Jcoaster

Saturday, we woke up early and hightailed out of Williamsburg up the road to Doswell, Virginia to arrive around opening at King's Dominion. I looked forward to my visit here since the last time I was at King's was the year that Dominator arrived. Knowing that it was a Saturday and keeping that fact in mind, Nick and I had pre-purchased the "plus" version of the parks flash pass. Upon entering the gates we obtained the wristbands and were on our way. Intimidator 305 3x: First stop of the day...I was stoked to be riding my first giga coaster and I can say whole heartedly that it did not disappoint. It was truly a crazy experience. Our first ride was in the front row and it blew me away. By far the most intense ride I have ever ridden. After the first spin we wanted more and hopped on in the back row. I grayed out hard on the first turn...Absolutely magical. I still rank it behind Lightening Rod, Skyrush and El Toro because although more intense than those rides, Im not able to fit as many rides in due to the intensity. Flight of Fear 1x: Really fun ride, air conditioning was a major plus , getting us out of the Virginia heat for a few minutes. Anaconda 1x: The main thing to remember about Anaconda is that LochNess Monster is a short drive down the road. Avalanche 1x: More fun than I remember it being. Flash Pass made riding this thing possible. Thank you flash pass gods. Twisted Timbers 3x: This is a really, really, really, really good ride. It does not let up from start to finish, airtime all around and great theming. King's Dominion really nailed it with the theming, it was a pleasant surprise. The train's look awesome, the green train being one of my favorites on any rollercoaster. We were able to sneak one night ride in and it was batshit crazy. Get down there and ride it. Grizzly 2x: I really like Grizzly. It is by no means going to blow you away. It doesn't have the steepest drop or is the fastest, but in the back row there are some really nice moments of air. I'm also a fan of it being secluded in the woods. Our second ride was at night so it was even better that time around. Shenandoah Lumber Company 1x: Nice setting in the woods, besides that it was your standard log flume. Dominator 2x: Dominator gets the edge over Bizarro as my favorite Floorless coaster. It doesn't kill you with inversions, has great speed and even some good air off the MCBR. All around a very solid coaster. Rebel Yell 2x: Its okay, kind of just blah to me. The racing aspect makes it more fun than the ride actually is though. Backlot Stunt Coaster 1x: Another coaster I'm a fan off. Same idea as Grizzly..Just a overall fun ride. It was another great day of riding. Due to the extreme heat we actually left the park around 2, hit up Sheetz, checked into the hotel grabbed some AC and went back to the park around 6. Before leaving though I came across a little craft beer that sold "King's Brew Lager" from Center of the Universe Brewery. It was a tasty little beer and the cans are really awesome. More updates coming soon! Dominator's gigantic first loop with some of my finger tips (always good for one of those a report). The insane overbooked first turn. Shenandoah was really nice, not as nice as the national park, but you get it. Dominator does actually Dominate the entrance of the park. No false advertisement here. This is all you're going to get from Grizzly, sorry people. The Mini Cooper Experience. I'm a sucker for an Arrow coaster..Good, bad or anything in-between . First up, Face Melter 305. It is about this point on the ride where you start to have visions of Jesus. This is the "Save me Jebus" point. What type of messed up Apple Orchard is this? The trains are really awesome. More beer because there is never enough. Look at those cans. Great job Center of the Universe! One more shot of this monster. King's Dominion has one of my favorite entrance plaza's. (Flames emoji) Theming!!!! This coaster just doesn't give an impressive ride, it looks impressive. Hats off to King's Dominion. I don't know this ride. I know Rebel Yell however. Artsy (Also always good for one of those a report). But Jesus can't save you now. You belong to Dale Earnhardt. I’ll end this report with the so-so turkey leg I waited way too long for.

