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Incredible news! Hey Carowinds if you need help hauling the world's-most-hated Christmas decoration to the dump, let me know.

Day 4, part III - we shortly arrived at the Hotel Löwengarten in Speyer, Germany and got checked in and settled into the room. the view from our room. . . the rain had stopped completely. . (it had been drizzling when we got to the hotel), so a group of folks was going out to explore the town's nightlife (a couple of groups actually). . tho one group of folks seemed more interested in the local pub rather than just food I synced up with mostly the folks I had hung around with all day, plus a couple of others, and we set out to wander the streets and find someplace for dinner. a bunch of pics while we wandered around this beautiful German town looking for a place to eat: really loved the architecture around here! ooo. . a central square. This looks busy, and promising. straight ahead was a place that seemed to be a local brewhouse that also had food. we headed that way to take a look at what was offered, and see what kind of food. the menu looked really good, so we decided to try it out. The owner (nor staff) spoke very little English, but he was thrilled to have a group come in on what was a rainy evening and I'm sure kept folks in. the group of us tonight. clockwise Ltr: Ian, Jon, James, AJ, Ryan, Andrew, and myself and we were being blessed (I think?) by this guy in the alcove over our tables luckily Ryan spoke enough German to get us seated, and to translate what some of the offerings were (some of us also used google translate on the menu) While most went for Beer -- I mean, we were in Germany - I'm not a big Beer fan, so went for a Riesling. the owner asked me if I wanted small or large, so I said large. yup. .this is what came out. . a TUMBLER of Riesling. and yes, I was absolutely feeling it by the end of the meal. .LOL Cheers!!! I had munched at Tripsdrill, and at Holiday Park, and wasn't super hungry, so I did the Octopus appetizer. it was absolutely amazing, one of the best things I had on the trip, and grilled just perfect! James had, I think, one of the Schnitzel varieties (as did several others) tho I think Ian had a pita ? (in Germany?) but oh yes, we saved room for desert. . I mean. . . . I had the Apfelstrudel. . . it was SO good. and so rich, I recall sharing it with folks. the owner came over after our meal and brought us several rounds of shots. they were licorice flavor (which i *hate*). . but since he brought them as a gift, I went ahead and drank it. . .then he brought over another round for the table. they were gifts, as he was happy to have tourist customers, so we sucked it up and drank them (tho those that don't drink passed along the shots to others, since it's rude NOT to take them). i think the 1st one might have been Underberg, since that's a liquor that promotes digestion . . yes, I looked up "German liquor that tastes like licorice". . . I was most definitely feeling my tumbler of wine (and the shots) as we made our way back to the hotel - as it was finally getting dark. (not many pics, as they came out blurry. . gee . . I wonder why????? ) but I made sure to take a pic of this tiny fairy door - near someone's normal sized front door - as we passed by. and tons of cigarette machines. . on almost every corner. the amount of stickers on it was very punk tho, and pleased me finally getting up to the room, and ready to crash after a long day, I finally remembered to snap a pic of the room: Decent size, and comfy beds. . we were only here overnight tho, as we checked out in the morning prior to heading back to Holiday Park to enjoy the full park. decent size bathroom and enough space to spread out - even if just overnight. drunk bert, with nose strip on to prevent snoring (James said it doesn't work. . LOL. . but hey, I was tipsy), sending a good night pic home to Nick () and then turned in for the night. it had been a great day, and we still had so much of the trip left ahead of us!

Fury 325, Carolina Cyclone, Flying Cobras, and Nighthawk have been added to the Winterfest ride lineup for 2022. https://www.carowinds.com/events/winterfest/attractions

I took a Florida trip last week and here's some thoughts on Universal. It was my 2nd visit, so I focused mainly on new stuff and favorites from last time. HIGHLIGHTS: Velocicoaster of course. My new #1. Got to ride it 3 times (front, middle, back) and it was heaven each time. It's obviously not as immersive as something like Gringotts, but for a big thrill coaster, I appreciated the level of theming. The queue is awesome, the landscaping works, and the finale over the lake is unbeatable. Also, the operations were flying, consistently sending trains in under a minute. Universal has got ops and efficiency DOWN. And once again... the mosasaurus roll... sent me to another plane of existence. Bourne Stuntacular. Absolutely my favorite non-coaster in either park. Rather then feeling like a cheap substitute for physical sets, the use of video serves the experience in a creative and really boundary-pushing way. The show constantly one-ups itself into bigger and bigger wow moments. It seems like it doesn't get a lot of attention being tucked away in that corner, but it's a marquee attraction in my book. And I love seeing live entertainment shine in ways that you can only get with real people actually in front of you. Sinbad lost its edge a long time ago and Orlando needed its own Waterworld. This is it, and it I hope it sticks around for longer than the Bourne movies are even relevant. Halloween Nightmare Fuel - Wildfire. Without a doubt, this was the biggest "wow" of HHN for me. Acrobatic shows are really popular around Halloween, but I'm so tired of circus / carnival theming. That's why I really appreciated how Universal gave it a new framing, and then cranked the spectacle up to 11. The performers were all fantastic, the choreography and music choices were fresh, and the fire was HOT. Like... they did not call this show Wildfire for no reason. Gringotts. Repeat visit to this one. In my book, it remains the best immersive theme park attraction in my America. But the fog effect for the screen keyhole in the last room needs work. Very clearly saw the hole open because the fog was super weak. Food. Especially during HHN, Universal's food consistently slaps. So many options, and everything I had was delicious. MEDIUM LIGHTS: Hagrid's. This might be controversial. I liked it, I think it succeeds at what it set out to do, but it didn't blow me away. I can appreciate the completely insane technology and complexity of the ride system. Maybe I should have done this before Velocicoaster, but it was closed for the first few hours of the day so the decision kind of got made for me. I may have also had more fun if the line was shorter? RIP to the Fire Dragon though. One of the coaster loves of my life. Revenge of the Mummy. I know, another controversial opinion. This moved down a tier since my first visit. It's definitely bigger than Hollywood, and it has a much more satisfying finale. But what I noticed this time around is that the ride's pacing is incredibly choppy. Each chunk of the ride is quite short and you don't get to spend as much time appreciating the coaster. I feel like Hollywood's breathes a little more. Fiesta de Chupacabra and Dead Man's Pier HHN houses. These were the two standouts of the night for me as far as the HHN houses. I though the Chupacabra concept was a nice break from the typical Dia de los Muertos vibe that we usually see from theme parks. Dead Man's was beautifully made and had some more interesting scenes as well. The Weeknd probably would be on the list but I skipped it because I had to prioritize and already did the one in Hollywood. I liked the Hollywood version a lot though. The HHN Tribute Store. I loved it, but there was a severe lack of Dracula merch. That was my beef that moved it to medium-tier. LOW LIGHTS: Most of HHN. I really expected a lot more from the Big Daddy of Halloween events. and I was bored. The movie houses were "meh" the original concept houses were a mixed bag (two above were fab, Spirits of the Coven was horrible). And not to personally insult any employees, but Universal's reliance of effects triggers has created an entire army of monsters who don't know how to be scary. The button does all the work for them. And it totally defeats the immersive construction & design work of the attractions to have talent that isn't allowed to act and truly inhabit the world that was created around them. I've gotten more scares at home haunts. Need another way to park hop. I took the Hogwarts Express once, and it was lovely. But later in the day, the line got up to and beyond an hour. So then it was just hiking all the way out and around. And I had to do that twice. If there was some other pathway that connected the two closest points within the parks, that would be a God send. WRAP UP: Despite being rather disappointed with HHN, I will continue to sing the praises of Universal Orlando Resort. Commitment to quality and guest experience around every corner. Imaginative and innovative attractions that run the spectrum of experiences. Healthy live entertainment presence. The on-property value hotel I stayed at was lovely, and getting early park access was a great perk. Prices have definitely started rising, but the overall value is still unquestionable.

