Karen and I left Little Amerricka and drove to the home of her sister and brother-in-law just outside Milwaukee. We spent a few days relaxing with them. They took us to the Milwaukee Art Museum, a beautiful building that looked like giant sailboats crossing paths. The interior was just as spectacular. We spent quite a bit of time there leisurely perusing the exhibits. One of the most memorable was Self-Portrait in Yellow by Tony Oursler. A little yellow doll was pinned under a yellow folding chair. A small LCD projector cast the artist's face onto the doll's head. His expression was stoic and his eyes wandered. Occasionally he would spout test questions from the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory. It was both disturbing and hilarious. We planned to depart from their home on Saturday, July 8, to meet up with our son-in-law Andrew and the grandkids once again, this time at Michigan's Adventure in Muskegon. We had planned to drive around the coast of Lake Michigan to get there, which would take about five hours. But Karen's sister and brother-in-law asked why we weren't taking the Lake Express ferry, which cut straight across the lake from Milwaukee to Muskegon. We never knew such a thing existed. They took us there to show us where the dock was and helped us get our tickets. It was run by the Coast Guard, so we needed our IDs to get in. The ferry wasn't cheap, but it saved us from a long drive (partly through Chicago). The ferry left at 6:00 am and arrived in Muskegon at 10:30 (with the time zone difference). We awoke at 4:00 am to have a quick breakfast, say our thanks and goodbyes and drive to the dock in a torrential rainstorm. The temperature was in the low 60s, so we were both glad we had brought light jackets. We had no problem finding our way to the dock. I had to let Karen out of the car to sit in the waiting room while I moved the car into its spot. We were one of the first cars there and were right in the front (which I was later to learn wasn't exactly a good thing). Then I joined Karen in the waiting room until the ferry was ready to board. We had hoped that the bad weather didn't last the whole day. After about a half-hour, drivers were told to head back to their cars. I piloted mine inside the belly of the ferry and was directed to the port side of the bow. Within a few minutes, four columns of cars the entire length of the ship were in place. We were told to leave the cars and head up to the lounge, where I joined Karen. The interior was styled similar to an airplane, though much wider. Within a few minutes, we were underway. The view out of the porthole was a wash of grey. We sat back in the comfortable chairs. It would be a two-and-a-half hour trip. If it had been a nice day, we could have gone up on the deck. That would have made for an even more visually enticing ride. There were a few brave souls who did venture out, but they very quickly would return to the shelter of the lounge. Toward the stern was a large TV screen that displayed the boat's position and speed. For the first hour, we stayed at about 20 knots or under and you would have barely known we were moving. Then we gradually sped up to about 38 knots and you could feel the movement of the ship. It was also at that time that passengers began to frequent the restrooms. I actually enjoyed the motion. It reminded me of the rocking on a train. As we approached Muskegon, the skies lightened up a bit and the rain eased (but didn't stop). Karen and I ventured outside to the stern. The air was refreshingly cool. We went topside and looked around. Light was gradually beginning to break through the clouds. We went back into the lounge just as an announcement was made for drivers to return to their cars with their passengers. So we went back down below the lounge and got back in the car. When the boat docked, the crew opened the huge rolling doors in front of us. But we were on the furthest port side. The cars that were the first to leave were the last ones to have been put in place (in the center). And when all of those cars had moved out, the cars on the starboard side were directed out. So we were one of the first to board and one of the last to debark. But we were really glad that we were told about the ferry. It did save us from a lot of stress and exhaustion on the road. From there Siri steered us toward Michigan's Adventure, which was only a few minutes down the street. We arrived just after Andrew and the kids, at about 10:45. Fortunately, the rain had stopped. But it was still a little windy and chilly, so I kept my jacket on. Our only other visit to this park had been 22 years ago. At that time, we had camped down the street at a place called Lake Sch-Nepp-A-Ho (which was still there). I remembered my awe when approaching the park at that time. The massive structure of their calling card, the giant wooden roller coaster Shivering Timbers, stretched the entire length of the parking lot. But now as we entered, the coaster was barely visible behind rows of trees that had grown up in front of it. Also when we first visited, the park was family-owned. Now it was part of the Cedar Fair chain, which meant that with our Platinum Passes we got free parking and free entry. The entrance had been relocated further down next to the Mad Mouse coaster. It was a pretty standard Cedar Fair entrance, with security checkpoints out front and the ticket gates further back. The first thing we saw when we entered was the Snoopy Boutique. Since this was a Cedar Fair park there was a lot of Peanuts theming. But it seemed odd that the first thing guests encountered was this gift shop, which blocked any view of the park. You could either go through the shop, or around it on either side. Heading left would bring you to kiddie rides and Camp Snoopy. We headed around the corner on the right, which placed us in front of the Coasters diner, a 1950's themed eatery similar to the one at Cedar Point. The park had a