Hang And Bang

I doubt we'll see any new properties acquired by SF. If anything they could stand to shed a few parks (I'm looking at you, SFA and SFKK).

I find the Morgan hypers to be a lot of fun. Predictable, but fun. I have to agree with most here and say Steel Eel is the best of the bunch. It'd be nice to see more of the mini-hypers built as Eel seriously delivers the air and never gets old.

Dearest Title Fairy, I would like my title to read "It's A Small World fanboy". Thank you!

A lot... - Bizarro (SFNE) - Goliath (SFOG) - El Toro - Magnum XL-200 - Boulder Dash - Superman Krypton Coaster - Mind Bender (SFOG) - Phoenix - Lightning Racer - Griffon - Patriot - Raging Bull - Hydra - Talon - Georgia Scorcher - Gemini - Prowler - Screamin' Eagle - Raven - Wicked Twister - Big Bad Wolf

Patriot is probably the worst I've experienced yet of the "B&M rattle". And it's only in it's 4th year of operation, being the last B&M invert built in the US. It shakes through nearly the whole course, and yet it isn't rough at all like, say, Iron Wolf. There's definitely a big difference between a rough B&M and a B&M that simply rattles. Superman Krypton Coaster rattles pretty bad, too, but it's still a top 10 coaster for me. Despite the rattling there's no headbanging and it's not rough. I dunno, it's quite the conundrum.

Dash was indeed an amazing experience, and Jesus was certainly on our side that night! But no matter how great the direction changes, the triple up, the twisting drop, and the general excitement we all felt that special night was, NOTHING can top the single best first drop of any coaster I've ever ridden, wood or steel. The pictures speak for themselves, and this was when it was running "sluggishly"... That's bliss mixed with a hint of fear you see on those faces! Credit to Hanno for the awesome pics!

Great TR! You're not missing much with Twisted Twins. When I rode it in 2007 it was slow, poorly paced, and just in general a big non-event. I'd rank it in my bottom five woodies. Chang, however, is fantastic.

Great TR! Glad you enjoyed my homepark (SFSTL) - it doesn't have near the amount of mindblowing-awesome-can't-miss attractions most of its sister parks have, but it's one of the best mid-size corporate parks out there. Shame it gets overlooked so much by enthusiasts. Also nice to see some love for Raging Bull. I rate it higher than Nitro and Apollo. As great as those two are, they didn't offer any more air when I rode them than RB does, and at least RB has all those nice twisty bits at the end. Again, great TR.

GASM is a great ride in the very front - not too rough, and plenty of floater air, especially on that last run over the lake heading back towards the station. Sit anywhere else, though, and it hurts like hell.

Iron Wolf really is the roughest B&M I've been on. That said, I think it has a great layout and I love it's location, surrounded by all those trees. I think Iron Wolf is a great candidate for Six Flags next re-themed ride. New trains, a repaint, and maybe a tunnel with strobes and fog could do wonders for this ride.

Congratulations!

So I guess this means Led Zeppelin and Life In The Fast Lane will be re-themed to Debbie Deb and Shannon.

Some of those complaints are pretty harsh and the first time I've heard them for SFSTL. Sure, the park is lacking in huge headliner coasters and could use a few more flats, but generally people seem to at least find it to be well-landscaped. I've never been to the park and found it to be dirty, and have honestly never heard anyone else complain about it being dirty. If SFSTL is the dirtiest park he's been to he's either not been to many parks or he has an axe to grind.

Hydra - yeah it peters out at the end but everything before that is golden. Deja Vu - the intensity more than makes up for all the downtime on the GIB's. Raging Bull - perhaps I'm partial to it because it was my first hyper but I love this ride. In fact I rate it higher than a couple of the other B&M hypers. Gemini - pure fun! Plenty of airtime and they actually race it, which adds a lot to the overall ride experience. I'd take it anyday over Millennium Force and Top Thrill Dragster.

