TheSchwitek

1) Medusa Steel Coaster 2) Outlaw Run 3) Twisted Colossus 4) Iron Rattler 5) Wicked Cyclone 6) Storm Chaser 7) Goliath 8) New Texas Giant Keep in mind, all of these are in my top 20 out of over 1000! Riding Joker next week, Lightning Rod in the Fall, and hopefully someday I'll make it back to Sweden!

The Silver Bullet is not going anywhere. -Straight from the horse's mouth.

I have a few souvenir cups in my office at work. There may or may not be more at home...

This is what the lineup looks like so far: - Adventureland (Iowa) - Beech Bend - Bosque Magico - Busch Gardens Tampa - Cedar Point - Dollywood - Kentucky Kingdom - Lake Compounce - Parque Plaza Sesamo - Playland's Castaway Cove - Sea World Orlando - Selva Magica - Six Flags Discovery Kingdom - Six Flags Great Adventure - Six Flags Mexico - Universal Studios Hollywood - Wildlife World

^ Thanks!!!! I wish I had that cotton candy now! Can't wait to see your 700th!

#1000 - Thunderbird - Holiday World. Thunderbird Media Day - 2015

Thanks for basically being my Mexico tour guide. I pretty much use your reports to plan my future trips. Did you drive, fly or use taxis between the different cities you visited?

HA! Glad I could help you find the guesthouse!! It was an exciting 30 second journey into the black abyss. This was a fantastic day/night! Loving the Trip Report, and looking forward to seeing more!

Ohhh, something is happening on the old Hangman site! Since the ride is constructed now, I can confirm that this attraction will be taking the former location of the Hangman. The Hangman, along with the Eruption, were both recently retired due to major mechanical issues and extreme issues with getting replacement parts. The new ride is, in fact, a Larson Flying Scooters. We hope to have the ride open to the public by mid-May. We are also currently working on re-opening one of our past attractions, so stay tuned for more updates on that as well. We have also added a brand new LED light package to our Grand Centennial Ferris Wheel, as well as various other updates that guests will notice throughout the park. One of those includes the replacement of the History Panels in the Wildcat queue, and new roofs on nearly every major building. I will keep you updated on more as it comes up! Hmm, the old Twister ride looks so sad and lonely. I really wish one of the former owners wouldn't have decided to shut it down. Rotors are such classic rides. New wood and roofs are everywhere in the park... I feel like every ride needs an ID sign, so I'm going to go ahead and make sure that happens. Here's one we made for Sidewinder this year. Lots of work to be done in so little time... The old train car got an overhaul and a structure built around it to keep it in prime condition. More new ride ID signs. And another. Boot Hill Cemetery was a throw back to the old days of Frontier City. We decided to make it look like it used too. The Wildcat got a new sticker using the original logo from 1991. And the old History Panels in the Wildcat queue had seen better days, so I decided to update those as well. I even added some wood coasters from other countries. Those letters that used to be on the side of the Wildcat lift when it was in Kansas look so retro and awesome. I wonder what it would take to bring those back... I figured RMC has made enough of an impact on the history of wooden coasters to be included in the queue as well. So many new things to read in the queue. I really feel like its the small details that make the biggest impressions. Stay tuned for more later!

I can confirm that Pat IS in Alabama.

Buzzsaw Falls was sold to Schlitterbahn and is now gone. The Rampage and the Pirate Ship were all that were left over the Holidays. I will post a photo report of what was left in the park a couple months ago soon.

^ This pretty much sums it up. So yes, two separate families now, and the bloodline family is out of HW. The rides section will be back eventually, but this year the kiddie rides will only be in the Main Street area.

It's the side that didn't win, including Pat.

So its official, the Koch family has left Holiday World and is taking over Visionland as their new home park. This is too crazy to make up, and it is 100% real. A new kiddie coaster is on the way in this year as well. Check out the official website for more info. Splash Adventure WaterPark purchased by the Koch family Birmingham, AL -The Koch family has acquired Alabama's Splash Adventure Waterpark and will re-open the park for the 2014 summer season. Dan Koch, who led the acquisition, is bringing his family's seven decades of experience in the amusement and water park industry to his new home in Alabama. “I am thrilled to be living and working in this community,” said Dan Koch. “Our family wants Alabama’s Splash Adventure Waterpark to be the number one choice for family fun and family memories for generations to come.” Koch Parks, Inc. has purchased the water park with 89 acres of land, which will aid in future expansion. General Attractions, LLC, the park’s previous owner, will retain 150 acres surrounding the park for future development. Kent Lemasters, President of General Attractions, LLC said, "We are pleased that the Koch family are the new owners of Splash Adventure. We feel very confident that because of their very high reputation and experience of over 75 years in the amusement park industry, that they will continue to take the park forward to new, high levels of achievement for the benefit of the entire area including those who visit the park and the surrounding communities and we wish them every success." The Koch family has a reputation for superior customer service and will operate the park with a special focus on providing safe, family fun for all ages. New attractions include five new rides for kids including a Wacky Worm Coaster, Rio Grande Train, Junior Bumper Boats, Mini Helicopters, and Vintage Boats. A new Laser Maze Challenge will also be added for heart-pounding family fun as well as games to entertain the younger family members. All guests will enjoy free parking, free sunscreen, free access to inner tubes and free in-park WiFi. Additional expansion plans for Alabama’s Splash Adventure Waterpark are currently being developed. The park will re-open for weekend operations beginning May 17th. A job fair will be held on March 22 from 8:30am until 4:00pm to hire new Splash Team Members to join the Koch Parks family. Alabama’s Splash Adventure Waterpark, now owned and operated by the Koch family, is located on the 20/59 at exit 110 just minutes from Birmingham and Hoover. For more information on tickets, season passes, birthday parties, and group outings, call 205.481-4750 or visit http://www.alabamasplash.com

