AFTER hitting the road around 7am Saturday morning, I headed south. Approaching Effingham, IL, storm clouds gathered in the sky, and it got darker. As I approached St. Louis, the rain picked up, and it got heavier after I crossed the river.

Soon after, though, the skies brightened, and the rain let up. As I pulled in the parking lot at SFStL around 10:45, it was raining moderately, and I put on my rain gear. I headed for the gate. Batman and EK were running, and I figured I'd catch a few rides on Batman and then head to EK and then up the hill to meet everyone at the mine train at noon.

Sitting in the back of the Batman train at almost exactly 11am, I found that when you're on the lift your legs get dripped on by some not-so-clear water coming from the wheels. Thankfully it rolled right off of my rain pants, and I enjoyed three rides without getting off before heading over to EK.

I was warm and dry from head to foot. I was having a good time.... until the loudspeakers announced that the park would close at noon. Great. The rain was getting lighter, but the mostly empty parking lot told the tale.

I hopped in the back seat of EK with no wait. The ride was running well, and when we returned to the station, everyone got off - except me! No one was in line, so I scored a zen ride on EK, my first anywhere that I can recall. That was my 5th ride of the day.

I headed up the hill to MrF, and they opened the gate just as I arrived. We ran up to catch a ride, but a clap of thunder closed the ride just as we got to the station. I waited in the station until just before noon, and then headed for the mine train. That part of the park was already cleared, so I went to the gate and just caught Paul and friends. After agreeing to meet at the gate on Sunday, I drove about 40 miles west to a friend's place, having lunch on the way. We had dinner, beer, and I got a good night's sleep.

Sunday, March 29th - a most memorable day!

The next morning I awoke to about 3" of snow on the ground, but the roads were fine. On the way I snapped a photo of someone with a snowplow on their truck. I was worried about the park being closed, but passing through the parking gate it obviously wasn't, and I was VERY relieved. Maybe the day would turn out OK after all.... little did I know.....

I parked my car about 10:15am, and Paul and Bond pulled up a couple of spots away. After getting a photo we went in and collected Brian, Kevin and family, and Greg. We headed for the mine train, but it was closed so we did Superman, the Rush Street Flyer, and Scooby Doo instead. Paul took photos of everything along the way.

Heading down the hill Mr. Freeze was covered in snow, as were parts of EK. Just before noon I got my second ever ride on Mr. Freeze (with Paul, Kevin and Brian) and then we headed for EK again after we saw it run. Some of us took a lap before Paul and Bond, because they were waiting for the front and there was actually a line! When we got back to the station, we moved up toward the front to be near father and son. As soon as the ride was over, Paul turned around and said Bond liked it, and we all applauded. It was really fun to be a part of that wonderful moment.

The rest of the day is a bit of a blur, just due to the number of rides we got. Disclaimer - some of this may be out of order....

We had lunch, and decided to meet up at the Mine Train at 1pm. I don't think it was open yet, but at some point Greg, Brian and I caught a lap or two on Batman. Greg had to go, and Brian and I caught up with the rest of the group. My second ride on Tony Hawk was lots of fun, and we were doing some pretty serious spinning for a while.

Bond was asked if he wanted to ride the Eagle, but he said no and chose EK instead. After doing that we went to the Mine Train for a few laps, and Bond suddenly agreed to try the Eagle. He sat in the front with Paul, and he loved it.

I asked him which coaster was his favorite, and he said the Eagle. I rode with Bond on the Eagle a few times after this, and after one ride I asked him why it was his favorite - he said "cause it's an out and back." Bond also used the word helix correctly in a sentence, so it's clear that he's well on his way to his own ACE membership.

We headed down the hill and Bond, Paul, and Brian rode the log flume. I declined after seeing them bailing out a boat. Instead I tried to ride MrF, but it was down, so I came back and just caught some photos of them in their boat. While I waited to see if MrF would open after I saw it test, they went back to the Eagle. MrF didn't open after 5-10 minutes, so I gave up and went back to the Eagle and found Bond and Paul there. I joined Bond for a few rides, and at some point I needed a break and rode Superman again by myself a couple of times (no line).

Brian was carrying pizza slices as I met him while I was heading down the hill, and he said they'd meet me at Batman shortly. I rode it nine times, including four rides in the front without having to get off. That was way too much fun. I looked around every time I went up the lift and tried to look around during the twisted turns and corkscrews after the second loop, but I didn't see Paul, Bond or Brian, who I later found out were waiting for me at the exit, where I couldn't see them for some reason. I definitely had my B&M fix.

Satisfied, I headed to EK to finish the day and (as expected) I found Paul and Bond rolling into the station in the back seat. Brian had headed home. I joined them. After a few laps with Dad, Bond rode with me for the last few few. We must have had about 8 rides before the park closed, usually without getting off, occasionally switching seats. We both took photos in the empty train and station, and thanked the crew.

As I write this my shoulders are sore and my face is wind-burned, and those are signs of a fantastic day at the park.

Huge thanks to everyone for being so welcoming and to Paul and Bond for letting me share in some great father-son moments.

I'm looking forward to meeting up with members of this crew again, some at KI when Diamondback opens, and maybe more if I can make the trip to KC at the beginning of May. I'll see what my schedule allows.

Thanks again. Enjoy the photos. -Mike

God I look so fat in that first picture of me. Of course I'm not really (down to 221 after hanging out around 235 for the last 2 years) but I had 1 t-shirt, 2 hoodies and a rain coat on in order to keep warm that day.

Great TR.

Have Fun

Paul

Mike,
Thanks for the great pics and trip report.
Brian