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No surprise honestly, they were bound to do something to improve, great ride and love it, and I'm sure it will still be great.

Lightning Rod is closing on Oct 30th for a high speed chain lift to be installed. Top speed will remain the same. Also getting new trains. https://twitter.com/Dollywood

Bakken is the world's oldest amusement park. I guess. I mean, I'm not going to check. And I'm certainly not going to argue the point. Because, in the end, it doesn't really matter. Being old doesn't equate to being good. If it did, I would be awesome. 08: Braking off the Chain No entry fee for this park. You can be menaced by the clown for free. Is there a difference between this clown and the one at Tivoli Gardens? No. They literally have the same mascot, despite not being otherwise connected (as far as I know). Both park's also have a "Rutschebanen." Which isn't too surprising since it's literally just Dansk for "rollercoaster." There's one big difference, however. Whilst the one at Tivoli Gardens still operates with a brakeman, this one was converted a couple of years back to a more traditional coaster. And how exactly does one do such a thing without completely reprofiling the ride? Easy, you just add brakes everywhere. And I mean everywhere. I'm talking about an offensive amount of brakes. This ride should be called Brake Mountain. Like, leave some brakes for cars on the road. I'm not even sure this really counts as gravity-powered anymore. Of course, without all those brakes you would be dead. The same way this ride is dead. Except you probably wouldn't be converted to a zombie cyborg. Hopefully, Bakken would just let *you* die. Daniel and I both wore red, making it hard to tell us apart. Bakken is actually Dansk for, "We hope you like stairs." Actually, it's not that bad. It's mostly just the front part of the park that's hilly. It's just that once I start writing angry captions, it's hard to stop. Even if the park doesn't really deserve it. I'll try to calm down. THIS RIDE IS GARBAGE Literally the worst thing I did on the trip. To be fair, the park was trying to help us out by putting it in "Turbo Mode." And I'm sure some people enjoyed it. But I found it violently horrible. And it didn't even spin. At least not on my one and only ride that's ever going to be. This kid gets it. This is literally my new least-favorite roller coaster. It was quite warm this day, but luckily Bakken does have one (pretty-wet) water ride. Bumper cars. See, this is what happens when I stop being angry. It just becomes nothing. I am entirely rage-powered. What do you think is happening here? My theory: The regular-sized scientist has enlarged his girlfriend, and she's so excited about how far ahead she can now see that she doesn't notice things in the road right in front of her. The best coaster at Bakken is this surprising Intamin family coaster, Mine Train Ulven, which both doesn't beat the crap out of you and doesn't have brakes every five feet. It's not going to rearrange your top 10 list, but it's fast and smooth and fun and comes very close to quite a few trees. Hey, they have one of these things. And Smisty is on it. I didn't ride, mostly because I didn't want to sit in the sun for the loading and unloading process. And they have a fun, traditional dark ride. So things are starting to look up. Hells yeah, *I'm* an American! And I love dining! Huh. Yeah, I guess that's sort of American-ish. What if we put our double shot in a little pit? That would be cute, right? Yes. It's adorable. Well, what if we also put of wild mouse in a pit? Would you like that? Yes, yes I would! It's a Mack, and a fun one. Plus, you know, pit. I mostly took a photo of this place because of the horrific decoration of a demonic child going all Erik on a ice cream cone. But one nice thing that I'll say about Bakken is that there were lots of ice cream choices throughout. The best attraction at Bakken was this boat-themed fun house. 59 PXL_20230607_122500938.TS.mp4 I don't normally post videos, but it's hard to really convey the movement of this thing via photo. An obvious reference to, "You can tune a piano, but you can't tuna fish." Best new-to-me fun house of the trip. I don't normally think of theme park games as being particularly attractive to seniors, but damned if Bakken didn't figure it out! Outdoor tracked jungle-themed ride. It was so hot the sun singed off part of my hair! Indoor tracked jungle-themed ride. That probably would have flowed better without the weird hair joke photo in-between. We nearly passed this by because we didn't think it was a dark ride initially. Not sure why. It looks like a dark ride here. Another white clown, another swastika. Yeah, I don't have to go that bad. (That joke was overdone during the trip, but I don't have anything better so...there you go.) Done with Denmark forever, we head to Germany via ferry. And then a bus ride. And then a surprise late dinner by our very thoughtful host hotel for the evening. And then our unique room in the basement. And then, finally, sleep. Oh yeah, Bakken. Well, I think I liked it just a little bit better than BobBon-Land, so: 4

I wonder if they'll claim the world's fastest chain lift. That would be some great marketing.

