[Photo TR: Ocean Breeze Waterpark - VA Beach, VA]

^^^ Have not been to DL (yet). Did Hook land his short-sloop there, too? Lazy river slide... yeah, probably a custom installation of what you said (a technical term for that type of ride? I've seen aerial ones that look like it... is that what they're called?).

 

^^ A BulletBowl it is! A BulletBowl, yay! Thanks for the confirmation... and, hah, let your [nerd] shine! (... I do... intermittent cycles). Maybe OB could solve the issue I had on the bowl slide with a small water line running along both tube walls somewhere in that flat-ish section? ... or maybe I was the only one who experienced the friction phenomenon. TY

 

^ You can have fun there for sure... expectations and attitude contribute to the outcome. OB is a place that can be toured fairly quickly in its entirety. During long, summer hours consider going early... hand-stamp exit for other area ventures... then come back after the sun's set for night-sliding. Good times. TY

[Photo TR - Foodloop at Europapark]

Hey man...

 

great photo TR. I know I'm not alone when I say... I could spend a long time sitting in there and watching. If IKEA had these I might be a poorer man... if I lived anywhere near an IKEA. Actually, I don't know why I just brought up IKEA... maybe because of their European roots and thinking they would be as good/probable a location as any to get something like that. ANYway... your photos and video covered the unique location nicely. I also liked the artwork on the walls in the BG. I agree with adamico2 about this looking like something I could expect to see at EPCOT.

 

Also, what happens with the food and beverage delivery vehicles/cars once the meal arrives at your station? Does it disconnect from the track easily? Do servers/attendants come by and pick them up?

 

Did you see anything get stuck like msep003 described? What happens then? Does someone have to climb up and manually move it along? Will other trays collide with it? Is there some alternative track available for food delivery if a route gets jammed? Does it come alive at night? ... heh.

 

Thanks for the TR post. Cool Stuff.

[Photo TR: G-Dog's Deep South Expedition]

Great pictures... I know you mentioned some repeats of popular images... but IMO, I'll not tire of a fresh batch of similar perspectives through the eyes (and lenses) of new viewers. So, rock the repeats and capture the newness... it's all good.

 

I could also not agree more about Afterburn. It provides an amazing ride experience (while displaying aesthetic awesomeness). It's such a good invert and I'm thrilled to revisit it's circuit when I go. The elements solid... the pacing quick but processable. The batwing (vs. cobra) is so fun... and is so sick in the rear of the train, getting yanked into the deeper-than-it-looked trench. It's even better when there's mist down there (although I don't know if that effect still runs).

 

Mindbender and Acrophobia are both profound attractions. The first for history, ride length, and my memory of finally getting to ride it after poring over SFoG brochures collected as a kid. The second because you are almost standing, the "seats" tilt out (or they used to, I think) forcing a ground view, and my memories of two profound ride episodes... one with the ride op counting down from ten and dropping us at different intervals (never on zero)... and the other where Acrophobia was the first ride my buddy and I hit up after driving all night and needing a wake-up call. Three rides, first-thing that morning, both jolted me awake and put me in that adrenalized-zen state.

 

Thanks for the Z-Force reminder, too. That was another coaster I had sooo looked forward to observing (from the brochures)... but it had been replaced with Ninja by my first visit. Fortunately, I got to tackle it as Flashback at MM when I went out west in 2003 (which apparently was rare due to long periods of stagnant operations... and it WAS closed most of the day, then in the late afternoon I heard a new AR-dog sound popping to discover it was coming from Flashback... sheeaat, I was in line before my brain knew where my feet had carried me).

 

Looks like you've had some good days at those parks. Many happy returns.

 

Peace.

 

Oh... and btw... Scream Machine was looking great... you got some really nice shots. Later.

[Photo TR: Ocean Breeze Waterpark - VA Beach, VA]

Greetings Enthusiasts...

 

I did a little searching around TPR and read a few sparse entries mentioning Ocean Breeze Waterpark (OB). However, I observed no detailed photos or trip reports. So, I decided to provide a little narrative and pictorial tour for you. Cheers & enjoy!

