Cedar Point...PART I

I went to Cedar Point yesterday.

Fun time. Haven't been there in probably 8 or 9 years. It has changed quite a bit..and for the better. I really enjoyed myself...barring the off and on small showers from early in the day..they cleared up to a beautiful night. Here's my thoughts and highlights of what some was expected and some wasn't as much.

I should preface with this...when I was young, i could go to cedar point and ride anything and everything all day and all nite. NO problems. I was fearless..tireless and seemingly ageless. Yesterday, I was fearful of some rides, pretty flat out tired by the end of the day and totally felt my age. Ah..father time, we meet again. In relation to this, since my last operation essentially fused my leg together, I don't bend like i used to. SO...there are some rides i don't 'think' i will be able to fit into..IE- the small ones where the bar crosses your lap. I have trouble with those and my biggest fear about going to the park is waiting in a long line for the ride, get up there..try to get into the car built for a 12 year old and realize i can't fit into it. So, there are rides i purposely avoid. It works out in my favor tho as a couple that i saw, i will admit, were downright terrifying in appearance.

The Millineum Force, seriously...looks absolutely frightening. I wanted no part of it...looking at the seats i was pretty sure i'd have trouble fitting, but frankly speaking, after seeing the coaster, i was fine leaving it off the schedule. Secondly, the thrill ride dragster. That one i can't even believe. You go up STRAIGHT up in the air...complete 90 degree angle..and then come STRAIGHT back down..oh, and you do a twist on the way down..i was nervous watching it go while i was in line for the other rides...again, avoided it. Sheer terror.

The park is big. I forgot how big. Never even got to go toward the back where the gemini is for instance. Just no time.

What I did ride:

The Raptor 2X: Great ride. Your feet dangle..you do about 6 loops and there's a nice little hill to taste your lunch on when you first go on....probably my favorite ride of the day

The Mantis: This was the second ride and probably the biggest mistake for a couple reasons..(some which will be addressed in my "trashy" section forthcoming) but mainly cause they only had one car running. Which meant the line didn't move. 2 hours from start to finish of the ride. The ride itself was good...except for the fact you sit on a bicycle seat that basically, if you're a guy like me, means you end up having to phsyically push your nuts back down from your abodomen at the end of the ride. Oh, plus it was raining...and when it rains on a roller coaster and you're on a rollercoaster...it hurts.

The Wicked Twister: AGain, really enjoyed this one as well. Shoots you upwards at 66 mph and you twist around completely parallel to the ground..go shooting straight backwards and do the same thing backwards. Good stuff.

The Power Tower: This one I was really nervous about heading into. Never had done it and everyone on it just screams their heads off. Went up first...where basically it feels like it will blast you into "outer space". You literally are pressed against the top of your shoulder harness from the lack of gravity as you go up so fast. Secondly, tried going down. This one was a bit more nerve racking..but surprisingly not as scary...they shoot you up again, but much more slowly...then they leave you there..for like 10 seconds..at the top of the tower..hanging on the edge...that part is the worst..then, they drop you and you free fall for about 75 feet...good stuff. Of course, I had a random run-in as i was getting ready to get shot up...The Hollis family got a ringside seat just WAITING to see my goofy expression on the ride as it shot me up. All of em' were there. So we chit chatted for awhile and went on our merry ways after the ride. I've always liked em'..super nice family. Man, i get those run -in's everywhere i go..

The Iron dragon: Adult Version of the Wildcat. Sorry Todder...it ain't as badass as it was when were 16.

Matterhorn: Adult version of a fast ferris whell indoors...fun.

The sky ride: You always have to do the skyride. Relaxing and nice just getting a load off your feet while you jetted across the park.

I'm forgetting a couple more rides in here...but thats's only because i want to conclude Part I with my thoughts on MAXAIR.

Maxair: By far, the scariest ride of the day. Seriously, i've never wanted a ride to just plain end as much as i wanted this one too. It looks pretty simple. It's just a large pendulum with about 50 seats on the end that form a giant circle which rotates around while the pendulum swings like a clock. Well, from the ground, it looks easy..once you're on it. The fun stops and the pantcrapping begins. You are way the F up there. One second you are rotating at the peak of the swing facing the sky while rotating on the way back down so by the time you reach the apex of the next swing you are completely parallel and facing the ground about 100ft up..just dangling there. The thing is..if the ride did it just once or twice, i would have loved it...really would have..however it did it 8 times!! I thought i was going to die. It wasn't fun anymore, It was scary. I got off feeling good to be alive. I've attached some pictures for your humbling amusment.

If you go to Cedar point, you MUST TRY THIS RIDE!! lol....you'll see what i mean..it's a doozy.

Part II will come soon, where i'll address the idiosyncricies of the park, the carnie games, the food, and most importantly, all the white trash that was overflowing the grounds.