Here We Go Loopty Loo!

After reading this article on Yahoo.com, it made me really antsy to get my coaster on.  I mean, it's pretty much summer time, and what is summer for if not to hurl yourself around at speeds and heights man was not meant to go with nothing more than a seat belt and a prayer?  I love roller coasters.  I rode my first one ever at 4 with my pregnant mother (this should answer a few questions about Taylor) at Hershey Park.  I displayed my "I Survived the Super Duper Looper" pin in my childhood bedroom like the trophy it was to me.  I even made up a song to go with it : I surviiiiived the super-duper-looper-pooper-scooper-trooper-....  It still gets stuck in my head to this day.

So.  Why doesn't the Western US have ANY amusement parks??  Seriously?  Back east I grew up going to parks like Busch Gardens, Hershey Park, Kings Dominion, Six Flags... all from 2-4 hours away.  All Utah has to offer is Lagoon... which sucks...  And Disneyland is 10 hours away.  Vegas is only two hours from my current home, but you are NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER going to see me on top of the Stratosphere hotel.  Nope nope nope.  And the other roller coasters are meh.  So today is more of a blog post for me to stroll down memory lane and wish I was rollin' on coasters.

Oh and I'm not naming ALL the coasters in the parks that I've been to, just the most memorable ones to me.

Busch Gardens - Williamsburg
- a.k.a. my second home.  This has been our most frequented theme park (well, besides Disney World... but duh I lived there).

First... a moment of silence for BBW........  though the coaster set to replace it looks pretty cool.

Alpengeist

Apollo's chariot.  Fabio beware.

Griffon... I have trouble with this one... they hold you there for 10 seconds before dropping you... the rest is great!

Loch Ness Monster, the oldest coaster at BG and the one we always ride first.

Six Flags America
- the best part of the park is the coasters, the rest is meh or broken down.  This is the field trip mecca of Maryland.

Superman: Ride of Steel, I could ride this all day long... I think I did once...

Batwing is cool because you're laying down.  Because you're lying down , though, some of my hair got caught in the mechanisms after blowing around.  Owie... worth it.

Two-Face... I blacked out on this one, I'm not sure if it's even there anymore.

Joker's Jink is a big ball of fun.  And it starts with a bang!  Silly Joker.

Hershey Park

Hershey Chocolate, Hershey Chocolate, Hershey Chocolate woooorld!  Wherever you go, no matter how far, you'll always find a Hershey bar!  Hershey Chocolate!  Real milk chocolate!  Hershey's: the great American chocolate baaaaar!

Trailblazer... snore... I remember this was a family fave because of  the tameness.  Everyone could ride (even Tay, the fraidy cat she was at the time).  I think I lost a hat on this one.

The Great Bear.  Poor Popi, he was forced to ride it and I think has since sworn off of roller coasters.  This one makes me think of my friend from middle school who claims she almost slipped out of her seat.  But no one lies in middle school.  'Specially not girls.  Oh and it's pretty much the same exact track as Alpengeist and this coaster I once built on "Roller Coaster tycoon."

Lightning Racers... this one is cool because you get to race, Dueling Dragons-style, Thunder vs. Lightning

Roller-Soaker... not really thrilling, but people get to shoot water at you.

Storm Chaser, my first 90-ish degree coaster.

I have a really distinct memory of being terrified of Wildcat the first time I rode.    I think I said something like "I hated that!" But then I re-evaluated and decided that I loved it... because I hated it.  I mean, look at that drop!  

Kings Dominion

My fondest memory at Kings Dominon was being pied in the face during a Nickelodeon live kids' show after my team won some sort of game.  Poor Taylor had the chance to get slimed, but her team lost their game.  I think she's always been jealous of me for that. But I mean, who wouldn't be?  I also remember getting my hair spray-painted blue and all the roller coasters some-how blew out the blue.

Anaconda is cool 'cause you get to go under water... but I remember the water being kinda gross.

Voooooolcaaaaaanooooooo!  I think fire shoots out too... or I could be making that up... it's been a while...

Rebel Yell... try to ride this without singing Billy Idol, I dare you.

Shockwave was novel because it's a stand-up coaster, but  what I remember more is that someone died on it like the week after we were there.

Disney World/Land
They're not really known for their thrill rides, but the ones that are there are my absolute favorite in the world.

3....2....1... I love California Screamin'!!!  This is my number one roller coaster of all time.  It makes me giddy just thinking about it!

Land.  Not World.  Space Mountain in Disneyland is actually fun.  Sorry DW, it's not that I don't love the ride... it's just that Space Mountain in Florida is a dark Matterhorn.  For my thoughts on the Matterhorn, see below.

Expedition Everest.... ooooh I know I said California Screamin' was my favorite, but I might have to change my mind.  EE is brilliant.  The Matterhorn in DL is terrible and awkward.  It will not be on my list.  They should really update it to be more like EE.

"Wait a minute, wait a minute, I have an idea" - Steven Tyler
I adore Rockin' Rollercoaster.  Some day I hope to have the door o' marbles from the queue  in my house.  Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet emooooooooooooooooootiooooooooooon.

Universal Studios Islands of Adventure (Orlando)
The day I went to USIOA, a psychic told me that the person I was attending the park with and I would get married if I ever got myself together.  (Yeah, cause I was the messed up one)  Thank goodness psychics are not real.  Except for Shawn Spencer.

I was super excited to ride the HULK because I had an episode of The Rosie O'Donnell show on VHS where she and *N SYNC rode it together.  "Here We Go" was playing in my head as we rode, just as it had played in the background of the Rosie ride with *N SYNC.  I could have been sitting in the same seats as Lance!  (I'm kind of glad he's gay, 'cause then I don't feel so bad that we never got married).

Joey and Rosie

Dueling Dragons, except now I think it's Harry Potter-themed.  I LOVED this one!  We snuck through the baby hand-off room to ride it a couple more times.

 Busch Gardens - Tampa, FL
I wish I remembered more from this trip.  I was... maybe 10?  11?  And we've only been once.  Maybe we'll go more if Nathan and I move to Florida.

Kumba.  This one I got to ride in the front row because there was an empty spot  and my family let me be the one to take it.  Thanks guys!  And I have a key chain to commemorate!  It was a big deal.

Montu.  This was another close of Alpengeist with an Egyptian theme.  I remember we left scaredy Taylor with our stuff.  If a stranger came to take her away, they had to use the code word "Gorilla" in order for her to trust them.  So next time you see her, say "Come with me.  Code word Gorilla!"  It'll freak her out and she'll think somewhere her family has crashed 

I feel like I picked on Taylor a lot.  Heh heh sorry!  This was a fun post