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The wheels will explode Yeah, I think it's intense enough without an inversion.

Weyerbacher Blithering Idiot Barleywine Ale Good stuff, but I prefer O'Connor's Brigantine Barleywine.

A bottle of O'Connor (Norfolk, Va.) Great Dismal Black IPA while posting my InvadR report.

All they said was "April." Rather cagey of them, eh? As for Alpengeist, the park opens in late March, so testing it now makes sense.

I'm disappointed we didn't get to see any pictures of Chuck wearing it... I prefer a more "Captain Nemo" style of beard, thank you.

Hard-Hat Tour of InvadR Busch Gardens Williamsburg’s first wooden coaster, InvadR, is supposed to open in April 2017, and so far, the ride is on schedule said David Cromwell, the park’s president, at the beginning of a hard-hat construction tour today (February 22). This is appropriate as the day InvadR was announced last year was Cromwell’s “first day” on the job, as well. Besides being BGW’s first wooden coaster, InvadR will be unique in the way it interacts with not only the park’s natural landscape, but also the LeScoot Log Flume and the Busch Gardens Raliway, which it crosses four times. It’s also the second wood-tracked coaster with a steel structure to be designed by Great Coasters International. The steel structure should make it easier to maintain than an all-wood structure, thus ensuring that InvadR provides a smooth ride for years to come. Here are the vital statistics. Location is the park’s Fort New France village 74-foot initial drop 9 airtime hills Max speed of 48 mph 2 tunnels 2 trains 46-inch height requirement As for how much airtime those 9 hills will provide, it’s tough to say. The proof will be in the riding. As many of you are aware, the Millennium Flyer trains used on Gwazi, the dueling wooden coaster at Busch Gardens Tampa, have been stripped down and rebuilt by the park’s technical staff (with help from GCI) and re-themed for InvadR. The trains will feature 8 cars instead of 12, which (according to GCI’s Adam House, who conducted the tour) will give the trains more “snap” as they crest the ride’s hills and whip into banked turns. Gwazi provided more than just trains to InvadR; for example, the steel rails in the ride station were also part of the Tampa coaster. Here’s some more of the nitty gritty, for those of you into nails and concrete: 96,000 bolted connections Over 10,000 pounds of nails (5.4 tons) 360,000 pounds (180 tons) of steel 10,000 cubic feet of lumber (not including building walls and roofs) 2,500 cubic yards of concrete New coasters tend to “re-invigorate” the areas of the park that get them, and this is the first big new attraction for Fort New France in some time. The ride is themed to a “Viking invasion” of the village, and the ride’s entrance is a log fort complete with a stockade. Viking paraphernalia will be installed soon. Sound effects will also play a role at the beginning and end of the ride. My thanks to Busch Gardens Williamsburg’s staff for being such gracious hosts. Let’s have a look at InvadR. We had to give us the ever-so-stylish hat and vest after the tour. InvadR towers over the Caribou Station in Fort New France. Some anxious guests have bought the merch and queued up early. Noted! Par president Paul Cromwell welcomes us to the tour of the first new ride under his watch. Looks like LeScoot has lost its snazzy new sign until InvadR is finished. Yes, the skyline of Fort New France is definitely changing for the better. Let's have a look at the station, shall we? This is for all you coaster geeks out there. You know who you are--and I know what you want! GCI's Adam House fills us in on InvadR. A number of the parts, other than just the trains, came from Gwazi, . . . . . . such as these rails. Here's the barn and transfer track. Looking back toward the station. Adam House explains the operation of the transfer track. Let's head deeper into the bowels of InvadR. (OK, that sounded a bit weird.) Here's a good look at the ride's steel structure. The view from railroad tracks, looking through Caribou Station. The "deep breath before the plunge," as Gandalf might say. An oh-so-sexy side view of the first drop. This ride isn't lacking that GCI "twistiness." The steepest banked turns are about 55 degrees. One of the "9 airtime hills." The circuit isn't quite complete yet, but they're getting close. This looks like a butt-out-of-the-seat moment. Looking from the RR tracks to InvadR's "Valley of Twistiness." I like how the coaster will interact with the train. The backside of InvadR. You're welcome. We arrived in time to see a new bent being put into place. Almost there. It is now part of the "Valley of Twistiness." Here's a view of the first drop you won't be able to get on opening day. And here's a bonus shot of Alpengeist testing. Here's another view of one of the ride's first tunnel. Should be a cool feature. One last look at the construction zone . . . . . . and at some guys doing actual construction. Thanks for reading, and be sure to head to Williamsburg to ride Invadr this year.

I enjoyed a nice bottle of Alewerks Bitter Valentine. My favorite Alewerks beer.

Very eerie--thanks for the photos. I remember watching Chernobyl Diaries, a horror flick about some tourists being trapped in the Exclusion Zone, and it looked like a fascinating, if morbid, place to visit.

I'm looking forward to riding this one. Mack has been on quite a tear lately. Van Helsing's Factory is fun, too.

A gondola sounds like a good idea--nice alternative to adding more monorail track, and better than adding more buses.

Hmm--quite a few, but not all. I still have to ride the one in Vancouver, and I missed the Dania Beach Hurricane.

People get used to some "classic" shows (for example, the Electrical Parade), but change is often a good thing. Disney always does a great job with fireworks and projections.

It's always interesting to see how much work parks do in the off season, even if no massive new ride is involved. Thanks for the behind-the-scenes look.

Whizbang Hoppy Blonde Ale (New Belgium Brewing) I'm not a big fan of New Belgium's beer, but this stuff is pretty good.

Looks like I have until Memorial Day Weekend to actually see Avatar.

Ultimate, The--Lightwater Valley

I've only been there once, but definitely skip Ninja; not as bad as Georgia's version, but still not good. My favorite coaster there is Mr. Freeze.

Great trip report! Efteling is, indeed, unique, and I need to get back there someday.

It's still trespassing--even when the park is closed.

Good show last night--even if it did make me miss Tokyo Disney and Wildfire in Sweden.

^ Yes