#beech bend

The drive to Bowling Green was about 2 hours.  We stopped once we got off of the interstate at a Hardees for a quick bite and bathroom break.  Then we headed to our first park, Beech Bend.  After arriving at the small park, which just happens to be situated right in the middle of nowhere, we parked in the (Free) parking lot, which was nice because it was grassy where you parked, and paved where you drove.  Next up we snapped some pictures and headed to the ‘front gate’.  The park is really odd and lots of it are just portable rides set up around a large field with rolling hills, up from a drag racing strip.  But they have a highly rated wooden coaster, and my traveling buddies who had been there said it was a quaint park with good rides.

Matt had an American Coaster Enthusiast card, which got us in for half price, so I scored on a POP bracelet which lets you ride everything for as long as you like.  We walked around the front of the park and discussed riding certain rides, but the first stop was their still fairly new wooden coaster, Kentucky Rumbler.  I’d heard good things, but I didn’t know how well I’d like it.  We arrived at the very empty queue (Yay!) and I headed for the front with Dan, Matt queuing for the seat behind us, and Rob and Melissa in the back.

Kentucky Rumbler-The ride ops were very fun and friendly.  We chatted with them while they were checking restraints and what not.  Then we headed out.  The GCI guys must have an obsession with having a pre-lift section.  All of the coasters I’ve been on by them have it.  Not that I’m complaining, I think it’s fun.  I really wasn’t expecting much from Rumbler, but once we headed over the first dip/turn/drop, I quickly fell in love!  This coaster has awesome airtime and gave an out of control experience from the very first dip.  Rumbler is just crazy, and makes me think that whoever said wooden coasters shouldn’t be above 100 feet could be on to something.  We immediately went around and got in line for the very back.  Surprisingly, the back wasn’t as fun as the front, which is rare on a coaster.  Still good, but not AS good.

The exit is really long (and required hand slaps going down the zig-zag ramp) and empties into a gift shop.  It was kinda large (and still fairly newish).  We didn’t stay in very long.  Next up was supposed to be the Looping Star, but we headed to the Hip Hop Family Drop Ride instead because it looked fun.

Hip Hop Family Drop Ride-Oh.  My.  Goodness.  I thought it would be like the one we ‘broke’ at Dollywood.  Nope.  Not even close.  No where near.  This was one of the best rides in the park.  You can’t ride it and not laugh.  It was rather forceful and gave great airtime for a 30 foot bouncing drop ride.  It bounces and gives a really long ride cycle.  Moser rides created a masterpiece with this thing.  I’d take this in my front yard, please.  I couldn’t stop laughing the whole time.  The airtime was tight and the drops were too much fun.  I LOVED this ride.

After that we headed over to the petting zoo to pet goats, look at chickens and cats, and play with lambs.  We were there for quite a while petting the animals and taking pictures.  Some of the goats were rather loverly creatures and I enjoyed the break, but it was rather hot and humid, and being in the petting zoo seemed more humid to me.  After that we headed over to Looping Star.  I wasn’t looking forward to it because it has a bad reputation and doesn’t look very attractive from the midway.  I knew it was going to be uncomfortable, but how much so I didn’t realize before riding.

Looping Star-The ride op was great and very funny.  But the ride itself was terrible. It started shaking before we even got to the lift.  The seats and restraints weren’t comfortable.  The first drop did nothing but hurt.  The turns just flung me into Dan in between shakes.  Then it went into that dreadful loop.  Ouch.  That hurt.  In fact, I think it still does.  Finally, after a few harsh turns, we were let off of the ride.  As I was sitting on the brake run, however, the over the shoulder restraint was released, and popped up and bopped me in the nose.  Not fun.  It hurt.  Never again…

After that painful (yet expectedly bad) experience, we headed over to Shock Drop, the drop tower.  It’s only about 80 feet tall, but it’s one of the best I’ve ever been on.  Melissa and Rob didn’t want to ride, so Dan, Matt, and Myself all got in line for a one cycle wait.

Shock Drop-Oh.  My.  Goodness.  Heights scare me anyways.  Dan and Matt tried to get me to not hold on at all, but going up I had to.  You can’t look up and see the top of the tower because the gondola shoots out above your head blocking your view.  All you get is a quick click sound once you get to the top and then you drop.  Going up to the top wasn’t bad because the ride isn’t extremely tall, so I was okay with that.  But this was one of the most intense falls ever.  You stop literally just a couple feet from the bottom.  It’s like you’re never going to stop.  And it is amazing.  I became a believer.

Next up was the Giant Slide.  The stairs were rather narrow going up, but I managed to fit.  The slide was fun, but there isn’t any point doing a rundown because it’s a slide, and it’s very short.  At the bottom of the slide, the pad put on the asphalt to land on slid about 10 feet with me out into the midway.  T’was quite funny.  After we all got our slide on we headed to another coaster, the kiddie Dragon coaster.

