larrygator

Lakeside Is a park I always wanted to visit because of the architecture and neon. I was not expecting much out of the rides. I purposely planned my stop on a weeknight, since the main rides are only open at night on weekdays. I wanted to force myself to see everything at night. Admission to the park is very reasonable $3 per person to enter and $16 for an adult wristband. The park owner continues to follow her father's philosophy of keeping the park affordable for everyone The park was mildly crowded, but many people were just sitting around in the picnic areas as daytime parties wound down. Cyclone was the only ride that had any wait (2-3 train cycles). Wild Chipmunk and Spider were down for repairs. Zoom (Drop Tower) never opened when I was there. The park does look great at night, but in the daytime the cracks in the beauty show like a cougar without her make-up. I ended up accidentally deleting a lot of photos so this will be light. Cyclone was a little on the rough side and wasn't counter balanced by any thrilling moments like other aggressive woodies that I enjoy There was no charge to play the follow the duck game One of those areas that can definitely use some work. Since you can't move the tree, move the sidewalk (since no one uses it) The neon livens up the rides at night like the 1908 Parker Carousel More neon I missed a credit. I'll live. The Whip runs well, with proper whipping action, but not as violent as Camden and Rye. You can see in this photos how much the vehicles move and close in on each other. The Starride has not operated for decades, and is quite an eyesore in my opinion Always a fun ride Another popular ride that runs well Again more nice architecture at park, the train station And here is the locomotive that pulls you around Scenic Lake Rhoda. The lake is named after the current owner, by her father when he bought the park. Unfortunately the 20 minute train ride is not that scenic I was at least hoping to get better pictures of the park Looking away from the park there wasn't much scenery to see I ended the night driving up to Boulder for Pizzeria Locale and sat at the pizza bar. I got one of their signature pies the Maiale which has fresh mozzarella, prosciutto and parmigiano reggiano I had them hold the arugula. So good, I went back on Sunday for lunch, this is their regular margherita pizza.

I think the train was about $40 from SLC to Glenwood Springs and $60 for the Glenwood Springs to Denver leg, for $100 total. For me traveling solo, and planning the stop in Glenwood Springs it was worth it. I saved three days in car rental fees, one night of a hotel, 15 gallons of gas and most importantly 12 hours in driving time, which become 12 hours of rest. That's not factoring in either driving the car back to Salt Lake City or paying the ridiculous drop-off charge.

I'm traveling tomorrow but I'm still going to try to post Lakeside Amusement Park by tomorrow night. In the meantime here are some theme park related postcards I picked up the the Mile High Flea Market. Yes I went there to ride their coaster, because it was cheap and not very far out of the way. I also picked up two packs of postcards that each have 12 scenes. One is from Disneyland's POTC, the other is LaRonde as it looked during Expo 67. I might copy them in the future if I have time. I practically forgot to take a picture of the coaster

It is potentially unsafe to drink.

I participated in an online survey today from Six Flags regarding SFGAdv. Not surprisingly, it was all about Justice League

On the fourth day of the trip I started out the day visiting Elitch Gardens for 3 hours. I don't read much about this park and I was expecting and run down park with poor operations and devoid of big thrills. After my time there I was impressed with the aesthetics of the park, operations were better than average but the park does lack thrills. As many people know this is one of the few American parks within city limits and some people use that as an excuse. But I can't give a park a pass on that as I've seen quite a few European parks in cities embrace their limited space and better maximize it. One area I thought the park stood out is with food and drink. They were varied food offerings, especially in the food court. The park also caters to the beer drinker with season long refill discounts, variety of local brews and a nice area to congregate. The party deck had already gathered a decent sized crowd by 1PM. The front entrance The enclosed arcade and Main Street all look great so does the carousel Loved their breakdance and they ran a long cycle at a great speed I was clearly mistaken coming in with the impression that park wasn't upkept, everything looked great I took a few hours to get Half Pipe running. I thought it would be my favorite ride, but that hump that prevents small children from sliding under the restraint was not kind to my boys Twister II - It looks nice I can see the rapids from the top of Sidewinder Noted Panda Express's menu was bigger than their limited offerings at SFNE This would have been my lunch spot...if it was open But this food court offers a lot of variety My gun didn't quite work right Probably a good deal for the return visitor (Sorry I though a took a picture of all the beer offerings but I can't find it) Chad can rejoice, because they have Blue Moon. Others can rejoice because the Party Deck is for all beer drinkers. For those looking for something a bit stronger One last thing I really liked about the park was the abundance of these giant shade umbrellas along the walkways. I did not take a picture of this squirrel just to get in Elissa's good graces. I found his food choice interesting. He his eating an oreo

Phil - In Glenwood Springs there is a German restaurant that was recommended to me (Rosi's), but their opening hours were not convenient for me.

Well that answers my question!

Still at least two weeks away for Gale Force and three weeks away for the Miler.