1. First of all, the weather is supposed to be beautiful on Saturday, so should I expect large crowds? (I only ask this because it is so early in the season...) I've never had a problem with them this early in the season. Your biggest hindrance may just be reduced operations. 2. What order should I ride certain attractions to avoid lines? (If I have to wait in lines, I want it to be something worth waiting for.) I'm thinking of heading to THBS first, and then Evil Knievel...not sure, though. You'll definitely want to hit the west (left) side of the park first. Tony Hawk is in the back of the park and you'll waste time and energy going to it first, then backtracking to the front of the park for Evel Knievel. In my experiences last year, Evel Knievel almost always had a healthy line, but it moved fast. Regardless, I'd go ahead and hit it first if I were you. From there, go in a clockwise direction hitting each coaster along the way. You'll reach Mr. Freeze, Tony Hawk, and The Boss in that order, and they tend to be the slowest loaders and/or the ones that could possibly build long lines first. Once you get those finished, continue to the back of the park and ride Screamin' Eagle and Superman (which can develop long lines that don't always move fast). Work your way back to the front of the park, hitting River King Mine Train and Ninja along your way (it's been ages since I saw either of these coasters have any substantial line. Ninja will almost certainly be a walk-on.) Your last stop will be Batman. On your next go-round hit any flats you're interested in. The only potential problems could be Scooby Doo and Thunder River, but once again, this early in the season they shouldn't have too much of a wait. Make sure you ride Xcalibur - it looks intimidating but it's actually pretty tame. 5. How is food at the park? Is it good (enough) quality for the price? I've always been partial to Villain's Cafe, near the entrance to Mr. Freeze. It's your standard Mexican fare - tacos, fajitas, etc. - but the quality is good and the prices aren't too outrageous. Mooseburger Lodge is also good. Johnny Rockets is decent quality but it's expensive. 6. Any tips for certain rides/coasters? (Best seat, way to ride, when to ride, ect.) Evel Knievel - anywhere is good, but the front really does it for me. Mr. Freeze - front for great views, middle for *amazing* hangtime in the top hat - especially backwards, back for the wildest ride. Screamin' Eagle - back for some decent airtime. The Boss - front for the smoothest ride and nice views, back for some good airtime. Tony Hawk - put the heavier people on one side and the lighter people on the other for some spinning. Ninja - the last two rows provide a nice pop of air on the first drop and give you the smoothest ride that can be had on this coaster. Batman - front for views, back for the wildest ride. 8. Does the park have any hidden gems? Not sure what exactly you have in mind as to what makes something a hidden gem, but for me it's a secluded area or an area that has a bit of "atmosphere". In Studio Backlot the facades opposite the second half of Batman The Ride (around the corner from the smoking section) offer a secluded spot to relax and just enjoy watching Batman upclose. In the very center of the park, where Gateway To The West and Chouteau's Market meet, there are a few little walkways that have a couple of "gags" set up along the way. They're pretty hokey, but it's an area of the park that most people don't notice. In Illinois, Old Chicago games is a fun spot to just hang around and people watch. This is the area where Screamin' Eagle exits. FYI, since your last visit the entrance to Screamin' Eagle has been moved to this area, just across from the exit. Between the games, coming and going Screamin' Eagle riders, and the nearby Superman, this has become a high-traffic area. Also here is a little covered area with tables, it's right next to Superman and serves as the exit of the ride. It's pretty funny to watch the way people react to the ride as their exiting. The terrace surrounding Mooseburger Lodge offers great views of the cascading stream adjacent to the Mine Train, with some nice surrounding foliage. There's a little dead-end pathway between the Carousel and Tony Hawk that's semi-secluded and a good spot to relax. And I'm not sure if this could be considered a "hidden" gem, but between the two arboretums behind Colossus is a little viewing plaza of Mr. Freeze and Thunder River. There are a couple of vending machines here but overlook those lol. The ivy growing wild here is beautiful.

Mind Bender All I'd have to do is build a ravine in my backyard and I'd be set!

I gave it a little time to see if this color scheme would grow on me but every time I look at pics of SROS and Medusa all I can think is VIOLET BEAUREGARDE. If they're gonna go with these colors they might as well go all out and just own the tack. Turn the station into a giant blueberry! Play the Oompa Loompa song over the onboard audio! Make it immersive! Yowza!

Great TR of my favorite SF park! Makes me miss it terribly, especially since I doubt I'll get to make it down there this year. My only complaint about the place is the lack of flats, otherwise it's a great park. I've never had any horrific experiences with unruly guests, just the occasional disgruntled employee, but I've had that with virtually every corporate park I've been to.

Intriguing. Consider me very interested in this.

Go to Kings Island. It gets a lot of hate but it's actually pretty fun. Beast, Flight Deck, and Fof are all great coasters, plus there's Diamondback. Although they're not very popular amongst enthusiasts I'd also say Vortex and The Racer are fun rides that you won't totally hate. KI is also a manageable drive from where you are - a very big plus. Beyond this the only CF park I'd recommend [of the ones I've been to - haven't hit Valleyfair, Carowinds or the west coast parks (yet)] would be Dorney Park. Talon is my favorite B&M invert, and Hydra is unique for a B&M, it's a great ride, especially at night! There's also Steel Force, an underrated hyper from Morgan. Dorney is small so it won't take long to do the park (if time becomes an issue for you), and it actually has a bit of charm.

AWESOME. LOL

I rode lots of kiddie coasters but my first "real" coaster was Screamin' Eagle @ SFSTL. I was 8 years old and scared to death! My dad pretty much forced me to ride it against my will, great parenting lol! I'm glad he did, though. It was so exhilerating, to an 8 year old something like Screamin' Eagle is *huge*. By the end of the ride I was ready to go again and hated that we had to go back around and wait in line again. Still hate that, actually.

Scott, you totally had a coaster high from Boulder Dash! You raved so much about it during that smoke break that I was afraid I'd be disappointed in the ride... but you were totally right! What an amazing ride!

Great pics! Looking at them takes me back to that evening - it really was one of the best nights of the trip. Scott you were cracking me up, you were totally on a coaster high from Boulder Dash! I'm glad I got my first rides on it with you.

Large pole + horse = happy John! The only way that ride could've been better is if the pole was labeled "Smoker's Pole". BTW what's up with me looking like the freakin' Crypt Keeper in the Zoomerang pic?! Oh well, I love it anyway! I miss you, too, Kerry!!! Eating authentic philly cheesesteak while actually in Philly was a great start to the trip!