speedracer

Thanks for the comments guys, appreciate it! . Harvest Express is indeed the only coaster in the park. And it is very smooth, cept for the last 2 turnarounds, which in typical Miler fashion, produce some violent laterals that are right up there with the last turn on Scandia Screamer. With the long train, feels much more like a mine train than a kiddie coaster with the push/pull on each hill. Unfortunately this reduces the amount of airtime you'd probably get if it had shorter trains, but it's still a totally fun coaster and a perfect fit for Nut Tree.

Was the official grand opening of Nut Tree Family Park this past weekend, here's a few preview pix: Complete update at sfmwzone.com: http://sfmwzone.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=280&start=0

Love the theming. KBF's sure would have blended much better and not look so awkwardly out of place had CF bothered to theme theirs like this.

Thanks for the report, looks like fun. Need to get down there, haven't done SFMM's FF in years. This will be the first year for SFMW's Monsoon Falls Posessed! (maybe that's where Log Jammers efx went):

Thanks for that, VERY cool! Ursula's my fav villainess, why I wished this ride would be built, to see the full scale giant animatronic Ursula!

^ Can blame all the b#%&ing neighbors for that, no longer allowed to blow off fireworks on a night before school, leaves only Fri & Sat in the offseason. At least he can watch the hordes of people packed around the castle on Sunday waiting for the fireworks, seen it every time I've been there on a Sunday. People are just automatically used to DL holding firework displays the entire weekend, sucks that a few have to ruin the decades long tradition for everyone else.

Great TR, glad to hear ya'll had a good time, SF is definitely a beautiful scenic city, and SFMW is indeed a great park. Not the best coaster park, but does offer a little something different for everyone to enjoy (ya for the spraying tiger!!! One show that NEVER gets old!!!). I'm hoping with the name change to SFDK will be the long rumoured placemaking project of the entire front area to move the front gate closer to the parking lot, and finally get rid of and landscape all that old parking lot asphalt in the front. Been rumoured for a few years now, will definitely help improve the look and first impression of the park.

Sounds like you've got an amazing trip planned. Hope you're not too disappointed with SFMW, definitely not a coaster thrill park like all the other SF parks. Does have a few good ones, but it's mostly about the animal shows and attractions, with rides thrown in the mix just for variety. Have never taken transportation there, but between all your options, the ferry service is by far the most scenic and least complicated way to go: http://www.vallejotransit.com/mworld.html Ferry service runs Fri-Sun only: http://www.blueandgoldfleet.com/SixFlags.htm Vegas coasters have both single ride and all day pass options. And because of local ordinance, DL can only do the fireworks on Friday and Sat. durning off season. Have a great trip!

^ Dunno what was up with the Fun House sign, maybe in the past there used to be a fun house there or something, but definitely no fun house now where the dark ride is. Wasn't able to get any good pix of the dark ride, the loading area is just a tiny entry to get in the cars, and the ride itself is very much like the carny dark rides. You shuffle around in the dark for most of the ride (not much to see!), then a few strobes flash and some cheesy black lit scenes pop up, shuffle around in the dark some more, back to the loading area. If they once had a fun house, they really should have kept it instead of removing it for this. The most I got out of my visit was a brand new appreciation for my Santa Cruz Boardwalk, all the things I love about a traditional seaside park like my Boardwalk were sadly missing from BFZ, and not just in the rides department.

^ LOL! Yeah looks like we'll have a HSTC West!

Should really try to check it out this last weekend if you can. Just be sure to get there super early, parking in the area is a #%*@, the few lots and street parking around weren't nearly enough for all the traffic in that area. And my condolences socalMAN123, I totally know how it feels to loose a favorite local park even if it wasn't the biggest or bestest. Saw alot of folks having a great time out there, will be very sad to see this little place disappear.

Check out the lead car, has to be one of the coolest themed lead cars evah!: Did another update along with a little history on the Nut Tree Park if anyone gives: http://www.sfmwzone.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=3274#3274

^ I'm the same way, born and raised here, so I'm used to it too. Funny when one happens at work and all the non-natives start screaming and freaking out, too much fun!

^ Dunno, I remember both my friend and I coming off Psuklone the opening year thinking "that sucked!". Good first drop like now, but the rest was just slow boring and overall "meh". As far as the roughness, I always like to point out a MUCH older woodie up my way that's located just 10 miles from the epicenter of the 1989 Loma Prieta Quake, withstood basically a direct hit from our 7.1 quake: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loma_Prieta_earthquake To this day, Giant Dipper is still completely glass smooth and still one of the best woodies around. Proof that Psuklones roughness and suckiness has absolutely nothing to do with an earthquake.

^^^ Yep, still have it, still totally ghetto! I guess the scary part is suppose to be that it moves SOOOOOO slow inbetween jerking forward here and there, I questioned whether it was actually going to be able to make it back to the loading platform! Yeah, the place may be ghetto, but it's better than more buildings and concrete. Would much rather have a few ghetto rides in a great outdoor location, than the stuffy boring building/museum that's gonna replace the entire park.

I know what he means, but if I was new.... oh well. Ya'll are a bunch of perv's! OK, how bouts I just say "ll bump knuckles with you if I see you ", is that ok? Back on topic, be sure to get a schedule too and check out some of the cooler animal stuff like the giraffe, lorikeet or dolphin feedings (quite an experience if you've never been slimed before by a giraffe tounge ). And I'll second Skyscraper on the orca and dolphin shows, along with tiger and sea lion shows, all a blast! No special events going on this weekend, and with summer over, don't expect it to be too crowed. But if it is and you ain't getting there till noon, just hang out doing other stuff and hit the coasters later. Since SFMW is very much a family park, most of the families get there as soon as the park opens and leave early before the kiddies get too cranky and it gets too cold or dark.

