SHIVERING TIMBERS

SHIVERING TIMBERS
MICHIGAN'S ADVENTURE

From the time I first watched a video of Shivering Timbers (what a great name!), I was captivated.  I liked the way it looked and had never seen a coaster with so many consecutive drops.  It was on my must-ride list and I finally got the opportunity to ride it – six times, an indication of how good the rides were.  OK, so a 120-foot first drop is not very impressive in an era of wooden behemoths and steel hypercoasters, but it’s nonetheless a darned good drop.   And because it’s immediately followed by five more drops, this coaster provides a relentless, exciting ride.   The ejector airtime is phenomenal; in order to ride hands in the air, I had to brace myself with my feet to keep from sliding forward under the lap bar.  (I rode in the front, middle and back and found the G-forces to be best in the back although the back is a rougher ride.)   In addition to the numerous hills, there are jarring twists and turns.  At one point there’s an unexpected bend in the track which adds to the ride experience.   The track veers sharply right and then left while ascending a bunny hill.  The double helix at the end of the ride makes for a great finish.   I thought that the twisted finale on this coaster was much better than that on El Toro.  An employee of Michigan’s Adventure told me that the bolts on the first hill were replaced during the off-season and we got to talking about how most parks are no longer building wooden coasters because they’re expensive to maintain.  And that is unfortunate, as there’s nothing quite like a really good wooden coaster.  Shivering Timbers is a shining example of a good wooden coaster.   5 out of 5 stars.   For more information about rides at Michigan’s Adventure, visit www.miadventure.com/

WOLVERINE WILDCAT

WOLVERINE WILDCAT
MICHIGAN'S ADVENTURE

This coaster gets off to a good start with a journey through a pitch black tunnel after it leaves the loading area and goes around a bend.  What happens subsequently is not especially exciting or noteworthy, but I thought that the ride was fine for an intermediate coaster.  The first and longest drop is only 78 feet so there are no dramatic drops but there are enough twists and turns to provide an enjoyable ride experience.   I felt that there was a fairly good amount of airtime and this coaster has the rough feel of a classic woodie, so that the name Wolverine Wildcat was aptly chosen.  3 out of 5 stars.  For information about Michigan’s Adventure, visit www.miadventure.com/

KINGDA KA

KINGDA KA
SIX FLAGS GREAT ADVENTURE

I can think of many adjectives to describe Kingda Ka and the one that immediately comes to mind is extreme.    The height (456 ft.) and speed (128 mph) – not to mention the launch – are sufficiently extreme to take people way out of their comfort zones, which is why I hadn’t ridden it before.   There’s a first time for everything and not having done a launch coaster, I decided it was time to give it a shot, especially given the huge popularity of this ride.   Once the riders were all harnessed in, the train left the loading area and got into position for the famous launch, in what was a moment of great anticipation.  Then suddenly, zoom!   Accelerating from 0 to 128 mph in a couple of seconds was startling to the point of being shocking, but also exhilarating.   Wow!  Once at the top, the train spiralled down 418 feet in what is the longest descent I've ever experienced.   One more small hill and the train returned to the station.   I have mixed feelings about this coaster because it’s a very short ride – less than 30 seconds – and very little happens during the course of the ride.   Yes, the launch is thrilling but once you reach the top you go right back down and that’s pretty much all she wrote.   That's why Kingda Ka will probably never make my top 10 list.   However, the more I ride this coaster, the more I like it.   The rush of adrenaline during the launch is addictive and the front seat is pretty amazing.   Now that I've ridden both Kingda Ka and Top Thrill Dragster, I've decided that I like Kingda Ka a little more because even though it lacks the great theming of Dragster, it has the extra hill and I find that the harnesses on KK are more comfortable than the lap bars on TTD.  (On TTD I've had a problem with my elbows getting banged up.)  3 ½ out of 5 stars.  (In the  photograph taken from a cable car, that's El Toro in the foreground and Kingda Ka in background; I liked this shot because it shows how Kingda Ka towers over El Toro, which is by no means small.) For more information about rides at Six Flags Great Adventure, visit their website: www.sixflags.com/greatadventure/