 

I made a visit to OB on June 14, 2011... taking a family member for their second trip to the waterpark. It was an amazingly awesome day for the trip with partly sunny skies, low humidity, and temps in the mid 80's. I won't go into much written detail at this time, but in the mid-90's I was a lifeguard there for several summers and had some really awesome (and iNsAnE) times working at OB with childhood friends and crazy/cool staff (other stories, another day... maybe). Suffice to say, "Adventureland", as a comedy film, brought up a lot of interesting nostalgic remembrances. Which suddenly inspires me to write this related plug: If you seek consultation for a feature film, short film, marketing film/media, and/or script/production that involves a waterpark setting (and/or working at one)... [[or general media consult and especially "Voice Over & Narration" for a wide variety of projects]]... I just may be the guy you're looking for! I may also have helpful connections to additional resources... so don't hesitate to shoot me a private message or email!!! I'm sure tons of other individuals who visit and contribute to this site are also way capable of similar amusement industry input (probably moreso than I, even). Whoah... heh... with that randomly inspired moment of self-promotion now over... let's move on!!!

 

Over the years I've taken note of small-yet-significant additions and changes improving the general public (GP) experience at OB... changes in dining options, facelifts and paint-jobs to structures and facades, new tubes & rental tubes, updated log-roll in the activity pool, new speed slides to replace the Lightning Bolt(s). However, NONE of the previous upgrades and alterations come close to touching the MASSIVE overhaul that has come to the historic section of the park/mountain (originally known as, "Jungle Falls" (JF)... and if it was something else before that please share the history)!!! I have post cards advertising, and several pictures of (me as a little tyke geeking out over), JF back in the early 80's. The original mountain and mat-slides were classic... and the freakin-ginormous gorilla has no-doubt become a legendary icon for the Hampton Roads area (at least starting with my 70-80's generation, and perhaps beyond). When announcements were made, and details/images revealed, about the new slides and kid's area coming to the Breeze I immediately figured those old water troughs were being replaced. A trip over to the VA coast during Easter confirmed my suspicions as I viewed underway construction. "Neptune" would take his "Revenge" by uprooting the old mat-slides and imparting a more bountiful gift... the sweet new series of colorful, serpentine, ProSlide-designed/manufactured waterslides currently operating as, "Neptune's Revenge" (go figure). Captain "Hook" would also land in the middle of the youth area, seizing the pool and transforming it into his playful "Lagoon". The two new attractions, "Neptune's Revenge" and "Hook's Lagoon", are radical successions for Ocean Breeze landscapes.

 

Don't mistake my tone to be dismissive of the classic slides... that's not the case at all. I loved the history my life shared with the original 'Falls installations... every brave, maturing challenge I took riding the bigger slides each year 'til I'd conquered them all; every moment where my mat would stall out in the middle of the waterway waiting for the next (typically large adult) patron to come barreling down behind a wall of H2O like a jet-ski riding a sluice-surge hitting my speed-bump frame; every time one of my elbows/joints got thrashed into a right-angled water-trough turn (haha, I wonder how many people left epidermal layers on the walls of those slides?!); and every whistle I blew at some rebel-youth/adult trampling waterpark commandments on the mountain chutes. In my opinion, there could be no better way to honor the legacy, than by building the solid replacement that is now in operation. The ProSlide models are current and fun (Topsy-Turvy's especially offer a dynamically enjoyable ride experience... one that deserves a ride review of it's own)! Hook's Lagoon is no minor improvement either with three distinct play areas for different-sized scallywags. They may not be the largest, water-featured, play-structures... but every kid I saw was enjoying it.

 

Ocean Breeze has a lot to offer Hampton Roads residents and visitors. The new slides especially add value. Admission prices have subtly increased over the years, but are almost half what one may pay to hit up another nearby (albeit larger and more extensive) waterpark competitor in Williamsburg. Amusement industry consumers and professionals are, I'm sure, curious to see what else the former Six Flags fellas bring forth in the coming years. The new additions are certainly line-in-the-sand benchmarks for future improvements!

 

OK... on to the pictures!!!

Entryway Signage

If you are looking for an admission discount to Ocean Breeze be sure to pick up one of these "Sunny Day Guides" from the lobby of almost any hotel on the strip...

The discounts have varied over the years... but one coupon is generally good for up to six (6) people to use. As you can see, there were two coupons in this guide, each good for $3 off adult admission (ages 10 and up). One to eat... one to share! (... like Twix-bars... or half a Crunchie Bar... Aussies & Brits, holla!) I used one for the relative and I... then handed the other coupon to another person behind me in line. Discounts may also be found via the park's official website at this time.

Just showing you what was paid for two adult admission rates... $56.68 with tax & coupons.

