Las Vegas 2007 Day 5

Stratosphere Tower | Fremont Street | Photos |Videos

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December 5-6, 2007
Las Vegas NV

Waking up Thursday was rough. We slept in quite a bit. But once we were all up and ready, the three of us headed down the strip with no particular plan as of yet until I suggested Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, so that’s where we went. Little did we know how far we’d need to walk. And the weather was back to being cool, and none of us brought a jacket. Hard Rock was off the strip. It was very nice & modern, with a very rock atmosphere and memorabilia everywhere.

We headed to the casino’s diner, Mr. Lucky’s 24/7, where Jon and I ordered our first cheap steak of the trip, the Gambler’s Special for $7.77. Larry had BBQ chicken pizza, but I’m just not much on BBQ and pizza together. We watched some of the Rodeo that was going on elsewhere in the city on TV. Today many British guys had started to arrive, along with more cowboys, as the undefeated British heavy weight champ was going up against the undefeated U.S. champ the MGM Grand the nite after we were leaving. That, along with the movie premier of ‘Jumper’ at Luxor the evening we were leaving meant we were hitting Vegas in the middle of a lot of big events.

We walked back to the strip, which was quite a long journey, and headed thru the Miracle Mile Shops again before walking into Paris. Actually, we were planning to take the bus to Circus Circus as Larry wanted to go to the Adventuredome, but the bus was taking FOR EVER so we decided to spend time at Paris at the shops. We also took a few minutes to make sure we checked in for our flights so we could get in the ‘A’ boarding group. While we were back outside waiting for the bus which, again, was taking FOR EVER, Larry’s wife called. He said he was going to take this call and walk back towards the hotel and that he’d catch a bus and meet up with us later. When we finally did get a bus to stop that we could board that wasn’t full, we took to the Stratosphere, which took FOR EVER because it was so crowded and the busses on this side of the strip were running so far behind.

Las Vegas 2007 Day 4

Red Square| Photos | Videos

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December 4, 2007
Las Vegas NV

I woke up later than Larry and Jon on Wednesday morning. They had headed to Caesars Palace and met up with Corey and Nathan as I slept in. Once I finally did get up I called Larry’s phone to see where they were and made plans to meet up. After getting up, taking my shower and getting ready I headed out by myself. Caesars wasn’t a terribly long walk so I took the tram to Excalibur and headed thru New York, New York, toying with the idea of riding The Roller Coaster, then opting out of it. I stopped at CVS for a bottle of water and then headed to Caesars Palace.

Once inside it took a while to find the guys. I did get a decent glimpse of the Forum Shops, though, which were very nice. Once we met up we headed down the strip, once again stopping at Bellagio’s shops and then to Planet Hollywood to eat. The Spice Market Buffet was voted the best buffet in Las Vegas for 2007 and had got nothing but rave reviews so I was excited to try it out. It lived up to the hype for sure. The food was great. There was plenty of sea food, plenty of Middle Eastern & Mediterranean inspired foods, Asian food, and more. We sat at our table after we finished eating and talked for quite some time and talked.

After we left we walked thru the Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood. This was quite large with modern shops and plenty to do. We did some window shopping, hit up a few stores, and eventually made our way to Sharper Image, where a few of us tried out some of the massage chairs. Once I was finished, Jon and I decided to head down the mall, he was going to a shoe store and I needed a bathroom break. I was supposed to meet Jon at the shoe store but I couldn’t find it, so I sat for a while in the mall hoping someone would walk by as my phone had died at that point, Jon didn’t have his, and I don’t know Larry’s number by memory.

Las Vegas 2007 Day 3

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December 3, 2007
Las Vegas NV

Larry had mentioned that Nathan & Corey were going to spend Tuesday at Red Rock Canyon. So on Tuesday morning we  met up with them to hike in the Canyon for the day. At first I opted out, but then decided to go ahead and go. My feet hurt and I didn’t feel like more walking, but I ended up going with the others. It took a while, but the boys finally arrived to pick us up, stopping at Carl’s Jr. for something to eat as I was starving.

