Number Two: A Roller Coaster RAVE
Cue theme music: "Venus", Bananarama
Opening Day of Cedar Point is really cool. I’m probably going to say that a few times in this RAVE, but bear with me. (Side note for non-roller coaster fanatics, non-Great-Lakes-states dwellers, and other deprived people: Cedar Point is the biggest, bestest amusement park ever and is located in Sandusky, Ohio on Lake Erie.) Although chilly, the lines were short and the park was filled with excited coaster freaks. And short lines mean you can go on more rides!
Since one of our number had never been to the park (poor child is from Iowa), we of course had to ride EVERY SINGLE COASTER in the park, from the Millennium Force right down to the Wild Cat. Such a hardship. (big sigh) Of course, as it is the start of the season, the park closed at 8pm (it’s not even dark out yet!) so that didn’t give us a whole lot of leeway. In fact, the only rides we got to twice were the Gemini, the Magnum, and the Millennium Force. This is a shame, as the Raptor is still the best ride in the park and deserves at LEAST three rides per visit. But the second time on the MF we got the very front seat!
This is a big deal because, unlike any other ride in the park, they don’t let you wait for a specific seat: they let just enough people to fill a train into the station and you have to fill the available seats. Thanks to a handicapped party in our seats, though, we “had” to wait for the next train and they let us run to the front. Wow. Hanging over that hill that’s a third again as big as the next tallest ride (Magnum), it looks as though the track has an inflection point. You can’t see it at all it’s so steep. And in the front seat, there is NOTHING in front of you and only a lap bar holding you in. The thing goes 90 mph and NEVER SLOWS DOWN until it stops at the end. The second hill is still bigger than the Magnum, I think. Unfortunately, other than that, there’s not much to the ride, unlike Magnum’s dolphin dives and Raptor’s 6 turns upside down. But it has secured a firm place in the roster of hard-core rides.
Opening Day is cool, but Hard-Core Day is the next CP trip of the summer, where we skip all but the best rides in the park. But what, you may ask, are these most awesome coasters? What are the select that we will ride over and over, enduring the next day’s fatigue and mild aches (and probably horrific sunburn, which I miraculously escaped this time) to have our bodies propelled about twisting tracks at wonderfully high velocities (not to mention g forces)? Read ‘em and weep…
Raptor: a hanging coaster where your feet dangle free as it inverts you 6 times.
Millennium Force: tallest, steepest, fastest…very cool. Uses hydraulics rather than a chain to climb the first hill, which means you’re accelerating before you reach the top, which is way above anything else…and it never slows down until the sudden stop at the end.
Magnum: used to be the tallest coaster; still a lot of fun for speed and the dolphin dives at the end, especially the ones in tunnels.
Gemini: a double coaster: the red and blue trains run side-by-side, which is exciting when they’re “racing”. Lots of fun twists, turns, and dives.
The Rest (a.k.a. Maybe, If We Need A Rest)
Blue Streak: one of the oldest coasters, but still fun as it lifts you out of your seat many times.
Mine Ride: again, an old coaster and fairly tame. The fake first hill is hilarious.
Disaster Transport: an indoor coaster, mostly interesting because it’s dark and air conditioned. Oh, and the black lights are fun. Used to be Avalanche Run (a bob sled ride) and runs in a chute rather than on a track.
Mantis: a stand-up coaster that would be a blast if only the bicycle-style seat didn’t hurt so danged much. Goes upside down and everything.
Corkscrew: one of the classics, but so short it’s not really worth the wait for the several inversions.
Iron Dragon: the first hanging coaster in the park, it’s really tame. A nice, soothing ride.
Mean Streak: was (still is?) the largest wooden coaster. A very long ride, but incredibly jerky and not terribly exciting.
Wild Cat: an old carnival stand-by, with its dinky four-person carts and jerky motion. This is actually a lot of laughs with the right group of people.