The new slides face "General Booth Blvd." behind Hugh's vigilant watch. Seriously great curb appeal and I'm sure will draw many by the entrancing color-schemes and intertwining layout. More pics down the way...

"What the toosk (WTT)... it's a stupid parking lot (and construction sign)?!" Actually, this area of the parking lot was the stock yard for slide parts. Check the Ocean Breeze section at screamscape.com for related images during that phase of construction.

You park across this bridge and walk to the entrance... it's not too far, promise. We are heading towards the entrance at this point.

Quick pause for a picturesque view of wetlands/marsh... oh, and a Motorworld sign, yay! (MW is right next door to OB)

It's true. No, really. (btw... they should sell a few of those signs in the gift shop)

Follow the lady with carmel apples to candy mountain! ... and Ocean Breeze.

A park map for you. It's outdated, though. Can you tell me how?

Nevermind... I mean... I'll show you where the map is outdated (... the slides on the right and above "Hurricane")

First thing you see after coming through the entrance... the "activity pool". I had another really good pic of the log-roll specifically... but opted to not post it due to the number of minors in that one especially. The log-roll always draws a crowd. Fun to watch AND participate!

This is a reverse perspective from the other side of the "activity pool". From here you can see another ride's finale in the distance center-right of the blue mass of tubes (I'll get to that later).

I'm going to highlight some rides related to the "activity pool" area. First up is the "Grape Escape".

The "Grape Escape" is a swerving little twister. Looks pretty JV, right? Well, this small slide kicks out water surprisingly fast... oh, and it drops into about 5' of water... oh and that 5' area is reallly close to the 10' drop off. See that one guard down there...? They are stationed for this one, itty-bitty slide... for good reason. So watch it, kids! Ya hear?!!

The "Coconut Drops" are essentially sit-n-scoot, ledge drops. One has a gradual descent... the next is steeper than the other.

Gradual descent...

Steeper than the other.

This shot just shows the slides in proximity to one another. And moving along to the right we have...

... the "Paradise Pipeline" (installed in 1996, btw). I did not get a photo of the actual sign... nor did I climb the tower for different perspectives... tis too bad b/c I got all motivated later on (as you'll see). (btw... look at the two slides and see if you can tell me which one is "faster"... I'll let you know if you guess or ask.)

What it says

What it is (... they are)

What one of 'em looks like (... the straight one)

What the other one looks like (... the not-straight one)

And beyond the "activity pool" area (almost straight ahead from the entry) you have the "front-of-the-mountain" (park-side) slides. Oh, and just so you know... if you find navigating flights of stairs difficult... you might be a... um... little miffed. This is because all the legitimately badder-a slides offered at OB require getting your bad-a up that mountain. No sweat, though... the slides are worth it... and it builds character! Rejoice!

OK... didn't do a good job showing you the walkways and platforms up on top of the mountain, but this sign is on the lower summit platform (slides depart from the upper platform). Mat slides? What are those? (...remember the park map detail?)

What it says

The blue one.

The red one.

The (character building) mountain-access stairway bisecting the blue and red slides.

The pool where the red and blue slides (left to right) dump their payload of children and more. (OK, I'm just hamming around and messin' with you... I know the slides are chartreuse and citrus.) And after elatedly riding both of those... we scale the mountain again for...

"Pirates' Plummet" (yyee-) and "Walk the Plank" (-aargh) ... the newer speed slides.

That's them thyar, to the right of the GREEN slide, steeply angled down the mountain, with the wave-pool in the background (waving).

An under-belly perspective. Relaxed but attentive... it's how you want to ride them... not too tense... just lay back and go with it (it'll all be over soon). Something about that didn't sound right...

but srsly... if you tense up too much these pseudo-twins will claw your back. You know what I'm saying? Dang-it... something still sounded wrong there.

One is the "Pirates' Plummet"

The other is "Walk the Plank"

WTP (L) - PP ®

PP (L) - WTP ®

... and after picking out the wedgies we go down the steps toward the blue roofed buildings to find...

... "personal floatation devices" (PFDs... NOT lifejackets... got it?!), maybe a rental tube... aaand a barley pop and/or sandwich... before padding over to...

The wave pool! ... not waving ... so we'll come back, but not before a quick trip under the magical green mushroom fountain. Then off to the new kids' area.

Rufio Rufio Ru - Fi - .....

(Nice work on the sign, btw!)

