All Screamed Out

I still have only a raspy bit of voice three days after getting my scream on at America's Roller Coast.

Cedar Point (for those who aren't in the know) is the most fantastic amusement park- if you are into roller coasters. They have a LOT of them. Wood ones. Steel ones. Suspended ones. Stand up ones. Tall ones. FAST ones! Its insane.

If your idea of an amusement park entails wandering through family themed areas, then by all means, go visit the Mouse House. But if you like thrill rides, you need to head to Cedar Point.

The two best coasters (in my opinion) are the Millenium Force and the Top Thrill Drag Coaster.

The Millenium Force scares the shit out of me.

Its 310 feet tall, and the first hill drops you at an 80 degree angle and you hit speeds of 90+ mph. And its over a mile long. The first pic gives you an idea of it. Since I don't like heights, that first hill kills me. The track feels awfully skinny, and the ride sits right at the edge of Lake Erie, so the ride up to the top is freaky for me. Plus there are no shoulder bars on this ride. It has a seat belt and a lap bar. I feel very 'uncontained' in the thing.

So naturally I rode in the very front.

I gotta say, being suspended nose-down over that first hill is INSANE. I scream like a girl- well, like a girl with a deeper voice. And then the wind rips your voice away...

And then I laugh giddily the rest of the ride.



The Top Thrill Drag Coaster is a very different sort of thrill ride. The whole thing is about anticipation. And speed.

The ride takes all of 30 seconds... maybe. The coaster takes you from a dead stop (like a dragster at the starting line) and then uses a catapult system to launch you to 120 mph in 4 seconds. Then you shoot STRAIGHT up 420 feet like a rocket, do a 1/4 barrel roll over the top crest, then head STRAIGHT down 420 feet, do a 3/4 barrel roll, and come to a stop.

And naturally I rode in the very front.

The acceleration is worth the wait! The roar of the wind is incredible and I honestly thought I was going to lose a contact lens. Its hard to even recall the 'going straight up' part, but the decent with the barrel roll is quite memorable. Especially in the front where you see the bottom of the track so very far away.

And once again, it just has a seat belt and a lap bar. VERY disquieting when you are sitting ready for the launch. There is very little to hold onto.

I love coasters.

Cedar Point also has many other rides- but all are thrilling in some way or another. And at this time of year, they have the whole park decked out in Hallowe'en splendour. Replete with people in costume that jump out and scare you in certain 'foggy' areas of the park.

If you have the means, I highly recommend a journey to Sandusky and to Cedar Point.