Sean Menefee

Here are some shots of Firefall in action from June 1st, 2008. Kelly and I ended up getting to the park later in the afternoon, so the lighting wasn't ideal for photography. I went back later that evening to snag some night shots, but the fire effect wasn't working again. At that point I locked my camera stuff up, and caught some night rides on Flight Deck, Psycho Mouse, Firefall, Orbit, and Survivor. Hopefully the third times a charm when it comes to shooting Firefall. You also gotta love the extended hours this season that actually makes night rides/photography possible throughout most of the Summer again. You can see the whole CGA update by clicking my signature banner below. -Sean

Last three songs through my media player: Sir Mix-A-Lot - Posse On Broadway (The Godzilla Remix Edit w/original Bowie "Fame" & Godzilla sample.) http://www.zshare.net/audio/1325664931b64527/ Meat Beat Manifesto - Solid Waste http://www.zshare.net/audio/1325654370511797/ Pet Shop Boys - Being Boring http://www.zshare.net/audio/13256432558bdf5d/

I live in the burbs of Sacramento California. (Orangevale/Citrus Heights area to be exact.) I'm actually fairly close to a ton of things here in California including: 1 Hour from Vallejo 2 Hours from San Francisco 2 Hours from San Jose /Santa Clara/Silicon Valley 3 hours from Santa Cruz 2 Hours from Reno or Lake Tahoe 6 Hours from Valencia 7 1/2 hours from Disneyland/Anaheim Capital Mall side of Downtown Sacramento.

TFD last weekend: Top Flight Deck @ California's Great America

From the photos it would seem the park didn't undo any of the mods Zonga received when it came to California. Besides the new paint on the trains, it looks pretty much identical to the last time I saw it operate in Vallejo. I was also a fan of Zonga in the front seat. As long as you got your head out pulled out of the restraints as much as possible, it was actually a pretty enjoyable/unique ride. -Sean

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080601/ap_on_re_us/studio_fire

This quote came out of nowhere and made me spit Dr.Pepper all over my desk this morning. Makes me miss the Midwest after going out there for two years straight. 2009 can't get here soon enough. Thanks for the ginormous update. -Sean

Sorry about the double post but one more close up for good measure: I'm honestly not much of a carousel fan, but this classic version is a lot of fun because of its ring toss feature. Did I also mention how much I love SCBB folks? The park/town has really played a large part in my childhood and current life, and it's always nice to see old time additions like this hang on through the decades.

Here are a few of my photos of the 1911 Looff Carousel at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. These should help you get a better idea of how this awesomely dangerous ring toss works: I've almost mastered the art of the underhanded toss of fury into the evil clown's mouth. I've drawn a red circle that shows what the ring would look like sitting at the end of the dispenser.

For starters, it was nice finally getting the shot to talk with you for a few this evening Rick. We always seem to run into each other in passing, so I'm glad we caught both of you in pre-nap mode on the bench the ride. I'm working on a bunch of photos and a TR, but I wanted to share this shot below from Coasters After Dark this evening. Also special thanks to the park staff, Public Relations (Nancy Chan & staff), and everyone else who made the opening/C.A.D. preview of THBS a very enjoyable event to partake in. This pretty much sums up how the families are reacting to Tony Hawk's Big Spin from what I've seen. We didn't see a disappointed face all evening folks. It's not a mega thrilling coaster, but it's a lot fun. Between this and CGA's new coaster in 09', it's ok to live in NorCal again for the moment.

The fireball effect has to look crazy from the side of I-5 at night. I'm pretty much convinced I need to get a night ride now to experince the full awesomeness of the new makeover. The effects and onride audio look and sound great. Thanks for the pics and video. I can't wait to get down to SFMM later this year to check out the X2. -Sean

It ended up having a lot of consecutive little issues that didn't lend themselves to regular operation, not to mention it was never intended to be a permanent installation for the park. Zonga was SBNO for a year or so at the very front entrance, and SFDK decided to move on without the coaster in it's ride line up. I actually sort of enjoyed Zonga in the very front row, but for most people the restraints and cramped trains weren't a huge hit. I had heard late year that Thiller/Zonga would live to see another day out of the country. Glad to see the park is actually going to go through with the reconstruction of Tsunami. I hope it ends up having better luck in Mexico then it did in Vallejo. I know a ride op or two who used to run this ride at SFDK post here at TPR, so maybe they can chime with a bit more info if possible. -Sean You can find some older photos from 2003 when Zonga was introduced below: http://www.sm2designs.com/gallery/thumbnails-33-page-1.html

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy his work for comical reasons only. But....I've always thought it was an interesting point that he brought up about the field animals as well. Don't read too much into those links for deep info folks. I just wanted to suggest yet another tiny perspective into this discussion. Doesn't mean I think it's right or wrong either way. -Sean "Now that I'm reading my last post again, civil may have been the wrong choice of word for anything to do with Maddox's stuff. " Menefee

I've been a huge fan of Joe Satriani since his Surfing With the Alien days. Some people "do" music, this guy "is" music IMO: Eric Johnson also gets an honorable mention: One more for good measure: Robert Randolph & The Family Band

Although this article has been around for some time, Maddox covered this sort of topic on his website below: http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=grill and here: http://maddox.xmission.com/hatemail.cgi#PETA Is he right, wrong, off his rocker, all of the above? (Hopefully this spurs even more civil conversation. It's always nice to see that the TPR crowd seems to be one of the few boards that can actually keeps threads like this unlocked.) I honestly don't have much of an opinion on this one way or another due to my brother and sister-in-law being long time vegans. I learned how to eat within their lifestyle from being around them since I was very young. I also love a good cow just as much as the next carnivore, so who am I to judge anyone?

It's a private event picnic area. ^

Jahan, Indeed the Dan Ryan sucks, check out the song below: http://www.zshare.net/audio/9164247ccac986/ I actually had someone hit and run our rental car last summer going through the Dan Ryan Expressway. It's funny how the place can make a person long for the crappy drivers of Los Angeles and the Bay Area. Commuter traffic in San Francisco has NOTHING on Chicago. Sean "Won't miss the trek from Gurnee/Chicago to Ohio this year!" Menefee

Pantera - Revolution is my name http://www.zshare.net/audio/8863544265c0f2/ Arch Enemy - Enemy Within http://www.zshare.net/audio/8863904b4e2cfb/ Any song with cowbells and Dimbag on it is a winner in my book. Hard to believe he's been dead for so long now. It's always a pleasure to dig out my old Pantera albums though.

Didn't even notice that till you said something. Next screen grab I'm fixing Hershey's crooked cam in CS3. Looking forward to those update photos, let us know when they get up please Ghost. -Sean

Latest webcam shot:

Bad Religion - Grains of Wrath http://www.zshare.net/audio/88195662cf2562/

New update from SFDK's opening day 2008 can be found below for anyone interested: http://www.sm2designs.com/gallery/thumbnails-48.html Cheers, -Sean

Brother Ali - The Trap http://www.zshare.net/audio/86777058e299a1/

Yeah the park itself is very pretty, the town of Gilroy not soo much. We love visiting the park, but it's usually an afterthought of a CGA or Santa Cruz trip to be honest. If you're not in the general Bay Area, it's a hike to get all the way out to Gilroy, and that tends to make it so we only see the Gardens a few times a year.

I'm glad to hear this. This park has soo much potential because of it's natural beauty and terrain. For the people who aren't very familiar with Gilroy, you can see some photos of the park from 2006, when it was still Bonfante Gardens. http://www.sm2designs.com/gallery/thumbnails-18.html -Sean