biosciking

Now that Memorial Day weekend is here, the summer season has unofficially started, and waterparks are beginning their operating schedules. With the news that this year will almost certainly be the last for Wild Rivers in Irvine, I decided that it would be an appropriate waterpark to visit to start the season. I used to go to Wild Rivers very frequently as a kid, but it has honestly been almost 20 years since my last trip. It was pretty neat finding several attractions virtually unchanged from way back then. Though the park has of course added new attractions, Wild Rivers feels much more like an "old school" waterpark than a "modern day" one. You'll find several waterslides that aren't very common elsewhere, certainly not in Southern California anyway. The park is essentially divided into three sections. Wild Rivers Mountain is on the right once entering the park. It is the location of just about every big waterslide you'll find here, which all form sort of a waterslide complex built on and around Wild River's manmade mountain. To the left after entering the park is Explorer's Island, which contains the lazy river surrounding a bunch of water activity areas. In the back of the park is Thunder Cove, where the wave pools are located. The park was only open from 11 am to 4 pm each day this weekend. That seemed kind of lacking to me when I looked this up beforehand, but it turned out to be plenty of time to do everything, as the crowds were relatively light. The park will have extended hours during the busy part of summer. I actually bought a season pass so that I'd be sure to come back and visit at least once more before the summer (and therefore the park's tenure) ends. Here we are. An overview of one side of Wild Rivers Mountain. Congo River Rapids is the main slide that travels down the mountain, but you can also see parts of the Cobras, the Abyss, and the SBNO Edge and Ledge here. (Notice the lack of access to Edge and Ledge.) Farther down the mountain, with a more complete view of the Cobras. Congo River Rapids starts at the top of the mountain, which actually has a little bit of theming while you wait in line inside the structure. The ride attendant pushes you on your way (forward, backwards, sideways, however you like; you're not going to stay in any one direction for long). You can ride in a single or a double tube, but even with a double (and especially with a single) you got jostled around all over the place. In a very fun way. This 360-degree turn actually has a couple ledges that you drop off of to travel downward. The whole ride is relatively lengthy and sort of moves in fits and starts, but that makes it feel realistic, how I imagine running actual rapids would be. There's plenty of good speed and sloshing up the sides by the time you reach the bottom. Overall, this was one of my three favorite slides at the park. The start of one of the Cobras, which is actually a pair of intertwined slides. They are pretty much your standard body slides. The splashdown pool for the Cobras. If you lie down during this one, you can actually get some pretty good speed by the end. I got nailed in the face (eyes, ears, and mouth) by water during the final three turns as I sloshed up the sides. If you sit up, however, this one is pretty mild. Probably a good starter slide for that reason. Interestingly, I noticed that all of the slides on Wild Rivers Mountain had a height requirement of 44". Right next to the Cobras is Wipeout, another pair of standard body slides. Noteable about this one is that, unlike the Cobras, it starts fast at the top and ends up slowing a bit as you go along. The reason for this is that you actually get "flushed" down the slide by a holding tank of water that the attendant releases to get you going. I didn't get a really good picture of the tank in action, but it's kind of unique. Also unusual is that there's no depth at all to the splashdown pool. I expected to dump into it but instead just kept sliding along it at the same level. Wipeout and the Cobras share the same pool (though the Cobras side is deeper). Except for the way you get started, these are all pretty much the same slides, and they look more or less identical meandering down the side of the mountain. (I guess Cobras is a little wider.) New since my previous visits is the Patriot, which is built on a tower that is located in front of the mountain (nearest to the park entrance). It's a raft slide that can seat four people riding inline. It basically twists and turns its way down from the top of the tower. At the bottom is a drop. You'd think that would be the end of the ride, but actually... ...you then travel up this spike, which gets you shuttling back and forth until you come to a stop. Kind of cool. Sharing the same tower as the Patriot are the Bazooka Bowls, more new slides for me. I've been on this type of slide once before (at Alabama Adventure), and I remember it being pretty intense. It's a pretty intimidating, dark, narrow chute when you first climb in. You then slide down this steep drop, at an incredibly fast speed. It looks pretty long, but it's amazing how quickly you shoot through it. I imagine they have to start you fast, because once you begin spiraling around the bowl, the speed somehow abruptly stops. If you were going any slower entering the bowl, you'd probably completely stall before being flushed out. You then drop into the very deep (and very cold) splashdown pool. This guy probably had the smoothest fall into the pool that I saw. Most people tend to end up going head first, sideways, on their back, etc. Overall, this is a fun slide to do once, but it is VERY painful on your back. Add to that the crazy scary fast drop, and I'd call Bazooka Bowls the most hard core of Wild River's slides. Others must agree with me, as, even though this is a newer slide, it was a walk-on all day. The rest of the slides are on the other side of the mountain. Sweitzer Falls is another one that I remember loving as a kid, and it didn't disappoint as an adult either. Such a simple concept, but an awesome drop, awesome speed (if you lie on your back), and an awesome fall into the pool. This thing ends about three feet above the pool, leading to a great launch into it. Another of my top three. Sweitzer Falls shares its pool with Bombay Blasters, without a doubt my favorite slide at the park. How often do you see a waterslide shoot out from underground? Here's the beginning of the slide. And yep, the very beginning and the very end are all that you see. The rest is buried in the mountainside. You drop down a ways, curve to the right, curve to the left, and then pop out. The whole thing only lasts a couple of seconds because it is another of Wild River's INSANELY FAST slides. I rode this one many times while young, but I do not remember the ridiculously fast speed. So much fun. And now for the segment titled "Graceful Ways By Which People Get Flung Out Of Bombay Blasters." Cannonball! Torpedo! Why let Bombay Blasters get all the credit? You can torpedo just as well off of Sweitzer Falls. Almost as much fun to watch as to ride. And the winners for most graceful splashdowns. Seriously, no matter how you launch or flop off of either Sweitzer Falls or Bombay Blasters, it's totally comfortable. The water is deep and the pool is heated more than any of the other slides' pools. Two great attractions you just can't find anywhere else that I know of. It's going to be a shame to lose these when Wild Rivers closes. Serengeti Surf Hill is your typical mat racing slide. Pretty fun, though I suppose it could be hit or miss. I saw some people shoot way past the finish line, while others got stuck somewhere in the middle of the slide and had to inch themselves along. The black slide above Sergengeti Surf Hill is the Abyss... ...and right next door to it is Nairobi Express. Though the slide layout looks pretty similar to Serengeti Surf Hill, this is a feet-first, on-your-back body slide, not a mat slide. It apparently only operates on the busiest of days, which today wasn't, but I do remember riding it when young and enjoying it. On the other side of Serengeti Surf Hill, also traveling beneath the Abyss, is Wahtubee, a triple dip tube slide. Wahtubee is fun, but nothing spectacular. The Abyss finishes right alongside it. Speaking of the Abyss, it's a completely enclosed single- or double-tube slide that is, I believe, the longest ride in the park. It certainly feels long while riding. It's also pitch dark and quite warm inside (kind of stuffy warm, which is I guess common for slides that are completely enclosed). It was enjoyable though, especially spinning around while riding in a single tube. I thought I'd throw in a few pictures of Edge and Ledge, as it remains standing in the park but has otherwise been completely forgotten about (it's not on the park maps at all). Note that Edge and Ledge may not even be the correct name for this pair of slides. I saw an old leftover entrance sign with that name on it while on the mountain, so I figured this is what it was for. Does anybody know the history of this ride? I feel certain that I rode it during my early visits to Wild Rivers, though it's odd that I can't remember for sure, especially since I imagine this would be pretty terrifying for a young child. Except for the section of tubing that is discolored on the drop, it still looks to be in good shape. In the back of the park are Wild River's two wave pools. Monsoon Lagoon is the gentler of the two, which makes it fun for everyone and therefore much more crowded. Hurricane Harbor is the other pool, producing larger waves designed for bodyboarding. I think you need to get a special wristband to even enter this pool. I'm not entirely sure how it works since I'm not a bodyboarder and therefore didn't really feel the need to look into it. It does look like fun though for those who know what they're doing. Between the two wave pools is a nicely-themed jacuzzi. Safari River Expedition is Wild River's lazy river. It encircles the entire Explorer's Island section of the park. It was relaxing and just the right temperature, though I think it could have used some more cover or secluded areas or theming or something. It did have a few added touches here and there. Lake Victoria is a large activity pool in the middle of Explorer's Island. Also in this section of the park is Typhoon Lagoon, a kiddie area with scaled-down versions of some of the bigger slides. Here you can see kiddie Bombay... ...kiddie Serengeti... ...and kiddie Congo. Overall a great idea, and I imagine tons of fun for the little ones. The park also had a variety of reasonably elaborate water play areas for the kids. Finally, I'll end with Chaos, which is the only large waterslide that is separated from the others (it's located just outside of Explorer's Island and the Safari River Expedition). It's advertised as having special effects inside, but it's another one that only opens during higher attendance days. I'm pretty sure it's relatively new, as I don't remember it at all, so I'll have to go back and try it out later this summer. Good thing I got my season pass!

