VF15

^^ Looks like a cool logo. I like it better than the proposed Centurion logo, but I'll be fine with whatever they end up naming the ride.

After having ridden Goliath at SFGAm, having an RMC at Valleyfair would totally be a dream come true. However, I live in the real world and realize that won't be happening anytime soon. Valleyfair needs a new steel coaster before a new wooden coaster. Maybe somewhere down the line maybe they could Iron Horse something (wouldn't be VF's next coaster, maybe in 8-10 years or so). They probably wouldn't Iron Horse High Roller because I think that VF needs an old school woodie to retain the charm of the park, and considering the layout, High Roller just isn't the type of coaster that you RMC. Excalibur would probably be more likely get Iron Horsed, and if was to happen, hopefully they could add an extra 700-1000 feet of track to make the ride longer. I'm aware I'm going off into Fantasyland, but hey, one can dream, right?

American Eagle at SFGAm could use some refurbishment. When I rode it, I thought it was fun, but it was kinda rough in some parts. Although, when I was at the park yesterday, it was only running one side, so hopefully that's what they're doing. It would be great if they could Iron Horse American Eagle, but the park just got an RMC (Goliath), so if AE did get RMC'd, it probably wouldn't happen for a while.

Here are just a few more pictures I took during my visit... Raging Bull entering the forceful turnaround Viper entering the slow, boring turnaround. The bull is about to get angry... Yet another shot of Goliath's great zero-g stall. A side shot of the beautiful Columbia Carousel.