I had always been around the 200 lb. mark, these past few years. And although I am not an Alcoholic, I did tend to do my at-home drinking too much. Which resulted in a few "black out periods," meaning there are times (hours) I cannot remember how the evening (or some times the day) went. But - after an especially nasty night (I was told by David) at the end of July, that of course, I can't remember, I decided to stop all my at-home drinking.....period. Drinking socially (at bars, events etc.) I can still handle. During these times, I wasn't much into public drinking, anyway. And - after not drinking at home since the beginning of August, I found that I have (steadily) lost over 10 lbs! And it's still off me. I actually hit 189 this morning which was a nice surprise to me. Not exactly a "weight loss program", but it sure proved to me that booze doesn't have to be a part of my home life. And I got rewarded for it!

Went to the park Saturday night. I've never seen it that crowded. I knew when the forecast was good and it being this close to Halloween, it was going to be packed. A lot of the FL+ queues seemed to be getting pretty close to the standby queues. Diamondback has always been the worst at this. The FL+ queue was out to the entrance. Orion was close. Even on summer weekends, FL+ is not the golden ticket it used to be. Kings Island is just so much more popular now. It has a lot more appealing attractions where people don't want to chance missing out on, and/or just want to ride them without waiting. Our Beast FL+ line was almost all the way down the exit ramp that used to go over the old lake area. There was a while it didn't move. We waited almost an hour. Just eyeballing the standby queue, I think we actually waited longer. Fright Lane is still worth it. We never waited. I'm not trying to talk shit, but I have no idea why someone would wait in those insane lines to walk through those houses. It looked miserable. There were 6 of us, which muted the fun. We ended up playing, "who needs a beer?" and "who's turn is to take a piss"" more than we did riding. That's a little more streamlined when it's just the two of us. That, and in the adult world, there's that underlying feeling "who's going to be the first to imply they want to leave" after 10pm. There were a lot of scare actors. Scenery was cool. Last year, Kill Mart seemed really bare on the scenery, but I think it had a lot more little props this year. It's still my favorite for the cheese factor. We saw plenty of terrified toddlers and young kids there late at night. Some of them screaming and unable to be consoled. Their parents were selfishly having a great time. One even had an infant. Let's see how that turns out. Sorry kids. You're screwed. Sad. All of the rides were running really well. Operations were great. The Banshee scream was back this trip. Sadly, all of the arms were working on Adventure Express. Did all of Racer get retracked? The return track was pretty jarring. The Beast is a lot more smooth. It flew through the helix to the point where it actually made me nervous in a good way... I never remember it feeling that fast. We accomplished our important secondary objective of cold draft Yuengling and wings at BC Roosters, but my ride count was lower than ever. It was due to equal parts of the group and queue length. Orion - 1 day / 1 night Racer - 1 day Adventure Express - 1 day Banshee - 1 day Mystic Timbers - 1 day / 1 night Diamondback - 1 day Beast - 1 night Beer count - a lot I'm not someone who cares about high ride counts, or marathoning coasters, but a few more rides would have been nice. We only hit single digits with FL+. We hit 5 out of 6 of the Haunts. We left a little after 11. Although... I just had a hazy memory of riding 3 adults deep, guys vs. girls, on the antique cars. Turns out... the tires squeal if you jam the brakes hard enough, while cutting the wheel... (was not driving) Next year Emily wants to go somewhere else for The Haunt. I suggested Howl-O-Scream. We'll leave the group behind. We have more fun when it's just the two of us (when we can't make 3). Personal side note: It was a pretty tame year for us. A couple hours at SFSTL with our Daughter in June. 2 days at CP/Breakers in June. 1 day at SDC with our Daughter in July. 1 day at KI in October. Pretty sparse compared to three years ago. Our best trip was SDC with her, even despite a 3 hour nap break in the middle of the day. Aside from that, I noticed that not constantly going on coasters absolutely makes them more exciting. I got cold chills a few times, that I hadn't gotten in as long as I can remember. That, and flying toward the tunnel entrance on The Beast legitimately made me nervous.