Legoland California continued... No theme park geared toward children would be complete without an area themed to dinosaurs, so that brings us to Dino Island. It's actually the smallest themed area in the park, with just one ride. Coastersaurus is the park's littlest coaster, though I'm not sure I'd go so far as to call it a kiddie coaster. Junior or family coaster sounds more appropriate. The coaster travels the track twice, which circles around the dinosaur hanging out in the swamp. The lush vegetation in Dino Island definitely adds to the area's ambience. Kids as small as 36" can ride this one. The height requirement for the Dragon is 40" and, as already mentioned, the height requirement for the Technic Coaster is 42". Children under 48" must ride with an adult on all three coasters. Take a look at this spectacular Lego dinosaur outside the entrance to Coastersaurus. Here's another one. Simply incredible. The play area in Dino Island is Dig Those Dinos, a giant sand pit themed to fossils. I hope you appreciate as much as I do not just the number of play areas for kids, but the huge variety of play areas as well. The final themed area is called Duplo Village. I'm not really sure what the theme is supposed to be here. The individual attractions are all themed incredibly (including one of my favorite looking attractions, Safari Trek). I'm just not sure how all of the attractions fit together. Anyway, let's take a closer look at Safari Trek, as the awesomeness of the previous giraffe picture begs for more. Here are the zebras at the start of the ride. Unbelievable. Perfection. The gorillas that end the ride. Next up in Duplo Village is Fairy Tale Brook, a boat ride through Lego recreations of several children's stories, such as The Three Little Pigs. Billy Goats Gruff. The prince ready to kiss and wake up Sleeping Beauty. I would have included that key scene, but I thought this display with the prince on his horse was far more impressive. Aladdin. Little Red Riding Hood. Everything is so well done. I just can't say it enough. Now that we've had a jeep ride themed to a safari and a boat ride themed to fairy tales, the next obvious attraction in Duplo Village is...a train ride themed to farming? Again, I don't get the connection, but I think the individual attractions work great on their own (okay, so this one's a little cheesy). One more play area for the kids. It's called Duplo Playtown and it's a very expansive soft-play area that offers tons to do. I'll finish with a few random Lego creations that you can find throughout the park. Indiana Jones looks incredible. Batman looks pretty darn amazing too. Some total randomness that made me laugh. And a final shot that shows the little touches and attention to detail that you can find throughout this outstanding park. Thanks for taking the time to look through all the pictures.

