Fredlv1

Hey Joe, Just wondering if anyone happen to mistake you for a homeless man and offered you money during any time you were sitting on the ground take any of these photos?!?! Fred Biedermann

WHAT???? NO love for Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk? This list is a sham. How could they overlook the best and most active seaside amusement park in the country? Fred of Las Vegas

The Best Log Flumes: Splash Mountain Disneyland Dudley Do-Right Ripsaw Falls -- IOA Timber Mountain Log Ride -- Knotts The Worst? Undoubtedly---Positively, the "Log Flume" at Lagoon. You haven't seen a bad log flume until you see this one! Fred of Las Vegas

I have stopped by Knott's several times in the last six months, and EVERY time I go there, I feel TIRED! I am convinced that this feeling is a result of the lackluster atmosphere and enthuisasm at the park. It goes right down to its slow and sluggish operating procedure. I am also convinced of this feeling, because I always end up leaving after an hour and instead go over to Disneyland, and ALWAYS have a great time. Disneyland has energy, enthusiasm, warmth, etc, etc compared to Knott's. The last time I was at Knott's I arrived at 10:15. Half the park was not yet opened. The areas of the park where you'll find Silver Bullet, Sierra Sidewinder, Ghostrider, TMLG, Calico Mine Train were opened. The other areas closed. The result were insanely long lines (also due to one train ops, and slow loading) and dead ends. Monty was running (so I thought), so I walked all the way thru Camp Snoopy to find out that that area of the was closed. By that point, I left, went to Disneyland again and had a great time. Not only did I have a great time, but stayed 2 hours longer than planned. Waits for all the major rides, were much shorter than Knott's because, well, all I can say is Disneyland actually gives a damn! I will be sending my annual pass to Knott's along with a letter as to why I am not going to renew it. The park gives me no good reason to renew. Cedar Fair is simply making the park generic and is catering to the lowest common denominator. I must say the Sierra Sidewinder incident in the original post is simply shocking to me. I am world filled with sexual predators I find downright irresponsible for ride ops to force a child to ride with a complete stranger, and male at that! Not to mention, putting a man in that position. I too would have felt very awkward to be put in that position. Knott's really needs to get its head back on straight. Funny, that they make plenty of idiotic decision in terms of ride safety (i.e. Kingdom of Dinosaurs trains), but their rides ops are so stupid that they don't see the potential danger of making a young child ride with a complete adult male stranger. Knott's is seriously out to lunch! Fredrick Biedermann (Who constantly lurks, but rarely posts!)

You know, the videos are just a clear example of how lame-brained corporate mentality is eroding away the atmosphere at Knott's and is catering to the lowest common denominator. However, I agree, it's really the least of Knott's problems. I think with addition and placing of Silver Bullet and Sierra Sidewinder they totally ruined what was once one of the most beautiful areas of any park with Reflection Lake. Now the area seems litered with and endless amount of pillars from SB, SS, Jaguar, and Monty. I know budgets are a concern but perhaps theming Sierra Sidewinder to a small mountain (like in their logo) could have at least added some beauty to the area and cleaned up/prevented pillar pollution. The area around those coasters is seriously hideous. It even more puzzling that Cedar Fair would allow Knott's to appear in such a manner when they know how to operate and maintain Cedar Point, or least make a very pleasant atmosphere around the park and keep things lively. Every time I go to Knott's I always feel tired. I think its because the energy there feels DEAD. Considering the market Knott's sits in, I cannot see how they can't increase their attendance numbers by sprucing up the place and adding some real excitement (atmosphere, not necessarily thrill rides). They might attract back their old clientele, you know, the ones who actually gave a damn about quality, good customer service, atmsphere, class, and orginality. Now they're getting Pony Express which looks like it will make Jaguar's initial general public response seem very positive. It looks like a coaster that ends before it even starts. It looks like it could be the parks biggest fiasco despite its gimmick. Couldn't they at least made it longer by going around the rapids and into some tunnels and extending the end by moving their precious Screaming Swing that nobody rides? I guess not --- it goes in line with catering to the lowest common denominator. What ARE THEY THINKING?? If this was RCT, many peeps would be saying "I am not waiting that long (10 minutes) for Pony Express!".

