Our Vegas trip is over and the 85 degree days have been replaced with a 28 degree Minnesota day. It’s good to be home again, but it’s to darn cold.

While out in Vegas I got to ride the rides at the top of the Stratosphere tower and the rides are relatively lame, but on top of a skyscraper, they are amazing. Each one sits over 100 stories above the ground and just the thought of them makes most people scared.

First up I tried Big Shot. Big Shot shoots riders up 921 feed to an amazing total of 1,081 feet above the ground. This ride can be seen at many amusement parks across the country but atop the Stratosphere, it’s the tallest thrill ride in the world.

Second I tried X Scream. I didn’t think it’d be that bad, but boy was I wrong. “Shaped like a giant teeter-totter, X Scream is an open vehicle that propels riders head-first, 27 feet over the edge of the Stratosphere Tower and dangles them weightlessly above the Strip before pulling it’s riders back and over again for more!” For some reason, X Scream scared the crap out of me.

Then it was off to Insanity. Insanity The Ride looked the worse of them all. It’s kind of like the swings, only you swing 900+ feet above the ground below. As the ride goes around, the seats angle out and you point down. In the end, this was not that scary and was very fun! A must ride for anyone who likes a good thrill ride!

Thanks to YouTube, you can get a better idea of Insanity with this video:

All three rides are lame by most standards. They don’t go fast and they don’t do a lot. But on top of the Stratosphere Tower in Vegas, over 100 stories in the air, they are amazing, scary and fun all at the same time.

Sadly though, the rollercoaster is gone.

Tags: big-shot, insanity, rollercoaster, stratosphere, vegas, x-scream