Legoland California in Carlsbad opened its new Star Wars Miniland area at the very end of last month, so I figured I would go check it out. Legoland is such a great park for two main reasons. First, I imagine it must be every child's heaven on earth. The number of kid-friendly attractions is unequaled and there are so many places for children to just play. Second, there are plenty of things to keep adults occupied as well. Most of the attractions can accommodate the entire family, and a few rides are designed specifically with thrill-seekers in mind. However, most impressive to adults are the incredible Lego exhibits set up throughout the park. These displays are found quite literally everywhere (some stand-alone, some as theming for other attractions), and most are huge and jaw-droppingly amazing. The Miniland USA section is advertised as the heart of the park, and for good reason. While I suppose this might be the one place where kids could become a bit restless, it is my favorite part of Legoland. It is also the location where the new Star Wars Miniland is located. While it may not fit perfectly with the USA theming, it doesn't matter at all because it is equally as impressive. I visited the park last weekend (4/16) and took tons of pictures. I know there are a lot, but I feel compelled to show off the awesomeness that is Legoland California. The entrance to this fantastic park. Immediately upon entering, you are greeted not by a Lego exhibit but by a large sand sculpture advertising the new Star Wars area of Legoland. I'm not sure how long this will be set up in the park, but it sure did look cool. Let's follow the advertisement and head over to Star Wars Miniland. The Star Wars exhibit is set up as different planets to represent each movie. The original film is of course represented by Tatooine. The Millenium Falcon was one of the star attractions of the entire display. The number of Legos and amount of time required to build it are indicated on the sign in the previous picture. Pretty amazing. Though Mos Eisley was the emphasis of the Tatooine scene, there were plenty of extra little touches throughout the exhibit that you could find if you took the time to look. Here are some Sand People with their banthas. The Empire Strikes Back was set in Hoth. The battle scene was very well done and so perfectly realized the feel of the movie. Even the small additional scenes were incredibly detailed. Notice the lightsaber just out of Luke's reach in the Hoth wampa's cave. Endor was the setting for Return of the Jedi. What I loved about Endor is that they had actual plants among the exhibit to make the Endor forest look even more realistic. The battle outside of the shield generator. Neat extra touches. Episode One was set in Naboo. Tell me this isn't the spitting image of the scene from the movie. The fact that they could so exactly replicate everything really is quite astonishing. Okay, time to go a little off topic. Like many people, I am able to recite the original three Star Wars films (Episodes Four, Five, and Six) word-for-word. When it comes to the new trilogy (Episodes One, Two, and Three), I'm not such a big fan. Of the three, I actually like Episode One the best. I'm probably in the minority here, but it actually had a story with some new ideas and introduced some interesting new characters. When it comes to Episode Two, I honestly don't really remember much of anything. I guess there was a planet called Geonosis. Maybe I sort of remember this scene. They split up the Episode Three exhibit into two planets. Most of it was dominated by Kashyyyk, though there was also some Mustafar. The Revenge of the Sith movie got decent reviews, with many declaring it the third best of the entire series (after Empire and A New Hope). To that I call b.s. This movie was in no way, shape, or form better than Return of the Jedi. It was definitely my least favorite of all six movies. It was trying so hard to tie together with Episode Four that some of the dumbest plot points had to occur. It actually made me angry. Am I all alone here? Anyway, I digress, and I'm not knocking the Lego exhibit, which looks great. I'm just knocking the movie. The final lightsaber duel between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker. I am not at all familiar with the new Clone Wars series, but this seemed to be the attention-grabber of all the kids. I guess it's cool that a new generation is discovering Star Wars one way or another. The planet is apparently called Christophsis, and the crystalline building was the largest display set up in the entire Star Wars Miniland. Very impressive. Also on exhibit were some life-sized Lego displays for photo ops, such as Chewbacca and R2-D2. And of course Darth Vader. Okay, let's check out the rest of Miniland USA, starting with Southern California. Here we have Grauman's Chinese Theater, Griffith Observatory, and the "Legowood" sign. There's also the Hollywood Bowl. San Francisco is naturally represented by the Golden Gate Bridge. But there are also some San Francisco street scenes, including the famous Lombard Street. The Las Vegas Strip is quite accurately laid out in Miniland. There's no Mandalay Bay Lego buidling, so the Strip begins with Luxor. Right next door is Excalibur. And next door to Excalibur is New York - New York. They are all so perfectly detailed (with one notable omission here!). Farther down the Strip is Treasure Island. Towering over the end of the Strip is the Stratosphere. All of the Miniland USA exhibits are automated, many of which are controlled by guests pushing buttons to activate them. When the Stratosphere button is pushed, the Big Shot actually launches and drops. Moving farther east across the USA, we come to New Orleans, complete with riverboat. Mardi Gras takes place all year long in Miniland New Orleans. The level of detail is simply incredible. New York City is built on a larger scale than the other Miniland cities, enabling the Empire State Building to tower over guests rather than vice versa. And New York City of course wouldn't be complete without the Statue of Liberty. A large area of Miniland USA is devoted to Washington, DC. Here are the United States Capitol and the Washington Monument. The White House. The Lincoln Memorial and the Reflecting Pool. If you look closely, you can see Mr. Lincoln sitting inside the Memorial. The Iwo Jima Memorial. Aside from walking around Miniland USA, you can also take the Coast Cruise. The cruise passes by Mount Rushmore. There are also some international locales along the cruise, including the Eiffel Tower. The Sydney Opera House. The Taj Mahal. I hope you are getting a feel for how elaborate and amazing Lego Miniland is. We'll finish off Miniland with a walk along the Block of Fame, which features Lego busts of many important historical figures, such as... ...George Washington... ...Abraham Lincoln... ...and Elvis Presley! That's it for Miniland. Ready for the rest of Legoland? The park is divided up into several themed areas. The largest is Fun Town, which is themed to a suburban city. It emphasizes everyday heroes, such as fire fighters, police officers, and paramedics. Another "new" attraction that just opened at Legoland is the Fun Town Police and Fire Academy, which is a rebranding of the former Fun Town Fire Academy. Four vehicles "race" across the course by pumping up and down on the lever. It can actually be quite a workout, and it wouldn't really be easy for a group of small children by themselves. An adult or two is needed to help out. When you reach the end of the course, you jump out of your rescue vehicle and pump another lever up and down to spray water at the buildings that are on fire or are being held up. You've got to aim just right too, adding to the challenge. Once your fire or bad guy has been knocked out, you pump your vehicle back to the starting point. The ride is essentially unchanged from the previous version except for the theming, and in all honesty, I think the theming worked better as just the Fire Academy. Regardless, this is still a great attraction. It can get a little chaotic, but it can also be addicting. I've seen groups of adults without a child to be found riding this, trying to beat out their competition. Overall very unique and very entertaining. There's also an excellently themed climbing wall right next to the Police and Fire Academy. It is an upcharge, however, though I guess these always are. Two more headliner attractions at Legoland are the Sky Cruiser and the Kid Power Towers. The Sky Cruiser is so prominently placed that every child sees it and has to ride. This creates a huge problem. The capacity is horrendous, leading to wait times of over an hour in a line that barely creeps along. And you're waitng for a ride that is pretty much pointless. You pedal your cruiser along a slightly elevated track that doesn't follow that long of a course. The pedaling might seem fun, but the children who would most enjoy it are forced to sit in the center of the vehicle and don't even get to partake. It doesn't matter anyway, as it took me all of about five seconds to figure out that the pedaling is just for show and the vehicle moves at a controlled speed the whole way. Unless you ride first thing before any line forms, this is Legoland's most skippable attraction. I feel the opposite about Kid Power Towers, however, which is a real winner. Its capacity leads to a line that is never very long, and this ride is MUCH more fun. You have to hoist your seat up the tower using the rope, and then you can release it to fall back down. The drop is mild but also mildly thrilling, especially for the young ones. This is another attraction that might be difficult for kids to handle all by themselves (there is some strength involved in hoisting yourself up), so be ready to ride along parents. It will be fun for you too. The Volvo Driving School is another well-known attraction at Legoland. It occupies a relatively large area and tries to teach kids to follow traffic rules, rather than just randomly driving all over the place. The Driving School is for ages 6 to 13 only. There is a Junior Driving School next door for ages 3 to 5. Kids can purchase a driver's license afterwards with their picture on it, which of course they all want. In addition to cars, there are boats. The Skipper School is another very popular attraction. There is no track here; the boats are free floating and not guided. Though you are supposed to follow the prescribed route, I've seen many a child steering their boat in circles and bumping into the side rails. They could probably stay out on the ride forever (intentionally or not). Generally, though, it's a very peaceful, relaxing ride. The Sky Patrol lets you raise your helicopter up and down and spin it around in circles. Not that terribly exciting, but it does look neat. A minor attraction that I had never even realized existed prior to this visit is the Adventurers' Club. It is a walk-through attraction with theming that doesn't necessarily match the rest of Fun Town, but it's themed so well with such cool Lego figures that it doesn't matter. Your quest is to find the different colored keys that are hidden throughout the attraction. You start in a tropical rainforest. You then move on to a dimly-lit temple. You'll find a Lego sarcophagus or two within the temple, in addition to the keys you're looking for. Maybe you'll have to look inside a sarcophagus to find the keys! The walk-through ends in an ice cavern. The Lego polar bear was a great display. It was automated and would actually lurch forward and growl, startling many passerby. Again, the Adventurers' Club is a minor attraction that won't take up too much of your time, but it's well worth a stop. The next themed area is the Imagination Zone, which is themed to inventions and creativity. This is home to the park's biggest coaster, the Lego Technic Coaster. It is a Mack wild mouse that gets started with a nice 50-foot drop. Probably the most thrilling ride in the park, as evidenced by many riders' reactions. From a pure coaster enthusiast's viewpoint, I have mixed feelings about the Technic Coaster. I love the first drop and the hill that follows. After that, though, it gets a little dull. The unbanked turns aren't taken at the fastest of speeds, so they don't quite provide all the lateral forces they could. The trim brakes come on very hard toward the end, once you reach the little bunny hops. Still, I know this is probably the way it has to be at a park like Legoland. Kids over 48" can ride alone; kids between 42" and 48" can ride with an adult. The Aquazone Wave Racers is another unique attraction that I really enjoy. You stand the whole time, like you would on a jet ski, and the steering wheel lets you fling the back of your vehicle outward a bit. It therefore feels like riding a whip flat ride on water. Guests watching the ride can discharge water bombs (free, I might add), spraying the riders but not really soaking them. Great fun. Right next door is the Bionicle Blaster, a spiffy-looking teacup-type ride. Also fun. A great play area is the Lego Build & Test, where kids (and adults too, I guess) can build their own Lego racecars and actually race them. Being themed to imagination and invention, a huge Lego sculpture of Albert Einstein is located right outside. Next is Castle Hill, a medieval-themed area featuring the park's second largest coaster, the Dragon. It's a Vekoma junior coaster, but significantly longer than a roller skater. It's hard to get tons of pictures of the ride, as it's built amongst the trees. The coaster begins with a relatively lengthy dark ride portion through a medieval castle, featuring a king's banquet with court jesters, plus a dragon and a wizard. It's very impressive, but unfortunately photos aren't allowed. The lift hill then emerges from the castle. The Dragon is a coaster that I would recommend to everyone, whether you are riding with kids or not. The Lego exhibits during the dark ride portion are incredible, and the ride actually picks up some speed and produces some forces by the end, especially the final turn (not pictured) that swoops down alongside a hedge before returning to the castle. This display is outside of the Dragon castle, but it provides a hint at the kind of meticulous theming you'll find inside. Speaking of dragons, let's head over to the Knights' Tournament, which features quite possibly my favorite Lego creation in the entire park. This thing is huge and awe-inspiring. The Knight's Tournament ride features a row of Kuka robocoaster arms lined up along a moat. Each arm seats two guests and can be individually programmed to levels ranging from 1 (mild) to 5 (extreme). Young children can ride if they select one of the mild levels, which are almost too mild. I imagine they'd be dull even for a kid. However, the advanced levels are on par with what I imagine astronaut training to be like. They fling and flip the riders in every possible way, and dangle them upside down above the moat for extended periods of time. I said the Technic Coaster was the most thrilling attraction at the park. I should clarify. It is the most thrilling attraction designed for everyone. The Knight's Tournament (level 5) is by far the most aggressive attraction at the park, designed for teens and thrill-seeking adults. It's dizzying and nauseating, but a total blast! Also in Castle Hill is the Royal Joust, a neat little bouncing kiddie track ride. The Hideaways is probably the largest and most elaborate of all the play structures in the park. Very nicely themed with tons of activities. The Witching Well is at the entrance to the Enchanted Walk, a minor outdoor forest walk-through. The Lego witch is awesome. The walk itself doesn't have tons to see, but it is peaceful and a relaxing break from the crowds. Also featured in Castle Hill is Wild Woods Golf, a miniature golf course themed to a modern-day forest. Tell me this doesn't look incredible. Wild Woods Golf is only open in the middle of the day and it is an upcharge, but $5 is very decent for an 18-hole round of miniature golf. Plus it just looks so great. Pirate Shores is the next themed area. The major attraction here is Splash Battle. This is an early Splash Battle that has a couple major problems as far as I'm concerned. First of all, having the track stick completely out of the water so that the boats are visibly riding on a track rather than on the water is distracting. Worse, though, is the fact that the seats face forward and backward rather than sideways. And the guns don't have that wide an angle of movement. It's therefore almost impossible to shoot at the other boats or the spectators as you travel alongside them. In the meantime, the spectators are having no problem whatsoever nailing you as you pass. Still, the ride has awesome theming and is very refreshing on a hot day. I don't want to sound too negative toward it, as I do like it, but compared to the newer splash battles these days, this one could definitely be better. Captain Cranky's Challenge is a rockin' tug flat ride. Captain Cranky himself "operates" the ride. Have I used the word impressive enough yet to describe these Lego creations? Treasure Falls is without a doubt the tiniest log flume I've ever encountered. It's advertised as a junior log flume, so I guess that's fine. This is another ride with a very low capacity and therefore an incredibly long and slow-moving line. It is in the back of the park, though, so it will take a little while once the park opens for a line to form. My plan of attack would be to hit Sky Cruiser first thing, and then work your way back to Treasure Falls. Soak-N-Sail is a water play area for the kids. Yes, the giant bucket does tip when it fills with water, drenching everyone underneath. Next up is the Land of Adventure themed area, which simulates an Egyptian exploration set around the beginning of the 20th century. Lost Kingdom Adventure is an interactive dark ride by Sally. It's good, but I've been on better shoot-'em-up rides. Beetle Bounce is a pair of Egyptian-themed frog hoppers. Cargo Ace is like a kiddie suspended whip flat ride. Very cute. Dune Raiders is a pretty standard theme park slide, but fun nonetheless. Pharaoh's Revenge is a small play area where you can shoot soft foam balls at each other. I've still got a few more pics to go, but I'll have to put them in a separate post, as I've reached the max here. Coming right up...

