On Friday, we left at around 8:00 in the morning, with a DVD-ready laptop and a good book ("Conondrum" by Jan Morris). Looking forward to the nine hour haul in the car, I took "Fiddler on the Roof" (starring Topol). We stopped at Barstow to take a whiz, and ate at Peggy Sue's 50's Diner (which is in the middle of nowhere) for brunch. Finally arriving around 5:00, we headed to the hotel and checked in. Then, it was off to the pre-family reunion at my aunt Charlotte's.

I'm part of an enourmous family of Italians (I'm half Italian), and we are all fun-loving goofballs. I was first greeted by my cousin, Salvadore, and we are VERY close, almost like brothers when we are together. After about ten minutes, I had hugged and greeted everyone, and the atmosphere was very light and enjoyable, unlike some family reunions. And the fun was just starting!!!

Salvadore (I just call him "Sal") decided to stay with us at the hotel. We stayed up until midnight watching X2 on the pay-per-view.

Saturday the 12th... Waterpark, Speed, and STRATOSPHERE!!!!

Sal and I went to the waterpark, Wet'n'Wild, at 11:30. We paid 23 bucks each to get in, and we headed to Willy Willy after renting lockers. The fun was about to begin...

Willy Willy: 9/10.
What a cute ride!! This wierd little experience is worth a couple of rides. Basically, there is a big donut shaped pool with numerous inner tubes floating around. There are two cycles: "A" cycle and "B" cycle. "A" cycle is more turbulant than "B". I rode "A" twice that day, but didn't ride "B". You wander into the slow-moving donut pool, and splash down on to one of the tubes. After a few slow times around, the operator starts up the ride, and you begin to wizz 'round and 'round at about 15 MPH. There are steel plates under the water that lift slightly and blast the water to get it up to speed. In the first 15 seconds of acceleration, there is major turbulance, so hold on!! This little ride is a perfect ride for a beginner rider, and is still fun for thrill ride enthusiasts like us.

Then, we wandered to Blue Niagra...

Blue Niagra: 10/10.
This is the scariest ride in the park. Two tubes twist, corkscrew-like, around each other at a 35 or so degree angle. You don't actually flip, but you rocket down the slide, blasting back and forth, dropping repeatedly, and attempt not to breath in the watered-down chlorine that carries you down the tube. This ride is a near-death experience, and if it lasted any longer, you would probably drown. This ride takes you to the edge of fun-scary, hands you a bungee cord, and throws you over into the scary-scary zone. Don't breathe or open your eyes on this ride, just enjoy it!! Oh yeah: this slide is smooth as glass!

We decided to ride on Bomb Bay and Der Stuka. I rode Bomb Bay while he rode Der Stuka.

Bomb Bay: 10/10.
Yipe! I think my heart stopped on this one! You climb into the little rocket-shaped capsule and lean back. The floor trembles, and your heart pounds, you think ohmygodohmygodohmygod . Suddenly, the floor drops out, and you scream down the surprisingly smooth drop. "AAAAAUGH!!!" Wedgie time, then the splash into the pool.

Der Stuka: 8.9/10.
This is your plain drop slide, and I don't really want to go into details besides the floating feeling and the face-chopper (provided by the Blue Niagra line). Pretty smooth, and in good condition.

I have to get going, but I'll continue later. Remember, this was only half the day! More Wet'n'Wild coming up! Stay tuned for the Stratosphere reunion!!! Hot!!

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Toasters toasters everywhere, but not a drop to drink...but if we were to take a sip it'd taste like indian ink.

Continuing on...
We killed time by riding around the lame Lazy River, then we decided to ride the...

Royal Flush 9/10
This little slice of hell came straight from heaven. The first plunge into the bowl is thrilling beyond belief, and the three high-speed turns around the blue bowl are amazing. You slowly go up the spiral tower, higher and higher, and your heart races. Down the chute! All is dark, until you're blasted into daylight and you swirl about 3 times around and around, suddenly plunging through the hole in the middle, and swimming, dazed, up to the ladder. Do I like it? Hell yes!

From there, it was off to the...

Raging Rapids 7/10
A nice begginer's ride, but not worth more than a five minute wait.
You sit on your tube, and the attendant pushes you to a small, wide waterslide, and you slide down to a small pool below. You float to the next slide with the help of water jets, and this slide goes right, left, right, left, right, pool. The attendant pushes you down a small drop that leads to a sharp turn that blasts you up on to the side of the flume, then you splash backwards into another pool. The next attendant pushes you over the final drop, which is the longest and fastest. Look out below! Splash!!!

