VortexBFForever

It has been, um, 12 DAYS! Time to move on.... Floral Clock by KIC-Vortex_BFF, on Flickr Easy: any landscaping outside the Front Gate Hard: anything from the top of the Eiffel Tower Expert: any ride's storage bin(s)

Also thinking about going to Kentucky Kingdom next season. I've never been there in my entire life!

I know my mom and I will plan to go somewhere during Spring Break, but we won't find out until March. It's an excellent time to visit another park if you ask me. This year (2013) we went to Dollywood during Spring Break, and in 2012 we went to Kings Dominion. I wonder where we will be heading next...

You may already know by now that I like to start out my PTRs with the first pictures at the park, but this one is starting out a little differently - I decided to take some pics of the fall colors along the way... [/url] ...before arriving at the park: It was about 4:00 p.m. by the time we walked through the gates of Kings Island for the last time this season. Like last year, I decided to head left, into Action Zone. Next year, I'm going to the right! We headed to Delirium first. Its line was the shortest I had seen in a while! The wait was less than a cycle-length. I was assigned to Seat 28. What a fun ride to start a Closing Day trip! I always like saying that I love the feeling you get when you're just floating!!! How amazing. Next was the blue Vekoma inverted boomerang, Invertigo. Invertigo's line was only a station wait! I got in line for the end seat on the end of the train that faced the parking lot after waiting 2 cycles. Fun and intense ride, as I always like it! During the ride, my hands were either on my lap or out to the side. I apparently am developing a habit of doing that, and as far as I'm concerned there is nothing wrong with that. I then headed to Flight Deck, since riding it was the main priority I had started the trip in Action Zone. After this season it would be transformed into The Bat, I would later learn. I headed back one last time to ride it while it was still Flight Deck. My first three FD rides of the day were on Train #2. After a single ride in 7-1, I got back in line and was able to do a double ride in 5-1 and 6-1. The two rides after that were a double ride on Train #1 - I rode in 1-2 and 7-2. Meanwhile, I figured out that my fifth and final FD ride this day was actually my 45th ride ever on Flight Deck! After these five amazing flights I headed up to Oktoberfest, hoping I would be able to marathon Adventure Express since I didn't get to yet this season. Part 2 will come as soon as tomorrow. Until then, enjoy!

It has been 3 days. Moving on... IMG_5324 by KIC-Vortex_BFF, on Flickr Easy: any flowers in the park Hard: Vortex from the overlook in front of 3 Point Challenge (with a train in sight) Expert: WindSeeker at night

I just woke up from my first Vortex dream of this offseason! This dream was really realistic. It was just a normal late afternoon/evening at Kings Island. I was waiting in a short line for Vortex, taking pictures like I normally do. The weird thing was that after the cycle, the train would stop on the LIFT HILL instead of the station! Finally I was next in line to ride, but just when I was stepping into the front seat of the train the dream ended. (Dang it!) Vortex Dreams I've Had This Offseason: 1

Easy: A looping coaster Hard: Picture of Vortex from inside its station Expert: Close-up of the decal on the front of a Vortex train

I have photos of the Easy and Hard: Easy: A steel coaster Hard: A steel coaster in Coney Mall Expert: A steel looping coaster in Coney Mall with a train in the middle of an inversion

Mom did get the messages, actually, but she didn't let me know about them! Maybe I was in the middle of a ride when she got them...for some reason I never knew. Oh well, there is always next time!

LoraX, she was not my grandma; she was my mom. And yes, I probably would've had a little more fun if we had found the group earlier, like on Closing Day last year.

I was there, but I never found the KIC group until after closing...I probably should've tried a little harder to locate you; I couldn't let go of that thought when we were at Taco Bell!

I remember hearing about The Beast's 30th anniversary in 2009...and now its 35th is almost upon us? Wow. Time sure can fly...

Can't wait to see FD/The Bat with its new paint and theme! (Even if it means waiting at least another month or two...)

Now I will have to get used to calling it "The Bat"!

I was on what was supposed to be Vortex's last train of the year, but they didn't block off the queue in time so there were a few people that had gotten in line after the gates had closed. So my ride ended up being the second to last train of the season for the 2nd Closing Day in a row! In a way, I was still on Vortex's "last" train of the year...before/at 7:00pm.....