Thanks very much for this! You made my day!

Since my previous two posts have shown off the sun, sand, and surf aspect of Southern California, I thought I'd change pace a bit to demonstrate that we actually have the best of both worlds here. Not only is there beach in So Cal, but there are mountains too! March has been a relatively cold and wet month, which has meant snow on the mountains. I'm no good at skiing or snowboarding, but being a theme park website that probably isn't what you are most interested in seeing anyway. Instead, let's explore Alpine Slide at Magic Mountain. First, a clarification. Did you know that there are actually two Magic Mountains in So Cal? One is of course Six Flags, but the other lesser-known Magic Mountain is a family fun center located in Big Bear. The park is technically called Alpine Slide at Magic Mountain. I imagine this specific name is used to avoid confusion, though it's still kind of confusing. The name also gives away the fact that the park has an alpine slide, the only one in Southern California (the only one in all of California, if I'm not mistaken). Big Bear surrounds Big Bear Lake and is surrounded by the San Bernardino National Forest. It is located at an elevation just a bit shy of 7,000 feet. Alpine Slide at Magic Mountain is open year-round. I've only ever visited in the summer, so I thought it would be fun to it try in the winter for a change. I actually highly recommend visiting during the winter. Not only is the alpine slide awesome to ride in the snow, but their winter-only snow play attraction is also open, which I've always missed by visiting during the summertime. Anyway, let's take a look... Here's a shot of the entrance. You can see the three main attractions from the front. The ski lift that takes you up to the top of the alpine slide, as well as the alpine slide itself, are centrally located. The waterslide is on the right. The snow play is on the left. They call the blue tunnel the Magic Carpet; it's a moving walkway that takes you up to the top of the snow play hill. A close-up of the entrance sign. No, Six Flags Magic Mountain doesn't have an alpine slide. But Big Bear's Magic Mountain does! Let's check out said alpine slide. Here's the view from the top, right as you're beginning the ride. Tell me this isn't a perfect setting. Sledding down a snow-covered, forested mountain with Big Bear Lake in the background. Like many alpine slides, this one features two side-by-side tracks. They're identical, but one is meant to be the "fast" track while the other is meant to be the "slow" track for beginners. As an aside, I'm glad I didn't zoom this picture in any further, so that we can remain uncertain as to what gesture that guy is making. Even young children can ride if accompanied by an adult on the same sled. You do have to use a certain amount of caution when taking the turns. You are in complete control of the speed of your sled (using the control stick), so going too fast around the curves can literally cause you to wipe out. Trust me, I know (more on that later). The alpine slide passes by the waterslide as it switchbacks down the mountainside. Rhyme not intended. Okay, enough looking at the alpine slide from the ski lift. It's time to ride. You move along the first curve or two kind of slowly. However, you then reach the only straightaway portion of the slide, which features a few tiny bunny hops. This allows you to really pick up some speed if you choose to. Alpine Slide POV. In the snow! Zigzagging underneath the ski lift. What is in the foreground of this picture? Is that blood on the track? I'm sure it's not, but I couldn't help think that when I saw this picture (I didn't even notice it while on the ride). I have a permanent scar on my left elbow from taking this very turn too fast about six or seven years ago. The sled flew out of the trough, dumping me into the trough. As I landed on my elbow, an entire layer of skin was peeled and burned off. Not a very sexy scar story, but a lesson learned! The sign must remember me. Getting farther down the mountain. We've reached the waterslide. And one of the final curves, at the base of the Magic Carpet. I've been on a few alpine slides throughout the country, and this one is fairly typical by comparison. The length and elements are good, but I did notice today that I couldn't get it to go as fast as I previously could. Of course, that may have been my subconscious not letting me go as fast after my previous experience. Or maybe because I was taking pictures! Let's now check out the snow play attraction. It consists of inner tubing down the hill along one of four "snow lanes." Maybe not the MOST thrilling thing ever, but still lots of fun. You progressively pick up speed as you go down the hill, especially over the little hump, and your tube can end up spinning any which way. Plus it's another ride for the entire family. You're allowed to sit, kneel, or lay down. Plus you can hook on to other tubes and all slide down at once. There really aren't many restrictions on how you can ride. See what I mean. And here's a view from the top. There also aren't many rules about waiting for others to clear the way before you start your own way down. You might think that would make the whole thing kind of chaotic, but it actually gave the entire attraction a very laid-back, unintimidating feel. Off to the side is a fifth lane, which they call The Snake. It winds down the hill rather than following a straight path. This was definitely the wilder, more thrilling snow play route. Here you can also see four tubes hooked together. Pretty cool. Literally. (It was about 45 degrees out, just FYI.) I thought I'd show off the Magic Carpet that takes you up to the top of the snow play hill a bit more, since it looks kind of unique. It's very much like the moving walkways you'd find at an airport, only covered and inclined. It keeps you from having to walk up the hill while carrying your tube. They actually advertise this as part of the snow play attraction, which seems like a bit of a stretch. A more zoomed-out view of the magic carpet along with the alpine slide and ski lift. A single ride on the ski lift / alpine slide costs $4. You get a couple dollars discounted if you buy five. The snow play actually costs $25. It's pretty expensive, especially if you're paying for a whole family, but at least it allows for unlimited use all day. The most discouraging thing was that you couldn't even enter the snow play area without paying for the attraction. I saw more than one parent who just wanted to take pictures of their kids unable to because they weren't paying to ride themselves. Here's a brief look at the other attractions at Alpine Slide at Magic Mountain. The waterslide operates during the summer only (the pool at the bottom was actually frozen today!). I haven't ever been on it. It looks okay, but nothing spectacular. I'd therefore suggest visiting in the winter if you have a choice. I'd rather miss the waterslide than the snow play. There's also miniature golf. It's a pretty small course, but still a full 18 holes. I didn't play today, but it looks like it might be kind of fun despite the small size. How often do you get to play mini golf in the snow? And lastly the go-karts. Just a single simple circle, which seemed kind of pointless, so I passed. Overall, though, I would definitely recommend checking this place out. The scenery in Big Bear alone makes it worth a stop.

