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I think wildebeast got some refurbushing over the winter. I rode it on passholder preview day and it was almost rideable. minebuster was not open that day but has supposedly had some new work on the out and back section. I hope they are making efforts to improve them both but we are not in the same universe as kings island. They made time warp, the old tomb raider coaster much smoother to the point it is completely flat with no track whatsoever. (Ie completely removed it). It looked strange to see the station building as all that remains with nothing in front. the track for alpenfury looked really good in person compared to the artists renditions on the internet. It looks like it will be a lot of fun. I did not see anywhere for transfer tracks but maybe they are hidden inside the mountain.

With those colors I think we should call it the Reeses Death Dive! I will be following the construction of this massive new coaster in its entirety! Stay tuned!

Great TR Adam! Phantasialand was such an amazing park! I loved how dense many of the sections felt, especially with how much interactions there are between the big coasters and the paths. FLY was a huge surprise for me. It rides really differently to other flying coasters, even without the launches. While it doesn't have the ridiculous intensity of B&M pretzel loops, it was so much more forceful throughout its layout in general and had several good pops of air (especially the top of the second launch in the front). I really hope we see some more of these pop up around the place. Hotel Charles Lindburgh was really great to stay at as well. And yes, the rooms were small, but I never felt that cramped in them (and we barely spent any time awake in there anyways), and being surrounded by FLY was totally worth it. I think about the goat cheese and fig pasta I had on the first night constantly because it was so good. And relaxing at the bar in the evenings was great. Overall, this was another amazing TPR trip! It was so nice to be able travel to new parks and places with an amazing group of people. As always, a huge thank you to Robb and Elissa for all the work that they do in putting together a trip like this. Also, thanks to you, Adam, for being a great roommate, it was wonderful getting to know you over the trip along with everyone else.

New ME train photo. Predator with 230 ft of new track.

Interesting color scheme. Thanks for sharing the pictures.

With the 2025 season now underway, just wanted to give a couple thoughts on the state of the park and what could happen in the future. I visited on Passholder preview on Saturday 5/10. Park president at enthusiast events has stated that a new coaster is a "when," not an "if." Park needs infrastructure improvements before that happens. While he hasn't elaborated, I'm guessing this includes in part: the entry experience (parking tolls/parking lot/park entrance), dealing partly with the Flood Plain, upgrading certain facilities such as restrooms, and food service upgrades. I didn't see that much noticeable work on any of these during my visit. And it's worth noting how many closed--as in, shuttered, food service locations there are around the park. Ride signs for select attractions could be updated. Renegade's sign is extremely faded. Wild Thing could use new sign to go with its paint job. The starflyer and Disk'O only have the ride safety sign and could use a logo sign. Per maintenance: No titan track planned for Renegade. Wild Thing MCBR unlikely to ever turn off/down--final brake run too short. Park pres wants more limited time events a la Grand Carnivale, though none are currently scheduled. I remember getting a survey on this a couple years ago. Park pres is excited for the park's 50th anniversary. While the park opened in 1976, it didn't open at all in 2020. Either 2026 or 2027 could be used to celebrate. I wouldn't be surprised if it's a 2 year celebration. The Skycoaster has been removed from the park. The footings for the arch have been removed. The back spike footer still seems to be there. The op booth is still up. The concrete path has been torn up. I picked up a Worlds of Fun Mamba hat in a gift shop. It was tucked in among Wild Thing hats.

They started testing the tilt track over the weekend what the means for a timeline no idea.