Busch Gardens Continued: Food and Wine Festival. Our second day at Busch Garden's Williamsburg started with Cracker Barrel and arriving to the park a little after opening. It was a Friday so we were expecting some crowds. Too our delight, the crowds were light again. Besides waiting 10 minutes to pay for parking, we really didn't wait much the rest of the day and that is a beautiful thing. This was my second time at Busch's Food and Wine Festival, the last one I attended was in 2015 and as always it is am awesome event. The Churrasco at the Brazil booth was glorious and so was the Spanakopita at the Mediterranean booth. However the Virginia booth took the day with their Bacon Cheddar Hush Puppies and Bacon, Maple Pecan candy bars. Other than those two Nick and I hit up Korea, Japan and Cuba amongst others. We ended up stopping at the Craft Beerhaus again and Lagunita's had a guest speaker there and they handed out free samples which is always a plus. I also partook in the 40 cent beer special. It was kinda lame though since they were 7 oz's and you couldn't buy two at once! It was Rolling Rock but I didn't mind, it is a solid beer. As for the rides we hit up Verboten which is always a great time, it really is a worthy replacement for the Big Bad Wolf. Since it was about 100 degrees we took a spin on Roman Rapids and Pompeii which both soaked us. I don't remember Roman Rapid's getting you that drenched. Have they added anything too it the past few years? Battle for Eire was fine, I just really hope this isn't the future of rides. We also took some time during the day to cool down by riding the skyway and the train. Anyhow, it was a great trip to Busch as per usual and I'm already looking forward to my next trip back. I'm away the rest of this week so the King's Dominion portion will be up sometime next week. Stay tuned. There is a wolf back there somewhere. We decided to go on Invadr before the family crowd "invaded" it (Pun intended) Views of Invadr are also at a premium on the train. Okay guys it is open now, I swear. When we landed from the skyway it was a short distance from Italy and Pompeii. The Spanakopita was also conveniently located over here as well. I'm a fan of Pompeii I must admit. You could tell by 10:30 am it was going to be a hot one. After some nice airtime on Invadr it was time for the first booth of the day. Churrasco...Sign me up! Such a massive coaster. Right after the train it was time for the skyway. Fantastic views of Alpie on this, it is such a photogenic ride. Good Morning Apollo's Chariot Since Caribou station was next door Nick and I figured why not. The train provides great views of the park including the Old Drachen Fire area. Here is the Korea stand. This is ribs with a sesame coleslaw. It hit the spot after Roman Rapids and a couple of rides on Apollo's Chariot. Day 2, bring it on. First up was the new hotness. It was fine, definitely a step up from Europe in the Air. I miss Darkcastle. Pompeii was actually experiencing downtime as soon as we got on the queue so we double dipped booths and hit up Japan. Here is some sake and Gyoza. We started the coaster riding for the day with a lap on the half Lion, half Eagle. The massive Vertical loop. There is a train now as well as a piece of my fingertip. Maple, Bacon and Pecan Candy Bars. If you don't believe in a higher power after this you will. The the theming for Verbolten. Ended the day with salted caramel gelato, the Italian I am couldn't resist. Virginia was after the wolves. No coincidence the best booth of the day was from the hometown. The show hasn't changed in years. It could use some new flare. Perhaps train them to talk? If you drink a enough beers they already do that too. Nick and I wanted to catch the Wolves at 5 pm so we headed over there a little early so we could try the Hawaiian booth. This was a Pinehople beer from Evolution Brewery along a spam, pineapple slider with sriracha and citrus coleslaw. Definitely a must try. We looped back around the park once we were done eating from Virginia so we could at least burn a few calories. This is what glory looks like people. This was a delicious Pils from Hardywood Park. This craft beerhaus was one of the best things they've ever done. Lagunita's samples!

You’ll be done with Dorney in about 90 minutes

^ That is a fair assessment of Alpinegeist. Sometimes I look at it from the point of view of someone that has ridden it 50+ times.

