DerekRx

This is also my old free weekend (and did it feel good to do absolutely nothing!). The rest of the month I'm busy. May 7-8: Dorney/Hershey/Mother's Day May 14-15: Dollywood (not doing the Con) May 21-22: Wildwood or SFGAd (if KK is opened by then) May 28-30: New Hampshire coastering June 4-5: Cypress Gardens, IOA, BGT I can't wait until the winter returns so I can take a vacation!

Knoebels is one of those parks you can have a good time at no matter what the conditions. Rain, crowds, cold, hot, forest fires, locusts, meteor attacks; nothing phases Knoebels. So when the weather guys were calling for rain all weekend, I wasn't about to cancel my plans. Of course, I also don't really trust the forecasters, especially after my Carowinds trip a few weeks back. I think the meteorologists need to focus more on meteors and less on weather, they just can't get it right. I'd much rather call up Meteor Notes for the local weather predictions. "On to buisness..." Prepared for the worst, I got to Knoebels shortly before opening and made my way to the Handstamp booth where most of my group had already formed. We then headed right to the Flyers, where Todd was proud to be the first rider of the year, a title he deserved for his long drive up from Florida. Taking in the absense of Whirlwind (and its clunking noises) we made the best of the Flyers, which isn't hard to do considering how wonderful they are. John was running them, and was having a great time doing it. After a few rides to rearrange our spines, we remembered we were at Knoebels and not just at a Flying Skooter ride in the middle of nowhere, thus we checked out the rest of the park. Phoenix was running consistent as usual, though was a bit sluggish in the morning (its ok, its got a whole season to warm up) and did just fine by the late afternoon. After a few rides, we decided it was time for food. Cesari's Pizza, Rib BQs, Baked Potatoes, Tritaters, Perogies, birch beer, cheese on a stick, traveling tacos, sugar crisp waffles, caramel apple chips, ice cream, chicken fries, and regular fries were all consumed over the course of the weekend. We rode both trains, spiral slide, carousel, haunted house, had some hijinx on the motor boats, handslapping on the High Speed Thrill Coaster, and attempted to ride the new Flying Tigers, which our fat asses broke for a bit. Saturday was pretty much a great day, the weather was overcast, but it didn't start raining until the park was closed. Sunday the weather was cold (like PPP nipple hardening, major shrinkage, 40s!) but once again the rain held out for most of the day, with just a little sprinkle here and there for a few minutes. It could have been a bit warmer, but thats why they make coats, and it kept the crowds away! Knoebels is such a great place, easy to spend a full day or weekend at, (unlike some other family parks with some wood coasters) and no matter what the conditions, its not tough to have fun. I'm glad the park is opened again for the season (and its only an hour and a half away from me! ) Now, onto the pictures: The weather had other plans for the opening weekend event and sent Jesus back....as LIGHTNING!!! The group chills out at the North Pole once it opens Will Long shows why he doesn't yet have his license ACErs aren't very nautical Hand slappin' hi-jinx on the HSTC Little Conner Ulozas enjoys his first ride ever Also new was the Flying Tigers, which our fat asses easily broke shortly after this picture was taken New for '05 was Fandango. Sadly it wasn't opened, nor would it give me tickets for Star Wars Episode III With the North Pole closed, Sandborg decided to get a Proctology exam from Santa Without Whirlwind, only the Hi-striker keeps the Flyers company The Flyer Corps do their dance Todd is happy to be in line for the Flyers, and almost gets his name on the sign The main "gate"

The two that I rode (Robin Hoood and Loup Garou) were pleasantly surprising. Who knew that a bad steel coaster maker could make a good wood coaster. Works both ways though, as B&M makes good steel yet bad wood (trains). And then there is Intamin, good at all they do (except for Flashback). Its a shame more Vekoma wood weren't made.

