Constructed in 1990 by the great Curtis D. Summers, this wooden rebel climbs to a height of 143 feet before plunging into a virtual canyon of grease, steel and the sounds of screams begin to echo in your ears. Fifty-three degrees...your angle of descent as you plunge 137 feet into the first drop, making it one of the highest wooden coasters in the world. Situated in the very back of the park, just about, you can hear the shrill sounds of riders as they cascade that first hill; that's what this ride is famous for. The Drop. Standing silhoutted against the rapidly sinking sun, it seemed like an eternity from the top to the bottom of the chasm, the coaster train looked small and puny as it descended into the depths. That bone-shattering, rip-roaring, tapdance straight into the mouth of hell and then out again in a tightly laced track that most certainly doesn't encourage any hand raising.

For two minutes, you cruise along over a twisting layout that contains exactly 21 heart-stopping drops. That was the hidden signature of the coaster designer as he celebrated his 21st coaster design.

Six Flags Over Texas is certainly proud of this monster, it eats up 4,920 feet of track and proves to be an even more harrowing journey in the evening, lots of airtime too. Airtime is that delicious bit of negative G-force that puts your stomach in your throat. Negative is positive I say. It's no wonder when riders come back into the station, they look like they've been strained through a collander

Of course, as is the standard these days, you're offered a picture of your face as you slide down one of those 21 dips and though we won't tell you where the camera is, just smile big as the wind tries to rip your face off or you'll look plain silly.

When you're in Texas, and you're at the original Six Flags park, be sure to feel the bite of 62 m.p.h. at your senses, just way over yonder in the back of the property. The trees try to hide it, but there's no mistakin' that quakin'.

Texans are proud of this giant, but there are more than a few other thrills in the park, including The Judge Roy Scream, which seems to be on its own little parcel of land out by the roadside and is 2500 feet long with a 65-foot high lift, Shock Wave, one of the most intense looping rollercoasters I've ever had the pleasure of having my mind slapped by, takes you up 116 feet and then shoots through 3500 feet of track encountering forces of over 5.5 G's. The park also offers up the world's first Runaway Mine Train which was built in 1966 and continues to thrill riders today. We had a chance to experience the brand new Runaway Mountain which dares the darkness and offers up spectcular themeing as well. Sharp turns and sudden dips within a haunted mountain are the menu for this course.

With this being our final park, it was time to place all the equipment securely into the trunk, if there was space, and with one final upload of information--it was onward to Walt Disney World. Battered, weary and very much sunburned, it was a relief to know that we had pulled it off--the entire nugget. As far as I was concerned, I never wanted to see the LeBaron again, its interior had become far too familiar to us and we still weren't safe from its grasp. With a few more states to cover and more adventures along the way, it would be awhile before we could kiss the ground and say "we're home".

We were determined to scout out some more fun, though.