Great America
Family stuff til 6 on Sunday. Waukegan is where my grandparents live, and it's 15 minutes from there to great america. My mom mentioned on Saturday that I could take a seperate car than the family, and go there after we were done.
I should mention something here. I love roller coasters. I love them possibly more than is healthy. They are amazing works of technology in action. The thrill of falling 200 feet with nothing but a clamshell harness holding you down.... the experience of zero G as you float over the top of a hill... the exhilerating twists and turns as you whip through a figure eight, the experience of being upside down, just for a second, as you go through a loop...
I've never had sex, but it's been said by people who are not me that the only second to sex is this.
I got to Great America at 5:45 ish on Sunday night. Normally, this would indicate huge crowds, lines for everything. Apparently Fathers Day cleaned out the Park. There were a lot of people at Whizzer (the ride that is for little kids and couples - you buckle up with another person in the same seat), but as I got farther back into the park, there was less and less line.
Coaster Count for the day:
Viper (back seat). Raging Bull (2nd to back), American Eagle blue (fastest car... it's backwards atm), American Eagle Red (back), Iron Wolf (front row), Vertical Velocity (Front row), Batman (front row), superman (back row). Total time 3.25 hours (ish).
I take my digicam with me everywhere now, and that includes onto rides at great america (where it's not allowed. at all.) I got some pictures from on the rides and some from just walking around.
I walked into the station on Viper. It was fun - got a couple of neat pictures too. That ride is a nice one to just sit back and enjoy... it's always kind of surprising to me. It's a wooden coaster, but it has a lot of weird twists in the drops. It's modeled after the cyclone, from the coney island park. Rode back seat, by myself, on that one. It was a nice gentle start to the day. Plus, any ride where you can walk into the station is a good ride in my book ;)
Raging bull was next. 20 minute wait. I talked to a guy and his daughter who had been there for most of the day - discussed my school, career plans, my knowledge of the park, my opinions on various coasters, etc. I gave them a guess on the time for the bull line (which was 5 minutes over - total was about 25 minutes, maybe 30 to get on the train). Told them to check out v2 if the line was short and they hadn't done it yet. Got up there, snuck into a group of 3 that were boarding, and enjoyed watching people who had never ridden it before get their first taste of a 73 mph first drop 15 feet underground. I'm still amazed by the number of people who pull their hands down when they enter that tunnel - like they're going to be able to reach the top ;). The brakes were heavy most of the way (it was kind of warm out) but in the last couple turns, they were off completely, which made for a bit of fun in the last couple loops.
Considered doing Giant Drop, saw that there was actually a line (wtf?!) and decided to skip it.
Snapped a pic of Deja Vu on my way out of there. Found out later in the day why it's been closed: They're redoing the seats to be 4 wide, rather than 2 sets split in a V. That would probably make loading times faster, based on my limited experience, so I'm all for it. However, it's going to be a while to change them, so It's down for a while.
The station on American Eagle was empty. Literally. They sent a train with 6 people on it. I sat with a father who had come to Great America to spend the rest of his day after his family all went home and he needed something to do. He hadn't ridden backwards before... that made it fun :)
Decided to ride red - haven't done that in a long time, it feels like. Rode next to a kid who was flirting with the girls in the back seat of blue the whole time. For those who don't know - American Eagle is a wooden racing coaster built in 1981. There are two tracks side by side, which go about the same speed and "race" each other. You can see the other people for the way up the hill, down the hill, and around the next spiral downwards. He kept waving at them and making faces at them and stuff. Silly 13 year old ;) (ish).
Iron wolf was next. Wanted to ride front row - I love seeing that ride. Got to skip over 4 people in line because there were 3 people that were by themselves - being a single is sometimes nice ;) Iron wolf was nice, didn't get my head bumped around too much. It's a quick ride, but the line is always short (again, i could have walked into the station if i didn't want front row).
V2. Front row. Oh my god. I used to not really enjoy that ride. IT was fine, no big deal, just nothing special. But there is something about staring into space after arriving at the top of a 160 foot spiral tower, or being held facing down almost 200 feet in the air, then dropping straight toward the ground... it's a thrill. The ride broke while i was in line, but i was close enough that i stayed - was only down for 10ish minutes.
Batman... walked into the station. Front row, and it was getting dark - nifty. I forogt how FAST that ride goes.
Ran to superman. Was one of the last 100 people to get in line. 20 minute wait or so - rode back seat. Got to skip past 12 people (3 trains) because there was a 3some that needed a 4th ;) <3 being a single. It was neat at night. seeing all the pretty lights... I want to bring some glasses holders and wear my glasses on that ride. Talked to some people while waiting in line for that too - a group of 4 teenage-age people. I maintain taht that ride is rather tame other than the first drop->loop.
Picked up some burger king, and started the drive home. called![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
jessical and hypered at her the entire night about how much fun i had so that I wouldn't fall asleep. (Also, cause I like talking to her.)
