and Rob talking about oral vaccinations and Nat wondering where Dan went. Magnum Is Sinking came around at this point and sat down with our introspective group. We sat around in thinking mode for a bit, and once stomachs were smiling, a collective "Well.." was said and we all marched off into battle.
Or so I thought. There go the rest of the group, leaving Hooper and I to fend for ourselves. At first I was ticked..."We'll do so much better as a team..what are they thinking, what's the hurry?"...and somewhere in the mix, Hooper disappeared and Rob became my riding partner. With him I was the same at first, irritated that we got ditched, but after the rest had their jollies we'd join up again here and there. I think Nat had to learn the lesson that Dan waits for no one to ride with him, and Jo and her Hoopster had to have their time in the sun. So everyone's favorite GTTP alcoholic and his runner-up became riding buddies for the rest of the day.
At this point things were looking..shall we say...a little less vibrant. The Gem 100's that were left were much slower in their pace, much more sober than a couple hours previous. Dan continued to bust butt to get his rides in, but the rest of us plodded on like workhorses. That's basically what we were, too...you had to be to have the fortitude to pull this off. The sun beat down with fury, heatwaves radiating from everything. Soak City never looked better. I would have loved one giant water popsicle to embrace during my rides. Mother Nature had definitely turned the broiler on. But we continued on, bound and determined as a pack of hellhounds to reach 100.
Anyways...this has been a junky week, laying around eating gummis and reading and being a lump. Life seems devoid of sparkle after something so scintillating as last Monday, seems devoid of excitement. Nothing's like getting up at 4 am with your eyeballs burning, getting in the car and driving, no, swerving down the road blasting rap until your eardrums plead for mercy, and then arriving at the park to have a blast with a dozen plus of your closest friends. Which is what this TR's all about...
I left off on ride one. Rides one through 25, where our first EPT would hit (check Hooper's CM TR) along with some chow, Natalie and I were ripping it up here, being our usual selves, stirring the poop up and bashing everything in sight. I sounded like a chain smoker, but I tried (still recovering from laryngitis). Hooper, Rob, and Jo were around during this time too..obviously the warmup for when the numbers started to really pile up. Everyone was in good spirits and hanging in the game at this point. You'd see Jerry go racing by, friends forming little groups to chat, everyone laughing and taking the day in stride. It was HOT. Hot enough to bake a cow if you laid it out on the sidewalk. I made the mistake of wearing a black shirt, so I was a walking microwave for a good portion of the day. Nat and I both had blue and red ribbons in our hair, but at one point I lost mine to the winds whipping through the last turnaround. Nat kindly loaned me her blue ribbon so I didn't feel quite so bare. We were both fiddling with our hair nonstop, causing Rob to ask us what we were doing. We told him this was how we pass the time; it started that I'd only do it every five laps but that fell through. Between Nat and I, our hairstyle changed about as many times as we rode the Gem.
Twenty five elapsed without much effort. Twenty started to get a little nasty, when I obviously needed a potty break, the sun was beating angrily down on us, and my stomach was eating itself. Started to see a few people drop off here and there..well, it was lunchtime, and I don't know a Po!nter to ever pass by food (unless they are also an enthusiast, meaning they will get PO'ed if someone mentions bladder or stomach issues). I'm surprised we're not all big as houses. Dan was busting arse to total his numbers up, as usual, weaving and darting through the crowd like he was a NASCAR driver, wracking up the rides. One thing I know about Dan, he's gotta be first and he's gotta have the most, so there was no surprise there.