A screamin swing in Ireland would be a perfect fit, I’m on board with that. As for project Madrid, who said it is happening for 2020 as well as being a new coaster on top of that? If it is a new hamlet I wouldn’t expect it to be ready until 2021-2022 the earliest.

And it would bring them back to three inverts after having lost Stinger. Is there any park with more inverts? Dorney Park: Invert Capital of the World.

Okay so this past weekend Nick and I woke ourselves up at the crack of dawn (4:30 am to be exact) and drove down to Virginia for the weekend. Now this wasn't on a whim, we had planned this trip for months so all the things like hotels, tickets, etc were taken care of. Around 7 am we crossed the Maryland state line and that meant one thing and one thing only...Waffle house. After we gorged ourselves on All-Star Specials we made one stop the rest of the way for the bathroom and that was it. We made excellent time arriving at the Best Western Colonial Williamsburg around 12:45 pm. Shortly after checking in we were on our way to beloved Busch Garden's Williamsburg. Now, Busch Gardens Williamsburg is my favorite park in the entire world. Something about it being Epcot with coasters really does it for me. This was Nick's first trip and he has heard me talk it up many times since we became friends so it was time for him to see what the fuss was all about. After entering the gates we glided across Banbury Crossing and made our way to Scotland to ride the legendary Loch Ness Monster: Loch Ness Monster 3x: 40 years and this ride still delivers. It is amazing how well an Arrow can still ride when a park actually maintains it and takes care of it. I love the strobe lights and sound effects the park added for the anniversary celebration as well. The first drop still provides great air as well. All around a great ride. After riding Nessie it was time for my first beer of the day and what better way to start that off than with an original Budweiser? Once grabbing some refreshments we checked out the sheep and Cyldesdale's as tradition tells us too. Nick and I then traveled across the bridges passing the Interlocking loops and headed towards New France. There we took a spin on Invadr and Le Scoot as well as grabbed some lunch at Trapper's after. I got the brisket and while it was good, the portions were a little smaller than I remember: Invadr 3x: It is a fun little wooden coaster with a good first drop and some moments of air. It rides better in the front, but overall it is a nice family addition to the park. Le Scoot 1x: Classic Flume, everyone knows that. It is weird now having it surrounded by trees anymore however. Once lunch was over we crossed into Germany to get a spin on a massive, legendary B&M Invert and the Mach Tower: Alpingeist 4x: What can I say that hasn't already been said about this ride? It is balls to the walls insane and a ton of fun. By far my second favorite invert behind its sister coaster at Busch Garden's Tampa. Also I'll never understand about Alpie being rough, I got no head banging the two day's I was at BGW. Mach Tower 1x: This thing scares the hell out of me (as do all drop towers) but the placement of this tower on the hill overlooking the park gives it the illusion of being much higher. Really fun drop though, if it is open it is a must ride. Once we got off these two rides we headed over to the craft beer house for some AC to recharge. This was the first time I've been to the park since the room had been built and I will say it is a lovely addition. Who doesn't like grabbing a beer and chilling in the AC to escape the Virginia humidity for a little while? The AC of the beer house gave us the energy to make our next stop in San Marino and Festa Italia to take on Apollo's Chariot and Tempesto. Before I talk about those though I would like to talk about Marco Polo's which is a fantastic addition as well since the last time I've been to BGW. I got the lamb and although it was a little too cooked for my preference it was still delicious as well as its sides of roasted potato's and zucchini. Apollo's Chariot 6x: It isn't the tallest or fastest ride but I will say this, Apollo's Chariot is definitely one of the most fun, re-ridable coasters out there. This thing provides sick floater air and even some ejector in the back row. Definitely still my favorite coaster in the park. Tempesto 1x: The OSTR's make me rank it below Phobia, but still a fun ride nonetheless. So to close out the day we went over to France and rode Griffin and grabbed some ice cream (Not a bad way to end the day). As with the rest of the trip there was no lines which was awesome: Griffin 4x: Im a fan of the B&M Dive Machine's. They aren't the most intense but the first drop's are worth the ride itself and it is just a very unique experience. Overall it was an amazing first day at Busch Gardens. Enjoy this portion of the report as our second day here will be up very soon. Iconic Couple of guys eating hay, nothing crazy. Some Theming for ya'll It was pretty cool. Happy Birthday Nessie you beautiful beast. All Star Special is as American as Apple Pie. The fountain that greets you at the gate. The 40th anniversary train's for Nessie are pretty cool. I was excited for my first ride on Invadr I have to say Trapper's was good but I remember it being better. Banbury Crossing, I know it is the main street but it would be cool to see them add a ride here at some point. Alpie is truly massive. Hey there buddy. I've seen you on tv. Waho B*itches This view has changed mightily over the past few years. The original German hamlet may be my favorite area in the park. Ice Cold Refreshment. This logo means you're about to have a great time. This shot is taken a lot but you'll have to sit through another one cause I love it. All hail Apollo! I want this over the entrance of my house. Artsy Ending this part of the report with ice cream because who doesn't like it? Tempest the Pasta Coaster Ended the day with a spin on this monster. Un Das Heist! The Lamb was a little well done but still delicious. The Mandatory shot...God this park is pretty. Brauhaus! I got my self a Free Verse IPA from the Virginia Beer Company. The amazing finale. I did however wash it down with a nice cider. Le Scoot......Through the trees! Mach Tower, crap your pants fun!

