rcdude

What negativity? Other than the Niagara Falls detour, I really enjoyed everything on the trip up until the last day (which was still fun, but was definitely my least favorite day of the trip). Even though I wasn't particularly excited about Niagara Falls, that was still better than sitting around in a hotel all day. If you mean ride reviews, I'm just trying to be honest on my opinions of them, and not every ride is necessarily great. Otherwise, please give me an example of what you mean, because I don't intend this to be overall negative and if it is coming off that way I want to correct it. On another note, I planned to do the next update today, but I've been a bit busy. Darien Lake and Martin's Fantasy Island will be up tomorrow, then the two Canada days will be posted next week. After that, I'll get started on my Europe Trip (which actually happened before the LeviaTHON tour, but I didn't want to start the trip report with two or three posts containing a sum of zero coasters).

Get ready for a long one... LeviaTHON: Day 2 (July 27th, 2011)-Conneaut Lake Park & Waldameer Due to the closure of Martin's Fantasy Island, Friday ended up being the first park day of the trip. It was also the longest, as we left the hotel at 8 A.M. and didn't return until 1 A.M. However, it was worth it, as this was probably the best day of the trip. The day began with a two and a half hour bus ride from our hotel near Buffalo Airport out to Conneaut Lake Park a small park located in Conneaut Lake, PA (aka pretty much nowhere). Due to the somewhat limited operation schedule (they're only open Thursday through Sunday and don't open until the afternoon), Robb and Elissa arranged for the park to open a few rides for us. The original plan was for Blue Streak, Devil's Den, and the Tumble Bug to be open to us until 1 PM, but the day before we were told that the Tumble Bug may not be running and they would try to open up some other stuff instead. It turns out that the park's mechanic was working on the Tumble Bug until midnight and got it working, and in addition the park was able to open 9 of their 11 adult rides for us (plus a few kiddie rides for the young ones on the trip, or so I heard). Essentially, we had a couple hours of full park ERT, though not with all the rides running the whole time (since there were only four operators present). Here's how it went: One operator started out running the Devil's Den. Once everyone was done with that, she moved to the Bumper Cars, and then to the Carousel. A second operator was assisting on Devil's Den. I believe she went to the kiddie area with the kids afterward, but I don't remember. The third operator started at Witch's Stew, then moved over to the Tumble Bug. When everyone was done with that, he took a group down to the far end of the park where he ran a cycle on the Flyers, Tilt-A-Whirl, and Paratrooper (in that order) so that everyone who wanted to ride could do so. Finally, the fourth operator stayed at Blue Streak the whole time and ran it from when it opened until they were forced to close it. When we arrived, Devil's Den and Witch's Stew were ready to go, and the other rides would be up shortly. I started out with Devil's Den. Devil's Den: A very old gravity-driven Pretzel dark ride, one of only two left in the US. This ride was very interesting, as it is entirely manually operated (other than the chain lift): At the beginning of the ride, the operator gives your car a good push, and occasionally the cars wouldn't quite make it to the lift, and at the end an operator stops the car by standing in front of it, then pushes it down the track to the load position after you disembark. The ride itself was very cheesy, with a bunch of light-up static props and a couple sound effects. It is very dark and very narrow (I brushed against the wall a couple times), but although the ride really doesn't do much it was still fun. I rode twice just because I wasn't sure if I'd ever get back here. Oh, and for the record, this is NOT a credit (there was a big debate about this). 6.3/10 Witch's Stew: A bizarre inclined teacups type attraction, except the spinning wasn't controllable. For whatever reason, the ride didn't really spin when I rode. It was having some difficulties (the previous party got stuck on the ride for about five minutes because it wouldn't stop), but I still got to ride it. A little fun, but nothing special. 6.4/10 Blue Streak: This is the reason to visit Conneaut Lake Park. I was expecting an uneventful, rough out and back, but this ride surprised me. There was quite a bit of air time on the ride, and with the exception of the first two drops the ride wasn't too bad for roughness. The ride does need work, and it shows, but it was a very pleasant surprise. Not a top ten woodie, but it's better than Cedar Point's Blue Streak and definitely worth riding a couple times if you stop by. 7.3/10 Tumble Bug: A lot of people really liked this. It was fun, but I didn't feel that it was great. It is a unique ride, but it's not worth traveling out of the way for. There was also a debate about whether or not this is a credit...absolutely not. 6.3/10 Bumper Cars: These have seen better days, but they were at least decent. I think they would have been better if there were more than 4 people on them when I rode, but I did enjoy playing the momentum game with empty cars (you hit an empty car with the goal of crashing it into another rider). Interestingly, each of the cars went at a different speed. The operator let us stay on until more people showed up, so it was probably close to a five minute bumper car ride. 6.4/10 Carousel: One of the better carousels simply because it has a working organ (although it did sound horribly out of tune). Other than that, a standard carousel. 7/10 Flying Scooters: I have limited flyers experience, but I thought these ones were decent. They were old and somewhat sketchy, but they flew decently once they got going. 