Carowinds is a 400-acre amusement park, located adjacent
to Interstate 77 in Charlotte, North Carolina and
is located 15 minutes from uptown Charlotte at exit
90 (Carowinds Blvd) off Interstate 77 at the North
Carolina/South Carolina border.The
park is located on the state line of the Carolinas, with a portion of
the park also located in Fort Mill, South Carolina. The park has a Halloween
event called Carowinds and a winter event called WinterFest. It is usually
open March through December. It was an expensive day because of a $20
parking fee, entrance fee and Fast Lane Plus passes. (note: prices are
always subject to change) Karen Duquette thought it well worth the money
for the Fast Lane Plus pass. |
 The
great-grandson of the two RV Gypsies likes to make faces at the camera.
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Below: Lee Duquette and his great-grandson
rode on The Scrambler. Anthony was just tall enough. Then Anthony enjoyed
some of the children's rides. |
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On the date that the two RV Gypsies and
family were at Carowinds, the park was very crowded with people (actually
it always is crowded), so Karen and Renee bought the Fast Lane Plus
pass, after watching people get 5 rides on Fury before the park actually
opened rides to people without Fast Lane Plus cards.
Fast Lane is a limited-access line queue system offered for an additional
charge at Cedar Fair amusement parks. Visitors can purchase access,
which includes a wristband that allows them to bypass standard lines
in favor of shorter ones at many of the parks' most popular attractions.
Fast Lane Plus is a more expensive, higher-end version that includes
several additional attractions. |
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Fury 325 is a giga coaster
loosely themed around Charlotte's nickname the "Hornet's Nest". It has
a height of 325 feet, making it the tallest giga coaster and fastest
non-launched roller coaster in the world, reaching speeds of up to 95 mph
making it the sixth fastest in the world, according to Carowinds advertisements.
Fury 325 is the tallest ride ever built at Carowinds and the single
largest investment in the park's history. During the
ride, riders reach speeds up to 95 miles per hour, then riders go through
high-speed curves, and pass over and under the park's main entrance.
Fury 325 was voted the best steel coaster in Amusement Today's
Golden Ticket Awards in 2016 and 2017, ending Millennium Force's six-year
streak.
John, Renee, Alex and Karen really enjoyed Fury 325. Karen Duquette
always rides roller coasters with her hands up all the way. Anthony
was too short to ride Fury, so Lee Duquette spent time with Anthony
in areas where Anthony could enjoy the park more. Lee Duquette is not
that crazy about roller coasters anyway. |
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Below: Anthony enjoyed Dinosaur World |
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Below: Description
of some of the roller coasters at Carowinds on this date in 2018. |
1. The Fury 325 is said
to be the tallest, fastest giga coaster in the world. Reaching a height
of 325 feet, with a speed of 95 mph, the ride lasted about 3 minutes
and 25 seconds. It is a sit-down steel roller coaster with one gigantic
81-degree drop, plus several other big drops, and multiple super-tight
turns that whipped everyone all around, crossing back and forth over
the South Carolina and North Carolina state line. Everyone lifted up
and out of their seat for several seconds (known as "airtime") at least
half a dozen times. It was an incredible adrenaline rush with its tight,
twisting turns, and the favorite roller coaster for Karen, Renee, John
and Alex on this date.
2. The Intimidator is the second tallest roller coaster in the park
at 230 feet in height which makes it taller than a 20-story building.
It is a sit-down steel coaster with a smooth ride. The Intimidator is
all about the hills. The individual seats were separated and staggered
across the trains' platforms, instead of all together in rows. So riders
could see other riders, but could not hold a friend's hand while flying
through the air at 75 miles an hour.
3. Nighthawk: The steel track is 2,766 feet in length and the height
of the lift is 115 feet. Nighthawk has a total of 5 inversions. It features
one vertical loop, a double corkscrew, two "Lie to Fly" and two "Fly
to Le" elements.
Once riders are seated and restrained, the train tilts backwards into
a 'lay-down' position and dispatched. The train travels backwards out
of the station, turns left and travels up the 115-foot lift hill. Once
the train reaches the top of the lift hill, it dips down into a twist
(called a "Lie-to-Fly") that turns the trains upside down into a flying
position where riders face the ground. After the twist, the train travels
down the first drop, reaching speeds of 51Â mph. Riders then go through
an over banked Horseshoe Curve element. Following the Horseshoe, the
train enters a "Fly-to-Lie" element that turns riders back to a lay-down
position. After the banked turn, the ride enters the 66-foot tall vertical
loop, where riders experience 4.3 G's. The train then goes into another
"Lie-to-Fly" element. Following the loop, riders go through another
turn into the final "Fly-to-Lie" element before entering two consecutive
corkscrews before making a right turn onto the brake run.
4. The Afterburn is a steel roller coaster in which the seats hang
from the rails above, leaving feet to dangle in the air. Because the
rails are above riders, there's an illusion of flying through the air.
There are lots of corkscrews and twists.
5. The Carolina Cobra doesn't make a circuit like the other coasters
in the park. It doesn't leave the station, go in a big circle and arrive
back where it started. Instead, the train is hoisted up backwards to
the top of a ramp, then races down the incline. At the bottom, it twists,
loops and twists again, and then runs up another incline. Then it repeats
the whole thing BACKWARDS.
6. Vortex is a stand-up roller coaster. Riders stand through the
ride, strapped in by their shoulders. This made it impossible for Karen
to put here hands up high in the air.
7. Hurler is a big wooden roller coaster. Karen does not usually like
wooden roller coasters, and she did not ride this one.
8. Carolina Cyclone is an older steel roller coaster with multiple
loops and corkscrews. It goes upside down a lot. It is not a smooth
ride, but a real head-shaker.
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FLASHBACK TO
1975 - Brian Duquette and Renee Duquette - The children of Karen and
Lee Duquette at Carowinds in 1975
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Below: Renee
Duquette driving the son of Karen's friends that she knew in Connecticut,
Charlotte and Bob Stastonis, who had moved to the Carolinas. Unfortunately,
they have lost contact with them over the years.
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