Ok, so by early April living back here in Pennsylvania had gotten pretty boring, and I was needing a coaster ride (well, not really, but let's pretend I did). Seeing how Six Flags Great Adventure was the only thing opened this early in the season up here, I decided to take a weekend trip to Charlotte with fellow coaster A-lister, Tim Melago. I hadn't been to Carowinds in 3 years, him in the last 5, so we were both due. The weather for the weekend was calling for "mostly cloudy with highs near 60". As you will tell from the pictures, apparently in the Carolinas, clouds are invisible, and "near 60" means 75 degrees F. In short, it was a perfect Spring weekend. Onto the day.... We arrived at opening, and after using my free ticket from Eastcoaster, we were inside the park. First stop, Borg Assimilator. But it was closed, so we moved on to Reptar's whatever coaster. It had no wait, so we weren't waiting too long to have the crap beat out of us. Honestly, if I was a little kid and this was my first suspended coaster, I'd take up knitting instead. It delivered whacks to the head much like Mr. Miagi or David Carradine from Death Race 2000. After our eyes stopped bleeding, we noticed Borg had finally run with people so we swung by there for the credit. The wait was about 30 minutes, had boring theming, and poor loading procedures, but it was an ok ride. Had the wait been 15 minutes, I may have wanted to ride again. At least they installed a canopy in the brake run, and the home boys we rode with were entertaining. Afterwards we made our way around the park, riding pretty much everything. In short, Carowinds is one of the best Paramount Parks. Its clean, has friendly staff, a decent amount of rides and coasters, and yet still manages to have scenery and sections not too overthemed like PKD or PKI. Here's a rundown on everything else we did: Vortex: now just an average B&M. Line wasn't too long, still more intense than the newer B&Ms Hurler: still a great woodie, but the retracting seatbelts hinder it greatly. Airtime actually hurts now. Ricochet: Rico was running good, not as good as Hershey's mouse though. Still brake-free on the top. Chet was just average. Carolina Cyclone: Its a fairly ok Arrow. Its got pain, but what Arrow doesn't (thank you very much Ron Toomer) ThunderRoad: Forward was more sluggish than backward. The crew on this ride was dismal. Flying Super Saturator: didn't ride for fear of making some kid's cast wet and ruining his whole life. The same water effects were on as my last visit 3 years ago. Later in the day all water effects were on for spectators, none for the riders. Drop Zone: We went up really really high (like 100 feet) and then we dropped (like 100 feet). None of Elissa's people were on the ride, so no one fell out. We were happy. Goldrusher: Not as much fun as before. The lack of "the train is leaving the station" playing every 4 seconds, plus Borg there instead of scenic lagoon makes the ride more blah. Still one of the less awful transitioning Arrows. All it needs is the new trains and all is well again. Fairly Odd Coaster: (Formerly Scooby Doo's Ghoster Coaster). Its a wooden kiddie coaster. It was thrilling (if I was a kiddie). Top Gun: Still the best ride in the park. Its B&M, its got forces, a cool layout, and a Vertical loop. Derek was a happy camper. (and I didn't even do any camping!) Now for some pictures (because, after all, you've read this much hoping for pictures and everyone likes pictures better than words (at least Robb does): Here's the entrance. Notice the super evil clouds disguised as blue sky and sun. The "Borgball" is pretty large. No Borg were home when we visited though. They must have all been at Heritage USA. Here's Borg from the Sky Tower. Isn't it just so.....Vekoma?! Tim does his Borg dance hoping to get the trains to cycle faster. Tim lost weight, but the trains didn't cycle any faster. New for '05 was PKI's old flying scooters Haha, PKI fans can't do this anymore. Go ride Beast instead Also new this year was Scooby Doo selling his coaster to the Fairly Odd Parents (is this a new credit for Jeff Johnson?) Cool guys in leather know where to eat Yup, they know the way, oooh look a coaster too. Tim's girlfriend was really hot once, but she said something bad about Pitt sports, and Tim had to put her in her place. Now she has no face. Sharktums' relative didn't have such a good day at Carowinds A trainful of riders enjoy Top Gun Derek's obligatory vertical loop photo Top Gun is still the parks signature ride Even though its got lots of rides, Carowinds still has room for scenery