I agree that Rutschebanen is way over-braked. The old version with the brake men was much better. I still get a kick out of Tornado, as insane as it is. But, yep, the fun house and the haunted-house ride are the two best attractions there.

Fear the Five: Howl-o-Scream 2023 Begins Maniacs, swamp people, chainsaw-wielding clowns, and more took over Busch Gardens during the opening weekend of Howl-o-Scream 2023. Theme Park Review was invited to the Media Night on Friday, September 8 for a reception and a chance to experience this year's fiendish goings on. So, what's new for Howl-o-Scream this year? Lost Mines: The Descent (new maze, Escape from Pompeii building)--a group of miners are possessed with desire for the gems they unearth and become freaky mutants with bad attitudes. The park did a good job redressing last year's somewhat generic Inferno maze with claustrophobic earth-and-rock walls and shored-up tunnels. As usual, some of Howl-o-Scream's best sets are in this building. Fest-Evil (new TERROR-tory, that is, "scare zone," Festa Italia)--this party of fiendish, soul-stealing Mardi Gras revelers ties into the Death Water Bayou maze nearby. Watch out for evil harlequins, gator people, and voodoo masters. The returning four mazes have been "revamped," as Busch Gardens likes to say--that is, they've been tweaked and reworked a bit. Death Water Bayou: Full Moon (Festa Italia near the Roman Rapids)--I don't think this voodoo maze has changed all that much from last year, although that's OK, because it's still the best one. I did notice some more blacklight effects, so this indoor/outdoor maze is best experienced after dark. It's the best haunt they've put in this space since the original Ripper Row maze. KILLarney DIEner: Infested (Ireland, Battle for Eire building)--looks like the cannibal diner has a bug problem, so pest control been called in. But be careful. They're not too picky about who or what they exterminate. Nice sets and creatures, but there's still that long exit walk where nothing happens. Nevermore: Chapter 3 (Germany, old Drachen Fire station)--more creepiness courtesy of the stories of Poe. There are a few slightly different scenes, and I think they made the maze a bit more disorienting than last year (more twists and turns). I'm a fan of Poe, so I always enjoy this one. Witch of the Woods: Scorched (Germany, entrance on the left of the Festhaus)--the local villages tried burning the woods to get rid of the witch with predictable results; that is, they just ticked her off. The maze does have a scorched look and smell to it now, although it really hasn't changed much otherwise. This outdoor maze is best after dark. But be warned--it's a bit of a hike from the Festhaus to the entrance, which is behind Verbolten. You can still run from fiendish childhood characters on Scary Tale Road (Germany); be served up on a platter in the Meat Market (New France); get stoned in Gorgon Gardens (Italy); and survive being harassed or offered a "good time, dearie" by the denizens of London's Whitechapel at Ripper Row (England). The Terror-tories were pretty active last weekend, and there was a roving Hack Pack of chiansaw-carrying clowns. These "scare zones" used to be a weak spot for Howl-o-Scream, but they've been improving over the last few years. All rides, with the exception of water attractions, are running during Howl-o-Scream (including Verbolten, which had been closed for over a month). The kiddie rides and Forest of Fun shut down at 5:00 pm, though. Three Howl-o-Scream shows are currently running all day: Jack Is Back (of course) in Ireland, Phantoms of the Festhaus (Germany), and Skeletones (Italy). Monster Stomp on Ripper Row opens on September 28 in the Globe Theatre. The mazes and TERROR-tories usually open at 6:00 pm. My Media Night experience was disrupted by a thunderstorm. I was waiting for it get darker for the outdoor mazes and ran out of luck, so I went back Sunday night to check out the rest of Howl-o-Scream. Despite the stormy weather, they're off to a good start. My thanks to Busch Gardens Williamsburg for having TPR at this event. I look forward to Howl-o-Scream each year. "Fear the Five" . . . what? There are five mazes and five TERROR-tories, which makes 10. Just pick the five you're most afraid of, I guess. The Virginia Beer Company strikes again! This time, it's a nice cream ale. The park put out a good spread that night. All this terrifying merch can be yours if the price is right! "Oh, I made them some lovely finger food, but was it good enough for their high-toned reception? Bah! They can be yours for a few shillings, dearie." "You! Seen any signs of the Ripper about?" "Ripper? Why no . . . no Ripper here. Why do you ask, officer?" Do I need one of those helmets with a lamp on it? A candle? Maybe a canary to check for poison gas? "Don't go in there! They ain't got no workin' toilets! Why, I barely made it out before . . . well, maybe you don't want to hear the end of that story." "We dig, dig, dig, dig, dig, dig dig! We did the whole day through!" "Yeah, it's hard work, but you meet all sorts of interesting people . . . who you get to eat!" Whew! After being stuck in that mine all day, I'm ready for something more festive, like Mardi Gras. Yessir, I just want to . . . er . . . let the good times roll? "Hey, you got just the soul I'm lookin' for!" "Yes, you'll hope this party will never end . . . and it won't!" "Helluva a party, eh?" Maybe I can lose them in the fog. "Oh, did you come from the Fest-Evil party? We know how to have a good time here, too. Just remember: . . . . . . Don't look into her eyes!" Busch Gardens has been renovating the Italy/Germany bridge all year. It's looking good. Damn! I am sick of all these @!$%!! phantoms in this @!$%!! festhaus! Shall we ponder a quaint and curious volume of long forgotten lore? "Could someone get me some Neosporin and perhaps a bandage? Thank you," Wow! Tempesto must be a really dangerous ride! "Yeah! When they tell ya to keep your hands, arms, and legs in the ride vehicle at all times. you best pay attention!" I think I would've gone with a closed casket, but maybe that's just me. They're still partying on at Fest-Evil. I think I'll peacefully commune with nature in this fetid, evil swamp. What the hell. Hmm--when pumpkins start dismembering people, the party is getting a bit out of hand. "Gimme a shilling or I'll sic the Ripper on ya!" Somehow, I got out alive. Thanks for reading!