The 2013 season was great. One of the most notable events for me was my 200th Vortex ride!

I put the camera on the ground so it faced straight up, made sure I was out of the way, and then pressed the shutter button.

Edit: I have gotten better at picking up sarcasm since then. I promise.

I was there that same day from 11:00 to 3:00! It will still be a little while, though, before my PTR is up; managing over 180 photos isn't the easiest thing in the world, but it's worth it!

Heard some interesting ones at Vortex yesterday! "Once the train comes to a complete stop, you may exit towards...the exit, I guess." "Enjoy the rest of your day here at Kings Island World." Loved these two: Op: If you enjoyed your ride on Racer, make some noise! *riders do nothing* Op: That is the correct answer. This is not Racer; it is Vortex! Op: Welcome back, riders! How was your sandwich? *riders do nothing* Op: Great job! You were all listening! Also while I was riding Zephyr, the op there played Simon Says!

I have KI brochures from 2009-now, some Cedar Point brochures from 2011-now, a 2012 Coney Island brochure, a 2011 Darien Lake brochure, 2 2012 Kings Dominion brochures, and a 2013 Dollywood park map. I also had KI brochures from 2007 and 2008, but they disappeared in 2009 and haven't been seen since.

Edit: I'm horrible at picking up sarcasm. Thankfully the days of making awkward replies (such as what was originally included in the post) are behind me.

Extra-Short Part 4 :-) It was a great morning/early afternoon! +Vortex: 9 YTD: 83 Total: 218 +WindSeeker: 3 YTD: 33 Total: 51 +Monster: 1 YTD: 6 Total: 6 +Dodgem: 1 YTD: 4 Total: 4 Thanks for reading!

Part 3 I wanted to ride WindSeeker and Vortex again, but I only had time for one. The next picture will tell you where I went first: While waiting in the 7 minute line, I went ahead and snapped away! At this point, my battery was too close to being fully depleted from taking so many pictures…good thing I had my mom’s camera with me as well! You know what happened…the snapping resumed less than a minute later! I was on Train #2 AGAIN! And it was fun; probably one of the best Vortex rides I ever had that day! It was AWESOME! I decided to buy the ride photo from that great experience. I was able to pay for photo #9701 (my photo) with my own money (first time I've ever done that!). I loved my picture, so it was pretty much worth it! The time had come for us to leave, as it was already 2. Now to wait until the 20th…. Part...4?!?!?! in next post

Part 2 Once again, I was on Train #2! I had a nice fun ride in 2-2 (how about that – 2-2 on #2!!) like always. Vortex is always fun for me, no matter where I sit. After hopping off Train #2 with a good-sized smile on my face, I headed back to WindSeeker since I had heard the Harry Potter Hedwigs Theme play on a cycle it had just finished. However, I was too late to catch the next cycle (which, like always, has “Romantic Flight” playing) so I headed to the Juke Box Diner and filled my souvenir cup with ice water. I waited another cycle before heading in line, hoping to catch the “See You Tomorrow” cycle, but since WS was still running at half-capacity (it was breezy) I was instead the first one onto the cycle after “See You Tomorrow,” which had “This Is Berk” playing. I was once again assigned to Seat 31, and I had a nice flight in the chilly breezes, 301 feet above Kings Island. ^If you look closely enough at this picture, you can see WindSeeker. Turns out, I also made it onto the next cycle. This one played “Flying,” one of my all time favorite soundtracks to hear while on WS. (I FINALLY found out what its name is on 9/22, thanks to a fellow rider who knew) I LOVED it like always, especially for my first time riding in Seat 1 on WindSeeker! I had my hands up while uptop; it was fun! During the walk to Monster, I got some pics of the view of Banshee from the Mall: After waiting only a few minutes (the cycle had just finished) I got to go into the ride area. I rode in Car 17. I really enjoyed the ride – I figured out how to use my weight to make the car spin a little more. Afterwards, I decided to ride Dodgem. My mom normally rides it too, but this time she wasn’t in the mood. During the one-cycle wait for Dodgem, I had fun seeing the looks on the guests’ faces as they were bumping each other. That is fun in itself! When I got on, I rode in Car 9, as I always do. Yes, I know that KI’s Dodgems aren’t the best bumper cars around, but they’re still fun!! Part 3 in next post