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I'm a Huge Fan!
OK, I'm sure ALL of you are familiar with the classic holiday film A Christmas Story - if not, just watch . Well, one man is such a HUGE fan of the movie that he actually BOUGHT THE HOUSE that was featured in the movie.
All in all, he invested $500,000 in purchasing and renovating both "Ralphie's" house and the house across the street into a museum and gift shop. Now that's what I call a TRUE fan.
Roller Coaster of the Day
Today's featured coaster is another ride themed after a holiday - Thanksgiving. Ok, so I know that it's late but just deal with it. The ride, named The Voyage, is themed after the pilgrims' trip across the Atlantic Ocean to forge a new life in the New World.
Roller Coaster Pic of the Day
November 29, 2006
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Vacation Recap: Part D
One of the attractions we planned on seeing from the get-go was DOLLY PARTON'S DIXIE STAMPEDE. This is a dinner show that features live animals, horse-back riding, stunt riding and several surprises along the way. At first, it seems a little pricey at $37.99/person; however, you get first-rate entertainment and a LOT of food.
Now when I say a LOT of food, I really mean a LOT. EACH person gets: a cup of homemade, creamy vegetable soup; biscuit; a whole rotisserie chicken; a slice of pork loin; half of a baked potato; corn on the cobb; and a large apple turnover. Needless to say, it's more food than any one person can handle.
Since Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg had begun their annual Christmas celebrations, Dixie Stampede followed suit with their Dixie Christmas celebration. the show was amazing with Christmas decorations and music everywhere as well as a riding competition between the North & South Poles. The show also has a little comic relief scatterd about, unusual animal racing events, audience participation and a live nativity featuring everything from sheep and donkeys to three kings riding in on the backs of camels.
We all thoroughly enjoyed it and would highly recommend it - at any of the four locations: Pigeon Forge, TN; Branson, MO; Myrtle Beach, SC; and Orlando, FL. If you can afford it....you can't afford to miss it.
Roller Coaster of the Day
A few months back, I gave you all a view of different versions of the same ride at Disney parks. Today, I give you Big Thunder Mountain in Europe. There don't seem to be many glaring differences between the American versions and the one in France except for suddle differences in ride vehicles and coloration in the rack strata surrounding the track.
Roller Coaster Pic of the Day
November 28, 2006
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Vacation Recap: Part Three
For much of the vacation, we walked through downtown Gatlinburg, browsing the many small shops that line the parkway. We made sure to check in on every candy shop that the town had to offer and sample many of the in-house candies. In fact, my wife - Kayla - decided that she needed to stock up on candy apples for probably the next 3 years by buying 10 candy apples (with only 9 making it out of Tennessee).
Also along the strip are several attractions that tourists can check out such as: RIPLEY'S BELIEVE IT OR NOT; RIPLEY'S HAUNTED ADVENTURE; RIPLEY'S MOVING THEATER 4D; and the GUINESS WORLD RECORDS MUSEUM.
We decided to take in a few of the attractions but recommend skipping the Guinness museum (it wasn't really what Kayla and I expected). We only tried out the Believe it or Not museum, which was well worth the price of admission.
Also, there is a Hollywood Star Cars Museum along the strip that features over 30 cars from movies like Back to the Future, The Dukes of Hazard and The Fast and the Furious to name a few. That's one of the few things that I would have liked to do but ran out of time.
Roller Coaster of the Day
Today's coaster comes to us from the land of wooden shoes, windmills and land just as low as New Orleans - the Netherlands. The coaster gives people the thrill of a high speed motorcycle ride on a controlled track. Riders are strapped onto a motorcycle-like seat in rows of 2 and are then launched from a stand-still to 46.6mph in 3 seconds. Over the 1 minute 8 second duration of the ride, cyclers will experience g-forces up to 2.5 times the force of gravity.
Roller Coaster Pic of the Day
November 27, 2006
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Vacation Recap: Part Deux
On Monday, the first thing we did was visit RIPLEY'S AQUARIUM OF THE SMOKIES - one of the many attractions in Gatlinburg under the Ripley's brand name. Admission was about $18/person which we deemed "well worth-it" after the morning. The aquarium features MANY different varieties of sea life ranging from the common gulf grouper to the extremely bizarre sea dragon.
There are many small individual exhibits that feature incredible animals. But the facility's main exhibit is a huge tank dubbed Shark Lagoon. However, instead of walking past tanks filled with fish, visitors ride a 340-foot long glidepath under the lagoon. Here, you see many animals ranging from small fish to sharks to sawfish.
After that, visitors can learn all about a pirate's life, inspect several unique forms of seas life or even touch live sting rays as they swim by. After the aquarium, we decided to grab a bite to eat at NO WAY JOSE'S MEXICAN RESTAURANT. We all agreed that the food was excellent. Afterwards, we walked the strip and peeked into many of the shops before a friendly game of putt-putt golf at one of the MANY courses in Gatlinburg. Oh yeah...I won the game.
