Electerik

No need to apologize. I don't hold you responsible. /Guy tels me he can't patch the leak, and that I need four new tires. //My SoCal street smart suspiciousness kicks in. "And how much is that gonna cost me?" ///"Don't know. We don't sell tires."

^ Robin? /Sorry, no picture to contribute. I'm at work, and all my really good spanking photos are at home.

^ Agreed. "Perceived" value generally trumps physical value anyway, because it makes people feel more special.

Awesome. Thanks in advance, Robb! /"Dear Buddha, please bring me a pony, and a plastic rocket, and one of those...."

Catholic...? Like, "Catholic School Girl: The Ride?" Yeah, I could handle that. Oh, and Voodoo isn't just a religion. It can also be a spell or a curse, or even just be a synonym for "nonsense." /Thought Voodoo was better, but not worth getting sued over.

I'm not sure a 1-person "boycott" is really going to faze them much. However, I see nothing wrong with not going to parks that you dislike. I haven't been to any Six Flags in over five years, because I've just had too many disappointing experiences at their parks, and haven't had any desire to go back. Having said that, I probably will give them another shot this year, because there are some new-ish things that I want to ride. And I may even make it to SFA for the first time this year. I'm a bit nervous about that one, but you've got to see for yourself, right? Anyway, my point is that you should vote with your wallet. Just don't be so stubborn that you wind up "hurting" yourself.

Six Flags didn't ruin Geauga Lake. (You ruin parks by taking things out, if you ask me.) Cedar Fair bought it to close it, because they never liked having another park that close to their flagship--and the bigger park that Six Flags had made it into really bothered them /No, I can't prove it. //But a lot of us suspected it when they first bought it. ///And it did pretty much play out that way.

I bought tires in Tuscaloosa once.

I've never been (or, erm, even heard of it before now), but it looked charming. Perhaps you're being overly critical because it's your homepark and you wish it was better...? In any case, thanks for the photos! Especially the acid-y ones!

It might also be good news for the cruise ships themselves. Because this is about the only way I'm ever going to go on one. /Doesn't go anywhere unless there's a coaster.

That's funny, because I always hated when guests would ask me why there were empty boats. "Because no one will get in them." Rapids ride are tough because you (usually) can't just buckle the guest up yourself, like you can on a coaster. And if too many guests take too long too many times in a row, your only choice might be to send empty ride vehicles in order to regain time and keep things moving. /Or, they might just be adding ride vehicles.

^ Well, our evil ringmaster has implied that it's figure-out-able....

The new restraints look like they're designed to swing down and punch you in the gut! /Come on, it's a Boomerang. Snarkiness is totally called for.

Serious answer: But with better capacity! Snarky answer: But with headbanging!

Wow, The Lost World looks great! Is it wrong that the old King's Dominion is much more appealing to me than the current one?

Not likely as KD has done some extensive remodeling work on their flume within the last year or so. Perhaps. But I stand by my statement. On balance, the chain considers them not worth the risk. Doesn't mean they're going to rip them all out at once. But I wouldn't expect any new ones (at least, not any traditional restraint-less ones).

I'm more inclined to agree with the painting idea. In my view, Six Flags needs to raise quality and prices along with it. I would consider their season passes to be undervalued, if I had any desire to go to their parks. Many of the things Six Flags has done to improve their image have been the equivalent of Cedar Point's attempts to theme. And then they go right back to "sell more season passes and bring more teens into the park." Dear Six Flags: Why should I go to one of your parks instead of some other chains'? (Degree of difficulty: My parents aren't paying for it, so "it's cheaper" isn't going to impress me much.)

Very true, and an excellent point. But rapids rides are worse, and while Hershey is removing theirs at the moment, there hasn't really been a rash of removals like log flumes. I really do think that safety is a big concern here. /Worked on a log flume for two years. //Worked on a rapids ride, too. ///Let's just say that rider responsibility was more of an issue on the log flume.

Rather an inefficient system, no? Maybe I'll send Dan an email asking why you all do it that way....

As several others have pointed out, Shockwave/Batman The Escape was built by Intamin. But, it was subcontracted to Giovanola, and--as I understand it--essentially designed by Bolliger & Mabillard. So if you did want to make some alterations to that particular ride, which company would you contact? /Not that I'm endorsing this Darien Lake business. //How is the park doing on its own, anyway? [EDIT: Dang, beat to the punch on the B&M connection. You gotta move fast in this thread. ]

"Midcourse" (as in, block brake)? /Yes, I know that Talon doesn't have a true midcourse block brake.

^ Well, you do bring up a good point, in that most of us have been assuming that this is something we've seen before. I suppose it could be a totally new kind of train. /Bring on the spinning B&M!

^ Agreed. Though I suspect there'd be a lot of pushback on Log Ride, so it'll probably be the last one to go. But they will get rid of as many as they can. Why? Because people jump out of them. And this is the company that added seatbelts to a rollerskater. You do the math.

Unlikely. Cedar Fair is afraid of log flumes.

Huh. I must have missed that one. Did he say why that was?