Invertalon

I can't wait until Slingshot is open... They are such fun rides! Looking forward to it.

This is true, but the floorless trains have a higher heartline compared to the standard sitdown trains. I bet if you compare the heartline between the standup to a floorless, they are probably really close. If you look at Mantis, the platform you stand on is really close to the frame of the train and the track. On a floorless train, the seats are mounted higher on the chassis to get you high enough so your feet won't hit anything. I think the main reason CP does not do the retrofit is simply because the ride is still popular, converting would be expensive (mostly new station) and it may not pay off over time for them. While I think most of us would like it, it probably does not make much sense... New trains, station and overhaul would probably cost nearly 5 million, as a quick guess.

Thanks! I also think Gatekeeper is one of the most photogenic rides, easily. There are just so many different perspectives you can get of the ride, because of its location. Plus the colors and overall design of the ride, as well. It was nice seeing it from the other side of the lake.

Blue Fire has them as well... I wish more rides had them though, they are great!

Another batch from Coastermania! First, a quick TR: This was actually my first Coastermania, which is a bit crazy considering I live an hour away… I have always heard how busy it was and stuff, so we always just skipped it. This year though, we decided to finally go and it was incredible! First off, we didn’t arrive until about 6pm (due to work). Thankfully, friends had put us aside boat tour tickets so we were able to do the 7pm tour. We literally made it just to the dock in time for departure, whew! The boat ride was extremely nice, and I thank CP for such a wonderful idea. I always wanted to ride around the park on the water, so I was really happy to finally be able to do so. Afterward, it was time for the Luminosity VIP party. We missed lunch earlier due to our late arrival, but thankfully they fed us all here. I could not believe the spread to be honest, it was incredible! From muscles, shrimp, ribs, brisket, sausage, turkey, bacon mac n’ cheese, various anti-pastas and other sides. One very awesome perk was the open bar, which is always welcome. They of course also had cupcakes and cookies for dessert. After relaxing a bit with some friends we made our way to the Luminosity stage for the show. The first time I saw the show the weekend before I was a bit mixed on it (compared to last year, which I loved), but seeing it a second time it really is growing on me. I still can’t get over how much better Luminosity is compared to the old laser show or whatever it was… The energy level is miles above what it used to be at closing. Between the show, improved lighting throughout the park and overall atmosphere, it really is beautiful. I would wish Starlight would come back, but at least they still have some of the lighting back there. I thought that was a really cool area when it was still around. Afterward, we stuck around to loiter in the crowd and watch people dance. Around 10:30pm, headed over to MF and enjoyed two rides with a pretty short wait (3-4 train). Went back to Maverick and I personally expected a long wait, but it was practically walk-on so I was surprised! Took a front seat lap and I must say, Maverick is running as good as it did opening year. Headed back up to MF for another ride and then a walk-on front seat ride on Magnum to close out the night. I still can’t get into Magnum at all, but I still ride it once and a while so I figured front seat at night was a good time… Afterward, we headed out… Overall, it was a really beautiful day at the park and already looking forward to next year (and other events this season!). Cedar Fair is really hosting some incredible events the past few years. We paid $60 for a Dollywood event a few weeks ago and it was pretty lame in comparison (generic food, minimal “events” going on, expensive for what we got…) and CP is doing these free events that just exceed expectations in every way. While I have always enjoyed CP, the last few years it has easily become my favorite park. The park has changed so much for the better, it really makes me proud to call it my home park. I can’t wait to see what the next few years bring! Was a great way to spend my birthday this year. As far as the photos,this set was just from the boat tour... Able to get some relatively new angles of the park. The last image is a very large panoramic... It was done hand-held on a moving boat, so it was a bit difficult. Lighting was not the best but something is better than nothing! Make sure to click on that and if you have a Flickr account you can view at around 50% of the original size (still 15,000 pixel across). Was I believe 9-10 images put together. Lighting was harsh on the one side sadly (right side) but I only had one chance on the boat! Entire set can be found at 5D3_1904.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_1906.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_1907.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_1909.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_1938.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_1945.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_1952.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_1957.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_1967.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_1974.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_1992.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_2033.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_2050.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_2068.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_2086.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_2097.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_2016-Edit by invertalon, on Flickr

The snoopy celebration was there last year as well! CP did an amazing job all around... They are spoiling the enthusiast community, that is for sure. Can't wait for the others this year!

