A Perfect "Coaster"

"A Jewel North of the Emerald City"

Photo courtesy of Joyrides

Friday night I flew to Seattle. This was my first time in the Northwest, and the logo on their license plates "Land of Evergreens" is no lie! I have never seen such beauty before. This sho' ain't Kansas!

I rented a convertible Jeep, took the sides and top down, and drove all the way to Vancouver, British Columbia. What a ride! The scenery was spectacular! Hundreds of miles of evergreen forests, with incredible snow-capped mountainscapes. It was beautiful and, for some strange reason, frightening at the same time.

If Seattle was pretty, Vancouver was absolutely stunning! It is jaw-droppingly beautiful. Picturesque, snow-capped mountains provide an almost surreal backdrop for the city, which is also surrounded by water. Hill after hill provides you with new, even more spectacular views. Fortunately I was given the scenic route to my hotel and several times that night I drove up over a hill and found myself muttering "WOW!" after seeing yet another part of the city spread out below me. When I woke up the next morning and saw those mountains staring at me I sat straight up in bed and thought, if ever there was a cigarette moment, this is it. Day or night, this is easily the most beautiful city I have ever seen!

It was against this magnificent backdrop where I was privileged to spend the next two days. Saturday was ACE Day at Playland. Home of "Coaster," a ride I knew very little about other than it was a favorite of Dave Sandborg's.

I took a leisurely morning walk from my hotel to the park entrance, where approximately 50 ACEers gathered for the day. The first person I met was RRCer Dave McComb and his son, J.D., an enthusiast-in-training. Then Fred of LA joined us and pretty soon we were off to ride Coaster.

A quick word about this event. We were given a full day's admission to the park, an hour of ERT in the morning, a *very* good all-you-can-eat barbecue chicken/hamburger/hot dog picnic lunch, and a half-hour, first-ever nighttime ERT on Coaster. All this, and a view, for eight Canadian dollars, which they didn't even bother to collect until lunchtime. Thank you, Playland!

Now, back to Coaster.

First of all, the trains. This is the finest rolling stock you will ever find! Open front seating (ahhhh), single lap bars (oooh), low seat backs (ahhhh), no seat dividers (applause) and the cushiest padding you'll ever have the pleasure of being thrown around on! Add to that a track dripping with grease and the finest articulating trains in the world, and you have the ingredients for an unforgettable riding experience. It was quiet, it was smooth - it was a pleasure!

I'll tell you why. Because this is HELL OF A RIDE!!! Oh my God!!! You simply cannot believe the forces this coaster generates!!! Front, back or middle, it doesn't matter - I got tossed around like a gumball on that thing!

Even though every single seat was incredible (a sure sign of a superior coaster), I think I liked the backseat the best, simply because of the extreme violence of the ride. However the front provided the more unusual experience, which I'll try to describe.

You go down the first drop, which feels farther than 70 feet but really doesn't deliver anything particularly unusual (ha, as if a *good* first drop is disappointing!). No wait, lets back up, this coaster is too good to miss anything.

You come out of the station and you're below ground level. You see the large "COASTER" entrance sign ahead, along with colorful banners that line the coaster's station and grounds. The designs look somewhat abstract but are actually the hands and feet of a clown. This is actually the only pretty place in the park. The colors of this coaster are red, yellow, green and purple and the look is straight out of the fifties!

Going up the lift hill, you're drawn in by the spectacular scenery. As you crest the top of the lift, you are treated to a full panoramic view of the strikingly beautiful mountains laid out before you.

Just as you've drawn a breath and had a chance to say "My God!" at the view, you go plunging down the first drop. From the front seat it's noteworthy mainly because of the open front seating! You really become part of the track! A good pop of airtime greets you at the top of the second hill. Once there and into the first turnaround, you again have an opportunity to take in the beautiful surroundings. But do you really want to? Or do you want to turn your head the other way and look at this incredible trackage that you're only seconds from experiencing? Nearly every time I opted to look at the track. It's just very unusual looking. It looks so tightly wrapped for an out and back. I think it just looks.......violent! And just as it registers what you're about to do, you go plunging down the steep second drop which, from the backseat, is about as terrifying as a coaster ride can get! I got ejected from my seat and *impaled* on the lap bar. You then shoot quickly up the third hill, where the Coaster suddenly screams "GET OUT OF THAT FRONT SEAT!" and tosses you up in the air as hard as it can! A much shorter third drop immediately follows this ejection, then you come up on the second turnaround and are slammed violently to the left.

This turnaround led to what Fred and I took to calling "The Death Drop." A short, straight stretch of track leads to a very sharp drop off that, from the front seat, was pure fun, but from the backseat was sheer bedlam! The force with which I was thrown into the lap bar was unlike any other ride I've been on. My spleen was wrapped around that bar! I came to dread "The Death Drop" and started crying out "Hold me, Fred!"

After the Death Drop comes an unusual bit of ground-level straight track. Then it's another sharp, slam-into-your-partner on the left turnaround. The lateral forces were extremely violent up front, but thanks to the cushy padding it was actually a lot of fun! Fred, by the way, is a very good slammer.

The next part began what became my favorite section of the ride. You drop off the turnaround at an angle into the fifth drop. From the back, this produces another violent ejection. Then the track banks and turns rather sharply to the left. From the front you are tossed out of your seat and thrown over to the right. If you're riding alone, the sensation of being thrown to the left quickly followed by airtime, then being tossed to the right never failed to make me laugh!

