GayCoasterGuy

Most likely, all that hollow-ness of the track and structure and how the sound bounces through and off it.

^^You beat me to it

^The only one I can think of is Viper at Magic Mountain. That one is straight out, right? It's been so long...

Thinking about this is gonna make my head explode Too much to pick from! My first park would be places like Knoebels or Kennywood, I'm a sucker for classic stuff. For the add-on park, I keep coming back to Cedar Point - which is strange because I'm not a CP fanboy... but they really do have so much room and a wide variety of stuff. Of course, some features would have to come down a few notches - I mean, I want a classic Blue Streak again! First park would be more of an old school classic, the 2nd park would be one of the big parks with lots of room and *stuff* like Magic Mountain, Great America, Cedar Point, Busch Gardens (either)... Oh yeah, and whatever the combo is, add Mind Bender.

Buried deep in storage somewhere, I have a "press folder" from Great America stating the Demon loops were 78' and 55'. I remember those numbers vividly as it seemed wrong that the 1st loop is 23' higher than the second one; I think that was an error. At the same time, the park said the Demon was different heights as well, so who knows. I'm betting Arrow pretty much used one size. In Demon's case, the first loop: has 17 track ties across the top, while the 2nd loop: has 15 track ties across the top. The 2nd loop is visually shorter and more *squat* looking than the first - BUT Demon is a special case/custom model. Shockwave (at Great America) had the same loop as the first Demon loop: Most of their loops look and feel the same. They just put a large radius entrance into them, prop them up in they sky - and there you go - the worlds tallest loop! Then B&M came along with Kumba in 1993...

Regardless of who the person is or their reputation (here, on an online forum) - I'm ok with my post, and that the point was valid. I'm wondering if the park plans to add fire or smoke, or other effects to market the ride. People seemed to actually dig that stuff on the Texas Giant. Didn't Rattler have lights installed in the tunnel at one point?

^Thanks for cluing me in on that. Having never been to Waldameer, I didn't know what it should look like. That picture did seem a little 'gravel-y' to me. That thing is really goin fast! Now I'm curious who Mr. Nelson is...

This: something like this: and a little:

The ride looks great! I was wondering why the backs have "high backs" attached to them - I guess they're needed since the ride is running on an intense program? I love these rides!

So if I understand correctly you're upset that the park is taking a ride that sucked and turning into an enjoyable experience? It's hard to take you seriously if you consider the helix after the tunnel to be shortening the ride by almost half. I think almightyfire was simply expressing his disappointment pertaining to one factor of the new ride. The ride will have so much power coming out of that tunnel, yet *may* end soon after – well, that does kinda suck. Either way (as nothing is confirmed what will actually take place after the tunnel), I'm sure we will all really love this new ride. Even if we complain about the ending; big deal. We all think about what would "be great" or "better" in coasters - it's natural for us to do that (whether or not we express our true opinions is another thing). The ride seems like it is going to be much shorter now; at the same time whats there will be great. It's perfectly *healthy* to express our opinions and our perceived pros and cons of a new project. It would be lame if we walked around having the exact same opinions and no ideas of our own. Oh, wait…

Assigned seating really stinks... maybe picking your seat will be a new *upcharge* feature, but I certainly hope not. The pouch is nifty though, I wonder how they are working out.

Was hanging out on Youtube - which waste hours and hours - and ran across some cool KD commercials from the 70s. "if that don't getcha then the Rebel Yell will!" I guess Dick Van Dyke was a KD spokesperson for some time: I first went to the park in 1984, then again in 85. Grizzly was still the "hot" new ride! I didn't get back to the park until 2011 and so much fun seemed to be gone. Granted, it was early in the season and everything (including Grizzly) wasn't open. The operations were poor and we had some serious issues with line jumpers. Of course, after being there as a kid, then going back 26 years later - I had really gotten my hopes up. Perhaps just 2 bad days for the park; I do look forward to going back to the park in the future. I'm hoping the new CF leadership will help spread the Cedar Point quality and efficiency of operations to the rest of the parks in the chain.