I was listening to a photography audio blog I listen to... This guy has his own shirt that says 'I Shoot RAW" with photography stuff on the back of it. Six Flags denied him once in the park about his shirt, but could not tell him why it was inappropriate. He had the whole thing recorded and it is pretty interesting. Skip to 7:00 for the story... The actual in-park recording takes place at around 8:55. http://froknowsphoto.com/rawtalk-89/ And here is the shirt in question: http://store.froknowsphoto.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=1000 I just thought it was interesting to listen to! Especially when they talk about the shirts six flags sells such as "let it roll" and "size matters" in the park, along with "I like it rough". Thoughts? Do you think Six Flags overacted and handled it properly? Not taking sides here at all, just sharing the story!

While $100 is quite limited, there are some good options. The Canon S95, S100, S110, etc... Are all great point and shoots with slightly larger image sensor for better low light performance, sharper images with better image clarity. However, they are generally more expensive. But I would look for an older one (S95 for example) on ebay used and I am sure you can get one for around your price. I actually have one as well for sale if interested, you can contact me via PM me for more information if you want. I am sure some others can offer some better advice in other brands, but I really only use Canon and I am extremely familiar with the SLR market of the spectrum... Not too much in the point and shoot area, except the S and G series stuff. At $100 though unless you go used, most cameras will have near identical image quality. You will see little difference to be honest! Some may have more zoom range, better LCD’s, more “manual” features, etc… But in the end, most of those cameras share the same image sensor within a brand and won’t be much different from one another. If you have an iPhone or comparable phone, you may be better off with that versus a dedicated camera at that low of price point and be worth saving up a little more for something a bit better. Hope this helps.

The event tonight was wonderful. Cedar Point is throwing some of the best events, easily. Food was excellent, ERT was awesome and the boat ride was above and beyond. The fact this is a free event blows my mind (and any of the other events they have done).

I think Wing Riders are excellent rides... I was finally able to ride Wild Eagle as well recently (along with Gatekeeper) and both are great rides. I prefer Gatekeeper, but those night rides during ERT on Wild Eagle were incredible with how dark it was! At first, I did not care much for either of them... But once you ride a few times and find the better seats, they are extremely good rides.

Interesting to say the least... It does not really excite me right now, but we will see once it goes up.

I would not like going alone. I like the social aspect of meeting up with friends and having a fun night with them, sometimes more than the park itself.

5/30/14 Update! Stopped by to see the first showing of this years Luminosity... Overall, it was good. I won't completely judge just yet as I am sure it will continue to improve, but I prefer last years show over this one (so far). Looking forward to seeing it again. As always, click the link for many more: Here are some pics... 5D3_1284.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_1333.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_1363.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_1385.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_1397.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_1421.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_1424.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_1445.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_1477.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_1499.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_1507.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_1518.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_1530.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_1534.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_1546.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_1566.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_1571.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_1576.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_1606.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_1656.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_1667.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_1744.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_1765.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_1786.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_1813.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_1823.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_1828.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_1835.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_1845.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_1856.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_1864.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_1899.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr

It was a tour actually before the ride opened. We got to walk the entire track up to the coaster portion and take pics. If you check out my Flickr page, you can see all the rest of them!

Some recent photos: 5D3_0182.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_0204.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_0775.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_0870.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_0920.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_0933.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_0974.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_0718.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_0720.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_1002.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_1089.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr

I enjoy Kennywood, but hate getting to/from the park... Anytime we go to that place I swear we get the worst traffic possible. Aside from that though, it is a really nice park. Phantom and Thunderbolt are both excellent rides... I agree with you on Jackrabbit, really nothing to it... I have not rode that in the past 2-3 trips we have been there the past few years. I also think Racer is a simply beautiful ride. Love the color scheme! Reminds me of Beast a bit with that rosewood appearance (more vibrant though I think). Nice TR!

Doesn't SROS at Darien Lake and SFA on the "S-turn" before the final two hops flex quite a bit as well? I think I remember that when I rode it years ago. It looked very similar to that video and no modifications have been required. Although, don't always trust the engineers (especially Intamin ones)... Look at the years of talk over the Superman and Wicked Twister spikes flexing on the impulse coasters saying "Ohhhh they are SUPPOSED to flex, or they will break!"... Yet they did break, although even though they did not completely fall off or anything. They had many issues that required a lot of repair welding and the additional supports added on both (Add Xcelerator in there as another example). Rides will move/flex, but too much as not a good thing. Fatigue over time from the "cycling" can reduce the yield strength of the material and cause failure. It may not happen in a year or two, but it can happen. I remember studying this a bit with my machine design and material analysis courses when in school. Generally, materials will reduce in strength up to about 10E6 cycles to where it would no longer reduce in yield strengths. As long as the engineers had the right material and deflection data, there should be no problem. See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatigue_limit If I remember correctly, as long as they know the weight of the train, lateral g-force (to calculate the moment and deflection of that section of track) and figure out the stress, they can see based on material if they get close to the limits of the material beyond the 10E6 cycles. Time will tell to see if it is later reinforced or holds up just fine!