6.6/10 Paratrooper: I don't remember the details of this ride because the rain went from moderate to torrential downpour during the cycle, and I was distracted by the thunder we were hearing. I do believe that this is the only Paratrooper I've been on, as the only other place I may have ridden one would be a random carnival. This was probably my favorite flat ride at the park. 7/10 By this point, the pleasant weather that we had upon our arrival had turned into a torrential downpour. Most of the group was huddled under the cover by the mini golf course, but I decided to join a few other people and take one last ride on Blue Streak. Due to the rain, the ride was slipping on the brakes, but the operator said they could probably run it once more. We boarded the train and took off. I don't remember everything about that particular ride because what happened next surpassed all of it. When we got back to the station, the brakes were so wet the train wouldn't stop, and we shot through the station and back into the tunnel. We finally stopped at the bottom of the lift, where the operator came and got us off the ride. That is the second ride I've been evacuated from, and the first coaster. Yay! Anyway, it was time for lunch, and getting there involved running down a very uneven path to reach the picnic area. When we got there, most of TPR was already present, as were the park representatives. They spoke to us briefly about the park, then got in their golf cart and rode off. We were left there for about ten minutes until they returned in a car and unloaded box lunches (hamburger, sausage, and fries) and brought a few coolers of soda. We all had lunch, during which the rain cleared up, then everyone headed back to the bus, during which the rain picked up (by this point, I was dripping wet and didn't care anymore). We all boarded the bus and headed off to our next destination. Overall Thoughts: Conneaut Lake Park was a decent place. It definitely had that classic park feel to it, although I didn't see all of the park. From what I heard, if you went to the other end of the park you would find an area full of dilapidated rides and buildings damaged beyond repair. I certainly saw some signs of disrepair, but overall the part of the park that currently operates is in decent shape. I do not know what will happen as this park has been on the verge of closing for a while, but I hope it survives. With some investment, this could be a nice 1/3 of a day park, but as it is now they've only got a handful of rides, and only one worth multiple rides. It may be because the staff treated us very nicely, but I enjoyed this place and if they ever get it together and restore it to what it once was, I will certainly be back. Ride Count: Blue Streak: 4 Bumper Cars: 1 Carousel: 1 Devil's Den: 2 Flying Scooters: 1 Paratrooper: 1 Tumble Bug: 1 Witch's Stew: 1 Total: 12 rides in 2 hours (6 rides per hour) The day continued with a second park, Waldameer. We arrived at this park around 3 P.M., giving plenty of time to explore the park. After I got my wristband, I immediately headed off toward the park's signature attraction, Ravine Flyer II. Ravine Flyer II: For some reason, I've found that (with a handful of exceptions) the smaller the park, the better the wood coaster. Ravine Flyer II is no exception to that rule, as it is an excellent ride. The ride is currently number 5 on my wood coaster list (bumping Apocalypse out of my top 5), and if it wasn't for a couple rough spots it would place even higher. Ravine Flyer II is short, but it never lets up during the ride. There's airtime, a couple good drops, tunnels, a 90 degree turn, and more on this ride. Definitely a must ride for any enthusiast, and the reason to visit Waldameer. 9.1/10 Whacky Shack: A very bizarre dark ride, this had the longest line in the park due to low capacity. However, it was worth waiting for. The ride makes no sense, and is mainly worth riding for the WTF factor of the attraction. Not the best dark ride ever, but still a classic and still a decent ride. 6.5/10 Pirates Cove: I liked this crooked house more than Whacky Shack. It is another bizarre attraction that we dubbed "queue line: the ride" due to the forced switchbacks at points of the attraction. Parts of the walkthrough are very cramped, including a couple dark, twisting, slanted hallways. The cheesy pirate theming adds to the attraction. Not to be missed. 7.4/10 X Scream: This drop tower didn't really do it for me. I thought the drop would be surprising and catch me off guard, but due to the noise of the motor I was able to anticipate it. The plunge itself was really a little too short, so while this is good for a small park it doesn't really compare to larger drop towers elsewhere. It was fun, but nothing special. 6.1/10 Steel Dragon: Another Maurer Sohne Xtended SC2000, identical to the model at Seabreeze. I liked this one a little better, as I thought it spun more. However, just like Whirlwind, it is good, but not great. The best steel coaster in the park, although it's only competition in that category is a kiddie. 7.1/10 Thunder River: Waldameer's log flume, this ride has two lifts and two drops. This is one of the better unthemed log flumes, and had a reasonable amount of wetness. 7.5/10 Ali Baba: I honestly found this ride a bit weak in the force department and a bit boring. The program only consisted of three revolutions in each direction. Add the uncomfortable steel bar harnesses, and I'm still surprised I rode twice. 4.3/10 At this point, I decided to split off from the rest of my group and go visit the waterpark. I figured I'd hang out there until dinnertime, but since most of the slides were short waits I ended up finishing early. Raging River: Standard open-air innertube slide. The better of the two older innertube slides at the park, but unfortunately you usually need a double tube to ride this (since there were no doubles in line, they let singles ride to lighten the load on the companion slide). 5.4/10 Lake Erie Dip: A pretty boring body slide, but still better than the innertube slides in the waterpark. I almost stalled on this due to lack of speed. 5.5/10 Free Fall Slide: A straight plunge from a six story platform. The best slide in the waterpark. This one didn't cause back pain like larger versions of these rides often do. 7.7/10 Bermuda Triangle: A tower with three enclosed body slides. Two are a single helix, and the third is a straight drop. This ride was fun, but I prefer the straight drop body slides to the spiraling tubes. 7.6/10 Awesome Twosome: Enclosed innertube slide, the best of the three I rode. Still not that interesting of a ride, but this one was somewhat fun. 5.4/10 Presque Isle Plunge: The other large winding body slide. This one was better than Lake Erie Dip, but I find long winding body slides somewhat boring compared to speed slides and enclosed body slides. 6.5/10 Speed Slide: The companion slide to the Free Fall slide, this one isn't quite as good since it has a hump in the middle. Still fun, and still one of the waterpark's best rides. 7.7/10 Wild River: The worst slide in the waterpark. This innertube slide requires single tubes due to a short enclosed section. Other than that, it is pretty similar to Raging River. 4.4/10 When I was done with the waterpark, I had just enough time to pick up the two remaining credits before dinner. Comet: An okay junior woodie, this ride wasn't too exciting. It was a little better when we did a TPR takeover of the ride, but I still think I prefer the various Ghoster Coaster versions. As of right now, one of my bottom 5 wooden coasters. 5.7/10 Ravine Flyer 3: One of the better Miler kiddie coasters, this is still just a Miler kiddie coaster. 