bill_s

If you're burnt out on KD and SFA is new ground for you, then SFA can be a nice change, it's not a terrible park. In your case, if you had 2 days then that plan would work on 1 of the days. As it is, just not worth the trouble, unless there's a specific ride there you want to dash in and ride. I was up in that direction yesterday and considered going up there and just couldn't get excited about it, having already been to SFA 5 times in the last 2 years.

Terrible. As to parents, his dad, being a politician, was probably too busy to ride. Looking at this, the airtime hill is really small compared to the drop, the modification to the hill gave more time to slow down but the actual crest was at least as sharp. I don't know how this works but really the speed over the hill should be regulated by electro-mechanical means. There are far too many variables to presume it will slow down exactly 65% or whatever. The netting seems a HUGE red flag except that they might occasionally send down unloaded boats. I don't entirely understand how the thing could create forces that need much of a restraint to stay in, it has no upstops or curves. There's some possibility of misbehavior (standing, etc.) but seems most likely the light weight at the front of the boat caused higher speed, or allowed the front to lift in wind. As to the ride, if I ran the park I'd want to remove every trace of it, and I see no chance of it reopening with that airtime hill and netting.

^^-- by "region" I was excluding the Racer at KI vs. RYell and TRoad. Thunder Run's a long way away too, and I don't know how identical they were, they sure don't ride the same anymore . Looks like TRun has a kink in the backstretch: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thunder_Run_(Kentucky_Kingdom)

I think it`s a mirror image of this I don't see any of the usual SLC constant left-right shaking* in that video, looks like a long, fast ride, and that might even be an RMC-like bit of sideways air at 0:25 . There's a lot you can't tell, but potentially a big improvement. *you know, that Vekoma should have fixed before making a second SLC.

Unique = only one of, at least in the region, is what I meant. Although I still found the ride fun after it got more crazy. I just noticed Mystic Timbers at KI. Well CF is still building woodies, looks to be a high speed close to the ground layout too. And working with GCI.

^^-- or Cedar Fair is letting them have more money than they thought. Maybe the in-house refurb was a threat. One bit of evidence is Thunder Road, its removal at Carowinds makes Rebel Yell more unique. Removal of KD's Hurler would make Carowinds' version more unique. A refurb would be good with better trains, but to continue with the existing ones would require RMC(-style) armor plating on the track to hold up for long enough to bother. I just think those that never enjoyed it ain't wired up right. My only disappointing ride, pre-trims, was the first because it seemed too much like same ride as the other woodies but with longer lines, being new.

Hurler offers less stuff there for a layout conversion, there's surely times the RMC designs just cut down the original height of the track section, vs. the same elements would require adding height to Hurler. It seems a square peg in a round hole. What I've suggested (and suggested...) is that there's very little that needs work outside of the first 2 big curves, and there used to be a video on RMC's site that showed a coaster with Topper track on one curve only and camera shaking dropped noticably there. That would be fairly cheap (and actually, with the simplicity of the shapes, could certainly be done several ways by other companies or maybe even in-house). Take it even further, maybe I-Box those turns, do a lot of other work, put on much better trains and you could have the smoothest coaster in the park. That might seem "neutered" but it sure would be different! I thought it was a fun ride. Different coasters do different things, its design kept the speed up, you can't do that and soar on big hills at the same time. Those are different than this, this is different from those. You could claim it's a cheap ride compared to the towering kind, it kind of was, but it's a little ingenious too. Replacing it with a new coaster could be great, but frankly replacing another coaster with a flat ride would be such a slap in the face they'd be better leaving it SNBO.

There's the announcement of an announcement, Aug. 20. Looking it up, Delirium was announced the same day last year. There's one every year (although this is a Saturday this time ?!?). Can't conclude anything. Couldn't see any activity on Hurler yesterday but was getting dark already. Noticed Hurler's first turn doesn't look big at all from Ricochet... My thoughts are that their maintenance has not been consistent with a wood coaster they're planning to keep in operation. But, there are possible other reasons for this, such as thinking halfway measures won't work, or simply priorities.

Of course replacing a coaster with a great new one is always preferable to a basic rebuild -- BUT it's not comparable, they're different categories. The better RMC conversions have blurred the line between new and rebuilt, but so does the price tag. Best part: you get a RMC. Personally, it would still add to my 2017 experience to see Hurler back into condition at least as good as before 2010, that is, without the trim brake and in better shape than it is in now. I think it could be better than that without layout changes. Sure it's simple but speed-curves-airtime is sometimes enough if it doesn't hurt. And the thing's got to be a lot easier to retrack than a twisty GCI ... and it would last a lot longer with better trains... but yeah RMC Hurler seems would be either restrictive or expensive, just doesn't work. As to new ride announcements, I don't think they're due yet but what about the announcement of the announcement?