. . starts planning trip to Great Adventure next August. . . .

I know I'm in the middle of my massive Trip Report on the trip I took to Europe hitting parks and having fun with TPR. . . but interrupting that to gush about this fantastic thing I did last night. and hey, 'tis the season, right? my friends have been really trying to keep me pretty occupied, so I don't go under due to the grief of losing my spouse back in July. With Halloween quickly approaching, they've been booking me up every Weekend - with last weekend at FrightFest at SFFT, and two weeks before that Howl-O-Scream at SWSA. although I've lived in Austin for well over 35 years, I still have yet to do some of the "local" attractions that have popped up over the last couple of decades. (tho I'm really looking forward to COTALand opening up, as I'm sure I'll do that a LOT once they get more out there - tho I did go to the track/COTA occasionally with my late spouse for races and/or concerts). what made me think of COTA (Circuit of the Americas)? Well, it's F1 weekend here in Austin, but we also passed it last night on our way out to Scream Hollow. I'd seen Scream Hollow mentioned on the Travel Chanel, but wasn't really sure what it was, other than a "spooky" attraction. A haunted house for Halloween. Well, I was certainly mistaken. Located ~35 minutes from Austin, between Bastrop & Smithville - down a long, pretty deserted looking road (that passes right in front of "the Gas Station". . . where they filmed scenes from the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre - and has been turned in to Slaughter BBQ & gift shop - so of course we stopped in there too on the way. . .LOL) is what's basically a permanent "Ren-fair" installation that's basically a theme park dedicated to all things "scare the shit out of you" the official tag for the place is "Wicked Halloween Park" - but I think my description better sums it up. The owners live in a big castle (spookily lit at night) that overlooks the property. And it's quite a large property - encompassing a Halloween Museum, several food stands, drink stands, gift shop, stage for live music, 4 very large houses, and a common area that's decked out in scary decorations & lights - not to mention the scare actors roaming freely among the patrons, very often scaring the crap out of them by sneaking up behind. tho I called it a "theme park" the only "ride" they have is the Haunted Hayride - which is groups of 20 or so pulled behind a tractor thru the woods as creatures come at you from all sides. It's brilliant, and had the longest line of the night (at about a 30 minute wait, and was still worth it). . . but damn this place is super immersive. You aren't allowed to take pictures or film inside the houses, and although I did get permission from the owner's Son, when i was introduced to him by my friend Amy (who is the one who really convinced me to go last night), I only took a few in the houses. Because really. . you need to experience them yourself. the Four houses are all really well done, with tons of long dark hallways, really impressive "gotchas" sprinkled thruout, my overall impression? Food: what we had was really good - tho they were out of a few things, and as it got later in the evening, and the place hit capacity (think the Manager told me it was 3000), many food items on the menus were sold out. Oh, we still found stuff to eat (the voodoo fries - french fries covered in Queso, pico, and brisket were fantastic, and are a great "sponge" to sop up an alcohol drank). And the Pizza seemed really popular and was still selling right up until closing time. the prices are super reasonable too. But if you are gonna eat, eat early if possible - maybe the 1st hour they open, but before the houses really open. Drinks: well below "park" prices, with water and soda only $2, and most drinks/beer in the $6 range. I didn't notice any mixed drinks - but there are several bars, and it wouldn't surprise me if at least one of them was pouring by hand. . . tho vast majority of the crowd was drinking Beer, or canned Margaritas (surprisingly quite good), or Cider (locally made. . the Honey Cider is so good!). the Haunts themselves/Scare actors: As many places are these days ? They are very short staffed - resulting in only a few scare actors in the houses (that should have over a dozen - there were tons of nooks and crannies where I would think a scare actor would hide to scare guests). But that means way fewer jump scares and you can enjoy the long (and really detailed) effects in the houses. Each of the 4 main houses has at least one stand out feature that makes that house worth going thru. and these are not "quick" houses - each one took at least 12-15 minutes to go thru. And in *more* than one of them, we got lost and had to backtrack to find the correct way to go in order to move forward - while a scare actor watched us from above and taunted/laughed at us. the only place there were "enough" scare actors is on the Haunted Hayride, which is where they clearly needed to put the most - it's a very large area - and they have been promoting as a new attraction (the storyline on the Haunted Hayride involved the Wendigo in the woods that has been killing people). So no issue at all with the lack of "in house" scares. . I still feel like we absolutely were terrified in each house, at least a few times. It’s a good time Entertainment: as noted, there are some scare actors roaming the grounds oustide of the houses, but the biggest entertainment aspect is right at the front of the property - next to the main bar/food stand: a stage with live music. That has a DJ spinning between sets, so there's always music coming from the front of the grounds. I saw quite a few folks dancing out on the floor in front of the state, so people really seemed to like it. Price: tho you can buy a ticket for just admission, or just admission and one attraction. . . the way to go is the combo ticket. Which we got on Saturday night. For only ~$40, you get access to the grounds (pretty cool on their own), all 4 houses, and the haunted hayride. That comes out to less than $10 a house. it's really a steal, and no wonder they hit capacity almost every night. So yeah, get your tickets online to ensure you can get in! best part? Tho they are only open from Mid-Sept thru end of year on certain days? the weekend after Halloween, they do "Scream Hollow: Pitch Dark Experience" - where the houses all operate with NO LIGHTS AT ALL. (the one that's mostly dark was already terrifiying. . I'm excited, and really considering going back for this event to do them all in the dark). and then in December? they do an Overlay of the houses/park