Went to Valleyfair this past weekend for Opening Day. Park looked clean as always. Ride operations were slow with new staff, but that is to be expected. There was a group of kids from Owatonna that kept getting away with using the Fast Pass lane and didn't have Fast Passes, which was kind of annoying, but whatever. Small issues... Retracking of High Roller did wonders on the second hill drop! So smooth.. While riding High Roller on the turn around, I did notice there was some trees removed and have red X's spray painted on the stumps in the old Antique Autos/Dinos Alive area. I would usually start to get my hopes up, but I've been a season pass holder for over 20 years, so not going down the roller coaster hope road ever again until there is an actual announcement... There are some areas of the park where a new ride just seem obvious: 1) slide complex at old Looping Starship 2) roller coaster at old Dinos spot 3) games midway always just feels empty and a waste Other Notes & Rambles: Power Tower is looking rough. 25 years old now that I think of it. Wild thing paint job looks great! Looks like they turnaround up to the brake run. Hope the lift hill/return hills/station area to complete it this next offseason! Renegade kicks ass as always! Could envision Steel Venom exiting the park's line up in 5-10 years with a coaster replacement in that corner of the parking lot too. It is pretty rare to see that ride batting 1.000 on the day, but I know they just put some money into it with the holding brake repair, so probably safe for awhile. Looking forward to another good year at the park with the family!

Any hope for Sirens Curse to actually make coastermania or atleast June 15? I have seen some people say of course and some say it’s very unlikely. Of course we as the public don’t know how much work is left. But it’s stressing me. What do you all think?

You should've taken video so you can show this to the groupers at Carowinds when they send trains out with 4 empty rows because they can't keep up for some reason.

One thing I've found out about the new Giga-Dive coming in. We can tell from the pics that the track has 10 bolts going across. This is indicative of the 8 to 10 across seating. The track for 7 across and lower "Mini" Dives typically has 6 bolts going across. Wrath Of Rakshasa track has the 6 bolts.

I stopped by SFA Yesterday from around 1 PM through the 7 PM closing to catch the two credits I was missing from this park, get some final rides, and take some pictures to document the park's existence. Gotta say this is probably the first time I've ever encountered other enthusiasts (identified by wearing shirts from non-local parks and their dialogue) at this place. The park generally looked in much better shape than I've ever seen it, but it's still SFA at the end of the day. Rides ridden: -Ragin' Cajun: One of the missing credits. 32 minute wait, including a breakdown. Whatever, it's a spinning mouse. 3/10 -Wild One: 15 minutes for row 2. Wasn't terrible; definitely a lot smoother than I remember. 7/10 -Great Chase: The other of the missing credits. Whatever, it's a kiddie coaster. 3 laps. -Skywinder (aka Mind Eraser): 23 minutes for row 4, only running one train. Better with the new trains, but still awful. 2/10 -High Seas (their swinging ship): One cycle wait (at the request of a friend). -Joker's Jinx: 45 minutes for front row, including a breakdown, only running one train with no other trains in sight. This is clearly superior to the FoF clones....smoother ride, and so much faster through the second half due to no MCBR. I know it'll be parted out to support the remaining 3 of these in the chain, but they really should just plop the whole ride as is inside Flight of Fear's box at Kings Dominion. 7/10 -Superman: 30 minutes for row 2. New trains are nice; they are still the same restraint style (but now have ankle/calf-bars). Only one was fully assembled and running. These will serve Darien Lake well. 8/10 -Batwing: 1 hour and 15 minutes for back row, including two breakdowns and them only running one train (with no other trains in sight). Remembered why I preferred these to the B&M flyers: The loop is so intense. Also remembered why I prefer the B&Ms: The inline twist at the end is truly awful. RIP, Vekoma Flying Dutchman. 6/10 -Superman: 30 minutes for front row. Still not an exciting layout, but the pops of air are nice, and it's easily the star of this park. 8/10. The most entertaining moment of the day came when the panel operator at Joker's Jinx (during the breakdown), asked the crowd in the station if anyone was sad the park was closing at the end of the year, and no one made a sound. I had to laugh about that. Fun Fact: This is the only park I've ever been to where the crowd self-regulates in the station of coasters - without the presence of a grouper, they still line up with only enough people for the next train per row, on their own! I was shocked. Photos/videos to come later maybe.

And it's gotten even better in the last few years, with improved ops, great food, new shows, and amazing seasonal festivals. Siren's Curse Harley Quinn was going to be the cherry on top, sadly it didn't materialize but I've been told there are huge investments coming in the next couple of years, so I'd say SFM is safe for now.

It is still undergoing retracking by Gravity Group. The track that I could see from the path along Splashworks from when I visited Friday looks great. I can't wait to ride it again once it reopens!

