Philrad71

On the last leg of our journey, we visited SFGA. This was more of a last minute way to spend a couple more days camping, hit up Philadelphia, and then drive through New Hope on the way home. The plan was to hit SFGA for an evening pass and then maybe return in two days. Being that the park closed at 8:00 and it was 5:30 when we got there, we opted for the six day pass that cost the same as a regular one day admission (appx: $60). We'll probably go back one more time this season so I can get my Dad on El Toro for the 1st time. Loved the park for El Toro/Nitro and a couple other good coasters, but my feelings about the locker policy adopted by the SF chain in '09 are not warm and fuzzy. My camera is too large to put in my cargo shorts and I am not thrilled about paying the $1 per ride for a locker to store it in. Thus, the second day we visited, I opted to leave the camera in the car. But...rather than just come in here and whine about it, I wrote SF and told them what I thought of this new locker policy. While I can certainly understand not bringing loose articles on a ride (a woman at Busch Gardens was kicked off Loch Ness Monster for trying to ride with a FULL souvenir cup of cola!), I am not impressed by this Six Sigma approach at maximizing the chance at emptying the paying customers pockets. I think that CF has a great free system with the bins and sliding doors, but hey...that's just my opinion. I will now get off my soapbox! Now...onto my (meager) selection of photos... #1 - that is all from SFGA. Kingda Fail - I am now 0-3 with this coaster. I just kinda expect it will be broke down every time I visit. But the theming with the tigers is great, so who cares if the coaster is down? #1 woodie till I die unless I get on T- Express or Balder. Scream Machine made me do just that...scream (in pain). Why does this seem so much rougher than Viper? I did like Superman, even though I have been spoiled by Tatsu.

I was thinking that they had two of them at one time in the park - Calypso & Tiki Twirl. Same ride, but Tiki Twirl had hula grass on the roof tops! I think it was where the Matterhorn is now. I certainly remember Avalanche Run the year that it opened as well as the year they enclosed it...I was equally unimpressed both times. And I was also thinking that I remember the little air time bump at the bottom of WWL, unless I am thinking of another flume ride? Great report, by the way - thanks for sharing, John! I love the nostalgic trip reports and certainly wish I would have taken more pictures from my eighties visits to CP.

Nice report! This does remind me a lot of Waldameer with the exception that Cliff's has a Fireball and a rockin' Rock-O-Plane - two flats I loved growing up!

I had a great experience on the flyers at KD last year where the guy running the ride was simply awesome - you could tell he really got into his job! Another was the ride crew on El Toro a couple of weeks ago. They were allowing re-rides because there was no line and were also trying to break a record for dispatches. You could see they were having a great time (and they were doing it safely), although I think they were pissed when an overweight guy could not get his restraint to lock and he had to do the walk of shame. Probably cost the crew three cycles! I also agree with Wicked Twister. They always seem to have a great crew working that ride that likes to catch riders off guard at the time of launch.

After leaving the warmth of Virginia, we decided to head North through the Chesapeake Bay Tunnel and then into Delaware and Maryland. Unfortunately, the temps plummeted and being that there was also rain and cold temps forecasted, we skipped the campground and ended up on the boardwalk in Ocean City. This was our first visit and overall, it was a fun place brimming with nostalgia. Being on a beach, I would have rather had temperatures about twenty degrees warmer, but we managed to have a good time despite the fact. Now...on the photos. This place was right across the street from our hotel. We opted to not enter the bearded clam. Did I mention it was frickin' cold? Thanks for reading... Cuz it can't always be about just "the loop". This one's for the Pinfari lovers - all three of you! Come ride me and my stoned 40 thiefs NOW! Contrary to the other HH, I hear this one isn't quite so loaded with awesomeness. Bear Affair. Who comes up with these names? Bear Affair and Fairy Whip? Too awesome! Why can't they work for Cedar Fair and name some of their rides? Drop Tower could be called Air Spank or something like that... Crazy Dance - one of the flats on the Jolly Roger Pier. Next day - our hotel from the beach. Balcony shot - if you look closely you can see a credit. Nightfall has arrived at the OC. Epic pain. I see you Looping Death Star! Great views from the balcony! Complete with a slightly different (and larger) version of Aladin - Ali Baba and the 40 Thiefs'. Jolly Roger's Pier was right outside our hotel. It was firemans week and they had a very nice memorial, including this steel girder section from the WTC towers - very moving. Of course, no stop would be complete without a Maryland crab cake sandwich and some fries w/vinegar which were simply awesome! That's me owning the shooting gallery. I heart fish. We took a quick walk through the boardwalks historical museum where they featured some of the local oceanic creatures. I REALLY wish that I would have done this one. How could you not love 'Aladin - Ali Baba and the 40 Thiefs'! Zipper - still one of the most disorienting flats out there. Yay Claw! The outdoor section featured rides that you could just jump from one to another - almost like swinging from tree to tree! I have heard that this is called the Fairy Whip - nice. Indoor bumper action. Only a few wanted to bump today. Trimper's Rides has both an indoor amusement center and outdoor park. I heard that this HH is pretty good, but I did not ride. I have definitely seen my share of creepy old school clowns this year! Is SharkTums no longer swimming in the ocean? Has land wrath been unleashed upon all mankind?