for "Twisted Christmas" - hosted by Krampus. I'm *absolutely* going back for that. this place doesn't get near enough publicity, for as great as it is. . so that's partly why I wanted to write up a Trip Report on it. if you're in Texas, anywhere near the Austin area (tho some of my friends that met up with us last night came from San Antonio. . so still not too far) - this place is WELL worth a visit. now.. on to some pics! where we were going (snagged from online. . just so y'all have the website in case you wanted to check it out) Stopping at "the Gas Station". . where they filmed a key part of Tobe Hooper's original "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" inside, is not only a place to order BBQ. . but a fantastic gift shop, filled with all things scary! the main group of folks I met up with for Scream Hollow in the Gas Station gift shop. (Clockwise from the front: Amy, me, Russell, Spy, Paige) a short trip down a deserted dirt road, into a massive field (free parking!!!). . and we were at the gates shortly before open. Gates open ~6:40pm, houses open at dusk ~7:40pm OPEN. . .time for food and drinks! but first let's check out the place the museum is a $9 upcharge, so didn't go into that (tho will on the next visit. . . it was my first time there, so wanted to do all the included stuff first, and knew it was a sold out night. . so focused on haunts, food, and drink tonight. And meeting folks that Amy knew thru Thrill Seekers United - several of whom work at Scream Hollow as fear actors, or were driving down from San Antonio to meet up with us. as mentioned..it's a permanent installation, even if not open year round. . you can see what I meant by comparing it to a Ren-faire. the mens urinals are "themed" LOL what's this? I feel like I'm being watched while I'm peeing (the sign outside DID say the bathrooms are "under surveillance" HAHAHAHAHA. . brilliant!! and I'll bet it freaks out a drunk or two every night. . . ok. . twist my arm. . will get some food and drink. NOTED! the Igor dog. . .and the amazing Honey Cider (that I really didn't *need* 5 of. . but damn were so good. The cider, I had 5 ciders. . only one wiener) the four "houses" are all at the end of the main entry walkway: the entrance to Sinister Circus. not open until dusk, so the scare actors/ticket takers, mingle with guests out front. oh hell yes. . I love me a throne! Mansion of Terror House: Mansion of Terror on the left, Wicked Darkness on the right Asylum house a better view of Wicked Darkness. . . .won't spoil any of the houses, but they are NOT kidding when they say darkness. this is one of the houses were were completely lost in, and a scare actor friend had to come direct us on the right path. . LOL two of the bars. . tho the one on the left also sells the hot dogs. on the far right is the pizza place. any good Halloween Attraction needs a black cat. this is Salem peeking into the Halloween Museum I really did like many of the shirts and most of the merch they have avail. . but I did NOT need another T-shirt, so settled for a pic of this one. free roaming scare actors. . tho it was starting to get dark, and the houses were about to open. first more drinks tho. . (the fangs were the "fun" gift if you ordered Margaritas. . which some in our group did) Adrian. . a new friend I met last night, and a boss (and scare actor) at Scream Hollow. he was dressed as a dead/demon Victorian girl doll? LOL.. I dunno, but it was creepy. very effective! yeah. . we're a bit buzzed now. . not bad, but just enough to start heading to the houses! just look how amazing this place starts to look at night! Live music already going near the front gates/bar. an Electric Chair photo op? Don't mind if i do. . .. starting to get busy. . let's hit the houses Paige is a giant scaredy cat. . . Russell had a ball sneaking up on her all night and scaring the pee out of her (and Amy). . . managed to catch this pic, while Paige is completely oblivious! the lines for the houses are all out in the open. . with the lighted trees being VERY effective in setting atmosphere. inside the houses are probably 80% indoors, with some outdoor sections connecting the buildings, as the houses all have multiple buildings to wind in and out of. and take her anywhere. . . one of the few indoor pics I took - all from Sinister Circus (and yes, had permission to take/post. . but not posting many, because don't want to spoil). but look how well done! our friend Erica showed up, as we were getting in line for Asylum. and more of our friend (this time from Houston) showed up NOTED! and ignored - cant turn this fabulous flame off! in front of the Horror Mansion house. It's over in a dark corner of the queue..but my night vision camera lights it up. . . and it is. . . ummmm. . maybe a bit awkward. that face! yup. . can def. tell they hit capacity! That's Kelly behind me making the face when I took this picture. I didn't know her, but she thought I didn't catch her making the face and was trying to photobomb my pic. I took it anyways, and when we passed her in the queue a few moments later, I asked her, her name. "why?" - oh, because I want to call you by name when I post the picture you were making the face in "I didn't make any face" - yes you did, in the picture I was taking, but you thought I didn't notice? "I didn't" -- shows her picture -- I'm going to do a trip report and use this pic, so I want to note your name. (sorta embarrassed I called her out, I think) "oh. . . . Kelly" LOL Wicked Darkness. . probably my favorite house. almost Pitch Black in there.. . for 15 minutes. . wandering a meandering trail, in the dark. loved this one. random scar actors mingling in the main square the entrance to the hayride LOL.. forgot about this. . . . in the Sinister Circus line.. with a clowns rubber chicken Tractors pulling trailers thru the woods, while attacked by zombies and wendigos. . . . so good! Adrian even joined us on our hayride. can't take him anywhere either. . . and then we hung out and drank and munched on Voodoo fries until it hit midnight, and they told us "you don't have to go home, but you can't stay here' one of the staff was wearing the Twisted Christmas shirt. . that one I DO want to buy. so *have* to go back for this in Dec. hope you enjoyed the pics. it's a great place, and I can't believe it took me THIS long to discover it. I'll certainly be a return customer.

That's a pretty decent lineup of rides for WinterFest. Really the only one I am sad about not being on the list is Intimidator, but considering Copperhead Strike, Peanuts Pirates, Fury and Nighthawk (I know. but I need the credit!) are on the list, I may have to give it a look this year.