Nice pics and congrats on the upcoming move to Orlando. Just remember, you're there to visit the parks, not to study! I like how they have a giant Figment now, but I still prefer the old Dreamfinder with the mini-Figment. Poor Dreamfinder, guess he was asked to leave because he refused to shave his beard. Derek- Figment is my favorite Disney character, followed by evil Mickey

My rankings and grades: Millennium Force- A Raptor- A Wicked Twister- A- Top Thrill Dragster- B+ Disaster Transport- B Magnum XL-200- C+ Gemini- C+ (when it runs both sides racing) Cedar Creek Mine Ride- C Blue Streak- C Iron Dragon- C Wildcat- C- Woodstock Express- D+ Mantis- D Mean Streak- D Corkscrew- D Jr. Gemini- D Derek- its worth a trip every 4 years or so (which is usually when a new coaster is put in)

Great idea. Should be pretty cool when its fully functional. Though there are lots of factors that will influence it, such as newness of the ride, ride hype, location, weather, ride maker, capacity, etc. I'll try to do my part to help make it a success, but I warn you, much like Elissa, if I don't need the credit, I won't wait more than 10 minutes, usually. Derek -SFMM Deja Vu wait time: 4 years and counting

You'll save a good deal if you get the annual pass (even if its just for you and not the whole family). However, keep in mind that a lot of the Disney deals don't happen until closer to the actual time of the trip, usually by season. For example, your trip in October will probably have the hotel deals posted right after Labor Day. The deals are best for places like Boardwalk, Animal Kingdom Lodge, or Wilderness Lodge, but rarely at Polynesian or Grand Floridian. Just because there is a scheduled launch for October 28, doesn't mean its necessarily going to happen. Rain, wind, some random former Six Flags employee who did the wiring for the shuttle screwed up, etc all can scrub the launch. You can take your chances by planning a trip there that day, but don't be disappointed if the launch doesn't happen until like 4 days later. You can usually see the launch from Orlando if you know where to look. I used to live about 100 miles north of Orlando, and I could see the launches, though they aren't as impressive as they are close up. If you go and the launch is cancelled, just go back to Disney and hang out at Mission: Space. Derek-also going to Orlando in mid-October

Happy Birthday! Your pharmacist recommends zzzzzz's and Zithromax. Get better, and find a new doctor that will actually do something about those nice white puss-filled vessels. I still think its Knott's fault....

That particular segment just goes to show what happens when a school trip to Epcot (or anywhere else for that matter) occurs. Its just a bunch of teenagers trying not to be bored. For everyone here over the age of 20, I'm sure we can think back to what it was like to be a teenager. Maybe we didn't all act like that, but I'm sure we can all remember one kid or group of kids who did that when we were that age. While I personally would not do some of the things they did, lets face it, they did it, they filmed it, they submitted it, and it was pretty funny. No use in crying about something that already happened. And for those people who saw it and want to try to match or beat it in upcoming video contests, Robb and Elissa will be there to determine what is ok and what gets rejected. They're two sensible people, and they know the limits to take something before its "too much" (contrary to what some ACE members may think). It was smart of you to watch the DVDs before allowing your children to watch it. A lot of parents these days would have received the DVD in the mail, stuck the kid down in front of it, and walked away. Then they'd have come back, seen behavior they didn't approve of, and blame R&E for raising their children wrong. Stupid American parents these days. All clear....Dispatch, enjoy your ride, Derek "not a parent, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express" Ruth

