cfc

Be careful--that's how they sucker you in! Looks like a great event, and I love how the castle is lit for it.

As I recall, you get pretty wet on Liseberg's flume, which explains the facial expressions in that photo.

That visit last year was easily the best of the three times I've gone to Fuji-Q with TPR.

They were running only one side of Finnegan's last Sunday, too. I'm inclined to think it's a technical issue of some kind.

I spent a few hours there once, and enjoyed Blue Streak, Devil's Den, and the Carousel. They were painting the fence around the flyers, but they let us ride, anyway.

I'm not a huge fan of "flying coasters," but liked the setting of Crystal Wing. Great photos, Hanno.

Each cottage has a little deck by the lake.

I haven't been to SFA in a few years, but I did think Batwing was surprisingly decent.

Smuggler's Run looks great, as does the rest of Galaxy's Edge.

Great photos, Hanno! I remember going on some of the Holiday World hikes.

^To be fair, I think someone peeled off the decal they'd put up to correct the goof. We noticed that other Valravn banners had these appliques.

Night and day at Cedar Point. Raptor was another ride that I stunk at photographing that day. We had to wait a bit for it, too. But at least I didn’t make this goof on this Valravn banner. All these people are using their phones to find the Keymaster. (Photo by Ward.) We took a ride on Magnum later in the day when the line was short. We were laughing as it tried to beat us to death. Such a weird ride. Here’s another good reason to stay at the Lighthouse Point Lakeside Cottages. (Photo by Ward.) Good evening, Blue Streak. We’re back. We had dinner at Melt that night . . . . . . while Santa watched. Hur, hur, hur! (That’s for you Rifftrax fans.) Ooo, look at the cool lighting . . . d’oh! I’m not a big fan of Gatekeeper, but this was the best ride I’ve had on it. Maybe riding it after dark is the key. Valravn seemed a bit better this trip, too, even though we had to wait over an hour by the time we rode it. Still not my favorite Dive Machine, though. It’s definitely better on the Midway after dark than out in the blazing sun. (Photo by Ward.) Yeah, kinda blurry, but I wanted one photo of MF after dark. We didn’t ride Power Tower until the next day. Not as purple then. Time to call it a night. Good night, Steel Vengeance. And good morning, Steel Vengeance. We started with Maverick for Early Entry because Steel Vengeance was having Early Entry issues again. Yeehaw! Rougarou happened. At least it wasn’t Mantis. Other coasters were closed due to high winds, so Valravn was slammed early. Les tried to declare herself queen in hopes of royal Fast Lane privileges. Take us to the front of the line! We command it! Alas, it was all for naught. (Photo by Ward, via Matt.) Inspired by the Golden State Warriors come-from-behind victory over the Trailblazers the night before, Matt tried the Three-Point Challenge. It didn’t go quite as well. We didn’t ride Corkscrew or Iron Dragon. Probably for the best. The last ride of the weekend. Nice new sign. I stepped aside so that the tight lap bars would lock, and they could enjoy (if that is the correct word) the ride. My sacrifice was not forgotten. Ne Obliviscaris! This is what happens when you neglect to unpack your bag in a timely manner, and Angus McNasty is around. Thanks for reading.

The motto means "Never forget," but I don't remember what we weren't supposed to forget. Yes, Clan Campbell! Famous for the triumph of Robert the Bruce over the English--and infamous for the Glencoe Massacre of the MacDonald's (“Aye, laddie, there were nary a Big Mac or McNugget left once we finished orderin' at the Glencoe drive thru!”)--gathered in Ohio to play the pipes and storm the ramparts of Cedar Point the weekend of May 17-19, 2019! Yes, another milestone in Scottish history! Except that there were no pipes and no storming--and only three Campbells. Still pretty epic, I’d say. My niece Leslie (aka “Les”) had just finished her engineering Ph.D. at Purdue, and her dad, Ward, was going to help her move. Les and Ward were intrigued by Cedar Point, and Les’s boyfriend, Matt, hadn’t been there in years (his last visit predated Maverick). Ward rented a cottage at Lighthouse Point, and I flew to Cleveland to act as tour guide. (This was my third visit to Cedar Point, and I finally have the lay of the land there.) The weather was great too, so we didn’t have to endure the park’s infamous rain shutdowns. But we did get their huge Saturday crowds, which we tackled without Fast Lane; Matt and Leslie were on a starving grad-student budget. Still, we managed to get in the major coasters, and we had “Early Entry” privileges. What did they think of “America’s Roller Coast”? Great rides they loved: Steel Vengeance, Maverick, Millennium Force, and Valravn. Not much of a surprise there. Good rides they liked: Raptor and Gatekeeper. Matt had been a Raptor fan since he was a kid, and Gatekeeper was the first B&M Wing Coaster for Ward, Les, and Matt. Even I had to admit a night ride on Gatekeeper was fun. Crazy ride they liked with some trepidation: Top Thrill Dragster. “Er, are these rollbacks a serious problem?” We had to wait about an hour and saw it roll back twice. Odd ride they thought was hilarious: Magnum. Who else? Bumpy, clunky, and hilarious to Les, Ward, and me (Matt skipped it). Weird ride they didn't think was hilarious: Rougarou. OK ride: Blue Streak. I made sure they avoided the wheel seats. Cramped, painful ride: Cedar Creek Mine Train As for the park itself, everyone agreed that Frontier Town and the Frontier Trail were quite nice, but that the Midway needed a lot more shade. We ate pretty well, too, at Melt and Famous Dave’s, and the cottage worked out perfectly. All in all, a successful long weekend. Hmm--this looks a wee bit like the place I stayed at last year, only not as close to Steel Vengeance. “OK, what’s that really big ride?” “Which one?” “Any of ‘em.” This was our Early Entry objective. I was hoping that all these folks would run to Skyhawk or Gemini after rope drop, but I was disappointed. I think Les is ready. Unfortunately, Steel Vengeance wasn't, and our Early Entry was eaten up waiting for them to finish testing. Ward is upset that he can’t bring his basketball on the ride. Well, he would be if he had a basketball. It’s the principle of the thing! We will all be reduced to dribbling idiots here without basketballs, anyway. What? Nobody told me this ride did that! OK, I figured it would do something like that. You would definitely lose your basketball here. “Huh? I didn’t notice that Maverick did that while we were on it,” said Ward as we walked by on our way to Millennium Force. You see that big blue thing? Just head that way. I stunk at taking pictures of Millennium Force that day, but this one is kind of, well, . . . here. Our quest is at an end. God be praised! What’s this all about? Does it have anything to do with that “Forbidden Frontier” thing that opens next weekend? You hombres ask too many questions. Well, I guess we shouldn't have expected a Shakespeare festival. Er, Matt? There’s a zombie truck behind you. Thought you’d like to know. “You will kneel before me, Optimus Prime!” “Go ahead. Wave something red in my face, gringos. I dare you!” Tonight on SyFy: “Mega-Sharknado: The Truck.” Time to experience “Macho Overcompensation: The Coaster.” “Sure, Chuck. We’ll be happy to stand here in the blazing sun while you wait for a train to launch. Don’t mind us standing here getting all sun burned. Are you sure the ride hasn’t broken down?” We witnessed two rollbacks while we waited. This was not one of them. I shudder to think how much a trainload of typical coaster enthusiasts would weigh. There were a bunch of food trucks in the park. This one was suffering through an identity crisis. We decided on this one. The empanadas were pretty good. Hmm--either I’m drunk, or this hat is. More to come.