I got to visit the park last weekend for my first time. Was supposed to stay for Howl o Scream, but it was the last day of a very long few days and I was just not physically capable of doing another lap or two around a theme park. HIGHLIGHTS: Iron Gwazi is insane. Didn't become my favorite, but it's still one hell of a ride. I think I'm spoiled with exposure to RMC because I knew what to expect. If I had been GP or an enthusiast without an RMC experience I would have been totally blown away. Sheikra was a pleasant surprise. I was expecting a lumbering bore like Valravn but it had a couple pops of airtime and better pacing than I expected. Montu was fabulous. It's on the same grand scale as something like Banshee but it was way more comfortable without the vest restraints and the relentless positive Gs. Lots of Halloween decor to see in the scare zones and it looks like they really know what they're doing for their Haunt. MEDIUM LIGHTS Turn It Up! was fun. I love to see parks keeping live entertainment and I think ice skating shows are a fun unique thing for theme parks that you don't get to see a lot of other places. I'd heard mostly negative reviews of Sand Serpent but I enjoyed it. A few of the hair pin turns really threw us around. A couple wonky spots, but didn't ruin it for me. Scorpion was fun. I've never been on one of Schwarzkopf's more classic layouts and I definitely see the appeal. Would re ride for sure. LOW LIGHTS Incredibly slow ops at some points in the day. Kumba and Montu both running 1 train, neither with a grouper or a single rider line. Iron Gwazi was *averaging* 3 minute dispatches due to slow employees and inefficient procedure. I don't like to automatically blame employees, but there was a 40 minute line and they were casually strolling down the loading dock. 3 minute dispatch times WITH LOCKERS INSTEAD OF CUBBIES. Speaking of lockers... Dear parks, If lockers are going to be mandatory on nearly every attraction in the park, they need to be complimentary. Otherwise this is literally just a surcharge for the privilege of being a person who needs to have a few things with you when you're out and about all day long. Kumba was rattly AF. Maybe we just had a bad train (which is funny because there were 3 other ones just chilling in the garage, totally unused despite the 45 minute line). Cheetah Hunt. It's fine. It would have been in the medium category expect for I had several people tell me how much they love it and how it's one of their favorites and I would love it too. And then it was.... fine. Is this a thing that Floridians do to out of towners as a joke? Is this a prank? Did I get hazed? Very bummed I couldn't stick it out for Howl O Scream, but the park is beautiful and I really enjoyed my visit overall.

So we took our kids to Dorney for the first time, and my first visit since 2013 for their Family Halloween bash. I remembered this park was nice but when visiting with our kids it was even better. It's more of a full day park since kids tend to slow you down and experience more than just the biggest coasters. The weather held out for us, it was cool but not freezing and the rain never came. Crowds were decent for a Sunday in October but lines were non-existent. The Peanuts Pumpkin Fest was great, they had lots of activities and games for the kids, and one of the best trick or treat setups we've done. They turned their cabanas into little houses to go door to door to. Much better than Sesame Place that we went to the day before. The kids also loved Planet Snoopy a very underrated kids section. Most of Dorney is underrated, and it's a shame Cedar Fair doesn't put more into this park, especially being in a big metro area. The major coasters are all solid and in good shape. Thunder hawk was fun and not to rough, just some bad trim brakes. Hydra was good but had a noticeable rattle that I don't recall from the last time. Possessed was fast and exciting but it sounds like it could be in need of some repairs, the launch section sounded bad. The stars were Talon and Steel Force, Talon is also very underrated and one of the better Inverts out there. It's got great pacing and intense inversions, the crew could be a little faster though. Steel Force was so much better than I remember, it's not top ten but better than many give it credit for. The back has a great first drop but the airtime is better in front, and less forceful when landing back on the seat. The mid course barely slowed down the train. Overall Dorney is a solid family park that gets overlooked in Pennsylvania with so many other more well known parks. If it were in an area with less competition it would be a star. I wish we lived closer to this than the couple of six flags we have. As for no lines ever I'm fine with that, it was good to see that hasn't changed over the years.

Finally made it back to BGW this weekend. Yesterday was cool and overcast. We were in the park from 10-2:45 and got all the coasters at least twice except Tempesto. The park was pretty dead and with the exception of Pantheon, everything was a walk-on. Nessie was running great. Pantheon was great! I really didn't expect to like it as much as I did. I enjoyed the launches and every element, from the top hat to the zero-G stall. Probably not in my top ten, but a great addition to BGW. We rode it first and then it went down for a while not long after. It was bit drizzly and windy at times. We got it with about a 20 minute wait when it reopened. The real impetus of this trip did not disappoint. Typical wait times: Kid was acting up a bit:

I'm not arguing with you. I'm laughing at the park.

2016 was the only year that the lighting was completely contracted out for HIP, Oak Island Creative was the company and they worked with Six Flags staff to install the first year, then in 2017 they just provided some minor guidance and since 2018, Six Flags has done all HIP decor setup in house.

Last night's NY Style Pizzas... Full 18" pies! Since trying them out proper in NYC, I began working on my NY style pies a bit more to mimic the appropriate textures/flavors. I ordered in the flour known to be mostly used (Trumps B&B flour), and I found an online company selling 50 lb bags at a fair price. It is a really great flour to work with! One was just three cheese (provolone, mozz and asiago) and the other banana pepper, olive and fresh fennel sausage. I was not originally planning on 18" (made the dough to make 2x 16"), but my new pizza screens arrived in and wanted to try them out. The dough worked out nicely into the full size needed, just on the thinner side, and I launched the screened pies directly onto the pizza steel in my oven at 550F (steel was reading 640F via IR thermometer). After a few minutes, removed the pizza from the screen and placed directly onto the steel to finish another few minutes. The texture was incredible. Super great crunch on the complete underside of the pie. A touch thin, as expected, but otherwise it was near perfect otherwise. The sauce was just crushed San Marzanos, sugar, oregano and a touch of garlic. Simple and delicious. We also did this one on Saturday... A proper Sicilian. Of course, had to buy a new pan for it (14x14" Lloyd) and did a 3-day sourdough fermented dough. Layers of provolone right on top of the dough, followed by a heavy dose of sauce (a bit too much, but we were in a saucy mood that day... haha) and of course the toppings. Next time I plan to get the good pepperoni and hand-cut them to make wonderful little thick pepperoni cups. But the bagged variants had to do this day! The crust was just phenomenal... Airy with a beautiful crunch on the bottom. It was next level!