peculiar layout. It was basically a big squared-off "C" shape around the huge pond in the middle of the property, almost like a boardwalk park. From the Coaster's Drive-in, there were three possible ways of proceeding: left would take you to the kiddie section and Camp Snoopy, which eventually would spill out onto the same path as if you went straight along the "boardwalk" toward the Wildwater Adventure waterpark; right would follow an easterly path to a dead end. At the north end of the boardwalk stretch, the path would turn east and also lead to a dead end. In the past, that would mean doubling back and walking all the way back around. But Andrew told us the park had installed a miniature railway to take guests from the northeast section to the southeast section. That was a welcome addition. We decided to head to the right. The park was still coming to life, and not many rides had opened. On our right was the rare Arrow Mad Mouse coaster we saw at the entrance. I really enjoyed that ride when I rode it on our previous visit. It had a weird sort of trick track on the final turn toward the station, where the train tilted left then right. But it was closed. So we continued on. A short way up there was a path to the right leading to the Funland Farm, a petting zoo with the usual assortment of animals. The kids really enjoyed petting the rabbits. We crossed a bridge over a sort of canal with fountains in it. On the other side was the Flying Trapeze, and next to it was a Tilt-a-Whirl. So they took a spin on that. Ah, to be young again and be able to spin relentlessly.... We arrived at the far southeast end of the park and the entrance to the legendary Shivering Timbers, a 1998 Custom Coasters creation that took the coaster enthusiast community by storm when it opened. From the station, the only part of the coaster visible was the lift hill and the ending helix, which Andrew told me had been added to the coaster at the last minute to try to slow the train down as it came back to the station. Andrew, Ben and I queued up. There was hardly anyone in line. Ben and I sat in the front seat with Andrew behind us. We were dispatched, rolling out of the station, curving to the left and then up the lift hill. Even though it was only 125 feet high, it seemed a lot taller. When we crested the top of the hill, we could finally see the coaster's entire structure that seemed to stretch out in a straight line to infinity. We barreled down the first drop and the up to the first camelback hill with sustained airtime. And that process would repeat five more times until we hit the turnaround. One the way back, the hills were smaller but the speed was relentless, flying over one hill after another. There originally was a unique and effective stretch of trick-track near the end, but that had been replaced with another airtime hill (which was fine by me). We rocketed into that ending helix and then barreled into the brake run. This ride had more unrelenting speed than many so-called hypercoasters. And it was a pure airtime machine, one of the best wooden coasters I'd ever ridden. I was impressed with how smooth it still was. Ben and Andrew both loved it too. Nearby was the south station of the Timbertown Railway so we all queued up for that. The rolling stock was a pretty standard Chance C.P. Huntington model. There was no one else in line so I sat right up front. The journey wasn't that long, but it was pleasant as it wove through the forested area at the east end of the park. When it reached the north end, we stayed on and took it back to the south station. After that, Andrew, Ben and I queued up for the second of the three wooden coasters in the park, Wolverine Wildcat. Designed by Curtis Summers and built by Charlie Dinn in 1988 (their first big collaboration), this is the ride that put the park on the map for coaster enthusiasts. I'd heard both that it had been patterned after the Coney Island Wildcat and also Knoebels' Phoenix. It certainly had elements of the Phoenix, like the double up/double down hill. And I remember that I did enjoy it when I first rode it, which surprised me because I didn't much like Summers' other coasters. There was quite a line, so it took a while to get to the station. As with Shivering Timbers, hardly any of the ride's structure was visible from the queue line. When we finally reached the station, naturally I waited for the front seat. The station afforded a scenic view across the pond toward the boardwalk area. Our train left the station and, like the Phoenix, plunged into a pitch black tunnel that curved around to the lift hill. We reached the top of the lift and curved downward. We glided down the first drop and both Andrew and I were shocked -- it was the smoothest drop we had ever experienced. As we rose up into the turnaround, I could feel the typical wood coaster shuddering I had expected. As we rolled along the turnaround I looked over at the first drop. It was all Titan track, a recent trend to replace difficult-to-maintain wooden track with steel I-beams. That explained the incredible smoothness. But it also made the coaster a true hybrid: most of it was wood track, but part of it was steel track, similar to what had happened recently with Lake Compounce's venerable Boulder Dash. As soon as we left the Titan track, though, it was back to feeling like a wood coaster. The ride was a bit rough, but not intolerably so. And it had a few good pops of airtime. Ben and Andrew definitely preferred Shivering Timbers, as did I. By then it was about noon and we were getting hungry. On our previous visit, we had slim pickings: hamburgs, hot dogs, fried chicken or pepperoni pizza (not even cheese pizza!). That was it throughout the entire park. Now we had many more choices, but we headed over to the nearest food stand: Wagon Pizza. We got a discout with our Platinum passes, so Karen and I ordered the "meal" which consisted of two slices of cheese pizza, a breadstick and a drink. They