CreditCrazy

Then there's Grizzly... Which is so rough/boring it's fun. Okay...nevermind what I just said. Except for the rough/boring part. Oh boy!...We're next! Best ride in the park! Rode it 6 times. I like KI's Drop Tower more because it's taller and faster, but for some reason CGA's felt more "powerful". It is a Psycho Mouse. I saw this...and went inside. These were in there...funny. Lonely? Come join the party over here! I think this is the most popular ride in the park. A broken flat. The park lake. You know you're bored at an amusement park when... ...you go see Scooby Doo on ice. A lot of empty space around the park. Hi there. POV! Firefall The Sky Tower...or was it the Star Tower...can't remember the name. What? You don't see the GCI? Didn't go to Boomerang Bay this time. Only thing worth riding is Down Under Thunder. That's all for CGA. SFDK next.

Part 2 - California's Great America. This was my third visit to the park, and really, it's not a bad park! People like to think of it as a just horribly-run and gross park, like SFKK (and SFA and La Ronde I've heard) but it's actually really nice. Really the only downside to the park is the coaster collection. Flight Deck, by far the park's best coaster (which doesn't say much, but it is good) was closed during the visit, leaving only Demon, Grizzly, and Vortex for me to ride. The park actually has a pretty nice flat ride collection, including one of my favorite Drop Towers...Drop Tower. It'd be really sad to see this park sold or taken down, because it could be a great park with just a few more rides. Pshhh, that was like, so yesterday. Best shot I could get of the entrance, it's always crowded! Too bad carousel's make me sick... See? Nice grass. This park is good. That's a...nice sign there. Vortex actually has some force. But that doesn't mean it's good. This corkscrew was fun to take pictures of. Flight Deck... ...Closed I remember this part being really forceful. Over to the other side of the park... We have the rough-but-could-be-fun-but-it-isn't-cause-it's-rough Demon. Invertigo Which is my 126th favorite roller coaster. Out of 126. Are they stuck? Oh wait that's until a couple weeks later...in the future.

I don't have something too bad that's happened to me at a park (yet) but on my way to Kings Island I got a text from my friend saying that SOB was closed. I still wanted to ride it see what it was like, and to get the credit. Throwing up after Invertigo also sucked. My best experience at a park was Terminator Media Day. Not only did I get to ride Terminator before the public, but I also got 4 hours (6-10, after the park closed) of ERT on Terminator, Deja Vu, Tatsu, X2, Goliath, Batman, and Riddler's (I think that's everything that was open). Anyone that was there can tell you it was EMPTY!

I went up to Northern California from 7/29/09 - 8/1/09 for quick visits to Gilroy Gardens, CGA, and SFDK. I've been to all of these parks before and had all my credits at each of the parks, except for Tony Hawk's Big Spin which I decided to ride even though I have motion sickness. I know there have been a lot of trip reports from these parks in all of the West Coast Trip threads, so I'll try to keep this short. Part 1 - Gilroy Gardens. Gilroy Gardens is an amaing park; I can't compare it to any other park I've been to. I wouldn't say it is one of my favorites, just because it's hard to spend more than an hour at the park, but I always enjoy the place and it is definitely worth a visit if you are in the area. Here is your view entering the park. Ooooh Ahhhh This is probably my favorite part of the park. Is that a Wacky Worm I see? Awww...nevermind. If you look to the right you can see a waterfall. If you look to the left you can see the spinning boat ride of death. Gave some really great views. POV! Quicksilver Express! I used to love this ride when I was scared of bigger coasters, I even rode it 13 times in one day. Didn't bother this visit. K, I officially love this park. I'm not stalking you. A cool tree. An interesting tree. Trees. Banana Split. What? What's so weird about a banana shaped pirate ship flat ride? "They're everywhere..." And that's all for GG. I took a lot more pictures, but like I said before, most of this has been posted in the last month. I guess I either need to get quicker at posting my PTRs, or avoid going where TPR goes every year! CGA is next.

South Park!

I've heard about this happening, but when I rode the ride in July of 2008, I got in the station, it launched, came back, and everyone could board right away.

^ When I read Trip Reports, I want to know things other than what I could find on the park's website. I'm not here to do a marketing commercial for the park. When I review my park visits, I want to give my opinions, both negative and positive, and if the negative out weighs the positive, so be it.

There's no way this will last long. Atleast the lift hill... I don't approve of turkey shooting dark rides, but I rode this anyway. A themed tilt-a-hurl. Mega-lite 2011. Called it. I thought this was funny. Empty rapids raft!? This was freaking me out. When I'd take a picture of this sign it would come out green. If you can read this you have good eyes. Here is a complete FAIL at this shot. That is all for Holiday World/this Trip Report! Thank you for reading and if you go through the whole thing... Here is a fruit basket.