We took it a bit slower, and hit 25 between 12:30 and 1 or so (not totally sure). BOOKED it to the bathroom, and then splashed water on my face for ten minutes. Thank GOD I wore no makeup to smear, distort, and make me look like a mime. Then I drank like a sponge out of the fountain, and the group trudged off to inhale lunch at the fries stand. There we sat, warriors in battle, myself, Nat, Rob, Hoop, among others. We all order fries with random accompliments and collapse in the chairs to eat. Rob takes off his glasses and his eyes look like a puppy dog's begging for chow as he moans "I need a BEEEEER!" I hear ya bro. Natalie inhales water...I piledrive through my fries; someone passes on their leftovers, "GIVE EM HERE!" As stomachs begin to settle, we start to talk about strategy; who's doing what, who will be first, and how we're doing. The longer we sit, the more obvious it becomes that it will be difficult to stand. Yeah...very difficult. Calling it the Gem 25 never sounded better. Yet I brought up the fact that none of us would live it down if we didn't make it to the end, which rallied some enthusiasm. Conversation skipped around, me and Rob talking about oral vaccinations and Nat wondering where Dan went. Magnum Is Sinking came around at this point and sat down with our introspective group. We sat around in thinking mode for a bit, and once stomachs were smiling, a collective "Well.." was said and we all marched off into battle.
Or so I thought. There go the rest of the group, leaving Hooper and I to fend for ourselves. At first I was ticked..."We'll do so much better as a team..what are they thinking, what's the hurry?"...and somewhere in the mix, Hooper disappeared and Rob became my riding partner. With him I was the same at first, irritated that we got ditched, but after the rest had their jollies we'd join up again here and there. I think Nat had to learn the lesson that Dan waits for no one to ride with him, and Jo and her Hoopster had to have their time in the sun. So everyone's favorite GTTP alcoholic and his runner-up became riding buddies for the rest of the day.
At this point things were looking..shall we say...a little less vibrant. The Gem 100's that were left were much slower in their pace, much more sober than a couple hours previous. Dan continued to bust butt to get his rides in, but the rest of us plodded on like workhorses. That's basically what we were, too...you had to be to have the fortitude to pull this off. The sun beat down with fury, heatwaves radiating from everything. Soak City never looked better. I would have loved one giant water popsicle to embrace during my rides. Mother Nature had definitely turned the broiler on. But we continued on, bound and determined as a pack of hellhounds to reach 100.
Rob had a tally counter in his pocket, and once we started to edge up past 40, we started to think that a breakneck pace was not the best bet. What if we took breaks when we felt like it for water and potty, instead of rationing? We might hang in there better. Somewhere around 45, I believe, we decided to break for a bottle of water which we could hold onto and refill. This year it seems like the price is so high for pop that when you walk up to the machine, it reaches out, grabs your throat, and says in a rough voice "Gimme 'cher wallet, mon" and once you hand it over it gives you your drink. Begrudgingly. Inflation sucks. We're DEFINITELY not reaching some of the outrageous prices I've seen around though at least. It seems like some parks have signs that say
"WELCOME TO ________!
GENERAL ADMISSION $42 (Requires valid bank acct # and MC or Visa with credit lim. over $5k. No whining.)
JUNIOR ADMISSION $30 (Requires lunch money for K-8. Might want to also put aside Prom budget money, we may want that too, later.)"
Wow...me and Rob are the Gemini Soldiers. We have our holsters with Aquafina, dripping beads of moisture, beckoning "HAHA WE'RE HYDRATED AND YOU AREN'T" to those around us. In slow-motion we pull out the bottles, untwist the cap...you can hear "Chariots of Fire" playing...and take long, slow gulps. Glug. Glug. Glug. AHHHH. "But only if it were beer!" Everyone else's tongues are like leather. We think we're the smartest people on earth....
Somewhere between 50 and 60, we run across the kickbootay SpartyJeff, chilling on the sidelines. He lets us know that he's going to be heading out, and I give him a big hug, assuring him I will be doing the 100 for him and his beautiful girls. Yeah, I really did the 100 for him and his wife and daughter, along with my Bri who couldn't be there but I would have killed for him to have been. This one was for you guys...you're the best, and I was thinking of all of you as I did the 100th lap. I wish you all could have been there. If I'm ever lucky in this life, it's because I have such awesome people in it.
It started to cool down a bit. Rob's tally clicked closer to 70. Water continues to be inhaled. We really hit a second wind as we ripped around the circuit, then up, out, and around the station, and back up again. Over and over. We were smiling, laughing, having one &^*% of a good time. Familiar faces started showing up. Rob's a great riding partner, and we carried on witty repartee and gossip through the rides and waits about the park and everyone involved. He shares my sick sense of humor, so I'm glad no one sat very close to listen in on the carnage. Oh, and did I mention we're both alcoholics?
