California is lucky enough to have three of them all within a day's drive of the other--a perfect west-coaster tour. Belmont Park has a history that dates back to the roaring 20's of madcap fun, midway thrills and as was the fad of the time, salt-water bath-houses. In fact, The Plunge building still exists and houses an olympic-size swimming pool.

But frankly, we were here for the coaster, the classic Giant Dipper. Built in 1925, this coaster was recently re-profiled to smooth out some rough spots, but you wouldn't know that by the trips that we took today. The reason for that, however, was the relative emptiness of the train, as small groups boarded the front and the rear. Without the weight, we didn't go nearly as fast as past journeys that I've taken on this wicked little ride, but as Tony, one of the operators said, Mondays during finals are particularly dead.

Fine. All the more coaster to enjoy; and we rode again and again and again.

I've discovered that with an empty train, the front car still delivers some of that famed Dipper Punch. The only similarity between the two west-coast Giant Dipper coaster is the first plunge into darkness. From there, the San Diego version heads up the lift and then dives down to the right into what's known as a Travers Drop. This spiraling descent into gravity pins you to the left side of the car and then squishes you into your seat as the trains crest the next rise. Instead of diving down again, the cars careen at crazy angles, bunny-hopping crazily before hitting a left-leaning fan curve that spirals in on itself and buzzes the nearby coaster museum.

There aren't many straightaways on this ride as you dip and weave among the lattice-work and into another dizzying curve. This style of coaster track is known as a twister, one that winds in and out of its own structure, diving to narrowly miss wooden supports and making you fear for your fingertips.

One of the coolest things about the Giant Dipper is that it's truly built on the beach. Underneath the coaster you'll find sand just about everywhere, and during this last stretch of trackage, the trains negotiate a series of camelback humps that dip down towards the sand and around the corner as traffic zooms by. You can see the Coaster Saloon across the street as you rocket into the brakes and make that decline into the station.

The San Diego Coaster Company has been putting a lot of effort into sprucing up the Giant Dipper for summer season.

This includes the aforementioned re-profiling of the track, complete overhauls on both trains and a new coat of salmon, white and turquoise paint is being added to the structure. By day, this coaster epitomizes the classic wooden thrill experience in its graceful undulating curves and wicked angles. By night, with the chaser lights running along the edges, the Dipper becomes a true work of art and a lasting testament to the coaster-building genius of the 1920's.

After passing out quite a few Orbitz hats and t-shirts to other coaster enthusiasts and the ride crew, it was off to the Northern Country for a town called Anaheim. There, we'd be staying for two nights across the way from Disneyland. Super 8 should be an official sponsor of the tour.