Following a successful trip to the US in 2016, Team B (don't ask) decided to reunite for a return trip to the land of the Trump. In 2016 our route took us through Texas so we called the trip "The Rattlesnake Tour" and being completely unoriginal stuck with the snake theme this time around, choosing the lesser known Tantilla species. Why that one? All will become clear.

The route this time would take us from Washington DC, out to the coast and then back west all the way through to Minneapolis. Along the way we'd visit around 50 parks of various sizes, from the small family complexes to the some of the largest parks in the world. There would also be some sightseeing and the usual Malcolm randomness to make the trip a bit different, and fortunately we've a good group who are tolerant of that. This would include some film locations, quite a lot of State Capitol buildings and on this trip I'd hopefully be able to pick up two new states to tick off my US State List: West Virginia and Michigan, which would leave me with just six to go.





In amongst the many rollercoasters, around 150 in total, we had included 4 designed by Rocky Mountain Construction, the current industry darlings who are deemed to be making the best rides currently. We also had 4 coasters from German maker Schwarzkopf, who had a similar reputation 30 years ago and whose rides are now sought after by the community, partly for their historical significance, and partly because they're still great rides. The literal translation of Schwarzkopf is of course "Black head" and if I told you the Tantilla is a black headed snake that is often found in rocky mountain terrain; you know now why I chose it.





As the planning (which took around a year) was being worked through I decided I would be leaving this trip a bit early. For me a lot of the trip overlapped with ones I had done in the past and I wanted some me-time. So I made the decision that I'd go as far as Wisconsin before heading out to Boston, which I'll also detail in this report. One positive in retreading my steps was that I had no need to run around and ride everything at most of the parks this time. I could pick and choose, and enjoy the park at a more sedate pace, so bear that in mind as you read the report; it won't be the usual report of someone riding everything for the first time.





And ever, my humour is what it is, but no offence is intended. Please take the report in the spirit it was written :)





Enjoy



