Schrecken

I've been on 41 of the 100 they listed, even though my total coaster count is at 202 now.

I can't recall ever being afraid of anything in a water park, but I remember many years ago I rode a slide (don't even remember much about it, or even where it was located, but I'm going to hedge a guess that it was at SFA, because I have been to so few water parks, maybe 4 or 5, in my lifetime) that caused me to have a serious "wardrobe malfunction" which was precipitated by the worst wedgie I ever had. That was quite embarrassing, and, needless to say, I had no desire to ride that particular slide again. Part of it had to do with the way the bottom part of my bathing suit was constructed, but then again, I was a lot younger in those days. I've ridden similar slides since then, and thankfully haven't had any trouble like that. But I have ridden some where I've had some other unpleasant things happen - like having a blast of chlorinated water shoot up my nose when I would land in the pool at the end. But now I just take a deep breath and hold my nose at the last moment. As for being afraid, I'd imagine some of the steepest slides out there would give me concern, not because of the steepness, but because I would fear I might be flung off of the side of it. I remember once I rode a black enclosed slide, and it was a little iffy simply because I couldn't see where I was going until the very end.

I'd combine Hershey Park and Cedar Point - this would be a park that would house three of my all time favorite coasters, and it would be in a scenic location (if it stayed on Lake Erie, but I'd rather it be just over the state line as HP is for me, so I could day trip it). Of course, it would be rather odd having Storm Runner and TTD in the same park, but I guess SR could be like a kiddie coaster for those too afraid to ride TTD. And then Great Bear would be a tamer, shorter version of Raptor. And then Mean Streak might lose its reputation as the worst coaster at CP, overtaken by the Wildcat. But it would still be an awesome park. My other idea is to combine SF Great Adventure with BGE. That would give BGE the world's best woodie (IMO), and Great Adventure would have another dark ride. But of course, you'd have some serious redundancy with AC and Nitro, and to a lesser extent, Batman and Alpengeist. So perhaps one of each similar pair would have to go. You would also have a park with good food and nice landscaping. Also guess Mach Tower would have to go as it would be upstaged by the new drop towers at Great Adventure.

No. If there was a park I intended to visit, I would plan my visit so that it wouldn't be too close in time to the opening of a new coaster (especially one that is highly anticipated). I would plan on going towards the end of the season, after the summer break (when kids are out of school), so that the chances of there being really long lines for a particular ride would be far less. I know that the coaster will be there are least for a couple of years (as most coasters have a life span of at least several years or decades), so I could even go on the 2nd year after the coaster opened. I do the same thing for movies I want to see in the theater - I wait at least a couple of weeks or more to avoid big crowds and possible long lines.

I'd have to agree with those who mentioned Vortex at CGA - I rode it way back in 99' and was pretty awful then. I can't imagine how much worse it's gotten in the years since then. Of all the B&M types, I'd say one of the stand-ups (if not Vortex) over all would be the best candidates to either be scrapped or sold to a park outside of the US (but of course, if sold to another park it isn't really defunct). However, that might be a while, because while the stand-up is clearly no longer in fashion for enthusiasts, it still draws in the GP (as in the scrap iron re-location to SFA). As for Time Machine/Led Zeppelin, that would depend on how long it sits and how much (or how little) maintenance it gets as to whether it would be scrapped or sold. It would be a real shame to see it scraped (I didn't ride it and apparently it wasn't that great) simply because it saw so little action. In other words, it would be like someone buying a brand new car and only driving it a couple thousand miles, and then letting it sit and rust and fall apart. Considering the apparent long life span and reliability of a B&M coaster, I would think that TM's "low mileage" would make it worth even more on the used coaster market (that is, if the park owners ever decide to sell it).

I like both, but over the years, as I have become a more jaded enthusiast, I've come to be much more impressed with ejector air. The only ejector stuff I don't like is where I would get slammed into the restraints and then back down into my seat, like on Magnum. If it's something where I'm in constant contact with the restraint or the kind where you wouldn't normally end up touching the restraint (like a really old woodie with a buzz bar, for instance), then I'm all for it. IMO there's nothing better than "rip you out of your seat" airtime, and my mind was blown by the airtime I experienced on El Toro and Skyrush. But I don't mind taking a relaxing ride on a good B&M hyper ever so often to get that nice floater air.

