CoasterFanatic

Nice TR! The whole "Moe." thing is pretty funny. They seriously look like they are a big bunch of hippies. I hear that their production has gone way up since Phish called it a day. Yep. It is almost like they kept adding more sugar and more to see just how high they could got the alcohol content. Truly nasty.

One of my favorite policies of all time, but I don't think that it is neccesary everywhere. At some parks, it seems that younger adults don't seem to have much problem behaving themselves. It all starts with the parks operations and policies and then just snowballs from there.

I don't think you are missing anything, Robb. They obviously, however, know how to market themselves well. Getting nominated for web awards and always making it to the mainstream media. Oh well. We all know where the REAL scoop is.

Nice. They never fail to entertain.

This pretty much sums up my last two years. www.coasterfanatics.com/sec_members/member_previousvisits.asp?id=2

Save the Date! CoasterFanatics.Com and RideWorld/ThrillRide will be holding an event the weekend of Sept. 9-10th, 2006. CoasterConclave 2006 Sept. 9-10th, 2006 Conneaut Lake Park Fun Fore All Kennywood ERT, Food, Book Signings, Give-Aways and more! Stay tuned for more information. The Flyer should be available by Monday 7/10/2006.

Maybe you could have thrown in more WV jokes

Long upload times can be pretty common, even in Broadband situations. Connections like DSL, while they can boast downloads of 1.5 Mbps or faster, are sometimes as slow as 128kps when it comes to uploading.

Just wait until the end of the season and go to the Italian Festival. Then you can get the mucho huge Italian Sampler for $6 and ride the corkscrew!

20Gig 4th Gen iPod(White) Pretty much full to the brim with Bluegrass, Rockabilly and Death Metal

The condition of that park is rediculous. I also noticed the Riddler queue and it looks HORRIBLE. You should not have to step over trash to get to the coaster, or maybe that is just too much too ask. I am glad that Catrina and I's visit to Darien Lake last weekend was nothing like the two SFMM visits that you documented in the past week. Instead we found a plethora of cordial employees (most workers at the park were in the 40+ range except food and ride-ops) and decent operations. Even with one train ops on Predator and Mind Eraser, they tried their best to keep the crowds moving. If I went to SFMM on the 4th, it may have been my last visit.

Just an observation, but your profile says that you are 16. That means that you have been driving less than a year. You also noted that "you" would be driving from Santa Monica to SFMM. Trust me on this one ... LA is no Pittsburgh (which I drive every day). You may want to look to a more experienced driver.

Hat to say it since I am pretty sure that you are not a member, but ACErs get half off. You might want to call local Blockbusters and Krogers stores. They used to sell discount tickets, but I am not sure of the price.

If you go to SFMM and all the coasters are operating (sans Flashback) you should consider yourself lucky and go home a winner. Seriously, like Robb said, head straight back to X. Don't stop anywhere! After X pick up some Flash Passes from Guest Services and then try to get as many of the low capacity rides out of the way as possible.

I heard that if any of the ops at a park call you "sad and pathetic" you get them automatically.

It was running one train at a VERY slow pace. I watched it cycle once and it was bouncing just as bad as I remembered. Catrina isn't the biggest woodie fan to begin with so we instead opted for the SLC. Of course ... she liked it! Go figure.

Actually, those were probably the cheapest prices I saw in the whole of England. Most of the places were in the 99 pence per litre range.

The dipper story is kind of funny actually. I was standing by the gates waiting to get on and this kid came up and stood next to me on the platform. When the op came over, he took both of our tickets and the kid headed for one row and I headed for another. Everything looked golden, so I signaled for Tim and Catrina to come on up. At this point, the op just kind of laughed and said "no adults". The op must have thought that when I boarded with a younger fellow that I was with him, but didn't have the nerve to stop me once I split off and grabbed my own row. Calling up Tim and Catrina ended up being the dealbreaker. // I sooooo had that one.

^ I just think that it is funny that nobody mentioned the kid in front of me yet. He is just kind of chilling out with his hands behind his head.

First off, let me tell you that I am glad you called it "Tsunami". "J2" is just the lamest name ever. I agree with you on the seat selection. When I went, the operator was like "a bunch of ACErs were just here and said you had to ride the back for a REAL thrill". I said "bullsh**t". "This thing gets crazier the further up you go!" ... and that second hill ... "WHOOO LORDY!"

