Edgar Allan Pooh

Antelope Island is great. I usually go there once or twice a year. Just look out for the no-see-ums. They bite. In the summer, I can easily spend a whole day at Lagoon -- but this includes the water park, Pioneer Village, getting a funnel cake, doing repeat rides, playing at the arcade, etc., plus I usually have to go on Saturdays due to my schedule. If you get there right at opening, you can do the coasters pretty quickly (Cannibal's line builds up pretty quickly but is fast-moving; Spider, Jet Star, and Wild Mouse get long and slow; Colossus' line is fast-moving). When I'm busier with school and such, like right now, I'm also content to just go for a few hours and hit up the major coasters. Last weekend was surprisingly busy, but I suspect things will start to even out over the next few months until we hit summer.

^ yes. Yes they did. I wanted to get down there sometime in the winter, but could never quite justify the drive (at least, without being able to ride some coasters as part of the trip). I've got my season pass, and am super excited for the 2021 season. Especially with them opening a week earlier than usual this year. Unless I manage to make it to Silverwood or Adventuredome this summer, it looks like it's going to be mostly Lagoon and a bunch of water parks -- but hey, I'm not going to complain, that should still be a lot of fun. And don't quote me on it, but I've been hopping on some of the livestreams Lagoon does on their Instagram page, and I believe Julie said that they are planning on operating Jet Star this season. Things can always change, of course, but I'm excited -- haven't been on Jet Star in a while.

Sorry for not replying to this way earlier! I haven't logged on here in a hot minute. I'm glad you were able to take the trip down there! I ended up not being able to go when I was hoping to, primarily because we left too late in the morning to fit it in. It's hard to fit a park trip in the middle of an all-day drive. I'm hoping to go at some point this year, though. I really have my heart set on that El Loco credit.

Question: How busy has Adventuredome been as of late? I haven't been there since 2001 and may head down this weekend to get the El Loco cred (it will be along my route). But, I will only have a few hours there at maximum, since it will be part of a very long drive. I'd also love to ride Canyon Blaster again -- it was my first coaster with inversions, and I definitely need that dose of nostalgia. It would also be nice to get on at least a few flats -- NebulaZ, Inverter, Chaos, Disk-O, and Sling Shot would be ideal, but really just the former 3 are what's important. Do you all think this is realistic to do in a short timeframe? Even if there's only time to do a few rides, I think it would be $40 well spent, but it would also be helpful to have a gauge of how busy it might be. If this trip is successful, I'm definitely going to to pop in to the Vegas parks more often whenever I'm driving through.

I’ve never gotten sick to my stomach on a coaster. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m not susceptible to motion sickness, or just because after I eat I almost always ride a few gentler rides before getting back on coasters. I did get a pounding headache and a feeling of weakness last summer during one of my Lagoon trips. But that was just dehydration from eating really sodium-rich foods during the heat of the day. I drink plenty of water, so it was surprising. I’ve just decided I won’t be eating any Teryaki Stix at the park until dinner when it’s cooled down a bit.

Thank you! I just might end up using it as one! It was quite fun walking by the elk. Normally they’re not too interested in passerby. I know some animals are more active at dusk, which was when we were there, so maybe that’s why.

I'm hoping so as well. We will definitely get through this. Some people are saying we won't be free from this quarantine until at least 6 months from now. Those people scare me, but I don't think they're accurate. I sure hope they aren't, because at that point, there won't be any summer left to enjoy. I am trying to remain confident that Lagoon will open by May or June. I'm sure they'll open as soon as they are able -- fingers crossed that it'll be within the next little bit. Here are a few photos from when I "visited" yesterday evening, with my brother. We walked along the Lagoon trail up to Farmington Pond. A few people we saw were wearing masks. It was weird, to see Rattlesnake Rapids with no water and Cannibal's empty lift hill, but it was still great to be near the park. The campground bathroom and showers were unlocked, for whatever reason, which was convenient because the ones by Farmington Pond definitely weren't. And the elk were pretty happy to see us. Trying to make the most of all this.