BIZARRO

BIZARRO
SIX FLAGS NEW ENGLAND

Six rides on Bizarro almost made up for having to drive two hours from Boston to Six Flags New England due to misinformation on a website which said that Boston was the closest airport to Agawam.  (Hartford is the closest airport.)  Because this coaster was manufactured by Intamin, which built my two favourite coasters – El Toro and Millennium Force – I expected a good ride and believe me, I got one.  The lift hill reminded me of Millennium Force because both coasters have a body of water on the left side and no guard rail on that side, the only difference being that Bizarro uses a chain lift and MF uses a cable lift.  The first drop of 221 feet at a 72-degree angle was breathtaking, with the added element of speeding into a mist-filled tunnel at the bottom of the drop.  That was followed by a succession of drops and overbanked turns.  This ride is all about drops, angles and special effects.   The track layout is outstanding and the helixes were pretty intense.  I rode Bizarro in the front, middle and back of the train and found that the G-forces are much greater in the back.  This can be felt throughout the ride and particularly when racing around a right-banked turn into the second mist-filled tunnel.  However,  I still enjoy the front not only for the unobstructed view but for the very noticeable hang time before going over the first drop.  The only thing I wasn’t crazy about was the sound effects.  On my first visit to SFNE, each seat had a speaker in the headrest which blasted out Bizarro-themed music that sounded like a combination of commercial voiceovers and rap.  Well, a roller coaster soundtrack is an interesting concept but I felt that this detracted from rather than added to the ride.    (At least it wasn’t as obnoxious as the repetitive pre-recorded announcements in the loading area to the effect that riders must have two legs and at least one arm to ride Bizarro.)  When I visited the park a year later, the soundtrack had been removed.  With or without a soundtrack, Bizarro is one of the best coasters I have ever ridden.  5 out of 5 stars.  For more information about rides at Six Flags New England visit www.sixflags.com/newengland/

FLASHBACK

FLASHBACK
SIX FLAGS NEW ENGLAND

This coaster was a novel experience from beginning to end.  Going up a lift hill backwards was a first for me, and struck me as rather bizarre.  As the train was being pulled backwards I felt myself being pushed forward to the extent that it seemed as if I was going to be pushed out.  (Not a chance, as riders are restrained by harnesses.)   Not far from the top, the catch car releases the train and zoom, the riders are sent hurtling downhill without any warning.  The train proceeds through two corkscrews and a loop, then does it all in reverse.  Going downhill backwards felt as odd as going uphill backwards and this segment of the ride proved to be more intense than the first.  In one of the corkscrews I seemed to be flat on my back staring up at the sky, which in a way was pretty cool.  However, I didn’t find it as enjoyable as I might have because the force exerted in the corkscrews/ cobra roll caused me to hit my head against the headrest twice and bang one elbow while trying to regain a sense of balance.  That being said, Flashback was a pretty good ride.  3 ½ out of 5 stars.  For more information about rides at Six Flags New England, visit www.sixflags.com/newengland/

CYCLONE

CYCLONE
SIX FLAGS NEW ENGLAND

If you’re seeking high thrills, this is not the ride for you.   The longest drop is only 90 feet  although I must say that it feels like less than that so the anticipation I felt while being pulled up the hill turned into disappointment.  The lift hill is deceptive because the drop on the other side is 22 feet shorter than the length of the lift hill.  This is not to say that a coaster must have huge drops to be great;  Phoenix at Knoebels doesn’t have any big drops and is a great ride because it has other things going for it.   What I mean to say is that Cyclone struck me as unexceptional.  I thought that the best elements of the ride were the turns (this is a twister), which do offer some decent airtime.  And although the track looks pretty rickety, the ride did not feel at all rough.  It’s not a bad ride; it’s just very tame by my standards.  Ho hum.  2 ½ out of 5 stars.   For more information about rides at Six Flags New England visit www.sixflags.com/newengland/  (P.S. The video is almost unwatchable because of the green tint – the camcorder is obviously defective - but it will at least give you some idea of the ride.)