4.3/10 It was now time for dinner, which was okay. Slightly better than what Conneaut gave us for lunch, but still not that great. At dinner, we did a Q&A with the park manager, who then took us on an extensive backstage tour of Ravine Flyer II (details in the photos below). I then went to explore the park some more, mainly to re-ride my favorites and ride a couple additional rides. Sky Ride: Not that interesting of a sky ride, although you do get a good view of the lake on the way back. It was fun riding this with a bunch of TPR members, including some who do not like chairlifts. Other than that, not worth it if there's a line. 4.3/10 Dodgems: Not that great as far as bumper cars go, but still fun when you've got a group of TPR people on the ride. 7/10 Scrambler: I really like scramblers, as they are simple rides yet are a lot of fun. This one was decent. It spun fast enough to provide plenty of laterals without being so fast I couldn't walk after riding. After the Astrosphere last year, I don't think I'll find a better scrambler, but for outdoor ones this was pretty good. 8/10 At about 9:45, I headed back to Ravine Flyer II for night ERT. Even though only one train was running, people started dropping out after about 15 minutes so we were able to just stay on and keep going around. I lasted until about 10:45, at which point I had had enough and headed back out to the bus. The rest of the group arrived about 15 minutes later, then we headed out for the drive back to the hotel. Overall Thoughts: Waldameer is probably my favorite small park. It has an excellent ride line-up, my favorite old-school waterpark, and a very traditional feel to it. The employees were also very friendly, and none of them seemed bored with their job. Add in Ravine Flyer II and you have a must visit park. It reminded me a lot of Lake Compounce and Canobie Lake Park from last year's trip, but although it may be smaller I enjoyed Waldameer more. Unless the park is busy, Waldameer is a half-day park, but it is a very enjoyable one and is worth more than just a credit stop. Ride Count: Ali Baba: 2 Comet: 2 Dodgems: 1 Pirates Cove: 2 Ravine Flyer 3: 1 Ravine Flyer II: 7 Scrambler: 1 Sky Ride: 1 Steel Dragon: 2 Thunder River: 1 Whacky Shack: 2 X Scream: 2 Awesome Twosome: 1 Bermuda Triangle: 2 Free Fall Slide: 1 Lake Erie Dip: 1 Presque Isle Plunge: 1 Raging River: 1 Speed Slide: 1 Wild River: 1 Total: 33 rides in 8 hours (4.125 rides per hour) Pictures: The first section of pictures are of Conneaut Lake Park. The next section show Waldameer. The final portion are from the Ravine Flyer II backstage tour. Welcome to Conneaut Lake Park, a decent park with plenty of room for improvement. Either someone planted a cloaking device on the Yo Yo, or the ride has been removed (or, given the sign remains, possibly stolen). This section of the park contains the operating rides. From here, it looks nice. Heading in the other direction leads to a not-so-nice area. I never ventured down this way, but I heard a few people did. Even small parks need a gift shop. About a minute after I took this picture, a car pulled up and the park staff stepped out. Before that, we were completely alone at this park. First up, the Devil's Den, home of the infamous gum wall. The ride does have a lift hill. In fact, it is entirely gravity driven. Despite a coaster-like dip and a wild mouse-type layout, this ride is not a coaster. I'm sure people count it, but I certainly don't. Right next door is Witch's Stew, the teacups/scrambler hybrid. Hooray, Blue Streak is ready. Apparently, ACE thinks this ride is worth saving. For once, I agree. The bumper cars appear to have seen better days. However, they still run and are better than the bumper cars at most major parks. Any carousel that has a working organ is worth a ride. One of the few rides the park wasn't able to open for us. Fast forward 10 minutes. The weather went from pleasant to rain, and it only got harder. Flying in the rain. Despite the wetness, the waterpark was not available today. It didn't look like it had been used in years, and I doubt it will be open this year either. You have encountered a guard dog. Options: A. Fight, B. Run, C. Stop and take a picture, D. Ignore it Finally, we've reached the picnic pavilion. Looks pretty deserted. And we will end Conneaut Lake with the results of the latest suspicious fire. Will the park succeed, or will their hopes go up in smoke? Check back next season to find out. We've now jumped an hour north, to Waldameer in Erie, PA. What is that I see next to TPR's dinner pavilion? It's a spider, one of the few rides I absolutely will not ride. Whacky Shack, a very bizarre dark ride. The whole attraction made no sense. They've also got a walkthrough here as well. The big steel coaster at this park is another Maurer Sohne Xtended SC2000. Most say the one at Seabreeze was better, I say the opposite. Chairlift enthusiasts will like this shot. Waldameer definitely has an adequate selection of kiddie rides. I spy credit whores. Now it is time for the backstage tour to begin. To get back to Ravine Flyer II, we must first walk the tracks of the slowest train ride ever. We made it. This is the lift motor. If you've ever wondered how you get to the top of the first hill, it's this machine. To be more specific, this is the actual motor. I don't think it is possible to not like this ride. Okay, everybody, get ready for the train. I wonder what the people on the ride think when they see this. You can't get these shots unless you go on a TPR trip. Okay, there may be some miscellaneous other opportunities, but you get the point. This picture is 90% short on train. Waldameer let us get extremely close to the ride. In fact, I think this is the closest I have ever been to an operating ride without actually riding it. Who's ready to play limbo with the chain? (I'm not joking, we actually did that...twice) Of course, there is one signature element of Ravine Flyer II that I haven't mentioned yet. 90 DEGREES!!! Time to go tour the maintenance room. Getting close to a PTC train. I definitely prefer this style of lap bar to the alternate style found on GhostRider and a few other rides running PTC trains. Ravine Flyer II's mechanic apparently is into coasters 2/3 of the time and women the other 1/3. The ride was shut down so we could walk across this track back to the station. It would seem to be the end of the tour, but wait...there's more. We are under the station. "Beware of the gates" has a new meaning here. Coaster parts! This is where Ravine Flyer's nuts and bolts are stored. Fun Fact: Waldameer has never had to replace a wheel on Ravine Flyer II. Holiday World, on the other hand, replaces the wheels on Voyage each season. What exactly is a Cue Line? We will end with this picture of Ravine Flyer II. If you haven't ridden it yet, make a point of adding Waldameer to your next trip to Darien Lake or Kennywood (it's also within 3 hours of Cedar Point). The park is definitely worth a visit.