Ah yes, I saw that. Disappointing, but also pretty much expected. As much as I was hoping they’d open, I would’ve done the same thing in their position. Off-season in Utah is such a depressing time of year, at least for me. Rotten luck that this disaster had to strike right when we were about to finally be done with it. I miss Lagoon. I think I’m going to walk the trail anyway early Saturday morning, since I need the exercise and then at least I can see the park. I’m bound and determined to ride the first Cannibal train of the season, if possible, so I’ll keep monitoring. At least now, I have good reason to stop obsessively checking their Facebook page multiple times a day. I’ll just check it on Mondays. Edit: I wonder if the new ride will be that red Crazy Bus-type thing that some people had seen in one of the construction zones. That is exciting, and something good to look forward to in the midst of all this.

I bought a season pass and parking pass as well. It is very possible (and probably likely) that their opening date of March 28th will be pushed back, but I think the chances of a 2020 season not happening are extremely, extremely low. But then again, 2020 has been testing us. Just woke up to the 5.7 Utah earthquake this morning which was unexpected for me, even as a Californian who has grown up with earthquakes. What a weird few weeks it has been. I hope you’re right. I will definitely be there whenever they do open. Yeah that earthquake was a wake-up call for sure. I’m also from California and haven’t felt one in a long time. My momentum has definitely been thrown off these past few weeks.

Silly me. I bought a season pass and parking pass to Lagoon for Black Friday. I also bought a season pass, parking pass, and season tube for Splash Summit earlier in the month. Definitely did not predict anything like this happening. Ah, for those innocent days when I thought COVID-19 was going to die out just like Zika did. With Utah’s parks only open seasonally, I just hope we won’t miss the entire 2020 season. This whole fiasco has thrown a wrench into things to say the least.

Was planning on going to Lagoon on the 28th. Even if they don’t open, I might just drive up there to take a walk on the trail. Who knows. At least I got up to Disneyland last month before all this crap hit the fan.

Went to DCA and DL last weekend with a small group and had a blast. Did DCA on Friday and DL on Saturday. For a less successful ROTR anecdote: Saturday was a bad day to try and get on ROTR, and I should have known this (being a weekend and all). I had stayed up way too late the night before at DCA, and the night before that preparing for the trip. So I got up kind of late. I didn’t get into the security line until 7:35 am, and didn’t get into the park itself until 8:09 am. I managed to get group 138. Nobody else from my group was in the park yet, as they were staying at a different location than I was and were also really tired. Anyway, they stopped boarding at group 130, so I didn’t make it. They also stopped boarding at around 10 pm instead of going until closing. I’m not sure if this was due to the evening shows or not. I still had a really great time, but if I can get back there again anytime soon, I’m getting there way earlier.

Might go to Lagoon one last time this week, but I don’t think I’ll have time unfortunately. If I can swing it, I’m hoping to do Adventuredome on my drive back to California for Christmas week. After that, Knott’s Berry Farm! Then in March Lagoon will be open again. I really want to go to Disneyland and California Adventure in April, so I’m planning on it. And then I would love to go to Cedar Point. Not sure yet what I’ll be doing in January / February, my two least favorite months. I’ll probably just use indoor swimming workouts as an excuse to ride the small water slides at the local rec center.

Fun report so far. I love both of these parks. It’s cool that you rode the rails too. And no trip to Cali would be complete without seeing the ocean!

Yes, exactly!

It’s from a Bizarro comic. I was looking up Edgar Allan Poe’s poetry online, and idly decided to google “Edgar Allan Pooh.” This comic came up and I instantly knew I wanted to use it as a username. Had to get the avatar to match, so I edited the original comic image.

These reports are awesome! Nice pics as well. I didn’t even know Fun Spot Orlando existed until this excellent day, but I definitely want to go there now. And being locked in that park sounds creepy. But what a great story to tell too. Who knew you’d find that kiddie park in the middle of South Dakota.