... OOoooh!! "The bucket of dumping"... has a bell that rings when it's about to dump... (wow, what a craaazy onomatopoeia script). I'm glad we don't have to ring bells when a dumping time draws nigh. (Although there are more than two handfuls of people I know that would love to ring a bell when their, um, "bucket is almost ready to tip". Mmm... dunno... might be fun on occasion! I may just start using an unobtrusive sound on my phone to subtly indicate a delivery is soon approaching... see who picks up on it.)

"Hooks" layout... three play areas... "fort bucket dumper" (L)...

"Hook's Short-sloop" beached in the middle

and "Monkey-spit Mound" at the end...

I told you so.

Further down the way there's a micro lazy-river for the yung-uns...

And a pretty cool little slide complex... that was totally overrun by highly-charged kids. Oh, and look, there's a mom who is staring and questionably undecided if I'm perving on the chilren... so before giving her a complex, I grabbed my tween relative and quickly dipped out to...

The WAVE pool! ... it's waving now! ... Jooooy!

OK, so after we all stopped waving at each other, I looked down and GIANT footprints were leading out and away from the wave-pool. I was like, WTT, bathtub?! Just who disturbs the waters and pushes out those waves anyway?!

OK, drama-spiel over, the footprints (nice little themed touch, btw) obviously didn't lead up the other side of the mountain... cause see, they were droppin some new astroturf... which also closed access to the new ride area for a short while that morning (but was finished later).

Ba-Dow! En-route to Revenge!

This signage is stellar. It's dimensional, colorful, high-quality, and well-done... a sign of things to come (so to speak). That sign also marks the entrance to the new walkway AROUND the mountain...

A new walkway (with fresh astroturf) AROUND the mountain...

... AROUND the mountain ...

... A walkway AROUND THE MOUNTAIN... what a FREAKING GREAT idea ... where the frak was that GREAT idea all these years?! Two words to decision-making powers-that-be... "Thank You"... from lifeguards, kiddies, worn-out moms chasing the ducklings, baby' daddies carrying the kids all around, and... well... everyone else, too. Thank you.

Approaching the "back-of-the-mountain" (faces the Gen. Booth Blvd. entrance). I also guess that's as far as Hugh (the gorilla) got on his walk from the wave-pool-tub (silly, I know). And we approach...

A swirling funnel... aka...

a ProSlide - ProBowl...

aka...

You step up...

Sit down... cross your legs... fold your hands behind your head/neck... or cross your arms over your chest... AAAND...

HOOOLY WHOOO DOOWNNN THE DRROP... wait... WHOO... what's... WHOO... all that in the background... WHOOO...

THEN YOU ARE SPit Out and into the funnel... where you spin one or more times depending on how you ride it, how you want to ride it, and how you KNOW how to ride it!

.. then you drop through the hole... into an 8' deep cube of water... surfacing in the middle of a torrent pouring all around... with a guard's voice calling "This Way... This Way..." so you can get your dizzy self out the pool. Nnnext...

It's "NEPTUNE's REVENGE"! - Sign 2 -

OK, down to business... the construction of these slides offer a great visual presentation!

Grab a fresh single or double-rider tube from the pile...

... and take a moment to study the details before heading up (... a nice, fairly-shallow-grade walkway, btw).

Slides...

... are ...

... twisted ...

... EVERY- ...

... WHERE!

Heavy-duty PVC pump-age

Tag-it... Bag-it... a horrible image of ProSlide bling! (... couldn't get a good, non-glare angle on it from where I stood with arms outstretched and above me... w/e).

Nice new staging, deck area. There are four slides. They all either do, or will, have unique names. One guard was calling them something, but not official names. The two on either end are identical, mirror-image, Proslide Topsy-Turvys (not the Tantrum, like I previously thought, which has a larger diameter tube and raft). The one mid-right is a ProSlide Pipeline (dark-slide). The one mid-left is a ProSlide BulletBowl (or maybe CannonBowl?). Enjoy the following image details...

This one... the BulletBowl(?)... was the only one that didn't allow double-tubes. Also, for me, the long connecting tube leading from the loading area to the drop didn't have a steep enough grade or something. I kept stalling out in that section (hey, hah, perhaps a designed nod to the former mat-slide experience!)... or more like my highly inflated tube rode too high up the walls where water hadn't "greased the chute" ...

... but once I got to the drop ...

... and into the bowl it was cool. Only rode the bowl and the dark-slide once each, though...

Because THIS slide was SO much fun!!!

