Angry_Gumball

B&M: Vortex, CGA. I only ride this once per visit as a courtesy ride. It is intense but the discomfort and moments push it down. Intamin: Hmm...can't say that I've ridden a bad Intamin, but Superman: The Escape (SFMM's original Superman) was pretty 'meh.' SEFK was an improvement for sure but it doesn't rank real high on my list. GCI: I've only ridden 3 GCI's now and would put Roar down at the bottom. Doesn't feel as out of control as Apocalypse or the now favorite coaster Gold Striker...Roar feels like it's dragging and running on triangular wheels as of lately.

Calling it now...last day of Summer Hopefully it will be soon, not sure what is holding things up.

Not really nerdy but this qualifies for the thread. You can say I was still in theme park mode when this happened. Last Sunday I was at CGA with friends, and there were a total of 5 of us including myself. At the ride station platform they always ask "how many to your group?" and we were answering them. I had also bought lunch and stuff where I pull out my gold pass for my discount. After CGA, one of the friends heads back home, the 4 of us go to grab dinner. At the restaurant, the guy at the counter asks us the same..."How many to your group?" Answering "5" all day, I almost told him "5." I quickly caught myself. Paying for my food at the end, I pull out my debit card, as well as getting ready to pull out my CGA pass...thinking I would get my 20% off discount on the meal. On the trip home from the park and having Gold Striker fresh in my blood, every little undulating motion on the freeway gave me that sensation of getting airtime...getting that floaty feeling in the body.

^ I seriously can't wait for the CA State Fair this sunday...for several reasons: - Possibly 4 new credits including Butler's 2nd Pinfari Zyklon Z47, Neverland Ranch Dragon Wagon, Pole Position (stalling spinning coaster), and possibly Butler's 2nd Wacky Worm coaster they own - Losing my Zipper virginity (finally, was to happen at the San Mateo County Fair but the Zipper lay dormant in a fenced off area) - Chance Sky Diver (Looks quite intense actually...don't know why Butler runs them backwards) - Ghetto Flyers (Wisdom Windsurfer)...dare I attempt to snap on this banking flyer? Yup, the fair will have a ton of carnival rides to check out, not to mention all the exhibits and such to check out

^^Well, the crowds can only be a good thing for the park...something it was in dire need of. ^Agreed, I've seen lines spilling out of entrance last weekend only to see that no switchbacks were being used. Line went by pretty quick, probably 20 minute or so wait!

Last year when a 'shed/storage building' was built it was an awesome Haunt maze...I bet you this is one of the new Haunt mazes

And...we has a new shed at the south edge of the park! http://smartpermit.santaclaraca.gov/tm_bin/tmw_cmd.pl?tmw_cmd=StatusViewCase&shl_caseno=PLN2013-09913

Not that it's a huge deal, but parking isn't included, right? Being as I'm a SF passholder, I'd get free parking anyway for SFMM With Knott's we would most likely split parking costs for those who are riding in the vehicle. Now to talk with my friends who seemed interested in the event

From a non-Club TPR member's/non KBF pass holder's perspective, while it initially seems 'steep' I would still go for it anyway...T-shirt included, bonus perks not included with general park admission...in the end, seems worth the cost to me!

Figuring out arrangements but I definitely MUST do WCB this year...I have some unfinished business to take care of down at Knotts (denied my Pony Express credit as it was down on my April visit).

Speaking of half-empty (or half full) rides, we noticed a light Firefall load left the ride to have some strange shuffling movements (lateral shaking). On the flip side, no pun intended, we did a stall on our flip, remaining balanced for a brief moment until the gondola completed its single flip. A fun moment actually!

I heard some guests behind me in line for Gold Striker telling their kid (who was getting their first ride) that Gold Striker is the tallest wooden coaster in the world. Being polite, I broke the ice and told them that it was a regional record, being NorCal. Afterwards, we got to talking about the coaster in general. When in line (that was spilling into main walkway) we saw it was blocking. Our group made efforts to get the line to move to the side so that the path can be clear and almost everyone cooperated...even the kid behind us. The parent asks their kid "What are you doing? Why are you getting out of line?" The kid told the parents that we were trying to move over...it finally clicked in on the group effort being made Lastly, Gold Striker e-stopped in the lift (because some idiot had their phone out, recording yet another vertically shot shaky POV) when I heard some kid further ahead ask someone in their group "What if it gets stuck in the loopty loop?"

