America's Roller Coast

Climbing quickly into the cold night, I thought to myself;
"I may be about to die, but at least I am sitting down." We had been waiting for two hours to ride Millenium Force. Check out the video, here... good stuff

Still higher we climbed and I glanced around and saw the lights of the bay and of the other amusements below. I could hear the shrieks of joy and terror, but could not make anything out, since my specs were in a locker 1/2 mile below me. At least, that's what it seemed like.

I made casual conversation with the girl next to me who was unknown to me. "Have you done this before?" That may have sounded like a pickup line out of context, but here it was perfectly normal. She smiled and shook her head in a sheepish no. "I'm scared as hell", came the reply.

That's when the train we were riding crested the top of the hill and we succumbed to gravity as we descended the first hill into the inky unknown, subsumed by the darkness and overwhelmed by the screams of joy and terror.

Funny thing about a roller coaster. the only thing you can think of is being on the roller coaster. There is no worry about bills, or pills, or where you parked. The minutiae of life is meaningless as your mind tries to make sense of what is happening to your body.

Unlike in the rather rosy picture, we rode this thing in the pitch dark. It was darker than dark, since there was fake smoke being made to set the mood for Cedar Point's Halloweekends. This ride capped a long day at the park for us, which was unfortunately crowded. The weather was perfect after all. Too bad about a million people had the same idea at the same time.

We were at Cedar Point with Abbie, who was a student we know from church and now attends Oberlin College, just a stone's throw away from the park. Emily and I love the park, and we're fond of Abbie, too, so it all seemed like a nice excuse for a weekend excursion.

We only got to ride four coasters. The lines were long. But we had a lot of fun talking and just hanging out. Pun totally intended. Millenium Force's drop is 300' at 90 degrees and a little more than 70 miles per hour. Good stuff. It is rated in the top 3 coasters in the world. I'd have to agree, it is my second favorite ride I have ever been on.

My sentimental favorite is Raptor.
Smooth and fast and relentless, it was our first ride of the day. I wished we could have stayed to ride it one more time in the dark. It is amazing in the dark. Hard to believe this ride was introduced in 1994. It is still thrilling today. This video of it is also worth watching.

I know the moves of this coaster like a race car driver knows his home track. I can close my eyes and "fly" this coaster any time I want to, such is my love for it.

Emily forgot how high it was, then forgot the entire last section of barrel rolls. She screamed bloody murder the entire time. Great fun.

There are certain pursuits that only a few can understand. While a lot of people ride roller coasters, it is still a small-ish number compared to the general population. I am proud to be in their numbers.

Next year, I WILL go on Top Thrill Dragster. It WILL be the first line I get into and there will be no more excuses...

Emily, Abbie... You in?