FeelTheFORCE

Blue Streak at Conneaut Lake Park about 2 hours ago!

I just got back. Sorry, no pictures, I don't own a camera and my phone had only one bar of battery left that I had to save for the drive home. Anyway, here are my thoughts... I'd like to start with saying that there are NO SEAT BELTS, ONLY buzz-bars! That definitely heightens the experience. This coaster is running like a champ! It was really fun, with some surprising airtime at the top of the hills. I'd suggest sitting towards the back, that area gives the best rides. The front is a bit rough, but nothing you wouldn't expect out of a coaster built in 1938 with trains that haven't been used in 7 years. I got 3 total rides, one in the front seat of the last car, and two in the last seat of the front car. Like I said, the back is definitely where it's at. Much smoother than I anticipated, some MAJOR air cresting the first drop, and nice air on every hill. The front was fun, but at the bottom of the hills you had to brace yourself a bit. Regarding some questions about the video and just questions in general. Maybe it's because the train is starting to break-in a bit more, but it didn't seem slow at all while going over the hills. The new track during the turnaround is slightly smoother, but the whole track in general, for the most part, is still fairly smooth, at least a LOT smoother than I had expected. Like I said already, the bottom of the hills are the roughest parts of this ride. In the back it's not rough at all, but be ready if you sit towards the front. Riding through the tunnel from the station to the lift was actually REALLY cool. All the holes in the roof reminded me of what this park had been through, and the fact that they overcame all those troubles and got it running again. During that stretch is when it hit home and made me smile knowing I was on a coaster I thought I'd never ride again. What I assume was the main mechanic was one AWESOME guy! You could tell he had much pride in what he did to help the Blue Streak and get it open again. Even though there was only about 8-12 of us, he literally thanked everyone countless times for their support. Also, for being so supportive, he gave us a FREE RIDE! I actually felt kind of bad, though, because I know how much the park needs the money. All-in-all, if this is a coaster you have always wanted to ride and never got the chance, I say GET THERE AND DO IT! You never know how much longer you may have, and not to mention it's running very well! P.S. - Was anyone from TPR there tonight? I sat behind someone with an ACE shirt on, and overhead them say they drove 3 hours.

^ How would closing after having a owner be convicted of tax evasion, having multiple fires, and multiple break-ins be "dying with dignity?" I'd say that's the complete opposite if anything, which is why the park deserves another chance to gain some of it's dignity back. Anyway, I'll be leaving in a few minutes. I'll be sure to post my thoughts later tonight when I get back.

Great game Pitt! Not.

Why so much hostility towards a place meant for people to have fun? I think it's great that people around the entire country care about such a small and seemingly insignificant park. Just goes to show how passionate people are about their hobby. I think these reasons play large roles in why people care: -The fact that the park opened in 1892. -Small or not, it's a very traditional park. Imagine Kennywood closing down for good, I HIGHLY DOUBT people would let that happen without a fight. Sure CLP isn't as big, but it's the same concept...Kennywood is a smaller park, is not exactly pristine, has an average coaster/ride collection, has older rides, is not exactly right off a highway exit, and Pittsburgh hasn't exactly boomed, economically in the past decade (as a matter of fact, the City of Pittsburgh, itself was on the verge of declaring for bankruptcy in the early 2000s). -Again, getting back to the traditional aspect, a good percentage of it's rides are older originals, such as the Blue Streak, Tumble Bug (one of only two in the US, the other being at Kennywood...not to mention CLP's is the oldest of all of them in the world), Carousel, Train, etc. -There have been multiple arson attempts, break-ins and such, and a recent owner was convicted of tax evasion, so one could argue that it deserves another chance. Also, the Blue Streak "not being any good" is a matter of opinion, and has nothing to do with whether the park should stay closed or not.

Did anyone ride it today? I'm hoping to go there tomorrow, pending rain.

Go Pitt!

The Blue Streak WILL be open tomorrow through this weekend! Woo hoo! From their Facebook:

^ Maybe they want to make it look more intimidating (no pun intended)? Besides, it's just concept art. In my opinion, I'd say wait until the actual ride is built before asking why they did this, or why they did that.

Looks fun! I'll definitely have to get down there one of these years!

I'll probably take a ride up one day this weekend. It will all depend on when it gets running.

The blog was fun and useful before they had a Facebook, but now that everything is done through Facebook, there really is no need for the blog anymore. I know that since I "liked" CP on Facebook months ago and have been following the news there, I've probably only checked the blog a grand total of 2 or 3 times. I had easily checked it daily before then.

Good to hear! I might have to take a ride and ride it!

^ Well-said! BC2 is definitely a solid and underrated game!

^ Well said. I, too had my expectations set a bit high for Diamondback and thought it was a bit tame. I like the older models, such as Nitro, a LOT more. I'm glad someone else thinks this. I loved Legend, it was awesome! Definitely one of the most underrated and overlooked coasters I have ridden. Great pics too!

I wasn't saying anyone was wrong, just that the logic and reasoning behind it didn't make sense to me because it contradicted itself. Regardless, GAm is a park I want to go to some day, and the less people there to fill queues, the better.

Quite the contrary, I think that's what makes a world class coaster a world class coaster. I know, but that wasn't my point. My post was mainly directed at him only, and I was using his logic. If he is "tired" of all the great coasters that GAm already has, then what's the point of building a top-tier, world class coaster if he will only get "tired" of it eventually, right?

My major is Safety Management. I attend Slippery Rock University in PA.

Yes, I do. With my dad having bypass surgery 3 years ago, my mother's father dying of a heart attack before I was born, and my father's father having Alzheimer's and heart troubles before he died, I'm not about to take any chances, considering I most likely am susceptible to heart disease. Better to start now before it's too late.

Adding to that, I went to Holiday World last summer, so Indiana, and I went to DC this past April, so Washington DC.

Since I was an infant, I've been going to a much smaller and less impressive park that just added their first brand new roller coaster in 11 years (Kennywood), or 9 if you count Phantom, and I have yet to get bored with it. So I'd say no, I wouldn't get tired of Great America if I lived near it. Also, I'd like to add this. Wouldn't having a world-class coaster defeat the purpose? I mean, you'd only get tired of it in a little while, right? Then it wouldn't be a world-class top coaster anymore, at least in your eyes. That's the fun of it sometimes, having to make a trip out of it, traveling across the country to ride a one-of-a-kind ride, or taking a road trip, or whatever.

^ You already have Raging Bull, which is an older model hyper, but B&M's are mostly "cookie cutters" and don't change all that much anyway. Not to mention you also have Superman, which is miles better than Firehawk, or any Vekoma Flyer for that matter, in my opinion. And those are only two of an already-stellar coaster collection. I don't know why you're complaining. I would LOVE to have a massive park like that near me.

I've been on many intense coasters, many of which have already been named, so I'm not going to repeat all of them, but one ride that doesn't get mentioned a lot is MaXair at Cedar Point. By the cycle's end, I am on the verge of "seeing stars." The G forces on that thing are more than one would expect.

The transitions are the only part I didn't like. The airtime, loop, and straight bits were really fun! Shockwave really took me back, because King Cobra at KI was my first ever looping coaster over 10 years ago. The transitions from straight to turn were pretty brutal, though.

^^^ I would assume the swinging ship...unless it just gets moved somewhere else. I wonder if CP is still going to get the rumored kiddie coaster?