made the food fresh, so it took a little while. But when it arrived it was piping hot. We sat at one of the outside tables to eat. The pizza was actually really good. The breadsticks were filled with cheese, and those were really good too. When we were done with that filling meal, we headed over to Camp Snoopy, the children's area with the usual assortment of kiddie rides themed to Peanuts characters. It also had a rustic play area. The kids enjoyed bouncing and spinning. Unfortunately, the one kiddie coaster there (which had been relocated from another area of the park) wasn't running. But the kids had fun anyway going on several of the other rides. When they had their fill, we crossed the midway over to Rocky Point Golf, a beautifully landscaped "adventure" mini golf course. There were the typical challenging holes around rocks and past waterfalls. Andrew won the game by a wide margin. After the game, we followed the boardwalk to the north, with its scenic views of the pond. They all decided they wanted to take a ride on the swan boats (which came from Cedar Point). I walked a little further down the midway to look at the humorously named Grand Rapids, an impressively-landscaped rapids ride. The skies had finally begun to clear and we were bathed in warm sunshine. I took the opportunity to shoot a walk-thru of the park. When I returned to the swan boats, the family was nowhere to be found. I eventually located Karen and Isabelle at an Auntie Anne's pretzel concession near the picturesque entrance to the Corkscrew roller coaster. Karen said Andrew and Ben had queued up for the Corkscrew, which had just opened. But they quickly returned because the ride was still testing. Instead, I joined them for a ride on the park's other kiddie coaster, Zach's Zoomer, which was named after the original owner's grandson. It was a junior wood coaster designed by Custom Coasters in 1994 but interestingly built by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company. And it had a lot of PTC's DNA in it, a gentle figure-8 ride similar to Waldameer's Comet. It was a fun first "big" coaster for kids. When we exited the ride, the Corkscrew opened. Andrew and Ben queued up for it and I went over to watch them. And just as they arrived, the ride went down and most of prospective riders piled out of the queue. But Andrew and Ben stayed in the station. Within a few minutes, the ride reopened and they were sent up the lift hill. The Corkscrew was somewhat historic because it was one of the few remaining original Arrow prototype coasters, from when the company was experimenting with the idea of sending riders upside-down. The ride was really short, but it was still popular. When Ben exited the ride, he exclaimed, "That was really rough!" Welcome to the world of Arrow. Andrew said if he thought that was rough, then he shouldn't ride Thunderhawk, the park's brutal Vekoma suspended looping coaster. The kids then went on a couple of the other kiddie rides in that section, the vintage Winky the Whale and the kiddie boat ride that used to have cute names on each boat (I recall Cupladucks) but now was called Speed Splashers and had a big lighthouse next to it. We headed back toward the southeast end of the park. There was a moderate line for Logger's Run, the park's Arrow flume ride. But line for flumes usually moved quickly, so we queued up. Most of the flume curved around a closely mowed grassy area, but thirty feet up in the air on posts. The line moved much more slowly than I expected. It turned out that the ride operators were alternately sending empty boats through so that they could have a way to go back and forth across the flume trough in the station. After about 20 minutes we finally boarded our log and drifted out to the lift hill that brought us up to the elevated trough. It did offer nice views of the park from that height. The splashdown was fairly mild, and we didn't get very wet. Andrew, Ben and I then queued up one more time for Shivering Timbers. The line was a bit longer but it moved right along. There was a new ride operator who was very animated and pretty hilarious, which made the time pass quickly. We ended up in the same seats as before. Once we plunged down the first drop, we knew the ride was going to be quite different. It was much faster than in the morning, and quite a bit rougher. The airtime was insane, but the bottom of the drops had a bit of jackhammering. It wasn't at the stage of being painful, but it did need some track work (hopefully not to the extreme of Wolverine Wildcat). Even so, I was breathless when we got back to the station. It was still a phenomenal coaster. The rest of our day was spent watching the kids go on the collection of spin-and-barf rides at that end of the park. When they got to the Trabant, the ride operator (who reminded me of Napoleaon Dynamite) had two of his girlfriends sitting down next to him at the operator's station, which was a big no-no. After the kids left the ride, the park supervisors approached him and we moved on. Our final ride of the day was going to be the Mad Mouse. But when we arrived at the coaster, we could see a car stuck on the track at the top of the ride. By then it was 5:00 and we had a long drive the next morning, so we instead decided to head for our hotel that was a half-hour away from the park. I'm really glad we made a stop at Michigan's Adventure. The park had come a long way from our first visit. It had an improved layout, more rides and better food selections. It also sported impressive landscaping, that gorgeous view across the pond and of course Shivering Timbers. I had forgotten how good that coaster was. I wished it still had been visible from the parking lot because that was a really impressive sight. But this visit definitely changed my opinion of the park and I was sure we'd return. For now, we had to move on. Our two-week adventure was winding down.

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