Day One

The first day started after a morning at the office. I departed Troy, Michigan at 2:42 PM, on my way to a journey of incredible roller coaster rides. As I left, the skies were partly cloudy, so the convertible top was down.

Michigan/Ohio Border: Crossed at 3:54 PM.

Fuel Stop: Ohio Turnpike, Commodore Perry Service Area: 4:38 PM. Distance traveled: 112.9 miles. Trip resumed at 4:42 PM.

Arrive: Cedar Point, Sandusky, Ohio at 5:23 PM. Distance traveled: 138.7 miles.

Naturally, a roller coaster trip would not be complete without a stop at America's Roller Coast, Cedar Point. After all, Cedar Point is home to 14 roller coasters, 12 of which are for adults. Descriptions for Cedar Point will be kept rather short, since the entire Cedar Point Virtual Tour is available to find out all sorts of stuff about my favorite amusement park.

Naturally, I had to kick off the trip by kicking the sky! Cedar Point's Raptor had the honor of being the trip's first coaster. What a way to start!

Even after experiencing so many coasters in one trip, Raptor remains as one of my two favorite coasters. (I'm still trying to decide if it is my favorite or my second favorite -- tough call!) Certainly, it is still my favorite inverted coaster.

Raptor: Inverted steel coaster built in 1994. Designed by Bolliger & Mabillard. Height: 137 feet. Drop: 119 feet. Angle of descent: 45 degrees. Track length: 3790 feet. Speed: 57 MPH. Ride length: 2 minutes 16 seconds.

The second coaster of the trip was the Blue Streak. This ride is still a classic woodie, although I prefer the old seats, lap bars, and manual braking mechanisms.

While Cedar Point is definitely my favorite park, and I have a wonderful time on the Blue Streak, there are lots of older classic wooden coasters that are quite a bit more exciting, including another coaster by the same name.

Blue Streak: Wooden coaster built in 1964. Designed by Philadelphia Toboggan Company. Height: 78 feet. Drop: 72 feet. Angle of descent: 45 degrees. Track length: 2558 feet. Speed: 40 MPH. Ride length: 1 minute 45 seconds.

Next came the classic Schwarzkopf Scream Machine, the Wildcat. Considering that many of the parks were quite small, I was surprised that I only encountered one other Schwarzkopf Scream Machine on the whole trip, and it was not of the Wildcat variety. While I really enjoy the Wildcat, I am pleased that the trip provided a diverse selection of coaster experiences. After all, as the old saying goes, variety is the coaster of life! (Or some meaningless drivel like that.)

Of the two Schwarzkopf Scream Machines on this trip, Wildcat was definitely the best. It is also better than many of the smaller steel coasters on the trip, including quite a few of the new-generation Wild Mouse coasters.

Wildcat: Steel coaster built in 1970. Designed by Anton Schwarzkopf Company. Height: 50 feet. Track length: 1837 feet. Ride length: 1 minute 25 seconds.

The fourth coaster was Iron Dragon, one of only two suspended coasters experienced on this trip. The other suspended coaster was more exciting than Iron Dragon, but Iron Dragon is smoother. I still believe this coaster is a good ride for younger children who are just starting to ride coasters.

Iron Dragon: Suspended steel coaster built in 1987. Designed by Arrow Dynamics. Height: 76 feet. Track length: 2800 feet. Speed: 40 MPH. Ride length: 2 minutes.

The only stand-up coaster on this trip was the big bug, Mantis. With all the walking involved when visiting 13 parks, sitting down becomes a wonderful aspect of coaster riding, so riding just one stand-up coaster may actually be a good thing!

Mantis: Stand-up steel coaster built in 1996. Designed by Bolliger & Mabillard. Height: 145 feet. Drop: 137 feet. Angle of descent: 52 degrees. Track length: 3900 feet. Speed: 60 MPH. Ride length: 2 minutes 40 seconds.

Of the two mine train-style coasters on this trip, the Cedar Creek Mine Ride was definitely the better ride. Of course, my "chiropractic coaster" aligned my back in preparation for all the other coasters of the trip, allowing me to experience all those rides without any back problems. What other coaster could provide medical benefits and a fun ride, all at once?

Cedar Creek Mine Ride: Wooden structure, tubular steel track mine train built in 1969. Designed by Arrow Dynamics. Height: 48 feet. Track length: 2540 feet. Ride length: 2 minutes 42 seconds.

Having finished 6 of Cedar Point's twelve coasters, it was time for a short dinner break, consisting of a hot dog, fries, and a Pepsi. Not exactly gourmet dining, but it hit the spot!

Following dinner, it was time to get serious about the coaster riding. No more Mr. Nice Coaster, it was time for the Mean Streak! Prior to this trip, Mean Streak was my favorite wooden coaster. Now, I think I would list it as number 3, although still a great ride.

