Ed Farmer

He was pretty good. I didn't make it to the start of his set, but the few songs I've heard were just fine. I guess I'll get the chance to see him again Labor Day weekend because he's an opener for Pearl Jam.

Just saw Eddie Vedder @ Chicago Theatre last night. He did stuff from Uke Songs/Into the Wild/Pearl Jam. It was a great show.

Second Gen/Giant Drops- and it's not even close. For whatever reason the GyroDrops don't produce that insane plummet sensation the Giant Drops do. The drop feels more gradual/tame. I assume this has something to do with individual cars v. one vehicle.

Just wanted to quote this for absurdity.

How so? As technology evolves, things such as pre-drops become unnecessary. Technologically speaking, of course. That doesn't mean that little details like the dip didn't add to the ride. It's the little things that B&M used to do in their layouts that I found always added to the ride. An example is this transition right before Kumba's cobra roll.

This is often the case. Vekoma rides immediately come to mind.

Just got tix for Paul McCartney @ Wrigley Field. After that I've got Pearl Jam @ Alpine Valley during Labor Day weekend. Pleasant turn of events, since I went into this summer not anticipating going to any shows.

Got to ride Cheetah Hunt. Hopefully the family friendly nature of this ride means capital to add a memorable ride in the near future.

So none are even planned, huh? Aww. Wasn't Wicked designed by the same chap that designed Magnum-XL-200? Ron Toomer designed Magnum.

That would be awful. Intamin Second Gen Drop Towers are as pure as it gets.

I'm 5"10/160. I don't know if I'm doing something different than everybody else, but I don't see it. I stick exclusively to the front row, keep the bicycle seat a little lower than I need it before it locks, and lean my shoulders forward against the restraint during the ride. The corkscrew has a nice snap to it, so I keep my head against the side of the OTSR that would otherwise be hitting it. That's it- a little defensive riding in exchange for an intense, pain-free ride. Admittedly, I visit the park a lot less than I used to- once a year (if that) because nothing of interest to me has been added since 2001. People have been whining about it long before then, though, and when I last rode this past October, it seemed fine to me.

The sky is blue, water is wet. *ducks*

I would hate losing Iron Wolf. Unfortunately, the loudest voices are the ones bitching that it's rough, and that doesn't bode well for it's future at GAm.

Everything is beautiful today.

When I heard there was a survey regarding steel coasters being taken at HWN, I imagined the overwhelming majority of responses focused on Intamin and airtime. I went with an inverter that made use of terrain. I agree with the thought that airtime is a category pretty well represented at the park, but if they went that route again, something like the already mentioned Powder Keg is a ride I thought would be great at HW since SDC built it.

Well done. Dallas, please finish these ESPN bottombitches ASAP. No Game 7, that would be too stressful on my heart. Thanks. Side note: http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/breaking/chi-lebron-wade-mock-nowitzkis-illness-20110610,0,5393495.htmlstory Video included in link Rich, especially considering Wade acts like he's hurt all of the time. These clowns are unbelievable. And oh yeah, Sniffles dropped 29 on you. Not one, not two, not three, not four, Twenty Nine.

Kind of on topic, SFGAm's Shockwave was dismantled not too long after Kennywood turned their Arrow megalooper into what I would say is the best sitdown steel coaster. I wanted that to happen to Shockwave. It was replaced with a waste of steel B&M flyer instead. On topic: Best refurb- Phantom's Revenge. Can't see anything come close to that, except maybe Texas Giant refurb, though I've yet to ride that.

It was tongue in cheek. I think Apollo is the better ride even if it were placed over concrete in Wyoming.

I liked Apollo better. Much like Raging Bull, the first drop taken in the back seat is the redeeming factor. Past that, it's very similar to most B&M out and back hypers. There is a notable moment toward the end of the return run. Its also at a Busch park, so score one for that.

The Mavs win was excellent. Unfortunately I'm not optimistic about their chances any more than I was before the comeback. I think they'll take one more game this series. I would be a pig in shite if they improbably pulled it off though.

/\ From what I've read, they've gone back to the old themed music and done away with the candy music of recent years. An excellent change IMO. Now if they would buck the decade long trend of adding low capacity, uninspired coasters- that would be significant. Not too likely though, if SFMM and SFOG's '11 additions are any indicator.

/\ Relocated to SFStl.

Great to see. I've only had good luck with Deja Vu at SFGAm and SFoG whenever I visited. GIBs are tremendous rides.

Lame, just like when they did it to Raging Bull.

That Six Flags put this and a Zacspin at two of the busier parks in the chain worries me about future additions to similarly sized parks.