Actually, several times yesterday I kept thinking the wheel spinning was Gold Striker's lift cog... I thought to myself 'wow the coaster's gotten louder!' Speaking of too loud...I just had to do this Normal fireworks show going on...right? After being too loud, the park had to find a way to quiet down their fireworks while still being able to keep the show.

^ The 3D on our handhelds are actually way more effective to be quite honest Now, take that, AFX theater!

Happy Feet...almost forgot all about its existence

Was going to end our evening on Gold Striker (as that's our tradition) but it as close to closing time (10 minutes away) and we didn't want to get back home late...as we still needed dinner. Flipside, we weren't ready to just leave so...final ride was on Flight Deck, still an awesome way to end the day, and a nice reminder that FD is still an awesome ride not to be forgotten!

Most recent one I can think of was when were at Knott's this past April. It was park closing and we just made the line before they closed it for Sierra Sidewinder. There were actually 4 of us and each of us took our own car (as there are 4 cars/train). While I wasn't the only one on the ride, I like to call it a 'private ride' as the ride contained only our group. I also had a solo ride on CGA's flyers (I was the only rider) during the Global Winter Wonderland event. It was raining pretty steady, the rest of the group took shelter in the nearby Gametime building. This was my "One with the Flyers" ride as I made this ride sing, in the steady rain. Definitely a memorable experience! That same night, all of us took shelter on the Gravitron that was set up inside the park. We were the only 3 riders in the ride...and being as how quite the ride was, we could hear every creak, pop, groan, etc on the ride...praying that the thing is going to hold together during our ride

^Demon has been unusually smooth, both the red and yellow trains. I have no clue what happened but it's pretty enjoyable! We actually originally were trying to ride Demon in the front, in a wheel seat to see if we can get the roughest ride possible only to find it performing like the so-called Magic Arrow Seat. Vortex...was smooth during the beginning of the season (well, smooth is being used very loosely here) but has become a little . Well, if you ride in the positions stated previously (head forward/out of reach of shoulder restraints, breathing room below crotch...again keeps ears clear of restraint), Vortex is somewhat rideable...though 1 ride is enough. I totally understand where you're coming from about the Six Flags passes...we bought ours just before opening day, and processed them opening day...we thought opening weekend would be relaxed but this felt like a summer holiday...at the end of the day we waited 90 minutes to process our passes. Lines earlier in the day were hitting 2-3 hour waits. The park was even offering people to fill out forms and be able to process the pass on the next visit due to the unexpected wait times. Back to CGA, this only makes me glad for 'renewing' my pass as my pass is already processed..just a matter of it being 'reactivated' online...and skip the lines altogether and start riding!

