Thunder tops rain at roller coaster debut

Thu, May 15, 2008    to del.icio.us

There may not have been any lightning at Michigan's Adventure on Wednesday, but there was plenty of thunder and rain.

Click to enlarge
Roller coaster enthusiasts and reporters braved cool, drizzly conditions to take the first rides on Thunderhawk, the theme park's new suspended coaster.

The rain let up long enough for the Whitehall High School marching band to lead a procession to the red and yellow jumble of steel, and for the first riders to take the 105-foot-tall 50-mph run.

Spring Lake resident Stacey Patulski gave $211 to the American Red Cross for the privilege of sitting in the front car of the first public ride.

"It's hard to describe other than it's just a thrill," he said. "It's something that somebody has to come out and ride and enjoy and experience for themselves."

By the time I was ready to strap into Thunderhawk, however, rain was beading off the tubas, and only about four people were climbing into each 20-person car.

Luckily, I was able to hold down the three glasses of Mountain Dew I chugged during the Media Day breakfast in order to stomach all the loop-the-loops, corkscrews, spirals and who knows what else.

Click to enlarge
It may be a step down from some of Cedar Point's finest, but the coaster still took my breath away and had my eyes bugged out by the time the two minutes and 15 seconds were over.

The Thunderhawk is new to Michigan's Adventure, but was actually transported from the Geauga Lake theme park near Cleveland.

But the riders Wednesday didn't seem to mind inheriting a hand-me-down coaster.

"I was laughing the whole time," a Whitehall band member said. "It was definitely better than school."

"I can barely keep my balance," said another rider while grasping a hand rail near the exit.

One of the youngest of the inaugural riders, 8-year-old Jason Mulherin of Ludington, called the ride "awesome." He may be young, but Jason hops on every coaster he's tall enough to ride. He rode 26 last year, including Cedar Points' Millennium Force and Maverick.

He was just an inch and a half above the 52-inch Thunderhawk minimum.

Jason and I tried to convince the Tribune's summer intern, D.J. Sobish, to ride the Thunderhawk — but D.J. wasn't about to take his first roller coaster ride in the rain. Plus, I'm pretty sure he was convinced Michigan's Adventure was using reporters to give it a final test.

I even told D.J. I was going to refer to him as the intern/bag carrier for the rest of the summer if he wouldn't give it a go.

Alas, I knew he wasn't going to succumb to my peer pressure when he started sizing up the carousel.

"The carousel — that's my ride right there," he said. "The giraffe — it doesn't get much better than that."

While organizers may not convince D.J. to let his legs dangle from the Thunderhawk, they are hoping the ride will draw more people like Jeff Kniola to the park. Kniola, the third-highest bidder, drove from near Detroit and slept in his car Tuesday night for the chance to be one of the first 40 riders.

Click to enlarge
Travel Michigan Managing Director David Lorenz said he would like more Michiganders to spend their vacations close to home and check out places like Michigan's Adventure.

I don't think anyone should cancel their ticket to the Beijing Olympics, but judging by the reactions Wednesday a trip to Michigan's Adventure is well worth a drive to Muskegon.