22nd -25th Aug: Days 136 – 139
We left Detroit (and Michigan finally) under a dark cloud of a threatened storm that we never materialised. We were a bit sorry to leave this fine state, but not sorry to leave the terrible roads of Detroit. Ironic that a city built on the back of the motoring industry and which boasts that it had the world’s first section of paved road (1 mile of the aforementioned Woodward Ave in 1909) Should have such awful, awful, awful awful road surfaces. Big Dave’s suspension was challenged by the ridges and potholes and it was a sweet moment when we passed over the state line into Ohio and the tarmac was instantly smooth as.
Our time in Ohio was to be a short but very focused 3 nights and 2 days at the Mecca for all that is fun, fast, high and upside down. Cedar Point Amusement Park. It sits at the end of a spit of land that juts out into Lake Erie at a place called Sandusky and it bills itself as the ‘Roller Coaster Capital Of The World’. And you know, I think it is probably right. It has 17 roller coasters, 5 of which are taller than 200ft, (one is 420ft and another is 310ft), one of the fastest accelerating coasters in the world, the tallest and fastest ‘dive’ coaster in the world and they are building another one which is going to be the biggest and fastest and longest in the whole damn universe. Yes.
Anyhow, a long time ago, Nick, the self confessed ‘Coaster Coward’ decided that we needed to visit this place of hedonism and adrenaline to ‘cure himself’ of his fear of heights. So he had booked us into the on-site RV park for 3 nights and bought us 2-day passes to the amusement park. Our site was close enough that we could hear the screams…and easily walk to the entrance gate.
We had an amazing 2 days. We walked miles up and down searching the shortest queues. We rode all the big ones bar one (which was unfortunately closed) and some of the smaller ones. We really didn’t have to spend along time waiting for any of the rides, which was cool. We (ok, mainly I) screamed my head off. Repeatedly. We wasted money in the arcades. We ate ice cream. We people watched, a lot. Main observation: there sure is a whole heap of ‘active wear’ being worn by minimally active people. Apparently wearing close fitting stretchy clothing is essential to sit in a chair and travel at speed.
The favourite ride? Top Thrill Dragster. A 0-120mph in 3.9 s acceleration then straight up, and then straight down. 17s of adrenaline The only one we did twice.
Here is us ‘enjoying’ it!
I spent much of the time having fun through a haze of mild vestibular labrynthitis, (hoorah for stemetil), and Nick now considers himself cured of his fear of heights (a bit).