[Jonathan]

July 7: Though the contest has officially ended, if you have a memory you would like posted please email it to the address before and we will add it here.

THUNDER ROAD MEMORIES CONTEST

Help us remember Thunder Road and win an associate membership to the American Coaster Enthusiasts, just in time for the Max Cannon Coaster Classic. A membership will allow you to register for the event using the member rate and to register guests as well.

The rules for this one are simple: Email us at contest@carowindsconnection.com with a memory or photo that shows what Thunder Road means to you. A story of your first ride, a ride with someone special, etc. Get creative! The best submissions will be shared on the website and our Facebook and Twitter pages. Please include your first name, age, and the city you live in.

The contest closes July 5th. Entries that are deemed to be of a sufficient quality will be put into a random drawing to determine who wins the ACE membership. You do not have to be a member of Carowinds Connection to enter and existing ACE members are allowed to enter. If you are an existing member the associate membership will be added on when your existing membership expires. If you prefer you can pay the $30 difference to upgrade to a full membership.

[Jonathan]

Unlike many I can't say that Thunder Road was my first roller coaster or even my first "big" roller coaster, but I have been riding it for over 20 years and there are two memories that stick out: The first was in 1992 at a scout camp out at the campground adjacent to the park. We entered the park from the campground by walking under the structure of Thunder Road on our way to the gate. At 7 years old the ride seemed unfathomably tall and intimidating. It would be two more years before I was convinced to ride it. The second memory is of the very first ACE Carolina Coaster Classic started by Max Cannon in 2002. The evening ERT session was on Thunder Road. Even in 2002 the coaster had been overshadowed by Top Gun, but for that one hour it was the focal point, with trainloads of coaster enthusiasts acting like fools as they raced each other around the circuit over and over. It remains one of the most fun times I've had at the park.

-Jonathan, age 29, Brooklyn, NY

[Wormy]

Another to get this rolling. My very first post on this forum from 2008.

Wanted to check out TR since the reopen. Planned on going after work this week, and after getting rained out three nights in a row, I finally couldn't stand it and went during my lunch break.

Only the blue side was open, one train, and it was packed. After a few minutes, they announced the silver train would be back up shortly. After doing the math in front of me...2, 4, 5, ok- short kid I didn't see, 6, 8, !!!..... I bailed and hopped to the other side and grabbed the back. I was in a hurry, and hungry, since I was skipping lunch for this.

There were no noticeable changes in the station or theming, so I spent my time reminiscing, thinking of the people I've waited in line with over the years...friends, family, wives, girlfriends, strangers, lots and lots of sweaty strangers. Remembering how terrified I was waiting in line as a kid for my first time, but knowing it was a rite of passage I had to complete. I kept stealing glances of the track in the distance, watching the empty train make its first two runs. Staring at the rails and gates, wondering how many times they've been painted. Checking out some hottie and diverting my gaze fast because now her boyfriend is glaring at me. Ooops.

It was nice to see the blue train come back with happy faces onboard. There was lots of applause, and smiles of joy rather than grimaces of soreness.

The ride? Smooth as silk! In the back! I didn't remember it ever riding this well. The bumpiest part was the track leading to the tower, after that it was smooth sailing. My favorite part is still entering the turnaround (with just enough momentum) and feeling like you're going straight up, only now it feels like you're gliding. I could nitpick a bunnyhop or two, but I won't; Thunder Road is fun again.

Sorry for the sentimentality, but for me, this ride will always be special; I lost my coaster virginity on this one, back in '79 as a little squirt. However you feel about CF, I'm thankful for the TLC they gave her. She's made a lot of people happy over the years - she deserves it.

It was a satisfying lunch. No gritting of the teeth or bearing the load, but I did enjoy my ride on Thunder Road.

Burma Shave.

Of course I was kind of a noob and didn’t realize it had only been partially re-tracked at the time, but we were all noobs once.

[Jonathan]

My first memory of Thunder Road was the summer when I was just over 48 inches, trying to purposely shrink myself shorter next to the sign so that I didn't have to ride that terrifying thing with my older brother. I eventually started crying, at which point he gave up and rode without me. But this all happened about five years before my BEST memory of Thunder Road.

My best memory is the day in August 2009 when my childhood best friend and I decided to marathon Thunder Road. We rode the left (Blue) side of the roller coaster 101 (yes, one-hundred and one) times in a row. We didn't stay in the same seat the entire time, but we did stay on the same train, moving seats sometimes when the ride stopped, making sure to try every seat and to switch sides. We did countless variations, including hands in the air, hands down, eyes closed, singing songs on the ride, etc. We were still riding when the ride ops switched shifts and the "afternoon guy" came in. I still remember the shock on his face when his co-worker told him we had been riding the whole morning.

