chadster

After loading our soggy butts back onto the bus the tour headed to one of the two most anticipated parks of the trip, for me at least, Waldameer! Why you ask? Well duh, Bill Tracy dark ride and Ravine Flyer II. Waldameer is the type of park I would want in my backyard as it contains the perfect mix of old school classic and new rides. While the park has no plans to ever put in a ride that goes upside down, they do plan to at some point in the future acquire additional land to expand that park further. But even if they don't expand, I'm happy with today's Waldameer with friendly folks, fast operations, and the overal atmosphere that only a family owned long operated park can give. Waldameer is on my must re-visit multiple times list, that's for sure. So what happened on this day you ask? Fun, and lots of it.... Welcome to Waldameer! Gates? Where we are going, we don't need no gates. Kas says "Welcome to Waldameer's Wacky Shack!" Joe and Fran are ready to get spoookafied. Spookafied is a word, pho sho. Jump through the squares! Can you guess what attraction we went to next? Post and tell me! I might give a map or something else away. Classic American park. Love. F&B prices were far less than the corporate chain pricing. The park is also cashless meaning you must pay for everything with a preloaded card or your credit card. It was explained to us since going 100% towards this system that they have been able to recover stolen items using the time stamps on the cards. After the items were recovered they took the perp's out back for an mobster style beat down. True story. Yay for spinning mouse! The Crouse's are ready! And so are the other Crouse's. Hope you don't die! Chris "I do what I want" Con said the mouse was too intense for him. Clearly he's been hanging out with Elissa too much. Speaking of hanging out.... Does the log flume A. provide an acceptable amount of stinky wetness or B. provide an unacceptable amount of stinky wetness If you answered B. You would be correct. So what better way could we celebrate our new found stinkyness than a TPR takeover of Comet! The Comet crew gets 2 thumbs up, way up. Put your hands in the air like you just don't care Yay! What an awesome classic ride Comet is. We liked to much that we whored that thing out over and over! But after a long day of walking we had to find our horses and give them beer. "This one time, at band camp, I stuck a...." "Wake me when it's over" We had just the remedy for Jake! Of course these whores really liked it....in the rear.

Let's face it, while classic, the Chute Out is ultra low capacity and has realistically reached it's end of useful life. A 300+ foot StarFlyer will be a much better fit on that end of the park giving patrons a nice relaxing view. We should be happy that SF's is actually putting in flat rides and spending money instead of keeping the same old tired attractions. Superman and Pandahawkeum were the parks last major attractions prior to NTAG, that's 5 years between e-tickets, so to get another e-ticket 2 years after NTAG is winning. As for the rest of the park, well let's just say that old strip mall may finally meet it's maker soon.

