bert425

can't be Drop Tower tho. . . (I had been thinking that too). . but they didn't announce Scream Closing. I have never heard of a park with multiple drop towers. (but I suppose if they wanted to be "first". . LOL). I'm still thinking we're looking at a Skywarp, but won't be surprised if it's a space themed flat. . . hmmmm. . . Fiesta hasn't had a Trabant in years . . guess we're gonna find out.

that was at the old Las Vegas Hilton. even tho a different hotel now, last time I was out there, you could still clearly see the outline of insignia on the outside of the building. and this is still my desktop on my home computer (from Quark's bar/entrance)

So a bunch of enthusiasts want it gone under the guise that Six Flags (the company that just built a coaster with 9 passenger trains in the same state) cares about capacity even though the ride seems to be in great shape and people seem to enjoy it? Got it. I'm there on Sat afternoon. will make sure to ask the Dippin Dots guy for a comment

is it a full train? or still that sad little 2 car thing they were running when I was there last month. that's not a train..that's a glorified Trolley.

OMG. . the squeals of delight are absolutely adorable!

great report (and great costumes). . and tho I love the Poison Apple Cupcake? really would love to try that Doom Buggy Cream-Puff.. wowza!

I'm going tonight to see OhGr, and Lead into Gold. Very excited, but not sure what the picture policy is gonna be. . so here's some shots from when I saw OhGr back in October (opening for KMFDM) and Paul Barker from November when he was touring with Revolting Cocks. If I can get good pics tonight, will update later this week with em. OhGr OhGr some of the guys hanging out later that night at a club up the street Paul Barker soundchecking before RevCo came on

heh. . thought that was you glad you're enjoying the TR thus far!

hah. .that's great! not a raw meat aficionado, but the train museum part looks very interesting. Thanks for sharing, Chuck.

Back about 6 years ago, we too took the free shuttle from Vegas strip to Primm for a day trip (that also did a quick stop at Hoover Dam, and the Ethyl M chocolate factory/cactus gardens before heading out there to drop us for the afternoon). I clearly remember the shuttle driver taking us to the corner of the attached mall parking lot, and telling us we had just crossed State lines, and went to 3 States in that quick turn around. Desperado wasn't open the day we were there, but we got a free buffet coupon (had to go to the casino next door, as the food in Buffalo Bill's wasn't open), neither was the monorail. I think we looked at the flume, but didn't ride it (it was a shooting flume ride, right?). the friends we went with didn't want to gamble, so they went to the theater there and watched Avengers a couple of times, while we played slots - and came out way ahead too! (think they were paying out during the week to get word of mouth spreading, I suppose). shame the properties seem to be in such poor shape now

hate to say that it was enjoyable reading thru your frustration. . but I did laugh out loud reading a couple of times. It sucks when stuff like that happens, but it sounds like you have a sense of humor about it. and I know you had a great stop at the next park, so started out rough, but got better.