There's been NO "bitching" about a new coaster here, there's been enthusiastic speculation and discussion and some head-scratching. If you say I305 hasn't been a good investment, you didn't take a good look at the crowds in 2009. In June 2009, the place was DEAD. So empty I went past enjoying the free riding and started finding it eerie and worrysome. On the other hand, as soon as they announced the coaster, oddly enough attendance shot up the next day and was up the rest of the year. There never was a huge surge, but every day the park's at-least healthy crowds are partially due to that coaster. The classic relationship between KD and BGW was that BGW had better atmosphere and KD a better and certainly larger coaster collection. KD was starting to lose even that advantage, but with Dominator and I305 gained it back, to the extent that's possible, and they've been working on the rest. I have wondered if there's been some reduction of crowds this year, however. It should have been obvious that I305 was meant to hold the park on coasters for a while, and sure is by now. But there is a question of how long? I think they're stretching some older coasters as long as possible but once they start getting replaced, it could be at the rate of one every 2 years for most of a decade. As to the park being well-rounded, I see one glaring hole. In 2010, after putting a trim on Hurler, they billed it as a "mild family ride", which it might have actually qualified as for a short time, but still not a very good one. Anyway, that's the category they're weakest in. Not my favorite category but I still could benefit from a ride with a great cost-benefit ratio (fun to pain ratio, that is). Especially for larger persons -- I saw a former ride buddy become too large for the park -- basically the whole park is Avalanche, a coaster that has a rough surface, never reaches full coaster speeds, and has no real airtime. A few can fit Anaconda and I305, but may not be able to handle the stresses especially of the latter. Likewise, consider the flaws of other milder coasters: Woodstock is NOT a mild ride with adult knees and lacks size and speed; the other woodies are rough; Backlot is an insane little beast; Dominator is comfortable but definitely not in the category; even when Shockwave was there a friend didn't want to ride it because goes upside down. I think Hurler could be rebuilt to fit that category, but you're basically talking about taking one of the roughest rides and turning it into the smoothest. I think this could be done, the cost would probably exceed the original cost of the coaster but not the original cost converted to today's money and arguably it would be worth more than ever before as well. Imagine huge curves of gleaming steel ... the question is, is the ride's "real estate' worth more and can they get CF to fund something better there anyway? Or just tread water for another decade. I agree Hurler could use new trains, simply to look better and different for one thing, as well as working better and possibly accommodating larger riders.

^^-- Row 2 isn't anything like the front row, and everything row 4 and back is sort of like the back row, just not as good. But if you ride the other rows a bunch, then rows 2 and 3 seem enjoyably weird.

Williams Grove Cyclone. Probably fell over after they closed. B&M standups such as Carowinds Vortex or SFA Apocalypse (haven't ridden Green Lantern and still tempted to include it). KD Shockwave was a textbook example of how to make a standup, even if it could have benefited from a 2.0 version. Re: Drachen Fire, I thought it permanently damaged my neck once, in which case it would have been my last coaster, that would have beat all. Truly the worst restraints ever made. Enjoyed it a lot many other times, but always with extreme defensiveness. Best part was undoubtedly that it was almost like our own private coaster.

Even if the ranking isn't that high, Volcano is a fitting follow-up to I305, so considering actually riding both coasters in a series, it's a great "One-Two Punch" indeed. If I was going totally by rankings (if I had any), Dominator would appear instead of Volcano, but I almost never actually ride them in series, in either order. The other combos in my much more limited experience: Hershey (pre-Skyrush): Lightning Run, Storm Runner BGW: any 2 of Griffon, Alps and Apollo SFA: although I love Roar and even Mind Eraser, the park has Helix Twins in Superman and Wild One.

^^-- "smooth" yeah that's the word. Not that I dislike rough that much it's just the thing that they lack most coasterwise. As to crowds now, 7/5, it will be cloudy and I think the real peak will be next weekend but still a big vacation week and crowds were up a bit Sunday despite the weather. Crowds slightly lower this year overall I think.

^^-- Dollywood may a be a great park, but a one-of-a-kind new coaster makes a difference how much people are willing to go through to get there, For example, a few pages back, someone cancelled a $1200 trip. If I ever make it down there, it will be a once in a lifetime trip, so if a ride's not running I will never get to ride it. That said, as Lightning Rod is not a people eater coaster (I think), a true and prudent plan to travel and ride it would be near the end of this season, or next year, and that doesn't even take into account them having trouble with it.

