Just the other day, I was browsing around Yahoo and out of the corner of my eye caught a news headline that read, "Dad Makes Backyard Rollercoaster". A surge of excitement rushed through me and I immediately clicked on the link as if this were my dad building my biggest childhood dream in my own backyard. I am not a thrill-seeker by any means but I have always LOVED roller coasters. They are probably one of my earliest and longest obsessions. So after clicking the link, this is what I saw:
Now even more intrigued, I wondered if this was the first person who had the gumption to create their own backyard rollercoaster. Seeing as I had this same childhood dream, which dates back to the '70's, I figured I was probably not the only one, so I went to YouTube and this is what I found…
WOW!!! I'm beginning to see the signs of a crazy craze here, and I emphasize "crazy" because there is not only a lot of math and science that goes into building rollercoasters but construction safety and knowhow, as well. Unfortunately, there are bound to be some accidents, but in the meantime, I think rollercoaster enthusiasts will continue trying to create their own.
As for myself, I'll let the professionals whip me around and turn me upside-down, and go to either Disneyland, Knott's Berry Farm, or Six Flag's Magic Mountain; however, after having an unnerving experience with a seatbelt incident on Batman: The Ride at Magic Mountain a couple years back, I have become a little more cautious. Alas, even that terrifying two and a half minutes did not deter my love for roller coasters; however, I have noticed that ever since then, I have become prone to motion sickness. Ah well, that's what drugs are for.
And if I ever need a rollercoaster fix, I can always return to playing RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 from Frontier and Atari. I have to say, hands down, one of the best games I ever obsessed over. And not just me, there was a whole community that dedicated their lives to this game. You would not believe what people were capable of creating without seeing it for yourself, and this was way back in 2005. There are a ton of RCT3 videos but here are two of my favorites:
I did pretty well creating a few theme parks of my own, though I never recorded any of them. And now, I'm waiting for RollerCoaster Tycoon 4 to come out... some day... sigh.... and if that day ever does comes, you can bet it will consume my life for at least a good year.I could continue talking about rollercoasters all day, everything from my favorite coaster, which is the now defunct Déjà Vu from Six Flags Magic Mountain to "Rollercoaster!" the movie. But if you're a rollercoaster enthusiast too, and don't already know about the website called the Roller Coaster Database, you should check it out: www.rcdb.com
Best blog post EVER! YAAAAAAAAAAY!!!!!
ReplyDeleteThe adult backyard coaster is impressive, but I would get tired of going upside down over and over again.
The Tycoon sims were impressive. Particularly the "Avatar" looking one. Can you make wooden coasters on that game?...
I want, when I'm rich and eccentric, to build an Adult Jungle Gym. A big one with slides and rings and tubes to crawl through. All with a fully stocked wet-bar on the top level. That's where the slide comes in handy.
ReplyDelete@Steve - Thank you. Although I love every post because they're all MY obsessions, I have to admit this one was probably the most fun.
ReplyDelete@Justus - I would like an invite but only if it also includes a plastic ball pen - something I never did as a child and was too big for once the opportunity presented itself.
Oh! And yes, Steve, they do have woodens. There's the 1) Wooden coaster, 2) Wooden Crazy Rodent (Wild Mouse), 3) Wooden Reverser, and 4) The Wooden Twister (with loop).
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