DIAMONDBACK

DIAMONDBACK
KINGS ISLAND

Like Apollo’s Chariot, this B&M coaster goes straight up the lift hill from the loading area, and with surprising alacrity.  I could be mistaken, but my impression was that it took less time to reach the top than it did on Nitro.  The first drop of 215 feet at a 74-degree angle is phenomenal and that was followed by a second, lesser drop.  This ride has some interesting elements such as a hammerhead turn similar to the one on Nitro and a spectacular splashdown.  Unfortunately, from the front seat I was unable to see the huge plumes of water which rise up during the splashdown although maybe riders at the back of the train can see this – I would hope so because it looks quite impressive to spectators.  One thing which struck me as unusual was how the seats are arranged.  Diamondback seats 2 across and whereas the seats in the first row are side by side, the seats in the second row are spaced apart, and staggered that way throughout the train.  As to other elements of the ride, the helixes were not as intense as those on other coasters I have ridden but all in all, Diamondback is an excellent and exciting ride.  (Be forewarned that  because this a very popular ride, the wait time to get on it was 2 hours.)  4 ½ out of 5 stars.  .   For more information about rides at Kings Island, go to www.visitkingsisland.com/

THE BEAST

THE BEAST
KINGS ISLAND

It isn’t the biggest, fastest or wickedest wooden coaster but it is the longest – and in my opinion one of the best.   Although I would not classify it as a high thrill ride and would have to agree with those who find it lacking in airtime, I think it has enough going for it to merit the popularity it has achieved.  Particularly noteworthy is the length and duration of the ride – 7,359 feet and 4 minutes 10 seconds or 4 minutes 50 seconds, depending upon which version you believe (website with stats says 4:10 but printed material given to me at Kings Island says 4:50 so take your pick).   And The Beast manages to pack a lot into those almost 5 minutes.   From the loading area it makes a right turn, proceeds up the lift hill and drops 135 feet into a tunnel. This is followed by a number of twists and turns and a couple of excursions into total darkness.  One of the tunnels is underground, which would explain why everything was pitch black.  After the second lift hill, the train goes around a curve and then descends 141 feet into a covered helix.  For me this was the best part of the ride because the train is banked sharply left and in the darkness this is a blast.  Rarely have I had so much fun on a wooden coaster.   When I’m enjoying a ride this much I tend to laugh – and on The Beast I laughed my head off.   OK, so it isn’t as ferocious as it used to be but it’s still worth riding.  I would have ridden it over and over except for the fact that the wait time to get on it was just over 2 hours and as I had also had to wait 2 hours to get on Diamondback, this simply wasn’t an option.  (Note that on weekends, the ride lines and food lines tend to be very long at Kings Island.)  Kings Island does offer Fast Lane passes to avoid the long wait but those are pricey - $55.00 as of May 2012.  So one ride on The Beast was all I got and I couldn’t get a decent photograph of it because it’s not out in the open like Diamondback – although the fact that it’s mostly hidden from view actually adds to its allure, because you don’t know what you’re letting yourself in for.  4 ½ out of 5 stars.   For more information about rides at Kings Island, go to www.visitkingsisland.com/  Last but certainly not least, the three good photographs of The Beast are courtesy of coasterimage.com, a fabulous website for coaster pictures: www.coasterimage.com/