Fun is something Robb and Elissa can generate anywhere, anytime. (Just look at how much fun Chopsticks can be in the Universal update). Its not so much that Knott's is a bad park, or craptacular......but its on its way there. Its trying to become something it was never intended to be, a major thrill park, the Cedar Point of the West. With each visit I've had (usually 1 or 2 visits a year, but hey, I live on the East Coast) the park has gotten less and less memorable. The removal of classic rides, laziness of ride operators, overall poor operations, obnoxious color schemes, and now the god awful barkers on Silver Ballet, shows how Knott's is deteriorating to a level you'd expect of a Six Flags. When you go to a park to have a good time and are just frustrated to the point that you'd rather just leave and head elsewhere, its hard to like the place. Now when its a place that you know can be amazing because you'd gone there for years and always had fun, its even worse. There was a time in the 1990's that you'd be at Magic Mountain and wish you were at Knott's. Nowadays the opposite happens, and the saddest part of all is that Magic Mountain hasn't gotten much better at all. On my visit to Knott's, I was anticipating staying there for around 3 to 4 hours, ride Bullet, enjoy the other coasters and rides I hadn't yet a couple of times, get some lunch, etc. I was there for about 2 hours before I was ready to go to Disney. 1 train on everything, slow operations on Montezooma, Ghostrider, Riptide; closed Xcelerator; repaving issues; and those annoying mics on Bullet just made me feel really down and ready to get out of there. It would have been nice to ride it a few more times, but the 1 train, the forcelessness, and the ride ops gave me enough of an experience to generate my opinions of the ride. Fortunately there are plenty of other places nearby to escape to. Now had I actually had to pay to get in the park, I'd be even more upset. We're not stuck up or snobbish or anything, its just that we know how good the park can be because we've experienced it years ago and we want that back again. We shouldn't have to put blinders on or TRY to have fun, it should come naturally.

Of all the parks I've visited, my top ten parks would look like this (based on themes, layout, ride quality, employees, food, time I could spend there before getting bored, nostalgia, and just overall park experience): 1. Europa Park 2. Blackpool Pleasure Beach 3. Islands of Adventure 4. Knoebels 5. Disneyland Paris 6. Busch Gardens Tampa 7. Heide Park 8. Six Flags Great America 9. Busch Gardens Williamsburg 10. Six Flags Over Texas

Thanks for the TR, Robb. Now I'm really looking forward to going out there. 90 minutes may be more than I can handle. Luckily I won't be paying a cent to get in there, and can look forward to going to DLR sooner!

The parks I think are overrated are: 1. Efteling. Its big, its gardeny, its so amazing. Um, no. Its big, yes, too big. By the time you end up where you wanted to go, you forget what exactly you were looking for. The food was average, they had no maps on the paths, and even the animals were angry. The coasters are average at best, there's a lot of opened spaces with mud and crap. Oh yeah, and Spookslut, which is not a haunted house! 2. PKI. This park blows big time. The coasters are mediocre, there aren't queues for rides, its always crowded, and it takes about 1 minute after getting out of the car to want to get back into the car and drive somewhere else. 3. Holiday World. It should be renamed "Splashing Safari & 30 minutes worth of rides" If not for the 2 wood coasters, would anyone ever go there? And even after going, you're pretty much done and bored in no time.

I've been stuck on many coasters, though the most memorabe experience was being stuck on Hulk's final brake run in the back seat with another train going through the course. We weren't sure if it was gonna stop in the 3/4 course brake or not! (Thankfully it did.) Once I was "stuck" riding a coaster with 2 friends for a tv shoot where there was a giant evil bird of doom building a nest at the top of Alpengeist's lift. Birdy left a nice giant stick in between the boxbeam and the rail and our train snapped it like a twig, with shards of splintered wood flying everywhere. We were told coming into the station to "act natural and ignore the stick next time around." The only time I've been walked off a ride though was on Villain. Most traumatic shutdown though was being stuck on WDWs Small World back when I was 8. I think we were on there for like 30 minutes or so, with the music on the whole time!

I'm 25 right now. My first coaster ride was back in 1984 when I was 3. It was the Flitzer on Morey's Pier, rode it with my grandmother. Traumatized me for years. I wouldn't step foot on another coaster until Big Thunder Mountain at WDW in 1988. First looping coaster was Sidewinder at Hersheypark in 1991, followed by my first wooden coaster, Comet at Hersheypark. Ah the memories....