Day 5: BGW This day started out early, as we arrived at BGW a couple of hours before the park officially opened, and were met by staff who ushered the group in for some filming to be done on several of the coasters. We had an incredible time, and again, *huge* thanks to Robb and Elissa for arranging this kind of thing, as while filming was happening, we were able to get multiple rides in on things before the park even opened to the general public – which is not to say I didn’t go back to some of the coasters later in the day, since we had quick queue today. . but it got a lot of riding on my favorites done early, making for a day that allowed me to focus on other things (such as shows, or seeing the Clydesdales) and not feel like I was missing something. added bonus for me was that I was able to get some pics near Alpengeist without a crowd around (that photo op near the entrance is near impossible to get a good pic of, since it’s next to the Quick Queue entrance). Once filming was done and the park had officially opened to guests, we were given our Quick Queue tickets, and set loose for free time in the park, until the 5pm head out. the group I had been hanging out with pretty much stuck together, with a few others joining us today, and we headed straight for Battle for Eire, which has a quick queue option. Was really glad we had it today, as the park was more crowded than it had been the prior afternoon, and it came in handy. We went in thru the QQ line, got suited up, and hung out waiting for the pre-show, and the “explanation” of what was the plot of the ride. the design of the building is really well done, and you would never know it was the old Europe in the Air site. Honestly though I found the actual storyline to be very confusing, and still am not really sure exactly what we were supposed to be doing or who was fighting or for what reason – it’s a bit too complicated for it’s own good. I also found the headgear one has to wear for Battle for Eire to be slightly uncomfortable (it’s fine until one snaps in the VR headset to the front of it, then it puts a lot of weight on the bridge of your nose). All that aside tho, I (and some others in my group) was mighty impressed with the level of VR. Once the “ride” starts, you can look left/right/up/down and it’s a fully realized 360 world. . . yeah, I wasn’t really sure what was going on - the "ride" itself is kind of a mess in terms of what is supposed to be happening in the story, but when you’re riding the dragon, and you look to your right and you can see the wing flapping up and down? Really, really impressed with what they pulled off. I think I was more impressed by the VR than some others, but to me, this is what a VR attraction really should “feel” like, even if the storyline needed some cleaning up. It's inside, in the AC, and once you get the headset on, the rest of the crowd around you disappears for a good 10 minutes.. so it has that going on for it too After checking this off the list, we wandered counter-clockwise thru the park, past the animal exhibits (the wolves were actually out in their paddock this time), for another ride on Griffon, stopping to take some pics, and the intention of heading towards our goal of Verbolten. I realized that we were right by the Skybuckets, so convinced everyone to save our feet a bit, and take the sky buckets from France (by Griffon) over to Germany. . . which let out right next to the Carousel. Everyone was ready for Verbolten, as we hadn’t gotten on it yet, but I really wanted to ride the Carousel – BGW has a lovely antique 3-across Herschell Carousel from 1919, called “Kinder Karussel” that’s featuring Classic Wood Figures, all of which “gallop” as well as some sleighs. So some folks decided to ride with me, while the rest headed thru to Verbolten. This carousel too, unfortunately didn’t have real organ music playing –there was a slot for the organ, but it appeared to be empty, with piped in Carousel music playing from speakers behind it. I could be mistaken, but it didn’t seem to have the true organ there. Once I had gotten my ride in, I was super happy. Then I spotted the Carousel horse photo op that was set up in a little alcove off to the side. . . and of course climbed right on top for some pics (not noticing until after posing, the little sign off to the side behind the horse noting it was for younger guests – oops). we headed to Verbolten, and were ready to show our QQ, but he op told us that the ride was down at the moment, as they were adding a train to the tracks and it would be about 10 minutes. We decided to get in the line anyways, as the standby line continued to steadily grow, and ended up next to a few other TPR folks who also hadn’t gotten on the ride the prior night due to downtime. It ended up taking over 20 minutes, as they didn’t just add one train, they actually added two trains to the track – and started using the dual loading station! So it ended up being worth the shortish wait (4 of the 5 trains ended up running, the missing one seemed to be the Green train that had been giving them trouble the night before) I found the ride to be a little disorienting, and I think I may have actually greyed out a little bit in the “blak forest” building! I rode it again later, and it had the same effect on me, so who knows, but I think I did? I liked it, but didn’t love it. Glad I rode it tho. after getting our rides in (and getting our stuff back from the fluffy bunnies the ride requests guests to use), it was time to eat something, so we went over to Italy, and went to Marco Polo’s Marketplace, where I had an amazing Rosemary Garlic Lamb dish, with a side of mac n cheese, and a slice of super sweet rainbow explosion cake. It was really, really good, and tho expensive, worth it. the seating for Marco Polo’s is in an outdoor amphitheater, and while we ate, we watched the “Mix it Up” show, which is basically “STOMP” if they were all chefs, and were playing kitchen equipment, crossed with a marching band. It was quite entertaining, and enjoyable to watch while we ate. The group discussed what we wanted to do for the remainder of the afternoon, and I mentioned I really wanted to see the Clydesdales, and would love to catch a performance of “Celtic Fyre” as I had really enjoyed that show my one prior time at the park. It was about 1, and there was a showing at, I think, 2:30, and Russ expressed that he’d very much like to see that too, but he also wanted to get another ride on Loch Ness Monster. . so with that plan in place we started the walk towards