Ben Hur Racer, Fraser’s Million Dollar Pier (Santa Monica), 1914
The Ben Hur Racer roller coaster was built as a part of the second incarnation of Fraser’s Million Dollar Pier. (A massive fire destroyed the first incarnation of the amusement park in 1912.) Ironically, this roller coaster was destroyed in a fire in 1915, a year after Million Dollar Pier re-opened.
I went to Wonderland yesterday with work, and it was my first time there in a decade. Behemoth was still brand new then, and I didn’t get to ride it, so I HAD to make sure I got a picture. We were at the very front and it was intense! I had a great time, and I can’t wait to go back. Hopefully it won’t be another decade… #Behemoth #rollercoaster #carousel #moose #Canada #canadaswonderland #selfie #themepark (at Canada’s Wonderland)
Sunrise at the Mission, back in Baja. . It sure was nice to break out of the holiday madness this year with a quick trip to Baja with my wife & partner in crime @phillydoh . Coming back & starting up another year of hustlin’ has been a little bit of a struggle. The contrast of January to the craziness of retail between Thanksgiving & Xmas can be disconcerting. There is so much space in my schedule right now that feels like I should be utilizing to round out the ‘business’ side of CRVDPLS, but as an artist first & entrepreneur second it can be hard to efficiently achieve business goals. I feel like I go through this cycle almost monthly of seriously questioning the current manifestation of my attempt to make a living as an artist, and I’m there right now. Instagram can be a blessing & a curse in showing you a vast spectrum of how folks find that balance, but it can be a downward spiral of feeling like you aren’t keeping up, or a perception that there are right & wrong ways to do ‘it’. So, thanks for bearing with this project as I go through these phases of posturing, adapting and consistently trying to just make it work. I do love the creative aspects of what I do, and the great community of all you folks it has connected me with in varying levels of tangibility—I cant imagine doing anything else with my time. That’s really all we’ve got, the choice of what to do with time. It’s limited, and it’s our only real currency. One step in front of the other, let’s all get out there today and just get one little thing done that keeps the little fire inside our ribcage burning. Also, take your shoes off and stand on some real live earth—it feels good. . #thecycle #time #artist #hustlin #illustrator #graphicartist #work #struggle #thoughts #artistfirst #workingartist #crvdpls #chrisadams #rollercoaster #anxiety #stayingpositive #apparel #shirts #oregonmade #baja #mexico #travel (at Mision San Javier, Bcs, Mexico) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bsd2lHaHZsv/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=dqz348pkjxu0
I had a dream last night that my boyfriend was trying to force me on a really really big rollercoaster and I was terrified. There was a waterslide incorporated somewhere on the steps leading up to the rollercoaster, and I decided to give it a shot to hopefully further delay going on the rollercoaster. Well, turns out you had to go down the waterslide head first and when i climbed in it got really tight and small and I felt like I could barely breathe. I wanted to get out but I couldn’t and the only way out was to go down. Then once I was pushed down I wanted to hold my nose so I didn’t get a ton of water up it when I splashed to the bottom of the pool head first, but I couldn’t get my hands up.
I hate dreams with underlying meanings. I know I’m avoiding problems in life right now subconscious, okay? I KNOW.
What Makes Rollercoasters So Fun? A look at the science, psychology and design behind rollercoasters - with a focus on ‘The Smiler’
I’m standing watching The Smiler at Alton Towers, one of the UK’s most popular theme parks.
It’s a one-of-a-kind steel rollercoaster which gives off an 'insanity’ vibe; after all, the logo isn’t a friendly, welcoming smile, but an ecstatic Cheshire cat grin which borders on the psychotic. The soundtrack that is blasting out is overly cheery and somewhat sinister, featuring repetitive, out-of-key chanting along to heavy, distorted beats. Carriages full of Alton Towers guests fly around the inverted track and the enraptured screams emanating from them bounce and curve with every loop.
I’m pointing my phone at a particular part of the track whilst waiting for my friends and partner to come rolling over - I’m filming in slow-mo mode, so that once they get off I can present to them their creasing faces and rippling hair as they are flung forwards at speeds of 85km per hour.
Once I review the footage, one thing is clear: the people on this ride are grinning ear-to-ear. It appears The Smiler does exactly what it says on the tin.
So why am I not on this ride? Put simply, I don’t enjoy rides with a high G-force or inversions as much as I used to. I have never been a fan of suspended coasters either due to an experience I had at age 15 (warning: gross) when I embarked on a suspended rollercoaster with several loops and a jet of snot evacuated my nostril as I was thrown about all over the place. Although The Smiler isn’t a suspended coaster, my friend warned me that if I thought that Nemesis (Alton Towers’s fastest suspended coaster which I went on in 2010) 'was a bit much, you probably won’t like this one’ - so I decided to sit it out.
I didn’t completely refrain from the rollercoasters, though. I still went on Galactica, Wickerman and Th13teen (which I particularly enjoyed). But these will still be considered pretty tame by the most extreme of thrill-seekers.
