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Ah, Kingda Ka. One of the main reasons to visit Six Flags Great Adventure. I mean, how could any enthusiast pass up the chance to ride the worlds current tallest and fastest coaster? For a good portion of my visit, I was wondering if it was even going to happen. Driving through the parking lot, my eyes were fixated on Kingda Ka. So many other wonderful coasters filled the skyline, but I couldnt help but be mesmerized by the sight of that scrawnily thin yet awesomely imposing green track...and wondering why no trains were being launched on it. Upon entering the park, I did see one launch, so we went immediately to the ride. We waited in line for almost an hour, and everything was looking good, proceeding as normal, until we finally got into the station and heard the dreaded technical difficulty announcement. Not about to leave after waiting so long, we stuck it out for almost another hour, before we finally gave up. We at least got to ride El Toro in the meantime, which definitely improved my spirits, and then we returned to Kingda Ka, as it was running again. We only waited about ten minutes this time before it broke down yet again. So we went about the rest of our Great Adventure day and did not return to Kingda Ka until the very end of the night, which was probably a risky thing to do. After waiting a little over an hour, we were finally ready to board the train. And I will admit, I was feeling more nervous at this point than Ive felt boarding a coaster in a long time. Now, part of it might just have been the fear of it breaking down right before I got to get on, but I think I was genuinely a little scared of the ride itself--but good scared. The kind that really gets your adrenaline pumping. I was in the very back seat, and found the over-the-shoulder restraints and grab bars to be nice and comfortable. Then we pulled out and got in position along the straightaway. Fear and elation were taking turns going through my head, as the train sat there in the cool darkness of the night. And then we were launched. It was such instantaneous speed, though at first it did not feel faster than, say, Xcelerator at Knotts. However, as we reached the end of the straightaway, and more speed was picked up, it became the most chaotic sensation. It truly felt as though the train was violently shaking as it tore down this stretch, unlike anything Ive ever felt on a coaster before. Then we turned up, and it felt like an eternity before we actually made the ninety degree turn on the top hat incline. I kept thinking that we would have been cresting Xcelerators top hat by now, before wed even made the ninety degree twist on this one (which, since this is twice as tall, is I guess true). The turn did come, we went up and up some more, and then the summit was reached. Now, some people complain that there is not enough airtime here. I will agree that I did not notice any, but Im not complaining about it. Airtime or not, I was experiencing a few seconds of awe, getting to see the surrounding area lit up at night from over 400 feet above it. The return trip (both the 270 degree twist on the way down and the giant bunny hill afterwards) were absolutely wonderful, though for whatever reason it was the launch and the climb that stuck with me the most. Returning to the station, I just couldnt have been happier. Both because I was actually able to make it onto the coaster, and because that adrenaline was still pumping through me. Its funny, even after a long, long day at Great Adventure, my group was on such an adrenaline high that we actually drove from the park to Atlantic City and were there until the next morning! Thats saying a lot for this coaster. All in all, Great Adventure was a great adventure, with three of its coasters (El Toro, Nitro, and Kingda Ka) immediately launching into my top 10 list.<script src=http://w
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