The Adventure of a Lifetime, Pt. 2

Photo courtesy of Jeff Johnson

Chris Hartman pisses me off. This guy is *always* hungry. Everytime I see him he's always wanting to stop and get something to eat. He eats more than anybody I know. Susan is no better. Whenever we take a trip, I always know we better stop somewhere first thing in the morning, because "it" needs to be fed. And it better be someplace she knows, too, cause she's picky. On this Friday morning, I had both Susan and Chris aiming their double barrel appetites at me. We pulled into MacDonalds and Susan ordered her typical meal of four hashbrowns that were thoroughly and deeply fried in a heavy vat of reduced fat vegetable oil. And a glass of water, please. Chris ordered MacDonalds entire breakfast menu and asked when lunch would be served. I ordered a large cup of coffee with low cal sugar and extra cream. Can you supersize that? I was given a 12 oz. cup of coffee, one packet of regular granulated sugar and two thimbles of cream. And off we drove to Busch Gardens Tampa. The park was open from 10-6, so there was no time to waste. While taking the tram from the parking lot to the front gate, we were honked at by Todd Long and Derek Ruth, who were just about to pull into the parking lot. We decided to head for Montu. I figured Gwazi would have a big line right away, and everybody always meets at Montu anyway. Todd and Derek met up with us inside the gate and we were soon off to: Montu! Wow! I had this coaster ranked at No. 10 on my steel list, behind Dueling Dragons and Alpengeist in the inverted category. What was I thinking!! This ride is totally disorienting. The g-forces in the batwing made my feet go numb, and the trim brakes leading into the batwing were barely noticeable if they were on at all. The mid-course brake was not applied nearly as hard as it was back in April, and the second half of the ride was outstanding. I really like the dip into the trench just before the final inversion, particularly from the front right seat. It sends your gut into your rib cage and gives you a butterfly stomach! But the back is where its at for the sheer power of all those g's. If you sit in the back left you get the same kind of snap into the batwing as you get on Alpengeist's cobra roll. Photo courtesy of Greg's Coaster Photos It was also on Montu that Chris Hartman and I began singing "La Cucaracha." La Cucaracha La Cucaracha ya no puede caminar Por que no tiene Por que no tiene Una pata para caminar This song became our mantra for the weekend. Everytime the public address system began with the announcement "Por favor...." we got very excited - "POR FAVOR! La Cucaracha, La Cucaracha...." It took me forever to learn the words! Photo courtesy of Jeff Johnson We rode Montu non-stop, as the ride was a walk-on and the crew had two trains running. We'd been riding for nearly an hour when up walked the rest of Gang RRC: Tom Kelley, Curt Hassinger, Max Cannon, Chris Pearson, Jeff Cook, and several new faces from the Florida Coaster Club, including Patty Galloway and her friend Ken, and Jerry Danes, RRC's thrillseeker. Ted Ansley would join us shortly afterward. Our group totalled 15 for the day, and I have to say this was about as enjoyable a day as I've ever spent, anywhere. Sometimes when you're with a large group you get alot of different opinions about where to go and what to do. But this group was totally cool to hang out with. We all kind of gravitated naturally from one coaster to the next, and we got to ride each coaster numerous times before moving on. The low crowds that day made for many marathon sessions on each coaster, and we never waited longer than 10 minutes for any ride. We rode Montu for another thirty minutes or so, then it was time to head off for Kumba. For one brief, shining moment, Kumba held my number one steel coaster spot. It's no longer my number one, but nevertheless, it remains a perfect roller-coaster. I honestly can't think of a thing I'd change on this ride. The "Kumba thing" is my favorite inversion and never fails to surprise me with its intensity. I also love the tunnel and final helix. It's also just fun to look at. I love the color scheme of the ride, and for some reason I think it looks more graceful than any other B&M. At this point Ted Ansley joined our group. Ted, his wife and daughter will be moving to Germany next spring and I'll really be sad to see him go. From the moment I met Ted in person at Holiday World I've liked being around him. He makes you feel comfortable, he's a great talker, he's funny and doesn't put on airs. He's himself. I really have enjoyed his company. Ted, you make me laugh. I'm going to miss you alot more than you know. Photo courtesy of Jeff Johnson We rode Kumba over and over for about