Exciting stuff! I have always been a fan of two-tone color schemes like this. With this coaster coming and hopefully the ones at COTAland opening, I think a 2026 Texas trip is on the horizon for me.

More pics I took today!

There were mixed reactions about that announcement. Other than that i'm excited.

Minebuster got serious Gravity Group love this offseason, didn't it? I am curious as to how it rides now when we are back in early August.

I might actually go ride this coaster that I've lived 20 minutes from for the last 10 years.

the refurbished Sangerfest Halle is now officially open. not only looks great, but the new layout VASTLY improved wait times - with the line splitting at the front for two sides with same options, and then 4 cashiers on each side. The Beverage station is also now on the same side (looks like what was the beverage station across the dining room area is going to be refurbed - if I had to guess, it will be a beer/alcohol stand, but at the moment it's all blocked off). the new food options are excellent, and this is NOT "theme park food" - other than the pizza and chicken fingers option that I guess they must offer for the picky eaters and kiddos. I DO wish some of the options that went away - such as my beloved Chicken Schnitzel Sandwich - will come back, as I feel they could use a few more options. opening options are: (all are Meal options on dining plan, and both deserts are Snack options) Salad (good size comes with grilled chicken chunks) Pizza plate - one large slize (cheese or Peperoni) with a pretzel bread stick Chicken Tenders - with a pretzel breadstick Sangerfest Platter - I entree, 1 side (+6.99 for additional sides) Entree Options: Traditional Braised Beef with Spaetzle, Grilled Brats, German Pork Loin, Chicken Tenders Side Options: Macaroni & Cheese, Fried Brussel Sprouts, Steak Fries, Fried Apples Deserts: Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake, Parfaits Everything we tried was excellent, and the serving size for the pork loin was big enough that could easily be shared. I always bring along baggies, and took home leftover pork and Brussells that made a great lunch today.

last Day in Munich: at the fair for a final time. all packed up, shower and a quick nap taken, several of us met up in the lobby and headed back over to the Oktoberfest Faire for the final night (for us, the fair still ran I think for 2 more weekends?). a brewery we passed by every time we walked to the fair: as it was a weeknight, not as packed as we'd seen it. . but still the fairgrounds were pretty hopping. this is what they use for medical emergencies (or alcoholic emergencies: ie: pass-outs). they are to permit privacy, but these big, blue, coffins wheeling thru the crowds drew attention to them, I thought. this was my goal for tonight. . to get some pics from the ferris wheel at the back of the fair. so we headed that way. still pretty busy for a Tuesday night, I thought. we ended up sharing with a family who also wanted to take pics, so we took turns sitting in the end seat to grab pics as we cycled so colorful from above! a look down into the "older" section that had the separate entry. Loved that part of the Fairgrounds. and the beerhalls lining down one side of the main walkway Olympia Looping from the Ferris Wheel the ferris wheel off my list, there really was only one more thing I wanted to check out (and thanks to Erik for recommending it!) - one of the oldest rides at Oktoberfest! the Suspended Carousel. it was celebrating it's 100 years at the festival, and not only had a live band playing while it operated, but some daredevil operators, who jumped