My relative and I lost count how many times we rode this Topsy-Turvy. It's truly a gem of an experience... quick summary... short approach into funnel where it's like a little rapids section, another jaunt to funnel 2 where we sometimes swung around backwards after rocking up the walls... then longer slide section that's partially enclosed with few twists and small drop to funnel 3 where we either got turned back around or remained the same direction... THEN there's a surprisingly peppy, enclosed spiral to the pool... it's so quick in the spiral that you suck into the tube. BIG whee-factor, for reals!

Splashdown! I really enjoyed all the slides of "Neptune's Revenge". Yet, ProSlide's Topsy-Turvy is my new, favorite, type of waterslide (makes me want to try the larger-scale, Tantrum, I guess). It's best with two people, but still fun with one. ProSlide and Ocean Breeze have a winner for sure, IMO.

Had a quick talk with "Hugh Mongus"... you know... just catching up.

Hugh asked me to check and see if anything was coming out of his back pocket... felt like something was about to fall out.

I was like, "You're good 'mate... was just your season pass." BTW... whoah, where can I get a season pass that never expires?! (... oh and like 5-10 additional comp. tickets per season... you know, for family and/or giveaways & prizes, etc... no scrounging here... a kid can dream!)

One last trek up the mountain for a view... a history lesson... and a ride. (again... was a pretty day! Also take note of the "activity pool" area with the cliff-slides [Coconut Drops] and drop-slides [bamboo Chutes] in full view for proximity perspective.)

History lesson = the ride's namesake (... ie, the name of the original park).

I always enjoyed this ride (called Runaway Rapids when I was a kid... I think... or I might be confusing that with WC's version of it back in the day which was later re-named Atomic Breakers... none-the-less... OB's rapids version was better). Here's the obvious, gratuitous iteration of the ride: pool... slide... pool... slide... pool... slide... pool...

... slide... pool... (whoops!)...

... slide... waterfall... pool...

 

THE END

 

.

On behalf of Hugh (Mongus), Neptune (the Revenger), Hook (the Lagoon-ier), and yours truly...

 

Peace... and Slide On!

[Jellystone Resorts - Mill Run PA]

The other day I was looking up videos on homemade (backyard) waterslides. Most of the vids featured creations that could have gotten their builders nominated for darwin awards... but there were some pretty cool ones in the mix too. That led to checking out videos of a few slides in Costa Rica... insanely fast and dangerous ones... that looked pretty awesome at the same time (Maybe that's where some (tr)Action Park designers relocated?). Following the degrees of separation... I then found some sale snipe add featuring the Lego Mindstorms "Falling Water" kit... for a blocks model of the "Falling Water" architectural attraction in Mill Run PA. Then after some image searching and wiki readings on "Falling Water"

 

... I ultimately got to this random article on the topic: Snowless Tubing Hill - Jellystone Resort - Mill Run, PA

 

I hadn't heard of this and didn't see any articles/TR's here on TPR yet... so thought I'd post the link for info and to see if anyone's checked it out.

 

Another detail about that particular resort is they just received an in-house (Jellystone Park franchise) award for "Entrepreneur of the Year" this May for their growth in business over the past year (as reported on the Jellystone Journal blog). The campground features waterslides and more. Might be a nice little spot for a trip and report...

 

Anyone been there, done that...?

[Video Games]

I did a brief search back through the forums for anything about the SSX (Super Snow Cross) games (by Electronic Arts - EA). Various SSX titles popped up in numerous lists... but, with little discussion about the actual game(s). This was slightly surprising considering the appeal of this particular series of games directly correlates to the simulation of, appreciation for, and study of rollercoasters in numerous ways... huge drops, fast speed, massive air-time, twisted rails to ride (that sometimes form coaster-style loops and hills), corkscrews (around rocky overhangs), blasting through (ice) tunnels, and more! So, seemed there might be legit cause for a topic discussing all that is SSX (good and bad)... AND talk about the upcoming entrant to the line-up... the "new SSX", coming out late 2011 (or sometime by Q1/Q2 of 2012).

 

 

 

For me, EA's unique arcade-ish approach to snowboarding has always adrenalized my being with positive tingles in the same neural neighborhood shared by coaster and theme park nerdiness. Ever since seeing the smooth colors and open feel of the first SSX on PS2, then carving my way through the creative rail-riding jump-fest of SSX Tricky, and personally resting my fix with the 3-peak mega-mountain in SSX3... I've been a fan (although I didn't go on to purchase or play "On Tour", or "Blur"). There's so much more I could say about the tracks, characters, music, sense of speed, replay value, environmental audio and mixing... it's just all a nasty, fresh blend of yes-ness! If you are also a fan, or remember watching someone play the game (well), then you know what I'm talking about.