Yes, 70 came, a grand number, filling me with visions that the end was in sight. But while taking on one of the rides in that decade, I felt a slight fanfare begin in my stomach. Nine bottles of water had made their way down my gullet at this point. CP Irvine does NOT get sick. NO WAY. No..::burp::...way. Right? A sober ride followed. "Rob, are you feeling a bit.." "Yeah, yeah I am a little." I hold my stomach. Pace slows. 75 comes or so. "Rob, I need a.." "Bathroom break. Yes...." Off we go. I sit in the bathroom counting my sins and praying that I DON'T BARF. ME, BARF? IT SIMPLY CAN'T HAPPEN. Okay, if I need to barf, I might as well get it up and out now instead of in the bushes where everyone can see. I do a couple things to hopefully instigate it but to no avail. Roller Coaster Tycoon is coming to mind. Y'know the guy who has the green face..not the cheeks-blown-out, but the one ONE level of discomfort below him? That was me. "I feel sick." Slowed down to snail's pace. Rob seemed to be a little better than me. We creeped towards 80 and the irony of this hit me. I've never been sick on a ride in my life..never yacked at a park. Now here I am, 20 rides from glory, and my stomach's doing the Cha Cha Cha. "Just looking at Aquafina bottle makes me feel sick." At the height of my discomfort, we ride behind Hooper and Jo. Hooper begins his CP interviews. One kid on the train with us mentions something about Gemini being rough or something and Hoop says "Gemini looks to intense for me." Stomach rises..MUST NOT LAUGH...
"WELCOME TO ________!
GENERAL ADMISSION $42 (Requires valid bank acct # and MC or Visa with credit lim. over $5k. No whining.)
JUNIOR ADMISSION $30 (Requires lunch money for K-8. Might want to also put aside Prom budget money, we may want that too, later.)"
Wow...me and Rob are the Gemini Soldiers. We have our holsters with Aquafina, dripping beads of moisture, beckoning "HAHA WE'RE HYDRATED AND YOU AREN'T" to those around us. In slow-motion we pull out the bottles, untwist the cap...you can hear "Chariots of Fire" playing...and take long, slow gulps. Glug. Glug. Glug. AHHHH. "But only if it were beer!" Everyone else's tongues are like leather. We think we're the smartest people on earth....
Somewhere between 50 and 60, we run across the kickbootay SpartyJeff, chilling on the sidelines. He lets us know that he's going to be heading out, and I give him a big hug, assuring him I will be doing the 100 for him and his beautiful girls. Yeah, I really did the 100 for him and his wife and daughter, along with my Bri who couldn't be there but I would have killed for him to have been. This one was for you guys...you're the best, and I was thinking of all of you as I did the 100th lap. I wish you all could have been there. If I'm ever lucky in this life, it's because I have such awesome people in it.
It started to cool down a bit. Rob's tally clicked closer to 70. Water continues to be inhaled. We really hit a second wind as we ripped around the circuit, then up, out, and around the station, and back up again. Over and over. We were smiling, laughing, having one &^*% of a good time. Familiar faces started showing up. Rob's a great riding partner, and we carried on witty repartee and gossip through the rides and waits about the park and everyone involved. He shares my sick sense of humor, so I'm glad no one sat very close to listen in on the carnage. Oh, and did I mention we're both alcoholics?
Yes, 70 came, a grand number, filling me with visions that the end was in sight. But while taking on one of the rides in that decade, I felt a slight fanfare begin in my stomach. Nine bottles of water had made their way down my gullet at this point. CP Irvine does NOT get sick. NO WAY. No..::burp::...way. Right? A sober ride followed. "Rob, are you feeling a bit.." "Yeah, yeah I am a little." I hold my stomach. Pace slows. 75 comes or so. "Rob, I need a.." "Bathroom break. Yes...." Off we go. I sit in the bathroom counting my sins and praying that I DON'T BARF. ME, BARF? IT SIMPLY CAN'T HAPPEN. Okay, if I need to barf, I might as well get it up and out now instead of in the bushes where everyone can see. I do a couple things to hopefully instigate it but to no avail. Roller Coaster Tycoon is coming to mind. Y'know the guy who has the green face..not the cheeks-blown-out, but the one ONE level of discomfort below him? That was me. "I feel sick." Slowed down to snail's pace. Rob seemed to be a little better than me. We creeped towards 80 and the irony of this hit me. I've never been sick on a ride in my life..never yacked at a park. Now here I am, 20 rides from glory, and my stomach's doing the Cha Cha Cha. "Just looking at Aquafina bottle makes me feel sick." At the height of my discomfort, we ride behind Hooper and Jo. Hooper begins his CP interviews. One kid on the train with us mentions something about Gemini being rough or something and Hoop says "Gemini looks to intense for me." Stomach rises..MUST NOT LAUGH...