Getting to Red Rock was an adventure, but once we arrived it was worth having decided to go. We spent a few hours hiking up the rocks and in the canyon, taking pictures, and even spending time relaxing on the rocks. I never did anything too hard, but I did some really basic rock climbing up a few small rock faces. Larry, Corey, and Nathan were a bit more adventurous. Corey had brought rock climbing gear, but left it at the room. We did watch other groups climb up some of the cliffs, though. We found some really interesting parts of the canyon to explore and take pictures of. The day was cool but not cold. The sun, however, was severely bright.

At one point we all climbed up to a point on the rocks and sat and watched over the canyon. Larry took some video, and we all just lay around and did some people watching. Even though we spent quite a few hours at Red Rock Canyon, and I really enjoyed going, there isn’t much to type about other than we walked, sat, climbed, walked, sat, climbed, and then we road the entire loop around to get out of the National Park. Once we were finished I told Corey that I was thirsty, and the guys that didn’t eat in the morning were getting hungry.

Las Vegas 2007 Day 2

Star Trek The Experience | Photos | Videos

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December 2, 2007
Las Vegas NV

Sleep is wonderful when you’re exhausted. Even with the exhaustion, we pressed on Sunday and actually got a lot accomplished. Jon was so out of it, though, that it took till Monday for him to really get a feel for Vegas. He woke up early and got ready and I heard him go out the door just as I really woke up. Since Larry was still sleeping I decided I’d take my shower, get ready, and go have breakfast in the hotel. It was 7:30 AM and even though I’m not a morning person I was still on EST, so it was really 10:30 AM to my body. One great thing about Vegas is that because it is so dry, when you take a shower  when you step out, all of the humidity has dried up and you dry off quick.

I headed down to the Luxor’s 24 hour diner for some breakfast. The food was great, and in large portions, but I spent way too much for breakfast and got way too much food. For once in my life, I left a lot that I didn’t finish. I even had coffee this morning, which was very rare for me. Once I finished with breakfast I walked thru the casino and watched the early morning gamblers. I was sitting in a rather out of the way place when a guy walked by and looked at me like he knew me before walking off. It took both of us a second to realize who the other was, as I yelled at Jon as he was walking away.

We hung out watching roulette for a bit before we headed back to the room. Larry had finally got up but he had different plans. We were going to hit up Star Trek: The Experience, but Larry decided to sit it out. First we walked over to New York, New York with plans to ride The Roller Coaster, but upon arrival we saw it did not open until 11 AM and it was only 9:30. I never did get to ride it on that trip, but oh well. So we headed across the street ready for the ginormous trek thru the MGM Grand yet again to the monorail. After arriving at the Hilton we were greeted with a closed attraction. How come nothing opens up before 11 AM but gambling and restaurants in Las Vegas?!? Anyways, we walked thru the space themed casino, walked thru the Hilton Shops, walked thru the main casino, and then headed to the bar at the space themed casino for a drink before opening. Then promptly at 11 AM they opened the shops at Star Trek. The attractions opened at 11:30, with the first ride at noon.

Las Vegas 2007 Day 1

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December 1, 2007
Las Vegas NV

On Saturday December 1, my parents drove me to Charleston WV to meet Larry & Stephanie, and from there we left and drove to Elkins. One of Steph’s friends was along for the ride as well. Jon drove his new car to meet up with us in Elkins. From there we drove to Charles Town, where Jon’s brother lived. We watched WVU get soundly beaten in football as we stayed there for the nite, although I don’t think any of us got much sleep. As we were leaving the next morning, I made sure to grab my wallet, and I saw an extra key on the table by the couch that looked like the extra key I keep in my wallet, so I put it back in the side pocket where it belonged. I did, however, manage to leave my tooth brush RW’s house.

We drove to Dulles, checked our bags, and ate breakfast all before the sun rose. I’m not a morning person, but we booked a flight at 8:15 AM EST so that we could have a full first day in Las Vegas. At approximately 8 AM we were boarding the plane. This was our first time flying Southwest, and thankfully we got in the ‘A’ boarding group. The flight seemed longer than it should have at over 5 ½ hours. But we were on a plane going to Las Vegas, and everyone was in a party mood. Just before 11 AM WCT we landed at McCarran. Having watched Ratrace numerous times on DVD, I knew that this airport had slot machines. And that was what you were greeted with as soon as you stepped off the plane and into the terminal.

