OldJJman

Only 1 person lasted the full 3 hours on Troy.

#850 = Limit at Heide park ( a nice, crappy SLC) John - Cobra would be *my* preference. But, Kong (another crappy SLC) would serve the best purpose. JJ

FYI - We got that credit in 2002!

Um... Excuse me. Yeah, I look stellar in your pics. Pffffft!

Mike! I thought you DIDN'T count POWERED coasters. How lame! I'm so disappointed in you! JJ

Sorry. My goof.

You may want to check your options once you get there. Starting at either park, you may be able to buy a single-day ticket when you first arrive, then upgrade to the park-hopper or two-day ticket before you leave. That way you can enjoy the day, manage your time (if the need arises) and decide later in the day if you need to upgrade. JJ

That IS the best advice you could get!! Best day would probably Tues or Wed. The cave tour is a MUST!! Do not miss it! But do it early, as the line gets long very quickly. JJ

I guessed wrong. I thought it was for sure going to be hot babes. LOL! Mike and hot babes in the same picture??? It would take the army at Dreamworks and/or ILM to get a shot like that, and it would be a composite!! Sorry Mike! (not really)

Mike, The Orange County Choppers logo is at the top of the signs. (Notice how the OCC forms the motorcycle?) OCC logo

They do (did). They really looked strange. But the performance was really, really awesome!!! They were really good!! Like Lou said, we all (about 6-8 of us) were loving it!! We just felt bad that they had to perform to such a small audience. We also felt pretty sorry for these guys putting on these huge costumes on a really hot day. They may have looked weird, but they were really good. JJ

14/20 Yay! Still not a nerd!!

Spell-check Mike, Spell-Check. Actually, I totally believe this. When Sean and I did our second trip of 19 parks in 7 days going through PA, NY, and Canada in 2004 (the other trip being in Ca.), we basically had our rental car stripped when we mentioned that we were going to La Ronde that day, CW the next and coming back through Niagra Falls. It took about 90 minutes for those clowns to keep checking the car, and our luggage. Coming back into the US over the "Rainbow" bridge (we were told that this was the easiest way back) even the US customs agent started to give us some crap, until we told him we were heading to MFI (which he never heard of) Waldameer, and Seabreeze. He then believed us when we mentioned that the following day we'd end up at CP to finish our trip on TTD. He had been to CP before and wondered if their newest coaster really went 200mph and was really 500' high! On the flip side of the country, I had NO problems getting into BC on the way to Vancouver. I had a tip about going up the truck route, instead of using I-5. (Truck route turnoff is about 5 miles from the border.) I just waved my passport, said I was going to Vancouver and was waved through. Coming back, same thing. Waved my passport, "Welcome Home" and was waved through. Go figure.

I'm pretty sure that is the Zamperla promo picture from last years Zamperla catalog. I remember Bruno donating those for the trivia contest on the bus last year in Germany. Anyone else remember that?? JJ

Yes it does. You can collect rings as you go around, then throw them back into a clowns mouth. IIRC, you get a free ride if you make it. It's actually a lot more fun trying to see how many rings you can get on one pass. I've got three several times, but never the elusive "four". It makes the ride a lot more interesting!! Also, kinda dangerous! On the one at Knoebel's, you're lucky to get 2 on one pass. The spring on their ring dispenser was quite tight, so you really had to grab the rings hard even to get the one sometimes. JJ

That's what I remember, but I either don't have or haven't been able to find the pic. JJ

Wow. Did we have different experiences! Granted, it IS a terrible park, no doubt. But, I loved J2!! I think I still have it ranked about 5 or 6 (out of 140+ woodies). Now, when I rode it, it was smooth, but dammed aggressive! When some really incredible airtime! Especially the second hill and the "impossible" turn-around that followed. I really liked it!! But, I do remember thinking that it is SO aggressive, that it would tear itself up in no time at all. Much like I thought Avalanche, (aka: AvaLAUNCH) would. Though Avalanche was still good last time I rode it, last June. So it doesn't surprise me that you gave it that review. BTW - We even got the on-ride photo! (see below) Actually, we got stuck on the lift hill and when the ride-op came up to "calm us down" we asked the guy to take our picture. That's the original Jack Rabbit in the background. JJ Who else has a legit on-ride photo on J2??

Personally, due to the fact that you'll be out on a weekend in the end of June... (busy for the more major parks) I'd vote for Hershey/Knoebel's. Both have a great atmosphere, good selection of rides at both parks, and pretty descent food as well. Good luck with your decision. JJ

Truer words have never been typed! Dragon's Fury OWNS!!!!

Good question Mike. When we went down to Mexico, the GPS (Garmin 240) just showed a big whited-out block that was Mexico and nothing more. You might want to check with your GPS provider if the are downloads and/or Canadian upgrades, or chips available. JJ

OMG! I went there a few years ago. That place was just creepy beyond belief! I would think that parents took their kids there just for the sheer torture factor!! I mean, the Paul Bunyan statue was a nice touch, but everything else was just creepy. Though, I guess that the puppet shows and story telling areas helped make up for that. I do remember it (and GE) being in a beautiful area there in upstate NY. JJ

Thanks for the pictures. I remember visiting there in 2004. Strangely enough, aside from the taller grass and ballroom's demise, the park looks exactly the same as when I was there. We only stayed a couple of hours. We rode the Blue Streak about 6-7 times. Nothing spectacular. No real airtime, but it did cause the strucrure to sway a bit. It rode a lot more solid than it looked. IIRC it had 1 NAD train and 1 PTC. I think the PTC was the only one running that day. The Toboggan actually looks EXACTLY the same as when I was there! SBNO! Though I do remember a rumor a couple of years ago that it had been removed. I guess that's not the case after all. I went, because at the time the park was rumored to be on it's last legs, and unfortunately, it turned out to be true. Thanks again for the pics! JJ

I stand corrected. Still humiliating. Quite simply, YES.

I've been upstaged by umbrellas. How humiliating!

Did you know: That "Crazy Mouse" opened at Dinosaur Beach in NJ, in June of 1997? That "Exterminator" opened at Kennywood in April of 1999? That "Crazy Mouse" opened at Myrtle Beach Grand Prix in June of 1999? That the 2 "Primeval Whirls" opened at Animal Kingdom in March of 2002? That "Spider" didn't open until April of 2003?