I came off of Thunder Road that afternoon with a few small holes near the bottom of my American Eagle shirt (where the seatbelt was constantly rubbing it) and a great story to brag to all of my 8th grade friends about.

-Alexis, age 19 from Concord, NC

[Jonathan]

Back in the 70's, Carowinds was the place to hang out if you were a kid or a teenager. Carowinds opened in 1973 and here I am in a photo with Carolion at the ripe age of 11. Time marched on and I distinctly remember my first ride on Thunder Road because I met the guy who took me on my very first car date. He was from Mooresville and I was from Mount Holly. And at the age of 14, my mother was not going to let me date him yet. But, we would meet up at Carowinds - always with friends - and always riding Thunder Road. While my mother was home sewing up my bicentennial costume in 1976, I was meeting my first real boyfriend. By 1977, I finally convinced my mother to let me go out on a date with him. But without the excitement of Carowinds, it sadly did not last.

My love for Thunder Road as a teenager has been passed down to my daughter Caroline (hmmm - sounds like Carolion) who goes with her boyfriend to Carowinds every chance she gets. She and I won one of the auctioned first ride seats for the Fury and we had a grand time. I have quite a few odds and ends from Carowinds as you can see in my photo. I am going to be really sad to see Thunder Road go because it was such a big part of my growing up years. We did not have the internet, computers or even videos but we had Carowinds and Thunder Road and that was enough for us.

-Sandi, age 53 from Charlotte

[Jonathan]

I can say that as a life long central Florida resident, we enjoyed Carowinds more than any of the overcrowded overpriced theme parks in Orlando.....by far! We took our (then 8 yr old) daughter Lily on her first road trip, as we had done with our older son when he was her age. We had never been to Carowinds but expected what we considered the "norm" for amusement parks. Boy were we wrong! It was the most beautiful, well kept, not overcrowded park I have ever been too. I was also pleasantly surprised by the nostalgia of seeing a wooden roller coaster. We sat & watched a few it times before Lily decided she wanted to ride. Then she watched & decided which side she thought was the fastest so she could ride the winner! Well....she was the winner! If only I'd bet money on that! From the silly back seat activities on the drive, sharing a hug and cookie with Snoopy, winning prizes, the rides and Thunder Road, to the beautiful fireworks to end a great day!

We are planning another trip this summer to Carowinds. She is sad we will be a week too late to ride her "winning coaster" again but we are so glad for the memory that meant so much! We look forward to making new memories very soon!

-Julie and her daughter Lily from Port Orange, Florida

[Jonathan]

I may not have been alive to see the opening day of Thunder Road, but the ride has still been a part of many memories for me. I remember riding Thunder Road for the first time at the second I was tall enough. I was terrified. It was the first big roller coaster for me, and there was a huge gap between the Scooby Doo Coaster and this huge, wooden, rickety ride. Of course I ended up loving the ride, and I wanted to ride it over and over again.

The next major memory that I had on Thunder Road was with my friend Nick. We were around 11 years old, and we loved coming to Carowinds together. It just so happened that the park was almost empty, and Thunder Road had no wait at all. We rode the ride continuously until someone else got in line for the ride. The ride operators raced both of the sides, and we had so much fun while riding and making jokes with our opponents on the South Carolina side. We left Carowinds that day exhausted from riding Thunder Road nonstop, and ready for another trip to Carowinds the next weekend!

My most recent memory on Thunder Road was on June 22, the day before Thunder Road's removal was announced. I had heard the rumors swirling about Thunder Road's closure, but I doubted that they would actually close such a classic ride. However, just to be on the safe side, another friend of mine and I decided to ride Thunder Road, and only Thunder Road, for the rest of our day at Carowinds. We started out waiting in line for front row every time, but later we decided to switch seats so we could ride nonstop. We craved that airtime feeling as you go into the turnaround, and we asked the ride operators to let us race with the other side every time. The next day when we found out that Thunder Road was being closed down, we immediately made plans to marathon the ride again before it closed.

Thunder Road truly is a classic and special ride to me because of all the good times that I have had on it over the years. It is one of the best rides in the park, and definitely the most memorable.

-Shane, 13 from Gastonia, NC

[Jonathan]

I have been attending Carowinds from a very young age. I've been a season pass holder since age three (2000). I remember being fearful of larger roller coasters. My mother loved to ride them, and I was often waiting for her to exit then Top-Gun, standing petrified by the roar of the trains going by. However, by age four I had started to ride the two kiddie coasters, and my enthusiasm for them was starting to blossom. Back in these days (albeit not so long ago) the height restriction for Thunder Road was only a mere 44 inches, and before the end of the summer I had reached that magic number, and so my mother and I went to conquer one of the biggest coasters in the park-- Thunder Road.