If you are looking to walk in a store and buy tapes at a good price, I got mine at Sams Club for the UK trip. If I remember correctly, they were around $20-22 for 10.

^ Many apologies. We wanted to hang out, but we weren't in the area too long at all. I would like to get back that way and do Wonderland and make another stop at Martin's. I liked the Silver Comet that much. See you in less than two weeks

Although brief, it was great to talk to you guys Saturday. Thanks for contributing to a great weekend.

Thanks Eric for taking the time to put together this wonderful TR. I got a kick out of reliving all the unique moments of the trip. Some of them I had almost even forgotten (ex: riding the flying carpet in the DO NOT USE seat). We really need to find a way to trade some photos real soon. B.O.T.B.C. Forever

With a planned trip to Tampa falling through the cracks at the last minute, Catrina and I hopped in the car for a quick 2 day trip. With reservations for the Days Inn in Batavia in hand, we drove to upstate Western New York for a coaster weekend. Conneaut Lake Park Ok ... so it isn't in Western New York, but our first trip of the tour was Conneaut. Upon entering the park, we ran into Pittsburgh native Tim Melago and walked back to Kiddieland. Back in Kiddieland, we found Kenny Jones (kidcoaster) and talked for a short while and made some introductions. The first ride of the day was the Little Dipper. Oh, who am I kidding, I was shot down before I even made it within 3 step of the ride. Looks like this credit will elude me again. Maybe, I will finally get a chance to ride it if an event is back there one day. After an embarrasing moment in Kiddieland, we headed to the Devils Den to pay our respects to the infamous "Wall of Gum". The wall itself was not quite up to the standards I have come to expect as some of the collection had been scraped off. Even with the recent cleaning, there was more than enough of the gooey stuff left for the all to retain this title. Now it was time for some "real" coaster action, as we headed to the Bluestreak. With our tickets in hand (except for Tim. He is the biggest supporter and purchased the season pass earlier this year.), we boarded the train and headed to the lifthill. The Bluestreak is looking pretty much the way I remember it from two years ago, but the train seemed to fight the course a little more than before. I am sure it is nothing major, but I just remembered a little smoother ride. One thing of note, was some new wood on the turnaround. Overall, the ride was in pretty fair condition considering the park's financial woes. Rides on the Flyers (with moderate snapping) and Carousel were also had before leaving for our next destination. Martin's Fantasy Island After visiting Conneaut Lake Park, we hopped back in the car and headed up 79 and over 90 before taking 190 up to Martin's. Over the years, I must have passed Martin's a half dozen times, but never stopped. This would change today, as we parked the car and headed into the gates. Opting for the after 5 option, the admission was only $9.95. Even though the ride selection was far from spectacular, Martin's was a nice little park. Many of the parks structures were permanent, but most of the flat rides were portable. The most important ride, however, was not portable at all. It was a fixed ride ... a coaster to be exact ... by the name of Silver Comet. Over the last couple of years, I have had heard some good things about this CCI creation. They turned out to be very true. This ride may not be the most thrilling thing on the planet, but it is a BLAST! Even at it's modest height, it delivers good air, some suprising laterals, and one of the best opening series of hills that I have encountered on any woodie. The Crazy Mouse was a different story all together. After having been on a dozen of these, I thought that I had sampled just about every variation there was. I was wrong. The Crazy Mouse at Martin's just didn't do much at all. The ride itself was slow through the entire top tier and the spinning action was pathetic. A real snoozer if there ever was one. We headed back to the Silver Comet and grabbed a couple more rides before leaving the park. I opted to get a last row ride just to get the whole picture, but it wasn't much different than the front. The ride is pretty consistent in every row. Six Flags Darien Lake Two years since my last visit, but I could still notice the Shapiro era changes that were taking place. Even before entering the park, we were given a souvenier map. A pretty nice souvenier, but I imagine that the $10 parking charge may have helped pay for it Around the park, the employees were very kind and helpful. Most would greet you with a "have a nice day" without any type of invitation. I was actually very impressed with the condition of the park. We rode every coaster with the exception of Predator. The boomerang was smoother