Okay so here is a bonus trip for ya'll. Don't say I've never done anything for you. Saturday I was sitting around on my butt not doing anything due to the fact I was a little shot from the night before (Teachers like to have fun on the last Friday of the school year) so I decided to take a jaunt on down to Coney Island for a couple of hours. It sure is nice having the Cyclone only 15 minutes from your house. The park was mostly dead due to it being a unusually chilly night for June. It made for the perfect quick trip as we were in and out of there in about an hour and a half. First off, the light packages at Coney are phenomenal. I always love making a night visit here just because the atmosphere in the park and on the boardwalk are classic American Summer. Before I get to the rides I am also proud to say we made a stop at Roll N' Roaster on the way home. For those of you who don't know, Roll N' Roaster is an old school Brooklyn establishment that hasn't changed a damn bit since it was built in the early 70's. They serve up traditional American classics with their signature being the Roast Beef Sandwich with cheese. Lets get on to the rides shall we? ThunderBolt 1x: I know this ride gets a lot of hate but I will defend it because it offers a crazy intense ride. Once you know how to ride it (especially during the transitions) it offers a very good ride. The layout is superb. I just wish the ride ops would take it easy with the restraints since they pushed them down so hard it crushed the circulation to my legs. Drop Tower 1x: OKAY so, I have to say that I am mildly disappointed with this Zamperla Drop tower. The ride has an extremely long cycle and offers amazing views but there is zero intensity. It is a hybrid there are a view launched drops that provide some zero-g's but as far as one long drop there is none to be had. The ride looks like it could be terrifying but don't judge the book by its cover. Cyclone 3x: The legend never dies, Cyclone never ceases to amaze me. It is often replicated but never duplicated this ride still hauls ass at its age. We got to ride in the very front and we were getting absolutely TOSSED. Amazing airtime and amazing laterals, another timeless performance from ole reliable. Steeplechase 1x: The launch is great as well as the first turn. After that you meander around bit for what is a waste of 7 dollars. Overall, I hope you guys enjoyed this bonus trip, they don't come around that often so don't blink or you might miss it. The old parachute ride with a light package on it. Another classic, I love the way the Wonder Wheel looks at night. A must visit when you're in the area! Don't go into the light! Signage. Now if they could just lower the price from 10 dollars to 8 dollars to ride. I love the look of the old school stations. Whether it be here, Hershey or Kennywood. There is just something about them. Coney has some really great light packages on their rides as you will see. Dope street art by the local hipsters. The drop tower looked like it would be terrifying but it actually was kinda soothing. It needs no introduction. I'm a fan of the Thunderbolt, fight me if you have a problem. Another ride here that just looks natural in the night time hours.

