MNdude

I'm not really scared of coasters; I found SheiKra the single most intimidating coaster I have ever been on, especially climbing that steep lift while glancing at the drop. The one ride that scares me every single time is turbo drop on Power Tower. Its just something about being barley strapped in, feet dangling, slowly rising to almost 300ft then stopping at the top waiting for the drop.

1. Montu 2. Incredible Hulk 3. Kumba 3. Dueling Dragons (Fire) 4. Renegade 5. SheiKra 6. Alpengeist 7. Superman - Krypton Coaster 8. Steel Venom (Valleyfair) 9. Dueling Dragon (Ice) 10. Big Bad Wolf

Pirates of the Caribbean has proven that amusement rides can be turned into great movies. Haunted Mansion has proven that amusement rides can be turned into horrible movies. But let's not stop here. These are ideas for the next batch of amusement-ridesturned-Hollywood-blockbusters. Link: blogzarro.com/?p=159 The superman movie is my favorite

Sweet Trip Report!!! Love the gun sign, they are at most public places since we have a conceal and carry law, looks like the park was deserted! I went the following weekend on Saturday and for being early in the season the park was pretty busy.

I know I am bringing up an old thread. Google maps is a fine way to peek at a park but I have found something better. Its called local.live.com; they have something called the birds eye view that it simply stunning. Here for your viewing pleasure is Cedar Point! Go to: local.live.com/ Under (enter city, address, or landmark) type in Cedar Point, switch to birds eye view and enjoy.

The Renegade story in the star tribune is up!!! Valleyfair banks on old-school fun with twisted new wooden roller coaster By Chao Xiong, Star Tribune Last update: May 11, 2007 – 9:49 PM Traveling up to 52 miles per hour, riders will be ducking their heads when they climb up and soar down, around and under the tracks of Renegade, the new wooden roller coaster that the public gets its first crack at today as Valleyfair opens for the season. Among the highlights of the newest ride at the amusement park, which draws about 1 million visitors to Shakopee each year: • The first drop comes with a twist. • Built at a cost of $7 million, it's the second wooden roller coaster in the Shakopee amusement park. High Roller, the first, was there when Valleyfair opened in 1976. • The coaster has 19 turns in 3,113 feet of track. Sneak peek The train lurches up 104 feet and pauses, the Shakopee water tower to the left and suburban homes standing to the right. It drops 91 feet, twisting unexpectedly from side to side. The Renegade leans riders deceptively close to the railings, turning as large wooden beams rush by overhead, close enough to kiss. The web of wood buttressing the coaster camouflages each of its turns. Robb Alvey, founder of ThemeParkReview.com, said he rode Renegade about 20 times Thursday night and reports: "You're flying through the structure. You're always ducking your head because it looks like there isn't enough room." Alvey, a Los Angeles resident who said he has ridden about 950 different coasters since he was 7, said about a hundred users of his website will visit Valleyfair on Sunday to ride Renegade, some from Chicago and Des Moines, Iowa. The coaster's highlights include an S-shaped first drop, unexpected speed and twists and turns, he said. Wood vs. steel Great Coasters International Inc., of Sunbury, Pa., built Renegade for Valleyfair. Designer Jeff Pike on the benefits of wood over steel: "You feel like you are part of the machine ... when you are riding a wooden roller coaster," he said. "It's a much more raw, invigorating and interactive experience." Safety checks As of Friday, Renegade had been through about 500 test runs since early May, Pike said. More fun than ... Alvey ranked Renegade above the park's well-known Wild Thing steel coaster, which travels 22 miles per hour faster than Renegade. Staff writer Tim Harlow contributed to this report. Chao Xiong • 612-673-4391 • cxiong@startribune.com © 2007 Star Tribune. All rights reserved. www.startribune.com/462/story/1177478.html