Zonga

Great info on Thunderbolt! I wonder what happened to the west coast version? That's one of those questions I find asking myself whenever I do any amusement park history research. For instance, I have been trying to track down the fate of Idora Park's merry-go-round, but no luck. (Idora Park Oakland, not Ohio)

Great photo! That is a photo from the 1939-1940 Golden Gate International Exposition on Treasure Island. That is indeed the Golden Gate Bridge in the distance with the city of San Francisco across the water (Oakland, Emeryville, and Berkeley would be to the back of the photographer). After a bit of searching I can't seem to find the name of the roller coaster pictured. The tall narrow building is apart of the "Chinese Village," the low-rise structures behind the tower is the "Cavalcade of the Golden West," and the large building to the left of the photo is the "Court of Pacifica" end of the main promenade. A quick Google will turn up great maps of the Expo.

I haven't logged on for quite sometime, but I had to comment how odd it is to be browsing a Magic Mountain thread and see a photo of mine from Flickr of Discovery Kingdom. It's been a while since I have posted photos on TPR! Anyway, I'm looking forward to riding Magic's latest Xtreme, tallest, fastest, thrillest, YOLOest coaster. Glad to see the Metro tunnel repurposed as well.

LOL! I wonder who that mystery Ambassador was who gave you the free registration? That is just a strange coincidence that I happened to give it to a TPR member! Also, I echo Jordan's comments on the IAPPA Expo, simply the greatest week ever! -Eric

Discovery Kingdom has added a few photos from Bay Area Bash to the official Facebook page! http://www.facebook.com/discoverykingdom#/album.php?aid=131022&id=59636827742

Odin's Temple of the Tiger is officially open! The park sent out a few photos and a video showing off the new tiger exhibit and show. The Temple's namesake, Odin, dives into the new 26,000 gallon pool. Nalin "cuts" the ribbon, officially open the Temple. Cubs Nalin and Akasha make their way down the steps of the Temple.

Because it is the weekend, the transportation is a bit limited. I honestly think your best bet would be Amtrak. The Capitol has a station about a five minute walk from the Great America entrance. Then it's a ride up to Martinez where you transfer to the bus. Also consider that Amtrak is the nicest way to travel in the Bay Area. There is always plenty of seating, very safe, and even a cafe car. Plus you get some great views of the bay. The transfer from Amtrak to the thruway bus sometimes takes less time than advertised because the bus only has to wait for the train. So you may get to Discovery Kingdom earlier than advertised. Also, the Amtrak bus stop is at the Discovery Kingdom passenger drop off, so it is much more convenient than a city bus. As for the time in the park, the 10:45-5:20 should be enough time to tour the park...especially with a Q-Bot. You would have more than enough time to get on all the coasters plus take in a few shows. Also try checking out http://511.org/ for more Bay Area transportation information.

^ There's a ceramic tiger on the rapids ride? It's probably just the dinosaur that Sean posted since the site says Six Flags Marine World Africa as opposed to Discovery Kingdom.

Here are a couple of photos that were taken at the grand opening of FireFall: The grand opening of FireFall took place on Saturday at 11 AM. All the fountains and misters were running for the opening. Fire and water cannon effects are yet to be operational. It wasn't all bad though, the weather was in the 90s by noon, so the park wouldn't of run them even if they were operational. The first riders on FireFall, the new ride is officially open! The curving pipe is for the fire effects which will fill the lagoon. There are also two water cannons in the lagoon, an effect which will be similar to those on Pirates of the Caribbean. The finale of the ride is when the gondola lowers slowly towards the fountains below. Riders seemed to really enjoy FireFall. Thanks for checking out these photos, be sure to view the rest of them here.

Yup, I'm positive. Here is an email I got from my boss when I asked:

Thanks for the update Sam. Nice to see the cars have arrived! Will you be sticking around for Coasters After Dark that night? And in a bit of park news, the official website has added a page with all the different events going on for the opening weekend of Tony Hawk's Big Spin. Check it out here.

Yesterday I got the chance to attend a construction tour for Tony Hawk's Big Spin. Here are a few of the photos! Tony Hawk is almost complete, all track should be in place by the weekend. Captain Lee was on hand as a piece of track was lifted. A worker gets set to guide the track into place. Closer... Perfect. A welder was hard at work on the new station. Workers high above assembling the ride. On-ride Tony Hawk! You can view the rest of the photos here.

Actually, I believe that Zonga was not bolted down at all. Of course, I could be wrong. And I just checked and any Six Flags season pass will work for Coasters After Dark. Just present it at the Explorer Outpost and you're good to go.

For those of you who are season pass holders, Coasters After Dark will be held on May 23rd from 7 - 10 PM. I just received this email which is pretty interesting: Please feel free to post your Discovery Kingdom photos or experiences in this thread as well!

^ Thanks man! I know that over at SFDKzone the person who I believe was booking the bands posted his contact info. His name is Shawn Day and can be reached at angrypirate_productions@yahoo.com As for operations, they've been pretty good this season. Sadly Kong has only be running one train which has led to long lines. Also, Roar was still at one train operation last weekend but should be up soon hopefully. Glad everyone liked the photos, I'll be sure to grab some new photos this weekend!