chadster

Wow. Just got the official word, noon today it is. Trains just delivered this week...oh my.

^Funny you mention that

Howdy partners! TPR was at Texas Sky Screamer media day today, and all I can say is....WOW, what a ride. Built by Funtime, this 400 foot monster will spin you at 35mph on one of 4 ride programs that were designed to meet capacity needs based on attendance. We had the opportunity to try all 4 and by far the 'YoYo' program(takes you up and down multiple times) was our favorite. The 'Observation' mode takes you up to the top, holds, and slows down for a chance to take in the sights of Jerry World, the Texas Rangers Stadium, Downtown Fort Worth, and Downtown Dallas before winding back up to 35mph(what a rush that is!) and bringing you safely back to earth. As for the other two programs, well, you'll have to find out for yourself what they are While TSS doesn't have an LED light package up the tower it does have LED lights on the bottom of the chairs and LED's on the sign. If you have not been to the park at night, it really is a pretty sight. By not having the lights on the tower you will have the feeling of flying with the stars while giving you a great view of the park and the city. Texas Sky Screamer offers a single rider line, which most of you qualify for, that will help keep the ride full and the line moving. Park President Steve Martindale told me they didn't just want another swing ride, they've been done before. They wanted the biggest, baddest swing ride possible, and that's just what they got. Special thanks to Steve, Sharon, Olivia, the TSS ride crew, and everyone at SFOT that helped put this event together. We had a fun time(pun intended) on Texas Sky Screamer! So get your big boy pants on and get out here and ride! Watch me crap my pants on my first ever ride on Texas Sky Screamer! Be sure to SHARE this video! Howdy! Welcome to Texas Sky Screamer Media Day! The park went all out with the decorations! Wait. Something's missing... Holy. Crap. That's high, like Lindsey Lohan high. If you had any doubts about things being bigger in Texas, you can put those to rest. TPR members enter on the right hand side Shawn is taking life by the horns, and then misses his flight home. Park President Steve Martindale and 'The Boss' are getting ready to 'brand' the ride open! A Justin Boots sponsored bull rider was on hand to help out. In true Texas Style, the hot iron was used... and BOOM! The ride is open! Paws up little monsters! This newly christened ride can be seen for miles down the interstate as if it was right in front of you. The chairs twist and turn, but not too much. And with the ride open, the celebration begins! A Holiday in the Park favorite was on hand to provide food! Yummy Skillets! Shawn wants to be like a boss And all these people want to ride the new Sky Screamer! A real life Will Rogers and a former Six Flags country music entertainer were also on hand adding to the country flair. I can't forget about you panel nerds! Nor can I forget about Larry! Hi Larry! The red velvet cake was money, and just what my nerves needed! Sharon Parker, the parks PR Manager, was responsible for putting together the festivities. Thanks Sharon! From the air you get a huge appreciation of the size of this ride. Pretty sure that's the ozone layer we are touching. For comparison sake These folks are having a great flight! Judge Roy has a new big brother watching over him! NOOO! Don't hit your new big brother! Seriously, this is a great ride and a strong addition to the park. It's almost as if it was meant to be here and I would highly encourage everyone ride it! Steve and Jay invite all you to the park this season to ride Texas Sky Screamer, you might scream, you might panic a little, heck, you might even crap yourself! But one thing is for certain, you will have fun! Get down and ride!!! Be sure to POST YOUR COMMENTS NOW!

TPR was at Six Flags over Texas today for Texas Sky Screamer Media Day! I'll have complete coverage coming up later, but for now I'll leave you with this photo. Holy crap it was fun! Texas Sky Screamer opens to the public May 25th, Season Pass holders can ride tomorrow 1pm to 10pm!

YOLO! Yes, pointless comment, thought it fit nicely here

If you are a lover of my threads and photos here on TPR, I know of a great place you can donate $50 at to help you get that awesome IAAPA stuff! www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/chadster/Valleyfair2013

Thanks for the update Mikey!

^Not at SWSA. It's primary demographics are families with younger children. The two "adult" coasters they have now see very little traffic most of the year and the batman clone is actually pretty good. As such, laying down 20 million for a forceless boring ride would not be a good use of funds. I'd rather see them upgrade their exhibits and habitats before I'd like to see a new ride, that and add some shade. That place gets horrid in the summer.

Debris has been found as far away as Branson, quite the epic storm

I love how quickly things can go downhill in the rumor mill. Thankfully the park has set things straight.