^ I have never had "real" Sicilian pizza but would love to experience it. Although, I did have some of the best pizza when I was in Naples a few years ago. The calzones were also to die for as they used fresh buffalo mozzerella and not the rubbery preservative-laden, tasteless crap we call mozzerella in this country! In this country, chain pizza can be hit or miss. I have had good and downright horrible at just about all the big-name chains (Pizza Hut, Dominos, Papa John's etc). Locally, there is a place called Pace's here in Jamestown, NY that makes the best green olive pepperoni pizza on the face of this earth! I have never had a bad pie there!!!

^^ LOVE the WaWa!!!!

Hmmm...interesting comments made about HW and Voyage in this report. Being "up there" a bit in age, I tend to like mostly smooth as opposed to "jar the hell out of you" death machines. I really thought that something shifted inside of my chest wall on Son of Beast that was not intended to move and I did not like it at all. What is the comparison to Voyage vs SOB in terms of roughness? Although I would like to go to Holiday World to try them all for my own opinion, I am not quite as excited about Voyage after reading some of the reviews from the older and more experienced riders.

Inside the park, we ate at the Western themed 'Best of the West' restaurant near the log flume and Runaway mine train. We got burgers which I thought were exceptionally dry/plain, but you do get baked beans, a roll and coleslaw for sides for about $10. They had Heineken draft so that sorta made up for the dry hamburger! Outside of the park, (as the guy above stated) are many fast food options. If you are looking for cheap, that would be the way to go. There is not much else around the area except for the pizza/Mexican restaurant/bar right near the entrance. We stopped there one night and ordered a pizza to take back to the campground, but it was pricy at $18 for a medium Hawaiian pizza. Luckily, the pizza looked more like a large with NY style thin crust and was pretty tasty. That's about it for options near the park unless you want to drive to Trenton or Philly!

^ Thanks for the comments! Yeah, I thought it crazy myself for thinking it was rough but it certainly seemed to be that way in the back! Not Son of Beast rough mind you, so I would definitely try another re-ride if I get back to the park. Even crazier, I thought that Thunderhawk was great with the nutty air in the front seat where-as most people think it sucks! Definitely strange how we all accept coaster rides differently. Of course, being 37 years old one tends to notice a rough ride more than a teenager would.

