It’s not often Montreal is treated to beautiful weather like this because Canada has only two seasons, six months of winter and six months of poor snowmobile weather.

With a light tailwind, the flight to Montreal took less than two hours.We landed at a small airport a few miles from the park, and were met by customs. As soon as I told the inspector I was going to La Ronde the talked shifted from customs to coasters and we discussed the merits of Le Monstre, La Ronde’s signature wooden racer.

Nathalie Cooke, La Ronde’s public relations representative, took me to the office of Len Turtora, director general of La Ronde, whom I had met years earlier when he was at Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey. Len walked me over to Goliath and asked if I’d like to ride in the front or rear of the train. “Yes,” I said, and took subsequent rides in both locations.

As coasters go, Goliath is a delight. In Quebec it is described as Le Géant de fer, or Steel Giant. It is Canada’s tallest coaster, with a 175- foot-tall lifthill and drops that go to the ground.That makes it a mini mega coaster, smaller than 200ft-plus mega coasters but taller than most. Front seat or rear, I was off my seat eleven times during the ride. Goliath combines the best of thrills while remaining a coaster that everyone can enjoy.What fun, especially since Goliath was the 700th different coaster I have ridden.

La Ronde had added two other coasters since my last visit in 1999. Toboggan Nordique is a Zamperla Wild Mouse added in 2003, and Le Vampire is a B&M inverted coaster introduced in 2002.They became the 701st and 702nd coasters I’ve ridden, not that I’m obsessive.

Besides being an enjoyable coaster to ride, Goliath is also very picturesque. Situated on the eastern end of Sainte-Hélène Island, it is surrounded by the St Lawrence River, and I was able to take some beautiful photos (see for yourself on page 36).Then it was time to say goodbye, taxi back to the airport, and fly home before sunset, where we again breezed through customs, tied down the plane, then finished the day with dinner and a couple of cold ones. As I said before, it was a glorious day.

But you know the best part, the absolute best park? Flying in a private plane we did not have to endure airport security. No long lines, no delays, no intrusive searches. I’m spoiled after flying Pilot Bob Airways.

Did I mention? Before leaving I stopped at a meat market to buy some Canadian beef. Yes, we flew home with …Steaks On A Plane!

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