cfc

^Yeah, I'd go with "Canadian Idiot" or "Great White North." Maybe you can throw in the theme from "Dudley Do-Right of the Mounties," too.

My take is this: if you like Steel Force and Steel Dragon (as I do), you'll probably like Fujiyama (or "damn thing"). So, yes, there are others on this site who like Fujiyama, just as there are others on this site and elsewhere (I'm sure) who dislike it. It's all a matter of taste and opinion. No need to be snide toward others in your praise of the ride.

Busch has used urinal signs for the last few years. At first, they used them to bash Miller brewing; now, they mostly shill Busch products and stress their environmental program. Yes, pretty heady reading material while you're taking a leak. Thanks for the new look at Thomas Town--it's coming along nicely. I was pretty impressed with my visit to SFMM last January (my first since the 1970s). The park is looking good, and I'm looking forward to visiting again. I had a much better time there than I did at Knott's, that's for sure.

At least Pony Express, depending on how well it's themed, would make sense in the Ghost Town.

Hah! So, Blondie is now playing the theme-park circuit. Oh, well--I remember when Bob Dylan played KD a few years back.

Ths thred cuz et sux. Aside from that, not much else (maybe ACE).

I think Knott's decline started when they replaced the Roaring 20s and Roaring 20s Airfield with that generic "Boardwalk" theme. That marked the loss of of two of my favorite attractions: the Wacky Soapbox Racers and the Parachute Sky Jump. But I think this happened before Cedar Fair came along (I'm not sure of the chronology). Not everything the Knott family did was golden--anybody remember the Gypsy Camp? The park lost a lot of charm then, and replacing the Soapbox Racers with the late, definitely not lamented Windjammer certainly didn't help. (Xcelerator is a big improvement over that waste of steel, at least.) For me, Silver Bullet symbolizes everything that's wrong with the park now. This mediocre ride is all out of proportion to the rest of Knott's. It towers over the main entrance and ruins the atmosphere of Ghost Town (which seems to have shrunk quite a bit since its heyday). Back when I was a kid, my family enjoyed spending an evening at Knott's as a prelude to Disneyland. Now, I really don't care if I enter Knott's again--which makes me feel a bit sad. See what I mean? It just looks wrong.

Same here... blech. Yeah, I don't dislike that coaster, but it can be extra lame if the effects, such as they are, aren't working (like the bit in the tunnel, though). Sorry I couldn't hang out with you guys a bit at BGE, but I wasn't even sure that Brian and I were going that day. Oh, and the last one I rode was the Loch Ness Monster.

I experienced Universal's "Jaws" ride in Japanese--it was actually an improvement.

^I would second that in terms of hurricanes. Going through Hurricane Isabel a few years ago, losing power for six days, and watching trees crush neighbors' houses was not my idea of a good time.

OK, here are my random thoughts asfter viewing all the videos (discussed in the order in which they were posted on the first page). Barry (Alton Towers)--I like the way this video flows. Barry's musical choices tend to be "unusual," and he does a good job of editing the footage to match the beat. It was a nice touch using the Ryan-Elissa footage as bookends, too. Darren (TPR Midwest)--Captures the fun and the frenzy of a TPR trip perfectly. Even though I wasn't on the Midwest tour, this video makes me wish I had been. Kevin (Cedar Point)--I rather liked the slow first half (a nice change of pace from the usual frenzy of park videos). But the second half was more of the same, only faster (with a few extra coasters thrown in). But the video shows off the park quite well. Dave (UK Randomness)--I love the spot for "Dave TV" and the "commercial break" (nice, sexy voice, Falafel). In fact, I would've loved to have seen more of this kind of stuff (I'm a big fan of digressions). The rest of the footage was good, but I'd like to see more of Dave peek through it. Pam and Brian--I finally went to Knoebel's for the first time last October, and this video captures what a funky, charming old park it is (extra points for using a Beatles' tune). Yeah, it's a "family vacation" video, but a good one. Overall, this is a pretty strong group.

^I rather doubt that it's a case of spontaneous coaster combustion.

You could turn it into a plea to save old Schwartzkopf rides from extinction, while Erik shouts, "Hear! Hear!"

My first experience with one of these madhouses was Alton's Hex, which would be pretty tough to beat. The preshows might make this one worth checking out.

Thanks for the pics, Mike--I need to check out this park, too (never been). I went north last year--maybe I'll swing south this year.

All must visit DisneySea--it should be a worldwide law (with grants to help those who can't afford it).

^Hmm--it does seem to have strayed a wee bit; then again, Ms. Cody did reveal a fondness for Freefalls.

You're right, Will. I remember watching that movie on TV for two reasons when I was a kid: Disneyland and Lake Tahoe (part of the flick was shot there, too). Running around the "Living Desert" and the "Rainbow Caverns" was something I always wanted to do.

Looks like he's just a spud boy, looking for a real tomato. The Mr. Potato Head AA is great--a very nice touch for the ride. I understand that he's going to be "real-time" interactive with guests (sort of like Roz at Monsters Inc.)--but I might be mistaken.

I agree--Six Flags for El Toro, which beats anything Dorney has to offer (my personal favorite there is Steel Force).

Hmm--after considering Six Flag's new "loose items" policy, I now see the logic of Rich's vest. Maybe I should break out my "safari vest" the next time I hit an SF park.

^The tigers are thinking, "Hmm--they look pretty tasty."

The Matterhorn is, indeed, unique. It has a different feel from any other coaster I've ever ridden, and even though it doesn't move at a particularly high rate of speed, it still feels "out of control." And it was always the first thing my family looked for while tooling down I-5 into Anaheim when I was a kid.

This is a bit off-topic, but BGE is located in a pretty busy tourist area--Colonial Williamsburg is nearby, and there's fairly easy access to Virginia Beach and the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Plus, next to northern Virginia, this is the most densely populated area in the state. "Isn't by much of anything"? I don't think I'd say that.

Jungala looks great, Eric--thanks for the sneak peek. I think their set-up for viewing the tigers is better than Disney's at Animal Kingdom (at least from the pics and description). How does the "tiger tug-of-war" thing work?