Zippin Pippin (Bay Beach) Gold Striker (CGA) Lightning Rod (DW) White Lightning (Fun Spot) Goliath (SFGAm) Roar-o-saurus (Story Land) Switchback (ZDT) Kiddie Coaster (Rye Playland) Classic Coaster (Washington State Fair) I don't really count the last two

Now for some pictures from the train. The segment between Salt Lake City and Glenwood Springs occurs from 3AM - noon. Perfect timing as you can sleep at ease during the first 5 hours until the train nears the Rocky Mountains. The segment between between Glenwood Springs and Denver is the most scenic but also the most crowded (lots of people take two-three days trips from Denver to Glenwood Springs) so I was unable to sit in the scenic car with the glass roof. I'm not even going to put captions on the photos, some of the most beautiful shots never materialized because I would have a clear shot and suddenly trees would pop up in the view. The train runs along the Colorado River for a couple of hours. Many the the whitewater rafters moon or sun the train as it passes. a dam in the distance Boulder/Denver in the distance

The other day you were complaining about the park always being crowded in the summer as if this was a known fact and now you ask what days are slowest. I don't know what type of game you are playing but don't act like you are an authority on something when you know nothing. As far as the second part of your post, TPR doesn't give a SH!T about what gets posted on Trip Advisor!

^5 times the current price sounds like a better decision for Cedar Point based on supply and demand

I didn't check out the hot springs, I was only in town for 24 hours. If I had been in town longer I'd probably go rafting.

Everyone drop it and get back to talking about the park and not one person's post. His post and my response will remain so that people understand what is expected of visitors to TPR.

I was there on July 13th. Don't know why I quoted the wrong coaster as being the highest.

It is ok to be upset and disgruntled about a park, but your post come off as illogical, ignorant, unintelligent and semi-racist. 1) Many amusement parks have increased security as places where large gathering occur are becoming a target for terrorism. I wouldn't call it gun paranoia. It is a "better safe than sorry" policy as a business does have a right (some say an obligation) to protect it's clientele. 2) It sounds like you have an issue with a business that is attracting a demographic base that is unlike yourself. Is there a reason why you should be able to go to the park and those from the inner city should not be allowed? 3) Signs in Spanish and Swahili - have you really heard Swahili spoken in the park. What specific Swahili words have you heard spoken? I agree that if you don't like the clientele then don't go but these comments along with ones you have previously posted put you on the verge of being banned. Theme Park Review is about have fun and while negative comments are welcome your tone and temperament are not.

As usual great to hear your take on these parks

Thanks for the comments. As I mentioned in the first post I decided to take Amtrak between Salt Lake City and Denver. I had been thinking about this trip for a long time and although I love driving, I was not looking forward to the drive back and forth from Salt Lake City to Denver. I had considered a one-way rental and paying the extra drop off charge. But I had also read that the train ride provided great views of the scenery. Once Jere confirmed that he could pick me up at the Salt Lake City airport for the drive the Lagoon I committed to Amtrak. Amtrak also stops in Glenwood Springs, home of Glenwood Adventure Park conveniently breaking the train ride into almost equal segments. Amtrak's California Zephyr line "conveniently" leaves Salt Lake City at 3AM and pulls into Glenwood Springs at noon. There is a very small Amtrak station (a 40ft by 40ft building) that you would even know is there at night if you weren't looking for it, the entrance face the train tracks so you don't even see the building is lit from the street. The line is not that crowded between these two stops so it is easy to recline your seat practically flat and get a good sleep. Upon arriving in Glenwood Springs, I walked to my hotel and then to Glenwood Springs Adventure Park. The gondola to get to the park is about 1/2 mile from the train station. You can also buy an all day bus pass for $1, which allows you to ride all over the town (which is quite hilly). I really, really liked this park. The setting and the frequency you are suspended over the mountains make all the rides very thrilling. It was $50 for an all day pass that includes the gondola ($15 just to ride the gondola), two cave tours and unlimited rides. Not a bad deal if you love caves, which I do. However, it is best to get there early to do both cave tours without waiting in line, the cave tour line get longer as it gets hotter outside. Just walking around the park is a workout and pairing the hilly terrain with 7,800 feet above sea level, your lungs will burn if you try to walk at a really fast pace. I got quite a workout during my 24 hours in Glenwood Springs with all the walking I did. Before leaving town the following day I had some time to kill and walked around town and found the trail to Doc Holliday's grave. It was a 1/2 hike up an unpaved trail. I had to stop 3 times from being winded. On a treadmill, I can normally walk a 15 degree incline for 1/2 mile in about 7 minutes, but it took 25 minutes to walk up this trail. I don't blame it totally on the altitude, machines in the gym are nothing like real life. Enough babbling and on to the pictures. The park is up there Here's my car gondola the Iron Mountain Tramway Map of the park List of attractions They rotate a new 5 minute 4D movie every 15 minutes. Personally, I would love to see more park do this. I watched Monkey Madness and Winter Wipeout, good way to kill time in the heat. At 7,800 feet above sea level this is Wild West Express. I appreciate the enthusiasm of the ride operator, but I really didn't need 10 laps. Their mountain coaster was the first model built in the US and the first one I've been on the drops out of the station with a lift hill on the return. the most scenic version I've been on. Cliffhanger is a very good coaster, I thought it was a SDC Windstorm but it is a S&MC Hurricane, S&MC was a short lived offshoot of SDC. It is also billed as the highest full size coaster in North America From the back car you get crazy ejector airtime on the big twisted drop. Yes, better than Skull Mountain because you think you are going to be tossed over the side of the mountain as a sacrifice. This coaster used to be at Celebration City The Soaring Eagle Zip Line looked liked fun, but wasn't. If you don't like heights don't do the Glenwood Canyon Flyer. I was to lazy to wait for a pictures with the swings swinging out over the edge. But the Giant Canyon Swing is probably the scariest ride. It doesn't look say bad from away. But is quite impressive up close 4 or 5 good swings over the canyon and you have had enough Here is your view looking down from the ride platform Seeing this sign in town and having time to kill I decided to visit the grave. On the way to the cemetery head, I saw people growing corn in their front yard. I knew I would be walking uphill to the cemetery, but didn't realize it would be through a trail. The sign says a 1/2 moderately strenuous hike, I would take out the word moderately. A view down to town as I hike the trail OK, I made it. YAY! And then I read this and realize his body can be anywhere in the cemetery, they have no records where he is actually buried. Don't worry, unlike Glenwood Springs I will not mislead you in my Photo Trip Report. My next posting will only show the beauty of the train ride, no amusement parks.