Next up was a three day stop in DC (stayed with his brother in Winchester and took the Metro in) before heading South to Richmond, Williamsburg and Busch Gardens. We were fortunate enough to juggle our original itinerary to meet Michael's son on Tuesday for lunch in downtown DC (he was in for training). Had we not done this at the last minute, chances are good that we could have been at or near the Holocaust museum area the day of the tragic shootings. DC and the surrounding area was great and we really crammed a lot into the four days we were there. We managed to get into the Capitol, see the White House, Library of Congress, Museum of Natural and American History (Smithsonian), Federal Reserve, Arlington, Mount Vernon and the National Gallery. We also hit up the estates of Monticello (Jefferson) and Montpelier (Madison) on the way to Richmond - so all in all, a crapload of walking! As far as Busch Gardens, I'll let the photos below do the talking... Random turn over Grey Goose creek - thanks for taking the time to view my picture show. Bet there's fish down there. These riders are quickly entering Nessie's twisted world. Nessie goes inside herself on two seperate occasions. She is old and she likes it rough...but don't be shy about dropping your inhibitions for a ride on her! And of course if you succumb to her grip, you're gonna be forced to....TAKE THE TUNNEL! Who is ready to slip into the hot, sexy coils of Loch Ness Monster? This coaster sprays fountains of love. 90 degreeeeeeees! People really are starting to dig this 90 degree thing, aren't they? Then we get to this lil' ditty... Loop here, loop there, loops are friggin' everywhere! Dr. Seuss. I guess this is a cobra roll... Alpengeist flipping over Le Scoot. Please post reasons why you think Le Scoot isn't the coolest name for a log flume! Next up - some rarely photgraphed inverted coaster by the name of Alpengeist. I can't wait to do the real you in September! Whatcha got? I have four ganders with a joker kicker. Gotta give some love to the BBW every now and again! I'll probably never get to ride Eagle Fortess, so this will have to settle as my #1 suspended. Track, Bavarian village and trees. After getting our bellies full of beer, we headed over to Big Bad Wolf. Here is the first lift. It's cool how the stage elevates so the band plays on top and the dancers/entertainers are below! Ziggy Zoggy, Ziggy Zoggy...Oy, Oy, Oy!!! The inside is apparently themed to the beer tents of Oktoberfest in Munich. We will know for sure when we visit this September! Of course we settled for the assorted weiners/sausages and....non German beer! Look at the selection of fruits and desserts! After being holed up in a small arcade with seventy screaming kids for an hour, the rain finally let up so we could walk to Festhaus for lunch. 'Cept as soon as the train pulled in, they shut it down because it started to do this... Hooray! Our train to Germany is here! Oktoberfest, here we come! When you get your fill of hun whacking, you can get barfed on by Hadrian. Yup...no lie - they really do have a Whack-A-Hun! Pompeii - while not the biggest or wettest, it is still one of the best Shoot-the-Chutes ride! Why? Because it's themed with falling marble columns and fire! St. Elmo's Spire (Tower in Motion) for all of the John Parr fans out there... New for '09 - Michael's grand-kids loved this place! I wonder if he'll go for two? After you are searched and fingerprinted, jolly old London town greets you through the main gates. They are not afraid to boast, are they? From our parking spot, this coaster says, "Come on in, I promise I won't goose you!"

I see this coaster as being somewhat simplified with a nice entrance, perhaps some temporary theming in the queue and then a decent coaster. To be honest, I would be perfectly happy with that...I'm a simple man. Who knows, maybe they might surprise you and put in an underwater tunnel that loops around Anaconda's underwater tunnel! Of course having to throw my two cents in about theming...I only see the Busch and Disney parks (in the US) having decent and consistent theming on big-tag rides. How long do you think Bizarro will utilize the mist, fire and sound effects at SF? I thought that the on-ride audio on Bizarro at SFGA was horribly garbled and wondered where that would be in another year or two. I will say that X2 impressed me with the lift hill audio musical score, but after the lifts, I think they should just let the people's screams and the coaster make the noise and turn off the sound systems. It seems like once a coaster loses it's sexy new appeal and the lines aren't as long, most of the theming is taken down or turned off anyway, so why worry? Hell...most parks can't even keep the freakin' waterfalls on the rapids rides working after five years...let alone a flame-thrower, meat grinder, or an on-ride boom box!

Agreed...I have ridden both in the front seat and I did not find Mean Streak that bad at all - at night it was actually (gasp!) kinda fun! Now SOB just did something to my inside chest cavity area during the helix that I did not find appropriate at all. This is one of the rides where my expectations were very low, I gave it a chance, and I still have to agree with the majority - it just plain failed. After what happened to me on that initial front seat ride, I really felt nervous about trying to see if it was actually better in any other seat...I think I made the right choice! Just goes to prove that biggest is not always best. Just ask SFGA and Kingda Ka, or Nagashima Spaland and Steel Dragon 2000!

^ I did do a little digging and found this on Dorney's website: "HYDRA The Revenge is named after the nine-headed monster of Greek mythology. In the myth, Hydra battles the hero Hercules, who succeeds in cutting off all of Hydra's heads. However, one head is immortal and Hercules buries it under a huge boulder by a lake. In Dorney Park mythology, Hydra has risen from Dorney Park Lake and has taken its "revenge" on Hercules, the wooden roller coaster the park retired after the 2003 season. Hydra The Revenge is located in the same spot bordering Dorney Park Lake where Hercules once stood." I guess I need to do a little more research before I ask such silly coaster questions!!

I was there on the 17th and 19th and it was closed down both days - never even saw it test once.