GRIFFON

GRIFFON - Busch Gardens, VA

The only reason – other than curiosity -  I rode this coaster was to prove that I’m not a wimp.  I certainly hadn’t expected to enjoy the ride, as hanging over a precipice 205 feet up in the air did not strike me as a whole lot of fun.  Well, surprise, surprise – it turned out to be a hell of a good ride.  It got off to a great start with the floor dropping out from under the train and the train rounding a bend before climbing to the top.  The ascent to the top was remarkably fast and effortless.  Once at the top, the fun began in earnest.  Being tilted forward at 205 feet, unable to see the track below me, seemingly suspended in midair and held there for some seconds before being dropped straight down was pretty amazing.  I was even able to enjoy the scenery.   The 205-foot drop at a 90-degree angle comes without any warning – and what a great drop!  The remainder of the ride was pretty cool with another, shorter suspension over a drop half the size of the first, a couple of inversions and splashdown (no, you don’t get wet).  On the first ride I was in the middle of the first row and on the second, in the next-to-last seat on the left (see photograph, taken by Busch Gardens at first drop) and I must say that sitting near the end of a row is an experience in itself.  Near the end of the row, I was literally riding completely off the track and this felt very weird, especially when the train was hanging over the first drop, but it was even more awesome from this perspective than it was from the middle.  Griffon is undoubtedly the most unusual coaster I have ridden thus far.  4 ½ out of 5 stars.   First photograph courtesy of Coasterimage.com. For more information about rides at BuschGardens, go to www.buschgardens.com/buschgardens/va/

APOLLO'S CHARIOT

APOLLO'S CHARIOT - BUSCH GARDENS VA

I had been dying to ride Apollo's Chariot in order to see how it stacked up against another B&M coaster of similar design, and was not disappointed.  Like Nitro at Six Flags Great Adventure, Apollo's Chariot seats 4 across with only a lap bar as a restraint.  The train begins its ascent to the top immediately upon leaving the loading area, and once at the top, drops onto a short platform before plummeting 210 feet.  The first drop was fabulous and I liked the fact that it was followed by a second drop into a tunnel and a hair-raising left turn along the water.  Other highlights of the ride are a fairly intense helix and sharp right turn.  There is good airtime, even on the bunny hills toward the end of the ride, and at times I felt myself sliding forward in my seat.  All in all, a super good ride - although I think I like Nitro a little more.  One thing which particularly impressed me about Apollo's Chariot is the speed and efficiency with which the train is dispatched.  In fact, I have never been on a coaster that got dispatched so quickly.  No fuss, no lengthy safety checks, just full speed ahead.  5 out of 5 stars.  For more information about Busch Gardens, go to www.buschgardens.com/buschgardens/va/

ALPENGEIST

ALPENGEIST, BUSH GARDENS, VA

An inverted coaster from B&M themed after a ski lift and located in the Germany section of Busch Gardens Williamsburg, Alpengeist operates with three trains consisting of eight rows seating four across for a total capacity of 32 riders. Upon dispatch the train ascends a 195-foot chain lift hill and drops 170 feet to the right before entering an Immelmann loop followed by a 106-foot vertical loop.  It then passes through a tunnel and cobra roll before hitting the block brake.  From that point it drops, racing along to the left over artificial snow, and goes through a zero-g roll.  The final elements are a corkscrew and helix.

The ride is very well paced, with the six inversions, and the train moves along at a good clip, reaching a maximum speed of 67 mph.  In addition it features great scenery, with the train passing along the side of the Rhine River and alongside Griffon.   It also comes close to the Loch Ness Monster; from a distance the three coasters appear to be almost intertwined.  The elements are really very good and I found the ride experience exhilarating. I also liked the fact that the ride duration is 3:10.  Alpengeist is one of the better inverts I’ve ridden. 4 out of 5 stars.  For more information about rides at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, visit https://seaworldparks.com/en/buschgardens-williamsburg/

