I rolled out of bed even before my alarm sounded, ready to start my week long trip. The first stop on my trip is Hershey, Pennsylvania, home to Hershey Park.

I had not been to Hershey Park in upwards of ten years, and much has changed since then, but fortunately, some things stay the same. One of those thing is the aroma of chocolate the wafts through the air in Hershey. It assaults you as some as you get out of the car. The weather too was perfect for visiting, it was overcast, and threatening rain, the best kind of weather to keep the crowds down, and on Friday it did just that, with many of the rides being walk-ons.

At park opening I headed straight for Great Bear at the back of the park. I managed to beat most everyone there and got the front seat on the first train of the day. I was surprised by this coaster, many say it is too short and lacks a good ending, and while I agree on the ride length, I thought the last element, and corkscrew before it meanders back to the station, was fantastic. The coaster actually swings you into the corkscrew, and it is just a really cool effect. I also like the fact that it is entwined with the SooperDooperLooper and the Coal Cracker log flume.

Next up was the SooperDooperLooper. This isn't a bad little coaster, it was one of the first loopers, and you can tell just by looking at it. It is way overbuilt, with the entire track being supported by huge I beams. It is a shame, because it really takes away from the look of the coaster, it is big and ungraceful. When you compare the look of this Swartzcoft to later coasters, like the Lazer at Dorney park, you see just what I mean. Where the Lazer has a beautiful, graceful helix through the second loop of that ride, the SooperDooperLooper almost kind of jumps through the loop, with the track surrounded by these huge I beams. The ride itself is not bad, and the helix at the end has some teeth to it. It indeed a good choose to introduce people to their first looping coaster.

I moved on the Comet, but by this time the crowds started to catch up to me, so I skipped it and went on to the back of the park, home to most of the newer coaster. The Sidewinder was a walk-on for the front seat, and I think this is my last go at this one. When I last visited Hershey, this coaster was brand new, and it was a little rough coming back to the station, but it has not aged well. It is rough all the way through the ride, banging your head back and forth on the headrests, which has far too little padding.

After this I sighted the new RollerSoaker, and it did not look, nor was the ride much. The attraction of this ride is the interaction between riders and those below and in line. The name is very fitting, as you do get soaked riding. The track itself is nothing more then an S-shaped layout, but there are water spouts all over the place. There are also water guns that the people below can shoot up with. The riders can strike back, they have a lever that dumps gallons of water on those below.

Next up was the Lightning Racer. I loved this coaster. I rode it six times throughout the day, each time in a different spot, and each time it was a walk-on, which is awesome. I like the Thunder side better, it seems to give a better vantage point on the race, it always seemed to lag behind, but it does win the race on about half the time, so they are timed correctly, it is just the way the layout of the track is.

Lightning Racer is in a newer part of the park called Midway America, and it has a nice mix of different types of rides, three coasters, a ferris wheel, several other flat rides, and a few kiddie rides. It is all decorated in red, white, and blue, and it is well maintained, like the rest of the park for that matter. I took a spin on Chaos, and tried out the new Whip they have. It is much like the classic ride, with updated cars and a concrete floor instead of metal. The st