Home park is CP... I would honestly like to see a GCI twister in the place of Mean Streak, Gemini or even Magnum for that matter. Need some new wood at the point.

We stopped at KI on the way to and from Dollywood this past weekend (so on Friday mid-day and Monday mid-day). Friday did not appear to busy... We only walked to/from Banshee, so I can't tell you how other rides were. But the parking lot appeared pretty light. Banshee was quite short... We rode 3x in one hour (2x front, 1x back). Ride had a slight increase in vibration, but nothing significant. Did not take away from the ride at all IMO. Speed wise, it did not seem any faster than opening weekend. On Monday, the parking lot was packed. Was worried that we would not get our rides in on our little pit-stop, but the line was only about 20-25min wait. Got another 2x front seat in about an hour. This day, the ride did feel to be going a bit faster (was also about 15F warmer or so than Friday). Running awesome! A few notes: On both days, they were running it very well (loading times). They have 8 or more ride-ops checking bars, which was nice to see. The dried puke from media day / opening weekend on the bottom of the control panel is STILL there. You think they would have power-washed that by now...

I was there as well! Only for day two though. Great little event. I was the tall guy with the SLR. I think at one point you were right next to me on the tour in the morning. The night ERT on Wild Eagle was incredible. I didn't care for it much during the day, but huge difference. I just thought it was stupid we had to walk around each time when there was like four people on a train. Amazing night rides though. Only rode mystery mine once, it was pretty bad. I remember it being much better. Cool at night though. I didn't care much for fire chaser. While a great family ride in an amazing location, two rides is all I ever need lol I also won the wild eagle seat, brake piece and thunderhead chain dog at the auction after lunch! I was pretty excited with how cheap!

Ill be there Friday on the way to Dollywood... Stopping by for an hour or so as a driving break just to get a lap or two on Banshee. Can't wait to see if it changed any from media day / opening weekend.

I am an invert fanatic... Raptor being my #1 for a LONG time up until Banshee. While they are *very* close, I think Banshee has the edge now. I love that I live so close to both inverts... That being said, I find Silver Bullet simply awesome as well... I don't understand all the hate for it. I did not care for the drop, but the rest of the ride was great. I also love Great Bear, which is another "iffy" one for many. Talon, Montu, Dueling Dragons, Batman the Rides, etc... They all float around in the middle for me. Alpengiest is one of my least favorite (along with the Batman clones). Intensity is not a pre-requisite for me and how much I like a ride...Like it seems to be for so many (the most G's, airtime, laterals, whatever). Glad you enjoyed your trip!

Some new photos from last weekend! These were more "ambient" compared to the last set. Lighting was a little better this time around. I simply love the new petting zoo area! I figure I will just dump my mini-updates into this thread continuously through the season instead of making new topics every time... So the main post has been renamed a bit and the first post will be updated to link to each new update. Again, there are plenty more on my Flickr page... (See page 1 for the link or click any photo) Enjoy. 5D3_0245.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_0248.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_0258.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_0269.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_0287.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_0307.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_0329.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_0344.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_0347.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_0363.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_0387.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_0409.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_0420.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_0421.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_0443.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_0444.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_0459.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_0484.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_0487.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_0490.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_0492.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_0501.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_0508.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_0510.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_0522.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_0535.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_0578.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_0593.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_0629.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_0643.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_0648.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_0663.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_0668.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_0675.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_0680.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr 5D3_0691.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr

Front left is also my preferred seat on Banshee.

I think the drop tower at Waldameer is one of the best... I would follow it up by Tower of Terror (Florida one) and drop of doom or whatever it is called at SFMM. I think my least favorite are the Intamin gyro-drop styles... Drop Zone at KI, Dominion and Acrophobia. I also liked Pitfall at Kennywood when you had the side looking down into the valley. S&S towers are the worst.