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That sounds like El Toro, too. Not that I'm thinking Intamin necessarily, but just wanted to say that. I definitely see terrain and/or theming being a huge part of what makes this so great (well, heavy theming is practically a given). I think it's likely there's a "gimmick" or two incorporated, but clearly there's much more to the project.

Here's Wikipedia's entry and here's a starting point on RCDB. Any others? I guess that pretty much covers it, though. Looks to me like I've ridden every world record holder that is currently operating and located in the US. At a glance, I appear to have all the US record holders as well, but I won't bother posting the non-world ones. My world record holders (according to Wikipedia) Kingda Ka: tallest, longest steel drop El Toro: longest wood drop, fastest wooden (I plan to ride Goliath this year) The Beast: longest wooden GateKeeper: tallest inversion (wow, huge deal that is...) Full Throttle: tallest vertical loop Outlaw Run: steepest wood drop, most wood inversions

More time is always better, though that ruins my theory that they must've had a good turnout because they didn't extend the deadline this time (not saying it's a definite that the turnout was poor). Now get those ballots in!

Keeps getting better and better, really an engaging read! Again, I'm enjoying the combination of personal stories and detailed historical information that might not come to light otherwise. It's always sad to see a closed coaster standing, but I do think it would help ease the pain a little if the structure were used in a creative way, rather than being left to rot or used as mere decor. Interesting concepts.

I'm pleased about the return of the running lights on Rebel Yell. Those are a real plus to any coaster (except terrain coasters where a highlight of night riding is seeing as little light as possible). The new paint job is spiffy, too. I actually remember it looking pretty nice a couple years ago, way better than the sad plain brown of Thunder Road, but it's hard to beat a crisp red-white-and-blue color scheme.

Interesting to finally see how the improvements impact the look and feel of the park. Really looks like the right moves; thanks for updating us on the updates! Sounds like the season is off to a good start--not sure if that's typical for them or more notable, but it's a nice contrast from the lackluster experiences we expect from some other parks.

So, what's the best seat on Desperado? Front, third row, back? Is it worth multiple rides or is it a one and done (the wristband looks to pay for itself in a little over two laps)? Are there any minimum ridership requirements (suspect this, but can't remember) or anything else that might cause delays? Thanks for covering any of these non-urgent questions.

^^I think Timberliners must be more secure than they look. I know this probably isn't what you were referring to, but to me it always looked like the lap bars don't fully surround the bodies of some people. But obviously I know they've been tested extensively like any other train and are just fine for anyone permitted to ride.

I think I'll have to go with the first-generation Freefalls, though I'm by no means fanatical about them. I'm just glad to have ridden one. It's possible that I'm forgetting something or don't realize that something else I've ridden is Intamin.

Looks like the track will be very eye-catching.

Sent! Some big drops for coasters I used to love more than the average enthusiast, so my list might look a touch more 'normal' this year, but it still has plenty of quirks as I'm sure most lists do! Top 60 of Amazingness, Excellence or Relative Decency 01. X2 02. Maverick 03. Iron Rattler 04. New Texas Giant 05. Phantom's Revenge 06. Top Thrill Dragster 07. Favorite Giant Inverted Boomerang 08. Medusa, SFDK 09. Tatsu 10. Flight of Fear, KD 11. Flight of Fear, KI 12. Apollo's Chariot 13. Goliath, SFOG 14. Intimidator 15. Mr. Freeze Reverse Blast, SFOT 16. Storm Runner 17. Mr. Freeze Reverse Blast, SFStL 18. Montu 19. Volcano: The Blast Coaster 20. Powder Keg 21. SheiKra 22. Griffon 23. Millennium Force 24. Favorite Batman: The Ride 25. Favorite El Loco 26. Mamba 27. Steel Force 28. Flight Deck, CGA 29. Poltergeist 30. Joker's Jinx 31. Intimidator 305 32. Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit 33. Cheetah Hunt 34. Full Throttle 35. Wildfire 36. Superman: Ultimate Flight, SFDK 37. Steel Eel 38. Nitro 39. Alpengeist 40. Talon 41. Xcelerator 42. Superman: Ride of Steel, SFA 43. Kraken 44. Dominator 45. Kingda Ka 46. Diamondback 47. Hydra 48. Superman: Krypton Coaster 49. Favorite Skyloop XT 150 50. Raging Bull 51. Kumba 52. Manta, SWO 53. Raptor 54. Sky Rocket 55. Titan 56. Goliath, SFMM 57. Shock Wave, SFOT 58. Bizarro, SFGADv 59. Fahrenheit 60. Silver Bullet Hall of Shame 157. Favorite Flitzer 158. Rainier Rush 159. Favorite Zyklon 160. Anaconda 161. Favorite Mack SuperSplash 162. Ninja, SFOG 163. Favorite Jet Star 164. Pirates Hideaway 165. Ninja, SFStL 166. Pony Express

