May was another peculiar month here on We Were Inverted. I didn’t get out to any amusement parks, but I did manage to find something I had been looking for here for almost two years. I also gave the site an increased social media presence, so it’s not like I sat back and did nothing.
With all that said, I’m hoping the coming months are a little more eventful when it comes to getting out again. If you’ve been keeping up with the site on Instagram (@WeWereInverted_IG), you already know June is starting off good with a trip to Kings Dominion. More on that at the conclusion of this CAG Report. First, let’s take a look at what happened throughout May 2022.
A Throwback to My Newspaper Days
Since I launched We Were Inverted, I have always wanted to locate an article I wrote during my days working at The Avenue News (2002-05). I knew I had it backed up somewhere, but was never able to find the CD-ROM. Well, last month I located that disc and not only did I find the feature article, Tales From the Track, Tales of Terror, but I also found a follow up piece that ranked the coasters at Busch Gardens Williamsburg (BGW), Hersheypark, Kings Dominion, and Six Flags America (SFA).
In Tales From the Track I interviewed several members of the American Coaster Enthusiasts (ACE) about their group and some of the reasons why they love coasters. That is the story shown above. Thankfully I was able to convert the page layout into Adobe InDesign and fix a few font issues so I could include it within the article.
The follow up titled, Roller Coaster Critiques for 4 Parks, I could only locate the text document. I still wanted to include it, but without any images to accompany it I decided to use some of my more recent photos of the coasters I discuss. Give it a read if you want to see some of my bizarre feelings from almost 20 years ago. Some have me scratching my head.
Pins From Kaylee, Plus a Few More
I was able to pick up nine new additions to the pin collection in May. Most of them came from Kaylee, who picked up a bunch of Iron Gwazi and Ice Breaker pins for me during a trip to Florida. Since I wasn’t able to meet up with Chris, I still have some Pantheon pins to get from him. I don’t want them sent through the mail, however. One of them is rare and I don’t want to chance it getting lost like a couple of pins did recently.
The rest of my pins were gained through trades and online purchases. One of those is of Leap the Dips. When Lakemont Park showed that off online, I just had to get it. I’ve always wanted a pin of the world’s oldest operating roller coaster.
June is already off to a good start with new pins, which will be featured in next month’s CAG Report. Of course you can go see them on the collection page as well.
May's Carnival Trip
I didn’t make it out to any major amusement parks in May. I had plans to meet up with Chris at BGW, first with Mindy and Mailyn, and then with Greg, but the plans just kept falling through. I then had an idea to go to Kings Dominion to shoot some much needed content all around the park. I ended up not doing that either after a bout with the flu.
The only rides I got to “enjoy” came at a local carnival with my mom, Donna, and nephew, Sid. Both Sid and I ended up feeling sick after a few rides. Combine the super hot weather with the recent flu and it kicked my butt. I still wrote up a trip report because I had fun hanging out and doing a few rides with Sid. He usually doesn’t like carnivals or fairs so I was proud of him. He also was excited to see himself on the site and its social media.
- (05.22.2022) St. Clare Carnival – Go-Gator = No-Gator
@wewereinverted It’s worth some thigh soreness to ride the best coaster at @hersheyparkpa – #Skyrush. Rode this wild child 32 times in a row during a single visit in 2021 – once in each seat #Rollercoaster #AmusementParks #Airtime ♬ Wild Thing – The Troggs
TikTok & Twitter
During my last visit to BGW a group of kids saw me with my GoPro about to film a POV on Loch Ness Monster. They asked me if I ran a YouTube channel. I told them my channel’s name and they then asked if I was on TikTok. My reply was, “I’m too old for that shit.”
Well, I guess I’m not. I recently decided to check out the platform and create an account. I’ve been posting some videos, but keeping things on the simple side for now. Most of my videos were shot horizontally, so it’s been a pain trying to fit some of them into the vertical format. A few of them worked out nicely, however. Please check them out and let me know what you think. I’d love to see everyone follow the page as well.
While setting up TikTok I also decided to create a Twitter account. I initially planned to do this when I launched We Were Inverted back in 2020, but I was having trouble figuring out what name I wanted to use. The site’s name was taken and I only had one extra character to play with. I gave up and said I’d come back to it later. Well, I finally did. Link is below. This one has been slow going, so if you’re on the platform, please give me a follow and interact with me anytime.
- TikTok – @WeWereInverted
- Twitter – @InvertedCrew
YouTube VLOG's & POV's
After filming a bunch of content at BGW, I’ve been adding some of it to the We Were Inverted YouTube channel. Not wanting to post nothing but BGW content, I also added a walk through and vlog I shot while out at the carnival. They were short videos, but my nephew was so exited to be on the site’s channel. After we both got sick and cut things short, I saved whatever material I could. I knew it would make him so happy.
As I write this, a Kings Dominion vlog is currently uploading to kick off June. It’s taking a while to upload, but by time you read this, it should be finished. I appreciate all of you who subscribe, like, and comment on my videos. If you haven’t done so yet, I’d love for you to check it out and let me know what you think. Don’t be a stranger.
June Already Underway
In just two days here in June, I’ve already been to more amusement parks than I did in all of May. I was able to get out on my birthday with Sam and Greg – the first time we’ve been to a park together since Carowinds back in August 2021. It was way overdue. I won’t get into too many details here as I have a vlog and trip report for the day coming out soon.
With money tight right now, I’m not sure what other parks I will be visiting in the immediate future. I’m sure I’ll get out to another one or two before the month comes to a close, but I’m not able to get out as much as I did last year. I miss it, but it’s just not in the cards at this time. In the meanwhile, I think it’s time to get to my next installment of the Influential Coasters of My Childhood series onto the site. I really wanted to publish a new one in May, but did not. Now which coaster to do next? Loch Ness Monster or Racer 75?
