Surge of Adrenaline

Our original vacation plan included going to California with Auster’s family. When the trip was called off, we decided to spend our vacation at Cedar Point (which prides itself as “The Roller Coaster Capital of the World”) instead. Then with increased gas prices and our laziness to drive 5 hours, we ended up going to Kings Island.

Kings Island is a theme park in Mason, OH about 30-min ride from our place. It used to be owned by Paramount Parks but was recently sold to Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, the same owner of Cedar Point.

When I first visited Kings Island in 2001 it was still called Paramount’s Kings Island. I later learned that the theme park was sold to the above-mentioned company, in 2006. Though it has been almost a decade since my last visit, I didn’t see a lot of changes as far as the attractions go. I only saw two additional rides – the Backlot Stunt Coaster (remake of the Italian Job) and the Firehawk. The former opened in 2005 while the latter opened last year on this very date. We decided to try these new rides first. The Backlot Stunt Coaster gives a feeling of being in a car chase, spiraling down pitch-black tunnel and a parking garage at 40mph. Not too bad for a family ride. The Firehawk, on the other hand, is more thrilling. It is a lie-to-fly roller coaster – we were hoisted up 115ft, and practically dove (yes, facing the ground and head-first) 80ft at a 30-degree angle. When I closed my eyes, I could see the blood rushing through my head.

Judging from the number of people waiting in line, the most sought-after thrill rides include The Beast, Son of Beast, Vortex, Firehawk, Flight of Fear and Backlot Stunt Coaster. In each of these rides, it takes about an hour to wait in line. Only to ride about 3 minutes tops. But then again with the adrenaline rush that you get, it’s all worth it.

As much as we wanted to try all the rides, we just didn’t have enough time. I reckoned, we should have bought a season pass.

I mentioned a lot about rollercoaster rides but the highlight of the trip is Robbie Knievel’s world record-worthy and death-defying jump over 24 Coke Zero trucks. Indeed, Evel Knievel’s legacy lives on through his son.

Even if we didn’t go to California nor to Cedar Point in Sandusky, and even if I now feel my IQ dropped 10 points due to the coup-countercoup injury my head experienced, we had, in the immortal words of Spongebob Squarepants, “good times, good times!”

See pictures here.

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Did you know that…

- the Son of Beast is the fastest and tallest wooden roller coaster in the world?

- that it cost an estimated amount of $20,000,000 to build the Son of Beast?

- that I was able to convince my mom to ride on the Son of Beast and had her curse me on top of her lungs throughout the entire ride?