Cincinnatti | Shenanigans & Tomfoolery

June 3, 2012
Kings Mills OH

My first visit to Kings Island was in 1994 on a disastrous school trip that caused me to miss riding both The Beast and Vortex. My 2nd visit was a decade later. While it was much better, I walked away that evening in pain because I’d walked and stood so much. I’d tried to get back to Kings Island a couple of times, once on a trip in which I ended up in the hospital in Columbus due to kidney stones and a bruised kidney (thanks Magnum). Since I was going to Holiwood Nights I figured this would be the closest I’d be to the park for a while, so why not?

Sunday morning I woke up after everyone else and got ready. Since we all drove separately I left 2nd and was about 30 minutes behind Rob. Thankfully Rob called and texted me and the others about parts of I71 North being closed off for construction. I was able to tell him the detour and a couple of hours later we met up at a park and ride near the park, since Rob didn’t have a Platinum Pass and I did, so that no one had to pay for parking.

The parking lot was quite full and people were pouring in by the minute. I asked the gate attendant where season pass parking was and she told me to go left and I would see it. Eventually I saw the preferred parking lot, so I pulled in and asked if my pass covered that and the gentleman at the gate let me in. We were just a few steps from the entrance. I love Platinum Passes, especially the last 2 weeks with Kings Dominion and Kings Island letting me park so close.

IMAGE

August 3, 2004
Paramount’s Kings Island
Cincinatti, OH
Photo Album

My original goal for the summer of 2004 was to visit at least one theme park every month from May through October. But because of car trouble and an overall lack of funding I had to skip the Beast Buzz event in June, and my planned trip in July to Cedar Point was pushed back to August in order to spend that day with friends that would be visiting the area that same week. I also ended up skipping a visit to Dollywood in late July. Because of so many setbacks, I was determined to get to Kings Island in August. I hadn’t been to the park since my 8th grade field trip in 1994, so it had been just over a decade since my first and only trip to the park. Since I ended up having a 4 day stretch off of work I decided to use that to my advantage.

I had thought of going to Coney Island Park in Cincinnati the evening before, but after a grueling drive to OH all I wanted to do was set up my tent and sleep after I arrived. Driving by the park right before it closed, I was able to watch the fireworks, get a look at Son of Beast, and watch Drop Zone cycle a few times. I had discussed meeting up with Danny from CoasterBuzz and, though we were going to meet that evening, I had to get some sleep. So I checked in at the Kings Island Campground, got my lot, set up my tent, and went to sleep after my 6 plus hour trip to Kings Mills, OH.

The next morning I couldn’t sleep past 6 AM. I went to the bathhouse and took a shower, popped some ginger pills and aspirin for the pain and nausea that I didn’t want to have later, and since I was up I figured I’d go over to the McDonalds around the corner and have breakfast. After that I went back to my tent to lie down & make a few phone calls before I walked over to the park. I could have waited for the shuttles to start running but I figured I could use a morning walk to get me going.
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