^Beer gut's a helluva thing, innit? Congratulations on your loss.

They run 10 coasters and only the RMC has any type of temperature cutoff. Even that is extremely low. We’ve been to the park (I think) twice this year so far. We’ll go to HITP more times than we’ve gone the entire rest of the year. The park just feels different. It feels like a family park. The people who go there are nicer and friendlier. The people who work there are the same way because of it. The atmosphere is better. It’s all great. I really don’t like Six Flags in the summer. It’s totally not my vibe.

Same. In-laws will not be renewing their passes. We're still on the fence, but I don't know if we'd even go more than once. Like... what's the point? HITP brought a different crowd. There weren't any turkey leg fights. I saw a lot of families. I can see a lot of people like that buying passes strictly because they know they're going to go to HITP, and also another day during the summer.

A faulty sensor wasn't the problem. Ride ops weren't the problem. Circumventing and altering manufacture regulations and design was the problem. Follow all the manufacturer rules and safety features and I'd hop on it again.

I can say a large portion of our season pass purchases the past few years, especially this last one, was because of HITP. We actually said since we go to HITP every year, we could just buy the pass and stop in another time to make it worth it. We went to the park once this year. Get rid of the unruly crowds. Jack the prices up. Good with it. But, if you're not going to add anything new, at least fix the broken shit, or run down areas. Neither will be accomplished next year.