I was so young that I didn't even know whether or not the coaster went up or down the chained part of the lift hill, and as we drew closer to the station I became more and more anxious. I eventually sat down in the seat, and started to cry in fear as we exited the station. My mother tried to calm me by reading the signs on the lift hill as we climbed. Grit Your Teeth... Bear the Load... Enjoy Your Ride... On Thunder Road... and then as I continued to cry we edged over the first hill, and my stomach dropped.

However, before we had even crested the second hill my crying turned to laughter and elation, by the time we rumbled back into the station I had a devilish grin spread wide across my face, and I couldn't wait to do the ride again. Or another ride, a larger ride. I would've hopped on Top-Gun right after if I could've. Instead, I spent years running across that park with my friends hopping on any coaster or ride that I could, yearning to be tall enough to ride "the big rides."

Thunder Road was the coaster that started a passion I've had my entire life, a passion for riding, and learning about roller coasters. My graduation project this year was focused on the evolution of roller-coasters, and how they may change in 15 years. The removal of rides for the replacement of something bigger and better (or at least easier to deal with) was a key part of my thesis, so the end of Thunder Road is almost poetic for me. I will always remember this wonderful ride, and now I'm just looking forward to what's next to come.

-Patrick, 18 from Hickory, NC

[Jonathan]

My name is Savanna. I am 7 years old. The first time I rode Thunder Road was last year. It is awesome and fun! It is one of my favorite rides. I am sad they are tearing it down. The biggest reason I am sad is because I haven't had a chance to ride it with my sister Meredith. Meredith was scared of coasters until we went to the ACE Spring Fling this year. Now she loves them. We were going to ride Thunder Road together at the ACE event in August but since the date changed she can't come with us now. I already have an ACE membership but if you pick my letter could you please give the membership to her? It would make her very excited. I hope she gets to ride Thunder Road before they tear it down.

[Jonathan]

Thunder Road will always be special because it was my first roller coaster ever. My parents surprised me with a trip to Carowinds one summer. I still remember the sheer thrill of just seeing the park for the first time. As soon as we were in my parents headed straight for Thunder Road, it was the first coaster for both of them and they wanted to make sure it was mine as well. I am somewhat saddened for it to go but I know I will always remember it fondly.

-Wesley, 25 from Statesville, NC

[Jonathan]

Grit your teeth. Bear the load. Enjoy your ride… on THUNDER ROAD! I remember it like it was yesterday. In 1990, time after time, my dad, mom, brothers and sisters all climbed in the trains to ride Thunder Road while I made the walk of shame, climbing over the trains, straight for the exit. Sure, I’d ridden Carolina Goldrusher but I wasn’t ready for what I though was sure to be my death sentence. It wasn’t until 1991 when I was 8 years old, that I decide to brave Thunder Road.

As we walked up the long aisle, I asked… no, I begged my dad to not let go of my hands for the entire ride. I figured if I was going to die, we were gonna die together.

When the ride was over, I was instantly sold. I was even ready to take on Carolina Cyclone now! Of course I still had to hold… no, squeeze my father’s hand for at least another year or two.

-Chris, 32 from Greensboro, NC

[Jonathan]

Thunder Road is one of my favorite roller coasters at Carowinds. It is also my daughter Sophia's favorite roller coaster. We are going to be very sad when Thunder Road is closed. It is one of the first "big girl" roller coasters she got to ride. The first time she rode she screamed the whole time. She is excited and sad for her last ride so soon on Thunder Road.

-Christopher, 27, and Sophia, 7

[Jonathan]

I am writing this on behalf of my son who is unable to read or write.

Carowinds is the first real amusement park that my special needs son visited. Immediately he fell in love with Thunder Road. Besides Boo Blasters, it is his favorite ride in the park and we try to take him on it every time he visits the park. It is usually difficult to get him off the ride as he always wants to ride again and again. His screams of excitement and laughs while riding beside me will always be a cherished memory as we soon will never be able to experience something like that at Carowinds again. You know that we were riding on the train with you when he very loudly cheers and claps when we hit the brake run, quickly followed by “more, Daddy!”

In 2012 we were thrilled to see that an elevator was added to make it easier for us to get him on the ride. That investment made it seem like this anchor of Carowinds park was going to be around for many more generations of people to enjoy.

Thunder Road is a great intermediate coaster for tweens and teens and it will be especially missed by my son as he will have no comprehension as to why it was removed. The loss of the only quality wooden coaster that Carowinds has will leave a big void that may never be filled again.

-Rick, age 46 from Monroe, NC

[Jonathan]

I have a few stellar memories of Thunder Road dating back to 1975 when they announced the ride. I watched them build this coaster from the ground up by means of a wonderful father who would take me by the park each Sunday after church during the off season construction. There were no gates to the parking area back then and you could just drive up and park right by the fence that surrounded the coaster. Dad would boost me up above the fence line so I could snap construction pictures of this massive, glistening white structure known as Thunder Road.

