mike robinson

I would just say to invest with your head, not your heart. I want to see Six Flags successful. I was doing some research before investing and found some of the articles I posted earlier. The "Experts" say it is not a good investment. I would have to agree with them.

Great Pictures! I LOVE SDC. One of the best parks in the country!

It does not take an expert to pull your head out of the sand and look at numbers. When Time Warner owned Six Flags they had a lot more business than Six Flags. (CNN, Tine Warner, and a bunch of subsidiaries) so losses could be spread around. When Premier bought Six Flags they wracked up almost 300 billion in debt within a year. There was no where to spread the debt and it was entirely Six Flags. Now the bills are coming due at a time when Six Flags can least afford it. It does not take a genius to understand basic economics. Six Flags needs "experts" to tell them how to get out of this mess. Anyone with common sense can tell you what trouble kind of trouble they are in. But if you don't believe me, check out the financial experts like Moody's Investors Services, Standard & Poor's, Business Week, or any Financial news source. Bottom line is just because you DON'T want something to happen doesn't mean it won't. It can and will. Its not just Six Flags but a lot of companies in this same sinking boat. My best guess is Chapter 11, which would alow them to stay open and default of a lot of the debt load. Of course this would hurt anyone who owns stock or has a loan out to Six Flags, but at least Six Flags would survive. Chapter 13 is too horrible to even think about. As far as the little girl in Kentucky, I think the Insurance carrier will cover that despite what happens to Six Flags.

Bigger Companies than Six Flags will Fail... "Discerning which firms will cave first is difficult, but S&P has identified 162 "weakest links," or companies in danger of defaulting over the next 12 months. It is the seventh straight month that the roster of credit-unworthy firms has grown. On that list are high-profile names such as United Airlines parent UAL, General Motors, Tribune, Six Flags (SIX), and Trump Entertainment Resorts." Six Flags doesn't have a magic wand to save them. The debt is enormous. Do they even have enough assets to cover the debt? For those who think Six Flags can't fail because they are Six Flags, well that's the kind of thinking that got us in the mess we are in today. Somehow I don't think Six Flags is going to get an AIG type of bail out from the feds. I don't think this means all the parks will close, but I do think we will see a very different Six Flags at this time next year.

Kemah Boardwalk is attempting to open in 2 weeks. Probably not the rides but I would think some of the restaurants... Kemah on Fast Pace to Recovery

Yeah, I understand. Houston did not take as hard a hit as Galveston and some places on the bay took a harder hit and are being ignored by the media. (Mostly on the East Side of Galveston Bay and Trinity Bay). There is no doubt in my mind that Kemah will rebuild. The boardwalk is much to profitable, and it is one of the most popular destinations in the Houston area.

The Tree that was laying in my front yard and the tree in my Dad's living room might disagree with you..... There are parts of Houston (and further North) that got hit VERY hard.

Everything in that area has very strict building codes but it is almost impossible to protect from Storm Surge. They were clearing boats off of the causeway with bulldozers. I have heard that it is easier to be born in Galveston than build there. And FEMA Sucks.

I believe the trains are gone, not sure about anything else. Its not the winds that are going to do the damage but the huge storm surge. The coaster is going to be taking waves before long. The coaster might be able to withstand the winds, but NOTHING can survive the water that is going to be pounding the entire area. The storm surge is going to be the huge story out of this storm. Just hope for the best!

Yeah, lets just say I am glad I got some rides in on 8/31. Don't know when or if I will be able to ride again. This storm is going to take a long time to recover from. Not so much the winds, but the HUGE storm surge.

Yosemite Sam's Gold River Adventure SFoT always has at least an hour wait, it's a heavily themed boat ride, and there's also Monster Plantation. They need more of those. As far as SFoT I'm fine with everything except the TVs in Gotham City and all the ads EVERYWHERE YOU LOOK! I still think The Spee-Lunker Cave was much better.

Tennessee Tornado - Best loop coaster Arrow ever made. Excalibur (mine train) for sentimental reasons.

I don't see why anybody is criticizing ACE and Carole for this. It was Norton Auctions that brought ACE up. Not any member from ACE. I don't know why they lied about the offer but I have no doubt at this point it was a lie. Carole did not speak up UNTIL ACE was mentioned and then ACE was mocked for their fundraiser efforts.

Don't talk about Fight Club.

I had heard rumors of this but don't have proof, maybe we will hear more about this later. (ACE bidding on the land) Everyone complains about the lack of a museum but ACE had a deal worked out with PKI for space for a museum in the park as a start until a more permanent location was selected and Cedar Fair pulled the plug on that also. So I do not doubt that Cedar Fair is playing games again. Edit: Here is Proof "Carole Sanderson, chief financial officer of Herschman Architects in Cleveland and a past president of the American Coaster Enthusiasts, had been working with developers to try to buy the Big Dipper and the property around it. Her group was one of four groups to submit sealed bids for more than 500 acres of amusement park property being sold separately by Cedar Fair."