Having been a regular visitor to the SoCal parks since the age of 5, I had always heard of the Balboa Pavillion and Fun Zone in Newport Beach, but had never been before since there didn't seem to be much there. But after hearing that the 70yr old seaside park would be closing forever on September 18th, I knew I had to make an effort to at least see it before it goes away. With Labor Day weekend being my last and only chance, decided to check it out while I could, the last Labor Day forever for this California seaside landmark. For a bit of history on the Fun Zone and Pavillion, check out the History and Pics links (note the beach beside the Balboa Pavillion, will be a point to it later): http://www.thebalboafunzone.com/ http://www.balboapavilion.com/ Street entrance to The Zone: Very cool mural near the entrance: Here's the view approaching the Pavillion from Balboa Blvd: Closer shot of the 1906 built Pavillion: In front of the Pavillion, looking down the midway (note the junk shop on the left): Strolling more down the miday toward the rides (way too many junk shops like the one on the left, had they had more unique specialty shops instead of the swap meet crap, may have attracted more visitors): Looking back the same midway toward the Pavillion (yeah, pretty ghetto!): Main ride area: Bumper cars: Cool classic signage in the bumper car pavillion: Small court, location of 4 of the 5 park rides ("Scary Dark Ride" was not so much!): Classic Merry-Go-Round: Time for a spin on Ferris Wheel (don't you just love all the creative ride names?) Starting our way up with creepy toy soilder watching over the midway: Main arcade building: The Zone through the spokes! Nice palm tree lined seating area in front: Ariel view of most of the park: View from the top, notice anything missing?: Yep, looks like the beach that once surrounding the Pavillion and in front of the park is completely gone! Some of it paved over, most of it filled in with water for the Marina? Had they kept the beach, maybe the park would have been more successful. Nice view showing the ocean in the distance on the other side (park is built on an island): Walked over to the other side of the island to see a beach, was such a nice day!: Only spent a few hours there, but got a good feel for the place. Sad to see it go, but from the looks of things, maybe just as well. I'm sure the park has seen better days, and with the park's beach paved over with cement, no wonder it's closing and being razed. Non the less, very sad to see another California fun zone disappear into the history books. RIP Balboa Fun Zone: 1936-2006

Glad to hear you took the time to enjoy SFMW, I guess too many people go to SFMW expecting a coaster park, which Marine World was never intended to be. The rides were only added to plus what what already there, a great animal park. I've actually spent an entire 8hrs in the park before without going on a single ride all day (with friends/family that don't do rides) both pre and post Premier/SF. The heart and soul of SFMW has always been the amazing animal shows and attractions/exhibits that have been entertaining us NorCal folks for the last 37yrs. If people go for only the coasters, then yeah, they'll understandibly be bored after only a few hours. But if you take the time to take in the shows and explore the entire park and all it has to offer, you'll come away with a different perspecitve and appreciation of what SFMW is really all about. PGA on the other hand, with their weak ride lineup and nothing else to offer but upcharges and kiddie rides, bores me to death only after a few hours.

^ Yeah the earthquake itself is pretty facinating, especially if you're outside and get to see the pavement/streets liquify and roll, actually pretty f'ing cool!. It's only because of man made structures falling on you that earthquakes are deadly (unless there's a tsunami or mudslide involved, then not so much fun). With all those structures built on swampland and sand, I would've been crapping my pants too if I lived in FL!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060913/ap_on_re_ca/canada_college_shooting My sincere condolences to the victims, such a sensless tragedy and waste of innocent lives.

What security check? You mean the front gate employees who glance in bags but don't notice the multitool/pocketknife hanging from your belt loop? It was probably an inflatable, just deflate it and put it in a backpack. Makes sense, judging from the pic, I assumed it was some sort of full size manaquin or something. Which proves your point, can even walk through DL security with a folded blow up doll and won't be stopped .

^^ Also, if I were from outside the States and looking for a location, what could be more of an American icon than DL? Besides NYC, DL would be my next guess, so maybe there was a point to placing a representation of such a horrible atrosity in the ultimate Americana icon of fun. Obviously had some insider help, no way he could have gotten all that past the security check and front gates.

I'm going Sunday with friends, if I see ya I'll pound ya! Too bad you didn't wait 2 more weeks, could have ridden this too while you're in the area:

Thier not? I wounder how the Las Vegas monorail was built then. Let me clarify...PARK monorails are not being built anymore. For a while there were manufacturers building them for parks/zoos everywhere, but they have since gone out of business. Companies like Chance, Intamin, Mack and quite a few others still manufacture monorails: http://www.intamintransportation.com/ http://www.mack-rides.com/en/products/people-mover/Monorail.php Bonfante Gardens has what is probably one of the last park monorails built, the hugely popular Sky Trail: http://www.bonfantegardens.com/images/bg02_16.jpg http://www.bonfantegardens.com/images/bg02_17.jpg Not so much an issue of the product not being available anymore, just transportation rides in general are not something most parks feel a need to add in this day and age. Bonfante's Sky Trail and IOA's Suess Trolly are great examples though of how a monorail ride system can be used instead as a scenic ride to showcase other attractions in the park from an elevated perspective, rather than just for transportation use which is what most park monorails were used for before.

Circuit completed, and as I was hoping, a custom family coaster with a wicked looking twisted layout! : http://www.srcphotography.com/gallery/displayimage.php?album=random&cat=32&pos=-3345 More pix: http://www.srcphotography.com/gallery/index.php?cat=32