Blue Fire Guy

I imagine the same thing as well. *has fantasy about a Mack LSM launcher built over the rapids* As for the InvertiGarden...I would like to see at least something pop up. I am currently fantasizing about a Gerstlauer Sky Roller or Sky Fly being built there. The beauty that comes with a ride like that (almost any controllable ride really) is that the ride experience can be anywhere from relaxing to OMFG intense depending on what the rider does.

Looks great! In the POV, listen closely and you can hear the "Ha-ha-ha! Ha-ha-ha!" of the ride's soundtrack at the bottom of the first lift hill. Ignoring the mirroring of the video, the letters on the wall there spell out "HA HA HA", a nice little touch. And yes, the "Ha-ha-ha!" theme is very catchy!

Steel: Silver Star (Europa Park) Wood: Wodan (Europa Park) Invert: Flight Deck (CGA) Shuttle: V2.5 (SFDK)

It really is a great ride, I still can't believe it remains very intense and awesome for being 20 years old! Gotta love them old school B&Ms.

I look very MARMALISED in some of those shots. There need not exist a 14-inversion coaster with some crazy spider inoculator hypnotizer flasher giggler tickler thingy in the middle--any ride that I find awesome will marmalise me, and Goldy REALLY marmalised me!

Signed up for Wednesday and Thursday next week. Can't wait to ride this sexy beast again!

^

Here's my review: I've ridden 3 GCIs, Roar West, Wodan, and Gold Striker. I thought this ride was going to be "just another GCI" when looking at the POV footage. Well, let me tell you all that this ride...this ride is absof**kinglutely NOT "just another GCI"! I expected there not to be that much airtime, some nice floater here and there, not very strong forces, but excellent pacing. Excellent pacing is only ONE of Gold Striker's traits. This ride is FAST, out of control, very smooth, filled with airtime (floater/ejector "floatector" airtime), and has some surprising Gs in the turns! The front is the best for the view, the middle I found to be the most intense force-wise, and the back had the best airtime. I counted 13 moments of airtime, each varying in intensity depending on where you sit. If you are in the back, your A$$ will be out of the seat a LOT. To conclude, Gold Striker is just balls out insane. There is no letup whatsoever all the way to the brake run, and even there it still has a good amount of power. It'll only get crazier and crazier as it breaks in throughout the season. It has firmly cemented itself in my #1 woodie spot, sorry Giant Dipper, you're still awesome but not to the degree that Gold Striker is awesome. Can't wait to hit it up again on Thursday!

I checked my email and found my confirmation for Thursday, yay! And another awesome GoldPorn-filled TR. I couldn't believe how much water my socks sponged up from that rapids ride, NOT Dan-friendly to say the least. And yes, I have long gotten over my grumpiness from being "tub-jacked" at the flyers/being told by the ride op that she "couldn't do anything about it". After all, we did get to "express all of our anger" on that last ride!

Just as I expected for an Xtended SC2000, shooting up pretty fast! Looking forward to hitting it up this summer.

I just checked my spam folder, and the confirmation email for Tuesday was there! Which means that my Thursday confirmation should come later between now and Monday. Huge weight off my shoulders, soooo excited for this!

I spy some GCI celebrities in that photo! I too am in suspense right now, waiting for the moment of truth...

Just signed up for Tuesday and Thursday. Just like rolercstrluver said, I'm going to keep my OMFGness contained until I see that confirmation email on Friday.

Actually, there was going to be a GCI terrain woodie for the park. I did some TPR archeological digging, and unearthed this from the trip report "Photo TR: Gilroy Gardens Family Theme Park 4/15/07": I too also think that even if the park does not change in the coming years, I'll still love the park very much, a very nice place it is.

Springtime allergies suck. I can't count how many times I've been sneezing per day lately...and the only way to describe how my sinuses feel right now is that I'm riding Endeavolution at CGA.