There is Free and then there is "Free". Wasn't the Texas Cyclone offered for free as well? "Free" does not mean it would not cost money. How much in labor, insurance and storage would be incurred? Quite a bit more than the Museum fund has. I think Cedar Fair is looking for a cheaper alternative for demo costs considering the timing. It's Cedar Fairs call on whatever the ultimate fate awaits for the Big Dipper. I can't blame ACE for this one.

The Globe was removed in 1994. It was the 35th Anniversary that was supposed to get a new front gate and a major new ride. Two rides were in the works, one for the 35th and one for the 40th. A River battle Ride was on the drawing board for the lagoon area in the center of the park and a Hyper was being discussed also. (I believe Canada Wonderland benefited from that discussion) As it turned out, 2 easily moved rides were installed, SWAT and Diablo Falls to celebrate the 35th. This year would have celebrated 40 years of Astroworld. Great Pictures of the Swamp Buggy and everything else!! Thank You.

Those Parc Season passes are getting better and better.

I think a lot of this is just the progression of our society and technology. When I worked on rides (early 80's) there were no air gates, just a yellow line. The lack of gates worked find, you just yelled "Stand behind the yellow line please!' and mashed toes with the height checking stick. I worked a lot of hours on coasters with no gates and never saw an injury due to the lack of them. Safety Systems were analog as opposed to the digital systems we see today. Since everything went with PLC's staffing has been reduced on rides in general. With Analog systems, you really had to be on your toes and it was possible to do things such as trip limit switches to increase capacity. That is impossible with a digital safety system that uses prox sensors. Restrains have become more complex resulting in longer load times. I really think these three items make operations seem worse than they are, but in todays "lawsuit happy" world, parks have taken the approach that most people (guests and employees) are idiots and need to be protected from themselves.

I worked on Excalibur and it was the same with three trains. All three trains could not be in the station so it was Dispatch, Dispatch Dispatch! I think we had a 50 second window? We used to compete with you guys on the Cyclone on hourly counts! It is different now as it seems that dispatch times suffer for a variety of reasons. For old ops like us, it is frustrating to watch. Remember those big crews we used to have? They seem like a thing of the past.

Can't add much except to say this is by far my favorite event of the year. I am so glad that it has become an annual event. (It has been every other year up until now) It is pretty evident that Schlitterbahn loves ACE as they treat us so well. From the discounts on the rooms during a weekend that they have 100% occupancy to all the free beverages made available, first rides on Dragon's Revenge and a VERY affordable event price, I can't think of any other event I have been to that I have had so much fun. Dragon's Revenge is as good as everyone says. Maybe better if possible. The dragon effect at the end of the ride is incredible. Add in a sizable donation to the museum fund and dedicating Dragon's Revenge to ACE just proves the commitment Schlitterbahn makes to make coaster enthusiasts happy. Schlittercon just gets better and better. See ya next year at the Bahn! I hope to make another trip this summer as I hear the Tube Chutes calling my name. Whitewater has to be one of the most exciting tube rides in the country. (Followed by the Hillside Tube Chute, Cliffhanger Tube Chute and Raging River Tube chute.) I really love the tube chutes on the older side of the park!

Splashtown, located in Spring Texas, just north of Houston was kind enough to invite me to take a look at all the improvements for this season. In this case, it means a 2 million dollar package that will include Rip Qurl, a Proslide Cannonbowl. Splashtown is a beautiful park, with the best landscaping I have seen of ANY waterpark. It can be a very peaceful place, even when crowded. With it's 4th proslide being installed, Splashtown can rival any water park for thrills! Thanks to Beth and everyone at the park! This is going to be Cabanas on the edge of the wave pool. These will come with lockers and a wait staff!!! Lots to do at this park! What to do? We need some water flowing!! New Paint! Activity area Wave Pool Lazy River with no River! Lower Part of Rip Qurl waiting for installation Splash down pool for Rip Qurl (Was used for the Hydra Body Slide) Some Waterslide Goodness!!!

Astroworld: Cut the Grass, the weeds are getting pretty tall again.

As much as I would love Robb to ask, he is right. This is not 60 minutes, and Robb is not Mike Wallace. This is supposed to be about fun and the future. Its time to move on. Nothing is going to bring Astroworld back.

Add, why was the land so difficult to sell? Why wasn't demolition stopped when Red Zone took over?