Demon The one in Gurnee. The "Demon theme" used to scare the heck outta me as a kid! Tidal Wave was next (which of course quickly became my "new favorite coaster.")

I gotta take back what I said, kinda... There was one of these inverting rides at Wild Adventures, can't remember the name or exact model. It was a couple arms with spokes; the seats at the ends of the spokes spun around in all directions. Very similar to the Power Surge at Knoebels (which I still haven't ridden.) Anywho, the shoulder bars didn't have the seatbelt connecting the seat to the harness. I remember looking all over for some sort of belt, and couldn't find one! I was flipped all over the place and all I could think was "it would really suck if this opened up!" I love it when I get some hang time on coasters, or rides that have a back up seat belt - but this thing terrified me! It was a weird set up as well - the ride was adjacent to another ride and the control panels were right next to each other. The park was dead and the ride op just went to whichever ride someone came up to.

Put your hands up and "holla!"

This used to be quite common (especially with ride ops) in the "old days," on other loopers with not seatbelts. I'm *NOT* condoning it, would never do it and would never let anyone else do it. When I was a clueless kid at Kings Dominion in 1983, I rode King Kobra (an Anton shuttle loop) with another single rider who told me not to put my bar down. I did of course, but he didn't. Physical checking of lap bars/shoulder bars was rare back then (the 1987 death at Great Adventure changed all that quickly; as well as the changing the color of restraints from black to bright orange on all coasters across the Six Flags chain). After seeing the pictures of Sirocco (another Anton shuttle loop) at Walibi stopping at the top of the loop, the memory of riding with that guy on King Kobra gives me the chills.

Every other non-coaster-geek person that I talk to about parks (or coasters) has some "great story" about how they nearly fell/flew out of some coaster - but their dad grabbed em at the last minute! This girl told me a story about how she got "stuck upside down" on the Demon at Great America. She said it wasn't "as bad" as when the ride got stuck in the loop in 1998 (which made headlines); rather "it was just a few minutes or so." So.... she got stuck upside down on Demon!? Oh my... I asked "what happened - did they have to get you out?" and she said "no, the ride just started up again." Sounds perfectly legit to me...

I think you will be fine. I'm 6-1 and about 240; I fit on X-Flight (another B&M wing rider at Great America) just fine. You shouldn't have any problems.

Getting attacked by a bird at Cedar Point.

Because shoulder bars suck.

Oh noes! The sanctity of marriage is being ruined!!! What's next?

^And I would add it's not even "how" we live our lives. It's WHO we are. More and more folks are realizing that gasping at a different sexual orientation (than their own) is just as pointless as criticizing someone for being left handed.

^In all fairness and reality, we do not know the whole story. Either way, it's not ok to beat anyone up. I know what it's like to have my face busted open and walk around with everyone wondering what happened, etc. Bad times (but there are always blessings somehow!). There are reports now saying the girl is denying that it was due to her sexual orientation. The story unfolds...

^It also has to do with training. They are trained poorly (very low efficiency standards) and have no one "to look up to." I'm hard-wired to look for this, having being programmed by the best of Cedar Point 1991-1993. Safety was #1 and efficiency/capacity was #2 (all while being super-courteous). It was a blessing having done that job, but the drawback is that I see how inefficient some parks are. I just try to focus on my friend - I wish there was an "un-program" button sometimes!

Just in case this hasn't already gotten to everyone: "Mallory was an invited guest Thanksgiving Day to her gf fam dinner & brother, Trais Hawkins Jr, has been arrested, charged, and released on bail for ONLY 2nd degree assault! Mallory had experienced a brain bleed, reconstructive facial surgeries, (metal plates due to crushed cheek bones), and skull fractures! This at best was an attempted murder! Mallory deserves justice for the horrific attack & by the Grace of God her long road to recover! It is reported that the accused attackers family stood by, did not intervene, and have threatened the victim family!" Here is the petition to bring this guy to proper justice: http://www.change.org/petitions/mobile-county-alabama-prosecutor-bring-travis-hawkins-jr-to-justice Please pass it along to your friends...