USA trip 2011 Park #1
12 and 13 August 2011
Prior to 2011, I had been overseas once. This was to Tahiti on a relaxing trip by the ocean, with a bit of kayaking and snorkelling. It was an amazing experience, but I did find that I had a limit to the number of hours I could relax with cocktails at a beach. I craved exploration and adventure, which I would get when I finally saved up enough for my first trip to the Unites States of America. I had spent years watching some amazing roller coasters on the internet, and I knew that I had to get out of Australia if I wanted to experience some serious coaster action. It was a bit of a mishmash of a trip, but I enjoyed every single second of it.
I planned on flying solo, with my main goals being New Jersey (home of Six Flags Great Adventure) and Ohio (home of Cedar Point.) I also planned to stay with my friend in Pennsylvania, and then catch up with another friend Kyra in Philadelphia, who was finishing her work season at a summer camp. Kyra was a massive Disney fan, and I a Harry Potter nut, so it was also inevitable that we would go to Florida too.
Knowing nothing about international airlines, I chose Delta as it was an affordable option. When chatting with Americans at airports, they would ask who I was flying with. When I told them Delta, they would usually apologise, however I didn’t experience any major issues. I flew in to Los Angeles and then New York. After catching up on sleep, I jumped on a bus to New Jersey. I felt like a kid on their first day of school. I was absolutely buzzing with excitement and incredibly fidgety, as zero hour to Six Flags Great Adventure was approaching. I wanted to get on a roller coaster stat! Alas I missed my bus stop (rookie error) and so my punishment was a one hour walk with my luggage through East Windsor until I got to the hotel. I spent the night repacking my day bag and studying maps to work out the quickest paths to the best coasters. Major theme parks are often in the middle of nowhere due to the land needed and the noise they create. Unless the parks have a hotel on site, or the hotels have a shuttle service, it can be challenging to get to them. So for Six Flags Great Adventure, I had to use a cab service to get to and from the park on both days.
Upon opening, I ran straight to Kingda Ka – which at the time was the tallest and second fastest coaster in the world. Seeing it on YouTube and experiencing it in the flesh were very different things! I went straight to the front row, rocketed out at around 200 km/hr, and felt like my internal organs had been left in Australia. No sound came out, I think my brain was trying to make sense of what the hell was going on. As we neared the top right before an incredible drop, I tensed every muscle in my body not really knowing what to expect. I wish that I could relive my very first experience on a seriously high roller coaster again and again. Nothing has ever really compared to the shock, exhilaration, and pure amazement. Once I got off, I ran right around the queue area and jumped on again. The ‘human catapult’ feeling would later become an addiction.
Alas there were more rollercoasters to experience, so I promised Kingda Ka I would be back, and continued on my merry way. Next up was a standing up coaster, the Green Lantern. We have nothing like this in Australia, and I was very curious as to how these would work while still allowing men to keep their manhood, and women to give birth. It was actually really smooth, and looked a lot scarier than it felt.
I really was overwhelmed by just how many massive coasters I had to experience, in addition to the variety of sugar filled super-sized junk food options. After a few more tame coasters like Rolling Thunder, the Runaway Mine Train, and the two indoor coasters Dark Knight and Skull Mountain, it was time for another first on Superman Ultimate Flight. This was a suspended coaster that tilts you forward, so you end up being face first parallel to the ground. Yep, Australian coasters were looking shittier by the minute! I loved the feeling of flying with this set up, and in later years would find a few similar models that packed some serious Gs. A quick couple of turns on the Batman coaster were a bit of a letdown compared to the other epic coasters, but then it was time for the last three on my list.
Nitro was bloody brilliant. This was a massive steel coaster, yet you were only held in by the smallest of lap bars. The freedom of movement was quite disconcerting, but really added to the fun. That first drop…so good! I really enjoyed Bizarro too, which employed special effect like fire and fog throughout the ride. The track was actually great enough without the effects, so flying through the heat of the flames was just a bonus.
I saved one of the best until last – El Toro! My absolute favourite wooden rollercoaster in the whole world, it is an engineering masterpiece. Bumpy like all wooden coasters, yet the drops and air time were something else! This one is still in my top 10 of all time, so justified the additional four turns.
In addition to gut churning coasters, I was introduced to many things that I had not experienced in Australia. Single rider lines. Just, yes. I barely had to wait for anything, because the queue systems were so damn efficient. There were also a fast pass system to allow you to skip the queue. At first I hated this because the idea that wealthy people would have a better experience at a fun park didn’t sit well with me – fun parks are for everyone! However I am now older and less patient, and save up every penny to get my fast passes. Life is too short to spend 10 hours in queues for 10 minutes of fun. I also had my first taste of digital ride photography. No more paying stupid amounts of money for a crappy quality photo print out in a cardboard sleeve. I got all my ride photos on a USB, so I could share my happiest times with family and friends.
I returned the next day to do it all again. Six Flags, how I love thee.
Roller Coaster Ramble 