^^I doubt Montezooma's Revenge will be removed in the near future, but it wouldn't surprise me too much simply because it is the oldest coaster there and doesn't draw that many riders anymore. Even on crowded days, I have rarely seen waits longer than 15-20 minutes for it. As long as the ride is running well and maintenance costs are reasonable, it will probably remain, but if the ride were to run into serious issues or parts became very expensive I could see Cedar Fair pulling the plug on the ride.

^Perilous Plunge is the only ride I've ever been on where one switchback takes over 20 minutes. Even Tatsu's line doesn't usually move that slow. When they run both boats, it still is one dispatch every 4-5 minutes and the line takes nearly as long. I'd be surprised if they ever got 300 people on it in an hour. I'm hoping it's not too crowded next week when I go to get my last ride(s) in, as I'd like to ride twice if I can. Maybe I'll just go early and come back closer to closing. As for the rumored 2013 attraction, I'd be somewhat surprised if it isn't a coaster (assuming there will actually be a 2013 attraction). I hope it's a B&M, ideally a Mega/Giga coaster or a Diving Machine, but I'm sure whatever Knott's gets will not disappoint. If I had to bet on the future of the park, I would say 2013 will be a coaster, 2014 will be a dark ride, and 2015 will be the GhostRider refurbishment. I would also guess that the park will never go above 10 coasters, and wouldn't be surprised to see Boomerang, Timberline Twister, or even Montezooma's Revenge closed for a replacement attraction before the end of the decade.

My ranking of the Batman related coasters I've been on: *Riddler's Revenge 1. Batman The Ride (SFStL) 2. Batman-The Dark Knight 3. Batman The Ride (SFMM) 4. Batman The Ride (SFGAdv) *Gotham City Gauntlet Escape From Arkham Asylum *Catwoman's Whip 5. Dark Knight Since we're not counting villain themed coasters, I'll go with Batman-The Dark Knight. Although I do like St. Louis's Batman The Ride better, I have a feeling that if all of them were averaged out they'll fall below Batman-The Dark Knight. To put this into perspective, Riddler's Revenge is a must ride when I visit SFMM, Batman The Rides and Batman-The Dark Knight are not must rides but I'll try to ride them every visit, I'd ride Gotham City Gauntlet if the wait is relatively short, Catwoman's Whip I don't care about riding again, but I would if I was with someone else who wanted to, but I'm content to never ride Dark Knight again (at least the Great Adventure version...I still need the credit at the other two parks).