Ireland, stopping to catch a ride on anything that struck our fancy as we passed it. Turned out that BGW does photo ops with the Clydesdales, where a professional photographer takes your pic. .but they also allow your friends to stand behind the photographer and take your own pics, with no high-pressure sell tactics. I was very impressed with this (so much, I even mentioned it to Robb), it’s a very “Disney” thing to do and I love that they did that. So several of us took turns posing with the Horse – they have several, and swapped them out occasionally, and then we decided that we’d better head to the theater, as it’s a popular show, in the air conditioning (on what turned out to be a hot day) and we wanted to make sure we could get seating. . so we headed that way and got some great seats. if you haven’t seen the show, it’s basically Irish Step Dancing, built around a plot of a wedding party happening in an Irish Pub/Inn. The dancers were fantastic, and it was a wonderful way to spend 20 minutes or so. During the show, we had gotten word that the place to hang out from the heat was the Irish Pub that was just across the way from the theater. . . so we popped in there, and found a whole bunch of the TPR crew hanging out and sampling an impressive selection of beers, ciders, and ales on tap. We joined in, and I had a really fantastic Blackberry Cider (which tasted like a Doctor Brown’s Black Cherry Soda. .it was really really good), tho the drink of choice seemed to be Blue Hawaiians – which several folks said were great, tho I’m still not sure what that drink has to do with an Irish Pub. . LOL. after relaxing and finishing our drinks, it was close to 4, and Russ reminded us that he still wanted to ride LNM again, so we headed out that way, and took another ride on it. Several folks headed back into the main park to grab final rides on Griffon, or Verbolten.. . but I wanted to do some shopping, so the main group split up. over by LNM, there’s a shop I was browsing, when I realized it’s the “exit thru the gift shop” for the train. . which happened to be pulling up shortly after I stepped into the shop. So I hopped on the train and took a ride around the beautiful park, taking a few more pics, and by the time the train got all the way back around, it was time to head towards the front gate for the bus anyways. Most of the group was milling around the big gift shop in the London section at the front of the park, and luckily I did manage to find a shirt I liked, as well as a magnet to buy. . tho had an odd exchange with a salesclerk who insisted on telling me a shirt I liked was only in the sizes on the floor, but that a Junior XXL would fit me (it was about the size of an adult Medium. . and I could tell it wouldn’t fit me because. . well. . because I have eyes and could see it. . LOL). I found that way more amusing than annoying tho, so I laughed about it (and figured oh well, didn't need more than one shirt anyways), and then everyone headed out to the bus so we could head to the hotel in Ashland. . for tomorrow was King’s Dominion! Looking up at Griffon before we start the day's fimling This is a fantastic shot, that I'm going to credit to Chase, since I don't see him on the coaster, and all the other suspects appear to be riding (I'm in back row 4th from right). Taken during morning filming. Photo courtesy of Robb's rider cam. I didn't ride this one during the morning filming, as I had ridden the day before and found it still to be a bit too intense for me (especially early in the morning). but being there before official open, allowed me to get some non-crowded pics like this.. theming! and I love it. and this. a GREAT photo op, that's hard to get with no people, since it's right near the ride entrance. so pretty, but this is as close as I got to it this am. got on this sucker (a lot tho) Photo courtesy of Robb's Rider Cam. almost 100% sure this pic is by Andy (Great Zo), since Chase is in the row with me. (could be Brad, but pretty sure it was Andy) Noted. . pull your Knob! as Robb noted. . .we think we look sexy in our headgear! LOL the Eagle was out, and sorta facing me look! there actually are wolves in that environment. . not just in the wolf show (which, sadly, I skipped this trip, as I had seen it on the prior visit. same with Pet Shenanigans) a couple of pics of Griffon from the Skyride able to get some good shots of Alpengeist zooming by too. James and Logan give a thumbs up! Russ and Ryan try to figure out if the Op is a Bangles fan. "walk like an Egyptian" no trains in the picture, but hey, land of Dragons and a skybucket! LOL. .not sure why I took this with no trains on the coasters. the Carousel! finally yep. my happy place see?? but Merry Go Round Monkey aint got no time for that. . he rolls his eyes and wants to know why we didn't to to Verbolten with everyone else. the carousel horse photo op. Phil told me I looked bored, and to try to be exciting. Happy? (and yes, I felt dirty after.. but there was no one around) we're here at Verbolten! and after waiting for them to load all the trains on the tracks, look who ended up in the front of the Orange Car! Brad and John. I'm gonna get to ride in Blue (yay!) some more shots no one else ever gets see? first time you've seen it. Lunch was great. and we got to see STOMP if it were done by Chefs and a marching band But really. .it was an enjoyable show. Clydesdale! (and me) they were trained, obviously. . everyone got the head on the shoulder, and the "whinny" pic options. loved they allowed you to take your own pics too. I honestly cannot recall taking this picture, and it's possible it's not one that I took myself. But it might be from the LNM queue after exiting the coaster? It's got Mach Tower running, LNM on the lift hill, and Griffon over there on the right, so it's a great pic. if someone on the trip took it, please let me know so I can credit accordingly. . . .assuming I didn't take it myself? in the Celtic Fyre show. . .the dancing was good, and air conditioned. (I asked if I could take pictures, and was told I could as long as it was quick with no flash). Celtic Fyre Butterflies in the foliage around this beautiful park. the Rhine River cruise didn't seem to be running today, which was a shame. but was able to get some nice pics from the train. from the train from the train train train train the anniversary sign from, Darryl I believe. . taking a picture of us, taking a picture of him. LOL courtesy of Robb, enjoying the Blackberry Cider in Grogan's pub it was SO good. the shirt I bought the magnet I bought

