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After conquering X Scream last year, I decided to return to the Stratosphere and try my hand at Insanity. This is perhaps the most photogenic of the Stratosphere thrill rides, with the giant green arm twirling ten brave souls above hundreds of feet of nothingness. I think the scariest element of the ride was actually the slow, sort of lurching movement of the arm from atop the safety of the observation deck to the suspended position high, high above the Las Vegas ground below. Then the spinning started, with the seats being tilted outward so you have no choice but to look down. I was actually surprised by the forces produced by the spinning. It was reasonably intense, and each time you swung out to the outermost possible position, you got the most bizarre view of the entire length of the tower. It came to an end, only to slowly creep us back toward the load/unload platform. When all is said and done, I think I will still rank X Scream slighlty higher on the terrifying scale. Not that this wasnt terrifying, but for being flung out at almost 1000 feet, being strapped in by just a lap bar, my knees werent knocking as much as I thought they might. Dont get me wrong though--I was still clutching that lap bar for dear life.
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