^^-- there's no way to fit a B&M wing coaster in that building. Re: Hurler, I rode it last year and it was the roughest ever, even with the trim brake. And I think one reason it got a trim brake in 2010 instead of proper maintenance is they were starting to throw ideas around about replacing it. But they may still have yet to actually decide. Anyway, I don't think it needed structural problems to be considered no longer operable, or at least worth guest's attention, or even to fail inspection. On the other hand, they did tear down and rebuild Carowinds' version's first turn, so it may have needed more than just new track. To get the ride back up to quality standards will take as much work than they've put in to Grizzly and Rebel Yell combined since 2008. Additional changes would be needed to keep it running that way for long. Note, while Hurler was closed spring 2015, all I saw was changes in the handrails around the track similar to Grizzly and Woodstock. Perhaps they didn't meet code. I'm sure some here wouldn't like a new Hurler even if RMC was let loose on it, but it was a legit ride at one time.

I like little lines. Little tiny and even nonexistent lines. I like knowing when to find them and the means to use that. This reinforces my relationship with my local park. Fortunately I have a good one. Going there a lot and over time creates one kind of bond though over-familiarity reduces impact. Novelty's good too of course. You just can't get it as often. I like landscape and hills and stuff (BGW, Hershey) but even that can lose it's charm. I like small-park funkiness, although my closest recent experience is SFA I like nighttime, especially when a Drop Tower is projected by the lights onto low clouds, or it's foggy. And then there's giga coasters.

I should have seen that coming! FoF ride the other night in front row, I came out of my seat and hit the lap bar on that corkscrew. Never had that happen before. Actually scared me a bit. BTW, yeah the brake probably wouldn't work as well for JJ, setting's not as dramatic.

^^-- Flight of Fear is 50 times better than Joker's Jinx exactly because of that disorientation in the first half you speak of. JJ is slowed down through the first half due to the lack of a mid-course trim and yet gets no sense of hangtime through the corkscrew, in fact I got a painful jerk there last ride. Clearly not what the layout was intended to do, a kludge. With the dark and sounds, FoF is a standout ride, JJ is merely OK. RE: fastlane front rows, you're right, I just can't imagine how they'd do that with the existing layout, and I305's one of those rides with extra popular front row. As to "other racing coasters have a single queue splitting at the station - otherwise it's stupid", what's stupid is how long Rebel Yell's queue thing is, if it were reasonable length would be less a problem. Which it usually isn't. Hey KD, it's not 1975 anymore.

Of course fastlane doesn't include front row, I certainly hope no parks do that. Back row of RY is back row of a car, "wheel seat", always worse on every conventional wood coaster in the world. The sides have seperate entrances and exits, there's nothing that can be done if people don't choose the shorter side (the sides would have to be a lot different for me not to prefer the "losing" side anyway). They don't have to be as quick as CP, that place is way more crowded (according to reports, I'll probably never go there). Re: Hurler, new ride announcements are usually in August, if it goes that way.

Going to parks IS my workout regime. And a big meal in the middle of that exercise is the healthiest time to eat it. I hear you on water, normally drink mostly soda but in a park i$ not the time.

Stay at least long enough to decide whose advice to take on this park, someone who doesn't like it or someone who rides every coaster (although Batwing is in question, very disorienting). Do skip Penguin's River (spinning) and Fireball if you have any tendency to get sick. Ragin Cajun has the exact right amount of spinning, decent if not too slow to get on.

Since this will be a 10:00 close Sunday, closing time will probably be better than opening time anyway. Reverse the usual recc's. Doms may still have line when you arrive, if so circle around to it later.

^^-- I wouldn't be surprised if I could leave at 7:30 and make that in 2 hours, but to get there at 7:30 might be best to leave before 2:00 to save your sanity. Maybe stop to eat after getting through the worst of it. Would also avoid some afternoon heat.

Best coaster I've ridden in all categories, airtime, inversions, curves, feel, fun, pacing: Dominator. 2nd: Storm runner Specialization allowed: VA: I305 PA: Lightning Racer (pre-Skyrush) NJ: The Great Nor'easter (original version, never ridden without a 270 lb. co-rider making our car's resonance frequency different than most or all others)(best setting EVER since aimed the right direction) MD: tie, Wild one, Superman, RoaR SC: Thunder Road, terrible, RIP NC: Hurler, now trimmed ~= RIP Nevada: Speed the ride, RIP, although Manhattan express is under-rated (should be 5 not -1000 out of 10)