Day 2: Sunday, October 25th. I was back at the park 15 minutes prior to the opening of the gates on Sunday, to be greeted with quite the crowd. Thankfully, this was not indicative of the crowd levels throughout the day, which stayed quite light. To kill time prior to entry, I took a walk over to the designated smoking zone and snapped the same picture that everyone takes of Dominator: At opening, I made my way inside the park, grabbed my FL+ and Premium All Day Dining writstbands, and snapped this picture of the tower, with both demon eyes lit up (this will be important later). Walking down International Street, I took a quick picture of one of many wooden jack-o-lanterns that lined the fountain. First on the agenda for today was Dominator, open during the standard half-hour not-early-entry period. A one-train wait for back row, left wing. Notably not as rattle-y as I recall from the past. I tried to get another shot of the train at the crest of the loop, and missed it once again. At the full park opening at noon, I headed over to Woodstock Express to find it closed with some maintenance workers fiddling with the ride, so I instead made my way down to the Outpost Cafe, one of the new restaurants for this year. I opted for the Citrus Fried Chicken with sides of mac & cheese and fry bread... ...which was not only a much bigger portion than I imagined (I couldn't even finish all of the chicken), but was also delicious. For a normal guest price of $19, I guess it better be haha. Very impressive, KD. I then took advantage of the non-existent lines and hopped on Reptilian again, twice! One-train waits for both the front row and back row. Man, this ride is so good. Poor Volcano queue/station building... Hey, look at that, the scrambler has lights now! Sadly, later in the night I would learn that they're not even LEDs :(. The only other thing left to remind us of what once was... Next up was another ride on I305. A 13-minute-wait for front row, the best place to ride this and any other coaster that's all about speed. Grabbed a few pictures of the Site X scare zone, in the day time: Some more of the decorations surrounding the fountain. Boo! Change this already! Am I the only one who remembers when the line for Days of Thunder would get so long, they needed to use this bridge to route the queue to the overflow area on the other side of the pathway? The entrance to No Vacancy: Condemned. A better picture of the giant skull. Shenandoah Lumber Company log flume was running today! It would close with the arrival of Haunt later on. A better shot of the horse-and-carriage. Unlike last year, when Grizzly ran during the day but closed at Haunt, this year it appears to be closed all together. Preparations for Titan track or RMC? The world may never know. Though in actuality, we all know the answer is a decided "no." Entrance to Grimm Woods... ..and one of the spooky trees out front. I always loved this feature, though they didn't do any kind of Halloween decoration on it this year. Riff Raff stage in daylight. I'm not sure if I preferred this to the "on-top-of-shipping-containers" of last year. Next on the rides agenda was... I've never noticed this ACE Landmark plaque before, somehow. Holy crap, it was actually racing! I also never noticed they returned the paint scheme of old, which was obviously done a few years ago. ..,nor have I noticed the non-body-color covers for the restraint locks. Anyway, this was a train-and-a-half wait for the left side (which I hadn't seen open in quite a while). Great ride, very smooth, and we won by like a whole train length (the lift synchronizer was working). Enjoy a fun video using my proper camera and clamp-having tripod. M4H02952_Trim.mp4 Closed for wind. Entrance to Blood on the Bayou, in daylight. 90 minutes had passed since my last meal, so it was time for another! I stopped in the Jukebox Diner and grabbed a double-cheeseburger with fries. Burger was decent (not as dry as they usually are at this location), but the fries were great and seasoned with something. Next up was my #2 at this park, Twisted Timbers! About to do its thing... ...And there it goes... Two-train-wait for the front row (I told you crowds stayed light!), and awesome as always. I'm warming to the stupid locker system, especially now that I realized I don't have to remove everything out of my pockets, only the big metal stuff. I was playing around with the clamp tripod again, so enjoy M4H02963_Trim.mp4 The Ferris wheel doesn't look as depressing in the day. Now, I'm not a huge carousel connoisseur like @bert425is, but I did take some time to appreciate the one here at Kings Dominion. Some history: Some details: They even have an old-style ticket booth! Daytime shot of the outside of Trick or Treat. The always-cool signs for Candy Apple Grove. Sorry, Kings Island, I get the history behind Coney Mall, but this is a much nicer rendition of a classic park midway. Following are a whole bunch of pictures of the Cleaver Brothers Carnival scare zone, including every booth and decoration. Jack is back! As is the bar truck... But Drop Zone is closed for the year. I grabbed a quick walk-on ride on Bad Apple (their Troika) and continued down Candy Apple Grove. I get it that the Pizza Parlor and Dodgem are park-originals, but they could use a little love. As could the Wave Swinger, which was my next ride. One-cycle wait for what's always a nice relaxing way to catch some breeze. Enjoy yet another video. M4H03009_Trim.mp4 Everyone loves the singing mushrooms! Even the unattended brat that knocked over my camera mid-filming. Seriously folks, if you chose to reproduce, keep your kids on a tether (literally if you have to). M4H03013_Trim.mp4 Snoopy looking festive as always. Some shots of the Uprising scare zone. And the awesome flower clock. Spiders in the light. A map posted at the entrance to Jungle X-Pedition. Didn't see any hints for the Volanco-site's future, can you? Flight of Fear was next. Part of me prefers the original exterior design, as opposed to the partially-damaged one at Kings Island. This was a 16 minute wait for front row, and was a quality ride as always. It always confused me why both CF and SF have kept these spaghetti-bowl Premier launchers in such good condition yet SFGAdv couldn't manage to keep Batman & Robin: The Chiller functional. After that, the park basically shut down for impending lightning (which never materialized) and rain (which did), so I took a brief nap in my car before coming back in, and heading to the top of the tower. It had been a while since I've been up there, and even longer since I took pictures, so enjoy! (Nightime pics will come later, too!) Nothing going on in the Volcano site, just a bunch of rubble. It's always fun when you can spot your car from an elevated position. Took the long elevator ride down the tower, and ducked into Camp Snoopy, snapping a shot of one of the trick-or-treating houses that I thought looked cool... ... and made my way to Woodstock Express. Nerd shot. 20 minute wait (!) for back row. Yeah, one train only. It was now past 6:00, and indoor haunts were back open, so I took another stroll through Condemned (around 5 minute wait without Fright Lane) and took a lap on Blue Ridge Tollway (which should totally be a haunted attraction again!). Now, it was time for the Haunt opening show, Blood Reign. This has a substantially different plot from last year's opening show, and incorporates the Burnette the Barker character and a guy who literally catches on fire. Bigger news! My absolutely favorite actor from Kings Dominion, who played Astaroth in last year's Heads Will Roll Haunt show and Tinker in the Tinker's Toy Factory Winterfest show, was back as Astaroth! Who knows what else he was doing the rest of the night, but I'm told that he is involved in the full Queen's Ball show that wasn't performing this weekend. Even more reason to come back. Anyway, enjoy some pictures from this show. As night descended, it was time for some more pictures! The giant skull, properly illuminated. Pumpkin Eater zone Took another walk through Grimm Woods (one minute wait without Fright Lane), and was equally as impressed as I was the night before. Riff Raff, at night. Another stroll through Trick or Treat (no wait with my possibly-not-the-right-color Fast Lane+ wristband), and then I stopped to take in the full Burnette the Barker and Black Widow Burlesque shows, with the Queen character watching on approvingly. Apparently, she roves the park and interacts with shows and scare actors, which is kinda cool. This was just awesome: Apparently, one of the scare actors sustained a leg injury, so instead of opting her out of the festivities, they incorporated her kneeling-scooter into an act (a mobile popcorn seller). Brilliant! Another walk through 21 (no wait with my probably-not-the-right-color FL+ wristband), this time I saw the other opening part (still no spoilers!). But, there were some jerk teenagers in the front of the group who made some snide remarks to one of the in-character hosts, who promptly proceeded to send them to the back of the line. I absolutely loved it. Every park should implement a "no unattended minors" rule, if not making Halloween stuff 21+ events. Site X scare zone, in the dark. See, scrambler does have lights. But like I said, not LEDs. Better than nothing I guess. Tiki Twirl ominously lit up. Oh, and it is on Fast Lane (Plus only) now! I did not ride it this trip; once back in March was enough for me. Next it was back to I305 for a one-train-wait for the back row; I was out of my seat the entire first drop. Only running one train, but it didn't really need more than that. Back through the Cleaver Brothers Carnival zone, and saw a fire twirler that I hadn't seen before. Very entertaining. Grabbed a quick ride on the other side of Racer 75 (half-train-wait for row 2); just as smooth as first ride, and then Twisted Timbers (two-train-wait for the back row). An awesome, non-stapled ride in the dark. Stopped back by the Cleaver Brothers Stage for the full set of Big Top Band... ..and then made my way up the tower with 15 minutes until closing, for some night-time shots. Yes, that is the Virginia State Fair rides midway in the distance. I did not attend this year. A few more pics of the International Street decorations... ...and it was out of the park to call it a night. If you look close, you can see that the demon eyes on the tower were now winking at us! I don't think this was on purpose haha. All in all, this was a wonderful day-and-a-half at a park I should have spent more time at this summer. Overall, Haunt this year was a bit of a step down from last year's event, but was still super fun! It was opening weekend and should improve as the season goes on. I will definitely be stopping back for some more rides and shows. Ride counts: -I305 x 3 -Reptilian x 3 -Twisted Timbers x 2 -Racer 75 Left x 1 -Racer 75 Right x 1 -Flight of Fear x 1 -Bad Apple x 1 -Wave Swinger x 1 -Blue Ridge Tollway x1 Haunt Maze counts: -Grim Woods x 2 -Condemned x 2 -Trick or Treat x 2 -21 x 2 -Blood on the Bayou x1 -Cornstalkers x1 Thanks for reading!