Lala. more about the weekend later, but that just about covers sunday. Saturday to go.
Now, to get ready for work!
I should mention something here. I love roller coasters. I love them possibly more than is healthy. They are amazing works of technology in action. The thrill of falling 200 feet with nothing but a clamshell harness holding you down.... the experience of zero G as you float over the top of a hill... the exhilerating twists and turns as you whip through a figure eight, the experience of being upside down, just for a second, as you go through a loop...
I've never had sex, but it's been said by people who are not me that the only second to sex is this.
I got to Great America at 5:45 ish on Sunday night. Normally, this would indicate huge crowds, lines for everything. Apparently Fathers Day cleaned out the Park. There were a lot of people at Whizzer (the ride that is for little kids and couples - you buckle up with another person in the same seat), but as I got farther back into the park, there was less and less line.
Coaster Count for the day:
Viper (back seat). Raging Bull (2nd to back), American Eagle blue (fastest car... it's backwards atm), American Eagle Red (back), Iron Wolf (front row), Vertical Velocity (Front row), Batman (front row), superman (back row). Total time 3.25 hours (ish).
I take my digicam with me everywhere now, and that includes onto rides at great america (where it's not allowed. at all.) I got some pictures from on the rides and some from just walking around.
I walked into the station on Viper. It was fun - got a couple of neat pictures too. That ride is a nice one to just sit back and enjoy... it's always kind of surprising to me. It's a wooden coaster, but it has a lot of weird twists in the drops. It's modeled after the cyclone, from the coney island park. Rode back seat, by myself, on that one. It was a nice gentle start to the day. Plus, any ride where you can walk into the station is a good ride in my book ;)
Raging bull was next. 20 minute wait. I talked to a guy and his daughter who had been there for most of the day - discussed my school, career plans, my knowledge of the park, my opinions on various coasters, etc. I gave them a guess on the time for the bull line (which was 5 minutes over - total was about 25 minutes, maybe 30 to get on the train). Told them to check out v2 if the line was short and they hadn't done it yet. Got up there, snuck into a group of 3 that were boarding, and enjoyed watching people who had never ridden it before get their first taste of a 73 mph first drop 15 feet underground. I'm still amazed by the number of people who pull their hands down when they enter that tunnel - like they're going to be able to reach the top ;). The brakes were heavy most of the way (it was kind of warm out) but in the last couple turns, they were off completely, which made for a bit of fun in the last couple loops.
Considered doing Giant Drop, saw that there was actually a line (wtf?!) and decided to skip it.
Snapped a pic of Deja Vu on my way out of there. Found out later in the day why it's been closed: They're redoing the seats to be 4 wide, rather than 2 sets split in a V. That would probably make loading times faster, based on my limited experience, so I'm all for it. However, it's going to be a while to change them, so It's down for a while.
The station on American Eagle was empty. Literally. They sent a train with 6 people on it. I sat with a father who had come to Great America to spend the rest of his day after his family all went home and he needed something to do. He hadn't ridden backwards before... that made it fun :)
Decided to ride red - haven't done that in a long time, it feels like. Rode next to a kid who was flirting with the girls in the back seat of blue the whole time. For those who don't know - American Eagle is a wooden racing coaster built in 1981. There are two tracks side by side, which go about the same speed and "race" each other. You can see the other people for the way up the hill, down the hill, and around the next spiral downwards. He kept waving at them and making faces at them and stuff. Silly 13 year old ;) (ish).
Iron wolf was next. Wanted to ride front row - I love seeing that ride. Got to skip over 4 people in line because there were 3 people that were by themselves - being a single is sometimes nice ;) Iron wolf was nice, didn't get my head bumped around too much. It's a quick ride, but the line is always short (again, i could have walked into the station if i didn't want front row).
V2. Front row. Oh my god. I used to not really enjoy that ride. IT was fine, no big deal, just nothing special. But there is something about staring into space after arriving at the top of a 160 foot spiral tower, or being held facing down almost 200 feet in the air, then dropping straight toward the ground... it's a thrill. The ride broke while i was in line, but i was close enough that i stayed - was only down for 10ish minutes.
Batman... walked into the station. Front row, and it was getting dark - nifty. I forogt how FAST that ride goes.
Ran to superman. Was one of the last 100 people to get in line. 20 minute wait or so - rode back seat. Got to skip past 12 people (3 trains) because there was a 3some that needed a 4th ;) <3 being a single. It was neat at night. seeing all the pretty lights... I want to bring some glasses holders and wear my glasses on that ride. Talked to some people while waiting in line for that too - a group of 4 teenage-age people. I maintain taht that ride is rather tame other than the first drop->loop.
Picked up some burger king, and started the drive home. called
jessical and hypered at her the entire night about how much fun i had so that I wouldn't fall asleep. (Also, cause I like talking to her.)Lala. more about the weekend later, but that just about covers sunday. Saturday to go.
Now, to get ready for work!