up onto the carriages as they swung around to take your ticket. it was amazing! the inner workings of the ride Erik even got on to ride it again with me. hidden way back on the complex, it wasn't packed tonight, but we weren't the only ones riding it. the live band - crammed into that little booth - that played while the ride was going. some signage celebrating the 100 years it' had been at the fair. I was actually starting a get a bit of munchies (having not really eaten today other than sharing that pizza).. so we started looking for a place to try that we hadn't had yet. LOL. .the sign ALMOST got me.. but I had flashbacks to those balls from night one.. and passed. Tho we stopped for a pic. no takes for the flume tonight. .even tho it was not raining I'm SURE this is 100% Disney approved, right? but since we were over here, and it was our last night? absolutely got some rides on Olympia Looping. this pic gives a good shot of the restraints. I don't care for them because as the coaster hits the loops, the pressure forces the shoulder harness down more and more..and you feel crushed by ride end. Fantastic coaster tho, and was able to knock it off my bucket list. luckily just out front of it was a place serving these wonderful things. Kinda like a Gyro, but on fry bread with more veggies inside. comes flat, but one folds it to eat like a taco. it was quite good. and met some folks who thought my jacket was as cool as their jackets, so they wanted to take a picture together. uh oh.. more of those "body boxes" things. . . stuff I hadn't seen in the prior 4 days, now suddenly a few times in one evening? and whom did we stumble upon? (and in a fantastic mood)? Jonathan, once again wearing his lederhosen. he joined us and we decided to check out Dr. Archibald - basically a ghost train, but with the gimmick that each rider gets VR goggles, and for the most part, all are watching different stories. honestly? I wasn't impressed at all with the VR. But the 'ghost train' aspects of it were fun (as was the exit funhouse), and it had some of the best lighting on the fairgrounds (purely to draw in customers - as once you had the VR on anyways, you couldn't see it. the ticket to get in. we're ready to be a-scared !! Jonathan really, REALLY wanted to try the toboggan again - as he was insisting that he had done well the night before. I worried he was wasting his $$, and that he was too far "gone" to have a chance, but he woudl not take no for an answer, so we all observed (and filmed for him at his insistence) as he gave it a go. whoopsie! but he made it to the top.. then kinda disappeared. he took his time coming down.. but eventually spotted him on the slide. where he sat giggling.. until staffers - who did NOT think it was funny - came and "helped him" out. but hey, it made fora *classic* short film clip HYWX4608.MOV after that fun, Jonahan wanted to go even deeper inoo the fair as possilby prior noted: Even tho it doesn't do anything TOO nuts. . but still, I think, it' possibly my favorite coaster at the fair. note: these pics were taken on the final brake run into the station - WITH PERMISSION from he ride operator. never pull out a phone for pics on a coaster, unless you get an ok from the folks who operate the ride! some "artsy" pics i have on my batch. . .and I think they are probably Andy's pics that he shared. finally managed to get the natural lame on Voodoo Jumper. and one final look back before we head out to go back to the hotel. Long day tomorrow with drive to Europa Parc it had been a fantastic visit to Oktoerfest, and still a few days to go on this trip. for now tho? off to rest. . .

