Jameslofton

I really think people put way too much stock into completely arbitrary terms. I highly doubt this will be a "bigger announcement" than Intimidator 305 in the eyes of anyone on this forum but it doesn't have to be for them to claim that. Maybe this comes with some general upgrades (a new parking gate seems likely since the chain seems to be in the process of renovating those) but I don't think the phrase "biggest announcement in history." is something people should get hung up on since it can mean whatever they want it to mean. "Biggest announcement in the park's history" is a direct quote from park marketing materials released to . Considering that they have to top Intimidator 305... They don't have to "top" anything. Hell, they could decide tomorrow to bulldoze RMC Hurler and install a big Snoopy Sno-Cone machine and figure out a way to say its the "biggest announcement in the park's history". We live in a hashtag/social media world so even if people complained that the announcement was not big enough, a day later its forgotten and on to the next thing. The comment's purpose is to get people to pay attention right now. It worked. Bill's right. People are taking the comment way too seriously....and literally.

Killer video. I first went to GA back in 1989. I think it was a much better park back then than it is now. It had nothing as amazing as Gold Striker but it wasn't just rides. The park had an incredible atmosphere in its prime.

I like the MO TRs and really looking forward to this one. I lived in Missouri off and on between 1992-97(in Joplin, Seneca, and Anderson) and will always regret not going to the parks back then. I still have family in the SW MO area and within the next few years I plan on visiting them and I'll have to hit up the main parks on the trip.

Anyone been here recently? Its next on my list. I've already been to CGA and SFDK this summer and was gonna wrap the summer season up with SCBB and then do SFMM in the fall. The few times I was in this area as a kid everything was closed. Always wanted to ride Giant Dipper. I'm planning on going the 16th or 17th. On the other hand, my trip to SFDK last month wasn't very good due to bringing along some dysfunctional family members who had never been there before and I'm considering dropping BB and going to SFDK again instead so I can get the full experience properly. Joker and WW are begging for rerides, V2 was down on my visit(never rode one), and I missed out on Superman. SCBB only has two coasters and basically a bunch of fair rides. Gin Blossoms playing there on the 18th so that kinda sweetens the pot although I only loved one song of theirs. I did like Tiki Twirl at CGA and the new ride here is similar. The two coasters, shockwave, Tilt-a whirl, ferris wheels, double shot, the ski lift, and fireball which is currently down my main(only?) interests. After that, I'm out of things to do other than rerides. I read Andrew's TR from a few years back. Pretty good(I also love In N Out) and great pics. That line for Fireball was bat poop crazy. I'm praying it reopens before I make my decision. Decisions, decisions. Anyone who likes both places and if faced with similar circumstances, which would you pick?

That's a very interesting concept. Is this the first time such a thing has happened or a yearly event at some parks? I'm single so if something like this were to happen near me(CGA or SFDK), I'd consider it. Now that my long dead interest in amusement parks/coasters has been resurrected, I'd love to meet someone with that identical interest.

Everything about our cell phone culture drives me nuts. I resisted them myself for years until it was practically a requirement to have one. At SFDK last month at least half the people were either just sitting down or walking aimlessly with a cell phone stuck to their face. It made me wonder why are they even here...you can do that at home. As far as cell phones and coasters go, if one ever hits me on a ride and it doesn't knock me out cold(or worse), I pity the fool when we get back to the station. I also support these policies and wish they'd get even more strict. I don't see the need to do this. You can go on youtube any time and watch professional vids filmed by people like Robb. A few years back I was praying the obsession was just a fad. Its not. Its here to stay. Worst is concerts and I hear its even worse than the last time I went to a show. I'm one of the only people in the crowd not standing there aiming a phone at the stage. Didn't even pull my phone out when I was really close to the stage at the M.I.A. show and Buckethead show. What's the point? To get a like on FB or Twitter? No thanks. I'll just enjoy the show. Another reason for my dislike of this stuff is I was in a car wreck back in March 2016 in front of my house. I was turning into my driveway and the car behind the car behind me tried passing us both as I was pulling in. He overcorrected, hit me, and his car landed upside down. A miracle we weren't killed. I walked over there to make sure he was alive. He was....and he was also talking. Told me he was texting his girlfriend on the way to Starbucks. He then asked me if he could use my phone(his flew out during the wreck). That enraged me and only two things saved this guy from his cruising for a bruising.... He was in distress My ex girlfriend was there When the cops arrived the first thing I said was the needless and idiotic reason for this crash. Sorry for the rant straying off topic. Cell phones just irritate me(except when they're being used in theme park TRs ).