Get there as soon as you can. It really is a one of a kind place. Its trapped in time in the most lovely way possible.

Gather round ladies and gentlemen, it's that time of year again. I've decided since I will be visiting many parks this summer (Busch Gardens Williamsburg, Kings Dominion and Disney World to name a few) I will just post the trip reports right here to make it easy for everyone. First off let me start by saying...Is there a better park to start a trip report off than freakin Knoebels? This place is just pure bliss, cheap fun rides, delicious cheap food and free parking? Sign. Me. UP. I first came to Knoebels four years ago and have made a point to come back every year since. This past Friday I was off along with Nick so I met up with him at his house and off we went gallivanting westward towards an eventful day. Lets get on to the rides now shall we? Phoenix 4x: As soon as we parked and purchased our tickets we made a B-line to the legendary Phoenix. Let me tell you all something, the airtime buffet was open for business today. I've never had an average ride of Phoenix let alone a bad one but on this day I had the best rides I've ever gotten on this beast. Seriously, I think it contends with any wooden coaster on the planet when it comes to airtime. It gives El Toro a serious run for its money. The return run is filled with some of the most insane air I've ever gotten on a coaster. After a quick spin on Phoenix we decided to just dive in to the awesome foods Knoebel's has to offer. I did not eat until I was full on this day, I ate until I hated myself. We started off at backyard BBQ where I got the always tasty Pork Chop on a Stick and roasted corn doused in Garlic Butter 10/10 would eat again. Log Flume 1x: After the chops and corn we went to take a spin on the Log Flume. Yea....Its a flume and a fun one. I usually find all flumes fun but Knoebel's flume has a really fun drop. Does anyone know what company built this ride? Just curious. After the Flume we went to surprise......Phoenix. After our second lap we headed over to the International Food Court where I partook in some eating in the form of a Bison Burger and Gator Bites. I will admit after both these I started to feel a little stuffed around the gullet. Before we went to hit some more rides we paid our respects to the American Eagles in the back of the park. Haunted House 1x: Okay wow, this thing. Im not one to be nervous in Haunted Houses but what the hell man, literally everything on this ride is a jump scare. Pitch Black and filled with jump scares. I was white knuckling and humbled upon exiting this ride. I tip my hat to you Dick Knoebels. From the haunted house we walked around an area of the park I never really took the time out to appreciate. This was the wood shop and blacksmith. It is very cool that they have some nice items for you to purchase if you must. Reminded me of Dollywood a lot. We made our way over to the chairlift to digest a bit before we headed over to Impulse. Impulse 2x: I love this ride. It is not stop intensity from start to finish. A vertical drop with great air straight into a cobra roll is nothing to sneeze at. The layout is quick but intense and fun. They really hit a home run with this ride. I can't believe it's in its fourth season already. Twister 3x: Twister is nothing but pure fun. It has some of the best laterals on any ride I've ever been on. I enjoy the front seat on this coaster, it really enhances the feeling of speed. When Im tearing when we hit the breaks I know it did its job. Stratosphere 1x: Larson Arms are evil. I am genuinely scared of them but I keep going back for more. It is the equivalent of an abusive relationship. The drop is ridiculously intense since it never really stops at the top to allow you to ponder what is going to happen. The momentum gives you crazy air. Also I hate the restraints they give me the hibijee-bees. Nothing to hold on too so you kind of just have to death grip it. Yikes. The highlight of the day was riding the train with Basset Hounds. You heard me right...Basset Hounds. I love that Knoebels is so dog friendly, they deserve to have fun if they're there too. Knoebels is for everyone...Man, Women, Children and Beast. After the train we made haste over to the perogies and my God are they magical. Butter and Onion....Nice and simple but so damn tasty. I wanted to hit Sheetz on the way back to grab food because I have no self control so we decided to hit Phoenix and Impulse one more time as well as Flying Turns. Flying Turns: It really is amazing that Knoebels constructed this thing. Kudos for them because that is no small feat. It is a super fun ride, I just wish it was a bit longer. Overall it was just another amazing day at Knoebels..Nothing new. If you haven't been get out there it is always worth it. Next up in a couple of weeks is Busch Gardens Williamsburg...Stay tuned! We have arrived and my lord is it as beautiful as always. Always Quaint, Always Fun. They should make that their slogan. If I could only ride one coaster ever again for the rest of my life it may be Phoenix. Chops on a stick. I housed this corn Im not gonna lie. It wasn't a pretty sight. Let Freedom Reign!!!! I really liked this bench. For 250 dollars it is a beautiful piece of craftsmanship. Blacksmith More Pennsylvania shenanigans. I wonder what Louisville Slugger thinks of this? Pure Terror. Gator Bites. Best way to describe is a cross over between fish and chicken. Had to work in some Buffalo meat to pair with the Gator. We played this shooting gallery game. It was okay but whatever it only cost a buck. All this really did remind me of Dollywood. Impulse really hauls. it is a great part of the park's lineup. The Ride is Twisty. This electronic organ things are cool but also really creepy. If you want to see a grown man weep watch me ride one of these. The Lateral Monster. It really is a massive ride. Take me to Carb heaven baby! There was no turning back after what we ate at Knoebels so of course we had to make a stop at Sheetz. Sorry Wawa people, I prefer Sheetz.