EL TORO - SIX FLAGS GREAT ADVENTURE

This is the first really big coaster I had ever ridden and I must admit that initially I found it more than a little intimidating.    The prospect of descending 176 feet at a 76-degree angle at 70mph was daunting.   On the first ride, on the first drop, I felt as if I were about to be skyrocketed to kingdom come, and didn’t like the sensation.   I wasn’t willing to give up, however, and in time grew to more than like it.  This coaster is truly a work of art.  It’s so exceptionally well-designed that it’s a marvel.  The sensation of descending the first drop is sufficiently intense to induce delirium and/or euphoria.  Better than sex.  I love this ride!!! I have ridden El Toro as often as 10 times in one day and it never gets boring!  From start to finish it delivers thrills, airtime and good new-fashioned fun.   Three consecutive hills followed by a  wide, sweeping curve is a good way to begin.   And even during the latter part of the ride there are some nice touches.  For instance, at one point the train comes off a curve and dips to the left; every time I hit that point I can feel myself rise out of my seat.  In fact, that is one of the high points of the ride, as the rider is literally dropped down to the left and the airtime is phenomenal.   Even after the final twist(s), there’s a point at which I can feel my stomach lurch.  Speaking of airtime, after riding El Toro 40 times in the front of the train, I finally got the bright idea of riding in the back.  The back was rumored to have more extreme airtime and this turned out to be more than a rumor.   Yikes!  Incredible!    The airtime in the back is significantly better than in the front; you can feel everything much more intensely.   The front of the train hangs over the first drop but the back is going full speed ahead over that drop and the whole ride is insanely fabulous.  As anyone familiar with this coaster knows, it’s an exceptionally smooth ride.   And I might add that the cable lift used to reach the top is a vast improvement over the chain lift used on other wooden coasters.   On several occasions I have been amused to see the rickety old woodie next to El Toro, Rolling Thunder, get briefly stuck on the chain lift hill.  Well, what can I say?  There’s no comparison.  El Toro is quite simply incomparable, definitely the best coaster I have had the pleasure of riding - in my opinion, better than The Voyage, Millennium Force or any number of other coasters which consistently make top 10 or top 20 lists.  5 out of 5 stars.  For more information about rides at Six Flags Great Adventure, use following link to the park's website: http://www.sixflags.com/greatAdventure/index.aspx

NITRO - SIX FLAGS GREAT ADVENTURE

A longtime aficionado of wooden roller coasters, I had never ridden a steel coaster – avoided them like the plague – and finally, in August of 2011, decided to take the plunge. The staff at Six Flags said “If you can handle El Toro, you can handle Nitro.”  I wasn’t so sure about that, as the restraints (lap bar, no seat belt) on Nitro are minimal compared with those on El Toro and 215 feet is a long way down, baby.  There also isn’t a lot to hold onto, so to prepare for Nitro I rode El Toro 8 times with my hands in the air to convince myself that I really don’t need to hold onto anything.  Anyway, my fears proved to be groundless.   Talk about a smooth ride!   The first drop of 215 feet wasn’t nearly as bad as I expected; in fact it was super good, AWESOME, and not appreciably scarier than the 176-foot drop on El Toro although I must say that it was pretty intense.   The hammerhead turn was somewhat scarier because that puts the rider in a pretty precarious position.  (Being way up in the air with no guard rails or other visible means of support is a novel experience for someone accustomed to riding woodies.)

There are several good drops after the first one and two banked turns, both to the left, so that the best seat for airtime - and the scariest seat - is the one on the far right of any row because this puts the rider at a slightly higher elevation.  When riding this coaster at night – the track is not illuminated at all except on the lift hill – I literally could not see where we were going or what would happen next, but that only added to the fun and excitement. This ride is a real blast; it’s great no matter where on the train you sit – by now I’ve sat in a number of different places – but in the first row it’s AMAZING just for the view and there’s something special about being the first one to go over the initial drop.   A ride in the  front row is worth the wait, which isn’t long anyway because the train seats 4 across so that getting into the front takes half the time that it takes on a two-seater.   That being said, I should point out that the G-forces are better in the back.   The helix is beyond cool and the best time to ride  is definitely at night. After more than 50 rides on Nitro, I am of the opinion that it's slightly superior to Apollo's Chariot, Diamondback and other coasters of similar calibre. It's easily on a par with the amazing Bizarro at Six Flags New England.  5 out of 5 stars.  For more information about rides at Six Flags Great Adventure,visit  http://www.sixflags.com/greatAdventure/index.aspx