So during my trip to Chicago, I obviously had to spend a day at Six Flags Great America since I had a good time during my last visit, and because I just had to experience Goliath. I had a terrific day at the park. Even though I waited about an hour for some coasters, the coasters themselves definitely made up for it. After hearing about the incident during TPR's recent trip here, I was unsure about what to expect with customer service, but the customer service I did encounter was good in my opinion. The ride ops weren't working the fastest I've ever seen, but they were acceptable. At Goliath, I was able to wait 45 minutes instead of 2-3 hours due to the single rider lanyard, so kudos to the Goliath team for that. Every coaster I rode was running all trains (except Demon, which ran two trains, although they might even not run three trains anymore. Correct me if I'm wrong.) All in all, Six Flags Great America is an awesome park, and I can see why it's becoming a destination park among coaster enthusiasts. Now for my opinions on the coasters: X-Flight: This used to be my favorite coaster, but now it has fallen to probably #6 or #7. Still, X-Flight is a very fun coaster that has some good forces in some spots. There was some good hang time during the keyhole. It is a bit on the short side, but as long as I have fun on the ride, ride time doesn't matter that much. Overall, it's an fun, underrated coaster that is worth a ride. Grade: B+ Goliath: HOLY. FREAKING. CRAP. Goliath is simply an epic ride. From the drop the brake run, it's pedal to the metal. Goliath is smooth as butter. The drop has awesome airtime and intensity. I actually forget how the tunnel went because it happened so fast. The airtime hill provides some pretty strong airtime. The dive loop was a fun part. I have to agree with everyone else that the zero-G stall is one of the most interesting moments on any coaster. You're literally just hanging out of your seat. Being inverted with only a lap bar is certainly a strange sensation. From there to the brake run, it's pure intensity. With this being my first RMC, I can see why enthusiasts have been raving about them so much. If you visit SFGAm and pass up Goliath, you're absolutely out of your mind. Grade: A+ Batman: The Ride: Batman is a really great coaster. It's a forceful and intense 37 seconds. The entire ride is fun, but my favorite part is the zero-g roll. The two vertical loops are also great moments. I did get a small bit of headbanging, but nothing that bad. Grade: A- Raging Bull: This ride has picked up a slight B&M rattle since I last rode it, but overall I enjoyed today's ride on Raging Bull more than my previous one. There was great floater air at every possible moment. The helices and turns provided good positive Gs. Even though they were turned on, the trim brakes really didn't take away much from the ride. It has been said before, but the B&M hyper restraints are so darn comfortable. Overall, Raging Bull is great, and another must ride at SFGAm. Grade: A- Viper: Viper is a very fun wooden coaster. It certainly doesn't beat Goliath, but if you're a fan of floater airtime, Viper is the coaster for you, because it has a lot of it. The drop was great since I was out of my seat the whole time. It was relatively smooth for a woodie with no really bad spots. The turnarounds are boring, but the rest of the ride makes up for it. If you like floater air or woodies in general, give Viper a spin. Grade: B+ Demon: I knew it wasn't going to be the most amazing coaster ever, but I decided to ride it because Demon is a ride that has always intrigued me. The ride wasn't painfully rough, but that was partially because I was in the 'Arrow brace position' throughout the ride. However, during the second vertical loop, I got a good smack to the back of my head. Besides that, the vertical loops were probably the best part of the ride. The tunnel was also pretty cool. Didn't care for the corkscrews as I found them to be forceless. As far as Arrows go, it isn't that bad, but I prefer Valleyfair's Corkscrew. Grade: C+ These are grades for rides that I rode during my previous visit to SFGAm, but didn't this time: -Dark Knight Coaster: C -Vertical Velocity: B+ -American Eagle (Red): B -Superman: Ultimate Flight: B On a side note, I heard one amusing GP comment while waiting for Goliath: "It's a wooden coaster, so it can't go upside-down! It would fall off!" Before I move onto the photos, I'm still relatively new to the art of making photo trip reports, so I'm open to any constructive criticism. A sure sign that we're in the Midwest: cornfields and roller coasters in the same photo. Good Morning, Six Flags Great America. The Columbia Carousel. This is probably the nicest carousel I've seen. A shot of a plaza with V2 and Batman in the background. X-Flight: A short but sweet ride. X-Flight heading down the drop. I personally don't have any problems with wing rider restraints. They have plenty of wiggle room. Goliath heading out of the station. If you couldn't tell from my earlier description, Goliath is my new favorite roller coaster. Hang time, wonderful hang time. Batman exiting it's great zero-g roll. Batman line theming with a B&M cameo. V2's dormant holding brake. I didn't ride V2 because I got the credit last year, and I have basically the same ride at my home park. More line theming with Batman thundering above. Raging Bull traveling through a turn. I love these tight turnarounds because of their intensity. Happy Raging Bull riders on the brake run. Taking the plunge... Viper leaving the first turnaround... Have you ever seen the Demon? Have you ever heard him scream? Is the Demon what he seems? Or just a bad, bad bad dream in your mind? You're gonna find out... about the Demon. Another shot of X-Flight's funky first drop. Twisting after the tower... Goliath's dive loop... definitely a fun moment. Heading up the monstrous lift hill. Goliath's station. This ride thankfully had the best operations of the day. Happy Goliath riders. Goliath safety sign. My favorite first drop on any roller coaster. I already posted a picture of the zero-g stall, but it's a truly terrific element. A Goliath t-shirt from the gift shop. Didn't buy it. Just thought it looked nice. V2 sure has a neat entrance. Goliath and V2 from afar. Didn't ride Superman this time because the line was too long and it's just a one-trick pony in my opinion. Although, there's no denying that the pretzel loop is an amazing element. The Sky Trek Tower. Six American Flags over Six Flags. Another shot of Superman on the way out. Bye Six Flags Great America. See ya next year.

Granted, you sleep all through Thursday, including the Carowinds announcement (I assume that's what you're waiting for.) I wish this line I'm waiting in would move faster.

^ You're right, Looping Starship does occasionally get a decent line (most often on weekends). Despite that, I wouldn't be surprised if it gets relocated or removed (hopefully removed). As for the old dining patio getting removed, that's a good move because now that we have the picnic area near Route 76, the old patio is basically pointless, and it creates even more land for the waterpark to play with.

Saw this on a Coasterforce POV of Manta (SWO): "The h*ll is this sh*t. Superman at great adventure was higher then this prissy sh*t. Wats wrong with sea world."