I haven't ridden this coaster since 2007, but I remember being surprised at how decent the ride was in the stand-up trains. All the U.S. Togos were lousy.

Here's a follow-up article from today's online Virginia Gazette. Busch Gardens cans proposed Madrid attraction Jack Jacobs Busch Gardens has pulled the plug on the proposed Busch Gardens Madrid attraction. Though Busch Gardens secured a height wavier for the Madrid attraction in August 2017, whatever plans were in the works for the project have been trashed, though it’s not clear why or when. Suzy Cheely, the park’s senior leader for design and engineering, noted Madrid’s defunct status during a discussion about a height waiver for a different Busch Gardens project at a Board of Supervisors meeting Tuesday. “The Madrid project never came to fruition. We instead have put in a request for a different project. The tallest that would be is 180 feet,” she said when a supervisor inquired about the project. “It’s actually a lot less than what it would have been had the Madrid project gone through.” Cheely said the building and site plan approvals had been secured for that new project. She didn’t elaborate on what that project would be. County planning director Paul Holt confirmed those documents were approved by the county, adding the planning department isn’t kept in the loop regarding the finer details of Busch Gardens’ projects and only knows enough to ensure their construction adheres to county policy. He didn’t immediately know on Wednesday when the approval happened, and Cheely didn’t mention a date either. “They went with something else that was a little lower,” he said. The Madrid height waiver application Busch Gardens submitted for the board’s approval requested permission to build an attraction of up to 315 feet from finished grade. Supervisors unanimously approved that request. Structures taller than 60 feet need a waiver from the board to clear the way to construction. Madrid was intended to be built near the Italy section of the park, and the attraction was described as a “lattice-type structure,” in a staff report. “Lattice” is also how Cheely also described the “tall, slender structure” that requires the height wavier considered on Tuesday. The board voted 4-1 to defer a decision on a new height wavier until June 11, owing to criticism of the project by Kingsmill residents, who said Busch Gardens hasn’t done enough to inform them of the project or study its impacts. SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment LLC, which owns Busch Gardens, requested a height waiver for a project not to exceed 355 feet in height above finished grade, or 435 feet above sea level Tuesday. The attraction associated with the new height wavier would be located in the center of the park. As might be expected with Busch Gardens, which keeps details of new attractions under wraps for competitive reasons, it’s unclear exactly what happened to Madrid. Cheely didn’t offer any reason for why Madrid was nixed, or when that decision was made. Her comments appear to be the first time a Busch Gardens official has publicly noted Madrid’s status. A Busch Gardens spokeswoman didn’t respond to further questions about Madrid on Wednesday.

My experience with Voyage is that it can be great early in the season, but a medieval torture device later. Just not my thing. I prefer Raven and Legend.

Hmm--I think the only remaining one-rail Steeplechase coaster is at Blackpool, correct? I guess RMC's T-Rex coasters are the next generation of that concept. But I do miss the Wacky Soapbox Racers at Knott's.

A lot of people seem to think these coasters are just a little too rough. I am one of those people. But I do love both coasters. (I just can’t see Mine Blower holding up well over time...) I was pleasantly surprised by Mine Blower, but I'm not a fan of Voyage (now there's a ride that cries out for the RMC treatment).

I presume you mean Alan Schilke. Or did the Iron Sheik design coasters, too?

Could be. I rather liked Wood Coaster at Knight Valley for its setting, and the ride itself seemed better than your average GCI.

Great photos, Hanno! I'm looking forward to Tron--and to riding Shanghai Pirates someday.

"They're overdue to leave! Blast them!"

I doubt that it'll be that busy on a Monday in early June.

Great photos, Hanno! I'm looking forward to riding Wildfire again, too.

Do SLC's, we need to settle which SLC is the best. Fly the Great Nor'Easter. Is this even a question? I haven't ridden that one, but my personal favorite of the SLCs is Kumali at Flamingo Land. Then again, I haven't been there since 2006.