Roller Coaster Fan Living His Dream

Karol Gajda

USA Today: It's the ultimate summer fantasy. Or nightmare, depending on your perspective.

But if you ask Karol Gajda, he's living the dream as he attempts to ride every roller coaster in the USA. The quest will take him three months, 13,000 miles, and land him on 300 coasters, give or take a few.

The obvious question is: Why? The answer: Because he can. Gajda, 30, characterizes himself as merely a "fan" -- as opposed to the more hard-core coaster "enthusiast." And as such, his mission is more about the project than the coasters themselves.

"My goal in life is to inspire people to dream big and do fun things," he says. "This is just an example of that."

I caught up with him Friday while he was taking a break in Portland, Ore. (He was there to attend the World Domination Summit, which is about non-conformity, not global control, but that's another story.)

Gajda started the trip on May 21 in Michigan and by Day 13, when we spoke, he had knocked off 30 or so coasters in seven amusement parks. He's limiting the quest to adult coasters -- by his definition those that go at least 50 mph and have a minimum 100-foot drop. Kiddy coasters would be problematic for the 6-foot-5-incher, he explains.

He's blogging about the experience at rollercoastertour.com. But he isn't reviewing the rides, per se. "Ratings are so personal and plenty of websites do that already," he says.

Gajda does share his preferences, however. For instance, he doesn't really like corkscrew coasters. (They're uncomfortable for a guy of his stature.) And though he's always been into the faster steel coasters, the old-fashioned wooden variety are growing on him. "There's a weird beauty about them," Gajda says.

At any rate, he adds, the project is about more than coasters.

We sense a metaphor coming on, and sure enough…"In a way, life is a roller coaster, isn't it?" Gajda says. "And this is about doing things you want to do and not living the life other people want you to live."

Two years ago, Gajda sold all his possessions and began traveling. He had been living in the Orlando area, where, he notes, he did not spend an inordinate amount of time at the area's theme parks.

Gajda considered buying a used hearse for this extended road trip, figuring it'd draw attention to the project. But he nixed the idea after a test drive in which he discovered that hearses don't have adjustable front seats. (His height issues, again.) So instead, he's cruising the country in his dad's not-as-head-turning, but reliable, 2000 Grand Prix.

He'll wind up in mid-August at Cedar Point in Ohio, which is fitting since that's the park where he first rode coasters as a kid.

Contact him via his website if you want to ride along.