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07/04/2004: "Ka-Boom! (Happy 4th of July!)"

Well, it's only 3 hours into the 228th anniversary of the United States' Independence Day, but the sounds of people setting off fireworks (illegal in my humble little town) has already begun. Unfortunately, those explosions are probably going to keep me awake, too. I just got home from a day-trip to Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California. To say I enjoyed myself would be a far cry from the real world. It began with the shuttle bus being full when it arrived to pick us up. Why run if you're full? (Also, only two shuttles were running, and each only three cars long.) At the gate, we had to pass through the metal detector three times (metal detectors?!?) before being passed over with the wand, only to be told the detectors sometimes are confused by the wind. Blowing air, magnetics to detect metal... nope, I don't get it. Four attractions were closed, and there weren't as many as I remebered. Of those that looked fun, many required an additional fee to do the activity. All in all, I left feeling like a sad panda, and longing for another trip to Disneyland, where the attractions are generally open, there are no metal detectors, the shuttles are long and well-run, and everything is included in the admission except food, photos and trinkets (the latter two being optional). Oh well.