I’ve never been to a coaster meetup before, but if I didn’t already have tickets to ComicCon for the 7th I would definitely have considered coming. Hope you have fun; Lagoon is an amazing place! I was there for a few hours today and the crowds weren’t bad at all. Most of Lagoon’s coasters are fine to do as a single rider. You just can’t sit in the very front or very back of Colossus or Roller Coaster. Cannibal as a single rider is heavenly. Jet Star 2 doesn’t allow single riders, and neither does the log flume or the rapids ride, so you’ll have to hop on board with a family. The wild mouse doesn’t require anyone to sit next to you, but there has to be someone else in the car. That’s all I can think of right now, but overall Lagoon is pretty easy to do solo if that does end up being your day. It doesn’t cover a large geographical area either so you can crisscross without too much difficulty.

On Hammerhead Shark at SFDK (Zamperla double pendulum), this girl next to me was cussing out her boyfriend the entire time, presumably for making her ride it. It was hilarious. "I'm going to f***ing die!" When we were hanging upside down, she went "oh sh*t" at the top of her lungs the entire time. I can't remember the gory details, unfortunately, but it involved lots of profanity and I think her boyfriend was just laughing. It was great because it was my first time going on an inverting pendulum, and what she was screaming out loud was what I was thinking. :') I love that sort of ride now, though.

Last credit I got was Puff the Little Fire Dragon at Lagoon. Yes, it’s a kiddie coaster, but I’m heading towards the realms of credit whore-dom as the years go by. :V Before that was Flight of the Hippogriff at Universal Studios Hollywood!

Very cool! Just downloaded it. Although I really need some pockets with zippers so I can actually bring my phone on coasters to collect the data.

Today it is insanely crowded. It’s bring a friend day, and everyone is trying to use up the last day of their season pass.