 

(A screenshot from SSX3 ... that's a huge drop... makes me want to hurl joyful expletives in my freezer)

 

So spazz moment aside... there's a fresh title to EA's boarding franchise coming out in the not-so-distant future. Previously known as, "Deadly Descents"... the new, simply put, "SSX", is already shaping up to (potentially) be a mind-blowingly strong re-envisioning of the series. It's going to have 7 mountains from around the world... massive levels... multiple routes... huge hits... and so much more. Initial reviews based on the trailer that came out late last year criticized it for looking like a mash-up of snowboarding-meets-CoD: Black Ops. However, subsequent months have passed unveiling something much different.

 

(Early concept art for the new SSX... can you see how some confusion might exist? Is there a martyrdom perc?)

 

The design team has been shooting development featurettes/videos from the production offices and updating fans via the main SSX site and facebook page. For now I'll end this with a still from the new game, followed by the official game site link. Go there to find more artwork, screen-shots, and videos.

 

 

 

The "new SSX" official site

 

Discussion welcomed!

[Ghost Town In The Sky Discussion Thread]

::rewind::

 

Howdy,

 

I was in Maggie Valley over the Memorial Day 2011 weekend. While waiting for family to arrive on Saturday, I took the opportunity to snag a few recent photos of Ghost Town. Scroll down to find the views. Read on for some relevant opined commentary...

 

It seems around town locals are reluctant to talk about it (all that is/was/may-be Ghost Town). It makes sense though... many commercial business owners, trades-people, and townsfolk invested their talents, resources, and capital($$) in numerous initiatives to see Ghost Town back up and running. Hope deferred makes the heart sick... and deferred hopes concerning Ghost Town are what currently exist due to unmet promises and lack of payments in the wake of bankruptcy proceedings after failed attempts to consistently reopen the park. Over the past several years various businesses around the valley have closed. "For sale" signs increasingly appear at campgrounds, motels, restaurants, shops, and other attractions (like the Carolina Nights dinner theater, and a family billiards/arcade a few hundred yards from Ghost Town's entrance). Granted, the same trend of commercial and economic turmoil exists on national/global levels... yet, for Maggie Valley, Ghost Town was a bread-n-butter attraction that drew visitors over several decades, subsequently benefitting proprietors of hotels, restaurants, retail shops, and other amusement pastimes. The eventual fate of "Ghost Town in the Sky" is still up in the air. Everything is in a holding pattern... at the base... vacant parking lots, roped-off entry plazas, motionless sky-ride chairs, empty incline railway queues, a gutted mercantile (gift shop & visitors center)... on the summit... stagnant chair-lift towers, the SBNO Cliffhanger, a dilapidated funicular train, the patron-less "Heritage Square" (small themed town), abandoned customer service buildings, bus-less roads whispering away access to higher park areas...

 

... all waiting for the right elements to come together and break the solemn spell.

 

Desire fulfilled is a "tree of life"... and all is far from lost for the little valley. "Branches" of visitor and income resurgence have been sprouting in the form of unique events drawing crowds back to the area. Memorial Day weekend welcomed, "Vettes in the Valley", where corvette owners gathered to showcase their rides. The weekend before that (May 19-21), Chevy SSR mini-truck owners drove in for their own occasion. Three weekends ago (May 13-15) the Spring version of "Thunder in the Smokies" attracted hundreds of motorcycle enthusiasts for a family-friendly rally taking place twice a year (with the next one coming up Sept. 9-11 in the Fall). Other cultural and unique happenings continue on a year-round basis. Check out the Maggie Valley events page to see what else is coming up. Maybe something of interest will catch the eye and draw readers to support a beautiful area that's hosted a treasured amusement park themed to old-west, gun-slinging Americana. Although Ghost Town is the main (albeit, currently defunct) point of interest to we coaster and amusement industry enthusiasts... Maggie Valley is a great location to set up "base camp" for a few days while exploring other sight seeing locations throughout 4 seasons, even (Dollywood, Splash Country, Carowinds, SFoG, Lake Winnie... Great Smoky Mountains Railroad, Blue Ridge Parkway & Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Cataloochee Ranch & Ski Area, Asheville & Biltmore, and more). Also, just a side note, if planning a visit drop a line for input about recommended restaurants, shops, and the hook-up for accomodations.