On Sunday 6/14, we got a Starlite pass to Dorney Park. Hearing that the park wasn't very big, we figured that we could do everything we wanted to do in a few hours. Overall, the park was very nice. They have some formidable coasters with Talon, Possessed and Hydra. I simply wasn't impressed with Steel Force though. Very rough in the back with little airtime. Front seat was okay. Guess I just expected a little more from this one. Thunderhawk was the biggest surprise for me. Hearing that it was rough, lame, etc...I wasn't expecting much more than a Hurler clone. While it was a little rough, I was amazed at the amount of ejector air I got in the front seat at the top of the hills - holy crap! Only El Toro and Big Dipper at GL (RIP) have hurled me around like that!! The staff was friendlier than I expected, the park was clean, and I was very impressed with the number of nice flats the park had to offer. My nephew has a season pass, so him and his friend accompanied us on our journey. Dorney was a lot of fun and a nice little park! Bye-bye mini Cedar Point! You are a great little park! Interesting shirt - no caption needed. Freakin' insane ejector air at this spot in the front. What's this... a Corn Popper? Again, this park rocks with the flats! Hmmmm...wonder what they will do with this area? Sure wished I could have ridden Lazer, but one season too late. Sam Adams Pub & Grill? Okay, it's official now...this park kicks ass! Oooooh...a Claw! I love's me some Claw! This one was much more forceful than the one at Hershey. I swear we were almost upside down at one point! A good cycle! Scrambler... I was impressed with their collection of flats. They probably have three times as many as SFGA! Geese, goslings and fish...I like fish. Way more air on Thunderhawk than I ever imagined! Steal Force. Coulda, shoulda been better. Possessed's twisty goodness. This was our first impulse with the catch. Pretty crazy in the back seat! Fly away on my Zephyr...we're gonna live foreverrrrrr!!! Dominator=Power Tower Jr. I liked it though as it is not intimidating as some of the higher drop towers. Was there an original Hydra...like Phantom at Kennywood? Not sure I understand the "revenge" part. Looked like an exact replica of Snake River Falls at CP. First up - Talon! I like the signage going up the lift. A great invert with a nice airtime surprise before the camera. I always wondered what CP did with the carousel in Frontier Town! I think it houses one of the Halloween haunts now. Welcome to Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom!

I agree with most of your comments regarding SFGA... * El Toro is definitely in the Top 5 all time coaster experiences. Currently holds the #1 spot for me. I got a three ride mini-marathon at the end of my night too! * Nitro is great, but not a #3. * Bizarro was not worth the long wait. In another year, it will be a walk-on again like it was when it was Medusa. * Dark Knight isn't very spectacular after all of the pre-opening hype. An indoor spinning coaster would have worked much better than the mouse. * The Congo Rapids ride was definitely the lamest rapids ride I have ever been on. What is the deal with a lot of these parks turning off the waterfalls lately? Is it that expensive to properly maintain a couple of water pumps? *Rolling Thunder is a piece of crap. It was the only coaster (besides Kingda Fail + kiddie coasters) that we didn't ride. I remember the pain of riding it last time and did not want to go for a repeat. * Runaway mine train is a lot like the one at CP - very jerky around the bends. I heard my spine crack at least three times during the ride! *GASM was very rough and jarring in the front seat. I think I like Viper at SFMM much better. *Biggest plus for this park besides El Toro and Nitro....Heineken draft at Granny's!

To each his own, I guess. I was there two weeks ago, rode Thunderhawk in the front seat and loved it! To be fair, I will say that my BF didn't like it either. I was getting ejector air at the top of every hill and although there were a few rough spots, it was definitely more fun than what I expected. Perhaps that I anticipated it was going to suck, it took me by surprise? Funny how that works sometimes... Steel Force however did not impress me much. I thought it was rough in the back and the front was just mehhh....kinda boring really. I was expecting air on the second hill and didn't catch much of anything. The bunny hills in the back were about as rough as the one's on Magnum. Much as I was anticipating this one, I felt it was the coaster at the park that did not live up to my expectations.

^^ I was very disappointed on not getting on the Wild Mouse - it looked like a lot of fun with an original layout. ^ Yes, I agree - Sesame Street on acid seems like a good comparison for MRN, but so does Yo Gabba Gabba!