PHOENIX AT KNOEBELS - ELYSBURG, PA

When the 2011 Golden Ticket Awards came out and Phoenix at Knoebels was ranked #2 wooden coaster – one better than my favorite, El Toro – I was nonplussed.  My initial reaction, to quote John McEnroe, is “You cannot be serious!”  Clearly this coaster had something special going for it, and on the last day of the park’s regular season I decided to find out what although I had already had a pretty good idea.  At less than half the height of El Toro, it wasn’t going to be a blockbuster so it was most likely going to be an airtime machine.  More about that later.    The beginning of the ride was among the best that I have ever experienced.   Shortly after leaving the station, the train enters a tunnel which is pitch black.  I’d gone through tunnels on The Voyage, but being in total darkness on Phoenix in an airtime-filled tunnel was a novel experience.   From the tunnel the train goes up the lift hill toward the first drop and then it only gets better.   There are no dramatic drops on this coaster (plenty of ups and downs, however)  but what there is is airtime, airtime, airtime!   Glorious airtime.   Throughout the ride I felt myself being lifted out of my seat and at one point I was halfway standing up.    That is what makes this a great ride.  And it’s probably a good thing that it isn’t particularly tall or steep, because with that amount of airtime, no seat belts and a single position lap bar, it would otherwise be difficult to remain in the seat.   As much as I enjoy riding coasters with hands in the air, this is one on which riders would be well advised to hold on.    I wouldn’t rate Phoenix as better than El Toro by any means but it probably does deserve to be in the top ten.  And the price is right.  Whereas many of the large theme parks have hefty prices for admission, there is no charge for getting into Knoebels and you pay by the ride.  It cost me $2.25 to ride Phoenix and that is a real bargain!  I wasn’t expecting much from this coaster, but it exceeded my expectations. 5 out of 5 stars.  For more information about rides at Knoebels, use the following link to their website: http://www.knoebels.com/

CONEY ISLAND CYCLONE - LUNA PARK, BROOKLYN, NY

It had been 40 years since I last rode the Cyclone and with my newly revived interest in roller coasters, I decided to give it another whirl on July 10, 2011.    Always a classic and perennial favourite, it held some nostalgic value for me , as I originally made the trek to Coney Island because it was scheduled for demolition and I was going to ride it, SAVE THE CONEY ISLAND CYCLONE button pinned to my shirt, if it was the last thing I did.  So 40 years later I was curious to find out how well it had stood the test of time.   And I must say that apart from becoming increasingly rough and worn – the padding on the hold bars is badly ripped and the wood on the front car is cracked - it has stood the test of time very well.    For such an ancient coaster, it affords a surprisingly good ride – this relic can still deliver thrills and the first drop hasn’t lost anything over the years – with some reservations.  It’s a rough ride regardless of where you sit, but if you sit in the wrong row it’s too rough for anyone but a masochist.   My two front seat rides were wonderful, just rough enough to have the feel of a really good wooden coaster and exciting enough to induce both fear and euphoria.  Unfortunately, the front seat was not available for my third and final ride so I had to take what was available.    There is no provision for waiting behind the air gates (there are none in the loading area) for the seat of choice as there is for some coasters – e.g., El Toro and The Voyage.   So I rode in the 4^th row and the ride was so brutally rough that I was in agony.  I got knocked about so violently that I couldn’t wait for it to end.  My left arm was so severely inflamed and bruised from the trauma that the ride operators, who handled the situation extremely well,  got me an ice pack and called the on- duty doctor and an incident report was written.    I suspect that the injury resulted in part from being a single rider on an articulated train with a single position lap bar and no seat belts.    I honestly can’t remember the ride being quite that rough 40 years ago although my memory may be faulty; it could also be that because 40 years ago I was 80 pounds heavier than I am now, I had more padding to absorb the shock.  Although it took a full month for my arm to return to normal, I still think that the Cyclone is a great ride which can compete with any number of more modern coasters -  and as one accustomed to riding coasters with an out and back layout, I was pleasantly surprised after all this time at how much ride could be fitted into a compact twister.   I would ride it again, but only in the front row.  4 out of 5 stars.  For more information about the ride, including complete stats, visit the following website: 