Counting down the hours until opening day April 3, 1976 it seemed like a millennia before it finally arrived. I was only 15 so my parents dropped me and a friend off at the front gate before the park opened and when they dropped the velvet rope just before the bridge, we ran non-stop all the way to Thunder Road. Although I can’t exactly recall for fact, I may have been on the first, or near the first train out for the general public. You see, I could run really fast back then. And my buddy ran track at school which didn’t hurt.

They always, I mean ALWAYS raced back then. That was the whole point of the ride. I honestly had no clue of the historical significance the original trains had until I joined ACE in 1989 (no longer a member). I do recall them being very roomy and cushy, no seatbelts, no seat dividers, and a single lap bar. The word “airtime” was not relevant coaster vocab back then but there was plenty to be had with these heavy, fast trains. The classic red, white & blue structure will always be how I remember Thunder Road. White structure, red track & blue handrails.

My next fondest memory was being in a Carowinds TV commercial on Thunder Road and White Lightnin’ in 1977. I went to Olympic High School, the closest high school to Carowinds back then. Carowinds would send teams of recruiters to our school each year to hire for summer employment. In 1977 they were looking for Thunder Rd & White Lightnin’ riders that could withstand multiple rides without interruption. Well, that would be me of course! We would not only get multiple rides on these 2 coasters, but an excused absence from school and a free meal. I rode Thunder Road at least 20 times that day. I would love to find a copy of that TV commercial! One day I will make an effort to find it. Who knows, it may be in a vault in a newsroom somewhere.

Another fond memory I had was riding with the RCCGB (Roller Coaster Club of Great Britain) back in 1997. The park was actually closed to the public the day they were there but the PR Director made special provisions to open 4 coasters just for the club. ACE members were invited but only about 6 ACE members showed up, including me. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eYltFptbeE) It was fun being in an empty park with about 50 coaster-crazy Brits that could even make rides on the Goldrusher a lasting memory. But it was our rides on Thunder Road that were most memorable. They raced us every time and of course this was the first year they ran one side backwards. There were several TV station crews there filming. This was real news in 1997. I mean, who would travel all the way across the ocean just to ride roller coasters….?

Finally, as evident in the photos I have submitted, I got permission to go through a large scrap pile with chunks of Thunder Road track during a rehab project in 2003-04. I did manage to grab a souvenir, a 3ft piece of Thunder Road steel overlay track (see photo) which I have come close to throwing away more than once over the past 10 years. Thankfully I came to my senses each time, and now I plan to display it in my home as a tribute to a great coaster. A racer that didn’t quite make it to 40 and will probably go down in history as the biggest loss in Carowinds history. I will really miss this ride!

-Ken, age 54 from Charlotte

[Jonathan]

August 25, 2005

I entered the station around 10:45am. Little did I know that I wouldn't be leaving for the next 4 hours.

Well, nobody was in line and only the forward side was running, so I hopped in the front seat of the train and had it all to myself. The train I mean. I was the only person on the train. It made me feel like the park was closed to everyone but me, and I could ride any ride at my leisure. So after about five rides in a row on Thunder Road, I inquired about the consecutive rides record. The young lady serving as ride operator came over the loudspeaker and said that this season someone had ridden 33 consecutive times. With the low number of people in the park today (1850 last count I heard), I thought that there was a really good chance I could ride that many times without having to leave the train.

Off I went, with the temperature rising and the train flying faster and faster down the track, never having to get off the train except once when they had to do a safety check and send an empty train. If someone was in line for my seat, I would hop out and find an empty one somewhere on the same train. The ride operators were very nice and even challenged me to keep going. I met lots of nice folks during my marathon, and some even thought I was crazy. But everyone wished me luck.

After my 34th consecutive ride, the ride operators even brought me a cup of water so I would stay hydrated. Everyone in the station cheered me on. The number of rides kept climbing. The ride ops kept bringing me water as I watched park-goers exit the ride.

Now all this time I had tried to stay close to the front of the train, because in the last car the ride gets a little wild. But for my final and 50th consecutive ride, I hopped in the last row of the last car and up the lift hill I went. Being yanked over the top of the lift hill. Flying out of my seat over the first few hills. Then up to the turn around, only dive back down and travel through the camelbacks on the second half of the ride. The ride grew wilder over each hill. Finally through the cool and dark of the tunnel the train grinded to a halt on the brake run, then coasted into the station. I had done it! Fifty consecutive rides on Thunder Road, a Carowinds classic since 1976.

And that was that. My marathon had come to an end. I shook the hands of every ride operator and exited the station. Another excellent day in the park I'll never forget.

-Eric, age 34 from Stanley, NC