The last two weeks have been a whirlwind tour of the East. With the weakend economy and me being on a one month voluntary layoff, Michael and I decided to stimulate the amusement industry and hit up some parks in addition to seeing several relatives in Maryland, DC, Virginia and Pennsylvania. Overall, the visits were great, although we were considered fortunate enough to alter our tour of DC by one day. If we would have kept our original itinerary, it would have put us at the Holocaust museum on the same day as the terrible shooting tragedy. Strange how things work out sometimes. First, I will start out with Idlewild. Our original intent was to hit Knoebel's and camp overnight before heading to my sisters in Allentown. The weather forecast was for heavy rain in Eastern Pennsylvania, so we headed South and camped near this little park instead. Idlewild is a great little family park with a lot of nostalgia. As some of you may already know, it is home to the most kick-ass family ride EVER - Mister Roger's Neighborhood of Make-Believe. I have a video of most of the ride, including the ride-op/narrator that was unbelievably the perfect guide for the ride! Unfortunately, the video is too large to put in here, but I may convert it and ask if I can post it on Coastertube or something - it is too crazy to miss! For a small park, this place has lot's of old-school flats, some really crazy surprises, and a very friendly staff - I would say it is a must for any amusement park enthusiast! Now...on to the photos! One last shot of Rollo Coaster - thanks for reading! Soak Zone looked fun, but it was closed due to the failing weather. Is that a wooden water slide in the middle? My first and only crooked wall chair! Seriously, this is one messed up attraction! I thought that I was drunk walking up the ramp to this room! Being the only two visitors, guess who got to be the volunteer! Even though we were the only people in there, our tour guide was awesome!!!! After having our minds altered forever in Mister Roger's Neighborhood, we headed for Confusion Hill Come along, come along to the castle hug-n-song!!!! Words simply cannot explain this ride - you have to experience it in person. Go to Idlewild and do Mister Roger's now! We decided to head over to see if Mister Roger's Neighborhood was still awake. Rollo Coaster was still running trains so we took a spin in the front seat - a fun little coaster. Much better than the Comet at Waldameer. Which meant we were denied a ride on the Wild Mouse with the crooked lift hill. They closed it as soon as we got in line, even though it was only a slight mist. Being an older ride though, I can see why they wouldn't take any chances on safety. It was actually quite fun and the cover was a nice addition as it was just starting to rain when we boarded. Caterpillar - another rare flat featuring the canvas cover! So we figured we better get one! The place has tons of historical signs telling us of the Ligonier Valley and the trains that would bring visitors from Pittsburgh. They even had signs for funnel cake! Booooo....hissssss!!!! Still a great ride on the Flyers though... Scrambler... Tilt-A-Whirl! Still one of the best flats out there. Despite the fact that I thought my foot was going to go through the rusted walk-way, the ride gave a lot of good spins. Round-Up....man, I forgot how dizzy this ride can make me! Took a spin on the Spider... Lot's of classic flats... This area is thickly settled so not too much to see from atop the wheel. Ahhhh...an old fashioned ferris wheel. Let's take a spin and just chill for a few! Dreams and perhaps strange fantasies or nightmares for some... The Little Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe offered some solace and reassurance from the madness that was Story Book Forest. Topped off with a Jill upskirt shot! Close those legs you tarty lad...there are young kids here! Mistress Mary? Anyone feel there is a slight twinge of perversion to this place yet? It looks like Old King Cole really likes his "very" young fiddlers three... An old family classic - Pussy in the Well with a cage over it so it can't escape. They just don't make 'em like this anymore, folks! Michael decided that he must see the Pussy in the Well before we leave Story Book Forest. I decided to hop on my magic carpet to escape the dreaded Death Clown. Jack Be Nimble might have needed a fire lit under his butt to escape Death Clown, but not me! Aaaaarrrhhhhh....get me outta here! Getting creepier... Not nearly as creepy as the Kiddyland clown at CLP! This pirate was commanding the Good Ship Lollipop through the swamps of Pennsylvania. I would love to turn my back garage into something like this... Little Miss Muffet saw the scary Australian spider in the tree and decided to skip the curds and whey and simply crap herself instead! Of course, the first thing he did was banish me to the corner with the dunce! Michael felt right at home as he used to be a Latin teacher before his retirement. Upon our entrance, we decided to check out Story Book Forest as it was about twenty minutes before they closed the area. Welcome to Idlewild and Soak Zone! Actually, we stayed on the amusement park side as it was raining off and on and was about 65 degrees.

All but Alaska, but I hope to do the cruise next year!

^ I'm an SOB, I admit it...but I am not a V-Tube Man!

^Yep, what he said....better worry about Dorney now, cuz them Reading boyz is even more worse than I is!

Sum of Beat is the wqotrzst ride evar.....CemarFayr told me that a BM is cumming in it's place -I swar,.

Just wait till you're 37 and a coaster enthusiast, shunny....'dem bones 'ill all be a creakin' on ya and it won't be the same ridin' them rough rollie coasters no more - you just wait!!! Hehehe!!!