Why I Started Counting Coasters Again.

You should start counting coasters again. 

When I was younger, counting coasters was a necessity, as it is to most in the coaster community. It gives you a feeling of power and expertise in the theme park world when you can say you've ridden X coasters. I eventually grew out of it. I found myself wasting time on kiddie coasters that I really didn't care about, just to add +1 to my total. They're uncomfortable for my tall self, they're usually more painful than a full-on 1980's wooden coaster because my knees bang against the train in every direction, and they began to make me feel like I was rushing around the whole day trying to fit every single coaster in that the park had to offer.

Iron Rattler queue. Very nice for Six Flags.

So I stopped, and I enjoyed theme parks that much more. I could take breaks and enjoy a nice meal outside on a terrace next to a coaster, watching trains fly-by or boats splashdown. The people watching is also excellent at theme parks, if you're into that sort of thing. Eventually, beer came into play and the whole theme park-vibe became more relaxing instead of a sweat-filled disaster. Not to say that most of my theme parks trips aren't sweaty run-arounds, because they are, but it's about the mindset that they aren't, I guess.

I could sit and watch this all day.

What I'm getting at is that now I could ride something like Mystic Timbers (Kings Island) over and over and not have to worry about going over to the family Vekoma coaster around the corner, a clone of a ride that I'd already been on, because I needed the credit. You know you would like to ride Mystic Timbers again over a family Vekoma that you've ridden somewhere else. So ride it again and again and forget about that Vekoma with the 20-minute wait.

Stop worrying about your coaster count and don't ride the clones that you hate. You'll start to enjoy your trips more!

I love the pacing of this ride. And the tree section is beautiful to a bystander.

Then one day I took the time to map out the places I'd been in the past 10 or so years, and out of curiosity, added all those coasters into my old total, wondering what number I was at. Turned out I was at 198, and that's when it all began again. I figured I'd make big trips out of my big accomplishments, so over to Canada's Wonderland I went, ready to make Leviathon number 200. (I did end up liking Behemoth more... but hey, liking and comparing certain coasters over others is what makes this hobby so much fun.)

Number 200! Rain! No Line! Matching Shirt!

And so I urge you to count coasters, but don't ride to build your coaster count, you'll find it start to take over your enjoyment of the park. Make it a thing to plan big trips around the big milestone numbers, who knows where I'll be when I get to the 490's. But one thing I do know is that I will be planning quite the exciting trip once I'm up there. Don't rush, enjoy your time in the parks, and if you don't like Vekoma Boomerangs, don't ride them! Hell, I don't even remember the name of the Boomerang at Canada's Wonderland.  Because why would I ride that thing when I can go ride Behemoth again instead? Or maybe I'm just old and Boomerang's give me a headache now.

'So why not ride more coasters to get to the milestones quicker?' you ask.   Good question.   What a useless article.