Luckily Rob's just as ill, so I don't feel alone. We both share woes in a very sober, humble voice. "Yeah, stomach didn't like that one." I feel the barf sensation right there lingering like a ghost ready to jump out and nail me when I least expect it. At one point I really didn't think I was going to be able to do it. I considered a couple good places to barf if needs be. Bushes...that will work. "Hey Anne, whatcha doing?" "Just checkin' out this...::swallow::...really kick arse hedge here, Hooper!" Those rides were the soberest of my life, as I held onto the assist bar and thought good thoughts. Then the kids came. Two annoying little brats, saying they were going to "marathon too!" and tried to impress us with their seven or so rides. They found out I was sick and started making food-related comments. The ribbon attached to the water bottle would have made a colorful noose; had it been Halloweekends, I could have just said they were part of the scenery. "Look honey, those are the most realistic hung people I've ever seen!"
"Hell" sums up rides 75-85. Around the mid-80's, a sense of equilibrium came back to me. The helix would still make my stomach cry out but I was back to the straight-lipped RCT face after about 85. Rob recovered slightly faster than I, but we both continued very slowly. I swore never to drink liquids again for the rest of my life.
But then, a little past 85...magic began to stir. Twilight descending, Magnum's chilly silver frame looked frail yet menacing. Sun setting over the lake, right out of a postcard. Lights just beginning to pop on here and there. I smiled and took a deep breath. Our park was coming alive for the night, flickering to life all the different types of bulbs and effects. A sight we all see in our heads come mid-winter when it couldn't get more depressing. Wind brought some cool breath to our parched bodies. And then it finally started to set in...wow...we were almost there. One hundred rides on Gemini...together...all us remaining GTTP'ers. I'm proud to say that the hardest of the hardcore were present that night.
Rob and I started scheming on how well off or screwed we were for finishing up. This is when the ops became our best friends. I don't think they believed we could actually do it until we all started hitting 80 and 90 (the numbers, not the roads). We both firmly believed that if we were one or two rides short, we'd get a break...but who could count on it? So we picked up the pace. The ops were great to us, notably Sabrina, cheering us on and looking downright amazed at us. Rob stopped looking at the tally, but we knew we were almost at 90. And then 90 hit. Ten frickin rides left to go.
Ecstatic at this point. Rob and I were going into Po!nter Trances, something all of us should be familiar with, when you're just overcome with L-O-V-E for the park and where you fit into the scheme of it. I started making some comments about the park being my life, and Rob started sharing some of his. It was awesome to hear another Po!nter open up...big bonding moment there. Everyone seemed to be having bonding moments. Dan let us know that everyone was going to wait until we all reached 99 and then do it together, prompting Rob to say one of the most quotable quotes on the history of the planet which cannot be repeated here (ask me, Brian). The nineties rides were pure bliss. Force's towers glowing like they were just neon tubes suspended in the air, the smell of the park, stars coming to life. I was in heaven. CP is my life, my soul, and my heart. Being there with my friends, knowing they know how I feel, what I see, and how we all share this common bond..riding this classic ride as if nothing else existed in the world..it was beautiful. I love to wax poetic, and I sure can about that night and those last few rides. The closer we got, the more we became one with the ride. I told Rob it was one of the best decisions I ever made to hit this event...he felt the same. It was a magical night, just charged with energy of all these people getting together to celebrate this accomplishment.