Okay, continuing on with the trip. LeviaTHON: Day 1 (July 26th, 2012)-Martin's Fantasy...er, random stuff Well, day 1 of the LeviaTHON trip didn't go as planned. We were originally scheduled to go to Martin's Fantasy Island for the day, but Robb got a call about 5 minutes before departure that they would be closed due to weather (it was a gentle drizzle for most of the day). We were told to grab passports and meet at the bus. The day began with a surprise lunch at the Anchor Bar, the birthplace of buffalo wings. I'm not a huge fan of wings, so I got chicken strips dipped in wing sauce (medium hotness). It was good, but it wasn't great, and I'd probably ask for plain strips with the sauce on the side next time since they were a little too saturated for my tastes. I also would avoid going here an hour after breakfast. Once everyone was done eating, we were told that as an alternative, we'd be visiting the Allan Herschell Carousel Factory, then heading to Niagara Falls, Canada. The Carousel Factory was an excellent alternative to Martin's Fantasy Island. We were given a 90 minute tour, and got to see the workshop where carousel horses were carved. We were then shown the library of band organ scrolls. The tour continued into the paint shop, which has been repurposed as a display of the history of the Allan Herschell Company, showing off carousel horses from different time periods, as well as other carved animals. Finally, the tour went past a bunch of vehicles from other Herschell kiddie rides before concluding with a ride on a 1916 carousel. As carousels are the origin of mechanical amusement rides, this was a great look at amusement park history and also was informative. After the Carousel Factory, we headed to Niagara Falls, Canada. The border crossing took quite a while (it was probably the longest of the trip), but we eventually made it. We were dropped off near the falls and told to be back at the bus by 6:30. As I had been to Niagara Falls previously, this wasn't really something I cared about too much. I went and walked over to the falls, mainly for the purposes of taking pictures, then headed up Clifton Hill (the tourist trap street of Niagara Falls). This area had several interesting attractions, but I didn't see anything I felt like spending money on, so I just walked back down the street and waited by the pick-up spot until the bus arrived. I'm sure other people had a good time, but I'm just not that into tourist trap stuff and Niagara Falls is kind of a "once you've seen it, no need to return" destination. Crossing back into the US was a bit quicker, so we got back to the hotel around 7:30. We did the snack exchange at the hotel (probably the best selection of goodies this year out of the three trips I've done), then I headed to McDonalds for dinner. When I got back to the hotel, I hung out in the lobby with some other TPR people, then when enough people returned we got together and played Cards Against Humanity (basically a politically incorrect adult version of Apples to Apples), which was a lot of fun. Around midnight, the game broke up, and we all headed off to our rooms as it would be an 8 A.M. departure the next morning. Pictures: The Allen Herschell Carousel Factory, once a place where these rides were manufactured, has now become a museum about these staple attractions. The tour begins in the workshop, where each carousel horse was carved by hand. Each carver was responsible for a specific part of the horse, and then they were all assembled by the master carver. We then took a look at the scroll library. I forget what number of scrolls they said were stored here, but I think it was somewhere around 600. According to our tour guide, this is the only place in the world where band organ scrolls can still be manufactured using traditional techniques. A master scroll. These are used to create paper scrolls. The paper scrolls are then played by a band organ, such as this Wurlitzer. We were then taken into the paint shop, where a number of different carousel animals are displayed. The company went through four generations. Initially, they made track carousels and gigantic menagerie machines. When the company became the Herschell-Spillman company, they transitioned to more traditional carousels. After Herschell left the business, it became Spillman Engineering Corporation and began building travelling carousels. Finally, Herschell founded the Allen Herschell Company, which focused not only on carousels, but also on kids rides as well. The museum had a variety of kiddie rides on display by the main entrance. Most of Herschell's kiddie rides had some type of interactive feature. Cars had horns, boats had bells, and sky fighters had guns. The museum plans to restore four kiddie rides and open them in the near future. This is the area outside where they will be located. Another room had information about the rides, but I didn't take the time to look in it. They also have the original Little Dipper testing track here. If it ever gets rebuilt, I'm sure many enthusiasts will stop by this museum. Of course, what is a carousel museum without a carousel? This particular one is a kiddie carousel. I don't think we can ride this. Is there a full size carousel anywhere nearby? Of course. Time for TPR to have ERT on the carousel since Silver Comet ERT got cancelled. Although carousels are something I often skip at parks, they are one of the most important attractions. Riding one of these, especially with a working organ, is definitely worth doing. This carousel even had a random teacup. I'd rather ride a horse, and save the spinning for an actual teacup ride. That's about it for the Carousel Factory. Onward to Niagara Falls. Well, first we have to cross the border. Notice the traffic on the bridge. Yay, we made it. Now to look at tons of water. Niagara Falls actually has two parts. This is American Falls... And this is Horseshoe Falls. There's also a third one (Bridal Veil Falls), but nobody cares about that one (it's directly adjacent to American Falls). Hi Marineland. We'll see you in a few days. Most people view the falls from the walkway, but for those who want closer views there are a few options. First is the Maid of the Mist. This gets you pretty close to the falls. I did it on my previous trip, and it definitely comes with an unacceptable amount of wetness. There is also this observation platform, part of the Journey Behind the Falls attraction (did this previously as well...not recommended). Finally, the American side has a boardwalk. I didn't do this one, but it looks like it could be fun. Enough with the water, it's time to climb Clifton Hill. I spy an observation wheel. There's also a defunct drop tower on top of a building. Once you reach the top, you're in tourist trap central. The Great Canadian Midway is a large arcade with a Ghostblasters ride inside. I'm not really a fan of haunted houses. What is the deal with Canadians and rides on top of things? There are at least three of them on this street. Dinosaur Golf. I would have done this, but I was worried I wouldn't be able to finish in time. It looks more fun than Dinosaurs Alive, however. Oh no, the raptor is escaping! Run!!! And finally, the Observation Wheel from the front. I would have done this, but after seeing that it was $12 I passed. We'll end with a picture of the river walkway, not because it is a great picture of the walkway but because it shows the weather decently. This is what closed Martin's for the day. This actually ended up being the best weather day for our three US days.

I got #250 on the LeviaTHON trip. Assuming I didn't make any errors, 250 was Dragon Mountain at Marineland Theme Park.