More to come soon. Until then...make sure to check out our vacation pictures by clicking the PictureTrail.com link on the right of the page. And while you're there...be sure to comment on a picture or two.
Roller Coaster of the Day
The final ride from Dollywood that I'll be featuring is the only "coaster" that Kayla and I rode together...mainly because it is an inside ride and, therefore, was much warmer than the other rides. This is practically the ONLY thing I remember from our trip to the Smokies 20 years ago. The ride is themed after firefighters and actually takes riders over a burning bridge.
It is an extremely tame ride by roller coaster standards and features three small, strategically-placed drops. If you don't like coaster but like rides...give this one a try.
Roller Coaster Pic of the Day
November 21, 2006
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Vacation Recap: Part I
Well, Kayla and I survived our trip to the Smokies and back. And I must say, we had a fantastic time. The cabin turned out to be perfect and well worth the price...in fact, we got a great bargin: 6 nights, 7 days in 2 bedroom, 2 bath cabin for under $800 after tax. The cabin also included a fully equipped kitchen, pool table, foosball table, hot tub, jacuzzi bathtub, DirectTV on all 4 televisions and 3 sleeper sofas.
The cabin is said to sleep 10 comfortably, so there was plenty of room for the 4 of us. If anyone is curious as to where we rented the cabin from, it came from CABINS USA - GATLINBURG.
Our trip started with us driving up to Chattanooga, TN on Saturday and staying at a hotel at the foot of LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN. The next day we made the drive up the winding mountain roads to RUBY FALLS in the morning and then on to ROCK CITY by late morning.
Unfortunately, the "rechargeable" batteries that I brought with me, that had "charged" the night before were completely dead and I didn't get ANY pictures in Ruby Falls. I was, however, able to get many pictures of Rock City that I will share with you - along with other pictures of Gatlinburg - in the next few days.
Anyway, Sunday afternoon, we made the rest of the trip to Gatlinburg and checked into the cabin. The next day, we truly began our vacation. More on that in the days to follow.
Roller Coaster of the Day
My last post before the trip, November 9, I featured Dollywood's steel coaster - Tennessee Tornado. Well, on the trip, I was able to ride that monster of a coaster (very, VERY enjoyable by the way). Today's feature coaster is the park's newest coaster, Thunderhead.
I was also very fortunate to be able to ride this coaster, twice, back-to-back, at night. The ride was relatively smooth for a wooden coaster, but it kept riders guessing about what was coming next. The ride features many twists and turns and up and downs. At speeds up to 55mph, it seemed much faster and, at times, felt even faster than the coaster's steel sister in the park that goes 70mph. If anyone is working their way out to Pigeon Forge and likes roller coasters, this is a MUST RIDE COASTER.
Roller Coaster Pic of the Day
November 20, 2006
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Breaking News
This breaking development just in to us here at kpJR.net:
| 2008 Democratic National Convention Schedule |
| |
| 7:00 PM: | Opening flag burning |
| 7:15 PM: | Pledge of Allegiance to the United Nations |
| 7:30 PM: | Ted Kennedy proposes a toast |
| 7:30 till 8:00 PM: | Nonreligious prayer and worship: Jessie Jackson and Al Sharpton |
| -------------------------------------------------- |
| 8:00 PM: | Ted Kennedy proposes a toast |
| 8:05 PM: | Ceremonial tree hugging |
| 8:15 till 8:30 PM: | Gay Wedding: Barney Frank, presiding |
| 8:30 PM: | Ted Kennedy proposes a toast |
| 8:35 PM: | Free Saddam Rally: Cindy Sheehan, Susan Sarandon |
| -------------------------------------------------- |
| 9:00 PM: | Keynote speech: "The Proper Etiquette for Surrender", French President Jacques Chirac |
| 9:15 PM: | Ted Kennedy proposes a toast |
| 9:20 PM: | Collection to benefit Osama Bin Laden Kidney Transplant Fund |
| 9:30 PM: | Unveiling of plan to free freedom fighters from Guantanamo Bay: Sean Penn |
| 9:40 PM: | Why I hate the Military: A short talk by William Jefferson Clinton |
| 9:45 PM: | Ted Kennedy proposes a toast |
| 9:50 PM: | Dan Rather receives "Truth in Broadcasting" award, presented by Michael Moore |
| 9:55 PM: | Ted Kennedy proposes a toast |
| -------------------------------------------------- |
| 10:00 PM: | Presentation: "How George Bush and Donald Rumsfeld brought down the World Trade Center Towers", by Howard Dean |
| 10:30 PM: | Nomination of Hillary Rodham Clinton for President by Mahmud Ahnadinejad |
| -------------------------------------------------- |
| 11:00 PM: | Ted Kennedy proposes a toast |
| 11:05 PM: | Al Gore reinvents the Internet |
| 11:15 PM: | "Our Troops are War Criminals", presented by John Kerry |
| 11:30 PM: | Coronation of Mrs. Hillary Rodham Clinton |
| -------------------------------------------------- |
| 12:00 AM: | Ted Kennedy proposes a toast |
| 12:05 AM: | Bill asks Ted to drive Hillary home. |
The Approach of Vacation
As I mentioned the other day, Kayla and I will be leaving on Saturday morning for our vacation to Chattanooga and Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. More than likely, I will NOT have a Friday post as we'll be leaving for Houma as soon as I get home from work. Don't worry, however, I will bring back many pictures.
