Belaboring the Point
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Sandusky Register C2 SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2012 BELABORING THE POINT Register photos/TOM SHERER ABOVE: A Millennium Force train rolls through an overbanked turn above a dinosaur in the Dinosaurs Alive! exhibit on Adventure Island at Cedar Point. LEFT INSET: Guests swing until their hearts’ content — and their stomachs’ discontent — on maXair. RIGHT INSET: Riders take flight on Skyhawk. Belaboring the Point tom sherer • Is a graphic designer at the Register and a ride nut at Cedar Point. • tomsherer@ sanduskyregister.com Another fun summer: ABOVE LEFT: A Top Thrill Dragster train is launched at Cedar Point. ABOVE RIGHT: A Maverick train rolls through the roller coaster’s twisted horseshoe roll. New dinosaurs roar, BELOW LEFT: A boat heads up the lift hill on Shoot the Rapids as parts of Top Thrill Dragster, Millennium Force, Gemini and Magnum XL-200 can be seen in the background. BELOW RIGHT: A dinosaur stands ready to give guests a reason to visit the first-aid station near the front of the park. three old rides snore, Cedar Point scores y summer at Cedar Point was similar to the Cleveland MIndians’ season: Lots of promise and action early, then a Power Tower-like plunge toward the end. Before my two-week layoff for wrist surgery in mid-July, I had been to the park 17 times. Since then, I’ve been there only three times. Similarly, the Indians went from three games above .500 at the All-Star break to 21 games below .500 today. With a move to Dayton fast approaching, my days belaboring the Point are Point takes guest safety very lunchbox, if you’d please.” I have no idea what this New York, North Carolina, Thrill Dragster trains had dwindling. But at least two seriously. From an apparently unhappy maintenance issue was, Ohio, Ontario (Canada), been launched while we more trips to the park await. In fact, despite the fact maintenance worker. but it reminded me of the Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, were waiting. Sometimes it’s Wildcat, Disaster Transport that last year I heard the call, n “Public indecency, saying “a little bit of not South Carolina, Tennessee, easy to become lost in your and Space Spiral headed “Skyhawk, lap bar,” over the Maverick photo.” Do I need much is almost nothing.” Texas, Virginia, West Virginia own world waiting in line. for the Ride Graveyard. scanner in the Register’s to explain? n “Raptor, subject and Wisconsin. n “He’s got a mild case “Luminosity” took center newsroom more often than I n “Public indecency smoking on the ride.” of gas.” Older man, after stage. would have cared to, I always at Magnum Hot Shots.” Couldn’t wait 2 minutes and Overheard at the Park walking past Dinosaurs Fast Lane took off quickly. felt confident riding it. I wonder how many times 16 seconds, eh? n “I’m not paying 50 bucks.” Alive!’s Dyoplosaurus, Dinosaurs Alive! roared Among this year’s best a year this happens. n “Picked up a found item (And other very similar whose bellow sounded to life. scanner traffic: n “Dragster platform. on Mean Streak?” I assume variants of this quote.) From a lot like the sick Triceratops And GateKeeper’s gait n “Paramedic to They’re advising public it was someone’s spine. The several guests, about the new from “Jurassic Park.” was teased, then released. Dinosaurs Alive! for a panic indecency in the load zone.” ride is mean, that’s for sure. Fast Lane program. It had n “Hey! That’s not It was a busy summer. attack.” They’re not real, It was an overly hot summer, n “Bring me a hacksaw.” some hiccups, but I didn’t necessary!” High-school In this space last year people! you know. The Screamsters are taking think the program had that girl, after a dinosaur roared I wrote what amounted n “Line jumping at n “Subject complaining it seriously this year. OK, it much impact on non-Fast at her and her group of to a tips-and-tricks guide Disaster Transport.” about plumbing issues.” was a maintenance worker. Lane riders’ wait times. friends as they walked past. to Cedar Point. Considering Who line jumps at “What are the plumbing n “I’m so excited, n “They call it the laundry- most things stayed the Disaster Transport? issues?” “They couldn’t Licensed to thrill I might just pee my pants.” maker for a reason.” Man, same this season, instead of Well, no one anymore. explain it anymore than I A handful of times this Younger-teens girl, walking probably in his early 30s, to repeating what I wrote last n “Person hiding in did. I don’t