Now that I'm mostly done with running around for this summer, I figured its time to start my trip report thread for 2012. Unlike previous years, this will be a little out of order since I'm going to do the LeviaTHON trip before my Europe trip, and then I'll add the So Cal stuff at the end. My rating system (all ratings are calculated to the tenths place): 10-One of the best rides in the industry. I reserve this rating for rides that are the best of their type and really impress me. 9-A really good ride, definitely one I'd wait over an hour for. 8-A must ride at the park, but not worth going to the park just to ride it. 7-Worth riding when visiting the park, but not an absolute must ride. 6-Worth riding, but not worth waiting in line for. 5-I'd ride again if I was with others who want to ride, but I probably wouldn't bother with a re-ride if visiting by myself. 4-Only worth riding for the credit, or if you have never done a similar ride before 3-Not worth a ride unless you are a credit whore 2-I'd skip this even if you don't have the credit 1-Reserved for rides that are legitimately painful or extremely boring So without further ado, here we go. LeviaTHON: Day 0 (July 25th, 2012)-Seabreeze Seabreeze was not an official part of the LeviaTHON trip, but since it was only about 90 minutes from our starting point (Buffalo, NY), a group of about twenty of us decided to go visit the park. Even though it required an overnight flight, I decided to join everyone going, as I figured there was little chance I'd visit this park otherwise. I carpooled to the park with Bill, Corey, and Corey's friend (whose name I cannot remember), and we arrived about 1 P.M. After everyone got inside, we headed to Whirlwind. Whirlwind: This was the first Maurer Sohne Xtended SC2000 of the trip (the second was at Waldameer a couple days later). I thought this ride would be better than it was. It was still good, but not something I'd wait more than 10 minutes for. It was still my favorite of the park's coasters. 6.8/10 Bobsleds: Another ride that looked like it would be decent, but ended up being only okay. It was certainly a unique coaster, but was a bit jerky and uneventful. My least favorite of the park's coasters. 5.6/10 Log Flume: A basic log flume with only a single drop. The drop was pretty good, but the rest of the ride was uneventful. It got you pretty wet, but isn't the wettest log flume I've been on. 5.3/10 Jack Rabbit: As this ride opened in 1920, it is now the oldest roller coaster I've been on. Unlike the other two coasters at Seabreeze, this one was better than I thought it would be. There was a little airtime and the ride was reasonably smooth. Certainly not worth going out of the way for, but if you're there it's worth a ride or two. 6.5/10 Yo Yo: I usually like Yo Yo swing rides, but this one was just boring. No tilt at all, and it didn't seem very thrilling either. 2.2/10 At this point, we met up with some other TPR people who came a bit later. A couple of them went to ride Bear Trax (the kiddie coaster...I skipped it), then we re-rode Bobsleds and Whirlwind. As I didn't know how late Corey was planning on staying and it was close to 4 P.M. by this point, I decided to leave the group and go spend a little time in the waterpark. Hydro Racer: New for 2012, a Proslide Octopus Racer. This was fun, better than a standard Mat Racer, but it was still a pretty simple slide. The only slide I did twice at the waterpark. 6/10 Vortex: An enclosed innertube slide. Pretty standard ride, with a standard serpentine layout. Due to the turns, only single tubes are permitted on this ride. It would be better if it was a dark tube instead of a translucent one, as the ride was pretty boring. 5/10 Riptide Slide: The open flume innertube slide. Similar to Vortex, but a little better. Still nothing special. 5.5/10 Helix: A Proslide Cannonbowl. Probably the best slide in the waterpark, but bowls are one of my favorite slide types. 6.5/10 After I was done in the waterpark, I got a text from Corey letting me know they were ready to go. We all got in the car and headed back to the hotel. I then joined a group of people for dinner at T.G.I. Friday's across the street, then early to bed (after two days on less than 2 hours of sleep, I was very tired). Overall Thoughts: Seabreeze was decent for a small park, but it is small. The park reminded me a lot of Quassy Amusement Park, but about twice the size and with a better ride selection (although they are mostly standard rides) and a pretty good, although small, waterpark (at least for an included one). I wouldn't recommend going out of the way for this park, as there isn't anything special about it, but if you're in the area it's worth a stop. Plan about 1/3 to 1/2 of a day for it, as if you plan more you'll run out of stuff to do. Ride Count: Bobsleds: 2 Jack Rabbit: 1 Log Flume: 1 Whirlwind: 2 Yo Yo: 1 Helix: 1 Hydro Racer: 2 Riptide Slide: 1 Vortex: 1 Total: 12 rides in 4 hours (3 rides per hour) Pictures: First up, Whirlwind. It was decent, but didn't spin as much as I thought it would. This ride was unique. It was interesting, but wasn't that great of a ride. Log Flume. Good drop, but not much else going for it. Jack Rabbit, the star attraction of the park. This is the oldest continuously operated roller coaster in the world. There aren't many rides left that still use manually operated brakes and lack any kind of safety gates on the platform. Nerd shot of the skid brakes. The ride ends with a tunnel containing a surprise drop. I would have given this more than one ride, but it had the longest line in the park. This and the swinging inverter were probably the two best flat rides in the park. Of course, I didn't ride either of them. The park also has some classic flats like the Tilt-A-Whirl... A kiddie coaster that requires a kid (although the park was letting us ride without one...I skipped it anyway)... Several rides for the kids... And the most disappointing Yo Yo I've been on anywhere. You can see most of the waterpark in this picture. The innertube slide tower is on the right, and Hydro Racer is on the left. Another view of Hydro Racer. This was the main reason I decided to do this waterpark. And I'll end with a picture of Helix, the best attraction in the waterpark.

My favorite coaster is Bizarro at Six Flags New England. The ride isn't the most intense or thrilling out there, but it has a lot of airtime and is very smooth and re-rideable. The ride also has a very varied layout, and isn't just a series of hills like most Mega Coasters. If you're doing a separate wood list, El Toro is my favorite wood coaster for similar reasons, except it actually is one of the most intense and thrilling wood coasters and is not quite as re-rideable.