I've recently gone to Knott's a few times on my way to Disneyland in the past couple of months, mainly to ride Xcelerator. As much as I like Xcelator, I am really disheartened with how the park now seems to cater to the lowest common denominator, and most of the authentic feel of pre-Cedar Fair Knott's seems to be evaporating. What do you think is possibly the best example of this? For me, the one thing that irritates me like nails on a chalkboard are the stupid, and inspid rider instruction videos they show in the Ghostrider, Xcelerator, and Silver Bullet stations. Is it too much to ask that they at least make these with a little wit?! They are absolutely embarrassing! Do they think these videos are amusing or funny? The miner in the Ghostrider video acts like Goofy but with half the IQ, the 50's riders in Xcelerator video act like they NEVER, EVER rode a single coaster in their life, and the Silver Bullet men look DOA, and IDIOTIC as well carrying their axepicks onto the ride. Then the narrator on Xcelerator's video takes us through the entire CAD ride--"First high banked turn!!! Second high banked turn!!! SmoOOoth Stop!". I cringe every time I see that. Does Knott's think its patrons are such dimwits that they would be even remotely entertained by this stuff? I know it's more for legal and safety purposes, but it all looks so fake, so sophmoric, and so lame. It's not even remotely interesting. I guess its the whole corporate mental at play which is all manufactured/fake versus the family owned mom/pop business which usually feels more genuine. I always said that, as an enthusiast, the best way to determine what a GREAT park is is by one that you could take someone to, someone who does not like parks, but they would still have a great time at and you would not feel embarrassed about your hobby. They are too many things about Knott's that would make me feel embarrassed about my hobby, which did not exist ten years ago. What are some examples of park I could take such a person to and feel proud of my hobby? Cedar Point (what irony!), Disneyland, Dollywood, Holiday World, Hersheypark, Knoebels, Busch Gardens Africa and Europe, Kennywood, and Indiana Beach to name a few. Knott's was on that list in the late 90's, but eventually fell off that list and it now far from it. Knott's now makes me feel embarrassed to be a park/coaster enthusiast. I guess that's why, among many reasons why I no longer enjoy Knott's, but rather would be at Disneyland any day. You can see how Disneyland influenced the creativity of Knott's in the early day, but it obvious Cedar Fair shuns the past traditions of Knott's. Thank God the Knott family made it part of the deal for them not to touch Calico Mine Ride or Timber Mtn Log Ride. I sure Cedar Fair would rather demolish such treasures and replace them with the usual generic blandness.

Robb, I spoke to a cast member at the Matterhorn about the new trains they are supposed to be getting. She told me that they won't be getting them until 2010. Fred