I don't really have any coasters I hate (that can be included in this particular category - meaning those that have a big and vocal fan base), but I would have to say there is at least one coaster that I simply cannot understand why it is in the "everybody loves it" category (or at least it has its legions of fans; as obviously not everyone loves even the most popular coasters). For me that coaster would be Maverick. I have had only two rides on it, one where I utilized the single rider line and got placed (in retrospect I know I got really lucky that day due to where an empty seat appeared when I reached the gate) towards the back, about 3 rows before the very back seat. I was aware of the ride's reputation as a head-banger (so clearly I'm not the only one who has this issue, but apparently many people find the ride redeeming enough to want to endure the pain), so I was on guard from the get-go, as I would be when riding a Vekoma or an Arrow with OTSRs. I was able to avoid pretty much all the head-banging (only got it in one place, and then it wasn't too bad, no worse than many Arrows). However, this coaster didn't do much for me anyway. It was OK, but nothing I'd wait in a long line for again. A couple of years later I found myself at a Coastermania event, and I decided to temporarily part ways with my friend during morning ERT and leave her at MF (she has the same opinion of Maverick that I now do) and head on back to Maverick, as I wanted to get a front seat ride, especially since I only got one ride in before. Well, this ended up being one huge mistake, as I got my front seat ride, and it was one of the very few where I wish I could have stopped and gotten off well before the brake run. I geared up to defend myself against any headbanging, but once I got past the launch and first drop, I was doomed to what felt like an eternity of having my ears pounded relentlessly, and then having my fingers smashed between my head and the harness in what was a fruitless attempt to protect my ears. The only way I could have avoided the battering would have been to hang my head forward (did that on a Eurofighter, and it worked, but then again, Eurofighters don't have heavy-duty laterals, not only that, it was a rather uncomfortable way to ride a coaster), but with Maverick's sharp transitions, I could have sustained a neck injury. It really pissed me off because I was helpless to escape the pummeling (this coming from a veteran of many looping Arrows and Vekomas, which I normally can ride and avoid 90% of the banging with some effort), and I wasn't in too good a mood as I got off with bright red burning ears and ran back over to finish off the ERT on MF. Because of the OTSR problem, I couldn't even think to form an opinion as to what I thought of the ride (OK, Maverick is a visually appealing ride, set over the water and by Lake Erie, I did notice that). I can't for the life of me understand how anyone in my height range (meaning anyone who's ears are right level with the top of the OTSR) can ride anywhere close to the front (OK, if you are a dedicated backseat rider on Maverick you probably won't have this problem, or you can avoid it as I was able to) and not find Maverick to be a most miserable coaster. It is also sad because I have become quite the Intamin fan over the past few years, and yet I can find little to appreciate about Maverick. And this coming from someone who has no trouble with Storm Runner and Fahrenheit's restraints (OK, on SR I will sometimes get bruises on my upper arms if I put my hands up, but that problem is easily solved), and someone who likes the blisteringly fast hard-core transitions on I-305 (I'm sure I would have hated the whole thing had I ridden when it had the original OTSRs!), and someone who loves Skyrush to pieces, with its vice-grip lap bars and moves that remind me of a rat being savagely whipped around in a terrier's jaws. I don't know, this isn't hate, it's essentially puzzle-ment over why people like Maverick so much, while I found it mediocre without much headbanging, and hideous with it. Other coasters I don't quite get the love for - Magnum - I see the historical value of this ride, but it really isn't much fun IMO, compared to a lot of other hypers out there. And speaking of Magnum, I would consider the color of the track to be red, no idea why it might be considered to be a shade of orange (unless of course the paint is fading, which would also make Ninja at SFMM also orange, or at least it looked orange from faded paint the last time I was out there). Then there is one final thing - and this isn't about any particular coaster but rather a trend that I don't get the hype for. I just don't get the new-found love for looping woodies - IMO loops/inversions on woodies are gimmicks and the whole notion of putting loops on wood coasters should have died and been buried with Son of Beast.

