ejot

Visited Magic Mountain during work trips in Dec '13 and Jan '14 while X2 was under extended downtime. Was in the area for a quick visit in March and I think it had just re-opened. I barely managed to finish my only available day with enough time to drive up to the park just before they closed the gates and wait in a huge queue to ride. However, I've also had one more chance to ride it since.

I really, really enjoy the three John Allen/PTC kiddie coasters that Cedar Fair has operated at under approximately 13,000 different names since the 70's. And since my reasons for sitting in the back include not only maximizing airtime, but minimizing awkwardness, they are definitely guilty pleasures. Fun Fact: King's Dominion's version (my fourth favorite coaster there) pre-dates the park. It opened as part of a drive-through safari attraction the year before KD was built.

No, Giraffica (Pilgrim's Plunge) was permanently removed before the 2014 season.

Long underwear + Dr. Scholls + duct tape + baggy jeans. Thank me on lap 20.

The twisty track at CP has a mildly patchy look to the finish. I wonder if they didn't apply rust inhibitor to the connection points and just let the rest of it develop a surface rust patina. Which would actually be really, really awesome and eliminate the need to strip paint off the tracking surface.

^ No worries on being "late" ... this is a great thread to bump! Recently on my radar, but yet to visit: Eldridge Park in Elmira, NY has a set of recently-restored Flyers that is *apparently*, by far, the second-best set anywhere (after you-know-where). There's also a fantastic 19th C. carousel with ring feeder (but it only feeds one ring per ride), and a Mark Twain-themed putt putt course that looks very nice.

Had an amazing time at the Halloween event last night. Our first night rides at the park - Phoenix, Twister, Flyer, et al were all tremendous after dark. Weather was great and crowds were out. Wanted to see the Antique Cars haunted drive thru but the line was pretty intense so we just kept doing Phoenix laps with 10-15min waits (ie line well into the plaza lol). They've got some great effects in the tunnel. And we got to check out the drive thru scenes from above. Twister at night - Wow does this kick things up a notch. Back seat is a wonderfully wild ride, yet extremely comfortable! Decorations were really fun. They had skeletons laying down with fishing line rigged up to pulleys and tied down in the Flying Turns station. The ops could pull the lines, making the skeletons sit up and drumming up some screams. Sky Wheel was unfortunately not running. 1001 Nacht was the only other ride down, though Fandango did malfunction hilariously while I was waiting for it. Floors went down, ride started spinning, then stopped. Floors come up .... then go back down ... then come back up. Op gets on the mic, "We've had a fault. Please raise your restraints and exit. It will be about a half hour." Click. Knoebels, please never change your ways. We're on a sky ride! Obligatory. Boo! "Resurrection" had AWESOME surprises waiting within.

I really can't pick a favorite between Knoebels, Hershey, and Kennywood (but it's probably Knoebels). Those PA parks... Least favorite park was Martin's Fantasy Island.

Fantastic photos, Jcoaster. That sunset pic of Stinger is one of the greatest coaster pics I've ever seen!! I remember the fog at Dorney Haunt last year was crazy, too.

What is the budget for this project?

Entirely different viewpoint here on this one. The situation Nrthwnd describes ^ is of course unfortunate and would be heartbreaking to see. Let's just consider riders who understand how the line works. The point of a single rider line is to increase ride throughput by placing riders who are fully willing to fully forgo both seat preference and grouping preference—something generally expected by most visitors—in seats that would otherwise be empty. Twenty people who just so happen to know each other—but who each understand and agree to ride under those conditions—ALL have the right to utilize a single rider line (in perfect succession, if they please). Rides would run at higher capacity if more people in groups who understood this conditional opportunity used it. Ranting against this use of the single-ride line is a wish against the overall efficiency of the ride, an effect in which everyone shares a small individual benefit. Instead you wish everyone else to forego that small, divided benefit and lump it singly onto you in the form of a shorter SRL. It is an immaculately self-entitled POV. Just my couple shillings.

Wawa is - legitimately - really, really good, and has an extensive fanatical following, members of which would consider it "beyond compare".

