QueerRudie

The Rocket... Such a shame it went out the way it did- and it really DIDN'T want to go when it did- For many years, three of the cars from the Rocket were stored outside Old Dominion University- A friend of mine showed them to me once, and it was -tragic- as they sat rotting away outside an old warehouse. The cars themselves were still in recognizable condition- and had it not been for the beehive that had formed inside one of them, I might have taken a much closer look. The running wheels and basic understructure of the cars were rusted out completely- and if I'd had more time (and money) I would have made an attempt to save them. As far as I know, however, the cars (And the warehouses therein) were removed to make way for a basketball arena for Old Dominion back in the early part of the 2000s (I graduated from William and Mary just before they started construction there)- so I don't know if the cars themselves were saved. Sadly, though, I don't think they made it out alive. R.D.

Nuff Said. R.D.

I think that in so many ways this is a good thing. Darien Lake and Elitch Gardens have suffered under both SixFlags and PARC Management, losing some of their lustre and glory. Mind you, both are excellent parks- but tarnished, forgotten and in so many ways passed over, when they should be welcomed with open arms to any company willing to work with them. I agree completely that Herschend should stay withing their means, capacities and strenghts. But consider this: their holdings now span from coast to coast, and not just theme parks, but also Aquariums, showboats, and hotels/lodging properties. As many people watched "Undercover Boss" this past year, you saw the depth of HFE's operations- and they are far more than just a theme park operator- but a whole family entertainment company. If anything, I can hope they bring their special spirit, passion and quality to two parks that have suffered a bit in the past few years, and could use some love and care. (Not to mention, I'd love to see Viper return to it's orignal colors...) R.D.

Having decoded many of the "hersheypark' secrets in the past (Including StormRunner- which I sort of scared the hades out of employees with just doing a simple line-drawing of the stakes from it's pre-construction days) i've been observing how the 'stakes layout' has grown- Thanks for that- as it makes it a lot easier to figure things out... After seeing all this updating in the past month or two, I'm pretty sure to put even-money that it's an Intamin Hyper-lite coaster- that is, using the Cable-lift technology plus an extended, low to the ground layout that tends to fit to terrain around, through, over, under and aside other rides. It just makes sense- the layout is wide, varied and passes through Comet Hollow in a way that would make a lot of sense for an Intamin ride, as well as the general scope of the attraction itself. For me, I do enjoy the idea that this new ride could be a B&M- but I really can't see the layout being that big and still being a B&M; the VDM coaster concepts, although interesting, just don't fit the layout of the stakes that have been posted so far. It doesn't fit with what B&M has done in the past. I could be wrong- time will prove tell on that. But I really can't see it being a B&M. R.D.

"Big Mike, I would like to enter the contest because my favorite part of The Big Mike Road Show is waiting to see just what gets said/posted next." R.D.

Incredible... Some of those shots of Mountain View were amazing- and to see the Turn of the Century looking pretty phenominal all around. It's sad to think that such a coaster was considered 'outdated' back then, requiring a retrofit to be a quad inversion coaster. I think had it stayed the way it was, it would be considered a gem and a classic today. Perhaps we could convince Intamin to give it a go again, as it would turn some heads with those incredible airtime hills... R.D.

Nice job again, Coupon. The colors for the rides are just perfect- and I think the Corrugated steel look on the Impusle coaster is not only well thought out- but a great choice for said class of ride. R.D.

Moonsault Scramble 1.) Broke the record for height... and then a lot of people's necks/backs/spines 2.) International (It's in Japan, built by Togo Death machines, inc.) 3.) A lot of odd forces on it 4.) Empty queuehouses (Nobody wants to ride it) 5.) "Nevermore" screamed the Raven 6.) Like Obi Wan, it's deceased. R.D.

Oblivion at Alton Towers... 1.) First record broken for 90 degree drop 2.) Now a very repeated action- therefore, the record keeps going on. 3.) "Hold your breath... Don't look down." 4.) Use the Force, Luke- it does pull some great Gs R.D.