From WCCO News... Zip Line Reopens After Accident At Mall Of America BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (AP) — A new zip line attraction has reopened at the Mall of America after an employee was injured while working on it. A mall statement says the employee was injured by a piece of equipment on the east platform of the Barnacle Blast in the Nickelodeon Universe indoor amusement park around 11:15 a.m. Saturday. Mall security and Bloomington police helped the employee off the equipment into an ambulance. He was treated and released. The ride was closed for about an hour while officials inspected it and determined it was safe and functional. The Nickelodeon Universe website says the zip line is part of the Dutchman’s Deck adventure course. It sends riders soaring 55 feet above the park. Employees are required to wear harnesses while working on the ride to prevent falls. http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2014/08/17/zip-line-reopens-after-accident-at-mall-of-america/

Saw that Canada's Wonderland made their announcement a few days ago, and their waterpark is getting a small Tornado-like ride as shown below. Personally, I'll be fine if this is a part of Valleyfair's waterpark expansion, but if it is, I hope it's not the only addition, or else I might not be as optimistic about VF's future as I have been.

I think I have some of each of these in me (minus Coaster Designer because I don't care very much for theming), but if I had to choose one, it would probably be Coaster Rider because nothing beats the thrill of the ride.

Granted, you're scared to ride all other kinds of drop towers. I wish I could sleep better at night.

^ I heard that they sometimes trim coasters to decrease wear and tear on the ride, but in the case of Raging Bull, it's only 15 years old, so I can't see why there would be a need to trim it for that reason. I'm pretty sure it's just the park being cheap about maintenance.

So far, I'd have to say Raging Bull. I'd heard great things about it and other B&M hypercoasters, but it wasn't as intense as I thought it would be, and there is very limited airtime. Raging Bull is in my personal top 10, but I thought it was going to be my new favorite. Maybe if they turned off this evil thing...

Granted, your holiday trip is to Mt. Olympus. I wish that there was something interesting to watch on TV.

In 2009, Cedar Fair wanted to sell Valleyfair and Worlds of Fun to pay off the debt it acquired from the Paramount acquisition. I guess that shows how low VF was on Cedar Fair's priority list a few years ago. I also heard somewhere that Six Flags was considering purchasing Valleyfair in the late nineties, but they decided not to because it was too small for them.

Renegade - Valleyfair

...the terms Vekoma, Arrow, Dinn, and Togo are synonymous with 'extreme discomfort' in your vocabulary.

^^ I agree. Canada's Wonderland is much more successful than Valleyfair because they have top-notch attractions like Behemoth, Leviathan, and Wonder Mountain's Guardian. If Valleyfair would build something like those for once, I guarantee that people would flock to the park. Fortunately, VF is in the same boat as Carowinds, and while I don't expect a Gigacoaster, hopefully we can get something great. I agree with everyone else that the waterpark expansion could tell us how much Cedar Fair really cares about VF. If it ends up being just one slide package, that might bring down my optimism a bit, but considering all of the changes in that area, I think it will be more than just one thing.

Granted, but all of those unlimited wishes are for bad things. I wish that Goliath won't have any breakdowns when I visit SFGAm.

Yeah, it does look like it's a clone of Manta, but Manta really is a great coaster, so the folks that ride this are in for a real treat. I wish there were more B&M flyers out there, especially ones with pretzel loops.

^It would be a good fit for NU, but where would you put it? I do think that NU is due for some sort of new coaster, but I can't see where you'd put one without removing another one. Even if it was to go all around the park like Pepsi Orange Streak, the indoor skyline of the park is getting quite crowded too.

Hopefully they will announce it by the end of the month, but I wouldn't be surprised if they wait until sometime in September to announce since that's what they did with Route 76. It will be announced sometime, so I'll just hang in there for now.

^ Maybe they will be turning that hill into a barrel roll for the RMC version. Even though everyone seems to want an airtime-based makeover, I don't see the harm in throwing in an inversion or two.