Day 2 brought us very early in the morning to Conneaut Lake Amusement Park for exclusive ride time....in the entire park! Yes, that's right. Originally Robb had only requested a hand full of rides including the Pepsi Blue Streak but upon arrival we were treated to just about every ride in the park. It was quite awesome having our own personal ride operators who followed our group from ride to ride. Then there was Blue Streak. Awaken from the dead a few years ago, this ride has it's own personality. Riding in the rear is comparable to riding the Coney Island Cyclone in the rear, you're going to take a beating, at least on the first two drops. But after some filming, the skies opened up beginning with a light rain and ending in an all out downpour. Allowing us to ride even with thunder booming around us we had the time of our lives. As the rains intensified the ride got faster and faster. Two poor souls were relegated to the back for multiple rides as a few unnamed people in the front kept chanting to keep the ride running. And running it did, right through the station and back to the lift. But all the fun and games would come to end when lightening was spotted. The train was hauling the mail and combined with wet skids wouldn't stop in the station. As a result, we had an evac on the lift hill with two cars in the rain and two cars in the tunnel. Fortunately for me, I had swapped seats with those in the rear and remained out of the downpour until time to evac and trek across the mud to the platform. Epic fun. Epic fun indeed. No pictures of the rain soaked ride so story telling will have to suffice from me. And yes...its a True Story! Shawn was none the happy with the park's policy. First ride of the day, the Yo Yo. Taking a brief look at the park we find the lake's general store, sponsored by Pepsi. The area beyond here houses the Tabogan, a ride surely to never run again. It's also an area we were told we didn't want to enter as ghosts were still sleeping. I saw a ghost and quickly turned around. First ride of the day was this awkward contraption; it didn't spin like I thought it would but KT approved of it so that's good enough for me. Is it a credit, or is it not a credit? I have very strict standards for what is and what is not considered a credit. To be considered a credit it should be launched, have a lift chain, cable, drive tires, or powered. Lift Chain - Check. It should fall by gravity. Check. It should have some sort of brakes at the end. Check. Therefore I count Devils Den as a credit. I never saw this ride running, but what was running was the tumble bug after Lenny worked until midnight the night before getting an electrical problem fixed. Way to go! I like a good bumper car, but sadly they just didn't deliver more than a 2mph drive. So we pretended it was going to hurt Off to a land where credit whores were not allowed. So KT and Megan had their own personal ride operator. How cool was that? No adults were allowed to ride, even with a handsome bribe. Does it count if I only watched someone ride? Under my very strict guidelines for what counts and does not count, it comes close, but not close enough. The park still has pony rides but fat people were not allowed. LMFAO! Oh yeah, they had a mini tumble bug. Again, NOT a credit although some think they should be. It is NOT on two rails. NO CREDIT! This is the Halloween section of the park. Over here we find the Universal Backlot. Some sort of new attraction is going in, pretty sure it's not going to be a credit. Park Themeing. So now on to the late 1800's carousel of progress. With beautiful hand carved horses. Installed in the park around 1914ish with hand painted murals that were updated several years ago. Amazing. Um, yeah! AKA "Welcome TPR" So as Blue Streak was getting warmed up a few people found Bench: The Ride and later ran for Picnic Grove: The Shelter when the rains came. Again, Epic rides on Blue Streak of which I'm sure video will surface of soon. In the meantime we will journey on to Waldameer, the latest park to be added to my top 10 favorite amusement parks.

Look for an announcement soon that SFSTL will be getting Flashback as a 'new for 2013' ride.

Welcome to the TPR snack exchange with foods from Italy, Australia, Canada, and the USA! Everyone gather round. And let us pray over the bounty of sugar that has been bestowed upon us. But some of us would regret what we had just tasted... No, Jake is not practicing, he's trying the one, the only, the Vegemite! Pigs Chris Con was not impressed with the Vegemite. "Here, you try it, it's not all that bad" "I'm about the throw up" $200 was offered to the person who would finish the tube...they did. Who was it? The aftermath.... This is what Australian snow cones will do to you. It's ok Robb, just open the package and use the included shovel, nothing bad will happen. Opps, I lied. A great time was had by all on this late night of conversation, food, candy, and fun. Day 2 would bring as Epic water rides on Blue Streak and a kick ass time at Waldameer. Stay tuned to your local channel!

So after the Herschell Museum we loaded up to look at some water. All loaded up, we are ready for our first of four boarder crossings! No expense was spared in the sandwich boards used to advertise the hotel. Noted. Goodbye USA, Hello Canada, eh? Why do people insist on putting on a poncho? Anyone know what happens when 10 million New Yorkers flush their toilets all at the same time? This. If you want to walk down into the giant toilet bowel, you may. The giant tower in the background gives the falls just what it's missing. KT wasn't so impressed. What was impressive were Amber's nails. Can I use my ticket now please? Ok, enough water, time to check out the tourist attractions. Um, no. Um, yes! I can finally drink legally! Sorry Jake, you wish it were. Well, at least you can bribe a few kids now for the kiddie credits. So yuuup, that's what the falls are all about. Next up, TPR Snack Exchange!