 

Now for ze photos... (please note: the author's feet never crossed forbidden barriers)

The most recent "GTitS" logo

Lookin up at yonder GT peak from across the street at "Tony's Tube World"

The (barred from) entry plaza

I dunno man... something tells me they're closed. Sorry folks...

Cliffhanger Promo Display (closer detail)

A chair for you... to nowhere... fast (base chair-lift station)

A train for you... to a stationary place (base incline railway queue/station)

GHOoosst Towwnnn... (main sign above ticket center)

When did that ride open? (btw... the roadway is repaired and hillside rebuilt/re-bolstered after all that happened in the winter of 2010)

One last base shot before making the ascent

"Up the mountain goes the lift... enjoying views down the cliff" (poetic license, yes! ... where the sky ride rounds up over the top of the mountain)

mmm... yess... closer, clossser (um, a closer shot of the upper-mountain skyride... with a little peek of something track-ish)

CLOSER... YES, YES!!! WHEE! (lift tower structure and track support)

"Welcome to (a) Ghost Town (for real)" (zoomed in shot of summit area signage)

"I think you've seen bettah dayz" (funicular, or inclined railway train, just hanging out at the summit... oh, and some more views of something in the background)

Oooh... the big reveal!!! (Cliffhanger & Funicular & Chairlift & wow)

And there it is... a name badge so we're not all awkward and stuff (zoomed in "Cliffhanger" ride signage, 'scuse the digital zoom plz)

Backing up a little... OH, there's a curvy peak in the background... and, and... a place to sit and maintain on the right!!! (ride sign, top of lift hill, and maintenance/transfer track with red/white/blue train)

Focusing on some detail... (Cliffhanger station & drop, chair-lift summit station)

Still focusing... studying... (Cliffhanger turn & lift hill in distance, Heritage Square area in between, lone wolf sky-ride chair crashing in the shot, bottom right)

More than just an inversion... it's a LOOP! (Cliffhanger loop perspective, obviously)

WHoaaah! I can see almost everything!!! (A last, grand look for this round of photos... Cliffhanger, funicular, chair lift, Heritage Square)

and one centered, parting shot of Cliffhanger... perched up in them thyar hills! (zoomed in a little and taken from the Soco Tower parking lot, which is off highway 19, heading up to the Blue Ridge Parkway. BTW... CH sat in an awesome spot for a coaster, sick views up there... and then you ended a day at GT soaking up scenery on the 15 minute ride coming down the chair lift... located in the clearing seen stretching diagonally on the distant hill. Let's hope for renewed vision and plans to do something cool and coaster-ish with the little park in the sky above Maggie Valley!)

[Ghost Town In The Sky Discussion Thread]

Howdy...

 

Guess what... I just had this really well thought out trip report typed up and ready to post!!! Right here in this very forum!!! It was awesome in the eyes of me!!! I mean, it was one where I sat for a while and thought about things... chose words carefully... locked in with the emotional vibe of an area that's just lost an amusement park (yet again)... and then rounded things out with high points focusing on recent events that are starting to bring tourism back to Maggie Valley! It was deep and took a lot out of me... a couple of hours from my afternoon at least! Sweet! Yay!

 

...Then I went to upload the first of several pictures... only to get the "you must be logged in to post in that forum" message. Aw sheet... no back-a-page, back-peddling. It was all lost. No chance to go back and cntrl+C the text and links I'd finally finished. It was all gone. Venting that in these moments really doesn't do anything justice... and previous experiences with similar "timed out" sessions of journalistic misfortune "should" have taught me. And. being. livid. at. self. and/or technology. is. just. pointless.

 

All that to say... I have some images that I'll upload in a while... after I go and think about existential perspectives for a few!

[Busch Gardens Tampa Bay (BGT Discussion Thread)]

Right on... good update. The interviews were clutch... it's always nice to bring the commentary from the shot callers... hear what was in their collective heads... where a concept started... and the inspirations that took imagination and brainstormed ideas through transpirations bringing it forth in real time. Looked like nice spring weather... good day for a ride (and re-ride, and re-ride, and re-ride... oh, and repeat).

