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No, I never "picked" it up! Do you eat licorice?

So you guys are "them Park Review" people. I thought so... Eric

During my one and only visit to BGA (July 2002), I missed riding Gwazi because it was closed. Out of my control. I did ride Montu, Scorpion, and the now-defunct Python. Montu was Diana's first inverted coaster and I have quite a blackmail picture of her in the front row. Out of respect, though, I'll keep it off of here. Kumba was running just fine, and Kevin (one of the kids in our group) went over to ride it. I could have, but decided that I'd ride it later on. Kevin came back later and said that he'd ridden it four times. A bit later, I wanted to go get in line, only to see that there was a train stuck about two-thirds of the way up the lift. My first thought: "Uh oh..." But that train was gone in few minutes later, so I figured it was just a glitch and all was well...till another train got stuck there. I went over to get in line anyway, only to learn that Kumba was closed for the rest of the day. So, no Kumba credit for me. But now that BGA has SheiKra, I want to get back there anyway, so I'll get my Kumba, Gwazi, Cheetah Chase, and SheiKra credits after all. Eric

Most people don't know that Six Flags itself only built three parks: Six Flags Over Texas in 1961; Six Flags Over Georgia in 1967; and Six Flags Over Mid-America (now Six Flags St. Louis) in 1971. All other properties were acquired through purchases of existing properties. Unfortunately, over the years, Six Flags expanded too quickly---especially after its buyout by Premier Parks, which changed its name to Six Flags because of the more well known name. This means that today's "Six Flags" is not really the original company, even though they tout themselves as having provided "45 Years of Thrills" or whatever. In my opinion, the organization was much better when they only owned about eight or nine theme parks. Expansions/additions were done at a more reasonable pace. At SFMM, for instance, a coaster every two to four years wasn't so bad. Eric

October 2006. WDW, USF, and IoA. When was the last time you washed your car?

I think we'll be getting $1500---$1200 for our income level, plus $300 for having one child. That is, if I understand the rebate schedule correctly. Good. Now I can put a little away. Eric

^ Wants a lave lamp...whatever that is. < Wants a job. V Wants a tiara!

I'Z AM TEH HUNGREEZ!!!

I passed out candy on Halloween. Do you fill out surveys for fast food restaurants to get free food?

A long time ago, I saw a diagram of the Tower of Terror (I think it was WDW's) that showed how the ride worked. If I recall, the cars are raised and lowered by cables along with powerful motors, so it really isn't a freefall ride, though the feeling is such. If anyone can explain better, please do so. Eric

Ever since I first saw the infamous Brady Bunch Kings Island episode, I've always wanted to visit this park. Maybe one day. Thanks for a great report. Eric

More times than I care to admit. Did you have something good for dinner tonight?

^^ SFMM did have a very nice network of transportation rides at one time---and they were all well utilized and welcome. There was Orient Express to and from the top of the mountain in front; The Dragon to and from the top of the mountain in the back; Metro with three stops; and two Eagles Flight lines, both from the top of the mountain along where S:TE is, and the other one to about where Freefall's queue was. Even the old Grand Centennial Railroad had two stops; one where Batman is now, and the other behind the old wood sign shop in Cyclone Bay, so you could use that to get from one end to the other. My guess is that over time, one by one, management simply removed these to make way for new rides. Remember, transportation rides don't bring much of a return on investment. Making money is what it's all about. Eric

From what I recall, SFMM's Eagles Flight was damaged in the 1994 earthquake, but I think it was going to come down anyway to make way for Superman--The Escape. A number of these skyrides have gone away; Disneyland did close theirs not long after SFMM did. However, I think CGA still has theirs, as does SeaWorld and the San Diego Zoo. Regarding what I said a few posts up...they should keep/rehab the old station building into something if they're going to leave it there, but that space might be used for a new attraction at some point if the park doesn't plan to do anything with the building. Eric

^ It has always been called "Mindbender" to the best of my knowledge. Eric

Time to take down that old Eagles Flight station (it was the Shangri-La Station for you SFMM history buffs) and put something else there, like an Asian themed Star Flyer. I never thought about old Eagles Flight footers still being there. I'll have to look next time I'm out at the park. Eric

I thought Zonga was scrapped by SFMW, but maybe it did go into storage somewhere. When it arrived in the U.S., I wanted to ride it, but never got to, even right up the state in its last park. Mindbender (and its cousin, Shock Wave at SFoT), thankfully, have kept their original lap bar only configuration. I've never ridden them, but I've always wanted to. I always got a kick out of how Mindbender was billed as a "triple loop" coaster, when in fact it only has two vertical loops and what is basically an inclined helix. Eric

"Funicular? I really wonder about some of the odd names the park had for ride and sections of the park back then." (PURE) A funicular is an inclined railway, basically, what Orient Express is. For whatever reason, Magic Mountain simply used the generic term for such a railway for its own installation of one. If you are aware of the old Angels Flight in downtown L.A. (which is currently closed), that, too, is a funicular. Do a little research via Google. It may prove interesting. Eric

It is official: I will be there. Bring the defibrillators... Eric

^ If they discriminate against blind drivers, then the ACLU will have a field day. This is also why they have those bumps between the lanes. That way, drunk drivers will know when they're starting to drift. Eric

Not sure how I ever missed this thread, but here's my contribution: One time, we went up to a pizza place in Thousand Oaks called Stuft Crust Pizza. The three of us were seated and they took our order. We waited. And waited. And waited. Nothing. We noticed that others who had been seated after us were being served, ate, and left. After 45 minutes, we hadn't even received our drinks. Strangely, our server showed up and asked if we'd gotten our drinks yet. Um, no, there are no glasses on the table... So, someone else comes out with drinks and we asked what was taking our food so long. Soon after, the manager showed up and we asked him the same thing. He told us that there had been a mix-up in the kitchen and that they would comp our drinks. Finally, after another ten minutes or so, our pizza arrived---brought by the manager himself, who then said that they'd comp the entire meal because of the delay. Not a bad deal because not only did our pizza feed us for lunch, it fed us for dinner and lunch again the next day! Eric

I've probably mentioned this before, but to me it's worth a re-mention: Why do people have to put "st," "nd," "rd," and "th" after dates? For instance, today would be February "7th." Totally redundant. It's like saying "February 7thth" because writing "February 7" already infers that this is the seventh day of February. I see this more and more. So, just to be...me, sometimes I'll use the "wrong" term when writing a date; for instance, "February 1rd," "February 2th," "February 3nd," or "February 4st." In all honesty, writing "7 February 2008" like the military does is the best way, and maybe I'll start doing that. Eric

The next time someone calls me an herbivore, I'm gonna smack him with a stalk of celery. Eric

^ Likes mayo. < Despises mayo. V Wears mayo!

^^ You are correct, Allen. That PTC carousel was built in 1912 and was originally at Savin Rock Amusement Park in West Haven, CT. Eric