Looks like Twister over at the Boardwalk day’s are numbered.

I like the family invert idea of Dollywood. Having it be a terrain coaster would really be awesome. My dream would be a terrain B&M Invert.

Great report dude, that was one of the best I’ve read in awhile.

Tempesto was a blast when at BGW last year. The world needs more of these. They should buy four and put one in at San Antonio too. I could totally see it happening. It makes sense if the rest of the parks have them (Besides SWO). No complaints here, they're like the Batman clones to me, the more, the better.

I love this idea for Dollywood. It provides ample amount of ideas for new rides.

I think the Skyrocket is the reasonable choice for BGT if they decide to RMC Gwazi or put a custom design coaster in its place. The Skyrocket is a cheap and effective coaster add while giving management the time to invest in something larger in the next few years

Oh, no doubt. I agree that it's the right decision. Just saying that the engineering and build quality of Steel Phantom wasn't the best. Toss in the traditional Arrow restraints and it's a recipe for a headbanging mess. Imagine Steel Phantom redone using Intamin style track with restraints similar to Intimidator 305. I think it would be a winner. Steel Phantom is perfect as is. Crazy positive g’s in the first half with extreme ejector air in the second. The uniqueness of the Morgan/Arrow combination also makes it special.

Any word on who the “many sources” are? I heard the Dip & Dots guy is out of town on Holiday.

I’ll be headed to Sea World this August for the first time since 2000. All this coaster talk has me excited. Ive heard about how great Manta is, but Mako sure has the most of my curiosity.

You mean like Steel Phantom? Yes, if they can make it not actively try to kill people this time.

Are you referring to the blue side of Battlestar Galactica? If they get one of these sign me up!

^ Better than a traditional boomerang isn’t saying much. Stinger wasn’t running half the time anyway. I personally didn’t care for it. So no I won’t miss it.

Look at how massive the size of Gwazi is. I am still of the firm belief that if they knock it down that is enough land not only for a new hamlet, but a new coaster to anchor it as well. Even if they do RMC it, I highly doubt it will be dueling. There is enough there for one coaster as well as more attractions as stated above.

Looks good. That view of nothing at all is better than looking at Stinger.