Chrisrad

Probably not.. I really want to do the Haunt, but I'll probably wait until the very last minute (second) like I normally do. Disneyland for sure on Sunday - I know of a few others who will be there, and I know you have a pass. Anyone down for SFMM anytime soon? Maybe for one last ride (or a first and last for me) on Deja Vu, plus backwards Colossus?

I have to admit - your TR makes Dorney look like a pleasant, enjoyable park. Don't get me wrong - it was clean, had some great rides, but was just a concrete jungle that had no soul. The meal/snack vouchers were a nice touch, and the ERT was great (fast ops/nice employees). Beautiful pictures!

Knoebels ( ) + Phoenix + light up/glow crap + pitch black + TPR = probably better than sex with the hottest chick on the planet. Seriously.. It was beyond insane! Without seatbelts, and with all of the surrounding lights off, it was a pitch black ride where you weren't able to prepare for certain drops/bumps - so you didn't know what was coming or when to hold on - it was OMFG incredible! Thanks Robb/Elissa and Knoebels for an awesome night. And once again, thank you Knoebels for being so amazing!

Morey's was incredible! Such a great setting, and plenty of attractions - I don't think it gets much better than an amusement park on the ocean. The Nor' Eastern looks quite smooth in that POV - I'm quite impressed. Even though I had two brutal rides on it (yes, the front is as bad as any other seat), it's quite fun to experience all of the leg choppers.

^ QFT. Intamins are balls-out amazing! B&M hypers are simply 'fun' - and can be somewhat exciting if you're in the very front or very back. Otherwise, they only do what their name implies - coast along the track. But I will admit that Nitro at SFGAdv was quite fun.

Before I even played it I knew it was the MCBR (I mean MCN - Mid Course Neutering). Oh well - I'm assuming there's a reason behind it in terms of maintenance and cost.

I forgot that I was in that visual scan picture! Awesome! A lot of us were doing it on the on-ride cameras so I guess I forgot where and when I did it.. SFGAdv has basically ruined every other SF park for me - based on their operations (they START with 2-3+ trains on rides upon opening), friendly employees, the rides, and, well, El Toro, I've pretty much had a mental block about going back to SFMM. Now that I know that it's possibly to have an amazing day at a 'big corporate park', I guess I'm jaded. But honestly, the park went out of their way to please us - everything was open on-time, Nitro ERT was beyond incredible with three trains, the backstage tours during lunch were incredible (we basically had no time limit), the lunch was very good (with more beer), and El Toro at night without the lights - it's like the climax to great sex. I'm convinced that it's my favorite SF park, and one of my favorite parks overall.

Mmmm, I'll have sweet dreams of SFMM being under water tonight! That's kind of what I was hinting at, but a lot of the teenagers that fill that place who don't know how to swim should be there as well.. I like the park (the rides mainly), but can't stand how it's a babysitting service for the locals.

I know they'll be up and running in no time, but it's still sad to see that picture - that's now one of my favorite parks. That's the kind of flooding that you wish would happen at a park that you hate. But yeah, thumbs up to them for dealing with that so often!

^ Again, nice report! Some good pictures of SFNE that I missed! You totally should have stayed longer at the Canadia alcohol exchange.. it progressively got better, and more random! I had a long ass conversation with some random canadian who was walking by with his wife - I learned things about that country that I didn't know before the trip, so.. culture credit? There are many other reasons to have a headache at La Ronde than the amount of alcohol consumed the night before..

From the TR posted recently, Typhoon at the LA County Fair sounds awesome. But seriously, I've only been on one 'true' portable coaster - a spinning mouse at the SD Fair, and, honestly, it was pretty kick ass!

As usual, great photos, and perfect descriptions! I look forward to the next park!

Cool! I'm actually going to make a point to go ride this. My sister is at the park a lot so if anyone wants pictures of anything, let me know - as long as she can take them from within the park. I haven't been there in years so I don't know the layout of the place, and don't exactly know where this is going.

I saw pictures of that on Caesar's (fatdaddy) facebook and thought it looked interested. I went on the spinning mouse at the Del Mar Fair and thought it was rather fun. After hearing your report, and affirmations by Robb & Elissa, it looks like I don't need to worry about riding it. On another note, this might be the highlight of your TR, at least in terms of humor:

If we were still in the early 2000s (and earlier), and B&M was still pumping out 'intense' rides like Batman at SFMM, then I'd be more inclined to go with B&M. Even now, they do have some awesome stand-ups, plus rides like Tatsu. But when it comes to rides that are OMFG-holy-crap-this-is-insane, you can't beat the Intamins. Compared to the amazingness of Maverick, Excelerator, etc., the new B&Ms just seem kind of boring. Nitro at SFGAdv was fun, but Goliath at La Ronde, or Diamondback? Fun, yes, but not scary or insane. Until B&M can come up with a ride like El Toro, I will just consider them conservatively-fun rides.

