RIP Psyclone

^There is enough room with the restraints for me to be standing up straight.

I'm 6'2'' and it's doable. I went to WCB with a friend who's 6'5'' and we did Riddler's twice. The only ride he complained about as having tight restraints was Viper.

Uh oh! Is Sandblasters next on Shapiro's chopping block? "Although bumper cars and a scrambler were great rides, and you happened to pick some of my favorite childhood rides by the way, we do have a 5 year plan, and we will fill out the park in due time. The removal of those 2 rides will make room for a great new upcharge attraction." Glad you got your camera back.

^I think the real reason has been said before. Basically, they would have to spend money on something that can't be advertised and won't boost attendance.

I remember Vortex being my favorite ride when I visited in summer 1995. I rode it repeatedly as the park was closing. I guess I'm ashamed to say Top Gun wasn't. Maybe because I had already been on Batman, but this was my first stand-up. Maybe the line for Top Gun was too long to ride again. However, I am ashamed to say I didn't do Tidal Wave because I had been on Montezooma's Revenge.

I'm pretty sure I missed the High Roller credit. The only time I ever was on the top of the tower was summer 1996. I know I rode the Big Shot, but my memory of High Roller is fuzzy. I know I wouldn't have been scared of it, so I guess it was closed that day. Either that or I felt it looked too tame, like a kiddie coaster only 1000 feet up. I didn't know about credits at the time. Oh well, at least I got the rarer Vegas credit--Lightning Bolt--in its original incarnation.

Rerides: $4 Crack: $40

The "main" song played in X's station was "New Order - Confusion (Pump Panel Reconstruction). It's incorrectly credited to Crystal Method sometimes. The original song is Confusion by New Order and dates back to about 1983. Pump Panel did the remix originally for a 1995 New Order Remix album, it appeared in Blade (1998), and later in X's station. I really identify the song with X, so I sort of hope it carries on into X2.

^Glad it's no a big deal, then! Honestly, I wonder how long the park will have to be closed because of this.

Wow, is that really him? I can't tell.

"I hate the Eagles, man!" "Get out of my taxi!"

It took a big man to share those thoughts, Tomi! However, there is sort of a double standard. If you are part of the "cool clique" then you can be as obnoxious as you want. The other people in the clique will be entertained, and everyone not in the clique will just be jealous since it appears all of them are having a great time. If you're not part of the cool clique, you can be sort of screwed. If you act like them, they will think you're obnoxious. If you try to be nice to them and be accepted by them, they will think you're trying too hard. If you avoid them altogether, they will either not notice you or think you're a weird loner. Yeah, it can be tough, but I'm glad it worked out. Looking forward to the rest of the trip report, as it is refreshing to hear the point of view of a non American. Keep up the good work, Tomi!

I noticed the tarp covered train as well. According to rcdb, they sent TWO trains from SFGAm's Shockwave, the blue and the yellow. SFGAd got one, the red. So it's possible the entire yellow train is under the tarp, since it was part of the blue one by Psyclone.

I've gotta say, your wife seems to be a real trooper going with you to all these places since she apparently goes on no rides! Great stuff, though, I always enjoy your reports.

Picky eaters. Do you think things like sushi would be so popular if they weren't incredibly tasty? No! I think picky eaters are just that way for the attention. "Hey everyone, look at me, I won't eat that, and that makes me better than you!"

^Fresno! I did get to ride it when it was indoors as well. If I ever happen to be in Fresno I'd like to ride the extended version. I believe Shane was involved in its sale.

^First launch into brakes?

^At the bottom of the drop it curved upwards, like a ski jump: Well, more of a "bump" at the bottom of the hill than a jump, obviously, but you get the idea.

I guess the dual drops is similar to Tatsu's twin loading stations, even if neither one can speed up what is safe. It's just being able to have another one ready to go. With Tatsu's being so slow to unload/load/dispatch, it does help, but I can see how it made little difference with Jet Stream.

On the TPR midwest trip last summer, they went to SF Great America, but did not visit SF St. Louis. Just sayin'!

Yeah, I didn't know A Bug's Land existed until December 2005. I guess it might be because it didn't open with the park. Not much to see there, though, even if the theming is okay. I've never bothered with the bumper cars as they are very tame. More like light-tapper cars. Great stuff, Will, can't wait for the rest! Thanks for letting us see where the TPR trip forums are located on the main page, I had always wondered about that.

Another one I found, featuring the man himself--Tim Burkhart, and quite possibly the worst enthusiast EVER. Tim explains the X rails, with some footage of the "X rail carrier" moving up and down, causing the seat rotations. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3fpeaoqu08

^I'm hoping for Flashback's spot. I've said it before, that's just me being selfish because I'm not a fan of water parks. However, I think Deluge is cool, so I hope they fit it in somehow. If they could somehow get both into that area, that would be great. But when you remove a flat ride like Sierra Twist, you're leaving a space that could only fit another flat ride. If Sierra Twist's space ends up as benches, or another Papa John's or Johnny Rockets, I guess I'd be a little disappointed.

^I'm not sure what you mean. The pickle forks on the 1st gen. trains supported the seats at the top and bottom. They're pickle forks, not pickle skewers! Just look at pics of the old trains. If you meant something else, I apologize.

And if they demolish the Dragon station they'd have an ever bigger plot of land. I still think a transportation system for that side of Samurai Summit would be great, so it's a shame Dragon lasted only 7 years, 1974-1981. With all of the improvements taking place, one thing that management said they likely will not do is spend lots of money on a ride or attraction that can't really be marketed, like Metro. But, like Mark Shapiro said, we need to be patient. If all of these improvements pay off for Six Flags, we can all look forward to even greater things in the future.