Small world. I live out in dairy country between Modesto and Crows Landing. I go to Patterson several times a week. If it's been many years since living here, you'd barely recognize the Patterson of today. It was a small town in my youth(my dad and grandpa would tale me to the Portuguese festa there) and now its got a Walmart supercenter, Walgreens, CVS, Save Mart, Amazon distribution center, and more than a dozen fast food joints. It still amazes me how quick it expanded. That peach festival is a pretty major event now. Traffic congestion during it is bat poop crazy. It also has a fairly high crime rate now. Past few years a lot of robberies. Funniest being the time two guys tried robbing the bank near Walmart. THey left their car running, went inside, someone noticed what they were doing, opened their car door to turn the engine off and take the keys, they panicked and took off running(without any money), and cops nabbed them minutes later.

I'd agree but that's a close call. I rarely go to the mall anymore but when I'd go to the mall here in Modesto, I'd get Auntie's on my way in and swing by Wetzel's on my way out. That BGW pretzel is making my mouth water. I only eat them with mustard. An old girlfriend would smother hers in cheese. I tried it once and IMO the two just aren't a good combo.

Dear mother of God those pretzels look scrum-diddly-umptious. Ever since childhood, any time I'm at a mall, fair, or park, one thing I'm guaranteed to eat is a pretzel. While I chose Cedar Point as my big trip next year(maybe Kings Island as the bonus), high on the list for the next trip is Dollywood, Carowinds, or Bush Gardens. Those pretezels alone may have moved BG up a notch.

Wonder Woman is the cat's meow right now. We'll be lucky if half the rides coming next year aren't some variation of Wonder Woman.

I had to look up an Intamin surfrider to know exactly what you guys were referring to. I can see why some are a tad disappointed at the possibility(however remote).

THat's what I'm hoping for too although I've yet to ride Maverick. Wasn't a wing coaster on their 20 year plan or am I mistaking that with another park?

I just read earlier today that Delirium has been given the 'all clear' to reopen....as well as La Revolución at Knotts and Beach Blaster at Belmont Park. http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/08/01/great-americas-delirium-thrill-ride-can-reopen-state-says/ For those not wanting to click the link, the relevant info: I'm hoping Fire Ball will reopen at Santa Cruz since I'll be going there in two weeks.

Nothing wrong with people screaming on coasters. I don't scream but like to hear it, especially the girls/women. You can tell they're having the time of their lives. Going to fairs/parks takes me back to my youth when everything was great and life was much more innocent, and the screams are a big part of that soundtrack.

The TR's in this thread are verging on a work of art. Since I've only been to a few parks(plan on upping that number dramatically the next few years), I mainly lurk just to read posts about how all these parks are and the TRs are informative and amazing. Bill quickly became my favorite TPR member but I also love reading posts/TRs from Boldikus, Nrthwind and his gang's CP trip was a blast to read, the woman whose home park used to be SFDK(forgot your name), and last but certainly NOT least, prozach and his wife's adventures are great reading. Quite a few others but not digging through the threads to refresh my memory ATM. If you guys plan on some huge meetup next year for CP's Mean Streak, I'd like to be involved. MOst of TPR's members seem normal and I'm sure we'd have a blast. A couple people(prozach) have mentioned how nutty some of the basement dwelling enthusiasts are at coaster events and those types I'd like to avoid like the plague. I wrote a TR for my visit to SFDK on July 19th where I took my mom and dysfunctional family. Kept editing certain things from it as I didn't want it to come across too bat guano lunacy but unfortunately it didn't go through for some reason. Oh well. I'm going to Santa Cruz Boardwalk in three weeks and since so few seem to post in that thread, I'll do a TR for that trip(minus the dysfunction, thank god). THis really is an amazing community.

Do people really have nothing better to do with their time? I cant imagine visiting websites that you hate. Doesn't that cut in to precious time spent on sites you actually like? The invention of the internet revealed that the world is full of morons although I had my suspicions before that.

Wow. I think that guy needs a new hobby. Try stamp collecting.

