Coaster Cow

Great pictures! I agree that the cave walk-through with the log flume and mine ride is one of the best finds in the park.

That kiddie Tornado is both bizarre and adorable.

It's pretty surreal, even with the music going. Walking through any empty park can be surreal, though I'm sure a park like Disney would be especially so. I went to Geauga Lake during it's Halloween season towards the end of its time as a Six Flags park, and it was DEAD. I specifically remember walking to the old SeaWorld section where the Dino simulator was and being uncomfortable, and I was probably about 10 or so at the time.

I am on the side of too much force. When I rode Speed at Oakwood in Wales, it was so intense that I got a headache just from the G's on the vertical loop alone. Despite only being able to ride it twice, it is one of my top coasters. As far as the "coasters that suck" qualifier is concerned, I'm having a hard time thinking of a coaster that sucked just because of how intense it was. That's just me, though.

Not necessarily a comment on my favorite, but I personally liked Dinosaur a lot more than Indy. I felt that Indy wasn't quite as refined/not dark enough to make the effects really pop, and it lacked a coherent plot. Extra points do go out for its queue though. I feel that Dinosaur's darkness, loudness, and simple plot makes the experience much more vivid. Plus, who can resist some of the best dino animatronics around?

I actually really enjoy DinoRama. Read up on the backstory and it will make a lot more sense. I understand that the carnival area is pretty ghetto, but the DinoInstitute is brilliant (especially some of the old McDonald's tie-ins) and the souvenir shop can keep a theming junkie like me entertained for hours. I have no qualms with Joe Rhode's work at all.

Are you running for office? Relevant.

-Ben Folds

Both of my stories involve torrential downpours. One was riding Thunderhead at Dollywood for the first time ever, were the only ones on the ride and got soaked to the bone, but wow, what a ride! It's too bad my eyes weren't open because of the stinging rain. My other experience was walking back from the front entrance of Blackpool Pleasure Beach to the Blue Hotel (right against the park near the Steeplechase), when a huge storm stopped us 100 meters or so from our hotel. We stood underneath a ledge for 20 minutes.

Yeah, Dr. Suess is actually really wholesome, and this seems to be not just some new branding for characters that no one will remember in a few years. Good stuff.

^AJ is a mod, I think he can do what he wants with this thread, and the original poster did reply to answer jmanporty7's question. Backseat-modding is a bit of a no-no around here.

Now this is a good bump! I would lower Thriller's opening loops to their original height.

I'm a little confused by the prompt, Six Flags Great Escape is hardly the worst Six Flags park. I've never been to Michigan's Adventure, but Great Escape actually has some charm and a good amount of the original park intact. Comet is a fantastic ride that is generally forgotten about among enthusiast circles, and the other coasters, though perhaps not unique, are well-maintained and provide a nice selection for the GP. Can you clarify your question a bit on whether you are asking for the worst or the best?

Alice's Restaurant-Arlo Guthrie. Everybody should go do it! www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjKF7aQthcQ

Looks great! It was in an interesting state of flux last summer, the ride itself had the classic "devil's den" theming but there were cartoonish viking characters scattered around the surrounding pedestrian area. One of the better classic flumes out there.

I've always found that the trapdoor slides seem to lack the "free-fall" feeling of traditional speed slides because they start at their steepest angle. Airtime on slides is what really gets me, like how some Tornado models almost shoot you over the steep drop into the bowl.

Very cool! I know there were several track modifications done on it as well when it was in the hands of Six Flags, but does anyone know exactly what was done? The first double loop looks like it was raised...anything else?

One of my all-time favorites. Just really well composed, and the fact that there is only one vertical-ish dive actually makes it that much better in my opinion.

I'm sorry to spam my own thread, but these pics (not from this water park) are so great: Kim Jung-il riding a kiddie ride. Kim Jung-un playing mini golf. Kim Jung-un pointing at a fountain. Kim Jung-un pointing at a slide. And... I can't even.

Given their massive electricity shortages, I'm guessing that "master-blaster"-type slide in the background is just for show.

Speaking of poutine...

Looks like someone's gotten a hold of some waterslide patents and blueprints to me... More at the source: http://world.time.com/2013/10/17/north-koreans-splash-in-new-water-park/photo/spectators-watch-people-use-the-munsu-water-park-in-pyongyang-in-this-undated-photo-released-by-north-koreas-kcna-6/ Apologies if this shouldn't have been a unique thread, mods feel free to consolidate if necessary.

^I guess my input then would be that the roughness-as-a-function-of-age piece really doesn't work. A properly maintained wooden coaster has had all its wood pretty much completely replaced several times in its life, not to mention the kind of maintenance that many younger coasters lack (cough*Gwazi). The inherent problem in trying to quantify "roughness" is that it is so wholly dependent on an enormous number of factors, to the point where a ride may be smooth on one day and rough on the next. If you really wanted a way to quantify it you would need to be much more thorough than a two-input model, and even then it is unlikely that it would be obtainable because of the basic subjective nature of the term "rough".

Texas Tornado at Wonderland Amusement Park? It used to be painted white at least...

^I guess are you only listing wooden coasters that you have been on? And if so how many have you been on total? Otherwise rating these things off of videos or other rider reviews is highly problematic. Most of the rides you have listed are really not even comparable to rides like Hades or other high-speed wooden coasters.