Seen from the Oil Derrick!

Hello B&M Giga-Dive!

Free Day in Munich: Part 2 at the Deutsches Museum the next hall we went into seemed to be the history of stringed instruments. I'm a sucker for this kind of thing, so I recall spending quite a bit of time in this quiet section of the Museum, where many of the instruments were interactive in some way, and you could hear the sounds from them. stunning large organ, off to one side of the big hall. I'd never seen one of these "air pumped" organs. . . super interesting. another stunning organ interestingly designed harpsicord/piano mash up shouldn't be surprised, but the innner workings are SO much more complicated than I'd expected. moving on to more modern types of instrumentation. . and sound amplifying options this guy was so cool. . and I wondered why he wasn't on the first floor exibit of Atomotons. but looking at it, this seemed to be a permanent installation in this section of the museum, and yes, he operated! Loved the mirror behind him so you could watch the inner workings different kinds of flutes.. and I believe the one at top is the crystal flute the museum loaned out to Lizzo for a performance (as she's a flutist) as we're getting closer to "modern" times, the automatons are getting even more detailed - this player piano almost looks like a Jukebox and this Asian singing bird sculpture was really impressive for how tiny everything was, but they moved and sang. a Theremin. . that was so fun to play with and make my own Laurie Anderson Music. I don't think Andrew was impressed tho. . .LOL hmmm. . why do they have a recording studio set up in this area of the museum? oh. pretty cool to see, even if reading the notes, sounded like most of it were reproductions rather than original instruments (think the speakers were official) onwards to the Apothocary, and farm life. with tons of dioramas set up to show extreme conditions, and how certain discoveries were made, in terms of medicine. and even some discussion of mental health. I honestly can't recall what this handshake/grip display was for. . but it was creepy! the Periodic Table with examples of things (that won't kill you at least) was a nifty way to show off the Elements This pic might be out of order. . I THINK it might be from the "printing/communication" exhibit on the floor above. but it was in my roll here.. so maybe has to do with farming? we'd been in the museum for over 4 1/2 hours now, so it was a perfect time to stop for a quick coffee break. and I did love the artwork by the upper level "restaurant" and the furniture continuing on - last but not least on this floor was a display about Microscopes, and the way light bends to form holograms. very interesting on how the Microscope evolved thru the ages. and tho they didn't photograph well. . .I found the Hologram exhibits to be among the most fun. they were all super interactive, moving glass panes and objects to get different results. looking thru a telescope that went thru multiple exhibits to give an example of how things existing on different planes can appear flat on the same plane when looked at in a certain way. going up a level, was the large exhibit about printing processes and the way the world communicates. (this area had a couple of full size - like barn size - printers from the 1800s) examples of the pieces put into a printing press to roll off printed works spam and a trojan horse.. . . can't recall why. . probably about using mis-communication as communication examples of printing. . and ways of communication - carrier pigeon! and following as technology evolved. . into games, and short films and eventually some artwork depicting how technology can overwhelm us. I really enjoyed this piece that I believe was called the Techno-Tornado and look! even found a roller coaster connection. of course, why they chose to use an SLC, I dunno.. . maybe they wanted to make a statement about science sometimes = pain up to the final/top level - where about 1/2 is closed off as they work on the new additions to the Musuem, the two main sections here were Body/Health, and farming. we went to Farming first. 'nuff said it was interesting to see how technology is used not only to process crops, but also to fiddle with the DNA of some foods/insects to end with better outcomes/harvests for some reason, in the health area, I didn't take many pics. Perhaps the details of "perform your own surgery" or "you try making stitches" or looking at old remedies for illnesses were just a bit too gross for me to take pics of (not likely). . . or I just had my hands full with so much hands on stuff that I didn't think to take many pictures. the hall is set up like a giant humanoid body, and each station has info (and creepy utensils) about how they used to work on these things to treat people. I did manage to snap some pics out the windows from up here, for a nice view of Munich. a fully stocked apothecary from the Renaissance - with everything labeled and you could read up on what each thing was used for via that kiosk in the center by clicking on things. I'll take modern medicine, thank you. we were pretty exhausted - having been here most of the day - and hungry. so we decided to head out.. tho stopped in the "train room" to watch the trains for a bit. and in the Robots exhibit, a Museum staffer was out with a robot dog showing off it's tricks for a small crowd, so we stopped and watched this a bit too. the weather was still holding up - very overcast, but nice. so after a quick stop in the Museum gift shop (of course) we decided to walk towards the town center and find something to eat. here's a peek over the construction fence from the gift shop. I'd guess this is the "official" front entrance to the Museum. . . but since they put so much work into setting up the new entrance, I'd guess that will remain the entrance. while walking we passed a vegan pet food store, and took a look inside (Andrew's family had just gotten a puppy). we didn't buy anything, but they DID have this *stunning* piece of art up on the wall. there was a lot of art that I liked that we passed as we walked. we did end up stopping and getting Pizza from a place that was actually pretty good. I don't know why I didn't take a single picture, or if I did? kept any pictures? because the pizza was decent, and it was just what we needed to hit the spot. near the main square, there was this absolutely beautiful church that has a sign outside inviting anyone to come in and check it out. i'm glad we stepped in to take a look.. as the inside was really pretty breathtaking. there was also a large street market area over here too.. so we did some shopping for gifts, and treats while here. we finally got to the point where our feet were hurting a bit - and I recognized a building (and knew how to get back to the hotel via train from here) but first we watched the clocktower animated pinging at (I think) 5pm. and Andrew offered to treat me to a Hot Chocolate from a chocolate shop off the square. I said yes, and we were both surprised to get a full cup of melted chocolate. . LOL. . it's like what they use to dip their chocolates in a chocolate fountain but just put it straight into a cup. it was rich, and dark, and just the right amount of bitter. A postcard I got for a friend. and then we hopped on the train and headed back to the hotel. where we took a couple of hours to relax, pack for the morning (we were leaving for Europa Parc in the morning), and meet back down in the lobby for one final visit to the Oktoberfest faire. this guy is now sitting on the rocking chair in my living room. . but I bought him at a street fair in Munich. to be continued with final night at the fair.