Do you think Mean Streak is rough? Without a doubt, it was not even close to being the roughest coaster that I experienced on this trip. Besides, Mean Streak is smoother this year, which I feel makes it a better ride.

Mean Streak: Wooden flat rail coaster built in 1991. Designed by Curtis D. Summers and built by Dinn Corp. Height: 161 feet. Drop: 155 feet. Angle of descent: 52 degrees. Track length: 5427 feet. Speed: 65 MPH. Ride length: 2 minutes 45 seconds.

Next up, a race on the Gemini. Although it is getting up in years, Gemini is still a wonderful racing coaster. On this trip, I experienced three racing coasters, with Gemini ranking second. If it were not for Gemini, however, I may not have made this trip, since it is this coaster that started me on the path to being a "roller coaster junkie!" (And proud of it!)

Gemini: Wooden structure, tubular steel rail racing coaster, built in 1978. Designed by Arrow Dynamics. Height: 125 feet, 4 inches. Drop: 118 feet. Angle of descent: 55 degrees. Track length: 3935 feet. Speed: 60 MPH. Ride length: 2 minutes 20 seconds.

My third favorite coaster at Cedar Point was also my third favorite for this trip. Although dwarfed by Millennium Force, I believe Magnum XL-200 is still better than the best coasters at any of the other parks that I have visited. Remember, I believe there are no bad rides, but Magnum is better than most!

Magnum XL-200: Steel mega-coaster, built in 1989. Designed by Arrow Dynamics. Height: 205 feet. Drop: 195 feet. Angle of descent: 60 degrees. Track length: 5106 feet. Speed: 72 MPH. Ride length: 2 minutes.

Spiraling back into the past, the next coaster is the Corkscrew. In recent years, I've heard people claim that they think Corkscrew is boring and should be torn down. After riding all these different coasters, I still feel that Corkscrew is one of more visually appealing coasters, and I feel that most parks would be proud to have a coaster of this quality. Besides, it's good to have an excuse for getting a little "loopy!"

Corkscrew: Steel looping coaster, built in 1976. Designed by Arrow Dynamics. Height: 85 feet. Track length: 2050 feet. Speed: 48 MPH. Ride length: 2 minutes.

A tremendous need for the feeling of awesome power and speed raced through me. The obvious answer: Millennium Force! This remarkable coaster ranks with Raptor as one of my two favorite coasters. I cannot compare Millennium Force to any other coaster on the trip, as no other coaster can compare! The wait was a little over an hour, but it was more than worth it!

Millennium Force: Steel giga-coaster, built in 2000. Designed by Intamin. Height: 310 feet. Drop: 300 feet. Angle of descent: 80 degrees. Track length: 6595 feet. Speed: 92 MPH.

Finishing Millennium Force with only 5 minutes before the closing of the park, I wasn't sure if I'd manage to ride all 12 of the adult Cedar Point coasters. But, my legs went into "Cedar Point Mode," allowing me to cruise over to Disaster Transport for my final ride of the night. (I had tried to get on Disaster Transport earlier in the evening, but it was closed due to technical problems.) This time, the ride was open, and I managed my goal of 12 unique coasters on Day One of the Pennsylvania Coaster Cruise.

Disaster Transport: Indoor bobsled coaster, built in 1985 and enclosed in 1990. Track designed by Intamin. Special effects designed by ITEC Productions. Height: 63 feet. Track length: 1932 feet.

Following all the excitement, it was time to move on to prepare for more coaster fun.

Depart: Cedar Point, Sandusky, Ohio at 10:22 PM.

Arrive: Econo Lodge, Warrensville Heights, Ohio at 12:05 AM. Distance from Cedar Point: 78.6 miles. Distance traveled on Day One: 217.3 miles. Total distance traveled for trip: 217.3 miles.

The Econo Lodge received the dubious distinction of being the worst hotel on the trip. There were all sorts of holes and scrape marks on the walls, plus a variety of red and brown stains. My first thought: Did Freddy Kruger sleep here? I hope he doesn't return tonight, I've got lots more coasters to ride! The bathroom was an experience in balance, as the tiles were no longer connected to the floor, hence requiring some skilled teetering to avoid falling into the shower. Oddly enough, this non-smoking room had cigarette burns in the comforter. Perhaps the stains on the wall were the result of the punishment handed out by the hotel for smoking in the non-smoking rooms! In addition, the carpet was dirty, with one burn that was distinctly iron-shaped -- Freddy must have visited while the inhabitants were doing their laundry. The room was quite warm, but the curtain was comfortable. The air conditioner blew straight into the curtain, without any means available for adjusting the direction of the vents. However, amidst the disaster, there was a touch of class. The picture on the wall was a print of The Artist's Garden at Giverny, by Claude Monet.

Coast On to Day 2...