Thank you all for reading! And Neil, I would use 'sick' or 'tight', but it's a bro term out where I live; I'm sure Caeser can elaborate more. But, a bro is a white guy who: -goes to the desert/river for off-roading -drives a lifted truck -works a construction job -has a girlfriend/wife aptly called a 'bro hoe' -wears non-cargo shorts below his knees -socks about six inches above the ankles -sideways hat -and, basically, someone who is just a tattooed douchebag I might consider 'wicked' though.. I heard that term all over the east coast. Stay tuned for more.. I can only post updates when I have good wifi, so..

^^^ Yeah, Nicole, I feel the same - I miss the people more than the actual trip, and I miss the trip a helluva lot.. I guess I figured I'd be "coaster'd out," and extremely tired, but I was having withdrawals within a few days. And yes, photo #60 in your FB Compounce album looks pretty darn good! ^/^^ I tell ya.. I can't think of another way to describe these quaint little family parks.. Ok, wait, here are some options: -dainty -charming -delightful.. The only thing that Six Flags/Cedar Fair have over the 'mom & pop' competition is their ability to invest large amounts of capital into significant rides, that will draw crowds from afar (the gigas, hypers, B&Ms, El Toros, etc.). Of course, places like Knoebels have the Phoenix that was pretty much the most fun I've had on a coaster (even without the nighttime craziness). So, I guess it's kind of a double-edged sword (since I just mentioned Phoenix, how about a lighted double-edged sword? ).. there is fun to be had at both styles of parks, but in different ways. And I apologize for the tangent - I think I was thinking through typing there.

You know, I felt as if it was quite photogenic. Sure, it was new and all, but I feel as if they did a phenomenal job with the woodsy theming. In that case, here are a few more shots I omitted:

^ Nice! I'm glad to see them honor a Disney tradition, even at DCA. I know about all of the tributes at Disneyland, but is this something that's done at all Disney parks?

Next on the list, or at least if I go in the chronological order of my pictures, we visited Canobie Lake Park, just for fun (yes, that's their motto). In terms of 'loving' this park, it was tied with Compounce - I just thought it was so 'cute' (again, I need a guy word for cute). Canobie has a classic woodie, The Yankee Cannonball, which was featured on Bert the Conqueror - again, I know that guy is annoying, but the roller coaster was on TV; isn't that all that matters? Canobie also has UNTAMED! We had plenty of ERT on both rides - to the point where I rode every single seat on Untamed, and then re-rode it a few more times; it was a very fun/interesting/quirky ride, but a few of the seats shook a bit. Also, the theming for the ride/area/station was phenomenal - I'm a big fan of the CA redwoods, so I felt right at home. As I post pictures, I will think of additional qualities about the park, so read along! This is the park where I started to take a lot of pictures of the plants for my father (he was a horticulture grad from Cal Poly..) So, if that's not your cup of tea, I apologize. Conversely, if you have a green thumb, you're in for a treat. Cedar shake shingles, trees, a few potted plants.. works for me! Honestly, just a neat little park! Awesome ride, awesome music playing for us, and awesome employees! Canobie should be called lake awesome! It really was a delight to visit this place. Roarrrrr... ...is at a six flags park; we're here for Untamed. First time you've ever seen this shot, right? But honestly, look at the attention to detail! They did a great job with this ride - it had really nice landscaping, handrails, and, it was themed to a birch tree. Twistyyy!!! Gift shop - in the back of this, you'll find........... .....a casino??? WTF!?!? Hello, Matt! Our group was heading toward the dark ride! Some corkscrews are good because they help you open bottles of wine. That wasn't the case here. Wait, they have Innoventions here? My apologies for disrespecting someone who has passed, but if that's really his name, well, Disney might owe his family some royalties. Wata! We awn tha' east coawst so thay'ze lots of wata'! As my nephew would say, choo-choo! It was common for these east coast parks to have little trains! Hi everyone! If you're in this photo, feel free to steal it for FB so you can tag yourselves! Yes, there's a lake here.. You don't think these parks randomly come up with names, do you? Such a beautiful setting. The houses were not as fancy as the ones at Quassy, but still.. I wouldn't turn one down. I think I'm getting into plant/flower pics now.. Yankee Doodle went to town A-riding on a pony Stuck a feather in his hat And called it macaroni. Yankee Doodle, keep it up Yankee Doodle dandy Mind the music and the step And with the girls be handy. I think that's it for Canobie pics, but how about some pictures of how gorgeous it is back east? Bus ride. Uh-oh... By looking at this, what do you think is next in this TR? Yep! Canidastan. I mean Canadia!