an hour, and then it was time to ride Gwazi, central Florida's first and only wooden roller-coaster. I was excited to ride it, but didn't expect to much from the few comments I'd read about it. Lions and Tigers and coasters, oh my!! Gwazi is THE most underrated coaster of the year! I cannot begin to say how surprised I was by this ride! The unbelieveable high banking turns and changes of direction give incredible moments of airtime in both front and back. Gwazi Tiger in the front seat is my favorite. It has at least six, and probably more, moments of airtime, including three that pushed my seatbelt to the limit! It's not a frightening coaster by any means, it's just FUN. The fun begins as you enter the station which sits very high above the ground. The design is like a huge African hut, with great wooden bamboos and tents. The station itself is all wood, very open with a wide middle section that divides the two coasters. This platform makes a great spot for vultures to perch and wait for an empty seat on either coaster. Fortunately, the ride ops don't object, and we were able to coaster swap all day! About the *only* thing I don't like is the design of the Lion and Tiger. It reminds me too much of the old MGM Grand facade in Las Vegas, with it's impersonal, futuristic looking lion. The design leaves me cold. The music, however, is unforgettable. Contemporary african music, I believe the CD is called Savaca by Johnny Clegg. It's serious music, but lighthearted and engaging. You simply can't NOT tap your foot and begin dancing after awhile! The coasters (I count them as two). Such a surprise. WHY hasn't there been more talk about these coasters? It seems like so much has been about the poor dispatching (which I agree, is outrageous and the worst I've ever seen) that not enough attention has been paid to the quality of the ride! Gwazi (and Americana's Screechin' Eagle) are definitely the surprise coasters of the year for me. They are SO MUCH FUN! I liked it even better than Hersheypark's Wildcat. You come out of the station and drop to ground level, at which point you curve around and fly by the other coaster, which is headed for the opposite side. We had alot of fun waving at each other and attempting to slap hands. You continue curving around until you're heading back toward the station. You then take another little drop, and then the coaster makes a VERY surprising JUMP into the lift hill! I *LOVED* this moment! It actually makes a POUNCE into the lift hill! It felt the way a lion or tiger might pounce on its victim! Photo courtesy of Jeff Johnson This lift hill is also one of the most memorable I've ever experienced. We had so much fun waving and shouting to our friends on the other side as they, too, made their way up the lift hill. The distance between us was quite great, and it really emphasized the scale of the ride. You then look out onto an impossibly twisted mass of wooden track. You can't even begin to trace the ride or tell which part might be yours and which might be the others. Once you crest the lift, you swing around until you're facing your opponents over on the other side. After that, all hell breaks loose! The first drop is by far better in the back, and I can see why some might prefer that seat over the front. After the first drop, you're on your own. I can't even begin to tell you what happened. I've never experienced any ride like this. It's not like the Hersheypark Wildcat. Alot of people don't like curved drops, and I understand why. But these are different. The high, banked climbs, followed by an immediate change in direction and swift descent provide out of your seat, sustained floating airtime. You're in constant, dramatic movement at all times. The lateral forces on this ride are outstanding!!! And it doesn't peter out at the end. There's a great little dip on Gwazi Tiger shortly before the ride ends that's totally thrilling. This really is not a family coaster. It's a thrill ride, and a challenging one at that. It lacks the fear factor, but I don't necessarily want that in every coaster. The Phoenix wouldn't be what it is if weren't pure fun. The thing that's wierd about this coaster is this: it *sounds* like it should be scary. But it isn't. It's just FUN. You're constantly going up or down, to the right or to the left, banking hard this way going up and the other way going down. It never lets up, and that's what I love about it. Suffice to say, Gwazi was my favorite coaster of the trip. We rode Gwazi non-stop, coaster swapping back and forth for a good hour or more. We finally stopped for lunch and went to the Festhaus. I like the Festhaus because the food is good and the prices are so reasonable. I had a german sausage in a bun, german potato salad and pumpkin