Roller Coaster of the Day
In honor of our impending trip to Tennessee, I thought I would share with you an image of a coaster from DOLLYWOOD theme park in Pigeon Forge. While it's not a "glamorous" image, I found it pretty cool to see that track disappear into the ground after looping. The ride lasts nearly 2 minutes, has a drop of 128' and reaches speeds of 63mph.
Roller Coaster Pic of the Day
November 9, 2006
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Loss of Faith
A few months back, I wrote an entry complaining about the media treating "celebrity happennings" as real news. Well, they've done it again my friends. Look at this FoxNews.com SCREENSHOT I captured yesterday, November 7, 2006. I'll give you a minute to look at it good. Figured it out yet?
WHY the hell is the Britney Spears/"K-Fed" divorce filing Beaking News?!?!? It drives me freaking CRAZY
And just for good measure, look at this NOLA.com SCREENSHOT I captured today. Take a good look at the primary headline on the page; pay attention to the grammar (Blake, you're gonna love this). That's right, Louisiana LOOSES!! Luckily, someone did catch the error and corrected it about 15 minutes later.
Roller Coaster of the Day
Here's a GREAT shot of this 146' monster of a coaster that dominates Knott's Berry Farm. Also, notice the incredible theming for the water ride next to the coaster.
Roller Coaster Pic of the Day
November 8, 2006
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Weekend Wrap-Up
Kayla and I made our way down to Ama on Saturday afternoon just in time to catch the heart-stopping LSU-Tennessee game. Needless to say, we were pleased with the overall outcome. After that, we made our way back to Carl's house for the wine and cheese party.
We had a really nice time, despite many of the bad wines that people brought (us included). The gumbo and cheese assortment MORE than made up for it and we now know of many more cheeses that we like!
After Sunday morning mass in Ama, we made our way down to Houma to have lunch with Kayla's parents. Her dad made my favorite...shrimp stew. As always, it was EXCELLENT! What made it even better was the beat-down the Saints handed to the Buccaneers on their way to first place in the NFC South and the 2nd best record overall in the NFC.
We had a great weekend and look forward to more weekends and parties like this.
Upcoming Vacation
Just to let you all know, Kayla and I will be leaving Saturday morning for a weeklong vacation in Tennessee with her parents. Saturday, we plan on making our way to Chattanooga and spending the night there. Sunday morning, we're going to take in the attractions on LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN.
From there, we'll drive up to Gatlinburg for the rest of the week where we have a cabin reserved. We're eagerly looking forward to it and PROMISE to return with numerous photos to share with all of you in the coming weeks.
Roller Coaster of the Day
This incredibly large coaster was built in 1929 by the famous Philadelphia Toboggan company. Sadly, the coaster was heavily damaged by fire in 1984 and was finally demolished in 2001.
Roller Coaster Pic of the Day
November 6, 2006
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Gamenight
Tonight is Gamenight for the Nicholls State Colonels as they travel to San Marcos, Texas to take on the Bobcats of Texas State-San Marcos. This is actually a match-up of the Southland Conference Co-Champs from last year.
The Colonels won last year's contest in Thibodaux with an overtime field goal after blowing a large second half lead.
Tonight's game, known now as the Battle for the Paddle, will be on TV tonight on Fox Sports Southwest, Cox channel 38 in the New Orleans and Baton Rouge areas. The rivalry got its moniker several years back when the contest between the schools was postponed until season end due to torrential rains and subsequent flooding in San Marcos.
I was joked that teams and fans would need paddles to get to the game, thus the Battle for the Paddle was born. The two teams play annually for the possesion of a paddle, painted with each school's colors on each side as well as the years and scores for each team's wins.
Roller Coaster of the Day
Today's coaster may not be the fastest coaster you'll ever ride (despite it's name) but it features a unique characteristic: a 97 degree verticle drop. This means that the drop isn't straight down, the track actually bends as though someone took a 7 degree ramp and stood it on end. This drop is after a 115' lift hill that takes riders up at a 90 degree angle - that's straight up, perfectly perpendicular to the ground.
After that, the rest of the ride is pretty tame.
Roller Coaster Pic of the Day
November 2, 2006
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Birthday Greetings
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO OUR BELOVED SAINTS!!!!!
This day, 40 years ago - November 1, 1966 - the State of Louisiana and the City of New Orleans were awarded an NFL franchise as NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle made the announcement at the Ponchartrain Hotel. And, as they say, the REST is history.
Roller Coaster of the Day
Today's coaster is Colossus, found in the UK. This is a typical sit down, steel coaster which features a loop, cobra roll, two heartline rolls and a double corkscrew at speeds up to 45mph.
Roller Coaster Pic of the Day
November 1, 2006
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