Holiday World pictures: Holiday World! Raven was first. Legend was second. Howler was third. Most photogenic coaster in the park. And lastly... Off in the distance... My quest to The Voyage accross the park began. It was long and tiring, but luckily possible thanks to... this. At last, I had made it to The Voyage. The Voyage beginning its Voyage. The Voyage during its Voyage. The Voyage ending its Voyage. Say The Voyage 572 times fast. I only got to 348. How does this thing only cost about 8 million!? More to come.

Holiday World, last park and second to last day of the trip. Holiday World was an AWESOME park and my 3rd favorite overall! The staff was very friendly and fast, the free drinks were great (especially because the weather was terrible, 107 degree humidity) and the park was very nice! I do have a few complaints though. Like I said the weather was horrible (and that probably made the woodies a little more rough) so I went to the water park later in the day, went in the lazy river (Congo River), rode a lame slide (Bamboo Chute), went to another slide, and then it rained! I hate Midwestern weather! It was also frustrating how the ops stapled me everytime on Voyage and there was a Pilgrim's Plunge "situation" which I'll get to later, but overall a really great park which I'm sure I would have liked even more if the weather wasn't so bad. The coasters: 1 - Voyage. 3 times (including a front row ride). 1 minute, 5 minutes, and 15 minutes. Wow, this ride is insane. It is seriously TOO long and never gives you a break! The layout was incredible and I loved the tunnels and 90 degree turns, but the first big hills didn't give as much air-time as I expected/heard (probably because I got stapled) and the back half the ride was really rough (like Ghostrider and Mean Streak rough). This is a really hard ride to rate for me, I usually rate my rides by how much I enjoyed it, and it's hard to enjoy part of Voyage when you're shaking around badly banked turns at 60 mph, but the length and layout was really cool and I did like the tunnels and pacing, so I rank Voyage my 4th favorite coaster overall. 2 - Raven. 2 times (including a front row ride). 10 minutes and 20 minutes. Really fun and enjoyable ride! The first drop had a pop of air and the rest of the ride was just a lot of fun. A little short but it had great pacing! Also, here is a great example of Holiday World's quick staff. When I rode Raven for my second time later on in the day, there was only one train running and one ride op running it! That means one ride op checking both sides of the restraints, one ride op clearing the train, one ride op getting the train out of the station, etc. and he was FAST. He was basically running around the entire station getting the trains out quicker and making the lines move faster than three trains running at SFMM! Even while the train was on the ride, instead of resting, he went around the station and got the rider's things and put them in lockers/cubbies. 3 - Legend. 1 time. 20 minutes. Ehhh...I don't know what to say about this ride. The layout was amazing and I liked the tunnels but it's a really rough ride. I don't remember any air-time either. 4 - Howler. 1 time. 5 minutes. I hate these kiddie coasters...they're really uncomfortable. Other rides: 1 - Pilgrim's Plunge. 1 time. 10 minutes. Okay, once upon a time, I went to Pilgrim's Plunge, waited in 10 minutes of a full station, and the ride broke down. I waited, the ride re-opened, I waited maybe 30 more minutes, and the ride broke down. More than half while through the line, I just decided to wait, and 20 minutes later, when I was about to get on, the ride broke down and the staff cleared everyone out of the station. ... I got to it later on, right after it had re-opened from another break-down, and got on it in 10 minutes. The ride was okay. The lift was my favorite part, you don't get too wet, the drop was fun but not even close to steep enough, and overall...Perilous Plunge is way better. 2 - Raging Rapids. 1 time. 5 minutes. A really boring rapids, but the tunnel in the beginning was fun. 3 - Frightful Falls. 1 time. 10 minutes. A pretty pointless log ride with only one small drop, but this also had a tunnel at the beginning that was kinda interesting. 4 - Bamboo Chute. 1 time. 5 minutes. Boring slide. 5 - Congo River. 1 time. Lazy river. That's all for the Holiday World review, working on the pictures.

You will not be missed...by me... Even though you'll end up at another SF park. I actually kind of wish Riddler's had this element. It was probably the best part of the ride. Twisty That...would suck. I refuse to call this a nerd shot. Ovahview Of course SFKK has to ruin their ferris wheel by not even running half of the cars. "You just...can't even describe it..." The waterpark was REALLY crowded. Chang being replaced by a waterpark expansion makes sense. OooOoOoOooo...wooden waterslide supports. Tornado OMG DELUGE!! The real REAL star of the park. Alright...let's get this over with. SFKK sure did do a great job removing the red paint. BRAKES! Brakes means the ride is OVER...or half way over...but for T2 it means over...YES! Thunder Run! Finding this ride's entrance proves how weird the park's layout is. Some really nice air-time! Over...yeah Roller Skater and Ice Cream. Dude...just don't be so mayo! Looked nice...didn't get a chance to ride it though. Ride op uniforms! Decent rapids. The evil clock. A freaking fantastically fabulous fountain. It's the real thing. And that is all for SFKK. Holiday World, the last park of the trip, next.