Another fun day at CGA (Wow, I've been there like...every weekend since GS has opened!). Group consisted of JeffyJosephNorcal, my neighbor, cousin, Blue Fire Guy, and myself. Crowds were moderate and Gold Striker had about an hour wait throughout the day. Definitely worth its wait in gold. So the new tunnel, what we all think of it? I personally don't mind it, love blasting downward though it at a higher speed. When you ride in the back, it immediately becomes an Oh sh** moment as it provides a great head/hand chopper effect. It definitely helps contain the screams too. Notable highlights: -After riding Gold Striker twice this morning, we ventured to FD which was a walk-on. Keep in mind, this was around 11:20. -The wheel spinner was a hit among guests and many were winning front-of-the-line passes. -My neighbor (who is now a TPR member) has been unable to ride coasters for the past 6 weeks as she did some damage to her coccyx on V2, trying to hop into the seat and missing her landing...today was her 'welcome back' visit and her first official ride since GS opened to the public. -Checked out On Broadway again, a pretty enjoyable show! -Don't know what possessed us, but we decided to ride Vortex in the back row, with head firmly planted against rest...hello ear smashing! I usually extend my neck forward to get a decent ride but today, we were deciding to be masochists and punish ourselves. -A lot of issues with the GS queue were addressed. I'm glad the park decided to go with heavier grade metal fencing where it got severely damaged. Now let's see some idiots try bending the wires...they'll end up hurting their hands before the wire even comes close to thinking of bending -Spotted some Haunt maze construction (see pix) -Lastly, final ride on GS...came to be quite brutal. TPR member Blue Fire Guy and I were riding with 1 arm up and the other holding lap bar to prevent becoming heavily stapled. I was sitting on the right side. We both had right arms up and on the double up before one of the final turns, BFG accidentally elbow punches me full force in the cheek...ouch! This is just a reminder how crazy this coaster can be. I'm fine now but it completely caught both of us off guard. CGA had their main entry plaza nicely decorated for Independence Day Weekend. Upon entering the GS queue, we noticed something different...something I will call "New Canvas" as...you guessed it, more graffiti! Thankfully, there's a camera near by to hopefully fend off/catch these pesky vandals. And...new higher strength metal fencing! Yes, highly durable, a good long-run investment! (Already posted above) this game was a huge hit today. Crews were running extremely efficient And (already posted a few pages ago via XYZ, thanks for the pix), new tunnel! Sweet effect coming down! Backside view of tunnel...this should keep the neighbors more than satisfied, as well as keep everything within the agreement! Ooh...what's this? New maze construction! I did see an element of Club Blood...it was used in the On Broadway show Video game nerds will be video game nerds..."MY POKEYMANS....LET ME SHOW YOU DEM!" (thanks for the pic, Jeff ) After 6 weeks of no coasters (only a single ride on GG's lapbar monorail) my neighbor/now TPR member is back on line and ready to ride! And I'll conclude this mini TR with a ghetto "picture of a picture" (that I purchased) of our onride photo, now that my neighbor's back in the groove!

Spinning wheel enthusiasts, here you go!

Though this is just a fanboy dream, I always visioned something along the east side behind the rapids. Something launched (I am refraining from using the term "Maverick Clone"), like a Mack mega coaster or Intamin blitz coaster. My thoughts were of it running along where the train tracks were (launch section) and use some of the space between FD and Rapids before heading back toward Boomerang Bay, where it could go over the rapids and such. Just a pipe dream though and I don't imagine anything like this coming anytime soon...only perhaps some flat rides for the next couple seasons.

I completely understand that an agreement had to have been made otherwise, we would have probably never seen this coaster materialize. And I praise CGA for quick response on fixing what was too loud (the middle finger to the offices). On the flipside though, if it weren't for the initial complaints in the early phase (think way back, during CGA's early CF years), then (my guess) there wouldn't need to be an agreement and all of this noise mitigation. Again just a guess so don't quote me on this. While I can see 1 party thinking that the area where they own offices has been dormant for a while, that doesn't mean that the park was always going to leave that area dormant. Parks do expand and try to use what land they have at their disposal. In the end, I feel it was a huge mistake from the get-go to even allow offices to go up next to the park...thanks City of Santa Clara My main concern is how things will be for future attractions at the park. I know CGA is just trying to be the good neighbor and comply. I do hope though that the neighbors, ready to raise another stink about that .00001db too loud of a scream/roar, don't put a damper on things.

Which is probably why it was my first 'big' coaster...when I got off I figured that once was enough. However, Giant Dipper was what really started my coaster craze a year later, and after being convinced to ride it (was terrified) I decided to ride again a few more times as I enjoyed it

^Yup, was confirmed yesterday afternoon that it reopened

The ones I can think of off hand were PSX game Jet Moto 2's "Rollercide" track, where you essentially raced on a dual wooden track (always reminded me of Colossus) where you can get so much airtime that you fly off into the abyss below. It even has the precursor to Hades 360! On the PS Twisted Metal game, there's an amusement park themed level as well, but you can blow up the rides Never got that far on DK Country 2 but the mine cart levels in the original game and on DKC Returns remind me of CGA's Gold Striker