C3 at Carowinds (9/8/07) - 52 photos - CLICK HERE
G3 at Ghost Town (9/9/07) - 99 photos - CLICK HERE
Santa's Land (9/9/07) - 40 photos - CLICK HERE
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As always, the C3 weekend started out early Saturday morning for breakfast, with an ever-decreasing number in attendance.
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Ah, great, for a second there I was scared that this was going to be an ACE event.
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Morning ERT was on Top Gun, Thunder Road (ouch), and Southern Star (semi-ouch).
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The first thing everyone did when the park opened of course was go to the flyers.
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We paid our respects to the Super Saturator (although perhaps it will return again FROM THA GRAVE).
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Oh hi. We'll be seeing more of them tomorrow.
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These two are in for a wild ride. The wheel seats on Hurler (and most of the other seats...) were jackhammering so terribly that it looked like it felt like it was ripping itself apart.
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The usual Q&A session in the theater had a trivia quiz this year.
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Next we got a tour of some of the new Scarowinds attractions. The Halloween event is being beefed up big time this year. Looks like they took a page out of Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom's book.
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Here is Eric modeling his luxurious prize at lunch that he won in the trivia contest. I am somewhat embarrassed to admit that I won the contest.
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We actually took the time to ride some of the flat rides in the park. I hadn't been on this thing in quite some time.
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Night ERT was on Hurler, Cyclone, Goldrusher, and Ricochet. Here's Alan riding Cyclone all by himself.
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We finished the night at Wild Wings. It was a good time as always, that is until I lost my brand new pair of sunglasses on the Goldrusher (yes, the ****ing Goldrusher).
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Morning came quickly after a night at the park and the bar, and I needed to be in Maggie Valley at 8:30.
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The only other time I was at this park I never made it further than the parking lot. This place has some of the scariest rides I have been on, including the van ride to the top of the mountain.
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The first part of ERT for the GAP included a chance to whore it up on the kiddie coaster. Then, we went to the top of the mountain for the drop tower (best view ever and one of the best towers ever) and yo-yo (on the edge of the mountain; best swings ride ever). My camera batteries died at that point so I don't have pictures up there.
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The Main Street area looks really nice. A lot of work has clearly been put into the park.
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I found some luxurious new sunglasses.
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Yep, the park even has saloon girls.
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It wouldn't be Ghost Town without a gun fight.
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Oh hi where are we going next on this VIP excursion?
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To the picnic shelter for the obligatory contest and prize giveaway. They even gave away a panel from the old Red Devil (now Cliff Hanger) train.
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Speaking of Cliff Hanger, it will not be opening until next season (with prototype trains and a new station), but that doesn't mean we can't have some fun with it.
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All the nerds need to check out the new incline railway car.
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Yes I guess that is kind of comfortable.
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Oh hi looks like some more VIP access.
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Why ride it when you can walk it?
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Did I mention that this may be the best location ever for a coaster?
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Classy.
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Don't hate.
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This chair lift is TERRIFYING and I don't know if I ever want to do it again.
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Yeah, it's a little high up there.
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This place is one of the most unique parks out there for sure. There is a still a lot of work to be done, but it is progressing very well and there is a lot of care being put into the park. All they need is a good wooden coaster and I could easily see this park becoming one of my favorites in the country.
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Before we go to Santa's Land, let's not forget the real reason everyone is here today. Segway ERT!
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I was horrible at riding this thing, but it really is an amazing machine. I'm still trying to figure out how George W. Bush could have possibly fallen off of one.
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Now it is time for Santa's Land, another park that I had seen from the outside but never been in. I won't be back, but had a good time nonetheless (how can you not with the GAP?).
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Here is where everyone waited 30 minutes for sodas, ice cream, and grilled cheese sandwiches. I'm pretty sure it was the worst service I have ever seen anywhere.
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Santa's Land is filled with cute little animals is horrible living conditions that spend their days waiting for people to put their quarter in the machine and give them a little food.
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Ain't it the life?
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Of course we had to get the credit on the Rudicoaster.
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It's actually a pretty fun little ride, and picks up some good speed through a tight helix at the end.
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Like every other animal in the park, this turkey was pissed off and wanted to bite someone.
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"HELP ME"
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At least the goats have it okay I guess, getting a little playground to run around on.
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Like I said, every animal here was pissed off. This cougar was ready to break through the fence and kill some people.
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Oh well at least we can spin around on their merry-go-round.
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We finished off the day by watching these bears drink some kool-aid. It was awesomefied.
As always, I've got to thank Carowinds for another great C3, and thank Ghost Town for putting up with us and all the GAP people who worked on making the event go smoothly. And I hope Santa's Land enjoys my $20, because they won't be getting it again, which is probably not good for them as there were maybe 15 people at most in the park.