Roller Coaster Challenge Day 11

Roller Coaster Challenge Day 11 – A roller coaster you really miss

Intimidator 305, Kings Dominion
This ride is crazy wicked awesome. It was just built in 2010, and I was lucky enough to ride it in its debut season (Thank you Chris R!). It’s 90ish mph fast and super smooth, yet it is still the most powerful and intense roller coaster I have ever ridden.
I started to black out a little on the turn between the first and second hill. I talked to a couple that rode it together, and the woman had no memory of riding it all. Pretty awesome, huh?

Everyone else in my group rode twice; I rode nine times. I very nearly pushed it to #1 on my top coasters list, but I stuck with Maverick's incredible variety.
How do I know I miss this ride? I bought an Intimidator 305 shot glass, and I dropped it when I was cleaning it. I cried. I really did. I miss you 305! Hope to see you soon!

Psalm 32: 1-11

In my version this Psalm is subtitled: Blessedness of Forgiveness and of Trust in God. When I thought about the woman who had no memory of the ride, it reminded me of how blessed we are when our transgressions are forgiven. Our sin is covered by the blood sacrifice of Jesus, and God “remembers” them no more. What a weight is off of us! We can be made right with God once we acknowledge our sin and receive His forgiveness.

P.S. A good friend knew of my distress when I dropped the souvenir, so he replaced it for me when he visited the park. Coincidentally, it was the exact version I had broken, though there were several variations of the glass in the gift shop to choose from. Thanks D.

Roller Coaster Challenge Day 10

Roller coaster Challenge Day 10 – A roller coaster that is a guilty pleasure.

Disaster Transport, Cedar Point

Disaster Transport is a bobsled-type roller coaster that runs on a half-pipe track instead of rails. It used to be an outside ride, but Cedar Point enclosed it in a building in 1990.

The ride is disappointingly short, has gimmicky, silly theming and 3D displays, and is blown off by the coaster community. BUT I LOVE IT!  Parts of the ride are quite dark, and it’s hard to see the track, so it’s a fun ride. Definitely a top 10 Cedar Point roller coasters. Definitely.

By way of update: After 28 years, fans had to say goodbye to Disaster Transport. The announcement read: Take your last "Trip to Alaska" on Disaster Transport today! The ride will be dismantled to make room for bigger and better thrills coming next season!”

Interestingly, the last rides were auctioned off for a fund-raiser, and it was ridden with the lights on. Trucks hauled 400 loads of scrap metal.

 
Psalm 50:16 -23

So, what is your guilty pleasure? Liking an outdated, low thrills coaster seems as harmless as chocolate, sports, or entertainment. No finger pointing here. Besides, there would be four fingers pointing back at myself if I started pointing fingers.

But, each thing, each un-confessed area, each stumbling block that keeps us from our prayer time is a guilty pleasure. Making excuses?

Keep your spiritual life in shape. Don’t let it get run-down for lack of maintenance and become a pile of scraps.

  

Roller Coaster Challenge Day 9

Roller Coaster Challenge Day 9 - A roller coaster that you used to love but now hate

Corkscrew, Valley Fair

First off hate is a strong word. I do not HATE this ride; however, no other roller coaster has taken such a meteoric fall in how I perceive it.

When I first rode Corkscrew in 2002, I was 14, and it was only the second upside-down roller coaster I had ever ridden. It was a smooth ride, had a decent drop, nice loop, good airtime hill, two corkscrews, and an excellent helix to close the ride. I rode it countless times with my brother including a run of 3 or 4 consecutive rides.

The next time I rode was in 2009, but it just wasn't the same. It seemed short, rough, and torpid compared to what I remembered. Granted, I was 21 instead of 14 and my 6’ 3’’ frame was smashed into the small Arrow seats instead of comfortably fitting in them. The fact that this ride has not aged well, and that I had ridden countless top-rated steel rollers since 2002 did not help either. Nonetheless, Valleyfair's Corkscrew is an improvement over the Cedar Point version, and needs to be ridden by all Valleyfair guests.

Psalm 71: 17-20

Nobody wants to think about aging (unless you are on the cusp of your first driver’s license). Usually we just are reminded of the frailties of the body, how we’ll become weakened or in pain and eventually die. Perhaps we are looking the wrong direction. The Psalmist looks back, remembering the faithfulness with which God taught him from his youth.

We must age well – still declaring His wondrous deeds and declaring God’s strength to the next generation.

Old age brings troubles and distresses, but there’s not excuse for our faith not to be as alive and vibrant as it was when we first.

