VF15

Lightning Rod!

1) Banshee 2) Afterburn 3) Dragon Challenge (Blue) 4) Dragon Challenge (Red) 5) Raptor 6) Batman: The Ride (SFGAm)

Is this it?

Updated list: California: California Screamin' Florida: Dragon Challenge (Blue) Illinois: Goliath Iowa: Tornado Minnesota: Renegade Missouri: Ozark Wildcat (defunct) North Carolina: Fury 325 Ohio: Millennium Force South Carolina: Afterburn Tennessee: Lightning Rod

Rode my new favorite steel and wooden coasters this past week. Favorite steel coaster: Fury 325 Favorite wooden coaster: Lightning Rod

-I skipped all of the kiddie coasters at Carowinds. -Mystery Mine was closed during both of the days I was at Dollywood.

I'd heard that they might have it fully open on Tuesday or Wednesday, but I can't make any guarantees.

Okay, here's my full Lightning Rod review: I had been walking past the ride about every hour or so since I was aware of the rumors that it might soft open today. When I walked by around 12:45, I noticed that there were people on the ride that didn't look like employees. After looking around for a bit, I saw an employee handing out boarding passes to ride during the technical ride rehearsal session. I was able to get one, and then proceeded up the steps to the station. Waited there for a minute, then I was assigned a seat in the fifth row. As the train pulled out of the station, everyone on the train was going nuts. Then we headed up the launched lift hill. The launch wasn't mind-blowing, but it is one of the better launches I've experienced. The first drop was awesome with great air! The first banked turned after the lift hill was the only spot where I felt the ride let up at all (still a fun element). After that, it was pedal-to-the-metal all the way to the end, with a layout full of speed, intensity, airtime, quick transitions, and the out-of-control feeling. This might also be the smoothest coaster I've ridden, no roughness whatsoever. The best part of the ride for me was by far the quad-down, full of great ejector air! The last turn before the brake run was just icing on the cake. The train was roaring with applause as we returned to the station. A few hours later, I'm still shocked that it happened. I wouldn't have been able to come back tomorrow because my flight back home leaves tomorrow morning, so the fact that I got to ride it is almost a miracle. Overall, Lightning Rod is truly an amazing coaster. It's my new favorite wooden coaster and my #2 coaster overall (out of 85 coasters), with Fury 325 being the only coaster I rank higher. Huge thanks to Dollywood, Rocky Mountain Construction, and everyone else involved with this project. I would certainly recommend making a trip out to Dollywood to ride it, but I would wait until they officially announce an opening date (hopefully tomorrow or sometime this week) before making plans if you aren't a local. One more thing: I met and said hi to MonorailORANGE (the other poster here who rode it) while in line for Wild Eagle, and we both agreed that the #ItllNeverOpen movement going on in this thread is really getting ridiculous. #ItHasSoftOpened

JUST RODE LIGHTNING ROD!! Absolutely phenomenal! Forceful, intense, out of control, airtime galore! My new favorite woodie! Congrats to Dollywood and RMC on a job well-done! #ItHasSoftOpened

[youtu_be] [/youtu_be]

Just saw some general public riders on Lightning Rod! This is what the sign in front looks like now.

Yes, I did that yesterday. Since I bought my ticket after 3 pm yesterday, I got to come back today for free. As for Lightning Rod, last time I walked by, someone asked some workers near the ride "Will it open today?" The response was "We don't know". Doesn't look good, but at least it wasn't a definitive "no".

RMC employees on the lift hill about 10 minutes ago. Not sure if that's good or bad.

Just started testing. [youtu_be] [/youtu_be]

Tennessee Tornado ride op as train pulls in: "If you wish to ride again, you must exit and walk around again. We're sorry, but that is Dollywood's fitness program."

I'm at the park again today, so I'll post any updates in case something happens. #ItMightOpen No testing going on as of right now.

Wild Eagle at Dollywood.

I'm at the park right now. Saw Lightning Rod testing with employees about two hours ago. Overheard an employee say that they need to get in enough reps on it before it opens, and at this point, it may be open on Tuesday or Wednesday, but don't quote me on that.

Thunderhead at Dollywood.

It's still there.

The Fury crew has really been hustling and getting people through today. Last time I rode it, we were rolling out of the station just as the train ahead of us was heading down the first drop.

I rode most of the coasters at Carowinds in the rain, but the particularly memorable rain ride was Fury 325 at night in a torrential downpour. If felt like being repeatedly stung in the face by a bunch of hornets. Still a good time.

B&M - Vortex (Carowinds) Intamin - Wicked Twister GCI - Gwazi

Had a great first visit to Carowinds yesterday. Chilly temperatures and low crowds allowed me to get in a lot of rides. I plan on posting a full trip report once I get home, but I'll share some thoughts on the coasters for now. -Ricochet was closed all day, presumably due to the rain. -Vortex: This was my first stand-up coaster and its was not a pleasant experience for the lower body. At least it wasn't a headbanger. 4/10 -Carolina Goldrusher: An "okay" Arrow mine train. First half was very weak, second half was a bit more fun. 4.5/10 -Carolina Cyclone: Typical old Arrow looper. A little rough, but still enjoyable. 5/10 -Hurler: Except for one bad transition, this was not as rough as I was expecting. Didn't deliver many positive Gs, but it had a few decent airtime pops. 6/10 -Nighthawk: Decent Vekoma flyer, but it was a lot rougher and rattlier than Firehawk. The vertical loop and double corkscrew were the best parts. 6/10 -Carolina Cobra: I know that since I'm a coaster enthusiast, I'm not supposed to like Boomerangs, but this was a smooth, pain-free, fun ride thanks to the newer restraints. Pulls some decent forces, especially going backwards through the loop. 7/10 -Intimidator: When I rode it in the front row on my first ride, I was a bit underwhelmed because I hardly got any airtime at all, but when I rerode in the last row, it was noticeably more intense with some nice floater air and. As far as B&M hypers go, it's not as good as Diamondback but better than Raging Bull. Front row: 7/10, Back row: 8/10 -Afterburn: Great old school invert. While it's one of the shorter inverts, the constant intensity and the snap you get through the inversions definitely makes up for it. Best part is definitely the batwing. I'd rank this as second favorite invert behind Banshee. 9/10 -Fury 325: This is my new favorite roller coaster. In my opinion, Fury 325 has everything that an amazing roller coaster should have. The first drop is incredible and seems to go on forever, I partially greyed-out at the bottom. The rest of the ride was very intense, it threw me around way more than any other B&M has, it has very strong moments of airtime, and the speed never lets up until the brake run. Overall, Fury 325 is an incredible experience. Carowinds and B&M hit a huge home run with this ride. 10/10