After braving I-95 and the DC Beltway, my next stop was Six Flags America, a park I haven't been to in 8 years, when it was officially "flagged" in 1999. First off, let me say how much I love Six Flags' Xtreme Play pass. I was able to drive through the $15 parking toll, without paying a cent! Nice! It also didn't hurt to not have to pay to get in either! Six Flags America is one of the chain's parks that needs some serious work, IMHO. Some areas of this park were just totally generic and in serious need of a make-over, while other areas of the park could be livened up with more landscaping. Just look at the area around Batwing. Yuck! There's tons of dead space where trees could be planted and/or flat rides could be built to add some atmosphere. Gothom City is a concrete wasteland that is just feels hot to walk through. The back area of the park desperately needs some beautification. I think such things could diversify their primary crowd of visitors. Compared to Six Flags over Texas, Great Adventure, and Great America, SFA just feels like its lacking in energy. Maybe it felt this way is because the park was not that crowded. However, I would never want to be here on a crowded day. However, that's not to say that it hasn't improved tremendously since my last visit. The place boasts an impressive coaster collection, and ride operations have improved. Wild One, Roar, and Joker's Jinx were all running two trains. Rides were a walk-on. Superman ran only one train but the wait was never over two trains. Speaking of Superman---what an awesome, amazing coaster! I rode Darien Lake's Superman back in 2000. While I did not hate the coaster, I was a bit disappointed. I felt it was too linear and lacked extreme airtime. So I approached SFA's Superman with the expectation of simply enjoying it. Nothing more. After two rides, I realized that I REALLY love this ride! The airtime on EVERY hill is just extreme and the speed going through the helices is very powerful. I realized that this coaster is a solid #2 on my steel list. Batwing was fun, but one ride was enough for me. It's fun, but not too comfortable of a ride. I'd rather be on Superman. Same with Joker's Jinx, fun ride but I guess being flipping upside down is all what it is cracked up to be. After making multiple rounds, I decided to head out around 4 PM when I noticed they had just opened the Typhoon Sea Coaster. Apparently the park only opens it when the park reaches at certain attendance, due to its cost to run. This is a great flume ride. I love the camelback after the first drop, and all of the tunnels. Since I was last here, they apparently got rid of the backwards feature. Not a big deal, if it allows much better reliability to the ride to operate. There was something strange it noticed about the tunnels. I heard "Yo Ho, Yo Ho, A Pirates Life for Me" playing over the speakers. Does Disney know about this??? Maybe Dan Snyder has some connections to Disney that allowing the playing of "Pirates" music. Overall, it was a fun day at Six Flags America. I hope the park can do what it takes to make it more of a destination park, than a local park. As a local park it does seem a tad ghetto, and know several people in the area that won't go near it because of its reputation. After leaving the park, I headed over to the DC Mall to take in a walk around the monuments. DC is one of my favorite cities to visit. My visit to DC started and ended around the Jefferson Memorial as parking was extremely hard to find. Here's a sexy shot of the Washington Monument and Capitol Building from the Lincoln Memorial. Ahh! What a view! The World War II Memorial opened back in 2004. The Lincoln Memorial is a great place to hang out, people watch, and just relax. While walking on this stretch towards the Lincoln Memorial, you will be greeted by joggers and the local clan of ducks. There was so much taking place when I was at the DC Mall. There were dozens of softball games going on, as well as a military band performance. My next stop was the DC Mall, which is one of my favorite walking places. Goodbye SFA! See you in another 8 years or whenever you get another coaster that's almost as good as Superman. The ride no longer uses the backwards feature. Oh well. However, I wonder what the Disney Company would think if they knew the Pirates of the Caribbean was playing on this ride. Hmmmmmm? Just kidding! Just before leaving SFA, the Typhoon Sea Coaster (aka Skull Mountain) opened up and I decided to take in a ride and to get more photos. Typhoon Sea Coaster IS the world's ONLY splash-free flume ride! Then there's the final helix that has some white knuckling extreme laterals. Wild One features a double down, great speed, and lots of air. Wild One is the better of the two woodies! While not a great as it was back in '99 (after it was extensively retracked), it still does kick some serious butt, and it loaded with air. I think got at least 4 rides on it. Roar has gotten a lot rougher and its layout seriously lacks airtime, especially the hill the train is cresting in the photo. Joker's Jinx is a lot more ridable w/o the OTSRs, but the ride nonetheless is still quite forgettable. The ride could be enhanced with better theming in the queue (remember 'Joker's Revenge" anyone?) and on the ride itself. Batwing is quite a spectacle. It's a fun ride, but feels too controlled and uncomfortable in places. Still, it makes a great additional to SFA's coaster collection. Wile E. Coyote and Petunia Pig greet guests on their way to meet the executioner (Minderaser). Unlike most guests who come here, I wisely stay this Vekoma pain machine This shot speaks a thousand words. One can easily contend that airtime filled hills are far more thrilling than gimmicky loops and inversions. Just look at the faces of those riders!!! The first of three final bunny hops on Superman. Just look at the excitement of the riders. The second and third hills of Superman, along with its two helices can be seen in this shot. This amazing ride is loaded with insane airtime and tremendous speed. Two Face was closed that day and closed the last time I was here 8 years ago. Here's a credit I still have yet to claim. Batwing is a Vekoma Flyer that is a clone of Firehawk at King's Island. Interesting that is was a walk on while guests wait over two hours to ride the same ride. Joker's Jinx is made up of a ridiculously tangled track, that features 4 inversions. Roar is SFA's ultra twisted GCI woodie. Minderaser is SFA's primeire Vekoma pain machine. Riders are "treated" an array of head bashing and body slamming. Let's be thankful, though, it does not live up to its name. Or does it? Wild One is the better of the two woodies at SFA. An old 3 bench car greets oncoming riders at the coaster's entrance. Superman: Ride of Steel is the easily the best coaster at the park, and one of the best steelies in the country. I personally rank it at #2. The entrance to Six Flags America. The second of seven parks I would visit on the east coast this year.