Mystery Mine at Dollywood? 1.) Mine cars 2.) First coaster in the USA over 90 degrees dropping 3.) Spins in circles and helixes 4.) Obi Wan would ride it because it's cool. R.D.

I'm going for another stab it it... The bat at Kings Island. 1.) Obi Wan: Return of the Jedi comes out- 2.) Broken Record- It was the first suspended of the modern era 3.) Empty queuehouse: It was NEVER running 4.) Raven: Called the beast of Holiday World, the Beast sat next to the bat 5.) international: The ride was themed like Translylvania- an international place R.D.

TWISTED TWINS? SOmething about Thomson Twins keeps sticking in my head for some reason: 1.) Dueling coaster 2.) Empty queues: Closed ride 3.) Ob wan (dueling) 4.) Now defunct. R.D.

OK: Another stab at it: Great Adventure's Lightning loops: 1.) Broken record: Spin me right round (It did loop- twice) 2.) dueling (The loops 'interlocked' and the trains 'dueled') 3.) International (Dunno- but it did have an international flavour) 4.) Empty GASM queue (SFGAdv) Just a thought- R.D.

Steel Dragon 2000: 1. Broke a record for height 2. Alec Guinness died just after it opened 3. Foreign coaster R.D.

"Clunk" went my joke apparantly.... But I think the 'darker' bright green looks good to me- Is there a way to tone-down the yellow outline? R.D.

Robb- I'd stick with the primary colors- the look 'pops' but it's a bit hard on the eyes! Perhaps darken the green a notch or two- Othwerise, it's looking good- Love the new tagline, as I think sarcasm is what differentiates TPR from everyone else. Alternatively, it could be suggested as a tagline: Donkeys. Not just for nightime fun anymore. R.D.

Now if I could only convince the Powers that Be that KD's coasters need a retrofit... Imagine Grizzly with those lovely trains on it. Seriously- BGT has stepped up a notch or two in my eyes- good for them! R.D.

Three hours, 1 minute remaining till I get to try and epic fail again... I will admit, this is the most brilliant, useless and amazingly fun fad of the new century- so far. Chalk this one up there with Pet Rocks, Troll Dolls, Chia Pets, etc. R.D.

I feel like Ralphie waiting for his Little Orphan Annie Decoder ring....

The easter eggs are making it fun.... 'G' on a Yeti makes him jump up and down- R.D.

Shane, I have to tell you how much I've enjoyed these past few updates- especially the lost SixFlags parks. I do have a question: In some of your video updates, we've seen older programs with great footage (KidsWorld, etc.) and I was wondering... the old 1980's science program '321 Contact' did a feature on 'forces' featuring the Mariott's Great America (Santa clara, CA)'s old Turn Of the Century (Including, for me at least, some of the -best- POV footage of the ride) as well as the original Suspended coaster model being demonstrated and some other interesting things.... Is there any chance that you have this footage? Thanks, R.D.

LOL... I can go and pack my luggage, shave my head, take a nap, watch most of "Steven King's "The Stand", view the episodes I missed of "Top Chef: All Stars" Cook a roast, and STILL be waiting to win a prize.... Oh the humanity of it! R.D.