http://www.lunaparknyc.com/about-us/the-cyclone.html  Second photograph courtesy of Coasterimage.com

THE VOYAGE - HOLIDAY WORLD, SANTA CLAUS, INDIANA

Once you’ve developed a passion for roller coasters, you will go to almost any lengths to indulge it.  Last September I applied for a credit card which would give me 25,000 air miles just for signing up, for the sole purpose of financing a trip to Holiday World to ride The Voyage in May.  I wanted to find out what all the fuss was about -  why The Voyage got the 2010 Golden Ticket award for #1 wooden roller coaster and why so many so-called experts put it at the top of their lists.   So off I went on my own voyage, more of a pilgrimage, to ride this colossus.  And I must say that it was a hell of a ride.  The chain lift ascent up the first hill was remarkably smooth (about the only part of the ride which was, and I mention the ascent only because I am not a fan of chain lifts); so far, so good.  The first, sizeable (154-foot) drop at a 66-degree angle was wonderful; I would even go as far as to say thrilling.

The rest of the ride was pretty spectacular, with plenty of airtime, great scenery and a superabundance of highly banked turns.  The Voyage feels totally out of control and never lets up for a moment except at one point during the latter part of the ride when it loses speed before entering a tunnel with a small curve. (This is the only one of the many tunnels which has a curve.)  The Voyage is notable for its triple down,  during which the train descends underground, drops again in the dark and makes another plunge.  All in all, a great ride, and a relatively long one.  However,  as good as The Voyage is, it does tend to be rather rough, and after 7 rides I was feeling the wear and tear. The succession of overbanked turns is almost too much of a good thing. That being said, this coaster is nevertheless once of the best wooden coasters I have ever ridden.  I give The Voyage 5 out of 5 stars.  For more information about the park and rides, visit www.holidayworld.com.  Photo of The Voyage courtesy of www.coasterimage.com, a great website for roller coaster photos.

MILLENNIUM FORCE

It isn’t every day that I drop 300 feet at an 80-degree angle on a roller coaster reaching a top speed of 93mph.  If I thought that 215 feet (Nitro at Six Flags Great Adventure) was a long way down, 300 feet was going to be a long, long way down.   I had high expectations of Millennium Force and it not only met but exceeded my expectations.  From start to finish it was one of the best rides I’ve ever had.  The ascent to the top was quick and smooth, thanks to the cable lift.  (I’m becoming quite partial to Intamin, which designed this coaster and my all-time favorite, El Toro; both use cable lifts.)   And the location could not be better, as Lake Erie is directly to your left as you are going up the hill, so that the scenery is spectacular.   Once you get to the top, look out!   The drop was unquestionably the best first drop I had ever experienced on any roller coaster at the time that I first rode it.  (This has since been equalled and possibly surpassed by Intimidator 305, Fury 325, Leviathan and Cannibal.) And the rest of the ride is a blast.  This coaster doesn’t have a lot of drops but what drops it does have are sizeable and it does have a good long track.    I felt that it had both floater and ejector airtime; some of the best airtime was on a bunny hill near the end of the ride.

