How I Spent My Summer Vacation (Part I)

[CoasterMatt]

Hey everybody! The monkey and I just got back from a REALLY fun trip to the surface of the Sun (AKA Arlington, Texas).

This first part of the trip report is all photos taken of us by Six Flags employees or onride photo setups (I'm still too tired to go through the couple hundred shots on my own camera at the moment).

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8290/7753609922_f5a1199f45_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/coastermatt/7753609922/)
This is early in the day, before the heat destroyed us.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8438/7753608372_d95fe87486_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/coastermatt/7753608372/)
This is La Vibora- some of you may have ridden it in the 80s when it was at Six Flags Magic Mountain and known as "Sarajevo Bobsleds" - it's fun, when it isn't bashing your ribs in.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8440/7753607296_70c9527341_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/coastermatt/7753607296/)
This log flume was the world's first, and was designed by Bud Hurlbut- it also made a guest appearance in the opening credits for Lidsville.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7249/7753602978_f948b4e114_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/coastermatt/7753602978/)
Titan: This is the other Giavonola hypercoaster (Goliath at SFMM is identical- with the exception of one additional helix on Titan). Not a good ride to ride when dehydrated/tired/bleeding from the ears.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8438/7753606244_2575fc4f6d_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/coastermatt/7753606244/)
This coaster is the whole reason this trip happened at all- I would bulldoze half of SFMM for a copy of this ride. This picture is from Rose's first ride, and sitting in the front row.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8286/7753604094_de34eedf16_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/coastermatt/7753604094/)
After several rides, finally got a pic with us both with our hands up- the airtime is so extreme on this ride, that nearly everybody pulls their hands back down at some point, just to hang on.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8437/7753605116_22868b03b0_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/coastermatt/7753605116/)
Just being goofballs for the camera. The onride photo for Giant is JUST before the final brakes, but there's so much momentum and airtime that you still see some pretty scared faces.

I'll get through my photos and put them up sorta soon. This vacation thing is fun...

:D

[RStar]

Very nice, Matt! Looks like you had fun, even if you were dehydrated and bleeding from your ears. It's so cool that you and Rose enjoy doing these things together. And if I make it to the MiceChat Knott's event this year, and you guys make it, tell Rose I promiss not to scare her again! ;)

[alphabassettgrrl]

Gods, Matt, that looks like a great time! Can't wait to see what shots you took!

[SzczerbiakManiac]

That looks like a lot of fun!

On a side note, am I the only one who saw the title and immediately thought:
The first day on my vacation, I woke up
Then I went downtown to look for a job
Then I hung out in front of the drugstore

[CoasterMatt]

:D Sister Mary Elephant!!

[Snowflake]

I would have wilted in the heat. You two look great!

Can't wait to see YOUR pics.

[Kevy Baby]

Cool pics. You can see how you were getting your butts kicked by the heat ;)

In the first photo, are pointing at Tweety or Rose's boob?

In the last photo, the couple in the front looked bored.

[Bornieo: Fully Loaded]

Awesome!

[Cadaverous Pallor]

I remember the bobsleds at SFMM! :) I think it was my earliest thrill ride. Looks like you guys had a blast.

[lashbear]

We loved La Vibora ! First bobsled coaster we had ever ridden (in 2002). Going on the Schweizer Bobbahn in Europa Park and Avalanche in Blackpool brought back memories of this !

[madmonkeygirl]

Those bobsleds are so much more fun than the Matterhorn and scary too. My last ride on them was in the very back and the air time I ended up fearing I'd fall out. I vowed NOT to ride them again after that. Those and Titan where I almost fully blacked out not once but twice compared to Goliath I refused a second ride on it for fear it would happen again (hence the on ride photo looks like my eyes are closed).

[lashbear]

Love those G-forces ! And dont worry, Rose, Stoat & I both have a bad habit of not knowing where the ride photo is on a lot of stuff - which makes for some pretty funny photos. :D

[madmonkeygirl]

Well Titan it wasn't a matter of not knowing where the on ride photo was. Just my experience wi nearly blacking out at that point of the ride. Nothing has scared me as badly. Now the New Texas Giant I knew where the on rode photo was do the one picture I did ham it up for the camera lol