This was my hypothesis as well. Also my hypothesis, though I can't figure out why they need a scream shield facing the beach. If you ever get to the Great Escape in New York, try that swinging ship. It gets my vote as the very best ever. I've only been to the park once, so I don't know if my ride was just a fluke, but it was mildly terrifying. I experienced a few moments where I thought I could very possibly get flung out.

To tide myself over waiting for new attractions to start opening, I decided to pay a visit to Pacific Park on the Santa Monica Pier. Since my first post showed off Belmont Park, I thought it would be fitting to have my second post show off the other beachside amusement park we have here in Southern California. Plus, this being Southern California, I thought I'd show off that we can go to the beach on a warm sunny day in early February! Pacific Park is located directly on the pier itself, which is actually pretty cool. As you walk around the park, look down through the slats and you'll actually see ocean below you. However, space is very limited because of this location, and the park is extremely small. It tends to get very crowded too because of its small size and popular locale. I visited on Super Bowl Sunday, thinking the crowds might be light. Turns out there were plenty of people besides me not interested in watching the game, as the park (plus the entire pier and beach) were very busy. Despite the crowds, lines for the rides were reasonably short. Admission to the park is free, and an all-day ride wristband costs $21.95. Individual adult rides cost $5 each, so the wristband is probably the way to go. The main entrance to Pacific Park. One of the park's two signature attractions, the Pacific Wheel, looms in the background. You can pretty much get into the park from all around (it's never really sectioned off from the rest of pier since admission is free). Here's another entrance they've got set up, next to the park's other signature attraction, the West Coaster. And here are the two signature attractions together. The Pacific Wheel provides a nice ferris wheel ride. It has a decent rotation speed and reaches a very reasonable height, but it's the setting that really makes this ride what it is. While at the top, there's a great view of the park, pier, and beach in one direction, and a great view of the ocean in the other direction. Also of note -- the wheel is solar powered, which they make quite a big deal of in the park. What can I say about the West Coaster? It's pretty much an adult sized version of a kiddie coaster. After reaching about 50 feet or so high, you take this spiral at an incredibly slow speed. You then hit a couple little bunny hop hills. (As an aside, the train has been a bit neutered since my last visit. The front car has been removed so that only the four back cars make up the entire train. I don't know how long this has been going on or how permanent it is.) Amazingly enough, these hills do provide an enjoyable moment of airtime. In the back seat, the airtime comes as you get yanked over the first hill. In the front seat, the airtime comes as you get shoved over the second hill. (The back seat is the better option, in my humble opinion.) The ride finishes with yet another spiral, this one taken at a slightly faster speed. In all honesty, the coaster isn't great, but it's not that bad. They send the train around the circuit twice, which is a plus, and, as you can see, there's a nice view while on the ride. I make it a point to watch people's reactions to this coaster, and everyone seems to be genuinely excited by it. What other rides can you find at the park? Pacific Plunge is one of those Moser junior drop towers (a step or two up from a kiddie frog hopper). I think it's actually pretty fun. The Sea Dragon is one of the best swinging ships we have in Southern California. It achieves a great speed, height, and angle. I'm not exactly sure why it's partially enclosed though. Any ideas? Here you can see the airtime experienced while coming off the top. There's also a scramber, called Inkie's Scrambler (Inkie is the park's octopus mascot)... ...and a krazy kar ride, called Sig Alert. They've even got a mini version of the krazy kars right alongside the larger version. This section of the park has about half a dozen kiddie rides. The park's old bumper cars used to take up most of this spot. When they took them out and added the Sig Alert to the opposite corner of the park, they freed up some room here to add several of these. By the way, this shot was taken from the Pacific Wheel. The park has no problem at all with guests taking cameras on any of the rides. One more ride worth noting is the Gyro Loop. This is almost identical to the Control Freak at Belmont Park, except that there is only one car instead of two. Also, on this one there is a joystick control instead of buttons to push on the restraints. I actually found this one easier to operate. The only problem is that Gyro Loop is not included with the ride wristband. It costs an extra $5. They actually classify the ride as a game, so everyone gets a cheapy little stuffed animal after riding. I guess that's not something they have to do (it could just be a pure upcharge), so I can appreciate that. And, despite the extra cost, this still gets my vote as the best attraction at Pacific Park. So much good flipping action. I thought I'd put in a few overview shots. Here you can see that the park really does sit on top of the pier over the ocean. Another view showing off the same thing. The blue wall is the coaster station's. From farther up on the beach. A different angle. And a way zoomed out view. Besides the beach and Pacific Park, the pier offers lots of shops, restaurants, arcades, fishing, an aquarium, a carousel, and a trapeze school(!). Plus if you stick around until after dark, the Pacific Wheel puts on a nice light display. A Southern California icon.