Final part of the Herschel Tour. After getting our history on, we got our ride on. If I remember correctly, we were told this ride originally didn't go up and down but was retrofitted to meet their needs. Hi Roxi! "I dare you to stick your fingers in my mouth" The organ was fired up and off we went, galloping along. The panel details were gorgeous. Holy crap that thing spins fast! Robb in his happy place. Outside of the carousel building we found parts for their version of kiddie land being rehabbed. Awesome tour, great history lesson, and another rare Carousel credit! Thanks to the museum for putting up with us! But wait, this day isn't over yet as we cross into Canada!

Herschell Factory, Cont. Carousel locator guide. History credit time. The carousel's that the Herschell company were known for would stop being the big seller they once were starting in 1938 and by 1940 they didn't sell a single one. Herschell, being a visionary came, up with the Kiddieland concept shown here. The kiddie car ride was a popular seller and are still seen today. No, I'm not riding them. Parts diagram for the motor of the Kiddie Tank Ride. The museum plans to partially re-create their own kiddieland and will feature four rides. "Hey Jake, would you come and stand next to this...Rooster?" The attention to detail the carvers had back in the day is nothing short of amazing talent. Geeks. No, I did not count it, mainly because no one would push me up the hill to let it roll down a bit. What new ride do you think might have been based on this? Noted.

After we ate lunch and got loaded, we headed a short distance to the Herschell Carousel Factory where where we were given an exclusive behind the scenes tour of the facility in reverse. Here is our story. Fat, dumb, and happy, we arrived at the Herschell Factory Museum for an exclusive tour. So how about some history. Take note of the cars in this photo, that knowledge will be of use later on. The old wooden factory has an upgraded fire suppression system as well as modern steel beams to help keep it standing. Inside we were shown the tools that were used over 100 years ago to create the classic carousel's, many of which still exist today. I wonder how many people cut their fingers off while carving horses out in here. I'll bet money it wasn't reported to OSHA. Band Organs! The modern day record players just don't measure up to the classic sound and feeling these give off. Pro Tip: A small Christmas themed park in Colorado has several working band organs on display throughout the park. Missing a leg? Behind our tour guide lies rolls and rolls of Band Organ Music. The museum also has the worlds only machine left known to exist that can create those rolls. Give the band a hand as it's time to move into a different area and perhaps share some more history.

Day 1 of the Leviathon Tour: Those of us in early before the official start of the tour woke up to rain. The day began and ended in the Hampton Inn Buffalo Airport Lobby (super friendly folks, nice hotel, highly recommend) first with a breakfast takeover which for some might have been a mistake The day would end with a huge snack exchange with random things to do throughout the day due to the closure of Martin's Fantasy Island due to 'rain' and included a trip to the Canadian side of the Niagara Falls and a trip to Herschell Carousel Factory! Score! So lets get loaded (I'm not talking on to the bus folks) and go! P.S. Limiting each post to 10-12 photos for faster loading Hey, what are we doing here? This doesn't look like Martin's Fantasy Island to me! And what is all that wet looking stuff?!?!?! The Anchor Bar is the home to the original Buffalo wing. With out them, Buffalo Wild Wings wouldn't exist. Time to study the menu and order some food! Shirley's first Dirty Shirley of the trip and he wasn't impressed with the size. This size comparison shows that this injustice needs to be corrected. That's better!! After food was ordered the trip itineraries were passed out. We also went over some schedule changes that would nix Martins (since they were closed for the day due to rain) and add Niagara Falls Canadian and a factory tour! That's what I'm talking about. Dark beers are my favorite. What's wrong Garbles? Itinerary too hard to understand or did you chose the ass burning wing sauce? (Wing sauce I'm sure ) Food's here! Soupy's food is here too! Om Nom Nom Nom. Excellent food at the Anchor Bar and a nice surprise welcome lunch! Next up on rain soaked adventure we head to the Herschell Carousel Factory!