The most awesome drop on a steel coaster that I've ever experienced was on Skyrush in the back seat - I can't imagine what it was like before they slowed the ascent at the top. Other ones I liked a lot was on Millennium Force and I-305 (rode it after the trims were removed and after the bottom of the drop was re-profiled), and also the drop on Griffon - straight down and I like the way it stops at the top for a few seconds.

I was in line to ride Kingda Ka this past Saturday and there were two women and a man in front of me who were discussing what they perceived (or at least the two women) as the impossibility that the train would make it up and over the top. The two women swore up and down that the train would never be able to make it (not that it would have a roll-back, but that the ride simply wasn't designed that way...gee, what's the point of building it that way if it never made it over the top hat!? ), and the man argued that it would be able to make it. Well, in a few seconds a train was dispatched and (not sure how long they had been standing there, as the line was just beyond the exit walkway when I got behind them) the naysayers were of course proven wrong. They didn't say anything at all after that for a while. I also heard some other strange commentary while waiting for KK that morning, but that was the most memorable.

I remember that there was a fatal accident a couple of decades ago at what is now SFA, where a child somehow drowned in one of these wave pools. This was back when the park was Wild World (I think; it happened back in the early 90's I believe). No idea what kind of pool they had back then but I remember that the child got trapped at the back of the wave pool and couldn't surface. So apparently some of these pools could be dangerous back in those days back when they were first being installed. I remember going to SFA (this was when it was Adventure World, in the late 90's) and when I was in the wave pool I made sure I stayed far away from the very back of it because I remembered that accident. I'm sure it was upgraded or re-built right after the accident but I didn't want to take any chances.

I'd love to see Anaconda be re-done so that it is actually fun to ride (hopefully this re-working will be more than just repainting), as I do have some fond memories of riding it back in the late 90's when I first got into coasters. No idea what they intend to do to Volcano, other than find some way to make the line shorter (not sure how they could do that, though), as it is in no where near as bad of shape as Anaconda.

I've ridden a few coasters this summer that weren't quite the way I thought they would be. First was Hades 360. This was the first time I've ever ridden this coaster, so I can't compare it to the way it was when it opened or right before the re-do. I have come to the conclusion that I must have gotten really, really lucky the day I rode it (based upon the reviews it has gotten here and elsewhere). Granted, I only rode in the very front and the 2nd seat back, but I didn't find it to be too bad at all. It wasn't great, but it was far from the worst coaster I've ever been on. I have ridden several woodies that were far more brutal (even in the very front) than Hades. So in that regard, it is surprising that I didn't get beaten to pieces (though I did get a fully expected beat-down on Zeus - that hurt!). I was also worried that the inversion on Hades might be rough, but thankfully it was not. Then there was Rolling Thunder. I was expecting a far rougher ride than I got, considering all the unflattering nicknames this coaster had. Again, it wasn't a great ride by any means, but I've been on far worse (including Wildcat at HP earlier this summer). And finally there is Kingda Ka. I have ridden its Ohio relative many, many times, and I've enjoyed every ride I've gotten on TTD. I was expecting something rather similar, but not even close. My first ride on KK was the first seat of the 2nd car, so not too much rattling there. But it seemed to lack something, and it was hard for me to put my finger on it. Perhaps it was the view - nothing but a sea of green trees (as opposed to Lake Erie and the peninsula), or the feeling that the launch just wasn't as powerful (even Storm Runner stuck in my recent memory as having a more potent launch), or something I can't quite pin down. So that was a big let down.

I've done pretty well this year compared to the last few years, when I might only get to a couple of parks. This year I've been to: Hershey Park (twice so far, will be going there again in a couple of weeks, or at least before the end of the season) Mt. Olympus Valleyfair Nickelodeon Universe Six Flags Great Adventure

For non-Disney rides, I'd have to go with MIB the Ride at IOA all the way, but then again, I'm a bit partial to that ride since I helped build it. For Disney rides, this is a hard call since I haven't been to a Disney park in about 10 years, and the only ones I've been to in the last 30 years are DL and DCA. So there are more than a few rides I haven't been on that have been built in those years. But based on what I've done, I'd probably go with the Haunted Mansion at WDW.