Dragon-This was an odd coaster.  I didn’t know they used air (The foreign ride op called it ‘air gravity’) to close and open the restraints.  I’d never noticed that on any coaster before.  There isn’t much to say here.  The coaster goes around the track a couple of times before it stops.  The first drop was fun, but it’s really just some turns and curves.

We headed down a few feet to the dark ride (named, appropriately enough, Haunted House).  The line was the longest we waited in the park for the entire day.  Actually the mouse coaster may have rivaled it, but this one seemed longer.

Haunted House-I rode by myself.  It’s pretty much just a big dark building with some flashing bulbs, buzzing sounds, and an occasional skull or dummy placed somewhere.  Nothing major, but still ‘interesting’.  I’ve been on better.  I’ve been on worse.  I’d rather have been with someone else to make it more fun, but we live and we learn.

Melissa and Rob wanted to ride the antique cars while Matt, Dan, and I needed water and a bathroom break, plus I wanted to ride another ride.  We walked to the arcade and got something to drink, then I went to the little boys room.  Dan said he’d ride the Moby Dick ride with me so we headed over to that.  Matt was going to, but opted out, taking pictures instead.

Moby Dick-I love these types of rides.  The lateral forces as well as the airtime (which was really great on this one) make for a fun ride.  The ride cycle was rather long to, swinging both ways.  Dan and I had an entire end section to ourselves. Matt took plenty of pictures and we yelled and talked to him on the ground.  Another fun flat ride for a nice little park, even if the park does look like a permanent fair.

Rob and Melissa were sitting on a bench on the way to the mouse.  We all got in line and waited for one of the longer lines of the day.  I didn’t mind because the park was fairly empty and the line, while not covered, is shaded by nearby trees.  Dan and I decided to ride together so that Matt could ride with Melissa and Rob (and hopefully add to their spinning).

Wild Mouse-This was my fourth coaster from this basic model (two from Zamperla, 2 from Reverchon).  I love them.  Dan and I both sat on one side, making the car uneven and allowing us to spin way more than I’m used to.  The first half is fun, but unlike most mice, it doesn’t really give me that “Oh, we gonna go over the edge” feeling that spinning mice rarely give me.  But once we hit the switch, the car began twirling as we went around the tight turns and up and down the drops.  This was the spiniest and probably best ride I’ve ever had on this type of coaster.

Dan and I watched as Matt, Melissa, and Rob spun to the end of the track.  After we all got off of the ride we headed back across the midway.  We stopped at the Giant Slide once again as Dan, Melissa, and I decided to take a spin.  We wanted to race this time, and it was fun, but Dan and Melissa hit the pad at the bottom before I did (the pad that slid 10 feet with me on my last ride), which meant that it didn’t move when I hit it.  Which also meant that my right leg twisted back underneath me.  Which meant that I was in a lot of pain.  For most of the rest of the weekend.  But I lived.  Oh well.

We walked back over to Shock Drop. This time I decided not to hold on, as did Matt and Dan.  However, on the way down, Dan grabbed my hand.  I guess it kinda scared him.  I think Shock Drop will rank rather high amongst my favorite rides ever.  It was that good.  But not as good as Hip Hop Family Drop Ride. So we went back over to that.  The 2nd ride was just as fun.  I LOVE that ride.  Melissa’s shoe fell off of the platform, but the awesome ride op retrieved it for her.  I’m serious, this was my 2nd favorite ride in the park behind Rumbler.  And that’s where we headed to next.  Upon arriving at the station, it was empty again.  Dan, Matt, and I went for the front again.

The ops were still as fun to talk to as they were for our first 2 rides.  And the coaster was even better.  I LOVE Kentucky Rumbler.  I will get back down there to ride it again, sooner rather than later.  So our day at Beech Bend was coming to a close.  We stopped quickly on the way out for Matt and Dan to ride the Scrambler.  Then Melissa and Rob grabbed a drink.  Then Dan wanted to write a very nice comment at guest relations.  The people at Beech Bend were genuinely friendly, ran the rides very efficiently, and were just awesome.  The park is kind of ‘ghetto’, in that permanent county fair sort of way, but that adds to the charm.  Rumbler is a GREAT addition that they’re lucky to have, and they have a nice selection of flats and a cool little water park as well.  Can’t wait to go back.

After we left we headed out to Holiday World.  We played 20 Coaster Questions on the way (FUN) and enjoyed the scenery.  We went over a really cool cable stayed bridge as well.  Then we arrived at Holiday World.  At last.  Here we were.  So we parked and went to the entrance for my first ever Holiwood Nights.