This coaster features a succession of overbanked turns and two tunnels.   After the initial drop,  it ascends into an overbanked turn and goes through a tunnel.   From there it speeds over a hill,  enters a helix,  negotiates several turns,  travels over another hill and goes into another tunnel.  The first time I rode, it was dark and because the track is not well illuminated, I could not see the drops coming up until we were descending and the second tunnel was pitch black.   The overbanked turn at the end of the ride was definitely one of the highlights.  All in all, a super good ride.  The only downside (no pun intended) to Millennium Force is the excessive waiting time to get on.   I probably picked a bad time to go to Cedar Point – the next to last weekend of the 2011 season – because on a Saturday night I hadto stand in line for 2 ½ hours to get on this coaster.   I went back as soon as the park opened the following day and managed to get to the loading station in half an hour but by midafternoon, there was again a long queue.   Other coasters at Cedar Point have a much shorter waiting time.  It seems that everyone wants to ride Millennium Force, and I can certainly understand why.  This gets 5 out of 5 stars.  For more information about rides at Cedar Point, use the following link to their website: http://www.cedarpoint.com/

MAGNUM XL 200 - CEDAR POINT, SANDUSKY, OHIO

I expected to like this coaster a lot more than I did, especially as it was ahead of its time.   The ride started out well enough, and the fact that the lift hill stretches over a considerable area (see photograph) added to the tension and anticipation.  The first drop of 190 feet was truly awesome – what a rush! - but from there, things sort of went downhill, no pun intended.  This coaster offers some SERIOUS airtime – even in the tunnels I was floating out of my seat -  and that would be fine except that I repeatedly got whacked in the legs by the lap bar.  Magnum XL 200 was only the 3^rd steel coaster I had ridden, and after experiencing Millennium Force (Cedar Point) and Nitro (Six Flags Great Adventure), I expected a smoother ride.   Smooth or not, it was an interesting ride to say the least, with no shortage of thrills.   The overbanked turn three quarters of the way through the ride was beyond terrifying.  Never in my life have I ridden a coaster on which I had serious doubts that the train would remain on the track.  Although I didn’t fall in love with Magnum XL 200 the way I did with Millennium Force, I would still give it 4 out of 5 stars.  Objectively, I think it’s a well-designed coaster; subjectively, I think that it would be more enjoyable if it were a little less rough.  For more information about rides at Cedar Point, use the following link to their website:   
http://www.cedarpoint.com/

TWISTER AT KNOEBELS - ELYSBURG, PA

This is the other wooden coaster at Knoebels, the one that doesn’t get all the publicity, but one which is worth checking out.  The ride gets off to a clattering start; the sound the train makes when leaving the station is thunderous and you set the impression that the entire foundation is shaking.   It then uses two separate lift hills to reach the top, which is something I’ve never seen before on any coaster, so that has some novelty value.   This ride, like Phoenix, does not have any huge, dramatic drops; what it has is a lot of twists and turns, and some of them are pretty intense.   The ride is very aptly named.   Because the turns are sharp and the train moves along at a fast clip, it’s a good thing that this coaster, unlike Phoenix, has double position lap bars; without these, riders would get knocked about mercilessly.   The ride has two parallel curves, another thing I liked about it.   It comes along the upper track and then doubles back along the lower track, which was a fun thing to watch while waiting in the station to board.  All in all a pretty cool ride.  3 1/2 out of 5 stars.   First photograph courtesy of Coasterimage.com.  For more information about Knoebels, use the following link to their website: http://www.knoebels.com/

GEMINI AT CEDAR POINT, SANDUSKY, OHIO

This hybrid coaster does not rate very high on the thrill scale but a first drop of 118 feet is not bad for an intermediate coaster.    A dueling coaster with two trains on parallel tracks, it’s a race to the finish line.   While waiting in the loading area to board, I noticed that the blue train had beaten the red train back to the station more often than not so decided to ride the blue train.   It was a fun ride with a good amount of airtime although a bit rough in spots.  One of the fun things was looking over at the riders in the other train.  And wouldn’t you know it?  The red train made it to the finish line first.  Oh, well.  3 ½ out of 5 stars.  For more information about the rides at Cedar Point, use this link to their website:
http://www.cedarpoint.com/