I think the most consecutive rides I've gotten was 15 on Cheetah at Wild Adventures back on an ACE day a couple of years ago. It was dark, like 20 degrees, and I was the only one smart enough to bring a ski cap and gloves. I just sat on the front seat pretty much the entire ERT. The most rides in one day would be Medusa at SFGAd, with about 30 rides raked in on its media day back in 1999. Would have been more, but once again, it was freezing (this was the event that made me prepare for the worst always). Also, that was the day they invited some frat boys who partied too much the night before. The stench of beer and baklava was abundant after one lost his load in row 4, spraying everyone in 5 thru 8. That closed the ride down for about 25 minutes. Medusa also gets the nod for most rides in a season, with 257 back in 1999. This was back before I could afford to go ride Kumba whenever I wanted. Most rides total would probably be Steel Force at Dorney Park. Not sure how many rides I've taken, but I believe its well over 400. Nowadays I ride stuff until a 5 minute wait forms, then I leave.

Yeah, Wayne's World was dated, and pretty much everyone knows about Happy Days. I just hope they break out the X-Treme Action Zone Motorcycle Stunt Spectacular with the Fonz jumping over stuff. Hehe, that'd be cool, daddio. Wonder if you'll see Arnold, Chachi, and Potsie there too.

Looks like a pretty sweet little idea. I doubt these things will have the "spark" that X does. Wish I could find a way out there to ride it. Hopefully it won't take long for a U.S. park to get one of these. Maybe SFGAd or CP will get them at discount after the problems with the rocket coasters.

That waterpark certainly needs some new rides. Now I'm really sad that I didn't get a season pass to SFA for Valentines Day. Glad to see though that this waterpark and SFDLs are finally getting some much deserved attention; though it does affect my market up here in Derek's Garden Hose Kingdom North. Derek "Still like the Toilet Bowl ride the best!" Ruth

I voted for WDW. However, I will say that I do like the smallness of Disneyland. A majority of the rides there seem to be better quality (the castle is NOT one of them!). Indy is 1000X better than Dinosaur, Pirates I like better in Cali, Haunted Mansion, Toontown, etc, plus they have Cali Screamin. But there is so much more to do at WDW. Its not really fair to compare them. Breaking it apart into Magic Kingdoms is one way to do it, and if that's the case, the winner to me is DLP (of the 3 I've been to). I like Disneyland just because I'm getting lazy, and even on vacation, I don't feel like walking too far, which you have to do if you want to do all of the same rides that WDW has. I like the separation of WDW, the selection of other things to do, the friendliness, and the ability do always have something to do, even if one park is crowded. A wide variety of food places, hotels, and the whole general aspect of being a vacation resort more so than the overall "ghetto"ness of DLR is more visually pleasing. I also like WDW because I can fly there and it won't screw up my day like a flight to California does. Oh yeah, plus I lived nearby for 4 years. In fact, I'd be going to WDW soon, if not for evil cheerleaders. Derek "Florida-biased" Ruth

Bet they'll drop the Mr. Six portion of the coaster name by 2007. Either the character will be totally played out by then and we'll just have Pandemonium, or Six Flags will once again be selling off some properties to Cedar Fair, in which case we'll get Wicked Twister. Please, Jebus, please, don't let them be playing that Venga Boys song in the queue at all times!

Steel: 1. Expedition GeForce- Holiday Park 2. Superman: Ride of Steel- SFNE 3. Kumba- BGT 4. Dueling Dragons- IOA 5. Nemesis- Alton Towers Wood: 1. Phoenix- Knoebels 2. Georgia Cyclone- SFOG 3. Colossos- Heide Park 4. Grand National- Blackpool 5. Rampage- Visionland

I guess my homepark is Dorney Park, at around 30 minutes. I've also got Dutch Wonderland about 30 minutes away too though (in the other direction). No sense in going there though. Also nearby: Knoebels, Great Adventure, Hersheypark- 1:30 Its not the 5 minute drive to IOA that it used to be, but its good to be home.

March- SoCal; SFGAd opening weekend April- BGW/PKD; Knoebels opener May- Dorney opener Summer- weekend trips to everyplace (except Kings Island) October- Floridia (assuming hurricanes don't attack again) November- California Figure about 37 trips to Great Adventure before King of KaKa actually operates, much better odds than a Deja Vu though