TPR was at media day for the opening of Iron Rattler, Rocky Mountain Construction's latest insanely awesome hybrid coaster at Six Flags Fiesta Texas! And much like the POV suggest, our butts spent more time out of the seat than in it! The lift hill on this baby is quite intimidating at 179 feet and offers a fantastic view of the park. The train reaches the top and slows to a crawl giving those in front time to reflect on the craziness that lies ahead before plunging 171 feet in a near vertical 81 degree drop at an astonishing 70mph! Zooming past the rock wall going up and under the zero-g roll and then up again before hitting the first of many over banked turns you have the feeling of never being in your seat. The ride maintains it's speed nicely through the roll before some crazy overbanked twisting turns leading to a small bunny hill that sets you up for the big plunge into the tunnel! The amazing part of this section is that you have no clue as what is about to happen! When the train falls off the cliff it picks up a hellish speed that zooms so fast entering the disco tunnel that your brain simply can't process what just happened! The ride ends with another nice pop of air before being brought to a gentle yet quick stop. RMC has created yet another winner and Six Flags Fiesta Texas is proud to own her. No doubt Iron Rattler will be a top 10 coaster in the next polls! Get out to SFFT and ride this monster, you won't be disappointed! Special thanks to Jeffrey, Jamie, the entire iRat ride crew, and all those at SFFT for putting on a great event, you guys rock! If you haven't liked Rocky Mountain Construction's facebook page, do it NOW! Check out and SHARE TPR's Iron Rattler POV Video! Maintenance is getting Iron Rattler ready The local news stations are getting ready The ride crew is ready.... Iron Rattler is READY! Jeffery Siebert says "Let's GO Let's GO Let's GO!!!" Rattler's sign is looking good! The station has been revamped; the splash of orange really sets it off nicely! That's one bad ass looking train And I can't forget the tail enthusiasts! I know some of you would love getting your hands on some tail! We love the iRat sign, it sets the mean tone for the ride and will be an iconic park symbol for years to come. The first drop is crazy as it twists to the left heading almost straight down at 81 degrees! As soon as you head down, you know it's gonna be a great ride. Then you zoom past the rock wall at a blazing 70 MPH! and head under the zero-g roll with a burst of air time and now into the first of several over banked turns ensuring that your butt is all over the place! The zero-g roll is a pretty amazing element for sure, and the best part....it's smooth as silk After twisting and turning the train appears out of nowhere Take the tunnel!!!! And one last pop of air before you hit the brakes There wasn't a single person who didn't have an OMFG what just happened look on their faces See? Told you. And we're rolling! After all the time out of the seat, you butt gets firmly planted with some nice force, but not for long! iRat's ending ranks high on the list for me in best endings as it leaves you wanting more! They have some cool looking merchandise for Iron Rattler YOLO! This group of nerdy characters is thrilled with the new Iron Rattler! Want more you say? Absolutely you do! Visually stunning But it wouldn't be a RMC ride without something over the top crazy Like the zero-g roll The second drop is our favorite, comes out of no where, and instantly picks up steam You hit the disco tunnel at such a high rate of speed that you get the feeling you might crash into it! Awesome setting, and tons better than old Rattler, sorry old Rattler fans We even get a chance to meet up with fellow TPR peeps! After a few more rides we headed up to the top of the mountain for an exclusive photo opportunity Robb gives iRat a big thumbs up! Craziness! Down the hatch This is what 81 degrees of hair time looks like Iron Rattler is certainly one of those rides you want to get off, and back on, over and over. I just can't get over how well it fits in with the rest of the park Its like its meant to be there! Speaking of going over Coming out of the roll before a series of crazy over banks Reach for the sky! Everyone needs to get to SFFT and ride Iron Rattler, these folks would agree! Wish you were here? Again, I can't say enough what a great job RMC did with Iron Rattler, a solid ride that's a great fit for the park, smooth, crazy, super fast, and most of all it's an amazingly fun ride! Thanks Six Flags Fiesta Texas for having us, we thoroughly enjoyed Iron Rattler! Be sure to POST YOUR COMMENTS!

OzCat is trash, the trains are gone and the ride has been pieced out. It was built for the specific site, has sat too long, and would be cheaper to rebuild from scratch. Stick a fork in it, its done.

For me, the cave is the absolute best part of the ride, coming out of the cave you get another bump of air before hitting the brakes, pretty amazing feeling.

Hi guys! Robb and I just rode Iron Rattler, and OMFG, the first drop is crazy! The drop as you come back over the wall is insanely fast then rattler squeezes you through the tunnel! Here are a few pictures, more to come later! Doesn't the train look amazing! Doesn't that look incredible!