There are a lot of images here - just a warning to those with slower connections! And unfortunately I'm no photographer, so most of the images kind of suck. Not only does Utah have terrible air quality, it's also not a very good place for theme park enthusiasts. Regardless, we do have one wonderful gem here, and that is the Lagoon! I decided to embark on this trip because I haven't been to a theme park in an insanely long amount of time. Finances and a stressful, time-consuming college major have made that difficult. The last park I had been to was over a year ago...also the Lagoon. Before that, I had gone to Six Flags Magic Mountain. I love SFMM, but I was chaperoning a youth group at my church, and none of them really liked roller coasters. They only came because the trip was free (a guy had won the tickets in a radio competition). So we had to leave after just a few hours, right when I was in line for Batman the Ride. I think all I rode with the amount of time we had was Goliath, Superman, and X2. Not cool! This ended up being a solo trip. I hang out mostly with programmers and animators due to my course of study, and apparently that particular brand of nerd doesn't have much of an affinity for theme parks, because I couldn't find anyone who wanted to go. I'm also not the most extroverted person in the world, so there's that too. My brother was considering coming, but after the doctor told him his running injury had originated in his back, he realized that it would be a bad idea. On the bright side, that meant that I was in full control of my day, which means staying for much longer than what most people like to do. I.e., opening until closing! I also found a promotional code via KUTV that got me $20 off, so that was nice. Also, I apologize in advance for TPR's sly little insertion of a pseudonym for a certain word that starts with L. Anyway, enough of the talking and onto the photos! When I report on trips, I like to structure it like a narrative, which means that I started with some photos from my walk along the Lagoon trail. So feel free to skip down to the actual ride photos. The lovely SUV that served as my transportation! No trip to a theme park is complete without mediocre pop music! Since I got there early, I had enough time to walk the fabled Lagoon trail, which circles around the park and lets you see a different view of some of the attractions. And trust me, I needed the calorie burn. Cool gazebo thingy Cool stone thingy Where I started on the trail. This first little chunk is just outside the parking lot. I should also mention that I didn't get there as early as I wanted, so I had to turn around early. This is the Lagoon campground. It looks nice, but since I only live an hour away, I haven't tried it out myself. Oh, hello, Wicked. Nice little river alongside the trail. Saw my first wasp of the day here. That's one thing you have to be wary of - probably because of all the water, wasps LOVE the Lagoon. They also love stinging people, but as long as you keep an eye out you'll probably be fine. These plants are pretty sick. You pass by a power plant after that, which rather ruins the otherwise scenic trail. Lagoon trail marker. Nice artwork of a carousel horse! Another trail sign I guess this is a warning sign to bikers? At any rate, I didn't see any on the trail, and I was on it at around 10-ish. The Lagoon has a small zoo in addition to the rides and water park. You can see some of the animals from the trail, so if you want to see some without paying the admission fee, OR save time so you'll have more time to devote to rides, this is something to consider. This horse was very excited to see me. Unfortunately, I did not bring it food, so that excitement was short-lived. After a short walk on the trail (about 25 minutes), I went to go park my car. Lagoon doesn't open until 11 AM on weekdays during the summer, and I entered the parking lot at around 10:40ish. While there were definitely people there, there were also a ton of really good spots. If you get here after 11, you will not get a good spot, which is bad if you want to go back to your car at any point during the day. Lagoon allows you in the park before 11 (not sure how early) to await the rope drop! So here is a bunch of people waiting to ride the Cannibal! Cannibal, looking majestic in the midmorning light! This was my first ride of the day. Single rider lines rock! It's wise to get on the water rides early in the day to avoid lines. It's hot as heck even at 11 AM, so you won't regret getting wet early in the day. The log flume here is kinda wimpy, but it's in a beautiful setting and actually rather enjoyable. There was this random quail walking around the log flume, which made me very happy. Rattlesnake rapids is awesome! Yay! Next was the excellent Colossus: The Fire Dragon! I love this coaster. Slightly better shot of Wicked! I actually forgot that it launched before the first lift hill, so that was a bit of a shock. Btw, Cannibal and Wicked both have single-rider lines. All the major coasters have lockers to put your stuff in, which are free for an hour (and since you'll be transporting your stuff between different rides, it actually makes a lot of sense to leave it at each one). Single rider meant that Wicked was a walk-on for me! Fun little explanation of the science and engineering behind Wicked's launch system. The classic Roller Coaster! One of the good woodies that doesn't bang your head around too much. The merry-go-round, complete with some dude with a stroller. I really need an excuse to go on one of these again... Got some Subway for lunch! Just a warning - it closes at 2 PM. Park doesn't tell you that though, so I barely made it in time. Also, none of the food places are marked on the park map. There's a generic fork icon to show that a restaurant exists, sure, but it's not labeled. This is very annoying. Tried a beaver tail for the first time. It's worth both the cost and the extra calories. Turn of the Century, picturesque as always. This is my favorite swing ride of its type. The express train is always fun. It takes you through the Lagoon's mini zoo. It's especially popular with the kiddies, and people like me who still get unnecessarily ecstatic when seeing exotic animals. A ton of little black fish live in the lagoon, which is funny considering that it's disgusting. :O They closed the swinging ship ride for the day Lots of controversy exists around the very small enclosures that Lagoon has for their animals. I do agree