Roller Coasters .......... let's go scream.

Roller Coasters. The thrill of it all. Almost passing into oblivion until the resurgence of theme parks. From the still operating classics to the giga-coasters of today, I am a coaster fool, who fell in love with them.......but not until the very first time I was brave enough to open my eyes and enjoy the ride! That love affair began way back in Chicago at the famous "Riverview Park", aboard coasters like the Silver Streak, Blue Streak, the trackless Flying Turns, Fireball, and the rough riding Bobs. Riverview closed without warning in the early 60's, when the value of the land exceeded the revenue it could produce.

Theme parks abound today, hosting a variety of rides and attractions for all ages. Including roller coasters. My favorite park eventually became Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, right on Lake Erie. They have worked to maintain status as the Roller Coaster Capitol of the world, with the most. Check the web link for pictures. And, it is still an affordable park. From the original simple Blue Streak, which offers good air time, to the modern steel giga coasters, it's the place to scream and smile at the same time. Now tame in comparison, the wooden Gemini is a dual side-by-side racing coaster, having fun racing under the wooden beams to see which coach will return the winner. Steel coasters were introduced with the CORKSCREW, having 3 major loops right over the midway. The gigantic MAGNUM XL followed with two major hills and a tunnel thrill. Then came the 'hanging' coasters, and stand up coasters, each with upside down loops.

Wooden coasters have their own special 'feel', so along came the "Mean Streak", still dubbed the highest and fastest wooden coaster in the world. It is a wild ride, and I swear your eyeballs will vibrate in their sockets on this one. The waiting line is completely encircled by the coaster, so the anticipation builds as the trains roar around, passengers screaming, and the wooden beams shaking.

It was also time to break more speed and height records with coasters, permitted with new steel designs. Along came "Millenium Force", a mind boggling monster with a height of 315 ft, and the first hill drop of 85 °. Awesome is not even a suitable word for this one. That 'clickety click' keeps taking you higher and higher and higher, and rolling over the top, you can hardly focus on the bottom of the hill. Hang on for some wild turns after that. Be sure to ride any coaster by day, and by night.

Then came 'Top Thrill Dragster', one of those rocket-launcher styles that shoots you out of the start and speeds of 110mph in like 3.5 seconds. Then you head 90 ° straight up, crest the top at 425', then straight down again and cruise back to the station. These designs were having lots of launch problems, and you could waste half a day waiting in line and never ride. I never tried Top Thrill Dragster.

The water rides at Cedar Point are also great. 2 of them will give you a super drenching on a hot day. They do have 2 separate water parks too. I'm way overdue for some screams and thrills. Maybe 2009 will permit a trip. I have done it in one day, leaving here at 4am, arriving when they open, screaming all day til the midnight closing, getting back home about 4am, making breakfast then going to work!

My last visit was with some friends who have never seen such a park, or such rides. Their daughter was only 6 at the time. We came in the back entrance, which happened to be directly under the Magnum XL coaster. That little girl jumped up and down with such excitement over this coaster. The line was short, so off we went. I think a little cheating of 1/2" on tip toes, and she passed the height requirement. The first ride of her life happened to be one of the biggest, tallest and fastest coasters in the world. She loved it.

You can keep up with roller coaster activity and parks around the world, from the oldest to the newest record breakers at ROLLER COASTER DATABASE.

Amusement parks hold some nice memories. What was/is your favorite coaster?

Thanks for stopping with some hair raising fun today.