than any other boomerang experience I can remember and the SLC was not nearly as punishing as some of the others out there. Viper was even running very well with the only real "rough spot" being the transtition into the heart-shaped loop. I would have probably been happy to just chill out at Darien all day, but we had one more park to complete our trip. Seabreeze Near Rochester, NY is a small park alongside the lake. Seabreeze may not be the biggest of the lakefront parks, but it is a gem. You will find all kinds of unique attractions here. The first ride was the new Maurer spinner. With a identical layout to Waldameer's ride, this one wasn't much of a mystery, but it was still a lot of fun. I would like to see some of the parks in the US look into the custom version of this ride. I recently rode the custom one at Chessington in the UK, and was one of the best coasters of the trip. Another ride at Seabreeze is a little more unique. The Bobsleds, is a junior woodie that retained it's wooden structure in 1968, but had the whole of it's track replaced with steel tubular track. The result is a really bizarre ride that reminds me a little bit of Blackpool's mouse, but much ... much smoother. It was definately one of those WTF moments. Seabreeze also has a classic with the Jack Rabbit on the other side of the park near the entrance. The Jack Rabbit is not the most thrilling ride, but it is a classic and there is a lot to be said for that fact alone. I hope you enjoyed the report and until next time ... enjoy the photos. Welcome to Conneaut Lake Park. The parking is now $2, but the entry is still FREE! A fountain at the entrance greets all visitors. The Blue Streak was running good. For a park of limited means, they do a good job of keeping it up. John (forget the last name, but he was on the UK trip) was on sight with some friends doing so ground maintenance. This classic band organ was filling the midway with some wonderful sounds. Even on my knees, I found out that I am just too tall for the Little Dipper. Hopefully the park puts some eyes in those clowns one day. These things have to scare the hell out of the kids. He I am on Conneaut's classic carousel Yay! Flying Scooters. Take that Southport. Welcome to Martin's Fantasy Island. The after 5pm admission is under $10. Some of Tommy and James' peeps were chilling outside the gates. Posing next to some scenery. Hey Catrina! Pose next to this groovy scenery. Note to self: Don't eat at Fat Phil's. Fingers? EWWWWW. Boo to lame no-spinning mouses. This is pretty much the reason we are here today. I love how this turn goes right down to the ground. This is one of the bigger surprises of the ride. Heading back for the station. Six Flags Darien Lake. (chances are that this park might just be called Darien Lake sooner than anybody thinks) Catrina poses for a shot with Sylvester and Bugs We will let you in soon enough but first .... ... a little song and dance! Crazy airtime on Superman: Ride of Steel. The ride was great, but like many of the other Intamins, it is starting to really rattle A brake shot for all you real geeks out there. (Don't take it personally. Afterall, I did take the picture) Down the first drop In my experiences, this is the world's SMOOTHEST boomerang Catrina's third boomerang, and she still doesn't get what everyone is talking about. I always thought that Wonderwoman had bigger boobs, but at least she didn't have a visable nipple ring (liek Robin!). It just wouldn't be a park photo TR without a silly hat photo. The country show was pretty interesting. I will leave it at that. Catrina has finally rode a READ SLC! Not that custom crap. That is for those soft people. Shipwreck Falls had a short line, but no thanks, I'll pass. The lifthill on the Jack Rabbit at Seabreeze. Down the first drop, you can see where you parked. Heading back to the station. Seabreeze is also home to a Maurer Sohne spinning coaster. More parks in the US need to wake up and install one of these great rides. They are just so much fun. Down the twisting first drop. The Maurer 2000 unlocks right before the horseshoe. A shot of Whirlwinds twisted layout. The biggest WTF ride in the park ... the Bobsleds. Climbing the lifthill Down one of the dips. This ride is just bizarre, but a lot of fun. One of Seabreezes best attractions is their "Classic" carousel. After their original burnt to the ground, they created this fine wood-carved master piece. This carousel is filled with many beautiful horses. The band organ is in tip-top shape and sounds great. It is really powerful and it's music can be heard all over the far end of the park. All around the carousel are rocking chairs where people can just relax and watch the ride. The carousel building is also full of these wonderful historical images. One of the carousel's beautiful horses. Another fine example Detail Detail Thanks for reading! Next park .... Kennywood.