it was running in May. . . tho the fact I took pics of it operating as proof it was operating, kinda reinforces how rarely it did.

such interesting choices with the braking. but what a perfect melding of music and video. . the last several have been really good, Robb!

won't derail this report with that. . but I DID post about it over on the Random Board http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=1147&p=1879773#p1879773

So I went last night to a great evening performance of "Die Felicia", which is a monthly horror event hosted by Austin Drag queens Louisianna Purchase (voted best in Austin a couple years in a row) and her partner Zane Zena (former professional wrestler). the two ladies actually perform as "Die Felicia" twice a month - once at my favorite alternative bar, as part of "Poo-Poo Platter", where they - along with 5 others (typically) put on a full drag show. . tho "Ousie" and Zane always stick to horror themes. and this end of month performance where they partner with the Mueller Alamo Drafthouse location to take over their bar (Barrel of Fun during the day, filled with carnival type games. . .and "Bar o Fun" at night, when the games go away, and the alcohol comes out). I often can't make the club show, since it's typically during the week, but I try to make the Movie shows, since they show classic horror films -- in an "audience participation" atmosphere. . . unlike a standard Alamo Drafthouse film, here, we're encouraged to talk back to the screen and shout out anything we find funny -- which is always brilliant, especially since the elevator up to the main theaters exits out to the bar, so there's always a bunch of confused elderly folks (who seem to enjoy going to arthouse films on Sunday evenings!) stepping out of the elevator into a bar full of screaming folks, drag queens, and (usually) boobs on the giant screen -- they ARE "classic" 80's horror films after all. LOL During the movie, they pause about 1/2 way thru, and both Zane and Ousie perform, do a trivia contest (or contest of some kind), and tell stories. it's always great fun, and because it's at the Alamo Drafthouse Bar, full menu is avail (fried cauliflower, jerk chicken sandwiches, and Texas apple pie 'shine on tap! yum). anyways, last night's film was "Friday the 13th" . .the original. They stopped the film, right during Kevin Bacon's infamous cabin sex scene (a few moments before the "arrow" kill), and the performances were "Drag Suicide" -- they didn't know what songs, or from what era. . they just had to take turns to try and lipsynch to it. Absolutely hysterical, when Zane didn't know any words to Ousie's favorite song (it was a Patti Smith song if I'm not mistaken), and so Louisiana stood in front, to lipsynch, while Zane got behind her and performed as her arms. SO good, they got a great tip from me for that. the contest was to call out 3 contestants from the crowd, and have them "vocalize" their death scream. . .imagining they were under Kevin Bacon -- who was frozen on the screen behind the stage. . LOL. was funny as hell. anyways a great time, and completely free (Alamo even validates the parking for those that attend Die Felicia). . yeah, it was a work night, but was still home by 11:30pm. onwards to some pics: Love their "Die Felicia" logo closer look at it on the screen Zane Zena on the left, and Louisiana Purchase on the right, chatting up the crowd (a good 25-40 people) before starting the film. Ousie giving the ground rules. . if someone tells you to shush, tell them where to stick it. . LOL during Drag Suicide (Kevin Bacon's back on the screen). Ouise didn't know the words. . think this was Stand And Deliver by Adam Ant so instead she just did some Gymnastics. Limber during the "Death Scream" contest. . . which seemed to get a bit adult as the interpretation of "death scream" morphed once the hosts told them to imagine they were under Kevin Bacon. (which technically, they were, since he was right behind them on the screen) guy in black in the middle won. end of the night selfie, with Zane, myself, and Louisiana Purchase