If you're getting Fast Lane, definitely Kings Dominion. Practically everything about that park is better. Grizzly is the best wood coaster at either park, Rebel Yell is pretty good, and Kings Dominion has four excellent steel coasters (Dominator, Flight of Fear, Intimidator 305, and Volcano). The non-coaster ride selection is also better at Kings Dominion. If you weren't getting Fast Lane and had 1/2 day or less, Carowinds would be the better choice, but otherwise...definitely Kings Dominion.

Perilous Plunge is one of my favorite water rides, so this is disappointing news. I guess I'll need to advance my scheduled September visit a couple weeks so I can get on this a couple more times before it closes (I'll probably go the last week of August). I really hope Perilous Plunge sees new life elsewhere, either at another Cedar Fair park (Dorney ) or just a different park in general. It's only a middle-aged ride, and just has issues that make it unsuitable for a major park like Knott's. As for what might replace it (either next year or (more likely) 2014), I'd really like to see Knott's get a second B&M. I think a B&M Mega Coaster would be an excellent fit for the park, as they are the only major Cedar Fair park without some type of Mega/Hyper coaster, but anything else by B&M would be excellent. Honestly, I'm hoping it's not a giga, as I think that would dominate the park a little too much, and I'm hoping it's not an Intamin as I haven't been a huge fan of their more recent designs (although they seem popular with enthusiasts and the public alike). Another great fit would be a GCI if the park wants a second wooden coaster, but I have a feeling that's not too likely. If it isn't a coaster, however, please let it be a dark ride of some sort.

I've only been once, but from what I've heard my experience is pretty typical of La Ronde visits. 1. Absolutely. If you want to get on everything in one day, you MUST purchase a Flash Pass. On my visit, it took me about six hours just to get all 8 credits done (Boomerang was down and the kiddie requires a child), and that was with ERT on two of them and a Gold Flash Pass. Expect lines of 45 minutes to 2 hours for the headliners and lines of 30 to 45 minutes for everything else. Also, even with a Flash Pass expect a 30 minute wait once you've joined the queue (particularly for Monstre and Ednor). 2. Expect a good, but not great, mega coaster, a very good Batman, mediocre to awful coasters, an average collection of non-coaster rides, and some of the worst operations you will find at any park. 3. If you are not purchasing a Flash Pass, start at Ednor and go clockwise. If you are purchasing a Flash Pass, do everything that does not have a Flash Pass queue BEFORE you purchase it, especially Toboggan Nordique (on my visit, the line grew from 5 minutes to an hour in the amount of time it took to ride). 4. Not that I am aware of. Honestly, go in with low expectations and expect long lines, then make the best of it. The park is not the worst out there, but even by Six Flags standards it's not very good.

So far, GateKeeper is looking like it could be the best 2013 coaster. I definitely could see this being one of Cedar Point's top 5 coasters, and probably their best B&M. It also looks like a pretty good indication of exactly what can be done with a Wing Coaster.

Crazy Coaster (Zamperla Twister Coaster Compact) at the local fair yesterday. I probably won't be on another coaster until after Labor Day.

The objective answer: When the airtime is strong enough that riders are injured due to the force of the negative gs trying to pull them out against the force of the restraint trying to hold them in, or when the negative forces are too strong for the average person's body to handle. The opinion answer: It depends on the person. For me, I prefer rides that have either a lot of brief airtime moments, even if they aren't particularly strong (like a lot of wooden out-and-back coasters), or long sustained stretches of floater airtime (like the B&M megas and SFMM's Goliath). I'm not as much of a fan of Intamin's designs that give short, super strong pops of ejector airtime (like El Toro) because I find those less re-rideable.

SeaWorld San Diego on Tuesday. I think it's about time I go give Manta a try.

Lady Bug Coaster at Marineland Theme Park on Monday. The last coaster of LeviaTHON. Fortunately, I'll be on another coaster next week (going to SeaWorld San Diego on Tuesday to check out Manta).

11/21. I know a decent amount about Arrow Dynamics, but not that much about Ron Toomer himself.

Let's see what coaster-count says: 1999: 13 2000: 7 2001: 10 2002: 1 2003: 15 2004: 9 2005: 6 2006: 8 2007: 2 2008: 25 2009: 2 2010: 36 2011: 66 2012: 44 Note that the counts before 2008 are approximate since I didn't start keeping track of what year I've rode each coaster before then. However, the counts somewhat make sense based on what happened during the high count years. -1999: Year I reached 54 inches and no longer had to worry about height restrictions -2001: First visit to the Northern California parks -2003: Point where I was no longer afraid of any coasters -2008: First coaster trip -2010: TPR IntimidaTour -2011: TPR North East Tour plus some additional out of state parks -2012: TPR LeviaTHON Trip I'm guessing it's unlikely I'll exceed 50 in a year again for some time, as that would take one of the longer TPR trips or an international trip (neither of which are currently within my budget/time restrictions).

^When I visited Hurricane Harbor, the park cleared out for the last hour or so of operation. If you aren't going for the full day, you're probably best going there in mid/late afternoon and staying until they close. The top slides in the park are Tornado (funnel slide), Black Snake Summit (three speed slides and two innertube slides), Taboo Tower (three speed slides), and Bamboo Racer (mat slide). None of these are must-ride slides, but they are probably the ones you'll want to focus on. The other slides are standard innertube and body slides, and a family raft slide. Lines of 45-60 minutes can sometimes happen at this park (especially for Tornado and the raft slide), although they are usually in the 15-30 minute range on most days. Honestly, if you only have one day I'd recommend skipping Hurricane Harbor since it is a separate admission and isn't really worth it unless you're going to the waterpark for a full day. I would advise against doing X2 first, as it often doesn't open on time and usually has a shorter line in the late afternoon. You're best off either starting at Tatsu and going clockwise, or starting at Goliath/Lex Luthor/Green Lantern and going counter-clockwise. If you do X2 first and it doesn't open on time, Tatsu's line will likely be 30-45 minutes by the time you get there. Yes, there is a path next to Tatsu to get up to Superman and Ninja. You should be able to do everything, although if you take time to do Hurricane Harbor that may not be the case. However, having time for re-rides is unlikely unless you purchase a Flash Pass. The park can get 2-3 hour waits in the summer, especially for X2 and Tatsu.