I went to this park yesterday so I'm going to post a mini-tr: This was my 2nd visit to the park, the last being two years ago not long after a tropical storm struck the area, and this time the weather was greatly improved (beautiful, sunny and low humidity, as opposed to dreary, muggy and wet). Luckily I didn't feel the need to ride every coaster since I had gotten all but two of them on my last trip, so I could concentrate on riding the ones I liked. I got a morning ride on Nitro, that was a bit slower than usual, but still a lot of fun. This time I rode in the back seat. I still think that Nitro is one of the best B&M hypers I've ever been on. I also took a ride on Batman, and it wasn't as rough as I remember it being (perhaps lends some credibility to the notion that the weather can affect even steel coasters, but it also could have been because my back was killing me all during my trip two years ago, and I got a reprieve from that yesterday), even though I rode twice in the back seat (both times in one of the center seats, which are always a bit better than the outer ones, at least for comfort, IMO). I passed on the boring boxed wild mouse while I was over in that part of the park, as I already had that credit. I also rode the Runaway Mine Train, (red train, which one of my riding companions told me was much better than the blue) and it wasn't as jerky or bumpy as I recalled. I rode towards the front on that one. Then I finally (barely) got my first ride on KK, which was closed due to a lightning strike when I last visited. For some odd reason, the entire ride seemed to not be any larger (and in some ways, smaller) than TTD. I think that KK might not appear as tall or long to me because of all the trees in and around the park, whereas at CP, there are only some small trees around and it's more open. The line was only a little past the overhead exit walkway, but the line soon stopped moving and I noticed they were taking one of the two trains off the track and moving it to the other side. So then it was one train operation from then on (later during the day, the other train was put back on at some point), but then the train got stuck back where enters the station, and they had to get a technician out to look at it and get it running again, which took about 15 minutes, so I ended up waiting about 34-40 mins, even though the line was quite short. It felt weird riding KK because I have ridden TTD so many times, and it was odd to not have the grandstand and "Christmas tree" lights (and also seeing lake Erie from the top). The launch seemed to set itself up quicker on KK (for some reason it seems more drawn out on TTD, but maybe that's just an illusion), and also it seemed to pack less punch. On this first ride I sat in the first seat of the 2nd car, but I did notice it was a bit rougher than TTD. It also seemed to crest the top more quickly as I barely had time to take in the scenery (this also could be because I didn't get to ride the front seat). The descent on the other side was perhaps the best part, and the camel back did nothing for me. Sadly I found KK to be a bit anti-climactic, which is likely due to me being so much more familiar with TTD. I also rode it later in the evening, and I think I sat a little further back, and it was uncomfortably rattly and rough, so I really didn't enjoy my last ride of the day the way I had hoped. But I'm glad I got the credit - for me it was #201. I also took the Skyway across the park a couple of times to get some pics (will probably add them here later on). Then I got some pizza for lunch, which was pretty decent, and it was a nice, big slice for $6. Later on, I rode Bizzaro, in one of the center back seats, and this also wasn't as rough and jittery as I remember it being. It could also be because those awful speakers are gone. I think I still like Dominator better, but then again, it may be because I'm more familiar with Dominator. Later that evening I got a funnel cake to carry me thru the rest of the day, and unfortunately I can never eat a whole funnel cake, so I ended up sharing with my three riding companions. And of course I wasn't going to pass on El Toro - I got roughly 5 rides (didn't count, just guessing) on my favorite woodie, including two in the back (those two back seat rides almost wore me out!). I also got a couple of middle of the train rides, which were easier for my body to handle, but not quite as forceful. I had forgotten (not sure how!) about that one hill near the end where you are slammed with "rip you out of your seat" airtime. That was really something in the back seat. The only bad thing about El Toro (for me, that is) is because I'm short (especially my torso), the restraints hit me right under the rib cage (noticed on taller people that it hits them more in the lower abdomen or lap), which is uncomfortable (probably shouldn't have had that funnel cake!). And made even more so by the ride ops on El Toro, who are dedicated staplers. If the restraints sat lower on my torso, I would probably be good for more re-rides. I know people complain about Skyrush and its restraints, but in some ways I have more trouble with re-rideability on El Toro than Skyrush (which for some reason I get a pass on - maybe shortness is a blessing rather than a curse on that ride - I swear Intamin must optimize their restraints for a six foot tall man of average build - except for Skyrush!) But anyway, even though I can only do a few laps, El Toro remains my #1 woodie. Finally I got the chance to get my last credit, which I passed on the last time I was at the park. So Rolling Thunder was #202, and I said hello and goodbye to it that evening. I got two rides, one in the first seat of the 2nd car, and the other in the first seat of the 3rd car. Actually RT was no where near as bad as I thought it would be (honestly HP's Wildcat was far worse earlier this year), and I actually managed to get a tiny bit of airtime on a couple of the hills before the turn around. Yes, it was bumpy and squeaky (never heard such a weird sound on a coaster - RT certainly had a unique sound), and really rough on the turn around (slamming laterals), and I can see why it has the nicknames it does. But I didn't think it was horrible. Either way, I'm glad I got the credit before it closed. So all in all a good day, crowds not too bad, beautiful weather (I also noticed that most of the rides ops were really enthusiastic) and I got in some rides on coasters I missed and those I like. I just wish I had visited this park years ago, which is rather sad for a coaster fan, since I have always lived (other than the 5 years I lived in So Cal) less than three hours from this park.

