10 BEST LOOP DE LOOPS.

Byline: - Eric Noland Travel Editor

Thrills and chills, flips and flops.

No, we're not talking politics. This is what can be had on park rides in Southern California. The area is blessed with four major theme parks: Disneyland, Six Flags Magic Mountain, Universal Studios and Knott's Berry Farm.

For Democratic National Convention goers who can only free up time for a breeze-through visit, here's a ranking of the best rides:

1. Space Mountain (Disneyland) Great concept: a roller coaster in the dark. The ceiling is a canopy of light-projected stars, the music throbs, and the ride whips you into turns that you literally can't see coming. This attraction opened 23 years ago, yet its futuristic feel has faded only slightly.

2. Goliath (Magic Mountain) You're given an idea of what you're in for right away - a precipitous free fall off the first hill. Then, just as you recover your wits, a second hill on which you get some serious air. Great speed. High-G turns. Definitely not for the faint of heart.

3. Ghost Rider (Knott's). For nostalgia buffs, a big, clackety wooden coaster. All the requisite drops and turns. Because it doesn't try to outdo all the high-tech rides - which at times resemble astronaut training - a pre-teen kid can enjoy it without fear of losing his pancreas.

4. Universal Studios Tour. Time to slow things down a little. Aboard the tram, you get a glimpse behind some Hollywood scenes, notably the town square and clock tower in ``Back to the Future,'' and one of the favorite sights for the macabre mob: the Bates Motel from ``Psycho.''

5. Jurassic Park (Universal) All the clever animatronics of the movie are brought forward here, which means a lot of frightening encounters with the chronically perturbed beasts of prehistory. It culminates in a drenching plunge - not a bad thing in L.A. in August.

6. Batman (Magic Mountain) Quick, with a lot of twists and turns, and plenty of time spent upside down. (Fill in your political joke here ... )

7. Mr. Toad's Wild Ride (Disneyland) For young kids - or adults who can't handle the big coasters. This ride is silly and thoroughly charming. Wheel through a nocturnal London with the ``Wind in the Willows'' gang, crashing through pubs and courtrooms, rattling over railroad tracks, and touching off the dynamite for a fairly troubling descent into the lower reaches.

8. Colossus (Magic Mountain) The ride that put Magic Mountain on the map. It's yet another wooden roller coaster in the Eastern Seaboard tradition. You'll see this monster as you approach the park on the 5 Freeway.

9. Matterhorn Bobsleds (Disneyland) The park's first roller coaster ride, it still feels as if it's a throwback to another era - you bump and jostle around that giant faux mountain, with nary a shock absorber in evidence.

10. Pirates of the Caribbean (Disneyland) Another tried-and-true attraction here, even though the novelty of some of the technology has long since worn off. The appeal of this boat ride through the Magic Kingdom's bowels is peculiar, when you think about it: It deals humorously with larceny, murder, torture (the mayor has been repeatedly dunked in the town well for more than 30 years now), female slavery, alcoholism, reckless gunplay and arson. But you'll be singing ``Yo ho, yo ho,'' before the boat rounds the final bend.