Others were showing up again. Scotty Short was out filming us and grabbing pics; other Gem 100's from earlier and park guests were asking us about our day. 95, 96, 97, 98...one more ride to 99, man. It was closing in on ten. I felt unstoppable. Rob had a look on his face I hadn't seen before, a combo of bliss and lack of beer. And then 99 hit. Ride ops all snapping our pictures like we were stars. Rob and I were silent...I was just smiling from ear to ear through that ride. This is what it's ALL about. Enthusiasts may marathon, but Po!nters feel it deeper when we're home and riding our rides into the ground. 99 ended, and we WALKED off the station, joining everyone else at the bench. I laid down on the ground and rested my weary legs. Magnum Is Sinking still had a couple more laps to do, and he JUST squeezed it in in time.
"Hell" sums up rides 75-85. Around the mid-80's, a sense of equilibrium came back to me. The helix would still make my stomach cry out but I was back to the straight-lipped RCT face after about 85. Rob recovered slightly faster than I, but we both continued very slowly. I swore never to drink liquids again for the rest of my life.
But then, a little past 85...magic began to stir. Twilight descending, Magnum's chilly silver frame looked frail yet menacing. Sun setting over the lake, right out of a postcard. Lights just beginning to pop on here and there. I smiled and took a deep breath. Our park was coming alive for the night, flickering to life all the different types of bulbs and effects. A sight we all see in our heads come mid-winter when it couldn't get more depressing. Wind brought some cool breath to our parched bodies. And then it finally started to set in...wow...we were almost there. One hundred rides on Gemini...together...all us remaining GTTP'ers. I'm proud to say that the hardest of the hardcore were present that night.
Rob and I started scheming on how well off or screwed we were for finishing up. This is when the ops became our best friends. I don't think they believed we could actually do it until we all started hitting 80 and 90 (the numbers, not the roads). We both firmly believed that if we were one or two rides short, we'd get a break...but who could count on it? So we picked up the pace. The ops were great to us, notably Sabrina, cheering us on and looking downright amazed at us. Rob stopped looking at the tally, but we knew we were almost at 90. And then 90 hit. Ten frickin rides left to go.
Ecstatic at this point. Rob and I were going into Po!nter Trances, something all of us should be familiar with, when you're just overcome with L-O-V-E for the park and where you fit into the scheme of it. I started making some comments about the park being my life, and Rob started sharing some of his. It was awesome to hear another Po!nter open up...big bonding moment there. Everyone seemed to be having bonding moments. Dan let us know that everyone was going to wait until we all reached 99 and then do it together, prompting Rob to say one of the most quotable quotes on the history of the planet which cannot be repeated here (ask me, Brian). The nineties rides were pure bliss. Force's towers glowing like they were just neon tubes suspended in the air, the smell of the park, stars coming to life. I was in heaven. CP is my life, my soul, and my heart. Being there with my friends, knowing they know how I feel, what I see, and how we all share this common bond..riding this classic ride as if nothing else existed in the world..it was beautiful. I love to wax poetic, and I sure can about that night and those last few rides. The closer we got, the more we became one with the ride. I told Rob it was one of the best decisions I ever made to hit this event...he felt the same. It was a magical night, just charged with energy of all these people getting together to celebrate this accomplishment.
Others were showing up again. Scotty Short was out filming us and grabbing pics; other Gem 100's from earlier and park guests were asking us about our day. 95, 96, 97, 98...one more ride to 99, man. It was closing in on ten. I felt unstoppable. Rob had a look on his face I hadn't seen before, a combo of bliss and lack of beer. And then 99 hit. Ride ops all snapping our pictures like we were stars. Rob and I were silent...I was just smiling from ear to ear through that ride. This is what it's ALL about. Enthusiasts may marathon, but Po!nters feel it deeper when we're home and riding our rides into the ground. 99 ended, and we WALKED off the station, joining everyone else at the bench. I laid down on the ground and rested my weary legs. Magnum Is Sinking still had a couple more laps to do, and he JUST squeezed it in in time.