We beat heat feet to go and eat with a fleet of other heat feet beating peeps.
Then, we beat heat feet to ride the wave pool, and a ride on

BANZAI BANZAI 10/10
Pretty fun ride. We have one here, but this one races. You sit on a plastic yellow raft, and roll forwards in front of the drop. Your friend sits 10 feet away. The operator counts down. "5...4...3..." Suddenly, the whole thing tilts forward, and you find yourself flying down to the water, and you're suddenly skipping across the water! SPLASH!!! Your raft submerges, and you swim up for air.

DRAT! By this time it was time to go, and we had missed three slides. Next time, maybe.

Well, off to bed. It's 9:38 here, so I bid you farewell.
MORE COMING SOON!! THE STRATOSPHERE REUNION!

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Toasters toasters everywhere, but not a drop to drink...but if we were to take a sip it'd taste like indian ink.

After the waterpark, we drove to Sahara (only next door, so it wasn't much). After parking and walking to the Nascar Cafe, where Speed The Ride is located. We bought two tickets each, and found a walk-on.

Speed, The Ride: 8/10.
We jumped in the first seat, and waited for the attendant to check all seats. The guy came by, lightly tugged our locked restraints, and gave the thumbs-up. We waited. And waited. And waited. Suddenly, BAM!!! We launched! "AAAAAUUUUGHHHH!!!!!" We screamed towards the over-banked turn at the end of the tunnel. I braced myself for a rough turn, but found that the turn was glass smooth. Plunging underground, everything went dark for a millisecond as the g's pulled, which seem to last forever as we pull up endlessly around the loop. The g's are intense, and only get stronger as the LIM's push you faster and faster. We twist to the right, and wizz through the Sahara sign, then turn left around the casino. We pull up, and fly up the spike. Zero g's are endless here, as I float up, and I suddenly slam back into my seat as we fly backwards through everything. The g's are stronger through the loop, tunnel, and curve than forwards. There's a surprise! We launch again, almost instantaneously, and repeat everything like deja vu! Only problem... loading is WAY TOO SLOW!!!! I like Speed The Ride. It's FUN!!

NEXT: Our hilariously fun family reunion!!!

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Toasters toasters everywhere, but not a drop to drink...but if we were to take a sip it'd taste like indian ink.

After the waterpark and Speed The Ride, we went back to the hotel, showered, dressed, and we were off to the *fanfare* STRATOSPHERE!!!! To party!!!

Now, our family is no normal family. We are wierd and fun and Sicilian! Yay! No boring stuff here!!

The long walk to the elevator paused momentarily as we bought all-day (night, actually) wristbands. Unfortunately, we weren't Nevada residents, so my other cousin bought them for us, and we were set to go up! We went to the elevators, and told the guy at the reservation desk in front of the dinner elevators we were for "Zaccone Reunion" Up we went, and we got to the Twilight Room at about 7:45, and the sun was setting.

Everybody was talking, laughing, smiling. No bored, frowning, or strict people here. I had younger cousins, older cousins, nieces, nephews, a sister, aunts, uncles, a brother-in-law, and everyone else. We were overlooking the Strip, and a bunch of us were gathered at the window, watching the lights turn on. My 8-year-old niece was hugging my ankles when the Luxor turned on, and we all screamed when a "monster" ran in, even though we all knew it was my cousin, Alex, in a rather evil looking monster mask. That's my family.

We finally had to sit down for dinner (I chose the steak), and we all celebrated my two other cousin's birthdays (they were born one year, two days apart), and we got funny-looking numbers from a hat, and the numbers were called off. We each won a goofy little prize, I won a pack of cards with "Stratosphere Tower Casino" printed on the back of each card, and had a sticker on the front of the pack saying that it was actually used in blackjack at the casino. My cousin won a cow-shaped cookie, and everybody knew that joke.

Want to hear the story? It's coming up in my next post, and includes...
The hilarious tale of a cookie, sent by mail to many places!
A Review of the Big Shot and High Roller!!!
All in my next award-winning post!!!

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Toasters toasters everywhere, but not a drop to drink...but if we were to take a sip it'd taste like indian ink.