I posted a previous coaster trip report regarding Clementon Lake. That park was actually to be the final post of this trip, but I couldn't wait to show off the ridiculous Terror Trashcans. I embarked on a 11 day trip to the East to not only ride coasters, but to see some of the sights. Some friends wanted to take me to NYC and Philly. How could pass up such on offer? My first stop on this trip was Busch Gardens Europe. I haven't been to this place since 1999--when they opened Apollo's Chariot, although I consider it one of my favorite parks. I took a friend of mine, Terry, who lives in Fredericksburg, VA and yet hadn't yet been to BGE. He sure excited to go, after hearing so many great things about it. He's been taking his family to King's Dominion for the last three and was really getting sick of the place. He says it become quite ghetto. Busch Gardens totally amazed and made him wonder why he never looked into going there sooner. I define a great park as one you can take someone to--especially someone who was no interest in theme parks---and not feel ashamed that this is your hobby. Busch Gardens is simply one of the finest theme parks in the country. From the moment you step of the tram you can see just what a classy place this is. Not only is the park beautiful, its enchanting. I just love how they planned the various midways, which feel more like trails that lead you to the next adventure. This is one of the few parks I could just walk around, get lost, and enjoy it. But admittedly, Griffon is what brought me back here. I loved Sheikra, so I felt Griffon was a good reason to come back. And it did not disappoint. I think it's a slightly better ride than Sheikra, not just because of the extra Immelman, but also because of the nice camelback before the splashdown, and how the coaster hauls back to the station after the splashdown. While these drop coasters (Sheikra and Griffon) aren't very long, they are surely quite an experience. I love the hold at the top of the first drop. It really psych you out!! Terry and I had a hard time deciding which of the three big coasters there--Griffon, Alpengeist, and Apollo's Chariot were our favorite. Alpengeist was much more intense than I remembered it, and Apollo seemed quite tame. However, by the end of the night, we both agreed that Apollo's Chariot was the winner. It may not be all that scary, but it certainly is great fun, especially in the back seat, and has awesome airtime. There were two other rides that really surprised us--the Curse of DarKastle and Corkscrew Hill. I heard a lot of negative things about DarKastle, but I thought it was awesome! Not a good as Spiderman at IOA, but is something that really helps to balance out the park. Corkscrew Hill was something I would have passed up, but Terry was insistent about checking everything out. It was quite an impressive simulator ride, and we both started to crack up as the horse started to gallop to Corkscrew Hill. Another thing we made sure to do, was to check out the shows. We probably saw at least five of them. Two were in Ireland, which was Terry's favorite area of the park, one in Italy, the one in the Festhaus, and Pirates 4-D adventure (which was "Eh!'). I must say they did find some great talents for these shows, and was since for a change to experience all at the park, besides just the coasters. Overall, it was a great day at Busch Gardens and it is still one of my favorite parks. If there is one criticism I have of the place it is that with addition of Griffon, some of the park's natural beauty is disappearing. I would hope for their next coaster, Busch Gardens would find a remote place to build it so that the place doesn't become a steel city. I feel that Griffon, Alpengeist, and Loch Ness Monster are too close to each other, and one can see way too many steel pillars around, instead of trees. But that's a minor criticism. There far too much to enjoy at BGE. Looking forward to when I can get back there again. Enjoy the pictures! Fredrick A great view of the coasters from the Rhine River Terry was just blown away by Busch Gardens. "This is so much nicer than the ghetto King's Dominion" One of the biggest surprises for me -- Corkscrew Hill. Ireland Various midway shots---Italy. Escape from Pompeii is a step up from the usual Shoot-the-Chutes rides, but could have been a lot more. Apollo's Chariot is loaded with awesome airtime, even over these small hills, especially in the back seat. Apollo's Chariot soars high over the trees. The Starlight Orchestra (in the Italy section) was another great show that was loaded with talent. One of the few shots you'll see of me--right in front of Busch Gardens' most recognizable landmarks--Loch Ness Monster. Big Bad Wolf is the best of the four remaining suspended coasters in the country. It's spectacular finale runs along the Rhine River. Curse of DarKastle was a huge surprise, and a first class dark ride. The Festhaus called us over for lunch and the first of a series shows. Alpengeist's cobra roll is one of the most intense moments on any roller coaster. Notice how close it is to Loch Ness and Griffon. Despite popular belief, Alpengeist remains one of the best inverted out there. SPLASHDOWN!!! The second Immelmann and bunnyhop is something that differentiates it from its cousin Sheikra. Griffon's second vertical drop. First off was Griffon, and is awesome 90 degree, vertical drops! This view of the Rhine River easily show why Busch Gardens is the most beautiful theme park in the country.