^Please don't give them any ideas

After an impromptu dinner at TGI Fridays, it was off to the American side of Niagra Falls. Yes, I know it's falling water, yes some of you probably think it's boring, but, seeing it for the first time and that first time being at night was pretty cool. Tourist trap? You bet. Hard Rock Niagara American Side Credit! Off to the raging rapids. The falls officially supports gay rights. How do I know this? It's all decked out in rainbow colors. It would be kinda cool to push something over the edge. And by something, I mean someone. The question is, who? "I do what I want" - Chris Con So after the initial shock and awe we moved to the other side known as the giant toilet bowel. That's a mighty flush The mightiest. So there is that, exciting eh? On deck next, Leviathon Official Tour Day 1 with food, surprises, and more oh my.

Howdy Ho friends, it's Chadster bringing you the finest porn from the Leviathan tour! Despite a few rain delays we had an EPIC time from whoring kiddie coasters, riding Blue Streak in the RAIN (more like down pour with thunder), riding an SLC in a monsoon and a bonus experience at the Herschel Carousel Factory! So sit back, relax, and enjoy my take on a short but EPIC trip with the Alvey's! First up was a trip to SeaBreeze for a little pre-game credit whoring! The parks top coaster is Jack Rabbit featuring an oldie but well maintained goodie! Also on deck was a very strange wooden bobsled coaster along with a wide variety of other crazy fun. About 20 people from the Leviathon tour made the drive and this is what happened... Feel free to comment Day 1 - Anchor Bar, Home of the Original Buffalo Wing! Day 1 - Herschell Carousel Factory Day 1 - Niagara Falls Day 1 - Snack Exchange Day 2 - Conneaut Lake Day 2 - Waldameer Day 3 - Dairen Lake Day 3 - Martin's Fantasy Island Day 3 - Taco Review! Day 4 - Canada's Wonderland Day 5 - Marineland After arriving to the park I made an immediate right hand turn to the parks most underrated ride with sustained G-Forces and a mega airtime hill! The park was slightly shocked when a bunch of random coaster geeks showed up at varying times, but at the same time thought it was really cool! So cool that they invited us to ride the coaster without a kid! The first of two that we get to ride this week. I must say they can produce a few thrilling moments...if that's even possible. Look out belooooooooooow. Seriously. Why? Flying food debris. Sexy buttons all wanting to be pushed. Looks smooth. The Geoff Bodine bobseld team has nothing on these. But you do have to follow the same technique as if you were driving a real bobsled. Oh yeah, they had a mega dick-o Quit stalking us! Can you See the Dragon? I can. The Red Barron flew in to join us as well, and boy were his arms tired. Mean while back at the dick-o In case anyone was wondering...I did NOT give this a courtesy ride. Thanks. Sea Breeze really is a nice relaxing park with free parking, a decent water park, and it's not overly huge. IMHO it's just right for families and tweens. The parks jail for naughty TPR members. Do you want to go faster?!?!?!?! OK, here we go, straight to the top! The highway was brutal on the way in so it was time for some practice before heading back out. I have very stringent and rigid policies for what counts and what does not count as a credit. This does NOT count. Hi ladies! Words cannot describe the train. Not an acceptable amount of wetness. Pro Tip: Do not put you hands outside of the boat on the splash down. Read and be informed. Now for a special treat, lets take a photo ride of the Jack Rabbit! And here are your photographers for the day, soupy and garbles. Highly experienced, loyal, and hard working. The counter weight brake was released and off we went. here we go to the left we see some snapping flyers looks like a lift hill, smells like a lift hill, must be a lift hill. clack clack clack clack cling clack cling clack cling clack wait for it....wait for it... Go! not rough at all but the Morgan trains do detract from the ride. is detracted a word? Detracted - Reduce or take away the worth or value of Guess it is a word and as a bonus I got the meaning correct. But I digress How about we build up some steam for the big finale? Why do we always scream when going through a tunnel? Is there some sort of manual? We must investigate. If you can fine this, let me know. And we are done. Thanks Sea Breeze! I highly recommend visiting this park. So what else is done? Me. Very little sleep but an epic few days. What's not done was this day. Next stop was an impromptu dinner followed by Niagara nighttime falls!

