I wanted to do another vacation with Crimson this summer and wanted to make sure it would be something she'd enjoy. Since she's such a big fan of roller coasters, I figured I take her to one of the best coaster parks in the world, Cedar Point, in Sandusky Ohio. The park contains 17 roller coasters in addition to other thrill rides and we were going to spend two days riding them all.
We flew into Cleveland and rented a car. Since we were in the area we decided to spend the afternoon at the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame. I was interested in looking at the memorabilia and hoped Crimson would learn a thing or two about the music I really like. While there were a lot of interesting items, I thought the organization of the place was a bit weak. It made it hard to find a particular band/artist of interest as well as pick a path to see it all. But there was plenty to see and I was most impressed with some of the Jimi Hendrix items and The Doors showcase. Although Crimson wasn't as interested as I was she did soak up a fact or two.
Here's a shot of her out in front of the Hall of Fame
Some large guitars inspired by some of the enshrinees.
We managed to see the entire place before it closed at 5:30 and then walked around the outside of the building a bit since it is located right on Lake Erie. I wasn't allowed to take pictures inside so I took more outside.
From Cleveland we headed the hour drive west to Sandusky. We spent the next couple nights at a hotel located about 15 minutes from the park. Fortunately, the weather cooperated and we only ended up using the hotel for the free breakfast and the beds.
We spent the entire day at the park the first day (10AM - 9:15PM) and most of the day the second day (10AM - 5:30PM). We rode all the roller coasters except 2 kiddie ones and gave a few a second run. The park was quite busy so a lot of lines were an hour plus. We encountered a few mechanical breakdowns but we enjoyed it a lot and got to do everything we set out to do.
We both liked Top Thrill Dragster a lot. This particular coaster pushes you up to 120MPH in 3.4 seconds and then sends you straight up in the sky 420 feet. A couple of twists and then it sends you right back down at 120MPH. The whole thing is over in less than 20 seconds but it was great fun.
Second favorite was probably Wicked Twister. This one speeds passengers in one direction and then straight up into a series of twists. Then, you head down backwards and up into another series of twists. This back and forth continues through a couple cycles. Hard to explain but an adreline rush and so smooth.
Other highlights included Millennium Force, Magnum XL-200 and Maverick (best new coaster of 2007 featuring a quick launch up a big hill and 95 degree drop!). We even took in some pinball at the old arcade where Crimson beat her Dad badly on South Park. Now she wants one added to her Christmas list.
I wasn't about to haul a camera around on rides all day so a park photographer will have to do. Terrible picture of me (nice smile?) but a good picture of Crimson.
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