I might be in the minority, but I found the launch on Lightning Rod to be a big nothing. the rest of the ride is great tho, once you crest that lift hill. . . so I have ZERO issue with this change.

About dang time. I'm surprised it's taken this long to swap to a chain or cable lift. They knew from the first signs of trouble that the launch motors kept shifting with the structure but they insisted on keeping it for some reason. All that to say, I got to ride this bad boy in it's second year and it was wacky, especially the night rides. There's nothing but inky blackness on the far side of the hill.

October 30th, not September 30th. Sadness.

I still don't now which one is you and which is Daniel in that one pic, twinning!

We have news out of Destination D23 for all sorts of new stuff coming to Magic Kingdom! https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2023/09/new-country-bear-disney-songs-pirates-lounge-hatbox-ghost-coming-to-magic-kingdom/ Country Bear Jamboree will be getting new songs and the bears will be performing a new act! Disney Imagineer Chris Beatty told the Destination D23 audience that when the show debuts, the bears will be reinterpreting favorite Disney songs in different genres of country music – like rockabilly, bluegrass, pop-country and other styles. Imagineers are envisioning the new take as a homage to the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville and they’re working with Nashville musicians to get the authentic country sound. The popular attraction will continue to have the fun and friendly tone and same characters. In late November, the legendary Hatbox Ghost will be materializing in the Haunted Mansion attraction in Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World. The iconic grim grinning ghost will appear in the Haunted Mansion attraction as you pass the Endless Hallway, welcoming himself inside from the swinging wake in the cemetery and grinning at passing Doom Buggies. Imagineer Daniel Joseph joined Josh on the Destination D23 stage over the weekend for the announcement and shared details about the arrival of Hatbox Ghost. Also, a new Pirates of the Caribbean-themed lounge is coming to Adventureland at Magic Kingdom Park in Florida. This first-of-its-kind experience will extend the story of Pirates of the Caribbean attraction. Imagineers are currently in the design process and more details will be coming.

I don't have much of a trip report in terms of rides as Dollywood was absolutely slammed! Big Bear is a lot of fun and will only get better as the landscaping grows in around it. Caught an absolutely rare day with Lightning Rod where is opened 30 minutes late and I never saw it go down in the app. That is one hell of a coaster. The park is beautiful and have some of the friendliest employees I have come across.