^If you are able to go at any time, go on a Sunday in the off season (between Labor Day and Easter, excluding holiday periods). I've rarely encounted a line longer than 20 minutes when visiting during this time, even for X2. The only downside to visiting is that you will see a lot of one-train operation and some rides may be closed. Next time you visit, definitely ride X2. While I don't think it's the best ride there (my favorites are Apocalypse and Tatsu), it is a unique coaster and is definitely worth riding. If you've never done it, it's worth the line. Once you've ridden it, you can decide if you think it's worth waiting for again or not (for me, it's worth about a 75 minute wait if it's been more than a year since I last rode, and about 30 minutes otherwise, but I usually visit the park 2-4 times per year and ride almost everything every visit).

Big Thunder Mountain at Disneyland Paris last Thursday.

^Thanks for the tips. We'll just make the best of it. I've asked my brother and sister to each pick around 10 attractions at the resort they want to do, and split those into first and second tier. Worst case scenario would be not completing everything on the second tier. I was expecting 45-60 minute lines for the major rides (possibly longer for Crush's Coaster, RC Racer, and Big Thunder Mountain) and 15-30 minute waits for other attractions, but it sounds like I may be slightly underestimating them. We'll see what happens.

I'd put Kingda Ka at third priority, and Bizarro at fourth. They aren't the best coasters out there, but they are good rides. Superman also belongs on there if you haven't done a flying coaster before. Dark Knight, Rolling Thunder, and Runaway Mine Train really belong on a second tier list unless you're after all the credits (in which case Green Lantern would be a priority as well). For non-coaster rides, I'd recommend you make sure to do Houdini since it's one of only two madhouses in the US, and the Dream Street Skyway since it will save a lot of walking and gives good views of the park. The parachute tower is unique, but it is somewhat boring and not worth waiting more than ten minutes for.

Okay, we've decided. Since my brother was extremely hesitant to visit Parc Asterix (he was worried it would be pointless if you don't speak French or know of the Asterix stories) and since Disneyland Paris is easier to get to and is offering a very good deal currently (1 day, 2 park ticket for $84 if purchased online), we'll be visiting Disneyland Paris on Friday, July 13th. On this day, both parks open at 10 A.M., and Disneyland Park is open until 11 P.M. I haven't surveyed my brother and sister to find out what their must-rides are yet, but here's what I'm thinking in terms of a plan: First, plan to be at the resort by 9:30 (we'll be taking a train from Paris). Head to Walt Disney Studios and wait for opening. Walt Disney Studios: When the park opens, head straight to Crush's Coaster and ride. Then go do anything in Toy Story Playland that we would like to do (I know I want to do RC Racer, but if nobody else cares I can use the single rider line later). Go grab a Fastpass for The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror if the return time makes sense, then ride Rock 'n' Roller Coaster. From here, just wander around the park, do other rides/shows, and get lunch. Once we are done, head to Disneyland Park. Disneyland Park: I'm shooting to get over here by 2 P.M., 3 P.M. at the latest. For this park, I'm just thinking of getting a Fastpass for either Space Mountain or Big Thunder Mountain, and then going around the park one land at a time, either clockwise or counterclockwise. We'd do everything that's a must ride for us in each land before continuing onward, then return to the second tier attractions once we've done the must rides. We plan to stay until closing, then catch the next train back to Paris. If anyone has suggests for improving this plan, they would be appreciated. If not, we'll stick to this. I've also got a few questions now that we've selected a park. 1. Although I don't know what everyone's ride priorities are, I know all of the following will be on our must ride list: -All roller coasters at both parks (except Casey Jr.) -Pirates of the Caribbean -Phantom Manor -Le Chateau de la Belle au Bois Dormant walkthrough -Alice's Curious Labyrinth -Anything else unique to the Paris Parks Are there any other must do attractions? I don't care if similar attractions exist in California, but anything that is a duplicate is a second tier attraction by default. 2. Are the shows at Walt Disney Studios in English or French? We definitely don't want to bother with them if we won't understand them (our French is limited to what you would learn in a guidebook), but we also don't want to miss a really good attraction. Also, since we may be limited on time, which of these would be the best choice if we only do one show: Animagique, CineMagique, or Moteurs Action Stunt Show Spectacular? 3. Approximately how long can we expect the lines to be on this date? I'm hoping the headliners are only 45-60 minutes, but I'm worried this is being a bit too optimistic. 4. How strict are the parks with Fastpass return times? In California, you can get a Fastpass at opening and still use it just before closing, but I've heard the Paris parks are somewhat strict and we'll have to be a bit more careful with only a 30 minute return window. 5. Finally, any other tips? I've done Disneyland and DCA on Black Friday, and I don't think the Paris parks could possibly be that crowded, but I just want to make sure the day goes as smoothly as possible and that we don't miss anything.