Enjoying a Cedar Point Halloweekend!

I was able to make it to Cedar Point for a second time this season. I watched September's perfect weather unfold and knew that it would eventually come to an end. It figures that it came to an end on the day I picked to go. Since Cedar Point is only open on weekends from mid-September through the end of October, it meant I had to ask for time off in advance. And I had to hope that the weather would be good.

The day dawned, cool and damp. I drove through the rain, hoping that the air above Lake Erie would blow the clouds away and that the sun would blaze down on me. No such luck, at least not for the first three hours I was there. Because the only large ride that seemed to be running was Windseeker, I decided to give it a shot, even though that ride scares the hell out of me. I've ridden Gatekeeper (most excellent) and Millennium Force (most perfect coaster on Earth) and Top Thrill Dragster with no qualms, but spinning around at 301 feet in the air gave me the willies. Perhaps it was that YouTube video that scared me. One of those rides that spins around with the riders in flimsy chairs dangling from chains collapsed with the riders less than six feet from the ground. That was scary enough, but what if Windseeker fell over during a sudden wind gust, or the cables failed?

It didn't. It was almost like being a bird. It was incredibly windy though. My clear-plastic poncho was flapping up a storm.

I played some video games, then decided to eat the lunch I'd packed. By that time, it was REALLY raining. the day was still relatively young. The park wouldn't close until midnight or so, and perhaps the sky would clear up. I ate, then the rain gradually stopped. The rest of the day was fun. I got to ride Millennium Force twice (once in the dark, which is the ultimate) and took a spin on Mean Streak. I discovered if I sat in the front row, it wasn't nearly as jarring. I tried my luck at a skill game (lost) but was pleasantly surprised to discover if I bought a hatful of rings (your best bet at $10) I got to keep the hat. You can find tips for saving $$$ at CP and a shot of my swanky hat if you go here.

I always get a kick out of the graveyard of "dead" rides. It helps me remember the past. And as an adult, it cleared up the confusion I had when I wondered where a certain ride had gone to. I keep forgetting that CP is geographically limited, and if the suits want to add a new ride or attraction, something has to GO. But here are some shots that I took with my nifty new Samsung Galaxy S III of the graveyard.






Colonel Sanders isn't dead, he just smells like greasy chicken.

I also made a short video. I've been having problems with my digicam and my new editing software. So I took footage with my new camera (amazing) and used Movie Maker, a program I downloaded for free, and which is remarkably easy to use. Fuck you, Magix Movie Edit 2013!

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