cheesecake, which was great. Chris Hartman had the entire Festhaus menu. I like Busch Gardens Williamsburg's Festhaus better than Tampa's. Williamsburg's is twice the size and much more open, and I like the elevated pavillion in the center. Tampa's Festhaus is quite a bit smaller and has a traditional theatre stage. The lighting was also very harsh this time, they need to dim the lights! Photo courtesy of Jeff Johnson After lunch I rode Scorpion with Derek. We celebrated his 100th coaster of the year and paid our respects to Schwarzkopf. This is a great little backyard coaster, everybody always gets off of it saying they want one in their backyard. I had forgotten how forceful this coaster is. Susan damaged her ovaries on the first ride, so she sat out the second one. I tried to be cool and threw my arms out to her on the first drop, but I ended up being pushed down by the forces and I hit my head. Derek just laughed at me like the insensitive, albeit sexy bitch that he is. I got to know Jerry Danes on this visit. Jerry is a very nice guy and an interesting fellow, and he's living an enviable lifestyle right now. He let me snake a few Gwazi rides with him and I enjoyed the little snippets of information he pointed out during the ride. Unfortunately I was so surprised by each and every ride almost everything he said went right out the window! We went back for some afternooning on Montu, and again the ride was a walk on. An employee told Ted they were expecting less than 5,000 people in the park that day, and I'd say their predictions were right. Yay for us. I don't even know how many rides we got in on Montu that day, but I definitely feel like I know the bird a lot better. There really aren't many coasters that can take you to the brink of blacking out! Montu's moving up on my Top 10 list. We ended the day riding Gwazi for the last hour and a half. Some of our group went off on their own for a bit but everybody made it back for Gwazi's final rides of the night. They closed off the front and back rows at 5:30, and if looks could kill, Todd Long would be charged with murdering the lead op when he wouldn't let him get in the front row queue. (In Todd's defense, he also thanked the ops at the end of the night). It was a rediculous move, since there was *no* crowd and anyone waiting in the second row simply moved into the front or back seats when it was their turn to ride. Our final rides of the night were unforgettable. The ride ops pulled up on our lap bars rather than stapling us in. They seemed far more concerned with the seatbelts. My last two rides of the night had the lap bar set at two clicks. This, combined with a loose seat belt, made for a truly great coaster ride. As we climbed the lift hill, we were dazzled by the brilliant sunset just off to our left. We waved at the silhouettes climbing the Lion's lift hill and joined in their screams and shouts. Both coasters took on a different kind of intensity than they had during the day. I was thrown full force into my seat belt several times. The rides were great and we all came back into the station cheering and wanting one more ride. A sure sign of a great coaster! We left Busch Gardens, but not before stopping at the Creamery for some ice cream. Ted Ansley was a sight as he talked to his wife on his cell phone. His hand was *dripping* with ice cream and he finally had to beg her to hang up - "Honey, please let me go, I'm dripping. Please?" We headed back to Orlando, picked up the Sky(Coaster) Princess, Cindy Stout, and headed for Old Town. It was my mission on this night to get Cindy and Susan on both the 300 ft. skycoaster and Katanga skyscraper rides. After tonight, I would own these two ladies. Almost. We arrived at Old Town and immediately the soft sell was on: "No, Cindy, I'm not going to force you to do anything you don't want to do." "That's good, because my Dad told me to tell you that I have a condition that makes me prone to having seizures, and he told me to tell you that I am not allowed to ride those things!" (Oh, please! Could you possibly be any more desperate?) "All right, Cindy, we'll just go ride the Windstorm, okay?" We parked right away, and the moment we got out and started walking down Old Town's main street. Cindy looked around and said "All right! Trash Town!" That's what I like about Cindy. We rode the Windstorm three or four times, all free courtesy of the ride op, who obviously likes ACE members! That guy is so cool, I'd really like to go back sometime when I'm by myself and spend some time talking to him. I'd like to know why he does that for us. Susan wasn't impressed, with neither Old Town or the Windstorm. I knew she wouldn't like it. But at least she lets me introduce new things to her, and that's all I can ask. Fortunately