ytterbiumanalyst

I've had that happen too, at Great America. It's the worst feeling being trapped face down like that.

Fortunately, airplanes exist. Unfortunately, you have to deal with the TSA to get to them. Absolutely agreed, but I'll leave that part of this discussion at that. I do love the Impulse coasters, probably more than most. The holding brake on the one at Valleyfair is a great asset to that ride. With the number of changes planned for CGA, an Impulse is a very good way to start. It's compact, relatively low cost, and they always seem to be popular.

Yes, an Airbus A320. Have you ever flown on an airline that isn't based in your home country?

Schwarzkopf. I've never ridden a bad one, and I can't say that about Arrow. Heavy metal or folk rock?

This is a great restaurant list, thanks! I feel like Morey's is as much about the restaurants as the piers. Mack's is a must do for me. I need to get some good New York style pizza.

Fortunately, airplanes exist.

I absolutely loved Banshee. It's a fantastic ride with a good variety of elements, a good sense of speed, and just pure loopy fun. It's my #2 invert after Raptor, and yes, I rate it higher than the Batmen. Intensity is cool, but sometimes you want pure, flat-out fun, and Banshee delivers that in spades.

On a similar note, I came across this gem recently (be advised, lyrics are NSFW but oh so cathartic) [youtu_be] [/youtu_be]

No, we'll be stopping in St. Louis, but just to see my brother. This is the first time 4 of the 5 of us have ever been to the Smokies, so I want to spend the bulk of our time there.

Thanks! It's going to be about a month before the next update, as we're leaving in 2 weeks for Dollywood, Holiday World, and places in between. Super excited about that trip.

Irene

It's the best one I've been to so far, certainly. Do you own more than two pairs of shoes?

Great song. It's been a permanent part of my playlist since November 9.

I don't hate inversions. I would just like a little variety. As of right now, NTAG is the only I-Box conversion that doesn't have inversions. It is all about extreme airtime. Something I'd like to see again. Extreme airtime and kickass inversions can exist on the same coaster.

Great report, and great pictures! Mean Streak is really making me want to get back to Cedar Point next year.

Mercy Health Systems Co-Worker Appreciation Day Yesterday was the company picnic for Mercy Health Systems, which is southwest Missouri's largest hospital and clinic organization. My wife works for them, so each year we get to participate in this event. It included 1 hour of ERT prior to park opening and 4 hours after closing, just for Mercy employees and their families. The park was very busy today, as it always is on this day, and that was exacerbated by a number of bands and school groups attending as well as the Mercy group. Adding to all that was really good weather, sunny and 75 for a high. Despite all that, SDC's stellar operations kept ride times fairly low. Lost River reached an hour at one point, but the rest of the rides stayed consistently around 30 minutes or less. Powder Keg was closed most of the day, and Outlaw Run closed for a little while in the afternoon, but other than that, everything was up and running great. The first thing I noticed was the new height measuring/Trailblazer Pass both in Wilson's Farm. I didn't go back in this area last week because Outlaw Run was down all day, so it may have been there at that time too. This booth is a great improvement, since previously the only place to buy Trailblazer was at the front of the park, and the only height measuring station was in the Grand Expo. Roller Coaster 9 construction is moving along well, still mostly on the station. The shape is I think complete now, as they're starting to put on some siding. The interior of course has much work to do still, but we may see a completed exterior very soon. The trees have grown enough leaves now that it's more difficult to see the trackwork behind Echo Hollow. On the other hand, this means that the trees will obscure the coaster from the Echo Hollow audience. Since SDC has a policy of closing ride lines at park closing time and allowing everyone in line before that time to ride, this means at least early on we'll likely have the coaster still running when the show starts. So it's good to see there will be a tree barrier, which should help with the noise issue. But on to the most important matter of them all. I RODE OUTLAW RUN IN THE DARK, BITCHES!!! If you haven't had the chance, it is amazing. The train was flying at night, after having had a long day of great weather to warm up. The sense of speed, already significant due to the wooded terrain layout, is amplified in the dark. The only opportunity for this type of ride is a couple weeks in late summer when the park runs Moonlight Madness and stays open until 10, 11, or midnight. That makes the ERT session that much more special. Wildfire and Powder Keg are both great in the dark too. Yesterday we didn't have the opportunity for PK night rides, but the fire effect creates a great launch atmosphere that you just don't get during the day. It's the exact same effect, but at night the light from the pyro is much more noticeable. Wildfire, being the least concerned about terrain, is probably the least affected by darkness, but night rides on any coaster improve the atmosphere. In all, it was a fantastic event, as it has been the last few years. Silver Dollar City and Mercy worked hard to put this on, and it paid off in great fun for Mercy employees. I already can't wait for next year! The kids had about as much fun being splashed here as they did actually riding AP. The one on the left in pink is not mine; I'll claim the other three. This thing can make quite a splash if the boat is heavy enough. They are not kidding about this. This is what that sign is referring to. Back to Outlaw Run just before sunset. Behold, Outlaw Run's plaza at night. Heading west in the dark! This is a very rare and very special opportunity. There was a DJ in the square leading a dance party. Y-M-C-A! That's the end of a very long and very fun day. Thanks to Silver Dollar City and Mercy Health Systems for putting on a great event! There is now a second height measuring and Trailblazer Pass booth in Wilson's Farm. They keep track of the wait times here. Behold the magnificence of SDC's operations. Roller Coaster 9 has made a lot of progress just in a week. That loft section on the roof is new, and they have some siding in place now too. If you zoom in really close on this picture, you can see some wooden siding. This should give you an idea of the crowd level today. Fairly busy, but manageable. The door effect was working! I hadn't seen that in years!

Its awesome search function. http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=1249621

Indiana Beach and Adventureland would both be infinitely better choices.

Don't worry about lines here. The bigger deal is the rides opening late or not at all. It's a fun place though. Do the upcharge haunted house and play Fascination.

Outlaw Run in the dark.

It's the absolute smoothest SLC.

Skipping the waterpark is skipping most of their best rides. I would not suggest trying to do Holiday World in as little time as possible. It's a fantastic park with a lot of things to do besides coasters. Don't try to do it fast; you're doing yourself a disservice. Take your time and appreciate the park.

Going to be at Dollywood in 2 weeks. Hoping that Lightning Rod is open at least 1 of the 3 days we'll be there!