We were ready to go. Amidst cheers and hollers, all of us GTTP'ers traipsed up the queue line one more time, the triumphant 100th ride. Rob and I load up with the rest of the gang. We're all glorying in the accomplishment, surely one that ALL involved will remember for many many years to come. Off we went...the final ride, together. It was strangely quiet, honestly, but not without its share of jubilation. It was just us and the big Arrow ride, like nothing else existed..old school Cedar Point. And the train rolls in, everyone cheering, everyone happy to have it done. That's it! We've done it! A good chunk of the most diehard and hardy GTTP'ers did one hundred laps on Gemini, more or less together, and certainly together for the last ride. We all gathered in front of the entrance, embraces shared and laughs and cheers all around. We linger, not wanting to end the moment, until the group started heading for the gate, everyone still buzzing from the glow of the day. Everyone in the park had heard about what we were doing..employees headed out to see if it was "true." Oh yeah, it was, and I couldn't imagine a better group of people to do it.
I had one last treat ahead of me. Rob took me for my first (and no doubt not the last) trip to Louie's. I had always wanted to go, and with the invite of a free drink I found myself rolling down the Causeway to pick him up and go. We stopped for a quick bite to eat before and headed over. Louie's may not be a palace..but it's a good time. Everyone's pretty much trashed; I think you have to BE slightly canned to come in. Big, BIG troughs of drinks, stronger than the wake from Force coming around the station bend, and cheap, too. Music blasting on a surprisingly good system...good, good times, my kind of place. Nursing my Futher Mucker, I swore I wouldn't drink too much...whoops. (Had to sit in the parking lot seeing objects and people that weren't there for a while.) But oh, thank God for sweet alcoholic drinks after a day at the park. I lingered for a bit, met some of Rob's friends, and then bid my new likker-lovin' friend a fond farewell as I headed home for the night. I don't think I could have picked a better end for such a fab day with awesome company all day long.
One the way home I saw the worst car fire I had EVER seen. I just about crapped myself as I came over a hill outside of Ann Arbor and see a vision of Hades on the road in front of me. I did what any kick-a, fearless girl of the 00's would do...busted out crying and got off the next exit, and then drove slowly over the highway bridge ogling. :P There were people there helping, but it was horrid. Anyone that knows me knows NOTHING scares me more than fire, so I drove the next twenty miles home scared crapless and shaking despite the heater being on. I just can't stand fire.
Cedar Point is a magical place. I'm sure many of you, most of you, know this. It's where the possible becomes possible, where moments happen that you remember for a lifetime, where you just know you're a part of something special with CP as your home park, and you're damn proud of it. None of us truly feel at home until we come to the Causeway and drive out over the Bay, looking at that skyline we all have in our heads nonstop...we're HOME. That's what this day was all about..sharing good times with kindred spirits at the best park in the world, on a coaster most of us remember from our childhoods. This place will always live in our hearts whether we're there or not, and we'll all share that bond til we're dust, no doubt. We're red-blooded
Po!nters, every last inch of us, and we'd have it no other way. It's our life and we love it.
Congrats to EVERYONE that made it to 100 and a shout out to everyone new I met. Special thanks to Dan for convincing me to go despite my whinings about not wanting to do marathons; to the irreplaceable and utterly awesome Hoopster, Jo, SpartyJeff, Sam, and Nat for being their usual suhweet selves; and to Rob for being the best surprise riding partner I could have hoped for and the after-park good times. And again, I did the 100 for our Sparty Jeff and his Dana and Julia, and my Bri...you guys couldn't be there, but you were there in my heart. You guys all are absolutely the BEST and I couldn't be prouder to have you guys as friends. I can't wait for more good times like this...as always, I'm sure there's something bigger and better around the corner. Long live the love of CP in our hearts and may the kick-butt times continue! (Reply, reply everyone! Thoughts, opinions, whatever...No fun unless other people jump in! ;) )
GEMINI 100 JUNE 11, 2001:
MISSION COMPLETED
NEXT MISSION: To be continued....
------
Too tired to retype sig..you know I'm the one and only CPI...good night!