["Gipfel-Stürmer", New Coaster forFreizeitpark Ruhpolding]

Nice video... lots of care in little production details (smooth tracking, dolly shots, etc... oh, and the German/Bavarian mountain hats, hah)! Thanks for posting... and as others have mentioned, family coasters like these would work well at a number of parks in the US (Knoebels, HW, Lake Compounce, Hershey, DW, SDC, Lake Winnie, Waldameer, Enchanted Forest, KW, Camden, Beech Bend, and more!). Imagine a longer layout, with a launch somewhere in the middle for consistent pacing (... not too much longer though, to avoid suffering the que).

[Best & Worst Refurbished Coasters]

Although an older refurb, FoF definitely got better in liberating the upper-body minus OTSRs... but... ankle stapling (under the pads, with the new lap/waist restraints) makes things borderline awkward/uncomfortable for ze vertically stretched folks (and I'm not even talking about the rear, .2, spots in the cars... that's a given no-way row for taller individuals). Also... MCBR creep kinda ruined the pacing... but... I'll personally take the pause within the tangled mass of steel (for a look-around) over the OTSRs any day.

[Photo TR: Vanish Point at Water Country USA]

3 things: 1) Thanks for posting the additional pic. Pointing out Nitro Racer in the background helps me place it (memory-wise, as the park map image obviously shows VP's location in the park). 2) I did go back and watch the vid, which showed a close up of the drop chutes. 3) Nice commentary about the que and routing issues.

 

I don't know how large the platform area is where the four slides depart (and from what I understand based on the provided details they are all on the same level)... but what I'd like to see, in addition to the great images and details given, are perhaps some photos taken on the top level, standing in the front corners looking back (for as much of a distance shot as possible of the chutes)... and then standing at the rear looking forward toward where the guard stands and the free-fall slides start.

 

Thanks again for the great coverage!

[Photo TR: Vanish Point at Water Country USA]

Nice, colorful images! I grew up going to WCUSA... actually about this time every year (late May - early June) in the 6-12th grade years. Our family would take a hot day off during the week when most kids were still in school and get in a day at the park while the crowds were non-existent... it was always glorious! Maybe early-childhood TR memories will hit me at some point.

 

Back to the pictures... did you happen to get any shots of the loading/staging areas for the slides from up on top of the tower? ... or photos of the slides while looking down from the tower? I can kinda see the two drop areas for the loop slides in the background of a couple pics... but would love to see some close ups of the actual drop cylinders.

[Awesome Looking Log Flume For Knight Valley!]

Very cool! I would love to see one or several overhead aerial shots of this... for geography and perspective. The waterfalls are picturesque as a rear facade to the hotel. What if there were random, glassed-in, observation areas sticking out and cantilevered from the waterfall wall? Initially it would just be water dumping above and all around... but walk far enough out over a glass/transparent platform and hmmm. Although eventually I'm sure algae, streaking, and general water/atmosphere funk would prohibit view... leading to another fun idea that failed to the realities of overhead costs and un-forseen maintenance issues. But, but, but... I'd like to walk out about 15 yards through a glassed-in portal for the views and such.

 

... Minds eye win ...

[Kings Island (KI) Discussion Thread]

Here's a couple of other links on the burning of Dinosaurs Alive from WLWT - NBC News 5...

 

WLWT News 5 - Online Article

 

WLWT News 5 - Image Slideshow

 

... it was a FIIIIIIRE FIIIGHT! (not really)

[Come on in and say "Hi".]

Greetings...

 

I am neither a cyborg nor an alpaca. I am, in fact, human. Many moons ago I was a child who looked upon the russian mountains of The Old Country and knew they were meant for me to study... and one day, climb! I became a man once... then again... and over and over as the dreams of youth became the waking moments of my existence... guarding lives, taming waves, surfing snow, scribing history, sampling sounds, editing film, photographing distant shores, broadcasting over airwaves, backpacking rugged terrain, taming domestic beasts, conversing over shisha, manhandling heavy machinery, patrolling frozen winterlands, operating jungle falls, consoling the dying, marketing felled timber. Then... one day... while waiting on Elohim... it happened! I drove into an ocean storm and reached the summit of a Hurricane. I had, indeed, scaled my russian mountain! I had realized that dream, inspired by my visits to The Old Country, exploring the ravines surrounding Loch Ness so many years before. These ventures and many, many more fill the tomes of my early, adolescent, and young adult years. Now, past the threshold where 20's and 30's crossfade into middle life... many more adventures remain!

 

There you have it... sooo... what's up?