McCarran had a very Vegas feel to it, with shiny surfaces, slots, and neon lights. I was surprised at how quickly we got our baggage and how close the taxi line was to the baggage claim, which was good because I WAY over packed for this trip. But in line for the Taxi this annoying older guy kept trying to cut me off from my group by getting in between me and the other 2 . Finally I outsmarted him and ended up in between Larry & Jon. So we got our cab and were off to our hotel. It was a sunny day, but colder than it looked outside.

Busch Gardens Williamsburg 2007

Busch Gardens Williamsburg | Photos | Videos

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August 11, 2007
Williamsburg VA

Busch Gardens Europe is a park that I’ve wanted to go to since I was a kid. It wasn’t too far away, but always further away than would be easy to get to. Everyone I knew had been and loved it. But I just never got to go. Every year I’d say “This year, I’m going to get to Busch Gardens”, but by the end of the season no luck. I hadn’t initially planned to visit in 2007, but the trip came together and I’m happy it did.

I’d heard for years about how beautiful Busch Gardens Williamsburg was. That the food was decent. That the rides were fun. The park was presented as quality over quantity, and that proved to be correct on my first visit. I was disappointed that we were forced to change plans the evening before, and Matt was on the verge of devastation because we had to change our plans.

But on Saturday morning we quickly got ready, checked out, got gas and breakfast, and headed out. The mood had changed from disappointment to excitement, in large part because of the great time we’d had at Kings Dominion the evening before. The plan was to meet Tina on the way. After just a couple miles on the road, the traffic wasn’t good, and I was not happy that we could have a repeat of the day before, but everything worked out, and around 9:30 a.m. we were meeting Tina at a rest area 30 miles from Busch Gardens.

Kings Dominion 2007

Kings Dominion | Photos | Videos

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August 10, 2007
Richmond VA

After checking in we showered and got read to head to Kings Dominion. Around that time, Tina called. The extended plan for Saturday was to drop Matt and Bill off in Beckley with Tina, who would continue to chauffeur them along to Camden Park and Ohio. Instead of all of that, though, Tina decided to ‘surprise’ us by coming to Virginia, and she was about 2 hours from Kings Dominion. She was going to meet us there the next day…but since our plans had changed, Tina had to readjust. She had a motel for the nite and was ready to crash for the evening, so we told her we’d meet up with her and go to Busch Gardens the next day as we headed out to Kings Dominion.

We hopped in the car and headed to the park. When we got to the gate the one coaster that Bill & Matt wanted to ride, Avalanche, was listed as closed for the day. Bill and I had season passes that worked on the new system they had installed, but Matt had to take his Worlds of Fun season pass to Guest Services. It didn’t take long, though, and soon we were inside International Street and headed for Hypersonic XLC. You may know about my experience last time I was at the park and how I didn’t get to ride this coaster. In 2001 I planned to visit the park to ride the then new coaster, but it was closed. I knew this when I went, however, a week after my visit, the ride re-opened.

And since I really did want to ride it, and since it has been listed for sale by the park owners, and since it isn’t really a very close park that I got to a lot, I wasn’t taking any chances. I hadn’t seen it launch when we first arrived at the park, but we did eventually see it cycle. The line wasn’t very long so we hopped in line for my first credit of the trip. Matt and I opted for the back half of the train. And as we were 2 trains from our ride, the ride shut down. There was an issue with some kid on the train, I’m not sure what happened, and his dad was being an idiot, jumping over the rails into the station. Bad move. After the train sat in the first staging area for a few minutes, they rolled it back into the station and everyone was made to get out of the train. Then they tested it about 4 times. Finally, the ride started back again.

Six Flags America 2007

Six Flags America | Photos | Videos

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August 10, 2007
Washington, D. C.