*** This post was edited by CP Irvine on 6/18/2001. ***
I had one last treat ahead of me. Rob took me for my first (and no doubt not the last) trip to Louie's. I had always wanted to go, and with the invite of a free drink I found myself rolling down the Causeway to pick him up and go. We stopped for a quick bite to eat before and headed over. Louie's may not be a palace..but it's a good time. Everyone's pretty much trashed; I think you have to BE slightly canned to come in. Big, BIG troughs of drinks, stronger than the wake from Force coming around the station bend, and cheap, too. Music blasting on a surprisingly good system...good, good times, my kind of place. Nursing my Futher Mucker, I swore I wouldn't drink too much...whoops. (Had to sit in the parking lot seeing objects and people that weren't there for a while.) But oh, thank God for sweet alcoholic drinks after a day at the park. I lingered for a bit, met some of Rob's friends, and then bid my new likker-lovin' friend a fond farewell as I headed home for the night. I don't think I could have picked a better end for such a fab day with awesome company all day long.
One the way home I saw the worst car fire I had EVER seen. I just about crapped myself as I came over a hill outside of Ann Arbor and see a vision of Hades on the road in front of me. I did what any kick-a, fearless girl of the 00's would do...busted out crying and got off the next exit, and then drove slowly over the highway bridge ogling. :P There were people there helping, but it was horrid. Anyone that knows me knows NOTHING scares me more than fire, so I drove the next twenty miles home scared crapless and shaking despite the heater being on. I just can't stand fire.
Cedar Point is a magical place. I'm sure many of you, most of you, know this. It's where the possible becomes possible, where moments happen that you remember for a lifetime, where you just know you're a part of something special with CP as your home park, and you're damn proud of it. None of us truly feel at home until we come to the Causeway and drive out over the Bay, looking at that skyline we all have in our heads nonstop...we're HOME. That's what this day was all about..sharing good times with kindred spirits at the best park in the world, on a coaster most of us remember from our childhoods. This place will always live in our hearts whether we're there or not, and we'll all share that bond til we're dust, no doubt. We're red-blooded
Po!nters, every last inch of us, and we'd have it no other way. It's our life and we love it.
Congrats to EVERYONE that made it to 100 and a shout out to everyone new I met. Special thanks to Dan for convincing me to go despite my whinings about not wanting to do marathons; to the irreplaceable and utterly awesome Hoopster, Jo, SpartyJeff, Sam, and Nat for being their usual suhweet selves; and to Rob for being the best surprise riding partner I could have hoped for and the after-park good times. And again, I did the 100 for our Sparty Jeff and his Dana and Julia, and my Bri...you guys couldn't be there, but you were there in my heart. You guys all are absolutely the BEST and I couldn't be prouder to have you guys as friends. I can't wait for more good times like this...as always, I'm sure there's something bigger and better around the corner. Long live the love of CP in our hearts and may the kick-butt times continue! (Reply, reply everyone! Thoughts, opinions, whatever...No fun unless other people jump in! ;) )
GEMINI 100 JUNE 11, 2001:
MISSION COMPLETED
NEXT MISSION: To be continued....
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Too tired to retype sig..you know I'm the one and only CPI...good night!
*** This post was edited by CP Irvine on 6/18/2001. ***
>>
Somewhere between 50 and 60, we run across the kickbootay SpartyJeff, chilling on the sidelines. He lets us know that he's going to be heading out, and I give him a big hug, assuring him I will be doing the 100 for him and his beautiful girls.
Yeah, I really did the 100 for him and his wife and daughter, along with my Bri who couldn't be there but I would have killed for him to have been. This one was for you guys...you're the best, and I was thinking of all of you as I did the
100th lap. I wish you all could have been there. If I'm ever lucky in this life, it's because I have such awesome people in it.
>>
Aww thanks Anne..I'm so glad you guys made it...I really appreciate the sentiments..:)
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http://www.msu.edu/~armbrus9/cp.html
mf laps = 100! No More No Less!!
Somewhere between 50 and 60, we run across the kickbootay SpartyJeff, chilling on the sidelines. He lets us know that he's going to be heading out, and I give him a big hug, assuring him I will be doing the 100 for him and his beautiful girls.
Yeah, I really did the 100 for him and his wife and daughter, along with my Bri who couldn't be there but I would have killed for him to have been. This one was for you guys...you're the best, and I was thinking of all of you as I did the
100th lap. I wish you all could have been there. If I'm ever lucky in this life, it's because I have such awesome people in it.