I agree with this. Just looking at Anaconda I can already tell it's a very boring ride, basically the French equivalent of CGA's Grizzly (different layout, but very bland just like Grizzly). IMO, what would make the ride better would not only be a full retracking but a reprofile. That long return run could be made much more fun by replacing the long boring hills with smaller airtime hills, double ups, double downs, triple ups, triple downs, anything that would make the ride more action packed. I have ridden the now heavily retracked Grizzly several times, and while it doesn't beat me up like it used to, it's still a very boring ride. Grizzly is still a turd even after being heavily retracked over the past few years...a smooth turd, but still a turd. If Anaconda gets fully retracked without any changes to its layout, it will become a perfect substitute for any sleeping pill.

Awesome TR so far! Sorry you had to get beaten up by Revolution. Botch a Schwarzkopf, and you will feel Anton's wrath! Looking forward to more of this MEGA SoCal TR.

I'd definitely go to a weekday bash as long as it falls into the time period between late June and late September when the fall quarter at my college starts again.

I still can't believe I'll be riding this thing in less than a month. Ever since I saw the first pictures of vertical construction, I have found even the mere presence of Gold Striker to be very surreal. Things got even more surreal in the morning of the hard hat tour happened on March 2nd, when a halo appeared around the sun. The spirit of a certain sacred GCI woodie came over to bless Gold Striker with a holy light, making it sacred as well! *digs through CGA thread for surreal photo* Prowler, the holiest wooden coaster in the world, has come to give the "golden blessing" to Gold Striker.

I was very happy when I watched the first test run POV. But the new HD footage...I'm gonna need to take a cold shower now!

Wow, to have a POV up this fast is awesome! I'll certainly be watching it for a while...

Almost there! This is just too exciting!