I have lived in Southern California my entire life, and I've been a Theme Park Review member for several years. I've finally decided that it's time to start a photo collection of my local parks here on TPR. Why now? Because I am VERY excited about these next two years at all the So Cal parks. 2011 and 2012 are promising to be very good to theme park enthusiasts. Here's a list of the major upcoming attractions at my home parks (2011, 2012, and beyond): Disneyland - Star Tours (2011) California Adventure - Little Mermaid (2011); Cars Land (2012); Soarin' (2016) Universal Studios - Transformers (2012); Despicable Me (2014); Fast & Furious (2015); Harry Potter (2016) Knott's - Coast Rider, Log Ride (2013); Mine Ride (2014); Iron Reef (2015); Ghostrider (2016) Magic Mountain - Superman, Green Lantern (2011); Lex Luthor (2012); Full Throttle (2013); Colossus (2015); Revolution (2016) Sea World - Manta (2012) Interestingly, the first new ride to debut in Southern California in 2011 was at Belmont Park in San Diego, so I thought that would be a fitting place to start biosciking's So Cal Thread. I'll be updating whenever I get a chance to visit a park, especially when the new attractions make their debuts. I'll of course be sticking to theme parks, roller coasters, water parks, etc., but I might throw a few other places into the mix every now and then to further showcase the Southern California experience. 2011 Belmont Park - p. 1 Pacific Park - p. 2 Alpine Slide at Magic Mountain - p. 3 Legoland California - p. 3 Wild Rivers - p. 4 Universal Studios Hollywood - p. 4 Six Flags Magic Mountain (roller coasters) - p. 5 Pharaoh's Adventure Park - p. 5 L.A. County Fair - p. 6 Navitat Canopy Adventures - p. 6 Adventure City - p. 7 2012 Disneyland (Main Street, U.S.A.; Fantasyland; Mickey's Toontown; Tomorrowland) - p. 7 Six Flags Magic Mountain (non-coaster rides) - p. 7 SeaWorld San Diego - p. 8 SpeedZone - p. 8 2013 Six Flags Magic Mountain (Full Throttle) - p. 9 2015 Six Flags Magic Mountain (Twisted Colossus) - p. 9 2016 Six Flags Magic Mountain (New Revolution) - p. 9 Belmont Park opened Octotron this past Sunday (1/16). It is a Unicoaster flat ride from Chance Morgan, only the second one introduced to the U.S. Brain Surge at Nickelodeon Universe has looked like a very entertaining ride ever since its opening, but I've had no idea when I'd ever get the opportunity to actually try it out. Imagine my surprise late last year when Belmont quietly announced that they'd be adding a Unicoaster to their park. Octotron was actually supposed to open in December, but minor delays set it back a bit. No fair complaining, however. Belmont Park had already added two new attractions in 2010, Sky Ropes Adventure and Control Freak. Since my previous visit a few years ago, Belmont has also introduced the Magical Mystery Mirror Maze and the Vault Laser Maze. All of these are very unique, very welcome additions to Southern California. I'm happy to see Belmont expanding (with what they have to offer, if not necessarily the physical size of the park itself), especially given the brief scare we had late last year about the park's future. I visited the park on MLK holiday (Monday 1/17), the day after Octotron's opening. An all-day ride wristband is $22.95 and an all-day attractions wristband is $20 (the two are operated on site by separate vendors). If you want to do all of it, therefore, you'll be set back $42.95, which may seem like a lot for a relatively small park. It's well worth it, though, when you compare this to the individual attraction prices. For example, one ride on the Giant Dipper costs $6, one ride on Octotron costs $5, and one crack at the Sky Ropes costs $8. Also keep in mind that parking is free. Anyway, on to the pictures. The entrance to Belmont Park, located on Mission Bay in San Diego, right alongside the beach. I'll start with the Giant Dipper, the park's classic wooden coaster. After exiting the station, the train travels through a lengthy pitch black (and I mean PITCH BLACK) tunnel, before reaching the lift hill. Going up. Coming down the first drop. It's banked and makes a complete 180 turn. Up and over the second hill. The turnaround on the opposite side of the coaster from the first drop. Note that there is a lot of banking, but there are also a lot of lateral g's as well. I rode several times in the front, middle, and back, and I'll give my vote to the back for providing the best and wildest ride (as I tend to do). A couple of the smaller hills toward the end of the ride provide little pops of airtime. Because it's difficult to get an unobstructed shot of the coaster's complete layout, here's a picture of the model of the ride located inside a small museum they have at the ticket booth. The Giant Dipper opened in 1925, making it the oldest operating coaster in Southern California. The opposite angle. Although most argue that Belmont's Giant Dipper plays second fiddle to Santa Cruz's Giant Dipper up north (and I would agree), I still think this is a very good ride. I'm happy that this classic has been preserved as well as it has. Okay, on to Octotron. The control stick in the center was very easy to operate, and it was great fun getting the seats to flip forward or backward continuously, or mixing it up and suspending yourself in all kinds of unusual positions. It's kind of hard to get a full shot of the ride in action, but here's a close-up view of the ride vehicle. Believe it or not, this picture was taken while the ride was in motion (not waiting to get started or coming to a stop). These two just didn't want to spin their seats I guess. It was (almost) as much fun to watch as it was to ride. Everyone I watched riding was really enjoying it. I'd call Octotron a winner for Belmont Park, and I wouldn't be surprised to see more of these showing up at other parks. Now for Control Freak, another new ride at Belmont. This one was super cool too. Buttons on the OTSRs allow you to rotate the ride arm forward or backward and to lock your car in place or let it swing freely. One car controls the ride for the first half, and then control is relinquished to the other car for the second half. With just four people per cycle, you'd think this would be a capacity nightmare, but I never waited more than two cycles to ride. Control Freak reminded me of a cross between a Zipper and a Top Spin, and that's a pretty good pedigree. It was intense and crazy. Another headliner at Belmont is the Beach Blaster. It was quite good, swinging up to some pretty high angles. Note the kiddie boats in the foreground, one of a few kiddie rides at the park. They also have a tilt-a-whirl and a kiddie submarine ride. The tilt-a-whirl actually used to be in Octotron's location, and a Chaos flat ride existed in this spot. They removed Chaos to add Octotron, and moved the tilt-a-whirl over here. I didn't actually get around to riding this one. I therefore can't tell if the open cars would make a tilt-a-whirl more comfortable or more sickening once the cars really start whipping. Belmont Park also has a standard bumper car ride... ...a crazy car ride... ...a small merry-go-round... ...and a small drop tower that is mostly for kids, but it's a little bigger than a frog hopper so it's kind of appropriate for more grown-up folk as well. That's it for Belmont Park's rides. Now let's check out their other attractions, starting with the Sky Ropes Adventure. This is one of those elevated obstacle courses that are starting to pop up here and there, but this is the only one so far in Southern California, and the first one I've ever tried. I thought it was great fun. There was plenty of room to get around even though the structure wasn't huge and there were several people climbing at once, there was a good variety of obstacles (each path had something different to do, which really surprised me), and, even though the structure wasn't extremely tall, it was still a little unnerving when the ropes you were traversing (and your legs) started wobbling. I saw little kids, macho guys, and grandparents all having fun on this. I can definitely see why they are becoming so popular, and I'm looking forward to trying others. I imagine the larger versions are really great. The employees working the Sky Ropes Adventure were way cool too. Not only did they get everyone harnessed in and hooked up very efficiently, but they also let me take my camera up to get the most complete shot I could find of Octotron. In here is the arcade and the mini golf. When you buy an all-day attractions wristband, you get 20 arcade tokens. Is anyone else as addicted to the Deal or No Deal game as I am? The miniature golf is an indoor, black light, glow-in-the-dark course themed to pirates. Very cool looking. It's really only half a course, as there are only nine holes instead of the usual eighteen. But I was totally satisfied with it. Plus it's just so cool looking. Another indoor attraction. It wasn't exceptionally big (though with all the mirrors it looked huge), and you entered and exited the same way, so it wasn't very hard to find your way out. But it was still kind of neat, and the psychadelic theming worked well. Here are three of me taking a picture of three of me. Trippy. The final two attractions are laser games. Not laser tag; they're actually much smaller scale than that. On the left is the Laser Evader. I didn't quite grasp the concept of this one. You go into a small room and try to press the buttons on the walls as many times as possible without being hit by the lasers. I could barely get started, but it looked like quite a workout for those who knew what they were doing (the TV screens let you watch the people inside). On the right is the Laser Maze. You can kind of see what it looks like on the TV above and the picture on the wall. It consists of a relatively small room that you have to make your way through James Bond and Mission Impossible style, trying not to trip the laser beams. I wasn't good at this either, but I did think it was fun and would have liked to have spent a little more time practicing and getting better (you can choose the level of difficulty; I never got past easy). I should also mention that, operated separately still, are a couple of wave machines. I didn't try these, but I will have to give a Flow Rider a shot one day. A Flow Barrel, on the other hand...I think not. I was impressed by the acrobatics of those who were riding it though. I know I would wipe out before I even got upright on the board. Also of note at Belmont Park is the Plunge, a large indoor swimming pool. I don't have any pictures because you have to pay an entrance fee (or have a membership) for it. According to Belmont, the pool has been around as long as the Giant Dipper has. Finally, let's not forget that the entire park is right alongside the beach. Let's also not forget that this is mid-January. One of the reasons I've lived in Southern California my entire life!

We took a couple hours out from Busch Gardens to visit Go-Karts Plus, the family fun center also in Williamsburg. Additionally, as we flew into and out of Washington, D.C., rather than Virginia (much cheaper that way), we got to check out the nation's capital as well. The Supreme Court. Anyway, time for our flight home. It was a fun trip. Thanks for reading. The U.S. Capitol. The Reflecting Pool. Mr. Lincoln himself. The Lincoln Memorial. The Washington Monument. Just a couple quick pics of D.C., as they're not really theme park related. Here's the White House. The miniature golf course was kind of nice. It wasn't huge and there wasn't really any theming. But it was scenic, shaded, and relaxing. And of course the more typical family fun center stuff. All bumper boats these days seem to have those evil water squirters. ...and also bumper cars. Somewhat unique was the fact that this family fun center had a couple of amusement park flat rides as well. There was a Disk'O... ...as was the Figure 8 track. Go-Karts Plus obviously empahsizes go-karts. There were four separate tracks, two for adults and two more for kids. The StocKarts was one of the adult tracks... The Python Pit is the kiddie coaster at this park. I didn't whore myself out for this one, as I saw nobody else ride it the entire time I was there. It was operating, with a ride attendant waiting and willing, but I wasn't going to be the silly-looking adult riding the kiddie coaster all by myself. Notice the towels draped over the seats to keep them from baking in the sun. A map of Go-Karts Plus. Not huge by any means, but pretty typical for a family fun center.