I know what you mean about that twisting slide, you feel like you are gonna suffocate. I was on the one at PKI. Its tottaly enclosed, and theres airtime everytime the slide curls under the other one. And the water seems to sill the tube, it doesnt just run along the bottom of the tube. And i've seen that Bomb Bay on discovery channel, that is seriously messed up. I would have to think about it a while before i approached that thing.

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Thank you for riding Reaper! Drop Ride to Doom, and remember to desecrate a sanctuary today.

"Suffocate". That was the word I was looking for. I had to think it over a few times before plunging down the tiny tube of Blue Niagra. Just looking down the tiny, hot tube for the first time before blasting down the tunnel gave me chills. Down, turn down turn down turn down turn down turn down turn down turn down SPLASHHH "G-A-A-A-A-A-A-SP!!!" Phew!! You really appreciate life after climbing off Blue Niagra. I had to think about 8 times before climbing on to the Bomb Bay, into the tiny capsule. Scary! You climb in... . You wait.... . And wait... . Suddenly, the floor drops out!!!! You fall! AND..... SPLASH!!

__________________
Toasters toasters everywhere, but not a drop to drink...but if we were to take a sip it'd taste like indian ink.

Well, on with the show.

The story of the magic cookie.
There once was a cow-shaped cookie. It came from a very over-worked and under-paid land called China. The cookie was bought by a family member of a Sicilian family. They sent the cookie to a relative, who sent it to another relative, so on and so forth. The cookie was sometimes secretly placed in a travel-pack, or sent by mail. Sometimes, someone would take a picture of the cookie and send it to a relative, then send out the cookie at the same time. After a while, the cookie ended up at my house. The cookie wasn't magical, it tasted good. My pet rat apparently thought so. We bought another cookie, and it showed up at our family reunion. This cookie wasn't magical, either. It tasted terrible. My niece thought so, anyway.
The end.

Next!!
A review of the Big Shot and High Roller!!! Don't miss it!!!

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Toasters toasters everywhere, but not a drop to drink...but if we were to take a sip it'd taste like indian ink.

My cousin Sal and I went up to the ride deck, and flashed our wristbands at the High Roller operator. This was my cousin's first time up the tower, so I made him sit on the outside front seat. He looked pale.

High Roller: 5/10
Up the tiny lift hill, over the top! Hold on! Down, around, up, drop, round, up to the station, past the station, and do it all over again. We agreed, this ride sucks. If it was on the ground, it would be the suckiest coaster on the planet. Even way up in the air, we were bored. Sal and I decided to label this ride "Stratosbore".
And it was off to the Big Shot!

Big Shot: 10/10
Neither of the rides had any lines, so we ran up the stairs. Oops, too late. We stood in line, and near us on the other side of the bar were two frightened-looking girls, trembling in their butt-scoops. The car floated up. I remembered that when the orange lights turn on, you blast off. I began a conversation with the girls.
"So, is this your first time?"
"Y-y-y-ye-s-s."
"It's the highest ride on the planet! You'll be over 1000 feet up at the top, so hold on! Don't want to slip out!"
The girl on the left turned white. So did Sal. The car floated down, preparing to launch. I told Sal:
"When the lights turn on, they launch."
I prepared for the lights. The lights turned on, and in a split second...
I waved my hand and said "Bye!" the moment the orange lights turned on, and a millisecond later, they launched. I laughed. Sal looked green.

After the two girls wobbled off, we nabbed two seats facing the Strip, Sal on the outside seat. (Bwa ha ha! ) The car floated up, and Sal trembled. I looked down upon the queue, and prepared for the orange lights. The orange lights turned on, Sal screamed, and I yelled, "SEE YA!!!"

We launched. I always forget how great the launch is. I'm suddenly forced down into my seat, up and up, the Strip falling away below us. We're launched up into our restraints, legs sticking straight out, holding on for dear life. Suddenly, I fall back into my seat with great force. We come to a brutal stop, and I find myself staring at an upside down S&S logo. I pull my head back up and away from the restraint and shove my arms and legs straight out. The car stops, thrusting me against my restraint as we are pulled back down towards the loading platform. We bounce a few times, then come back down to the plarform and rest of humanity.
What did we nickname this ride? "Stratosfear"
Next: Saturday, including a review of T3 and the Coca Cola factory!!!!

__________________
Toasters toasters everywhere, but not a drop to drink...but if we were to take a sip it'd taste like indian ink.