On June 12th, I boarded a plane from Newark to Salt Lake City to visit the last of the major amusement parks in the United States. Lagoon, Lakeside and Elitch Gardens were the only US parks with at least 4 coasters that I had yet to visit. When I first starting traveling to amusement parks over ten years ago the two things I wanted to accomplish in the area of amusements park was to visit all the parks in the US and ride all the major coasters, especially the US woodies. I finally lowered the number of remaining wooden coasters in the US less than 10. I decided to fly into Salt Lake City for one day and take Amtrak to Denver, in order to lessen the driving time and to take in the views across the Rockies without accidentally driving off the road. On that first day seasoned coaster traveler Jere drove down from Wyoming and met me at the airport and we arrived at Lagoon shortly after opening. He was wise enough to pick up some discounted tickets from Costco to save us some coin. I was extremely impressed with Lagoon, definetely a Top 10 park in the US, and I can now say that confidently after visiting them all. Lagoon has a great one-two punch with Cannibal and Wicked. I'm not a huge fan of Schwarzkopf but really noticed and enjoyed the intensity of Colossus. The park has two old dark rides and an above average collection of flats. The park has nicely landscaped pathways and lots of trees. I thought the food variety/quality was better than adequate (even though they have Arby's in the park). Operations were good and the staff was friendly. The location is wonderful. I have heard some people call Lagoon the Knoebels of the West, but I wouldn't go that far. Part 1 - Lagoon (below) Part 2 - Glenwood Adventure Park Part 3 - Elitch Gardens Part 4 - Lakeside Amusement Park Part 5 - Amusement Park at Hertitage Square, Breckenridge, City Park in Pueblo I'll start with Cannibal, with I thought was a excellent coaster and possibly the best themed outdoor US coaster not found in Disney/Busch. I really enjoyed it and loved the restraints riding it 5-6 times Wicked was my next favorite coaster. Wonderful restraints, nice compact and full of action. I completely forgot it was a launched coaster which was an unexpected thrill to start the ride. Spider looked to have a lot of spinning potential, but the spinning didn't fully materialize. but it has an awesome entrance Colossus impressed me. Bombora is a fun family coaster The wooden coaster had one great pop of air, I probably would have ridden it more if I had been feeling better. The view of the surrounding area is beautiful Lots of coasters clustered together in that area of the park Jere told me you could snap the flyers and the ride operators would not say anything. He was right on one count. Jere said I had to ride the Wild Kingdom Train, it was the longest wait of the day and we got to see many animals in smallish looking enclosures. I'm pretty sure their living quarters are much bigger than the viewing area. I was expecting barnyard animals but they had big cats Nice rack! And one animal escaped from the train ride The entrance to Spider looks nice, but still not sure what the tie-in is between and Spider and the castle Second dark ride Had some pretty good BBQ in Pioneer Village, or at least the BBQ sauce was great. I wish I had taken more photos of Pioneer Village. This is the first US park were I have seen Beaver Tails, a Canadian fried dough chain. Although I loved these things, I could not eat one on this day. The park has a huge selection of pins. Yes I'm talking to you Chuck. Rock-o-Plane through the trees Wide walkways Nice landscaping This picture captures the charm of the park Dracula's Castle - old school dark ride I hope you enjoyed riding along during the first day of my trip.

The kiddie coaster at City Park in Pueblo. Yes, very whorish.

Does it need one at this time on a Sunday, I could see this making sense during busy times

I know the theater building serves other purposes right now, but if HITP continues to grow they can reopen with a new movie. I just saw a winter themed (non-license) movie at a small park.

Katun and iSpeed

Fixed