Welcome to the forums, storms! If you road trip to Great Adventure, make sure you hit Knoebels on the way there. And on the way back! Here's my list, waterparks included (edit, added years, cool idea below): Busch Gardens Williamsburg ~'93 Knoebels '06 Six Flags Great America '13 Six Flags Magic Mountain '13 Knott's Berry Farm '14 King's Dominion '14 Six Flags America '14 Six Flags Great Adventure '14 Cedar Point '14 Hersheypark '14 Lake Compounce '14 Six Flags New England '14 Quassy Park '14 California's Great America '14 Rye Playland '14 Dorney Park '14 Conneaut Lake Park '14 The Great Escape '14 Six Flags Discovery Kingdom '15 Luna Park '15 Deno's Amusement Park '15 Escape Adventure (Penang, Malaysia) '15 Lakemont Park '15 DelGrosso's Amusement Park '15 Splashdown Beach '15 Action Park / Mountain Creek '15 Waldameer '15 Martin's Fantasy Island '15 Seabreeze '15 Adventureland (Long Island) '15 Carowinds '16 King's Island '16 Castaway Bay '16 Idlewild '16 Kennywood '16 Canobie Lake Park '16

Not really. There's one just north of the PA boarder in Elmira, NY, but is closed for the season. I have not personally been, but have heard it's a major hidden gem and flies wonderfully.

Based only on googling the current cost of solar farms, it seems to be a $25-50mil project. My intuition would be the higher end of that.

Thanks for the feedback, folks. I think I will go this weekend and check out Marineland, too .... coaster, animals, flats.. whatever time allows, I'm down for. Can't believe how cheap Toronto hotels are right now!! ^ Yikes, that's surprising. This was last Friday night? Anyone know about an extended downtime? I'd be a little bummed to miss Levi, was hoping to make it my #200.

Planning my first visit to CW. Should I do a day and a half weekend at CW or a day at CW and a half day at Marineland? Honestly I'm pretty darn interested in Dragon Mountain. Next Sun is their last operating day.... Do they really mistreat animals?

You can walk the park in Google Maps! Look for this. Power Surge on your right.

#57 on the interactive map, just above-left of big wheel.

The ride labeled "P.O.S.'s Broken" is Power Surge. And you can see Giant Wheel.

Definitely give GL a go if you like RR, especially if armed with a FP. I give the slight edge to Riddler but find each perfectly enjoyable. Vortex...... **shudder**

Okay so I'm double posting. Wish Quassy was more discussed because it's a genuinely fun place and a total trip. Everything they have here is like a micro-scale version of the real thing - but still a total blast. The teacup ride has 6 cars and could fit in your living room. It's incredibly forceful. There is a wet raft slide in the dry park that they run through the end of Sept (you need swim shorts and ride partner). The yo-yo swings come within mere inches of one another while on ride. Both of the innovative flats they've added in the last two years are total winners in my book. Small, forceful spin-n-pukes with such great, varied cycles, that they feel very un-pukey. Oh, and there's a 35'-tall roller coaster that delivers airtime far more plentiful and enjoyable than most coasters called "Goliath". Anyway, I was randomly here this Saturday, quietly waiting in my seat for a Frantic ride, when a I did a literal double take. Couple comes through the gate, he sets down his green Tyrolean feather hat, and they both set down a 1L Mass of dark beer on the lose articles cubby. Having been there, I know a full sized Oktoberfest beer when I see one: I just got this from Google. But this literally the exact vehicie of copious consumption of which I speak. Hmm, I need to find out more about this! It turns out right around the corner was their.... small (lol) version of Oktoberfest. With one well-run beer stand with six taps, one food stand with mediocre brats/sauerkraut, and an extremely elderly German band. I wasted no time indulging in half a liter of delicious HB while watching Woody Warrior laps from the infield amid peacefully plastered picnickers. It was actually quite glorious on a perfect fall day. WW always delivering on smiles.

Adding Roar & Vortex SFDK, Mantis and Mean Streak. Eight now, I feel so seasoned.

Am I understanding this correctly that they bought the ride before getting all the approvals for it, or... you know.... owning the land they plan to build it on? That's ballsy. Snooki's last "normal" job before Jersey Shore was as a secretary where I now work. Apparently she just stopped showing up one day and no one could get in touch with her or had any idea what was going on. They only figured it out when the show started airing.

Wow. Just read every word, and I want MORE. Simply the greatest photo travelogue I've ever read, park-related or otherwise. This just MADE my day..... SO inspiring.