THis happened to my uncle on Boomerang last week at SFDK. She walked right by him. A bit surprising maybe but like you said...it happens and as long as you're paying attention yourself, nothing to really write home about.

I'm totally getting the Platinum Pass next year! My home park is KD, soooooo pumped for Hurler and Mean Streak. I'm doing a KI & 2 day CP trip next year for my B-Day. Has anyone done/recommend the CP VIP tours or should I just stick with the Fast Lane Plus and save the money? Me too. Platinum Pass to cover my first trip to Cedar Point, going to CGA again to check out whatever new ride is coming, and Knotts as well. It'll be very tempting to squeeze in a trip to KI while at CP.

well you get pretty desperate after you don't get a coaster for 10 years without a coaster and 11 and 12 right around the corner I understand the sentiment. Last year when my long dead interest in parks was renewed, I looked up CGA and was shocked that they had less rides than they did in the 90s. Of course CF is finally going in the right direction. Maybe this park can get some love too.

Last concert I went to was Buckethead in San Francisco in July 2011. I've had tinnitus(both ears) since 2006 due to concerts and so much loud music in general in my youth. My ears were shot for days after this show. I was about 10 feet or so from the stage and that club was loud. I was going to go see Guns N Roses last year for the 'reunion' but I had a major cancer scare(bladder) and my life practically came to a halt. I'm a hypocondriac in general and facing that crisis blew my mind. I wasn't going to any huge events while dealing with that. I was going to see Soundgarden this year when the tour eventually hit the bay area and we all know what happened before Soundgarden made their way here. I was advised years ago to stop going to concerts for the sake of my ears. I wanted to see Soundgarden one last time(impossible now), Guns N Roses one more time(last GNR show was in 91), and I'd like to see U2, maybe the Stones before giving it up completely. I'm considering Fleetwood Mac on their upcoming farewell tour.