that something should be done about this, although I'm not sure what. Lagoon is next door to residential areas and the Lagoon trail, so it's not like expansion is really an option. And it would be sad if they took the animals out. However, it doesn't appear to be particularly comfortable for them... :/ Zebras! Elk thingy! Le exotic camel When I was a young warthooooooog! Skyride, from down below! This ride actually scares me way more than the coasters do. I don't like the lack of a secure seatbelt (there is one, but it's just a little non-locking lap bar). I do like it, though. But some people sit sideways on it and even recline. Meanwhile, I clutch my bag with one hand and the bar with the other hand, and pray that there isn't an earthquake or something. Terroride was closed for my other two trips to the Lagoon. So it was awesome to get a ride on it this time. It's much better than the carnival zombie rides, although the format is simpler. I legitimately jumped a few times. Be afraid! Be terrified! Are those abs or fat rolls on the green dude? If he's anything like me, it's an odd combination of both. See, kids, this is what happens when you love to do crunches but you also like to eat copious amounts of cinnamon rolls. This vulture threatens to eat the children, if I recall correctly. He's a nasty little varmint. Flying Tigers is one of Lagoon's new kiddie rides, and it's looking good. I didn't go on it because I didn't want to look like a creeper, but if I had someone to do it with, I totally would. It's like a suspended, swinging version of the Charlie Brown Speedway at Knott's. Wild Mouse! Nice and zippy. Another shot of the Sky Ride, with Lagoon's beautiful foliage surrounding it. I love this little Paratrooper. It's actually quite fast. Samurai is ALWAYS CLOSED. Thus, I've never actually been on it. For whatever reason, it was only open for two small intervals during the day, during both of which I was on other rides. So even after 3 trips to the Lagoon, I still haven't gotten on it, because it's been closed every time I go over there. They really need to do something about this... They moved Centennial Screamer to this part of the park, and replaced it with a nondescript building which I can only assume is for some sort of internal park operations. Shot of the giant wheel and Cannibal, the latter of which I went on for a second time. I thought riding the wheel at sunset would be a good idea, but there was a pretty big line and I wanted to get to the water park, so I didn't. I need to get on this next time. Went to Lagoon-A-Beach, the water park, during the afternoon. Just a fair warning, all the l.ockers here cost money. However, there isn't a time limit for how long you can use them for. I went on the two smaller Body Slides, and also Liquid Lightning. Ended up swallowing a bunch of water on that one because the pool came a lot quicker than I thought it would. I also hit the bottom of the pool each time I came out of a slide, but thankfully it's really well padded so it didn't hurt. I also went around the lazy river a few times, and on one of the tube slides. I intentionally skipped Outrigger - it's impossible to stay on top of your raft whenever you hit one of those little pools, and the operators get annoyed at this even though it wasn't your fault. There is a nice recreational pool in the center of the water park, too. You also get a coupon for a free drink after turning in your raft, which is pretty nice. Next time, I'll be testing out The Drop! Went back to the car to drop off my swim gear, and got this lovely shot of Roller Coaster at sunset! Got some Teriyaki Stix, and redeemed my free drink coupon. Teriyaki Stix is good, but a bit too salty. Still would recommend it though. Another shot of the body slides from just outside of Lagoon-A-Beach! Spent like 10 minutes at Pioneer Village before it closed. It's actually kinda spooky at night, especially because it's not well-lit and most people leave after the sun sets. Yeah! This thing! Pioneer Village is really charming, and next time I'll probably spend a bit more time there. Creepy organ music was coming out of this building, and nobody was in it. Decided to skip it. :S Odysea, looking good! Didn't want to get wet again after showering at Lagoon-A-Beach, though. So I saved it for next time. Air Race and the Rocket are both wonderful rides! For the Rocket, I prefer the Blast Off to Re-Entry. But both are great. Air Race is super fun at night! Sorry for the bad quality of this one. I was in a rush. D: "Fire up the tilt-a-whirl / And we'll see you all in hell!" I really hope you don't get that reference. If you do, yay for our shared enjoyment of sketchy underground hip-hop music! I love theme parks at night. So much. It's even better than the beach. I mean, what's more romantic than this? Once they actually opened Samurai, the line was long, so I went to Air Race and then Cannibal. It actually would've been smarter to get on Samurai, because they managed to get through the entire queue...and close it right as I was walking up, after Air Race. -_- I'm going on this next time, regardless of how long the lines are. Pokémon Go teaches you many things. I didn't ride Jet Star 2 because it's a groups only ride, and it's a bit too up close and personal to be ridden with random strangers. :S Final ride on Cannibal...Last ride of the day... I was in one of the last groups to get on. The train actually started at closing time, exactly. Terroride logo looks awesome at night Stopped at a gift shop just because I didn't want to leave. And this is so true... Yes, this is a rainbow colored poop emoji. You know you want it. BUT I DON'T WANNA GO :( One last wistful look at the park entrance... And one last look at Roller Coaster and Wicked... Seriously. I did not want to leave, haha. But the park was closed for the night... But I made it back safe, sound, sore, and in bad need of a hot shower. I forgot to mention that I also got an awesome souvenir shirt! Take my money, Lagoon. TAKE IT All in all, this was an excellent trip, and I will definitely be coming back! Thanks for reading if you actually got this far! ;D

Wonderful; thank you. I was thinking of going at 4 or 5 pm anyway, and it's open until 8, so that's super helpful.

Hey! Just a shot in the dark: Does anyone happen to know what times of day that Lagoon-A-Beach will be most crowded? I'm primarily coming for the coasters and thrill rides, but I'd like to get on some slides too. Haven't been in a long time.