Rollercoaster

Carol and I took a day off work this past Wednesday and went to Kings Island for a day of sun, fun, and coasters. We chose this day in the middle of the week because we knew that most of the kids would be back in school, and the park wouldn't be very crowded. It paid off; there were maybe a couple thousand people there, and we didn't have to wait more than 10 minutes for any ride, even the newest one, The Diamondback.

The Diamondback is 230 feet high, the first drop is 215 feet at a 74 degree angle and is almost a mile long. It whips you around at 80mph through twists and turns, but since it's a metal coaster, it's a very smooth ride with very few bumps or rough spots. Take a look for yourself.

It's a very nice ride, but I prefer The Beast. The Beast is the greatest wooden coaster ever built. It's almost 2 miles long, most of it through dense woods and it follows the natural terrain so it's up and down and twist and turn. 70mph in a wooden coaster - you feel it. You feel the track, the bumps, the ratchets. You get thrown around, bounced up and down, and moved HARD. There's nothing like it in the world. Then when you think it doesn't get any better, up ahead you see two dark tunnels - it's a double helix that you're going to sail through at breakneck speed...

So what would you prefer? The nice, smooth ride with few jolts? Or the rough ride with thrills, excitement, and dark places that you can't see out of right away, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel? Me? I'll take the rough ride every time, because I know in this world I will have trouble, but I know who has overcome the world.