I would also add that SFMM made a mistake in where they chose to locate Flashback (not so much that the coaster itself was a mistake; IMO if it had had better trains it might have been a fun ride) - too close to the water park. Whenever the water park was open, Flashback had to be closed because people couldn't hear the lifeguards over the roar of the coaster. Towards the end of its life, it was a hard credit to get, because it was closed for long periods of time each year.

Mine was Space Mountain at WDW in 1976, when I was 6 years old.

Mine's changed - (used to be TTD), but I rode KK this weekend so that's the tallest coaster I've ever ridden. Tallest woodie I've ever been on was SOB. For existing wood coasters, it would be El Toro.

I don't always eat a full meal or two at every park I visit (sometimes I just get a snack or eat outside the park, and sometimes snack foods aren't the best gauge of how good a park's food is overall), but probably the best I can think of where I have actually eaten whole meals is BGE. They also have such a nice variety of foods, and not just typical theme park junk food. I also liked the chicken restaurant at KBF.

I'll be at SF Great Adventure this Saturday, hopefully I can get that Kingda Ka credit I missed a couple of years ago. Will also have to do RT (passed on it because my back was acting up the last time I was there) since it will soon be no more.

Well, I'd have to choose from my all time favorite coasters (which are TTD, MF, El Toro and Skyrush), which would be a tough call. I'll rule out TTD, as I'm sure that would end up boring me after a while. All of the other three have a good deal of re-rideability, at least for me (and on Skyrush I pretty much have to stick to the center seats to get that re-rideability). MF is the furthest away of the three (I guess the question assumes you would have good access to the one coaster, wherever it is), so realistically that might narrow it down to the other two. Of those, I'd have to pick Skyrush, as I'd be a lot less likely to get bored with it, and since the wing seats offer a rather different ride experience than the center ones, it would provide the most variety of the three. That, and there are no inversions, which seem to get harder to deal with the older I get.

SF Great Adventure this weekend, then HP later this fall.

I have at least a couple of choices for a home park, as there are three major parks less than three hours from me. For KD - I-305. For HP - Skyrush. For SFA - S:ROS.

I've been on so many that it's hard to remember them all, but here are some of the ones I like best: TTD Storm Runner Volcano Montezooma's Revenge Out of those, for the launch alone, I'd have to go with TTD - IMO nothing can match the sheer intensity and length of it (I haven't done KK, but hopefully I will be able to ride it this weekend and then I can finally figure out which I like best of the two), but for the overall coaster, I"d have to go with Volcano.

Unfortunately I haven't been on too many of these classic coasters (probably can count on one hand the ones I've ridden, might need a couple fingers on the other hand at most), but I'd say Montezooma's Revenge. Of the non-launched ones, probably the Laser.