First of all, this TR is inexcusably late, so I won't make excuses (except to say that the tardiness gives us an opportunity to enjoy the Big Bad Wolf a little longer!). I took a quick, spur-of-the-moment trip to Busch Gardens Europe (or Williamsburg, or the Old Country, or whatever it is they're calling it these days) toward the end of August 2009. I had visited the park once previously, in 2000, but felt the urge to return prior to the removal of the Big Bad Wolf. Plus I'd only visited my local So Cal parks during the summer, so I was itchin' to travel, even if just for a short trip. The weather was VERY hot and humid each day, though during the second day we got a midday downpour that cooled things off considerably. The crowds were surprisingly not at all bad for a summer weekend, and I got front- and backseat rides on every coaster. The visit turned out to be a very productive, successful, and enjoyable trip. I'll finish the Busch Gardens post with a shot of Da Vinci's Cradle, the absolute best flat ride in the park. Like I said, it was a very fun visit. Go-Karts Plus and D.C. next. ...and the other birds roaming free in the park. ...the eagle exhibit... I also appreciated the animal attractions, such as the wolf exhibit... ...as was the boat ride. The train ride was relaxing... Also new (for me) was Corkscrew Hill. This one was, um, interesting. The 3-D effects were fine, but the story was kind of lame and you need to be prepared for some serious whiplash. Curse of DarKastle was also new since my last visit. I've been on the Spiderman ride at IOA, and the technology here was equally as impressive. In addition, the haunted house theming worked very well with this type of attraction. I guess I neglected to mention one last coaster. Grover's Alpine Express is in the new Forest of Fun kiddie area. Nothing at all spectacular, even for a kiddie / junior / family coaster. Speaking of soaked, let's head over to Roman Rapids! This was the second wettest river raft ride that I've been on (the first being the one at Dorney Park, which left me beyond soaked). This one was almost as bad. I guess it depends on the luck of your seat (which was not the case at Dorney; no safe seats there), but I got completely nailed by the three consecutive waterfalls. It was very hot out, so I didn't particularly mind, but man was I drenched. The drop was fun and the splash was perfect -- everyone got wet but not soaked. Escape from Pompeii, on the other hand, was very good. While still on the short side, the theming was way cool (hot, actually). Another nice view. The log ride was fun, but pretty short and probably not as themed as I would have expected from Busch Gardens. For whatever reason, it also had one of the longest waits we encountered during the visit. This view looks a little different than it did in 2000. On the topic of theming, I don't usually let people take my picture in these things, but this one made me laugh. Alpengeist, a great example of a B&M invert. Great elements, great forces, great speed, great height, great theming. One more. Plus you've got to admit it's a very photogenic ride. While probably my least favorite of the big five coasters, the Loch Ness Monster is such a classic and I'm glad to see it still going strong. I've been on three other Arrow suspended coasters (Ninja, Iron Dragon, and XLR-8), and the Big Bad Wolf absolutely blows those out of the water. The final drop and out-of-control swooping turns that follow are part of the reason why. RIP BBW. Such a shame that this ride no longer exists. At least I got MANY final rides in at the end of the day when there was no wait. Front-seat nighttime rides through the nearly pitch-black town and forest really were unequaled. The reason for the visit. And of course the finale, which was as fun to watch as to ride. Following the drop, the ride became more pleasant than terrifying (but still great fun all the same). The loops were so smooth and the second drop was icing on the cake. Such a great first drop. This ride was so freakishly awesome. My first ride (of many) was of course in the front row, toward the side. The very steep lift hill, the slow turnaround approach to the drop, and the interminable pause dangling over the edge all had me trembling a little. Very few rides can do that anymore. ...Griffon, my first B&M dive coaster experience. Apollo was my favorite ride when I visited the park in 2000. This time, though, it had to take a second-place spot behind... Welcome to Busch Gardens! Apollo's Chariot greets us at the entrance.

I think it's a Miler too, but rcdb is not even quite sure, so I wouldn't put any money on it. I'm not sure of this either. I don't seem to remember the trains ever looking different, but I'll admit to not paying enough attention to notice if one car had been removed. This is true, and actually kind of funny. On colder days they need even more people. They've got a thermometer in the station, and the operators have to actually calculate how many riders are necessary for a given temperature. I'm not sure about the CSI episode, but I do know that Pharaohs is currently closed. Haha, I had forgotten about that ridiculous rule at Sacramento's Scandia. Yes, you are allowed to scream, but while stopped at the top I did notice the large, developing suburban neighborhood right across the freeway from the ride. Who knows, maybe in time they'll start complaining too. Since the ride came first, maybe they won't have a case.

I live in Rancho Cucamonga, CA, so the nearest park to me is Scandia in neighboring Ontario. It is a very small park, more of a family fun center with a few flat rides mixed in. However, towering over it all is the Scandia Screamer. For a park of this size, the Screamer is a pretty decent sized coaster, and it looks quite impressive while driving by on the 15 freeway. I have been to Ontario's Scandia a countless number of times, but what I have never done prior to this week is visit the other So Cal Scandia park. Also next to the 15 freeway, but approximately 45 miles to the north, is the Scandia in Victorville. It is simply a family fun center (no coasters or flats), but it does also have a banner attraction to grab the attention of those driving by - a Gravity Works skyscraper. I paid a visit to both parks during this past spring break week, and thought I'd post a few pictures. And just FYI, according to Scandia's website (scandiafun.com), there is a third park up north in Sacramento. It appears to have the same set of attractions as the one in Victorville. I'll wrap up with a shot of the nicely landscaped miniature golf. An all-day ride wristband costs $20, and is good for unlimited golf, go-karts, bumper boats, and, believe it or not, the Sky Screamer. Definitely worth it, as a single ride on the Screamer itself costs $16. They also give you a few arcade tokens with the wristband. All in all, a GREAT deal, so check it out. It's hard to show pictures of these rides in action, as there was nobody on them except us. Everyone was either in the arcades or batting cages. So ride operations here were even more interesting than at Ontario. Anyway, just as proof that the rides were running, here I am on the bumper boats. And another Baltic Sea Bumper Boats. There are those water jets again. This Scandia also had a Stockholm Raceway. Similar to Ontario's, with perhaps some tighter turns. The Sky Screamer was worth the stop. Incredibly thrilling, but not at all uncomfortable or sickening. The looping action was actually quite pleasant. The view while stopped at the top was great, but it got a little freaky as the entire structure shook and swayed in the wind. Another interesting point to note is that there is nothing to grab onto except for the straps that hold you in. ...and head up to Victorville. This 160-foot beast probably looks recognizable to those who drive up through the Cajon Pass on the way to Vegas. Ride operations are pretty funny at Scandia. There are about 15 rides (including the kiddie rides), but probably only 7 to 10 employees ever on duty. So you do either have to follow them or get them to follow you. Anyway, let's leave Ontario... Speaking of the miniature golf, it looked nice and festive for Easter. The nice thing about the bumper boats and go-karts (and even the miniature golf!) is that an all-day ride wristband includes these attractions as well. The only things that need to be paid for separately are the batting cages and arcade. The Stockholm Raceway is a decent go-kart track. I've found that all of the cars go at about the same speed, so there is no real way to race. You start in a single-file line, and end that way too. Let's not forget about the family fun center type attractions. The Baltic Sea Bumper Boats are actually very good. A large enough pool, squirt guns on each boat, and tricky water jets to manuever. You'd think it would be easy enough to avoid them, but you'd be surprised how easy it is to also lose control after getting bumped and end up right underneath one. The Copenhagen Carousel is pretty dinky and has no music. The Lapland Landslide is small but entertaining. They don't seem to have any rules about how you can or can't slide down. ...the Nordic Spaceship, and the Swedish Scrambler. Interestingly enough, the gravitron seemed less sickening than the tilt-a-whirl and scrambler. There's also Olga's Tilt-A-Whirl,... Right next door is the Viking Ship. Not a very good example of a swinging ship. It is slow and short, plus this is about its maximum height and angle. Scandia's second best ride (after the Screamer) would be Thor's Hammer, kind of an old-school looper with some good swooping action and hangtime. It's cramped and nauseating, but fun. ...as I did have two kids with me, I figured I'd go ahead and get a new credit. Nothing special, but fun enough for the wee folk. They send the train around three times. The park's other coaster is a kiddie, the Little Dipper. This ride always lurches and jolts when attaching to the lift cable, giving the impression that it's going to stall or roll back. Kind of funny. I don't consider myself a whore, so I won't go out of my way to ride a kiddie coaster. However... The last circuit-and-a-half consists of bunny hills, and this is where the ride can become somewhat jarring. Each one launches you out of your seat at the top (which is great), only to slam you back down into it at the bottom (which can become quite brutal on your back). However, I'm all for a little brutality from a coaster every now and then, so I actually quite enjoy it. The first circuit-and-a-half consists of larger drops and hills (first drop = 80 feet). They are all reasonably thrilling. The lift hill and turnaround at the top are very slow and rickety. Once you hit the first drop, though, the ride actually becomes quite fast, forceful, and fun. The Scandia Screamer is a triple out-and-back built by Miler. If I'm not mistaken, this is their largest coaster. We'll start in Ontario. The park wasn't as empty as it looks. I just parked out of the way to take pictures of the coaster.

