Montana, Are You Into Coasting Through Thrills? Mark Has Favorites

We've been fortunate to have gotten to have traveled as much as we have with our Flakes trips. So I often get asked questions about Mexico or the Caribbean Islands.

But yesterday I got asked about roller coasters. And while I was talking, it occurred to me that I've ridden enough of them in my life that it took me a minute to pick my favorite.

I've been on the one inside the Mall Of America. That one is very family-friendly and not what thrill seekers are looking for. But it is the only indoor coaster that I've been on.

I took a road trip to California in the mid-1990s to go to a Monday Night Football game. We spent a day at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia. And I got to ride the same coaster as Clark Griswold did in National Lampoons' "Vacation".

But my favorite was in Tampa, Florida. It was the one time that the Flakes trip sailed out of that city. And it was the year that our cruise ship had engine trouble and got us back to port late. Our travel agents got most of our folks on different flights and still got out of town that same day. But a few of us were going to be spending another night in Tampa. Dang it. Stuck in Tampa with nothing to do.

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So a group of us took a cab to Busch Gardens, which is not only an amusement park, it is also a zoo.

And my favorite coaster is called Cheetah Hunt. It goes from zero to 60 mph in 2.5 seconds. I also like it because it doesn't go up very high. Its tallest spot is only 102 feet off the ground.

But another thing that I like about it is that it's right on the edge of the park called Edge Of Africa. So while riding you can see elephants, lions, hippos, and several other African animals.

Where is your favorite roller coaster?