An airplane might be your best option

By popular demand I bring you, Chadster's Taco Adventures!! Each week I will search for the country's best (or not so best, *cough* walking taco *cough) tacos. So tune in to find out if the tacos will be good, bad, or just plain ugly. The premier edition starts out with a trip to Austin, Texas where I visited the Star of Texas Fair and Rodeo, a cowboy's dream. This annual event is held each year in March, spans ~16 days, and includes a rodeo, music, farm animals, and a carnival presented by CrabTree Amusements. The event itself is a tad pricey; parking is $10, gate entry is $8, and ride wristbands at $35. Rodeo tickets extra. After my visit to the fair I went on a search for Austin's best tacos and ended up at El Chilito near the University of Austin. And let me tell you, they were nothing short of a party in my mouth. If you would like to suggest a taco stand for me to visit, please include in the comments below! So without further ado, I present, Chadster's Taco Adventures! Welcome to the Star of Texas Rodeo Where's the beef? More like, where's the tacos? Not tacos. ACEr Pretty sure I don't want to mess with Texas. You don't say? Things are looking up. Ok, let me just say, that if anyone ever suggests that I eat tacos from a place like this...I'll let you try them first Stepping out on to the midway I found sock monkeys! I also found this amazingly crazy Pole Position. I asked to be placed in such a way for maximum pole spinning...wrong thing to do. It literally felt like I was in a washing machine on spin cycle. Thankfully I hadn't eaten any bad tacos, or anything else. But in true whore style, I jumped on the wagon. Very few break dances I have been on make me want to hurl. That's when you know you have been a good break dance. I did not hurl. At the Starof Texas, the stars come out to play. For some off reason, couples or threesomes only on this ride. They would not let me ride with them. Chalk another one the board. Disappointed, I went to check for single moms. Finding none, I ran into this jacked up ride. Jacked up in a good way. It's like a Mega Disco, only the ride vehicles spin at an incredible pace! I wanted to hurl when I got off. And then, I rode it again. If you see one, RIDE IT! Mooooving on to other parts I found a taco and a future taco laying around. Yup, county as county can get. They also had world class entertainment. No expense was spared. For $xx bucks you could go ziplinning. Just like the real thing. And it wouldn't be ghetto if you couldn't test drive a horse! You could also test drive a dodge ram on an off road course, kinda fun, but they of course want to sell you a truck afterwards. Time to head out to find some Tacos Won't be finding them in here, nor anyone else for that matter. And I have arrived! This place is amazing. I had originally planned to go to a food truck near the UA campus but a greek event was taking place that had hundreds of college co-eds bouncing around and I got distracted. I drove by this place and it had a nice line, so I thought hey, must be good! Good was an understatement. Everything here is made from scratch. Taco #1 was a beef puffy corn taco. Puffy corn you say? Yup! Whatever they did to make that happen, I applaud them. The puffy corn melted in your mouth, the beef perfectly seasoned with bits of potato, like it should be. Full of flavor. 8.5/10 Taco #2 was a soft chicken taco. The chicken was moist and cooked in a sauce that you'd want to drink. Topped with all the fixins, this is certainly another one you will want to try out. 8/10 Be sure to check out their menu online and stop by when in Austin. Outdoor seating and walk-up ordering round out the experience of a true taco stand. If you know of any taco stands in Austin or San Antonio, please let me know and I'll try them out this week!

Well that's too bad

Not sure what part of the park you were in Friday at 4pm, but I've got the photos and time stamp showing Batman had about a 45 minute wait.

Depends on what time the Ranger's game starts. It'll clear nicely starting around 5pm

^It's also not exactly in the best part of town either which will further add to the Hard Rock Park syndrome.

Funny this thread got revived, I just spoke with a client this week that lives near the French Quarter and talk of the hurricane came up. The former mayor wasted no time getting that area back up and running, after all it's their bread and butter (and we later found out about the mayor and his dealings) nevertheless, it seems pretty much everything south of the Quarter has been forgotten. In their opinion, people have given up, don't care, and moved on. If that is indeed the mindset of the wards/city and the people, then not much is going to be profitable down that direction. People come to drink, party, and leave. They won't want to travel that far for shopping and with housing developments not really spawning in that general direction to the point it could sustain a center of the level that was proposed, its not worth it. As mentioned, rent it out to studios, they seem to love it.

I would take I-44 to Springfield. I talked to some Dallas people at the park last summer that went through Arkansas and they said it took forever. This. I made that same trip for the media event...took almost 8 hours. Lots of two lane roads.

The park shouldn't be too busy on May13th, school is still in session for the most part. Hotels, there is a best western next to the park if you want close, the village at indian point is nice. If you do downtown you get expensive. Hotwire usually has some good deals but in general you will find pretty standard rooms throughout the city, most are good, but nothing comes to mind that screams stay away from.

Yeah, we've got a little rain, but the area has gone so long without it that it barely makes a dent in the watershed levels.

The North Texas Municipal Water District has announced water restrictions to be in place starting June 1st. While the fountain is nice and cools things down a tad in the summer, it's better to be conservative. SFOT shut down Freeze voluntarily during the heat wave a while back to conserve electric and do their part in helping to prevent brownouts during high electric usage. So if their reason is to conserve water, I applaud them. The sign is out for refurbishment and should be back at some point.