A few years ago, I took my girlfriend to Worlds of Fun. She needed all the credits, so of course we had to ride the Boomerang and Timber Wolf... Turns out on Timber Wolf they added sprayers around every turn around; and believe it or not, we got SOAKED on that ride. I almost felt as if they were all pointed directly at our face during every helix. Oddly enough, it took a ride that normaly would be "meh" and turned it into a truely memorable experience. Weird, bit it worked!

My Top 20: 1) Outlaw Run 2) El Toro 3) Boulder Dash 4) Coaster 5) Phoenix 6) The Voyage 7) Ravine Flyer II 8) Shivering Timbers 9) The Beast 10) The Boss 11) Gold Striker 12) Renegade 13) American Thunder 14) Prowler 15) Thunderhead 16) Apocalypse 17) Screamin' Eagle 18) Kentucky Rumbler 19) Rampage 20) The Legend

1) Skyrush 2) Outlaw Run 3) Iron Rattler All three of these blew my expectations out of the water! It was a great year!

Nothing like putting a whole bottle of sunscreen on my face to mask the smell of rotten, mixing, poo. I totally forgot that even happened until I saw that picture. Brings back some great smells. Seriously awesome trip report. I can't wait to do a return trip to Mexico!

- TPR Scandi Trip! - Six Flags Great America - Kentucky Kingdom - Kings Island - Dollywood - Luna Park - Storyland - Magic Kingdom - Silver Dollar City - Six Flags Over Texas - I'm sure there will be a few other small trips that come up as well!

Great trip report! Brings back so many awesome memories! Can't wait to see the rest. Fun Fact: I have been meaning to do my own trip report from this trip, but I'm pretty sure we took all of the same pictures. Maybe I'll just copy and paste yours.

New for 2015. ThunderForce.

Women are technically animals, so I believe this lovely encounter from the TPR Mexico trip would count. In the front. Out the back.

Just a quick update from Frontier City. The pictures of the tornado seen from Diamondback were in fact taken Sunday. We moved all employees and guests into shelters within the park during this first round of storms. There was no damage reported at Frontier City from this week's storms. However, many of our employees were affected by this storm, with many of our team member's homes sustaining major, and even total losses. Many of these same team members are out helping with recovery efforts as we speak. We also will be holding a very large food drive, and serve as a drop off spot for donations this weekend. As someone who experienced the devastation of the Tuscaloosa tornado first hand, I can definitely tell you that this storm was just as bad. On another note, the park did face major hail damage about 3 weeks ago however, but most of these repairs have already been made. Thanks to everyone for your concerns!

^I'm sure it has to do a lot with different body sizes. For me personally, it just didn't bother me that much. The flyers (especially the Vekomas) are way tighter on me. You're also talking to someone whose favorite coaster growing up was Shockwave at SF Great America, so I can't be trusted.

Just had an awesome morning riding Gatekeeper! Here's my take...(Obviously, all my own opinions of course!) The ride looks fantastic! It really makes an amazing front gate, and it fits in perfectly where they placed the ride. The entrance sign/plaza looks wonderful, and leaves little to complain about. (Other than the damn seagulls crapping all over it). The trains are beautiful as well, and as soon as they get all the lights working on them, it will look killer at night. The public is going to LOVE it. It was definitely my favorite of the 3 U.S. wing coasters. Now with that being said, it did not crack my top ten list. Not that it is bad by any means, its really, really good in fact. I just, personally like a lot of non-loopers better. The restraints get a little tight if you are really the type of person that looks for tiny things like that. I didn't notice it at all the first couple of rides, but after I heard a couple weirdos complaining about it, I can mildly see what they are talking about. It by no means takes away from the experience, however. It is super quiet for a B&M. The clicking noise is quite noticeable from the train, especially the second time over the gate (when you are side keyholing). Once again, if you really let something like that take away from the experience, then you are too picky, and need a new hobby. That is really the only time you feel the ride slow down, but I think it works in the ride's favor, as it produces some nice hangtime. The front outside seats are the place to be. The right gave me more head/hand chopping experiences, while the front left gave some good whipping feelings (especially coming off the lift and into the first dive.) So basically, win, win. Once again, I think it was the perfect addition. It really is unique, makes the park look awesome from the entrance, technically gives the park a baddass, sitdown looper, and broke some records while they were at it. It's going to be reliable, it will have amazing throughput, and will definitely boost attendance and revenue. Now go enjoy the rest of your day America's one and only rockin' roller coast. Ride on.