This ride may be old, but they still manufacture it, and heck, there are tons of them on ride broker sites. Do they still manufacture these rides? Here's some information I pulled off of the Little Dipper's rcdb page: "This is one of the last Carl Miler kiddie coasters built. Just before Carl Miler stopped producing roller coasters, he produced a few kiddie coasters with different wheel assemblies using polyurethane coated wheels to reduce noise. This is one of these rare models." Casually searching the 'net, the best I could determine is that Miler may still be in business, but it's the next generation of Miler (no longer Carl Miler), and there wasn't much said about what they manufacture. And if this one is a rare model, maybe replacement parts aren't easy to come by.

I live in Rancho Cucamonga, so Scandia in Ontario is actually the closest of any park to me, and I've been many times. While I definitely give the edge to Castle Park for maintaining a cleaner environment and having an overall larger assortment of things to do, I will admit that the Scandia Screamer coaster is better than the Castle Park coasters. I've actually been to Waldameer also, and I would say that it's a higher-tier park than Castle Park. I honestly don't see how a wooden coaster would ever fit into Castle Park. I do agree though that every park should have a Zipper! After these comments were posted, I looked again at the pictures of the cars and trains, and noticed "Universal Studios" written on the Riverside Express miniature train. I wonder what that's all about???

I actually don't know the answer to this, as I've only been on one other Ghost Blasters ride, at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. Castle Park's is different than that one, though. Castle Park's actually has a long, winding incline in the middle of the ride, which gradually drops back down to ground level by the end. I don't remember Santa Cruz's having this element. Do the standard models? The Dragon's Tower also has a 52" height requirement, but other than that the requirements are 48" or less for everything. I think this is true also. I'm wondering if they haven't gotten it to work quite right yet, what with all the technical difficulties. Right at the beginning I thought it was going to be good, but the brakes really killed it quickly. If they would ease off on them, I'm sure there'd be a lot more spinning action and a much more enjoyable ride. Thanks for the comments, everyone.

Castle Park in Riverside is arguably the biggest and best of the "smaller" parks in Southern California. It is a rare occasion that this park even gets one new ride, so imagine my surprise when they quietly announced that they would be adding two rides this year. The Dragon Flyers opened in the summer, and the Screamin' Demon opened in the fall (a little later than anticipated, I think). A trip to Castle Park was definitely in order, so I paid a visit during the Thanksgiving weekend. EDIT: It appears as though I posted all the pictures backwards. Sorry, I'm just learning how to do this. Please read from the bottom up. Thanks! A view of Castle Park's castle from the parking lot. The arcade is in the castle itself, the miniature golf courses are behind the castle, and the ride park is to the right. Let's head over there, because that's where we'll find... ...the two new rides for 2008. Screamin' Demon is a spinning coaster by Fabbri. According to rcdb, this is the manufacturer's only permanent installation in the U.S. Right next door is... ...the Dragon Flyers, the only flyers to be found in Southern California. Screamin' Demon was honestly just an okay coaster. It is the park's only true adult coaster (though the 51" height requirement seems a bit excessive for this ride and for a family park), but I certainly give the edge to the Reverchon spinning coasters. This one's speed and spinning were okay during the first couple of switchbacks, but it then hit the first set of brakes, which slowed the ride so much that it hardly moved through the second half of the ride (the rest of the turns and the tiny little dips). They were also having some technical difficulties with the ride all day. I got this picture of the cool-looking cars while they were testing the ride in the middle of the day and it had slowed to a stop on the track. An employee had to climb up and give it a nudge to get it moving again. I can speak pretty highly though of the Dragon Flyers. I've never quite "got" flyers in the past. I hear so many people rave about them, but the examples I've ridden have left me a little underwhelmed. I don't know if it's that I haven't been on the best examples, or if I just don't know how to work them. However... ...I actually got some good swooping, snapping action on these. A couple times I got the flyers to swing out to the point that the attached cables kind of rattled and shook the whole vehicle in a lurching fashion. Is this the mark of a good flyer ride, or am I still doing something wrong? Either way, I was proud of myself afterwards! Plus you've got to admit that these flyers look pretty darn spiffy. This whole new little section of the park was actually very nicely themed. There were speakers blasting cool medieval movie type music interspersed with dragons growling. I'm sure these two rides will prove very popular for Castle Park. Let's check out what else the park has to offer. There are only two other coasters. Merlin's Revenge is a standard Vekoma roller skater, though I would probably say that it is just as fun as (if not more fun than) the Screamin' Demon. Little kids can ride, plus they send the train around the track twice. The Little Dipper is the park's kiddie coaster. It was not operating during my visit, and the employee at the nearby kiddie funhouse said it may never reopen. He said that it is missing a part that they cannot replace because it is so old. This ride is old, as I remember riding it when I was a young child visiting Castle Park. The employee did not seem absolutely certain though, so I guess time will tell. As far as the non-coasters go, Castle Park has a good collection of the usual flat rides. King's Crown is an above-average chairswing ride. It travels high, fast, and tilts up and down as it circles. The Scrambler is also above average. Aside from the fact that it ran a very long cycle, this is unquestionably the fastest scrambler I've been on (and I've been on lots). The Sea Dragon, also above average. It swung out to a very high angle, providing good floating air and a much more thrilling ride than your typical swinging ship. The Tilt-A-Whirl is probably just average. These rides are always fun, but there was nothing special of note to set this one apart from all the others. A typical Spider, the type of flat ride that, in my opinion, is the most sickening of all. This one did run a lengthy cycle, but I think by halfway through everybody was ready for it to stop. A pretty poor example of bumper cars. The arena is not very large, the cars don't move very fast, and they have a tendency to get stuck to each other when they bump! The Thunderbolt is a matterhorn / flying bobs type of flat ride. I really like these, but this one wasn't operating during my visit, so I couldn't tell you if it is better or worse than average. The Flying Saucer, a gravitron that was also not operating. The thing I like about Castle Park is that they have more than just the standard collection of flat rides. For example, there's also the Falling Star, a very entertaining ride. Fireball is a very intimidating looping ride for a park of this caliber. It ended up being my favorite ride of the day, though. Dragon's Tower is a reasonably small but still very effective double shot tower. This ride and Fireball get my vote as the most thrilling at Castle Park. There's also the Log Ride, without a doubt one of the park's most popular attractions. It is a compact log ride, but it still has a lengthy duration, features two drops (a small one and a large one, which is pictured), and it actually gets riders quite wet. There are also the gentle rides meant to be enjoyed by the entire family. The Merry-Go-Round looked great and provided, to me, an appropriate merry-go-round ride. I'm not by any means a carousel / merry-go-round aficionado, so I can't compare how this one stacks up to all the rest. A standard Ferris Wheel, which was not operating. The Antique Car Ride is very nicely landscaped. The Castle Park Railroad is a scaled-down locomotive that travels around about half of the park. It is therefore not incredibly long, but it is fun for the kids. However, it was also not operating, so instead we rode... ...the Riverside Express, the very miniature train ride that travels the same route as the Castle Park Railroad. This was baby Aiden's very first amusement park ride. One last ride on the way out. The Ghost Blasters is a shoot-em-up dark ride that is actually housed within the arcade. For this reason, it is not included in the all-day ride wristband, and you have to pay an extra $2 for it. It was not running, so it didn't matter, but I do remember it being pretty fun from the one time I did ride it previously. Anyway, thanks for a fun day Castle Park, and thanks for reading.

Hello everyone, my name is Brandon. I've been a fan of the site (and videos) for a long time, but I just now became a forum member. I live in Ontario, California, so technically my home park is the Scandia Family Fun Center, but I've always considered Magic Mountain to be my home park. X is my very favorite coaster. I'm honestly not sure exactly how many coasters I've ridden, but it's quite a few. All have been in the U.S. until just earlier this month, when I was able to visit Six Flags Mexico. I am currently working on a master's degree in biology at Cal Poly Pomona. Aside from theme parks and bio, I'm also a huge movie fan. Keep up the good work, TPR!