cross one (and thirteen) off the list

Last week I wrote about three things that I have never done. You can read about it here.

Well, cross one off the list. Yesterday the fam and I actually went to Cedar Point! Unbelievable day!

As most of you know, Cedar Point is generally considered one of the best amusement parks in the world and it currently holds the world record for having the most roller coasters (17).

We (meaning mainly my 12-year-old daughter Natalie and I) rode 13 of the 17 (not bad for a day's work). Here's the list of the ones we rode...from worst to first:

13. Cedar Creek Mine Ride. Yawn. Even if there's no line for it (and there wasn't), skip it.

12. Iron Dragon. Looks fun...but that's about it. Hanging coaster that just doesn't go fast enough. Maybe at a lesser theme park it would seem like more of a thrill but at CP, it just doesn't measure up.

11. Corkscrew. Just okay. The kids, even the 9-year-olds, like it. They rode it three times...no line...that's an indicator of how good (or not good) a coaster is.

10. Disaster Transport. Indoor coaster. First one we rode. Kinda fun...but the line was a bit too long for what it delivered. But we had to ride it, of course, to cross it off our list.

9. Gemini. This was probably the big kahuna back in the day. Nowadays, it's just another throw-back wooden coaster. When you ride, prepare for whiplash (and a back-crack). Ouch.

8. Blue Streak. Small wooden coaster built in 1964. More fun than I expected.

7. Mantis. Stand-up coaster. Good ride. At any park other than CP, this would probably be one of the main attractions. At CP, it's just one of many good ones. Lots of loops. Made me a little queasy (partly because we'd already been riding coasters for several hours).

6. Raptor. Suspended (hanging) coaster. Recently voted the 11th best steel coaster in the world.

5. Magnum XL-200. Another great coaster (72 mph). At one time, it was the tallest, fastest coaster in the world (by a long way). Again, at most parks, this would be the tops. Great ride. No line. Rode back-to-back without waiting. Amazing.

4. Wicked Twister. Second ride of the day for us. Amazing...and kinda scary (but aren't those the best kind?). It's the world's tallest, fastest double-twisting impulse coaster. Wicked good.

3. Millennium Force. If you've ridden it, you might be saying, "What...#3?" See, the Millennium Force is often ranked as the world's absolute best coaster. And it is awesome. 93 mph. 310 feet high. Simply amazing.

2. Maverick. Brand new. Opened less than a month ago. Waited 52 minutes to ride. AND MAN, WAS IT WORTH THE WAIT! Its 95 degree drop is one of the steepest drops on any roller coaster. It boasts eight “airtime” hills (where riders experience weightlessness), and an absolutely unreal second launch halfway through the ride. If you go to CP, don't miss this one.

1. Top Thrill Dragster. There was some debate in our family over the top three. Most agreed that they could all be interchangeable. Since it's my blog, I have the final say. This ride lasts less than 30 seconds but, YIKES, WHAT A CRAZY 30 SECONDS! Zero to 120 mph in FOUR SECONDS!



Unbelievable day. Cross one off the list.