Location: Bloomington, IL
Miles traveled: ask the co-driver
Cost of gas: $1.85 / gal
Weather: awesome
Mood: beat
Tunes: Lipps, Inc. – Funkytown

< !Start right after THIS!>I was going to back date post – but I don’t think that’s fair. Oh, and I’m tired and want sleep. We hit Cedar Point in OH. We hit Chicago, IL. Took a double decker bus tour of the city and had an awesome time.

Some technical bugs to work out with the intar-web. But I’m happy to have a high speed connection here at the Kw’ality Inn in Bloomington. I made sure to upload the ton of pictures we took so far. Lots of stories to be told.

If you’re not in “the know” – we are sending out internet postcards of our trip to friends and family. Check them out here.

After a little GPS mapping problem we were able to find our hotel. You see everything in Cedar Point is called Cedar Point “Something.” Even the streets. So, It’s Cedar Point Park on Cedar Point Drive, in Cedar Point. It’s right past Cedar Point Lanes and the Cedar Point Hotel. You can’t miss it.

The park is great. The weather was great. I can see why it’s listed as one of the worlds best coaster / amusement parks in the world. As a coaster snob afficinado – I think that this park has a lot to offer, but not necessarilly my favorite rides. They are higher and faster, but they seem to lack the ride time of some of the coasters in the East. The Top Thrill Dragster is an amazing ride, yet only 14 seconds. The Millenium Force only has a couple of turns and a few big hills. Maybe some whoopdies, or a tight spiral? I guess they thought dropping you 350 feet was enough. If we were to compare Cedar Point in Ohio to Six Flags Great Adventure in NJ – Park to park, I would give Cedar Point the crown but tell them to watch out. Six Flags Great Adventure is a close second.

The run down (for coaster snobs only): We tried to compare like to like, based on the age or style of the ride. Some rides don’t have a good counterpart.

Millenum Force or Nitro – Nitro wins. Longer but not taller. I love the upwards spiral.
Top Thrill or Superman – Equal in very different ways. Fly like Superman or drive a Dragster…
Mean Streak or Rolling Thunder – Mean Streak is better, but almost gets disqualified because it’s a metal coaster held up by wood. Not a “true” (metal plates on wood) wooden coaster.
Wicked Twister or The Chiller – Wicked Twister is awesome. The Chiller is too loud. Both linear induction.
Magnum XL-200 or Scream Machine – Equal. Both older style unique coasters. One has a big drop. One loops.
Raptor or Batman – Raptor wins, but it’s no Medusa.
Mantis or Medusa – Medusa hands down.
Corkscrew or Viper – Viper, even though it’s closed all the time.
Cedar Creek Mine Train or Runaway Mine Train – Equal. It’s the same ride.
Disaster Transport or Skull Mountain – Equal. In the dark and not scary.

Now the gem of the park is a little “kiddie” ride called the Wildcat. It’s a old coaster that is really smooth. Very traditional “around then drop, around then drop” but it was a suprise to me how soft and fun it was. If you want a good “warm-up” ride: Skip Disaster Transport and head to the Wildcat.

Location: Sandusky, OH
Miles traveled: 505
Cost of gas: $1.93 / gal
Weather: rainy / shitty
Mood: tired
Tunes: Huey Lewis and the News

< !Start right after THIS!>Streetsborough. What kind of town name is that? Like naming your son “Guy.” We got burned a little for gas in PA. We were hoping to continue on a $1.81 trend. We stopped on exit 15 on I-80 in PA and got raked for $1.93. Into Ohio gas dropped to $1.77. Enough about gas and the republican economy.

We stopped in Dillsburg to see some old friends from the Subaru club. Our friends are named Chris and Christine. Kris, Christine, Chris, and Christine. Our dilemma was solved somewhat by calling Chris’s wife Doctor (as she has her MD) and me “Kay-ris”. This won’t work anymore once my Christine gets her PhD. “Doctor? Doctor.”

On our way through Ohio we got caught in some showers. The sun broke through after a little while. More from Cedar Point later…

Location: Scotch Plains, NJ
Miles traveled: 263
Cost of gas: $1.79 / gal
Weather: sunny / cool
Mood: nervous
Tunes: Prodigy

< !Start right after THIS!>The stage is set. We begin. The part we will probably remember the least. I know I will forget packing up the car. I will forget squeezing the plastic trash bins into the trunk of the Neon. I will forget the 10 year old toaster oven left beside the dumpster. I will forget how squeaky the floor on Apsley St. was. I will remember the first time I saw that apartment in August of 2003, but I will forget the dozens of times I drove there from Manchester. Memory is sometimes picky about what you burn in there for life and what you spend all day doing and forget in a month.

Everything is set in motion, including us. Our storage containers are on their way west. The three boxes that wouldn’t fit were sent “parcel post” to return to us in Irvine. Ze’Neon is here in NJ waiting for our arrival on a cold December morning. I’ve never seen a “to-do” list longer then the one in my Palm. We’ve made calls, reservations, plans, checked weather, checked the moon, called back, sent email, and confirmed plans. A going away party Saturday. In the car Sunday morning. The motion is almost perpetual.