I left for this trip on Thursday, leaving directly from work just after noon so that I could arrive at my first stop in Moorefield by the early evening. When I arrived at Petersburg I stopped by Rite Aid for some razor blades, and then I headed to my sister Jacqui’s house, where my brother would be as well. It was dinner time, but I’d eaten on the way up, which still didn’t stop me from having a bowl of rice as I sat and talked with the family over dinner.

Kelly and I left and went back to his apartment in Moorefield and then stayed up to watch Conan. I had a feeling I wouldn’t get much sleep, and I didn’t. But I was up and ready to go by 6:15 AM., at which time I left Kelly’s apartment and headed to town for gas. After filling up, I started towards D.C., which was a shorter ride than I had planned for. Not much in the way of traffic, and I stopped in Virginia for breakfast at McDonalds. I actually liked the drive to D.C.

I went around the southern part of the Beltway and called Matt about 10 miles from Six Flags America. I told him I was going to make a quick bathroom stop, and about 2 blocks away from Six Flags, I stopped at Target and picked up some disposable cameras, since I didn’t have a digital camera on this trip. Two exits up I spotted Matt and Bill at the entrance to Six Flags America, as the bus had dropped them right off at the front gate entrance road to the park, so I stopped on the side of the entrance road and they hopped in.

State Fair of West Virginia 2007

State Fair of WV | Photos | Videos

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August 2007
Lewisburg WV

I always loved going to the State Fair of WV. This was something we did every year when I was young and I had so much fun the previous year that I knew I’d go again in 2007. With the addition of some new rides, including a new coaster to add to my track record, I decided I would meet my parents there on the last day of the fair since they would be going up the day before and camping at the fair grounds. I’m not a huge fan of camping, and haven’t camped at the State Fair since I was very small, so I stayed home and on Saturday morning got up and drove to Fairlea.

The drive was just under 2 hours and the weather was beautiful. The skys were clear, it wasn’t too hot, and the humidity, which has been a problem the weeks prior to the fair, was low. When I finally saw the skyline of the midway I was excited when I saw that one of my favorite rides the Freak Out there even though it wasn’t on the schedule. Then I saw another new ride, a Chance drop tower, that was also not scheduled to be there. Once I arrived, I pulled into the Fair’s parking lot and met my mom, dad, and sister, then we rode back to the camping area where they had their tents set up. Mom and Dad were going to use my Xterra to pack up most of their stuff, so I headed over to the gate to meet up with my brother in law, my niece, and my nephew.

After getting to the gate I paid the $10 to enter and headed over the bridge to the fairgrounds. I met up with Johnny and the kids at the bottom of the bridge, paid for my Ride Till 5 bracelet, and we headed to our first ride, a new coaster.

Cedar Point 2007 Day 1

Cedar Point | Photos | Videos

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June 17, 2007
Sandusky OH

My drive from Geauga Lake to Cedar Point was much easier than 2004. I didn’t get lost and was more familiar with the route. Cedar Point came in to view in the distance when I wasn’t expecting it, and I got excited. I passed by my turn not realizing it, turned around, and and headed to the causeway. Driving down the causeway, I always have a National Lampoons moment seeing the exaggerated skyline. Oh, and that hump on the causeway over the water still provides some great air. I missed that.

I made sure to get a park map, unlike on my previous visit. I skipped parking in the main parking lot and went around to the Gemini lot. I wish I’d known about on my previous visit as it is close to a back entrance. I parked, got my stuff, and headed for the Magnum Gate. I’d heard recently that having another park pass causes issues at this gate, but I didn’t have any problems. I just went inside at the ticket booth, they looked at the pass, typed in the number, had me sign and mark which park it was from, and then let me in. No worries & no wait.

After I made it inside I decided to check the line for Top Thrill Dragster. This was my first ride on my last trip, and I know how lines for it can be, so I wanted to ride it early if I got the chance. I stopped by the gift shop and purchased a $2 strap for my glasses as I couldn’t find the one I’d purchased on my last visit. Dragster was launching consistently and the line looked to be an hour or less, so I got in line.