Rollercoaster Tycoon and real-world physics
Although I’m not crazy about riding intense rollercoasters, I still enjoy learning about what makes certain attractions so popular. I have been an avid Rollercoaster Tycoon fan since the age of 8/9 and on Steam I have racked up over 200 hours of playtime - that equates to over a week of my adult life spent trying to please tiny, whiney 2D theme park guests who all look identical.
Did you know that Rollercoaster Tycoon incorporates real-world physics to a T? When Scottish-born Chris Sawyer designed this game in the 90s, he wasn’t messing around - for any coaster you’re building, all the specs are there, such as lateral G-force, vertical Gs, inversions, drop height, etc.
In fact, the in-game physics of Rollercoaster Tycoon mirror reality so closely that if you perform a test which rollercoaster engineers use - the 'Brachistochrone Curve’ - in the game, you get the same results as you would in reality.
If you want to build a successful rollercoaster in Rollercoaster Tycoon, you have to have some understanding of ride mechanics. For example, knowing how to ensure your ride will produce enough momentum so that a coaster car doesn’t get stuck halfway round a loop; knowing how design makes a ride too intense or boring; but most importantly, knowing how to build a coaster that brings in THAT CASH MONEY.
So, how did John Wardley (designer of The Smiler) know it would be such a huge success? What is the science behind The Smiler and why is it so many peoples’ favourite Alton Towers attraction?
Using The Smiler, I will examine three essential elements which are considered when constructing a mind-blowing coaster - the physical design of the ride, the way the ride makes guests feel and the theming used.
Let’s twist again - Inversions and G-force
The Smiler has a record-breaking 14 inversions, the most of any rollercoaster in the world. Inversions come in a variety of shapes - loops, corkscrews, barrel rolls - and they create an exciting and intense ride when there’s only so much building space available. Designer John Wardley said that the engineers “packed more track per meter of space in this ride than any other rollercoaster in the world", which probably explains why The Smiler is also one of the longest-lasting rollercoasters in the world, taking almost 3 minutes to complete a full circuit.
The Smiler also packs a whole lot of G-force thanks to the ride’s drops, twists and turns; according to Wikipedia, The Smiler’s G-force rating is a nail-biting 4.8 - keep in mind that astronauts experience a G-force of 3.0 during a rocket launch. Also keep in mind that supposedly 5 Gs is the limit a person can usually withstand before passing out. Perhaps this is why people exit The Smiler giddy and grinning like idiots - because the heavy Gs deprived their brains of oxygen.
Read the rest of the article by following the link below:
Europe is not all about beautiful landscapes, history, castles and churches . There is the adventure of the theme parks . Efteling is located in the Netherlands and offers fairytale fun for the whole family. From kiddy rides to roller coasters . #rollercoaster #themeparks #efteling #vacationsinparadise #holiday #vacations #travel #funthingstodoinnetherlands #wanderlust #travelblogger #besttimeever #traveltheworld #travelinspiration (at Efteling) https://www.instagram.com/p/B43CUFnB6SF/?igshid=168wtqs1v0omc
Eu nunca gostei de montanhas-russas. Quando eu era pequeno, passei pela experiência de andar em uma montanha-russa infantil. Chorei, chorei até soluçar. Alguns anos depois, na adolescência, decidi experimentar mais uma vez, afinal de contas eu cresci, e o meu medo poderia ser mesmo só uma coisa de criança.
Aos quinze anos, sentado no primeiro vagão, as travas de segurança do brinquedo descem e eu percebo que me encontro sozinho. A comitiva começa a se mover, agora é impossível desistir. As engrenagens dos trilhos estalam enquanto trabalham para nos empurrar para cima. O passeio é agradável, mas a altura me assusta. E se alguma coisa der errado? Não há nada que eu possa fazer. Eu fecho meus olhos e torço para que tudo dê certo.
Logo os estalos cessam. Uma calmaria gentil toca o meu peito e meus olhos se abrem. Pequenos pontos luminosos brilham e decoram os céus crepusculares daquele fim de tarde. Do topo da montanha-russa, o ar é fresco e o horizonte é infinito. Mas os trilhos voltam a estalar suas engrenagens.
O desespero toma conta de mim, eu ainda não estou pronto para a descida. Eu olho para cima e jogo meus braços ao alto tentando agarrar aquele último pedaço de céu estrelado, mas a descida ao inferno já começou. E então eu grito, grito de raiva, grito de medo, grito de angústia. Grito da descida repentina, das viradas em trancos abruptos, dos loopings e suas reviravoltas indesejadas e, principalmente, das incertezas do que poderá vir a seguir. Eu grito tudo o que eu posso até que não tenha mais ar em meus pulmões para isso. E então eu choro, choro até soluçar.
Eu nunca gostei de montanhas-russas, e mesmo assim eu não consigo escapar delas. Quando olho para os seus olhos, vejo novamente as estrelas iluminando o horizonte infinito. Eu sei que logo a descida vai chegar, porque esta é uma montanha russa. Sei que logo os trancos vão me fazer chorar, e não há nada que eu possa fazer.
Eu sei que eu não quero parar de vislumbrar esses seus céus acastanhados, mas eu sei que eu não quero mais andar em montanhas-russas.