Photo TR: Haunt Friday, September 16th, My busy schedule this fall only allowed me one trip to Dorney Park this Halloween Season, and it was on the opening night of Haunt. I arrived shortly after park opening at 6:00. My first stop was the security checkpoint. As I mentioned above, Dorney Park (along with KD, KI, and probably a bunch of other CF parks) have instituted a bag restriction policy this year: Nothing bigger than 6.5" x 4.5" x 2" is permitted inside the park. Ladies, I don't need to tell you how absolutely impossible it is to find any kind of bag that is that small. This closest I could find was this, with dimensions of 6.8" by 4.5." Surely they wouldn't be measuring, and this extremely slight overage would be allowed, right? Nope, not at all. They have a wooden box that is sized to the allowed dimensions, and if the bag doesn't fit, it's not allowed. The person checking bags asked two other people for confirmation, and the decision was "You've gotta return it to your car." Seriously, if you wanted a "no bags allowed period" policy, just state that. If anyone has any suggestions of a small purse that meets these inane requirements, please let me know for future trips to CF parks. That out of the way, I made my way inside, and redeemed my season Fast Lane pass, which (as it did last year), also includes Fright Lane. Grabbed a quick ride on Talon (two train wait for row 7). I said it last year, and its more true this year: This thing needs a paint job. I double-backed up to the gift shop, to see if they sold any bags that comply with their policy - of course they don't - and grabbed a pretzel from Auntie Anne's. After a quick photo of one of the bars... ...I was back in the Hydra plaza area to catch the beginning of the Illuminightmares show, which despite its name, is really just drummers playing over some backing tracks with some dancers. Meh. At least they reused the stage from last year's opening ceremony show. I made my way down through the CarnEvil scare zone, which is a little tired by this point, but I did find the bubble machine to be a nice change from the ever-present fog machines. I hopped on Demon Drop (walk on, solo ride); I always forget how intense these first-gen Intamin towers are. Then it was time for my first haunted maze of the 2022 season: Roadside Stop and Chop. Yes, they've finally stopped calling it Cornstalkers! This maze mixes up a few different themes, to good effect. You start in the above pictured building, which is done up to represent a hillbilly rest stop on a highway, then proceed into a small section of corn maze. You then alternate between butcher-shop style areas, corn mazes, and other "redneck" themed areas, until you get the end. There was even a human petting zoo! Very well done, and a ton of actors (at least 30). I don't have any idea what this says, but thought it looked cool, so here's a picture. Tell me this isn't supposed to be Oogie Boogie from The Nightmare Before Christmas. Pretty sure that's a Disney property, CF. Thunderhawk's lights are still running in a steady-burn, as opposed to the chaser pattern of years past. My next haunted area was The Lair, which is kinda a cross between a maze and a scare zone, in that there's only one way in but there's no queue or grouping. Well done, again with a ton of actors. Towards the back of the park, I took in Trick or Treat, which seems better in terms of artistry from years passed, but still too many unadorned black hallways. In contrast to the previous mazes, there were only 10-15 actors in this one. I also grabbed a walk through Necropolis, which is a graveyard setup in the field next to the old Dinosaurs Alive walkway. Marked improvement from last year (the path was much more clearly marked). Decent amount of actors here. Yes, there is still no activity at the old Laser/Stinger site. Next up it was time for Enigma... ...which, just like last year (noticing a pattern here?) was a good concept with okay execution. Not a lot of actors in here either (only counted 7), but I guess it doesn't need them since most of the point is the disorienting visuals. Another of the bars... ...and a picture of the menu. Only what was listed is available; no custom cocktails here. I blame Pennsylvania's weird alcohol rules. After a quick ride on Possessed (1 cycle wait for row 12, of course no holding brake), I took in the Skeleton Crew show after a reccomendation from an employee who said it was "all new this year." It was not. The show is comprised of four different acts: and aerialist, a hoop-roller, a fire-twirler, and the trademark "guys falling off the building and bouncing." Good enough I guess, but not anything I hadn't seen before. The pirate area is very well done though. As is the Hollow, with all of the jack-o-lanterns. I guess maybe that wasn't Oogie Boogie before, since they had a few more of those things set up elsewhere without trademarked characters. The next maze up was Tourist Trap, which by this time (around 8:45), the mazes had started to develop some lines. I found this pretty well done, the maze was very long with a lot of actors and great artistry. That said, this house has been around for a long, long time, and it might be time for a re-theme. Next up was Blood on the Bayou, which from the barker and beads all over the front, you might think had been modified to be a Mardi Gras theme.... ...but alas, was pretty much unaffected from last year. Notably, this one had a 7 minute wait with Fright Lane due to the merge point. This one was very good, as it usually is, with over 40 actors and a ton of different well done scenes. Blackout, the pitch-black maze, was not open tonight, so that about wrapped up my activities. I took a walk through the Dystopia scare zone, which I had thought would be better at night than it was... ...and grabbed some pictures of the Dorney Park Haunt staples... ...and made my way out and started my drive home. Overall, I'm glad I started my Halloween-in-parks season here rather than closing it out with this park like I did last year, since things can only get better. Seriously though, it wasn't bad by any stretch of the imagination...it's just very samey with very few differences compared to previous years. And that bag policy needs serious work. Next Stop: Kings Dominion next weekend.

We had to put our cat to sleep tonight. I was the last thing she saw. I was wearing a Pirates of the Caribbean shirt with the silhouette of a skull on the front and text on the back reading "Dead Men Tell No Tales." RIP Kisses. October 2008-August 26, 2022 1:09 am. We adopted her when she was about 9 months.