Satan would like nothing more than to tempt us to become crusty old curmudgeons, finding fault with everything and everyone as we grow older. With the Holy Spirit’s help, that does not have to happen.  Stay faithful by remembering His faithfulness. Stay forgiving by remembering His forgiveness. Stay cheerful by remembering His Joy. We are never too old to serve our Lord by displaying the Fruit of His Holy Spirit in our lives.

Your Favorite Roller Coaster Not in Your Own Country

Roller Coaster Challenge Day 8 – Your favorite roller coaster not in your own country

Steel Dragon 2000, Nagashima Spa Land, Japan

Steel Dragon is the one and only correct answer to this category.  The photo reminds me of a centipede climbing a mountain, but really no picture can give the scaling of Steel Dragon justice as it is MASSIVE: 318 feet worth of massive, meaning it is still the world's tallest lift-hill roller coaster 11 years after its debut.

Holding a coaster record that long is almost unheard of. Not only that, but it also the world's LONGEST roller coaster after 11 years, running for almost four minutes. The lift hill is so grand, it requires two chain lifts before the train merges with the clouds.

I have never ridden this, but it is likely the world's best coaster: Giant hills, 95 mph of speed, a great looking twisting section, and TEN airtime hills on the way to the station. To me this is the holy grail of roller coasters, and I hope I can make a pilgrimage to Japan sometime to get on this 52 million dollar beast.

Psalm 47: 1-9

When we join the Christian family, God becomes our Daddy, our Friend. But beware lest we start viewing Him as some kind of cosmic Santa who is obligated to answer our whims and prayers. (I just read that the Lord is not like a Santa who gives us stuff, but a SuperHero who frees us from stuff.)

Meditating on the Psalms helps us not fall into that trap of making God into our image. He is the great and glorious one. He is the great King over all the people.  Are we afraid of other nations? Are we fearful that our inheritance will be ripped away from us? Those fears are small things compared to the one who sits on the Holy throne.

God is exalted above all else, all nations, all kings. Even the awesome universe that we get a glimpse of through our grand Hubble telescope is the creation, not the creator. May His praise be on our lips every day!

Challenge 7: A roller coaster from your favorite manufacturer

Roller Coaster Challenge Day 7 – A roller coaster from your favorite manufacturer

Apollo’s Chariot, Busch Gardens, Williamsburg

Bolinger and Mabillard (B & M) based in Switzerland has invented inverted roller coasters, floorless roller coasters, and dive machines. Some complain these are "tame" rides, but to me an incredible smooth coaster is a well-designed one. Plus B&M is first place in reliability.

When built in 1999, Apollo’s Chariot set a record for most total feet of hills: 826. Apollo’s Chariot’s strengths are airtime and landscaping. This is my #1 airtime roller coaster. The track is built in the midst of tall trees and water. The ride does not sit on flat terrain either, and Apollo’s Chariot is designed perfectly to take advantage of these changes in elevation.

The first hill levels out at the top before dropping, which causes intense airtime on the first drop (especially in the back few rows). This drop sends trains down 210 ft. and accelerates them to 73 mph. Next is a 131 ft. hill that passes through a decorated Roman tent at the bottom. The third hill is arguably the highlight of the ride, as riders are first lifted out of their seats, then shifted as the train turns left. This hill is right up against the water, so it’s a great view too.

The ride continues through an upward helix and block brakes. Four incredible airtime hills complete the ride, possibly making Apollo’s Chariot B&M’s best ride after the block brakes. The first finishing hill drops into a watery ravine. Second is another “shifting” airtime hill that turns sharply when riders are already out of their seats. The third drop is 16 ft. and leaves riders staring at the finishing brakes dead ahead. However, there’s one more hill, and it’s a zinger. This 49 ft. hill is more than 3 times the size of the previous hill, and drops into a deep trench that you can’t see until you get there. I had watched the video of this ride literally hundreds of times before actually riding, and I STILL wasn’t ready for this surprise drop. This shows superior design and excellent use of landscaping. 

Pretty much everything B&M makes is of the highest quality, so it's hard to pick just one. Apollo's Chariot here is basically a bunch of big hills and might be the world's best airtime coaster.

Psalm 24:1-10

It makes a difference who you think made you. If we believe that animals and man somehow evolved out of the ooze, we neatly ignore the God-made vacuum in our lives and eschew any ideas of relationship with God or obligations to treat people as image bearers of the creator. When God creates, He does so with wisdom, variety, and love. The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, including the people.

The structure of a thrill-packed roller coaster mimics the topography of the earth: ocean depths and high mountains.  Unlike the run-away chariot driven by Apollo, we are safe and secure as we ascend His holy hill to receive His blessing.  We are lifted and thrilled by relationship with God, the King of Glory.  Let’s keep our hands and hearts pure and be transparent with our words. We’ll enter the presence of the King, the Invincible One. That’s the best airtime of all.