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I'll bet next weekend will have a good update. My guess is that at least some of the lift will be in place. And remember, with only about a month before testing begins, they'd better step on the construction. April will have some great updates, I presume. Eric

^ I took another look, and you're most likely right. Even the worst cameras take better pictures than that. Eric

^ LOL at the guy behind you. He looks like he's thinking, "Now you put that camera away...I don't want no one watching me chomp down my Whopper!" Eric

^ I hope dearly that diabetes doesn't run in your family, because you're on the road to it. Not trying to be mean, but please work on getting your weight down---with your doctor if need be. For years, I kept my own weight in check by doing a lot of walking (it stayed in the 160-170 range; I'm 5'8" tall). But things in my life changed and getting out to walk was difficult, so my weight climbed to almost 220! And that's when the diabetes caught up to me. If you can, get some good walking shoes and hit the pavement! That's the nice thing about being near SFMM---a big park with lots of hills to climb, and a coaster or two to break the monotony! Eric

"...stay away from the on ride shots." (AllenA07) Also, it's against park policy to bring cameras aboard rides. Eric

Anyone here at TPR who's ridden Mindbender or any other Schwarzkopf coaster with the adjustable OTSRs would know first hand whether they're a problem. I've not heard any complaints, but with relatively few such coasters out there, perhaps not very many people have said anything. I think even some TOGO rides had restraints like that---I recall Manhattan Express in Las Vegas being one of them. Anyway, as I said, I wouldn't sit and wait for any improvements on Revolution in this regard. Fixing an old ride just doesn't have top priority. Eric

One thing you'll never see in my hand is a salt shaker. There's already waaayyy too much sodium in our diets---why add to it? People need to learn about herbs and spices to flavor food. And using those makes food taste better than with salt anyway. Keep feeling better, Ed. All the best to you! Eric

^ Didn't say anything about me. < Doesn't say much about anything. V Doesn't say much about possums!

"Vertically adjustable type like on B&M standups or X2" (Jess) I like the OTSRs on X2. Those are ideal for any coaster with inversions. Actually, Schwarzkopf made trains with such restraints (like on the Mindbender in Edmonton). But since Schwarzkopf is out of business, some third party would have to design the trains. And, of course, we already know that Six Flags is not going to spend money on an old ride that won't generate an increase in attendance. Something like this would be part of a "capital improvement program" during an off-year between adding major attractions. Eric

It would be great if Revolution could be restored to its original 42" height limit. That can be done, even with the required OTSRs, but it would require new trains, too. We know the OTSRs have to stay, but a vertically adjustable type could accommodate shorter riders. About Ninja, I find it interesting that its OTSRs are more or less identical to the ones on Viper (they're both Arrow coasters), but Viper's height limit is a foot higher. Also, don't some Arrow mine trains have a 42" limit? I've not traveled enough to know, but I could swear I've seen that in brochures from other parks with those rides. Is it possible that height limits are set not so much for the need to be that height, but as a means of keeping shorter (read: younger) riders off because of a "fear factor?" Just an observation. Eric

I like a good, speedy ride, be it wood or steel. Inversions really don't do anything for me, though one or two is OK. Theming doesn't really make a difference either. That's about it. Eric

Nope. We have good ol' Verizon FiOS. Do you drink soda with breakfast?

^ Not necessarily. Remember, Intamin makes drop towers and other rides, too. Eric

^ Nice shot. If you start at Deja Vu's cobra roll and go straight down, the guy in the blue jacket with the prominent bald spot is...me. That was a fun tour, though. And I took it twice so I could go back and get pictures. I do have a question---in looking at closeups of the track, there's a strip down the middle that looks sort of like an anti-rollback device with the teeth going the wrong way. Is that something for construction or does it have some sort of purpose, like giving maintenance workers something to step on while checking track? You can see that in the picture below. Eric Oh, and here's another one that someone was nice enough to take of me after the second tour was over... Terminator and me

^^ Let's do a llittle math. They have 15 open now (including Percy, which only little kids can ride. But it counts because...it's a coaster). Soon-to-open Terminator is No. 16; next year's is No. 17. That ties Cedar Point. Now, if the "BIG ATTRACTION FOR 2011!!1!" is a coaster, that'll be No. 18, and will take the record---UNLESS---Cedar Point adds something in the meantime. I hope that answers your question, Jess. Eric

Highway 50 is a nice drive. I've driven it a couple of times. Best of luck to you, Colin. I look forward to meeting up with you and Norm when you reach SoCal. Eric

"Mine was a case of getting stuck in the fast track and neglecting my body." (buttonman700) In my case, I allowed my diabetes to get out of control and found myself in the hospital for five days, three of those days in ICU. It is easy to let things get out of control. The trick, once after getting back on track, is to keep it going. That's hard work, but it pays off. Eric

^ S:TE's tower was not designed for a drop ride. Note that its structure differs greatly from that of Tower of Terror (pictured above). Not to say that SFMM couldn't add a nice drop tower, however. I think something like SFOG's Acrophobia would be a great addition, being a relatively high capacity ride (40 seats, I believe). As far as flats go, a Huss Giant Frisbee or a ride like Knott's La Revolucion would be nice, too, though I doubt the latter because of the proximity to the one at Knott's. At WCB, management hinted that the park is talking to a "manufacturer that they haven't worked with in awhile." Could be Intamin, and it may not necessarily mean a coaster. But the bottom line is that SFMM will add not an attraction that makes sense from a ride standpoint, but one that makes financial sense, since (unfortunately) that's what ultimately drives any decision. Eric

"Now, 2011 is the company's 50th and the parks 30th anniversaries" (rcroques) Just a clarification, 2011 is actually SFMM's 40th anniversary, being that it opened in 1971. 2009 marks 30 years since Six Flags bought the park. Eric

I e-mail Dan to talk about diabetes, since we share that hobby. I've often wondered how many e-mails he gets each day, but I guess there's one way to find out... Eric

All the best to you, buttonman. I know first hand how serious medical conditions can be. Earlier tonight, I was having dinner at Souplantation when a guy had a seizure or heart attack, and they had to call the paramedics. They had been doing CPR on the guy for a long, long time till they wheeled him out. The guy had turned a bit gray in the complexion, which isn't good. Eric

I figured out why I look so unhappy in this picture---I never had Jay and Neal autograph my piece of wood! Eric

I bought my previous car, a 1983 Toyota Supra, on this date in 1983. And I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes on this date in 2002. So what am I doing sitting here? I should get out and EAT SOME CAKE!!! Eric

"I think they should put everyone that enters SFMM in an electric scooter chair and unlimited slurpees all day." (rba13) That would be the world's largest bumper car ride. Nice shots, William. It's been awhile since I was at the park during the week in the off-season. Eric

^ Agreed. Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words---no need to add a thousand more... This is a very nice collection of pictures. Being my home park, I see all of this all the time, but for anyone who's never been to SFMM or only once or twice, this is a nice way to get a feel for the place. I've said it often, but it needs to be said: SFMM is so much cleaner than in previous years, and I hope it stays like that. Eric