joelwee

Despite that popular metaphor, life is nothing like a roller coaster. Roller coasters are fun; real life sucks.

I'm on the same boat with you. I was planning a weekend trip for May-June, but me and a friend decided to wait until 2018. If I was in your shoes, do the pilgrimage next year. If you think you don't have the chance after next year, go for it. I, too, was hoping to go to CoasterMania this year and experience Cedar Point for the first time, but I won't be able to make it. 2018 is looking like a good year to visit, though.

If anyone is wondering why Knott's would do something so outlandish as installing painful shin guards on a wild mouse, California Coaster Kings posted the answer on their Facebook page today.

"Rio Negro" isn't racist; it means "black river".

Do you have to be a member of Club TPR to attend WCB? I live near SFMM and want to hang out with y'all when you come out here.

They both have Vekoma Boomerangs. Disneyland and Six Flags Over Texas

Jeb and Willy were out dove hunting early one morning, when they found a deep hole in the ground. It was so deep, they couldn't see the bottom. As they stood there, looking at the hole, Jeb spotted an old car transmission sitting nearby. "Hey, Willy!" he said, "Let's drop this down the hole and see how long she takes to hit bottom." They hoisted the old hunk of steel into the hole. Just then, they heard a rustling in the bushes behind them. They turned around just in time to see a goat come charging through the bushes. It ran past them and, without thinking twice, dove headfirst into the hole. A few minutes later, a farmer came walking through the bushes. "Morning, fellers," he said, "Didja happen to see a goat come through here?" "Shore did," said Willy, "he dun came through them bushes and darned if he didn't jump right down that hole. Strangest thing I ever saw." "That's impossible," said the farmer, scratching his head, "I had 'im tied to an old transmission."

^ I both love and hate videos like that. I hate them because they use Photoshopped pictures, sensationalized stories, and downright false information just to earn YouTube views. On the other hand, I love them because the more people fall for the baloney in those videos, the fewer people will be clogging up queue lines for my favorite coasters.

I certainly wouldn't complain if Knott's put in a dive machine. I think we have a better chance of seeing one there than at SFMM, given Six Flags' comment after installing Tatsu that they don't plan on spending that much money on a coaster again at SFMM.

Revolution at SFMM (without VR) is an under-rated coaster, IMO. It's surrounded by a lot of old trees, so it's almost like driving through the forest.

Apocalypse (SFMM)

I actually found Boomerang's restraints more comfortable than Viper's, because they sit on my shoulders without smashing down on them. I'm 6'2", so my head sits up high enough that I don't experience any headbanging on Viper, but surprisingly, Boomerang didn't really smack my head around much, either. The only headbanging was on the sudden stops and starts (ie., when the chain lift engages on the second lift, and when the train hit the brakes inside the station).

SFMM has come a long way in the past 15 years, in terms of weeding out the bad apples who migrate toward their park. My dad worked in Valencia as a paramedic in the '90s, when the park was plagued with gang activity. It was known as Six Stabs Tragic Mountain among local emergency personnel.

The park was great yesterday! I arrived inside the park at about 1:00 and stayed until closing. Everything had about a 20-30-minute wait, except Silver Bullet, Jaguar, and Monte, which were station waits when I rode them, and Ghost Rider, which was about 40-50 minutes when I rode it. I was able to ride everything I wanted to, and got a couple of repeats on Xcelerator and Boomerang (in between the several times it broke down). That was my first Vekoma Boomerang, and I actually enjoyed it. I can see how some people wouldn't like how jerky it is, but I experienced less headbanging than on some of the B&Ms at SFMM. I got a Boysenberry Festival tasting card and really enjoyed the food. The fry bread wasn't as good as it looked in the picture, but the pizza and the ravioli were outstanding.

I rode GL for the first time a couple of weeks ago. It was fun, but equally painful. My side of the rotating axis must have been about 100 lbs. heavier than the other, but I only flipped over once.

Cool! Anyone else gonna be there today?

This is the best time of year to go, IMO. The weather's nice, everyone is still in school, and most of the rides are open. I stopped by the park for a little while on Monday evening and everything was a station wait (except Revolution, which still had an hour wait).

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VR coasters are overrated. They make me dizzy and nauseous, and I think the Nintendo 64 produced better graphics than the Gear VR goggles that Six Flags uses.

abuse

I'm thinking of going to Knott's tomorrow. How are crowds this week, with it being Spring Break and the first week of the Boysenberry Festival?

always

Since we're on the topic of "healthy" Six Flags food, the crispy chicken salad (chicken tenders cut up and put on top of some lettuce) at Katy's Kettle is pretty dang good. (Plus, you can get it with the Dining Pass. )

Tatsu!!