What a classic old school fair, very cool. Glad you were able to make it up there, incredibly jealous!

Pretty confident that TPR will be there.

See, it wasn't that hard to do! Personally I still think Six Flags saw an easy way out.

Let's see here I am assuming you are starting at SFSL - Being August, many of the patrons will be in the water park therefore a Flashpass *might* not be needed. You should be able to sit on American Thunder for a bit early in the morning but keep in mind that might bend you over slightly for other attractions that seem to act as a huge magnet for park goers, those being Mr. Freeze: Reverse Blast and Batman. You can easily walk in, turn to the left and do everything in clockwise order and be ready to leave. It's an 'OK' Six Flags park that has a ton of Asphalt making it blazing hot. Of course you can always get a fresh made waffle cone with ice cream to cool you off. SDC - On the way there you should think about stopping off at Lambert's just outside Springfield on the way to Branson. If you are in to go-carts they have plenty of those. I hear Andy Williams Moon River grill is good too. Oh, take the train ride Magic Springs - Combined with the water park you could spend 6 hours here, easily. If not, well maybe less time. Arkansas Twister is probably the most memorable ride there but they do have a few decent flats. Little Rock is just up the road but nothing really special there unless you like stained blue dresses on display. FC - Say hi to Michael when you are there, Anton is smooth and like has been mentioned Wildcat can get a long wait, I'd say hit that first. You probably won't be able to get Wild Kitty (sorry, height restricted!) but do try the BBQ there. If you are spending the night, head to Bricktown. Plenty of dining options and nightlife. Wichita - If you are in to credit whoring, there is a place for that. Check out my thread for details Also they have a neat district downtown you might be interested in stopping and checking out. WoF - Aug 11 is Coaster Enthusiasts day if you will be there then, if not Fastlane may or may not be needed, it really depends, however Mamaba seems to get long lines that never seem to move. I would hit up PROWLER to see if it's open(sometimes it is, sometimes it isn't at park opening), skip boomathing and head to Mamba. At that point the kiddie credit should be open and be sure to check out Cyclone Sam's, you'll be glad you did. Patriot may look like it has a huge line but even with a 100% full switchback 45 min max is what you will wait. Spinning Dragons can be a huge problem line wise so another option could be haul ass to it, then pass up Patriot for later as it draws large early morning lines and go over to Mamba. The BBQ is decent but pricey, but in park food I would head to the bar at the front of the park. A/C and overlooks the log flume. KC has some good BBQ in Arthur Bryants, Oklahoma Joes, and Jack Stack(burnt ends, yum) Boulevard Brewery offers tours but they fill up quick, like months in advance! Go to their website for more info. Also in KC is another Presidential Library - Truman. It's about a 90 min max visit unless you like to study stuff. Adventureland - Like SF's I found people went to the water park and lines were non existent, even on a Saturday. Don't let the parking lot scare you, it's a rather large park. Food is reasonable too. If you want a culture lesson, be sure to go DT to the Capitol Complex, the buildings are quite amazing.

This has been a fantastic read, loved your reviews!

The Holy Works of Anton - Silver Bullet

^You don't have to suck up anymore! ^^Thanks again man, glad you like the TR! I'll be sending a package your way to add to your collection of materials soon

Very PROWLER like, me likey. I approved this message.

^I think you are pretty close there as the architecture of layout of the buildings surrounding the ride closely matches your vision.

Sam - I have seen the plans, the building is quite large and will house an amazing haunt!

I like how that slide has a nice brown streak down the middle