Great Adventure’s Kingda Ka is not totally gone. Here’s where you can find it

I still miss it. But like a beloved pet you have to re-home it’s nice to know maybe I can visit it again.

The iconic Kingda Ka roller coaster was more than just an amusement park ride. It was a rite of passage.

It stood for a generation at Great Adventure and I first rode it as a teen when it opened in 2005. At the time it was the world’s tallest and fastest roller coaster and I felt like such a badass for braving the ride.

Hell, I even still have the keychain with the picture of me making a dumb face for the camera!

I loved it. I rode it several more times over the years. So, of course, I was sad to hear it was going away and when it was demolished earlier this year I felt like I lost a friend.

WATCH: Kingda Ka tower crashes to ground at Six Flags

After it was put to dust with the final phase being a planned implosion of that mighty tower, part of Kingda Ka has been resurrected and will live on in West Texas.

What happened to Kingda Ka?

Not all heroes wear capes, and the heroes in this story are Darrius Jones and brothers Phil and Colin Petrignani, who formed a team they appropriately dubbed “Teal Team Six.” These guys weren’t about to let the king fade into oblivion.

They cut a deal. They acquired Kingda Ka’s iconic front car and loaded it onto a 25-foot box truck and brought it more than 1,700 miles from Jackson to the National Roller Coaster Museum and Archives in Texas.

I was like, you know, that would be a really good way to close the chapter on Kingda Ka and just finish the story. Be a good way to take it, and now we know it’s going to be preserved forever," Phil Petrignani said.

Thanks to these guys that car, the one I probably screamed in like a madwoman, is going to be admired by coaster fans and art nerds alike. Because yes, Kingda Ka is art.

For those of us who white-knuckled our way up that 90-degree tower and made peace with our gods as we plunged back down, this news is more than nostalgic.

It’s vindication.

It’s the legend getting the sendoff it deserves.

So here’s to you, Kingda Ka. You scared us. You thrilled us. You almost made us pass out. And now, even in retirement, you’ll still make our hearts race.

Long live the king!

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5's Kylie Moore. Any opinions expressed are Kylie's own. You can follow Kylie on Instagram.

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