SFKK pictures: Two credits...gone... Finally, after all these years of being a coaster enthusiast, I am at the one...the only...Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom... What a beautiful entrance. Nice lockers, too. Why not start with the Wild Mouse? The entrance is pretty cool. And I suppose it is better than one of those Zamperla death machine kiddie coasters. Overview Time for the real star in the park! Theming. Sadly it barely makes it up the backwards spike. I guess this is supposed to be an overview. Okay "I think the road is just for decoration." What's that!? A big ugly stand-up!? That isn't even here anymore!? Could it possibly be? Yes...it is...Chang. More to come.

What happened to the twitter/facebook hints SFMM started doing?

I agree that it doesn't sound like SFMM will be getting a coaster next year...all I can think of for "children's ride" is Wiggles World. I just don't understand this: http://www.rcdb.com/4346.htm Maybe the two are being switched a year?

I've always thought it'd be cool to see a family launch coaster at BGW. Premier or S&S could make it (I don't think either company's family launch coasters are un-reliable) and it would (obviously) go where BBW was.

Went to Magic Mountain on Sunday and the park wasn't very busy at all. Was a very hot but fun day. Pictures: Ran to X2 at opening, got front row in about 10 minutes, then went to Tatsu and got this amazing picture of its pre-lift! What a fun position to be in for a few minutes... Walked right onto Terminator next, missed the fire. Here they come! Got a ride on a very rough log ride next. Aaaand then it was off to Riddler's! Walked right onto the front row. The nice corkscrew. I could stay in this queue for hours... Just had to be a walk-on. Woo! Just your typical Tatsu picture taken right outside of Ninja's entrance and directly in front of the Sky Tower, also to the left of Orient Express, taken at around 12:21 PM. Simple, really. All ready for Fright Fest next week. Log Jammer's switchbacks. Wait, did I mention I rented the park out today? Ugh. The gardens of Batman. Speaking of Batman... Found this in the queue. Passed Tatsu on the way up the mountain stairs for... A) another Tatsu picture. B) one more picture of Tatsu. C) a picture of Ninja's queue rails. Or D) SUPERman. Some more of Tatsu's egg roll. Oh and some more fake emptyness! Wait...it's always like this. Riddler's and some really bright thing. Batman, are you bff's with Superman? Everyone wants to know. Got a horrible front row ride on Revolution. Tatsu at the front of the park, and of course, the best possible way to end a PTR... The lava fountains!

^^ It's just kinda sad. When I visited Cedar Point this June Maverick and TTD ran 6 trains, Raptor, Mean Streak and Magnum all ran 3 trains and Gemini ran 2 trains on both sides. All ride ops were very fast too, lines never stopped moving. It was weird, I wasn't use to it at all! This never happens at SFMM. I also visited SFMM the same month and one park didn't have a lot more crowds than the other, so it wasn't like Cedar Point was really busy and needed quick moving lines and SFMM didn't.

SFMM in November.

I know it'd be hard to run three trains on Riddler's (or any stand up) and Batman (because it's so short) but what about Scream, Goliath, Viper, and Tatsu? I saw Goliath running three trains this year, Viper once (even though it was triple stacking), and Scream last year, but never all of them at once or all the time.

I went to the park yesterday from opening to closing (but not for the event...I didn't even know what that was until now) and crowds weren't bad. My longest wait was probably 30 minutes for Log Jammer, Batman and X2. Everything else besides that was pretty much a walk on (or close to it), I got 22 rides total. One thing that was disappointing though...staff and operations. Batman was only running one train and had a really slow moving line and nothing ran three thains that could. I understand that it is the end of the summer (er...the summer is over), but the staff was also unfriendly and slow. Terminator had a really short line all day but they were doing assigned seating for one of my rides and the Riddler's ops were messing around with the seats. Some people got stuck in really uncomfortable positions and they didn't do anything about it. The Terminator crew was really good at night though. I got a front seat ride right before 10:00 and they even gave us a second ride.

SFMM on Sunday.

When I visited Kings Island in June it was VERY hot and humid and Firehawk made me really sick (I have motion sickness) and later that day I rode Invertigo and threw up after...but a few hours later I was on Beast at night so the day wasn't that bad.

I love everything about Batman clones...and hate everything about Vekoma SLC's. Really, if I were to make a list of all 126 roller coasters I've been on, you would find Batman The Ride at SFMM near the top and Kong and T2 at the bottom.

I saw the empty raft come out and I was expecting to see people come out quickly after that without a tube...and then a couple minutes later you see several launch out. It's a good thing this slide is low and close to the ground, because this actually could have been serious.

I count relocated credits, so I count a relocated coaster that I've ridden in it's first home as a defunct coaster too.