I agree with you on the Top Spin, but not on the Whirlygig. . those are popular and a theme park staple. to be fair, Fiesta *has* in the past, let rides sit there rotting. . in particular, the Trabant on the Boardwalk sat for years unused. . . but they at least blocked that off with a fence. that they are closing rides on both sides of a path, as well as the games next door to one ride, and in the center of the path -- and considering the comment about the "green space" - which is also right there in that area near the closed rides? there is definitely something coming to that space. something GREAT? who knows?. . but something. . they aren't just closing these to sit.

the key thing there is WHERE the rides are being removed. Twister, basketball game, and the carnival games are on the OPPOSITE side of the main walkway from wirlygig and the green space by Batman. so whatever it is?. .likely not a flat, as it will have to bridge the main walkway from Superman to Rockville/Gotham area. . which also has the train tracks right there. so to me, signs are pointing to some sort of coaster that could "jump" the path... that's why I'm thinking entrance queue might be where Hustler sits now. guess we'll see. maybe it's the return of the taxis/speedway they pulled out for Batman? they could just put bridges there to get over the walkways.

^ thanks Ryan! I'll take that as a compliment I miss being on the tour too. . hopefully will get to do it again with everyone next time too!

They're saying on that Texas Thrill Seekers FB page that Hustler will be/is gone. If rumors are true, go for last ride. well, this coming weekend will be at SFoT.. but if it stays open for a few weeks more, will make trip to Fiesta in Sept for a ride, just to be safe.

hmm. . makes me worry for Hustler. could see that closing to be used as the entrance queue for whatever is coming into those other spaces.

^ wow Phil. . that's a heck of an allergic reaction! glad it wasn't more severe. happy you're enjoying my TR! Luckily I have a good memory, so scanning thru the pics before I type, helps me remember details! I'm working on next update (day II at BGW), but not sure I'll get it posted until late tomorrow, since I'm headed out to attend a monthly thing here at the Alamo Drafthouse called "Die Felicia!". .it's a horror film, hosted by popular Drag Queens in town, and they pause the film ~1/2 way thru to do performances. it's audience participation too. . so lots of interaction w/ the screen. This month's film is "Friday the 13th". .so should be a lot of fun.

I didn't have one (I still find it odd that they were serving it as a special in the Irish Pub. . but then again, the Maui Ice truck was parked in Ireland section too and was doing some booming business). but I'd assume it's a standard recipe: rum, blue Curacao, pineapple juice, cream of coconut, and 1 cup crushed ice in blender. Puree on high speed until smooth. Pour into chilled highball glass. Garnish with a slice of pineapple and a maraschino cherry.

continuing a great report, from another park I'm not too familiar with. went to go look at Excalibur on YouTube, and *of course* Robb has some great video of it See what you mean about it meandering a bit on the 2nd half, but it looks like a really fun coaster: [youtu_be] [/youtu_be] he also has video of Astrosphere: [youtu_be] [/youtu_be] reminds me very much of Cosmotron at Knoebel's. . . although that one is a Himalaya, and we got to ride it to Metallica (the DJ was taking requests and we asked for it while waiting for our cycle)