know.” Exchange year I made a point to check toward Millennium Force. others in his group, one of year, what follows are some the bushes near Top Thrill between a dispatcher and vehicle license plates on the n “How long are they whom was not so sure about of the best musings from my Dragster and Magnum.” a maintenance worker at walk from my car to the gate. going to be stuck up there?” riding Top Thrill Dragster. blog at sanduskyregister. This was at 11:26 p.m., on one of the hotels. The following are the “It’s usually only three or four (For the record, I’d never com, with a few new tidbits. a night the park closed at n “Blue Streak, they say different locations I saw days.” Exchange between a heard that term used for Top If you want the tips and 10 p.m. I hope this person one of their mister fans has represented, including young girl and a grown man, Thrill Dragster before this.) tricks, they’re still available didn’t think he or she would gone crazy.” I hate when two plates from Hawaii: while we were sitting in n “‘Austin Powers’ is at sanduskyregister.com/ get to ride some stuff during that happens. n Alabama, Connecticut, Millennium Force’s yellow stupid.” “It is stupid; that’s sandusky/news/2011/ the middle of the night. n “Would you call for a Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, train, unable to unload as why it’s funny.” Exchange oct/11/belaboring-point- n “Charlie Brown cleanup at the maXair exit?” Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, the red train was stuck near between a woman and 45-days-385-rides. shirt and cargo pants.” Ah, yes, the vomit machine Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, the top of the lift hill. a different man in the same Description of a person struts its stuff. Massachusetts, Michigan, n “Is it down?” Woman, Top Thrill Dragster group. Say again? suspected of stealing. n “We’re not going to Minnesota, Missouri, probably in her 20s, about I have no doubt Cedar n “Stay out of my do much for very long.” New Jersey, New Mexico, 20 minutes after no Top n See POINT, Page C3 Sandusky Register SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2012 BELABORING THE POINT C3 n It took less than an hour absolutely terrified while get-off-the-silver-handrails” point in the new season before I driving a car on Antique announcement. Not bad. n FROM PAGE C2 saw someone cut in line for Cars. It was kind of funny n It took awhile to get in the first time. It also took and would have been placed my first ride of the year on n “This boy better not less than an hour before I in “The Good” category Space Spiral, for nostalgia’s come up.” High school boy, was stuck behind a group of except she’ll be driving on sake in light of its demise. about his restraint on overly loud teenage girls for the road with the rest of us in It’s an important piece of Power Tower’s drop side. the first time. Coincidence? the not-too-distant future. Cedar Point’s history, but its n “Lord, help me get off n Not even in my many n I never was able to see time had definitely come — this thing! We done!” The trips to Cleveland Browns “Luminosity.” My schedule as had Disaster Transport’s. same high school boy, games in four decades have of working nights and two n I wonder if one of the while the car was descending I smelled the stench of cancellations because of two shot towers on Power at the end of the ride. alcohol on a person more weather on nights I was able Tower could be converted n “You don’t want to walk than I could on a man to be at the park conspired to a drop tower, considering away like LeBron did, man.” sitting in front of me on to keep me from the stage. the usual discrepancy Half-Court Hoops game Cedar Creek Mine Ride. n My Cedar Point dream between the wait times. host, trying his best to I’d bet a vast majority of is to be on a train that stalls (Not that it’d be financially convince me to play. Register photo/TOM SHERER injuries at amusement parks — not just rolls back — at the viable for the company n “Hi, classmates. Register graphic designer Tom Sherer is stalked by the have alcohol as a factor. apex of Top Thrill Dragster. to pursue this.) I think I’m going to puke.” Tyrannosaurus rex that resides in Cedar Point’s parking lot. But whatever, dude. It still hasn’t happened. n Skyhawk is a very High school girl, after n People who take up underrated ride experience. regrouping with her all the way at the front of the Sports Stadium, next to two parking spots, even on The miscellaneous n Ocean Motion often is classmates.