she found one thing at Old Town that she liked. The Skycoaster. We left the Windstorm and walked over to the Skycoaster to find several RRCers still there. Derek Ruth had just completed his one millionth skycoaster flight of the night and had this glazed look in his eyes. He and Chris Hartman immediately went for Susan's jugular, and she caved as I knew all along she would. My little danger bunny just loves thrill rides. Cindy's resolve took a mighty blow once she saw how easily Susan rolled over and died. I waited until they were gone and some time had passed before I made my move. Unfortunately I made it too late! We were late for the Katanga Skyscraper already, and I really wanted them to ride it. Susan, Derek and Chris Hartman survived their flight, Susan came off ready to go again, and I vowed to return the following night for Cindy's drop. Photo courtesy of Bigfoot's Coaster Pics Photo courtesy of Steve Nuss The Katanga Skyscraper. Cindy actually freaked out once she saw it, "Oh YEAH!!! I'm riding that! Twice!!" We pulled into the parking lot and saw all the RRCers who were gathered. Steve Nuss and Sean Flaharty had just taken their ride, Sam Ulrich was loving it and looking for any takers, Tom Kelley and Curt Hassinger took their places on the bleacher seats and remained firm in their refusal to ride. Chris Lucht looked like he was about to blow. Craig Arbor, Jeff Johnson, Robb Vaccaro..... all of them lining up like sheep ready for slaughter. Poor little sheep. Robert Ulrich looked like a tower of strength when I first saw him, but even he gave in to the herd of sheep baa'ing in line. Even Todd Long, a man who swore not to ride again, got back in line. B'aaa. B'aaa! I got to meet Matt Cmar - pronounced "Smore." He also refused to ride. Glenn Payne, were you a sheep in wolf's clothing? I think you were, b'aaa!! I looked over and OH MY GOD!!! Susan and Cindy are standing in line together! They're going to ride! I own these two. Susan looked confident after her ride on the skycoaster. She was all smiles. Cindy looked like......... death. She looked like somebody who had resigned herself to being slaughtered and now it was out of her hands. B'aaa. B'aaa!!! Goodbye, little sheep! The ride started, Cindy threw her hand over her mouth, and Susan started whooping it up. I was laughing hysterically. After two rotations...... what's this? Both Susan and Cindy have their arms and legs sticking straight out! And Cindy's smiling!!! FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, DON'T TELL ME THEY LIKE IT!! They loved it! They were laughing and couldn't wait to ride again. I couldn't believe it. They liked it! I wanted them to experience what *I* felt! Where was the fear? The panic attacks? The hysteria? One panic attack, coming up. Ding! I sat on the bleacher seats with Susan and Chris Lucht. Chris had *just* finished telling me "I'm with you, Mark, I'll never ride it again." WHY didn't I listen to him? Susan said "I want to go again! I want you to ride it with me!" Oh my God. "Okay. I'll do it. B'aaa." Susan bought our tickets, and we got in line. I don't remember much of anything after that. I do remember hyperventilating up at the top and making wierd, gutteral, primordial sounds. Susan was trying to talk me down by having me visualize a coaster ride "Okay, now you're going through the corkscrew....." It had NO effect. I was frozen with fear, and each time I opened my eyes I saw how far down DOWN was. Oh my God. I have NEVER EVER EVER been so scared in my entire life. It was even worse the second time around. I thought *maybe* I might be able to handle it a little bit better, but instead I lost all my composure along with any vestige of masculinity I may have exhibited prior to getting on that ride. All in full view of my fiancee and who knows how many of my friends below. The ride started up again and so, apparently, did my screaming. Luckily I don't remember it other than brief, disturbing images that seem distant. I do know that after the ride ended I was serenaded with "Happy Birthday to you" as Susan and the ride operator peeled me out of my seat. Photo courtesy of Jeff Johnson A Pledge: I Will Never Ride Katanga Again Signed: Mark McKenzie, St. Paul, MN We all left for our hotels shortly afterward. Steve Nuss and his mom stopped back for awhile to meet and chat a bit, then Sean showed us some of his coaster footage. And then our day came to a close. I really, really enjoyed this day. In many respects it was my favorite day of the trip. Gwazi was my favorite coaster, we got to hang with a very cool group of people, everything moved at a relaxed pace and we got in lots of riding. What more could you want? I'm so glad we went to Busch. THE ADVENTURE LIVES ON Up Next: Part III: RRC at IOA