Canobie Coaster

Troublesome Trucks Runaway Coaster at Edaville

^ They have all that cleared land around the lake that's just dirt. I could see them literally planting some trees and grass along the loop as they start to fill it in with attractions.

"This is like the Steelers defense the last 10 years - keeps falling apart."

I finally stopped by Edaville today. The train passes right by Kersplash and it looks dead over there. There aren't any cars on the track and there isn't even a path leading to it. The park hasn't really said much about Kersplash so I'm wondering if it's still in their plans. They were also supposed to open some sort of Pirates dark ride a while back, but the sign advertising it as coming soon has been removed and there's just a plain white tarp there now.

^ Can't help on the start of daily weekday operations, but you definitely don't need a full day. You can comfortably do everything (coasters, flats, and water rides) in a half day.

And I saw on Facebook that El Loco reopened!

^ Fly- the Great Nor'Easter is quite smooth. It's not quite as smooth as a B&M invert, but with those restraints, you get zero headbanging and can appreciate the layout. Sea Serpent was one of the smoothest boomerangs I've ridden.

Arnolds Park Spider was been removed. Here are some shots of the Wild Mouse. It doesn't really have an official sign; it just has this sign about the history of the wild mouse coaster in the queue. I think they got an upgraded Carousel to replace the Merry-Go-Round shown in the park index. This one looked a lot nicer.

Having ridden Clockworkz at Coney Island, I don't think it could be that. It's mesmerizing off-ride, but I wouldn't say the ride had any speed or power to it. That's more of a family ride.

Yeah, you owe her big time. Why not take her to La Ronde too and just complete the nexus of suck? You talked so highly of La Ronde that she will never go there. She realized something must be wrong if one of my "crazy coaster friends" wouldn't go there.

^ I can totally see El Dorado being used for that. I can't keep track of where everything is going, but isn't there a log flume coming too? And again, one less person in line for Soarin' Eagle. I really must be immune to rough rides.

Those mini bumper cars are adorable. Nice update.

^ I'm probably most excited for Pantheon just because it's the most unique experience of those 3 big coasters already announced, but I know I'll love those two B&Ms based on their track record.

Yankee Cannonball

^ For B&M stand-ups, you want to make sure you get your head above the OSTR. You do this by sort of slouching while the seat locks. Once it locks, your shoulders will be pressed against the top of the restraint but you will avoid all headbanging. That's how I was able to enjoy Vortex on this trip as well as Riddler's and Green Lantern recently.

The whole How to Train Your Dragon area worked quite well at Motiongate. There's enough with that IP to work.

Deno’s Wonder Wheel Park & Coney Island Few parks are as defined by one ride as Deno’s. Heck, the park name literally has the star attraction in its title, the Wonder Wheel. My previous two rides on the Wonder Wheel were at night, so I wanted to change things up. I wanted an elusive sunset ride. So I consulted the all-knowing Google and was informed I should board around 8:30. This ride defines Deno's. This wheel is still freaky today. Just imagine how terrifying it must have been when it opened. And it was a gorgeous view. In the foreground, you had the beach and bustling boardwalk. In the background, you had the sun setting over one of New York’s many bridges. It was a view fit for a postcard screensaver (it’s the 21st century after all). Now it was challenging to take photographs for two reasons. One, the swinging. Of course I chose the swinging gondolas. It’s what makes the Wonder Wheel famous. The instant your gondola starts swinging into the lattice superstructure is still one of the most terrifying moments of any ride. The other reason were the cages and supports. I had to get creative with how I positioned my lens. I probably only had a 33% yield, but that 33% looked fantastic. Yes it’s expensive, especially since it’s one of the few rides not part of Zamperla’s Luna Park empire, but it’s well worth it. The combination of views and thrills is why this ride is so iconic. 10 out of 10 No sharks in sight. Now that's what I call a view. Depending on your perspective, Spook-a-rama could be the most terrifying ride in the park. Offride, this doesn’t look like anything more than your typical, cheap, carnival haunted house. That’s why it’s shocking when you enter the show-building beneath the boardwalk and see just how expansive it is. Beyond the sheer size, the effects are incredible. The set designs themselves are just ok, but the combination of sound and touch (yes touch) results in some big jump scares. 8 out of 10 Do not underestimate this ride. It's actually well done. But the surprise of my visit was the Eldorado Auto Skooter. When you pass this attraction on the street, it looks more like a night club than an amusement ride. And you know what? It certainly feels like a night club when you’re on the attraction. The atmosphere is electric. You have strobe lights, laser lights, disco balls, and booming music not suitable for children. It’s fantastic. The other thing that makes Eldorado so special is the employees. Some of the employees will literally ride along the sides of the cars standing up. It seemed unwise to hit them, so I instead tailgated them and watched their circus act in disbelief. But then you had one employee in a super car. Picture a Lusse skooter in a field of normal cars. And the employee was taking no prisoners. Girl stuck in the corner? Smash. Little boy going backwards? Head on collision smash. While the other cars weren’t as powerful, they were head and shoulders above your usual bumper cars. This atmosphere plus a super long cycle resulted in my favorite bumper cars. Yes I’d take the experience (not the cars) over the ones at Knoebels. 10 out of 10 I certainly did bump my ass off. If you removed the cars, you could easily turn this into a nightclub. That's the employee who murdered us all. It's also worth noting his car kept on driving after all of ours turned off. I was then planning to hit the independent 12th Street Amusements, but I must have missed the memo they all closed. Ghost Hole looked abandoned. Polar Express was in pieces. But there was an auto show on the street that seemed to be generating a sizable crowd. Looks like I missed my chance to ride these. There were also these interesting looking art walls nearby. Another surprise amusement area was a beer garden with the most overpriced swinging ship I’ve ever seen ($8 per ride, didn’t see any takers) and some go karts. I don’t remember that being there last year unless I was oblivious (which happens quite a bit). Beer. I actually think the one at Luna Park may be cheaper. And those rides are expensive. It sure is convenient they put the go karts right across from a beer garden. Luna Park and the Cyclone are the stars of Coney Island, but the other amusements can hold their own and offer some unique experiences. I know I’ll be forking over the $8 each trip to take a spin on the Wonder Wheel and Eldorado Auto Skooter.

^ No because that would mean I won Fascination. I'll die trying though.

I chuckled at the irony of this too, but I know there were other factors at play with the Dragons removal.

While we didn't get too many details what's inside the park, I'm excited to see another new theme park coming to the resort nonetheless.

Twist-n-Shout at Fun Land of Fredericksburg

Adventureland (Iowa) Silly Silo, River Rapids Log Flume, and Inverter are all closed. Below are some photos of the new-for-2019 Phoenix. Below are some photos of Monster operating. Here's a picture of the Sky Ride with Monster. Adventurer's Family Entertainment Center I recently posted a TR for this place that fills in the gaps on the Park Index. Link to TR Dark Side, Flipper, Haunted House, and Scrambler have all closed. They have added Central Park (antique cars), Cyclone Racer (himalaya), Ferris Wheel, Fun Slide, Go Kart City, Merry-Go-Round, and Train.

Aw man, that tram operator looked awesome.

^ One less person in line for me then.

In my experience, yes. But isn't that generally a prerequisite for most kick-ass rides? True. If a few breakdowns here and there are the tradeoff for such an awesome cycle, I'll take it.