King's Island

Yesterday Angela, Russ, and I went to King's Island to celebrate my birthday. During the long, cold winter, plans were made for an adults only trip to the local amusement park. I love amusement parks, and used to frequent the only one in Utah, Lagoon every summer while I was growing up. I have many, many pleasant memories of attending the park both with friend's and family, but since I got married I haven't set foot inside a theme park. Ammon, much to his chagrin, had a pretty substantial fear of heights. Couple that with a poor newlywed and college student budget, and a trip to the amusement park was simply never in the cards. The one time that we could have attended Lagoon for free with a work party was the summer I was pregnant with Kadon, and we still weren't able to go. Riding roller coasters and the like is something I have sorely missed since my teenage years left me, so when I found out that there was a pretty good park within 40 minutes of our new home, plans were made to attend this summer. Since the original plan included leaving all the children with their father's, I am grateful that Mary was willing to come down and stay with my kids once again. I am really appreciative that Russ and Mary both regularly take time out of their busy lives to help out in any way they can. It's seldom that I get the chance to leave my children strictly to do something fun, so yesterday was a rare treat. Unfortunately, the park was packed. Being Labor Day weekend, the crowds were substantial, and in the time we had available we were only able to ride four rides. The four rides we rode, though, were awesome. I'll attempt to synopses here with photos.

Delirium was our first ride. We stepped into the park, and immediately set out in search of a thrill ride. Knowing our time was limited, we were on a mission for the most brain-scrambling ride in sight. As we were waiting in line for this ride and had the chance to witness it's wicked arc and rotation action a few times, Russ decided it was a little too brain-scrambling for him. Angela and I braved the ride, and promptly declared ourselves some manner of masochistic for the experience. Exhilarated, we set out again in search of another thrilling ride. This time? A coaster.
Son of beast is a wicked roller coaster, unveiled in the year 2000, and holds several world records. Among them: tallest wooden roller coaster (218 feet), tallest wooden roller coaster drop (214 feet), and fastest wooden roller coaster (78 mph). I have Ammon's wedding ring on a chain around my neck along with a small heart pendant that he bought me, and during the first seconds of this ride the coaster went so fast that I felt the precious ring whipping out behind me. In fear that I would lose my irreplaceable jewelry, I stuck my finger inside the ring and clutched it mightily in my hand the majority of the ride. In the photo stand outside the ride, the photo shows me screaming and clasping the chain with both hands. After this experience, I tucked the ring and chain safely into my wallet for the remainder of the visit.
After Delirium and Son of Beast, we stopped to eat a quick lunch at one of the many stands dotting the park. After our meal, we struck out again in search of the most talked about coaster at the park: The Beast. The description on the King's Island website says it all: Come feel the excitement as The Beast – arguably the greatest wooden roller coaster ever built – unleashes its awesome power on the unsuspecting. This coaster sprawls across a densely-wooded, 35 acre site. It is topographical, so the rugged, natural terrain adds to the excitement. The Beast is the longest wooden coaster in the world at 7,400 feet (1-3/4 miles); travels at speeds approaching 70 mph and has a ride length of nearly four minutes. It features two incredible vertical drops (135 and 141 feet) and has three dark tunnels, plus a spectacular 540 degree helix turn at the end. The Beast was single handedly the longest roller coaster I have ever been on. There is a second chain pull halfway through the ride, which leads to a second breathtaking series of drops. Also, the wait was much, much shorter. After waiting over an hour for our turn on Son of Beast, that alone made me a fan of the ride.
Our fourth and final ride of the day was the monster known as Invertigo. This coaster was unique, and was previously named Face Off, as it positions it's riders in cars facing each other. Russ again opted out of this ride, and Angela and I only waited in line for 40 minutes. The ride only lasts about 40 seconds, but in it's aftermath I was left with a headache that persisted until I went to bed.

All in all, it was a really nice day. I'm looking forward to a more timely visit next year, hopefully on a day other than the Saturday before Labor Day. Thanks for going with me, Russ and Angela. Mary, many, many thanks for watching my children. Happy Birthday indeed.