The right seat slam continues down the sixth drop, then it's another body tossing to the left on the next turnaround. Then you come to a series of elements I have never experienced before, and it only occurs in the first few rows of seats:

You go down the seventh drop and as you come over the eighth hill, you get what I called a "two-timer" - you're thrown out of your seat on the way up and again on the way down! And IT HAPPENS AGAIN ON THE NEXT HILL!!! I started counting them out loud as they happened: "ONE!... TWO!!............ THREE!!!... FOUR!!!!"

It was the weirdest sensation to be right in the middle of airtime when all of a sudden you get another hit of it! That stretch, from the third turnaround to the ninth drop, was the most unique and best combination of forces I've ever experienced on a coaster. I absolutely loved it!!!

Oh yes, and the ride isn't even over yet. You also get one more lateral-inducing turnaround and a couple of bunny hops to end the ride. The final bunny hops provided no airtime and were the least interesting part of the ride. But the rest of it was one big WHOA!!

It's nearly impossible to describe in words the kind of ride you get on this coaster. You can describe the different elements, you can describe the different sensations. You can even try to compare it to other coasters - for me I was constantly reminded of the Georgia Cyclone's intense drops and slow turns. But really, you just have to ride it for yourself to understand how truly unique and exciting a ride this is! And I strongly encourage all of you to do so!!!

Morning ERT was great. The group that assembled was friendly and enthusiastic. I met Zank Umagat, the Northwest regional ACE rep who helped organize this event. Thanks a lot, Zank! I also met several other ACEers who were very friendly and a lot of fun to ride with. Most of the time I rode with Fred or by myself if Fred needed to take a break. And it was fun getting to know Dave McComb.

After the crowd was let in we ventured out to check out the rest of the park and ride the other coasters. First we rode the Wild Mouse. They sure don't give this ride the same tender loving care they devote to Coaster. The thing screeches like crazy! Not only that but it has to be the first Wild Mouse that is braked before each hairpin turn! They also insisted on two riders per car, which made both Fred and I feel squished!

The Corkscrew was a variation unlike any other I've seen. No loops, only the big first drop and two corkscrews. After that, however, it made two more circuits and included another short drop, a helix and a couple of bunny hops. It was silky smooth and I actually liked it so much we rode again later in the day! The Corkscrew was also distinguished by the unusual fountain which graced the entrance to the station. This fountain was..... it had the puniest little stream of water struggling to shoot out of its top. I don't know, saving up for a geyser, perhaps?

We also rode the Dragon, which, like High Speed Thrill Coaster at Knoebels, goes through several circuits at a higher speed than you would expect. This Dragon had a nice helix and was really pretty thrillling! All told, there are four coasters in this park! Cha-ching!!! This was my 197th coaster and if all goes well the Knoebels Twister will be my 200th!

Playland really is a carnival. All the rides except Coaster have a temporary installation look. There are no trees anywhere in the park and very few places to sit. There was, however at least one indoor restaurant (with very good food, too) and a huge arcade building that was air conditioned. They had *great* and unusual food booths, too! There was a teriyaki stand, a potato stand with great looking toppings, a cappuccino stand and FABULOUS sno cones. I liked their grape best. Sadly, there are no gift shops or souvenirs of any kind.

In the afternoon we all gathered under the Coaster sign for a group photo and presentation of a plaque to the family of Walker LeRoy, who designed the ride. The park also produced a video which pays tribute to Coaster, using much of Walker's own archival film footage. They installed the television during the morning hours and it will now play continuously in the station.

Around 3:30 I went back to my hotel for a nap to relieve some of my jet lag. I also got a new hotel, as I could not stand another night at The Atrium Inn. Their air conditioners made more noise than a washing machine bought at a garage sale. I can highly recommend Best Western Exhibition Park, just down the block.

I went back to the park and bought another sno cone, then went right back in line for Coaster. It was 5:15 p.m., And there I stayed until they kicked us out at 9:30 p.m.

4 hours, 15 minutes of non-stop coaster riding. That is my new record. I simply couldn't get enough of this coaster!!! It was so much fun just riding alone, although I rode with and met two teenagers who were pretty interested in ACE and RRC and learning more about other coasters.

By the time our ERT began the sun was setting. The multi-colored tracer lights that run all along the coaster were very cool! Fred and I rode up front and in the very back (I think Fred was a little afraid of the backseat by night's end!) and we yelled our heads off. It was nice and dark by the time we took our last rides on this incredible roller-coaster.

And with that we said our good-byes. It was very fun spending the day with Fred, who is just so easy to talk to. Our time was too short, yet I feel I got more than a full day's worth of riding. This was an incredible day for me. It's a very unique setting and an extremely unique ride, where alll the elements come together to create the perfect coaster.

The next day I toured the city of Vancouver with the top down, acting cool. I went to Stanley Park and saw nearly every major attraction and view. I saw Prospect Point, the Hollow Tree, Rose Garden, English Bay and the totem poles. This has to be the biggest, most beautiful park I've ever been to. I couldn't even guess how many acres it is, it's just *huge*!!! And it shows off the city so well. I could have spent several days in Stanley Park.

But let's face it, the Playland Coaster is *it* in this city! If Vancouver didn't have Coaster, the mountains might as well crumble because it's THAT good. Thank God the park got a reprieve!!! This is one coaster that *cannot* be allowed to fall! Anyone who's ridden it will tell you what an unusual, unforgettable ride this really is. For me, I had almost no expectations before coming here, and now, well......

I'm a believer.