I just went to Gilroy Gardens, my first visit to the park for the 2013 season. I've always liked this park for it's gorgeous landscaping, high density of trees, abundance of shade, and a rather cool collection of rides. Now then, where to start... South County Backroads: This is my favorite mini car ride. It takes you through some nice theming, gas stations, marts, and you get to TAKE THE TUNNEL! Not to mention it navigates through it's own beautiful garden and a few water features as well. You can choose two tracks, 1920s and 1950s, referring to the car styles. If there was one thing I would criticize the ride for, it would be its capacity. It had the longest wait the day I went at around 15 minutes. Thankfully it wasn't too crowded the day I went, so it wasn't that big of a problem for me. Timber Twister: This Zierer Tivoli is very fun! Not only do you get to go "THROUGH THE TREES!", but in the back seat there is a really good pop of airtime on the first drop, and in the front you are launched up the next hill. Quicksilver Express: The park's star attraction and the only mine train ever made by Morgan. It uses the terrain perfectly, and there are a few parts of the track completely hidden from view that, if you don't know exactly what is hidden, will surprise you. The sheer amount of foliage surrounding the ride makes it challenging to get good photos of it, though I think the shots I got are pretty good. Go for the back car, as it offers some good pops of air in the second half. Oh, and watch out for those raccoons, they are up to no good! Mushroom Swing: This chairswing ride feels slightly faster to me than most others I've ridden, I don't know it that's because it actually runs faster or it's because of the close proximity of the trees (which with my long legs, I can actually touch). Banana Split: One of the better swinging ships I've been on, definitely better than Santa Cruz's. Sky Trail Monorail: Ah, the "lap bar" monorail. It gives you a nice view of the back of the park, Monarch Garden, and Quicksilver. Garlic Twirl: I like this flat, but spinning the garlic bulb is insanely hard without the help of group. Even without insane spinning, I still found myself doing some funky backwards/forwards movement. ...and one more notable attraction, one of Elissa's favorites... Rainbow Garden Boat Ride: Yes, it's one of those evil "spinning boat rides"! Like South County Backroads, this ride is also low capacity, and as such had a longer wait than just about everything else in the park. Great for torturing anybody who doesn't like spinning! All right, that's all I have to say about the most notable attractions there. I spent a wonderful day in the gardens, perfect weather, and crowds that weren't too light or too insane. The park is very clean and even over half a decade since Cedar Fair purchased it, it still does NOT look like a typical Cedar Fair park. I challenge you to look at all the photos coming up, and then say to yourself ten thousand times: "Gilroy Gardens is owned by Cedar Fair". Trust me, you will not see many trash cans show up in the photos. UPDATE Timber Twister Offride Footage http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zX0qBANI07g Quicksilver Express Offride Footage http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asx5b5VTfOg Mushroom Swing Offride http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VY2VS2SSljU Sky Trail "Lap Bar" Monorail POV http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71CRRfn0faY Pinnacles Rock Maze POV http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSP47bkRu2s All right, we've arrived, crowds are light, and the weather is perfect! Time to do some rides... Hi train! Here's one for the ACErs to drool at... ...and another. Banana Boat...wait, this ride is not a brand of sunscreen! Tubs-o-fun. These look easy to spin, but you have to be a wee tyke to ride them. Not to be confused with a certain kiddie coaster at Knott's This sign is not lying. His tail has airtime! I'll take the scenic route, thank you. Nature! Beauty! This rattler train came into being long before Iron Rattler's train (the latter looks much cooler)...and it's LONG! Rattlesnake butt! Brake fin porn for you brake fin fanatics. The first drop looks a bit steeper than other Zierer Tivolis, that could explain the back seat airtime. NERD SHOT!!! The exit path gets EXTREMELY close to the track! Ah, here are the park's mascots. On the left is Gilbert, and on the right is his younger sister Royelle. She is a new character for the 2013 season. The world's most intense flat ride: Artichoke Dip! OMFG!!! THE INSANE LATERALS!!! 10000 GS!!! EXTREME EJECTOR AIRTIME!!! INSANE SPEEDS!!! It smells over here...some may like it and some may not! Here is the park's Jeff Johnson credit. Time to get high on shrooms! KICK THE TREES!!! Elissa's favorite ride. Here's one ride you do not want to miss while visiting! 1950s style... ...or 1920s! TAKE THE TUNNEL!!! Now here's a part of the park you may miss if you don't pay attention. Claudia's Garden is home to Claudia's Carousel. Only kids can ride on the horses, while adults can still sit in the chariots. Here's Illion's Supreme Carousel for comparison. Claudia's garden also many little secret spots to snap a good pic from! Now this maze is insane! The moment you step through those walls, you'll be lost for the rest of time. TAKE THE TUNNEL!!! I mean, just LOOK at it! Hmmm...they could use this space here... Train tracks... Dan, is this an acceptable amount of wetness? Dan, is this an acceptable amount of wetness? Dan, is this an acceptable amount of wetness? Dan, is this an acceptable amount of wetness? Dan, is this an acceptable amount of wetness? All right, time for lunch. OM NOM NOM NOM!!! AKA "Lap Bar Monorail". Lap Bar Monorail...THROUGH THE TREES!!! NERD SHOT!!! Sexy curves! Last but far from least... An excellent mine train, much of Quicksilver Express's layout is hidden from view. OMFG!!! IT'S A LIFT HILL!!! *goes through 500 boxes of tissues* There are three "layers" of track in this pic. Can you see all of them? See the explosives? Well, the culprits... ...are these 'coons! Brake caliper porn. Transfer porn. The ride REALLY needs a repaint! Here's one of the famous circus trees. I call this one "Metagross". This stump is 1/14,000,000,000th the age of Jeff Johnson 314, 315, 316... Time to leave the park now, one last artsy shot. Until next time Gilroy Gardens! Hope you enjoyed the photos.

I'm very anxious for the official reveal of the opening date. Normally I'd never buy a Fast Lane, but I will just for GS's opening day. It is going to be seriously PACKED on that day. I still can't believe I'll be riding this thing in around a month, it is truly surreal!

I hope the top hat delivers as advertised! Though I'm very curious as to what "significant air time" means by SFMM standards... From what I see, the front and middle cars could get some sustained floater cresting the hill, and the steepness of the drop could potentially provide a potent ejector moment in the back seats. The amount of airtime is going to depend on how much speed the train will have cresting the top hat, and I'm hoping the train doesn't just leisurely cruise through, it needs at least some decent speed going over the top.