On Friday, June 17, 2022 at 1:57:41âŊPM UTC-4, sharondbond wrote:
We did a vacation on the lake with my brother and his family, staying in Huron. Monday was our CP day. It was hot but not nearly as hot as it got later in the week. And crowded. And then the megastorm rolled in (more on that later.)
So we do not have platinum passes but they do, so they entered early and got to do a few rides, like Gatekeeper. We waited with the great unwashed on the plaza until about 9:25-ish, when the lines to get in started to form. After getting in, and
through the next line for getting our premium dining plan wristbands, we connected back up with them and we all rode the carousel. Since it's right there.
I actually did not plan to ride any coasters that day. Matt tore his retina 3 weeks earlier and while he got the go-ahead from his doctor to resume bike riding, the doc said no coasters. But he ended up riding more than me. I rode 1 coaster - the Cedar
Creek Mine Ride! But that's out of nostalgia. I was determine to ride and ferret out as much of the historic stuff as possible. Unfortunately, there's not much left.
From the Carousel (which was not using the band organ at that time, boo!) we took the Sky Ride. Then we spotted the Matterhorn, which is one of Ben's favorite rides, so he went on with his cousins. They were only running it in 1 direction, forward.
After Matterhorn, we did the Scrambler. Matt tried to slap hands with Steve, who was not riding, but they've put the fence juuussst far enough away. We'll have to wait for Stricker's Grove Scrambler to do that.
After that, we looped back and rode Cedar Downs. It was running well but obviously not at top speed. Another of my historic/nostalgia things to do checked off. Then most of us did the antique autos. Since the ride has been here for decades, I think it
was harder to try to retrofit it to be like the brand new ride at Kings Island, but they tried. I loved the signs for Draggin' Iron oil.
From there we wanted to get lunch, so we headed to the left, past a whole bunch of stuff. Then the guys all wanted to do Millenium Force. It had a 90 minute wait. Ben was able to successfully get the seat belt fastened on the test seat at the entrance,
but was ultimately denied on the platform. I skipped because I did not want to stand in line for 90 minutes in the sun. And heat. They said it was actually rough in a few places.
Then we kept walking, down to the new Farmhouse Kitchen and Grill, which is on the dining plan. The food is good and they actually give you plenty compare to other dining plan options. I had steak, cut into strips, with the fried potatoes. Matt had
steak and the sweet potato fries, and Ben had the Linguica sausage, with the potatoes. The dinners also come with a roll.
We talked about riding Thunder Canyon but it was down when we walked past. Steve wanted to ride the "log flume" but what he meant was the big boat, Snake River Expedition. Since there used to be an actual log flume, that's what we (without Steve, who
was finishing lunch) went searching for, and obviously did not find. So they rode the big boat instead and got mega-wet. Then they got in line for Thunder Canyon because the line was short, waiting for what an attendant said was "10 minutes for
maintenance". That didn't happen. So we eventually abandoned that attempt. Later on we saw it was operating.
Steve and I really wanted to ride Cedar Creek Mine Ride, so we got in line with the boys and it was a blissfully short 30 minute wait. We had ridden it when it first opened, so that was another of my nostalgia things to do. It was zippy and running
very well. Not too rough, although some of the side forces are still a bit violent. So it was fun! By this time, the heat was really getting to Ben, plus the fact that he can't ride most coasters, and he headed back to the front end of the park, where he
camped in Hugo's Italian Kitchen with his phone and the A/C.
We kept walking clockwise and now it's Steel Vengeance. Everyone rode but me. I chose to ride the train. If I had known it was going to be a 2 HOUR wait (they were down for maintenance for 20 minutes during that) I would have headed up and ridden Blue
Streak. I never did get a chance to ride it, but more on that later. I wouldn't have ridden SV anyways, due to neck problems. The guys said it was incredible and worth the wait.
We then split up - Steve and his family went off to do other things, and Matt and I sought an entrance to the beach. First we passed the flyers and we had to do that. Very bumpered but still fun. Then we walked around and found the Windseeker entrance
to the beach. We got our pictures taken for the return entry and headed in. It's been 7 or 8 visits and this is the first time I've been out there. The waves were getting stronger due to the storm front approaching. A good chunk of the boardwalk was
closed due to construction - the portion from Windseeker back along the main midway. The boardwalk down to the water park and the resort is still open. Matt waded in and got nailed by a rogue wave. I just walked up and down the shore. Very relaxing.
From there we hooked back up with Ben (who had ridden Windseeker on his way to the restaurant) and tried to go to Johnny Rockets for dinner. There was a 30 minute wait for a table. So we went to The Mac Shack. Mac&cheese with toppings! It was great,
very filling, and on the meal plan. I got pork burnt ends as my only protein option, and Matt got chicken tenders. If you only choose 1 protein, they give you double. Ben chose to just get ice cream, since he ate at Hugo's.
From there we went over to the Giant Wheel (another nostalgia item, even if it is in a new location.) Long line and it loads slowly. During dinner, the out boundary of the megastorm that trashed Ohio that night had come in. It was really windy down on
the sidewalks, and probably about 10 degrees colder than before dinner. Matt eventually abandoned the line so he could get in a ride on Gatekeeper. So let 's count - that's 3 roller coasters ridden with a torn retina. Go Matt.
Ferrris Wheel was relaxing and running well, really windy, and we got a good look at whatever they are constructing between it and the beach boardwalk. Right now it's just footers, with some arranged in a square.
After that, Matt come back from his Gatekeeper ride, which he said was great. Very smooth. And he is 6'6" now, the only answer he could give that would let him on. He's mostly waist, so as long as he fits in the restraints he's good to go.
Unfortunately, I wasn't left with enough time to ride the Blue Streak. I should have gone while everyone else was waiting for Steel Vengeance. Oh well. At least I got 1 coaster ride in. I have to say something that's going to be very unpopular - there
are too many coasters. They have torn out so much in order to build all the coasters that it has (IMHO) negatively impacted the park experience for someone who knows the history. I know that most people will still love the park, and I love the fact that
there are some great coasters there. It's just not one of my favorite parks anymore.
We headed out as the wind picked up and the temp dropped. Overnight the megatstorm hit and there was damage in pretty much all of Ohio. Steve and his son Neil went back Tuesday and said that a lot of the early entry rides were not operating due to
storm damage (trees and lots and lots of branches down.)
Sharon
______
Shame about the raw deal on Millennium.
Ride makers gotta start making rides for REAL folks, not based on design metrics in a faded fifty year old manual!
People actually are BIGGER now, bigger boned, and not just fat or
overweight. Look at the situation on commercial airliners, trying to jam
10 people across in a cabin two feet narrower than in a 747. The F- is
they thinking?!
Same applies to amusements.
I was one day out walking at 7am in September past a middle school with
buses letting out students. And not one of them, the boys anyway, was shorter than me. We're talking 12-14 year olds six foot tall already, with 7 more years
of growth ahead. Plane, bus, and ride builders, take note!
--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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