The49er

In 2011, I got 8 credits. SFMM: -Viper (ow) -Revolution -Tatsu (me gusta) -Goliath (also gusta) -Colossus left side -Scream (also also gusta) -Ninja USH: -Revenge of the Mummy Next would be 4 so far this year. SFDK: -Medusa (me gusta) -Kong (ow) -Boomerang (also gusta) -V2

SFMM actually did a decent theming job! Also, I'm not sure if I would ever ride this. Scary!

I've wondered what CGA will build next. In my opinion, I could see a Zamperla MotoCoaster (fits in the Invertigarden) or EuroFighter (Rage/Untamed layout might work with adjustments) coming in 2014 or so.

My envy is over 9000; never been east of Kansas and I have never ridden a coaster outside of California.

I remember discussing Indiana Jones @ DLR with my first grade teacher. She was adamant that the boulder at the end was on a track; to this day, I'm not entirely sure but I do know that the walls move.

Well, I think my signature says it all. Disneyland Resort: My family gets DLR withdrawals, and our last visit was July 2011. Veterans Day weekend might work out for us. CGA: Music in the Parks beckons! Hopefully the new GCI will be operational by then (5/4/13); if not, then next year (Apr/May 2014). SFDK 2015?: Long story... Anything else is to later be decided.

Your TRs make me want to go to the East Coast. KD is up there on my conquering list alongside Cedar Fair's Ohio parks, and BGW looks quite promising. Great TRs, man!

I wish I could have been at Kingsfest...it's a bit tricky when you're on the west coast and not the family trip planner

It hurts to know stupidity like this exists. I kind of understand the first two. I guess in some weird way, they look similar to some of Movieworld's coasters. As for the last one...what?

I had a friend in my neighborhood who had the same thing happen to her; I thought it was just a GP-ism.

I've been on ONE of these rides, and that is Medusa at SFDK. If only I could get out more...

SF California Parks: Theming. CGA: Pleezohpleezohpleezohpleezo-PLEASE add a EuroFighter in the Invertigarden (maybe even the IMAX theatre too?)!

I've been on a whopping TWO! 1. Refurbished (as well as Rockin' and GG) Space Mountain @ DLR 2. RotM @ USH Ever since my first ride on it, I have LOVED Space Mountain. I was fascinated by the com chat in the queue, the visual effects, and - duh! - the ride. The overlays were also neat, so there ya go.

Out of curiosity, why didn't FD keep Afterburn as its name? Afterburn sounds much cooler than the thing that aircraft take off from! It's like calling it Airport!

There once was a time when any new thrill scared me, but these have scared me the most (that I've been on; I chickened out on X2 and SEFK, for example) : -The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror @ DCA: It even has "Terror" in the name, and the theming was creepy. Plus, drop towers scare me. -Maliboomer @ DCA: It was so tall, and my first Space Shot. Rest in peace -Tatsu @ SFMM: It was my first flying coaster and it looked HUGE! -Goliath @ SFMM: So...tall...so...intense... -V2 @ SFDK: That launch looked freaky even after loving California Screamin' at DCA; plus, it hauls in both directions.

+: Apparently Boomerang @ SFDK with 5.2 Gs (guy below me) -: I'm a Californian, haven't really experienced much <>: Wild Mice and maybe some others ->: V2 @ SFDK

I actually think the two are creative but overused. Viper gives the image of a frightening snake (train) about to strike, and Goliath...well, it means big. SFMM's Goliath seemed pretty big to me.

I've only been on 1 tower ride, and that was Maliboomer at DCA (R.I.P.); I suppose that doesn't exactly count.

(Note: This post will be expanded!) Photos from the SFDK trip! Click to see image First of the day! Medusa's brakes and station.