Shame about the wheel covers, though I believe I saw that mentioned somewhere earlier (for real, not the time I just looked at an old picture wrong), so I wasn't too shocked. As for the track itself, it looks right at home--for a minute there I forgot it was a new color scheme! I'm glad, though not surprised, to hear Gold Striker is still awesome. I'm finding it harder than I expected to fit CGA into my plans for this year, so I might just hold off until another season, but I'll keep looking into it.

I have a couple thoughts on this. First, I believe it wasn't stated outright that she didn't do so, and knowing Mt. Olympus, I could see such a complaint going unheeded. Second, it seems possible that she was afraid at the time, but dismissed it as potentially being a normal part of the ride experience. Restraints often have some give to them, which can seem unsafe, but I'm sure many people eventually realize this is normal. Maybe she only realized in hindsight that it was truly hazardous and potentially related to the incident. Then again, as others have said it could be pure lies. I am glad we have a few more answers now. It's a bit unnerving to think that a lap bar can just fail outright, and not simply be defeated by a rider or restrain a rider improperly. But this does underline the importance of the maintenance that I'm sure most other parks do to make sure it doesn't happen.

I do have to wonder if the fact it's still listed as wooden on RCDB means something. Yes, I've read all the posts regarding that, including about the NDAs, but I agree with others that RCDB has a reputation of not posting mere rumors, plus it's updated frequently so there's clearly lines of communication open. Could it be that they were allowed to release this little tidbit? Or is the park just letting it stand to fuel speculation even though it may be wrong?

"Night Songs" - Cinderella Band freakin' never gets old.

This. Okay, after watching, it seems a little more doable. But the idea of it? Simply terrifying.

Have to agree with this. I'm a major fan of Montu, SheiKra, and Cheetah Hunt, and think the latter in particular is underappreciated by enthusiasts, as there are definitely some fun forces to enjoy. To me, Kumba is the one that didn't stand out as much. But I can see why it's considered more forceful, especially that one unexpected yank of airtime. Side note: I'm another one who thought Alpengeist was challengingly intense, though I prefer Montu.

I'd actually forgotten a lot of the details of this day. I don't even remember the elevation differences being tough on me. I was surprised that the setting is so pleasant, both in theming and natural beauty. I do remember the infamous food line, which I did end up skipping, though that did me no good since I just had to wait for everyone else!

Thanks for the update on one of my most-missed parks. Did you happen to go on a limited operations day? If not, then it's a shame so many rides were closed. Next time I go I'll try to hit it on a day it's open late so I can enjoy some night rides on Dipper. I'll agree that it's a beautiful ride and they seem to take loving care of it, but you seem to be one of the few people who agrees with me that it can be rough as well. All in all, it's one of my favorites still.

Never heard this before! Actually, on first read I thought you were making a sarcastic joke, but when I look closer I can see there's "real" track before the broken part. Just makes the fact they themed it all the more awesome.

Nice report. I had actually forgotten what coaster this was, so before I got to the pictures I had fun reading your description and trying to imagine what kind of ride it could be.

I know this isn't meant as a debate thread, but I just wanted to comment on this one. You see, I wish I could say SFStL has one of my favorite wooden coaster trios. In theory, they have an impressively well-rounded collection, especially for a modest-sized and corporate park. But in practice, I'm sadly only a fan of American Thunder. Eagle's airtime is nice, but average at best, and Boss is too rough and does nothing for me. I'm glad others can enjoy all three.

I miss this place so hardcore (as I'd guess we all do). This was my second visit and I'm happy to have come that much closer to scratching the surface of what they have to offer, yet I know I still missed a lot!

Great stuff, as always. On Blackpool: I don't think I've ever noticed much praise for Steeplechase. I always thought the minimal restraints made it look sketchy, but it's nice to hear that it's such a good ride overall.

I've heard so much opposing speculation on Banshee that I'll definitely just have to wait and see for myself. I've gotten some enjoyment out of every B&M I've ridden, and never found one to be truly forceless. Until recently I readily called them one of my top manufacturers even though I felt a bit outspoken in this. But I've finally joined many of you in feeling they've grown a bit stale. It's not only the ride experience, but also a desire to see some fresh blood in the major coaster world, or at least some of the established companies branching out with innovative new designs.