I went yesterday. Anyone know how long V2 has been down? That was one of the main rides I was looking forward to(never been on one of those) and it was closed. It never opened. After lurking here for months, I was so hyped getting to ride my first RMC. We got lucky as we went straight to Joker when the park opened. There were a million people at the park yet only 7 people ahead of us in line waiting for Joker to open. Got on the first train(back row) It was really intense and cant wait to eventually ride the other RMCs as most here seem to rank it near the bottom. I only rode it one time unfortunately. That line became pretty insane after we got off and remained consistent throughout our stay. I'm not the president of the long lines fan club so I'm not going to any more parks without buying a fast pass. A park would have to be a ghost town for me not to consider it. I got to ride my first Boomerang. I took family on this trip(my mom, aunt, and uncle) and my uncle was literally praying to God as Boomerang took us backwards on the lift. I was laughing. It was actually a bit embarassing as there was two little girls in the seats in front of us and they were calm, cool, and collected. My neck hurts today and I'm pretty sure its from this ride. Scat-A-Bout was down...another bummer. The scrambler was my favorite ride at the fair when I was about 4-5 years old and looked forward to riding one again. Maybe next time. Question about Ark/Sea Dragon. These were at fairs in the 80s/90s. Were they always this small or is it just in my mind after my lengthy absence from going to parks? I remember them as being much bigger and going higher in my youth. If you sit in the middle, you're barely off the ground. I should've rode a bunch of rides by myself. They weren't too interested in riding thrill rides once we got there.. He backed out of Medusa as we were literally inches from boarding so we just turned around and went back. I said we'll ride Skyscreamer instead and come back to Medusa later. Nobody wanted to ride the swings but I've always wanted to ride crazy swings and wasn't leaving the park without doing it so I had to ride alone. I loved it but the ride was a bit short. I could've swung up there all day. Cant imagine how bat poop crazy those swings in Texas are. Monsoon Falls got us soaking wet. I hadn't been to this park since 1998 and I barely got wet at all back then. We were drenched and I immediately regretted wearing my boots. We rode the rapids a bit later and I was again surpised to get so wet. The rapids at CGA in the 80s-90s didn't seem to do so much water damage. My interest in water rides was at a low to begin with....I cant swim and for many who cant swim, these types of rides last on the totem pole although I do want to ride a log ride. Haven't been on one since 1995. Once I get another one of those under my belt, I can happily retire from water rides. I have less than zero interest in water parks but after reading this forum I realize they are a blessing in disguise....they'll ciphon a huge chunk of the crowd away and will shorten the lines. My mom nutted up on Cobra. If you were at SFDK yesterday and heard a 62 year old woman screaming on Kobra, that was her. It actually surprised me. She screamed bloody murder on Patriot when we went to CGA in May but I wasn't expecting such a reaction on THAT. Not really sure why she wants to go to amusement parks with me if she's going to have such reactions. I know its mainly for the overall experience and to simply go on a few trips with me but she'll say she wants to go on 1 or 2 "big rides" but once we get to a park, she starts getting scared. Oh well....she wanted to ride a few coasters as it was on her bucket list(until CGA a couple months ago, she'd never been to a real amusement park) and she accomplished that with Patriot, Gold Striker, Psycho Mouse, and now Kobra. Our last ride of the day was Wonder Woman. We were thinking about leaving but I wasn't leaving without riding it. Its the brand new ride and it looks amazing. My uncle started praying again while we were in line and we watched two rides during our wait. He was thinking about backing out. Its a bit understandable I suppose as it feels like its inches from your head as it flies by. I told him to just not look at it and it'll calm his nerves. This ride was really intense(along with his "Save me Jesus" commentary to heighten the experience) and I loved the end when your upside down and staring down at the road like you're going to crash right into it. That fence adds an extra thrill to the ride. When I go back again, I'm gonna ride it many times. I gotta buy the drink plan on my next park trip. I get cotton mouth after every ride and twenty bucks a pop(buying four each time) starts adding up quickly. I don't like carrying anything in the park and while I paid for a locker, don't feel like going back to it repeatedly but I'm gonna have to as its not worth spending a hundred bucks or more on soda just to avoid carrying a bottle around. The merch here wasn't that impressive although I didn't check out every shop. I wanted to buy a Joker shirt but all the shirts I saw available were just pictures of Joker. I saw nothing coaster related and it was more like a comic book/movie design than anything about the ride. Maybe they were sold out of the shirts or they simply don't have them for this particular ride. Only thing I bought were some souvenirs(necklaces and bracelets) at the butterfly exhibit. I thought I read awhile back in this thread that they were going to get rid of the Go-Karts. They were closed most of the day but I saw them open before we left. It does look like a prime spot to build something else. This park seems to have much less emphasis on animals than yesteryear. When I went in summer 98 they had whales and it seemed like most of the focus was on animal events. The animal stuff that remains doesn't seem to attract big crowds although I am basing this on one visit. I know the back of the park is dead in comparison to the front.Not sure if they have any room but they should consider bringing something else(even flat rides) to that area if possible. When going to the major parks(Magic Mountan this fall, Cedar Point and Knotts next year), I'm gonna take a girlfriend with me to ride the coasters and my mom can just sit back and relax if she still wants to go. I might take my uncle to Magic Mountain too(he's more like a brother than uncle, two year age difference) but I'm not gonna keep paying for people to go on these trips with me if they're not really interested in riding much, if anything. All my aunt rode was the rapids, falls, and teacups and she only rode those because we all did. She'd also get in these little digs every now and then and someone with that attitude doesn't need to be going in the first place, especially on my dime. I mainly wanted her there to keep my mom company but I have my limits, even moreso when it starts impacting my experience. I need to start working out. You don't realize how out of shape you are until walking miles around the parks. In the future, I need an actual plan at these parks so I'm not walking back and forth all day. We'd ride one ride, go walk to the other side of the park(butterfly exhibit for example), then walk all the way back around and ride something, then go back. I was exhausted after just 3-4 hours and everyone was ready to leave even though we hadn't rode everything yet(Superman, Medusa, and Kong the main examples). I wanted to do a much better TR but my phone died less than an hour after arriving and besides, it wasn't the greatest experience under the circumstances. I gotta go back...maybe next year...and hit all the rides I missed.

Well, when the area in question has been marked for the allowance of a potentially major expansion, I wouldn't exactly call that nothing. They mowed the lawn....causing some people to have champagne wishes and caviar dreams of giga coasters.

No, he's thinking of both of you. You pretended to know what you're talking about the moment you started posting. You had some sooper sekrit source that knew what ride Knotts/CGA was getting. You were called out on it and backed off. Unfortunately you've done the same thing dozens(hundreds?) of times since.