Stark Raven Mad at Holiday World is the enthusiast event. It's probably the only event that draws in people from all over the country, which makes it a great opportunity to meet people you've only "met" online at CoasterBuzz.
We stayed off I-64 at the relatively new Comfort Inn. Nice and clean, if not cheap, and overall very roomy.
I'm not going to go into The Raven and Legend, because the experiences those rides offer has been described over and over again. Legend remains my favorite wood coaster, and that's not likely to change any time soon.
As for the new rides, I didn't get to do Zinga, because Stephanie and I were not ready to deal with sub-65 temperatures and water rides. Hallowswings is a beautiful new ride, a real score. Liberty Launch is a lot of fun, though not as intense as I thought it might be. Dr. Doom's Fearfall at IOA remains my "most forceful" S&S tower ride.
Friday night, one of the Legend's restraint release pressure plates in the station apparently broke (makes it kinda tough to let the passengers out). I was impressed at how fast they fixed it. Nice job by the HW crew.
Steph and I got to hang with a fairly diverse posse. Kristin, Rob, Kara, MooreOn, Nasai, Peabody, Jess, among others. Friday night we hung out at their RV by the campfire (much to the dismay of surrounding guests in the campground). In addition to finally meeting Rob/Ethyldrummer/Nasai, I also finally got to meet Mamoosh.
We consumed much beer that night, took a swing on the vine hanging next to the trailer, and generally had good times.
You know someone died Saturday after coming out of The Raven, and I don't need to explain what a downer that was for everyone there. Regardless, we went to the campground again, and made the most of the evening.
Did I celebrate and drink more? You bet. Some people apparently had a problem with that, but I don't care.
You see, if the accident affected me personally in any way, it was to reinforce the fact that you just don't know what tomorrow will bring. You could very well be dead tomorrow. That shouldn't upset you, but it sure as hell should provide motivation to do what you can with the time you have.
You see, I will always cherish the time we had at Stark Raven Mad this year. I cherish the time with friends, time that is so precious and rare to have in our busy lives.
Even in the face of death, it's the only way to live.
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