^No, I saw no fire. TR: Six Flags Discovery Kingdom Part 1: Trip Report (Pics in Part 2) My pal went off again with his family, this time to SFDK in Vallejo. He'll take it from here. We went on an epic trip to Discovery Kingdom, except for my brother who was at a LAN party playing games like World of Warcraft, Minecraft, Diablo III, and the D&D spoof Munchkin. So our group was me, my twin Jacob, and my parents. I tried following your guys' advice, but we got to the park late (opening was 10:30 and we didn't deposit our backpack at the Medusa locker until 11:01) and thus a 20-minute line or so formed at Medusa. We still rode it (train 1, row 3, seat 2 for me!) and had fun. I enjoyed the smoothness and knew others might not meet that criteria. The ride made my list of favorites. Next was Kong (the troubled yellow train, row 6, right seat). I had always wanted to try an SLC, so we rode it. The wait would have been about 15 minutes if not for a kid getting stuck in his seat. After removing the seat back and trying that, the poor guy was still stuck there. They eventually had to get in a man with a suit and tie and the boy was finally freed (certainly giving a new meaning to its tagline "There is No Escape"!), making us wait almost an hour. And I know now why the ride has its reputation; I remarked upon exit, "I lost a few IQ points there!" We promptly headed to Johnny Rocket(')s right near the Tazmanian Devil and Boomerang. A woman exiting as we were about to order mentioned her 30-minute wait for food. This proved true as after ordering, I was able to sneak in a ride on Boomerang with time to spare (row 1, right seat). My brother was scared (he fears rides that go backwards) and my parents were occupied with waiting for food, so I rode alone. There were only 2 or 3 trains of waiting, even for the front, and this was actually among my favorites ever! Yes, I am now a Boomerang fan! The food arrived a few minutes after I got back to the table post-Boomerang. It was like In-n-Out, but not as good and with a longer line. The burger was meh, but the onion rings were delicious. Our next attraction was the walrus exhibit. In the queue for either Medusa or Kong, there was footage of a walrus doing sit-ups and other funny things. We arrived at 1:45 for the 2:00 training session, except at the session the walrus did not want to come out and play. So we were on to our next adventure. With my dad resting and reducing back pain by sitting down near the walruses, the three of us remaining rode Roar (third-to-last row of unknown train, left seat) - mistake? I thought it had been better last time, but if it was it has certainly declined in 5 years. It seemed even rougher than Kong and had some pretty bad spots. One of the day's worst rides. However, some segments in the queue and ride gave me a good view of Superman's construction. SUF was looking pretty epic and I saw few parts in my view that looked incomplete. The last (but definitely not least) was V2: Vertical Velocity (row 1, right seat). The other coasters didn't scare me beforehand; this one did. Aside from California Screamin', it was my first launched coaster and maybe in that respect my first Intamin. I lowered the harness and was still scared but slightly comforted by its security. We got a ride op who loved to play games with passengers. She asked the usual "Are you ready?", and then noticed my fear among others'. She encouraged us to inhale deeply, and as soon as I was done we were off. I loved how truly dangerous it felt when I was hanging simultaneously upside-down and off to the track's side. I also got some sick airtime on the back spike, even sans holding brake. That one was among my favorites as well. Overall, I had a nice day. Four new credits are now in my possession, elevating my count to a measly 32. Pictures in part 2.

I was there on a Saturday in April and it was fairly crowded but not too bad. This is what I'd suggest: Get there just about opening and go to Medusa first. You want to beat the crowd that will be there within 15-30 minutes. Try Kong 2nd or else wait until later in the day. You could try Sky Screamer at this time too. Then, head over to V2/Roar and see how those are... V2 is a lot shorter wait than Roar. If Roar is only running one train, I wouldn't attempt unless the line is really short. Midday see the shows and check out the animals, get lunch, and try the flat rides. VooDoo never has much of a wait, Tazmanian's line (if it's open) goes really quickly even if there's a lot of people. If it's hot, the lines for the water rides will probably be hideous but you can always go to the Shouka show and sit in the splash zone to cool off. After about 5 or 6:00 (depending on what time closing is) Medusa and the other coasters have almost walk-on lines. I think most families start trickling out about that time so the crowd thins out a lot. If you don't ride Medusa shortly after opening, I would advise waiting until this time. If you want to try the water rides, wait until late-afternoon because it starts getting colder and people don't want to ride them. The lines will be really short, but the water won't feel as nice as it would arounnd 1:00 pm when lines are longest. Your call. I was hoping to ride my first Vekoma Boomerang. When should I attempt it - after Kong?

Boomerangs...'cause why not.

I may or may not go to SFDK on Saturday. It looks like the high temp will be in the upper 70s. Any tips for avoiding possible crowds?

A few years back, my family went to Disneyland in November/December. There was not much significant about the trip except it seemed like all of the rides closed at one point or another. Thankfully, I think we went on all the major coasters.

It says "such as", so they might have been implied but not listed.