1.) Coasters: The failure of Arrow- Simply put, we lost one of the biggest innovators of coaster technology in the 'modern' era, all due to greed and egos. A big shame- they hit their stride with Tennesee Tornado, and could have really made a dent in the new market. Intamin (This qualifies in BOTH good and bad categories; the bad is here)- Expanding into areas where they KNEW going into it that the technology being used was too cutting edge. Seeing how many of their early model (and for that matter later model) Accelerator coasters have lost cables, the Medusa Cluster (Hydraulic package) has burst, and general malaise over these rides. I have been to HersheyPark six times since 2003... and never ONCE have I been there on a day that Storm Runner was OPEN for business. 2.) Parks: Six Flags America: "This is the way the world ends. Not with a bang, but with a whimper." SixFlags either needs to close the park, move the rides and sell the land, or get their A**es in gear, and do SOMETHING with the park. They started off the decade with a plan to make the park one of the larger parks on the east coast (Remember all that 'Blanket' provisioning they worked with the PG county board on? Only ONE of the rides actually made it into the park) and ultimately let everyone down by not only failing to expand the park, but REMOVING a major coaster. Big mistake. Then, under the guise of 'We have to use the money for Infrastructure Improvments' NOTHING major is added to the park in EIGHT years. I'm sorry: Adding a kiddie park inside does NOT qualify as a major improvement. At all. HRP: It's been overdone, so I'll not elaborate... perhaps some of those rides could be used in SFA (Should they KEEP it) The Busch Entertainment Corporation/Sea World Parks/Worlds of Discovery debacle. I sure do hope that August Busch IV burns in hades for all eternity over this one: Take a world-class chain of parks, with monumental rides, shows and attractions- and then sell it off, with no regards to the history or legacy of the company as a whole. All due to Augie IV being a lazy, pompous, heir to a lot of money- and then acting like a spoiled brat when he's told it's time for him to lead the company. The result? A future where the parks are now regarded more as 'assets' in a new company, rather than 'gems' in the old. SF/Astroworld/Geauga Lake. In Business schools across the country, in another few years, we will read about the mistakes that were made with SF's failures in depth. Overexpansion, rapid growth on borrowed money, not keeping the brand intact and functioning, no diversity of attractions amongst the larger parks, demolition of GOOD parks, removal of rides from others, improper marketing styles, overpriced and poor quality everything, and an overall failiure to address financial problems- Basically how NOT to run a company. It's a shame, too- as the decade started with a lot of excitement with the SF brand being added to smaller parks, and ended up with the company's future still in jeopardy- and still saddled with a lot of debt, even after the bankruptcy filing. California's Great America: How long till it closes? The lease on the park is up in 2014, so expect to see this one go the way of the do-do soon enough. Having the Santa Clara City Council bully the park into oblivion, to where CedarFair won't invest hard money into it, and the short-sightedness of the SCCC to realize that the park generates a TON of tax money, not to mention the hundreds of jobs seasonally in a part of California particularly hard hit by the Great Recession. I particularly will miss this- as it's very close to my home. One of the few parks in the country that has rapid-transit access, as well as connections to the CalTrain system, and for that matter to BART, and yet, nobody realizes that with support from SCCC, and investment from CF, it could be a hefty profit (and for that matter Taxes) maker for the South Bay area. A true opportunity being lost... and quickly. Joyland in Wichita, Kansas: I'm surprised this hasn't popped up yet: A classic all-american park was led to decay and ruin, and the sad loss of a great wooden coaster there. Sadly, this is what happens when times change, and populations move and leave. Bell's Amusement Park: Same as above, as well as same as CGA: Bullied around by the city- and ended up leaving. Another good classic coaster lost for history. Overall, the decade now past had some real winners... but I think in the end, we lost more than we gained. Hopefully, the new decade will provide us with a better run of luck. R.D.

I get the impresssion that Grona Lund could squeeze in just about anything if they tried... I can so see them getting an Intamin Gigacoaster, and making it feel longer, taller and faster than Millenium or I305... Somebody there really does know how to cram too much into too little. I should hire them for my closets! R.D.

1. Most important: A NEW LAPTOP! The world can begin anew- 2. K'NEX Cobra coaster (The one that 'duels') 3. LEGO Camper (Which took for FREAKIN EVER to find) 4. Anthony Bourdain's newest book 5. An all-show pass to the San Francisco Silent Film Festival Winter event on 12 Feb 2011 (Thanks Bruce!) 6. Two new Ikea Rats 7. A 25.00 Dunkin Donuts Gift card 8. Lingonberry preserves 9. Raspberry cookies 10. A stomach ache from the dinner I made: Prime Rib, Bearnaise sauce, Brown gravy, Garlic-parmasean Mashed potatoes, Spinach, Spring mix salad with balsalmic reduction and Popovers. BURP. Merry X-mas to all- R.D.