Ok, so how about we get to the 'Maine' part of this TR? SF New England was fantastic, but my preference for the 'bigger/badder' parks (*cough* Cedar Fair and Six Flags *cough*) started to diminish as the trip progressed; toward the end of the Cedar Point trip, I decided that I absolutely prefered the family parks, and have an entirely different perspective on parks after visiting Knoebels. At this point in the trip we're in Maine - we had an awesome stop at Jimmy the Greeks for a included-in-the-trip lunch, which allowed us to choose anything we wanted from the menu in terms of food, and beer. As a tip for those of you who have never been on a TPR trip before - sit with people who don't drink so you can use their 'credits' for more beer. Or, if you like food, sit with people who don't eat or drink very much so you can get more food. The staff at the restaurant was awesome! And they had pool tables! After lunch we went to the Old Orchard Beach Pier, in Old Orchard Beach Maine (gee, is that like going to the Huntington Beach Pier in Huntington Beach? No... couldn't be that simple). Anyway, at 'OOB', there's a 'seaside', 'permanent' carnival kind of park called Palace Playland, with a few kiddie coasters, a bunch of flats, and a pier that serves alcohol. Okay so there were plenty of carnival games, food vendors, shops, etc., but what else do you need when you have a gorgeous beach (which was PACKED), some rides, and a pier? **After looking through my pictures, I can't find anything from Funtown/Splashtown, which seems kind of odd - they are either in some weird folder (lost), or I haven't transferred them from my camera to my computer yet. The first pictures are cell phone pics - for some reason, they don't look very good after being re-sized and uploaded. Sorry. It looks better in person, but thanks to a crappy cell phone picture, this has to suffice. It was lobster pasta.. with a red sauce. Sorry, I don't like white sauce on my noodles. So I'm sure you're thinking that my last comment was a bit offensive? Well, it wasn't meant to be dirty, but since you're the one interpreting it that way, yeah.. Also, stop accusing me of editing these photos. They are 100% un-touched. Blates. Yay, Atlantic Ocean credit. And that's the pier. And the beach. And lots of people. Same. If the Atlantic ocean were any flatter, it'd be.. Well, you know, I can't think of a celebrity who's known for having small breasts. But look at these women and decide for yourself. http://www.listaholic.com/75-celebrities-with-small-boobs-and-flat-chests-that-we-love.html If you look closely at this picture, it looks like a painting. Because it is. My sister is an artist and she made an oil painting for me. You didn't actually believe that, did you? My sister is an art teacher, but that previous picture is just an indication that my 2 year old Droid is a POS. Thanks for releasing software updates, Motorola! After watching 'The Grown Ups', I have a hard time looking at people in public water.. all I can think of is peeing in the pool as a child. But here's a good look back at the park. Good doggy! No, actually, a girl I know shows/raises dalmation,s so I sent her this pic. I forgot.. here are 'real camera' pictures. Here's one coaster - it was actually very fun. Here's one small portion of the park. A much better picture of Piers' front door. This was like any CA beach on a hot day.. FULL! Here's a picture from the very end of the pier.. Quite a neat little bar/restaurant out there, as well. A bit later, we will be walking down this street, dodging parades, cops, and the GP.. Yes, we were that important. Seriously, this little town was boomin'. So I did find this picture. But honestly, I know I took more than this.. the park was very nice, had great employees, quite a few good flats, and Excalibur. Well, until those pictures show up, this was our meal ticket for Funtown - all included!

If the actual Superman trains hold 14 people each, and I'm assuming that those cycles are at least a few minutes, will this drop tower portion of the ride really be that much worse? Say they run both sides of the drop tower, and only one side of the coaster - the capacities will be pretty damn close; if they run both sides of each ride, then yeah, the coaster will have a higher capacity. For the GP, it might have some long lines, but for the knowledgeable enthusiasts, I'm sure everyone will be able to dodge the lines and know when to ride it. Of course these are SFMM ride ops, so... Just like Green Lantern, I'll wait until the hype dies off.

Wow, it's so simple, yet it looks friggin awesome! I love how so many of these new coasters suggest that designers are thinking outside of the box, and I'm also liking how the smaller, more compact coasters, are seemingly more intense (in some cases) than the massive record-breaking ones.

O..M..F..G Since this will be more awesome than Kings Island's Intamin drop tower (which scared the crap out of me at the top), I can only assume that I will need some fresh boxers if I ride this. Way to go, SFMM! And the awesome person who 'leaked' this out.. What is even more awesome is thinking about the Superman car and the drop tower riders 'falling' at the same time.. it's kind of a drop tower racer. Ok, that's stretching it, but still.

Yay, Knoebels! For everybody who does TRs, I've been looking forward to this park the most! I'm also glad that you got pictures of the park itself, and not just the rides. I was sidetracked with the awesome rides that day and didn't get too many photos, and even forget to get a picture of the infamous flyers. I'm really thinking about the New Hotness tour next year just because of Knoebels!