It’s not every day that you quit your job and immediately find a friend into the same interests as you – all by chance. That’s how I met Greg. I had resigned from my job on a Friday and the day after, I asked Sam if she wanted to go grab a bite to eat on the other side of town. I just kind of wanted to get away. She said sure and away we went.

We ended up giving a restaurant I had seen several times a try. We walked in and it was pretty slow. The waiter, Greg, sat us down and made a comment about liking my Covid-19 mask. I was wearing one featuring the Beast from Kings Island. Now I know that among enthusiasts, everyone knows about the Beast. Non-enthusiast though, doubtful.

I thanked him for the compliment and asked him if he had been to Kings Island and that got us going. Long story short… Okay, really long story (just ask Sam) Greg turned out to be a member of the American Coaster Enthusiasts (ACE) and was looking to get out there and experience new rides and parks. We kept talking and eventually changed the conversation to what we actually wanted to eat. Sam clowned on me for our coaster nerd speak once Greg left to go put in our order. Funny thing is, Sam now speaks coaster nerd too, so I don’t want to hear it! I made sure to get Greg one of my site’s cards as well as a pin. I also invited him to Coaster Appreciation Society on Facebook and we’ve really kept in touch since meeting.

On Tuesday, August 11, 2020, Greg and I did our first trip together. It was to Six Flags America (SFA). Then two days later, Greg accompanied Renee, Sam, and myself to Camelback Mountain Adventure and Dorney Park. Both Renee and Sam loved hanging out with Greg and we all had a blast. Greg also gained a bunch of new credits, which included the following highlights: the first-ever Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M) coaster in Firebird, a Vekoma Flying Dutchman in Batwing, his first mountain coaster at Camelback Mountain Adventure, as well as a 96 year old woodie in Thunderhawk.

You can best bet that Greg is going to be going to some more parks with me moving forward. He told me to keep him in mind whenever I have plans. He’s looking to increase his credit count as well as his massive ride photo collection. Like I collect pins, Greg collects ride photo key chains. He has a giant clip with over 30 key chains from various parks. It’s neat to see how people support their hobby other than riding coasters. Here’s to getting him a lot more coasters and a lot more key chains!