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Roller coasters and rolling stones
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Posted by editor Fri Apr 28, 2006 15:28:21 PDT
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2 responses 0 comments The last time I had been to Six Flags Magic Mountain, the biggest thrills were Revolution, the first looping roller coaster ever built and Colossus, the tallest and fastest roller coaster in the west. But, now I am stunned to realize that Colossus has become the oldest wooden roller coaster in California. And, whereas I thought those still great rides were the ultimate in excitement, a recent spring break trip to Six Flags Magic Mountain quickly showed me how out of date I had become in terms of amusement park thrills.

Because of the long lines for X, which is advertised as “the world’s one and only fourth dimensional roller coaster,” we began our day with Viper, a real thriller with high speed multi-loop excitement that quickly made the long appreciated Revolution’s smooth ride seem like a lovely cup of tea.

Featuring the world’s tallest vertical loop at 140 feet, Viper has a top height of 188 feet and at a speed hitting 70 miles per hour, also will swoosh you through 90 foot and 62 foot loops, as well as a 40-foot-tall corkscrew. Also featuring a double barrel boomerang turn, this ride had us upside down seven times while changing our elevation 16 times. Needless to say, it was quite the eventful way to reintroduce myself to Magic Mountain, which has always been my favorite amusement park.

The Riddler’s Revenge, billed as “the world’s tallest and fastest stand-up roller coaster,” was another major highlight of our visit there. It was quite the sensation to not be sitting as it took us through one 360-degree vertical loop, one 360-degree oblique loop, two over-the-top diving loops and two 150-foot-long barrel rolls.

Goliath, however, was the undisputed monster thrill of our visit. Reaching a top height of 255 feet, it begins with a near vertical 61 degree drop into a 120 foot long underground tunnel that you zip through at 85 miles per hour. With its huge sweeping spirals, zero-gravity “floating” hills and outright non-stop excitement, it won top marks with our ultimate extreme ride lovers Jason and Jessica.

As if this isn’t enough of an eye-opener for modern thrill lovers, Magic Mountain is about to launch Tatsu, which promises to give riders the sensation of flying at “the speed of fear” in a three-and-a-half minute flight that will feature a dramatic 263-foot change in elevation from its highest peak to “inches off the ground” over four separate areas of the park.

Gathering no moss

As The Rolling Stones continue to make news rocking the world in support of their latest album, “A Bigger Bang,” I’m reminded of the first two times I experienced them in concert back in the sixties and the time I almost presented them in concert in the early Seventies.

First time was December 5, 1965 at the Los Angeles Sports Arena. The hysteria was phenomenal. I remember the music riding an ocean of screams and watching as Mick Jagger would raise a hand only to have flying female undergarments wrap themselves around his fingers. 

Police were double-lined up in front of the stage, bravely standing up to the steady assault of girls who would wildly run down the aisles then lower their heads to fold over one policeman in obvious pain as four others would grab her wildly wiggling arms and legs to remove her from the scene.

I was dating Gina Garret, a high school sweetheart who was six months older than me, and I won’t forget how she’d watch in astonishment at the antics of these crazed fans and comment how unbelievable it was. Then, at one point, as we walked from a mid-level refreshment stand, she too, suddenly began yelling and squealing, pointing towards a distant Mick Jagger, crying out “He looked at me! He looked at me! Mick Jagger looked at me!”

Next time I saw The Rolling Stones, was July 25, 1966 when they played the Hollywood Bowl. But, unlike the previous event, my date this time didn’t want me to buy tickets. She was a very interesting young lady whom I had met on the Sunset Strip, who talked about awaiting delivery of her pink XKE.

At her insistence, I had previously joined her in the Hollywood Hills to a spot from where we spied upon Brian Epstein and The Beatles, moving about inside a mansion they were renting during a tour of the western United States.

This time she said she wanted us to park off Mulholland Drive and climb down to the Hollywood Bowl for the Stones’ concert there. We were almost caught once, but managed to get away back into the dark hillside.

What I remember most about that show was seeing how look-alike decoys ran into limousines that were quickly surrounded by fans, while the actual Rolling Stones slipped into the back of an armored Brinks truck that drove off undisturbed. Very clever and poetic as well.

I’ll have to share my other Rolling Stones experiences some other day. Be well, keep enjoying life.

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