>>
Aww thanks Anne..I'm so glad you guys made it...I really appreciate the sentiments..:)
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http://www.msu.edu/~armbrus9/cp.html
mf laps = 100! No More No Less!!
I like the part where I was doing my interviews and looked back to interview you and your face was just priceless. I was laughing so hard I couldn't even get the first sentence out. Let me tell you, you didn't look to healthy. Your hands were actually holding on to the bar (that got me wondering) head leaning down into the car and a very dazed look to you. I am not sure if I said "Ooooooooohhhhhhhhh" to you then, but if I didn't...."Ooooooohhhhhhhhh". I do remember asking if you were sick or not, you brightened right up said "No" and down the hill we went.
When do we go again???
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I rode Magnum 5 times and MF once with Robin Innes.
Gemini 100
It's Dan K's fault.
When do we go again???
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I rode Magnum 5 times and MF once with Robin Innes.
Gemini 100
It's Dan K's fault.
You and Red Garter Rob looked pretty bad on 80. That was priceless. Everyone was already out of the train and you guys were still fiddling with the seat belt, with these strange expressions on your faces. You guys know you messed up their racing on that one? :)
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Gemini 100: 100
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Gemini 100: 100
*sigh* I'm so sorry I missed out on what had to be the most incredible of times. I do appreciate being there in spirit though through you Anne. Such things mean a lot to me. I wanted to say too, congratz to all that did do it. Had I known about it sooner, I might have been able to be more of a spirit there, but living a bit further than I would like to from CP, along with work becoming an absolute bear as of late (good for the company, but so much for a social life at times) makes it hard. I might not be a po!nter as of yet like the rest of you, but give me time and more trips there and you just might end up with another one on your hands.
That said, Anne and I have been cooking up a new challenge that we both think everyone will love. So far the few we've talked to about it do. Right now though I want to keep it quiet until I can work out a few more details...besides that, I want to plan it for a time I can actually be there (there's just one work hurdle I'm working on getting around....)! But just to get the curiosity going, I'll tell you it involves both endurance and strategy. There will be teams and a competition. But most of all, its gonna be a good test to see who out there is a true Po!nter. I wonder if I got some people wondering now :).
So Anne, does this mean you won't be riding Gemini with me this weekend?
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-Brian
I really should be working...
That said, Anne and I have been cooking up a new challenge that we both think everyone will love. So far the few we've talked to about it do. Right now though I want to keep it quiet until I can work out a few more details...besides that, I want to plan it for a time I can actually be there (there's just one work hurdle I'm working on getting around....)! But just to get the curiosity going, I'll tell you it involves both endurance and strategy. There will be teams and a competition. But most of all, its gonna be a good test to see who out there is a true Po!nter. I wonder if I got some people wondering now :).
So Anne, does this mean you won't be riding Gemini with me this weekend?
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-Brian
I really should be working...
I always thought a CP "road rally" would be fun. I've been wanting to plan something that that for a while.
Whatever you guys are planning, I'm in.
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Gemini 100: 100
Whatever you guys are planning, I'm in.
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Gemini 100: 100
Mark this day in history people...
I'm speechless.. I've been putting off a TR till Anne finished her's. But honestly... there's nothing I can add. Thanks to everyone who showed.. everyone who cheered us on..
And a special thanks to the Gemini 2001 crew:
Amy - Sabrina - Mindy - Steve - Chad - Jessica - John - Frank - Dave - Morgan - and Michael.
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MF 2000 - 269 laps
MF 2001 - 73 laps as of (6/9/01)
June 11th, 2001 - Gemini 100
I'm speechless.. I've been putting off a TR till Anne finished her's. But honestly... there's nothing I can add. Thanks to everyone who showed.. everyone who cheered us on..
And a special thanks to the Gemini 2001 crew:
Amy - Sabrina - Mindy - Steve - Chad - Jessica - John - Frank - Dave - Morgan - and Michael.
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MF 2000 - 269 laps
MF 2001 - 73 laps as of (6/9/01)
June 11th, 2001 - Gemini 100
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