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 ACE Preservation Conference
If you’ve ever been to the Mall of America then you know that Minnesotan’s hate the outdoors because they trapped most of the state under the roof off this giant mall. The event included early morning ERT on the two coasters and then a quick breakfast. We participated in both and then the wives left Ben and I alone to go crazy riding everything else. The park is of course super clean and well themed. The scenery is unbelievable when you consider the fact that you’re inside. There were plenty of food options but we didn’t eat and the restrooms where always just a few steps away. One of the main benefits to being inside is the knowing that humidity induced chaffing is pretty much impossible.
The Coasters:
Timberline Twister: 5 out of 10
This is a great little spinning coaster that puts riders in close proximity with supports and other rides. We ERT’ed this one early in the day and even that involved a 5 minute wait. These coasters seem to be pretty popular with the enthusiasts.
Ripsaw: 5 out of 10
I wasn’t expecting much from this one but when I finally looked at it I realized that it took up half of the park. This was a long coaster with a great deal of twists and turns. It’s not a thrill machine but it is a lot of fun and it allows you to plan the rest of your day since you get to see where everything else is. This was an ERT walk-on.
The other rides:
Paul Bunyan’s Log Chute: 7 out of 10
I love the log rides and this one is right up there with the best of them. There are multiple drops, a lot of theming and giant animatronics.
Treetop Tumbler: 4 out of 10
I don’t know how to describe this. Two cars are attached to an arm, the whole thing spins in a circle and then the top cars tumble forward and/or backwards. I will tell you that it’s fun and doesn’t induce much dizziness.
Screaming Yellow Eagle: 3 out of 10
It’s a magic carpet ride and it didn’t have a wait.
Bumper Cars: 3 out of 10
The cars are cool and the speed is good but the amount of space is limited so you’re always packed in with everyone else. I like to circle around and only shoot into the center once I have a victim picked out. With a small amount of square footage to work with it was hard to avoid getting stuck in traffic.
Ghost Blasters: 2 out of 10
This is a dark ride that has you shooting at ghosts and what not. My gun didn’t work very well and Ben is a damn dirty cheater and I will leave it at that. If you’re not with Ben then you’ll probably have a good time.
Treeswing: 3 out of 10
Your run of the mill chair swing. It has the option of going backwards, which is cool because you can kick Ben while riding. The problem with this was the length of the ride. It went on for freakin’ ever. I know that people don’t usually complain about a ride that is too long but when you’re going backwards in a swing you eventually get tired of kicking Ben and you want to do something else.
Yogi’s Big Rescue: 2 out of 10
It’s a movie with seats that move in a really hot room. Kids probably will like it but Ben and I were ready to make like horse poo and hit the trail.
Ben and I eventually got hungry so we called the wives and demanded that they stop spending money and join us at lunch. They actually agreed, I guess the hugeness of the Mall wore them out. Ron and Art were also out taking in the mall sites so we had to call them in as well. We all headed up to the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. and enjoyed a delicious lunch and then left the Mall before the wives could regain their shopping strength.
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