Sorry about the confusion of pictures. I put them in backwards, thinking the last would turn up first. I guess those of you who posted with photos know what I am talking about. Fredrick

I rarely post on any boards these days. I guess I got burned out many years ago after battling the trolls. I got back from a week and half long trip two weeks ago, and decided I really ought to share some of the photos I took. The last park I hit on the trip was Clementon Lake in Clementon, NJ. I was lucky enough to find the right time to hit this park since it is rarely open outside the month of July. I found out on it was open June 29th at noon, which was five before my flight home out of Philly. I planned to be there for two hours to get as many rides on Tsunami---whoops!--J2 as I wanted. Well, since I decided to go back to SFGrAdv that morning to get another ride on El Toro, I arrived at the park an hour later than expected. I have no regrets! Clementon Lake is a truly ghetto park. There something very creepy about this place and I can't quite put my finger on. J2 wasn't nearly as good as I expected. It was more painful than out-of-control, unlike Avalanche, which was just absolutely and totally insane! I also was amused in an unpleasant way with their clown trashcans, which I call trashcans of terror. It was quite funny to see someone try to throw their garbage into the mouths, which are just two small. I also chuckled at the recording in the queue of King Neptune's Revenge Log Flume. I was thinking how hard to believe this is CL's more popular attractions (as the recording states) since there are so few rides to begin with. And what was King Neptune so ....ed off about to exact revenge??? After 4 rides on J2, a ride on the ferris wheel (for photos), and roaming around for more photos, I got the heck out of there. I was glad I didn't spend more than an hour at this dump. Fredrick Biedermann One of the first sights you see upon entering Clementon Lake---J2! Unfortunately, you have to pass by ghetto looking buildings such as this gift shop. Yuck! An overview of Clementon Lake's wonderful array of rides and attractions including King Neptune's Revenge Log Flume. J2 is like a fusion between Cornball Express on steroids, Avalanche on downers, and a dash of SOB's nasty shuffling. When J2 (the coaster formally known as Tsunami) opened in 2004, it had the steepest drop of any wooden coaster. Big deal though, since the drop is only 105 feet and feel much shorter. Then came Avalanche, The Voyage, and El Toro. The upward helix is the most intense moment of the coaster. Unfortunately, it is too rough to enjoy it. The final leg of bunnyhops reminds me a lot of Avalanche, but without any of the extreme airtime. Here's a typical reaction shot of riders upon hitting the brakes on J2. Is it out of pain, relief, amazement? Or all of the above? What the HELL is that?!!!? It's a Terror Trashcan found at Clementon Lake, America's #1 Ghetto Theme Park. A pair of scary trashcans in Clementon's wonderfully landscaped picnic area. Another Terror Trashcan!! A ride I cheerfully avoided out of fear of catching some illness from the water. Does anyone know what King Neptune is getting revenge over? What an eyesore! Will it ever reopen? The old Jack Rabbit sits dormant, although the grounds are still tended to. Goodbye, Clementon Lake. I'll be back, maybe...

I was just watching FOX News and it was reported that SPEED:The Ride is stuck and the fire department is out there trying to remove passengers from the ride. They never got a good shot as the camera was constantly moved, but from the little bit I did see the train got stuck around the turn in between the exit tunnel and the trench before the loop. I would drive 9 miles down Sahara Avenue right now to see what exactly what is going on, but I have too much to do right now. Just gratified to be able to report on this first. Fredrick Biedermann