Shavethewhales

Sounds like a few old CC rides have found a home. Now, what does WA have already? I'll bet they at least get the flyers and the wisdom tornado. I'm hoping the S&S double shot stays in Branson.

The thing is, a coaster design is not the work of one person or even one group of people anymore. There are so many factors to take into account when engineering such a huge thing as a coaster - cost being the biggest one normally. I mean, look at CP's new ride. Many would like to believe that it could have been a lot more, but as a Civil Engineer, I can't imagine how much work/money they're going to put into securing that lagoon and controlling the water supply. I'm quite impressed they were able to come up with the solution that they did. I'm a HUGE fan of themeing, but in a cost-benefit analysis, how can you defend adding so much extra cost to the project when in most cases it doesn't really affect gate revenues? Same thing with extra track. So it all comes down to cost, and the collaboration between the firm and the park to find the most cost-effective solution to whatever need they are trying to fulfill.

Wow, Stricker's always blows me away. It looks like a really good collection of rides for such a tiny park. What are their operations like these days? Do they actually have a season where they're open to the public yet, or do they pretty much only rent out to private parties still? Have they been doing well lately?

They might as well just start banning men from the pool. So women can go ahead and wear bikinis and other form-fitting suits, but god forbid you see a bulge in a man's swimsuit. THAT would be non-family-friendly. Yeah, another reason I've started avoiding AT anytime I'm lucky enough to be in the area.

LOL, you've never been to Oklahoma I take it. I'm actually surprised none of the midwest parks have such an attraction. A safari ride-through would work out well for them though.

Thanks for covering this park, it doesn't get nearly enough attention. Looks like it's definitely one of the top small parks in the nation right now, not that there's much competition these days... How is excalibur riding these days?

Yeah, PK is hands-down the crown SDC ride, even with a massive B&M next door. I mean, 5 years later, everyone is still flocking to it. It's probably the best family ride in existence. I'm still in disbelief that no other family launched coasters from S&S have been built. There's no major mech. issues with it as far as I can see, aside from the annoying sensors that have to be individually wiped off after even the slightest precipitation.

Nice PTR. This is actually my home park, but I haven't been in over 2 years. Looks like the place has really cleaned up nicely, it was a pit the last time I visited. The new owners have really cleaned it up, and the two new rides are very good quality for the park.

Had an AWESOME trip to SDC last weekend. The park looks better than ever, despite nothing new to experience. In leu of a new ride, the park has been gone over with a fine-toothed comb and every knook and cranny has been cleaned and fixed up. Old effects and animatronics that I didn't even know existed before are working again. Parking is still free (unless you're a sucker for "premium spaces), food is still cheap (less than $12 for a full meal with dessert), and you still don't need any type of fast-pass system to enjoy your day, even with many thousands of people in the park. Speaking of fast-pass systems though, the park is dipping their toes carefully in those waters this year, with the introduction of the Trailblazer pass. For $20 you get 6 free cuts in line, essentially. Now many of you enthusiasts from the coasts may be wondering why SDC is going with such a soft system rather than a full que-bot sysetm such as DW - the answer is somewhat complicated. SDC has a very interesting base of patrons, a group with very different expectations than typical theme park goers. If a typical fast-pass system were to be suddenly installed, the park would have big boycott on their hands. So it's a careful experiment to see exactly how they can institute such a program without disenchanting many of their long-time guests. SDC has only been playing the theme park game for about 8 years now. I should also note that the Peter Gossamer Magic Show was fantastic as well. It's almost more of a comedy routine than a magic show, but there are a lot of great tricks too. I finish this off with bunnies. They actually sell these for about $20 I believe This was cool - it's some type of steam-powered saw they use to build birdhouses. This was all a parking lot 3 years ago. GE has really filled out. Lot's o rock has been dug up. Maybe it will be used as well. Station? That's the old ropes tower Looks like some of the old Landing novelties will be re-used in the new area. Oh yeah, construction. Heavy machinery has returned to the site. Believe it. mmmm Waits for Wildfire are usually pretty small thanks to the big B&M trains. Here's the view from the hillside the ride is built on. The condo's kinda ruin it some, but there's vast expanses of undeveloped land you can see from the top of the lift. The shot of Wildfire everyone has. There's very little to tell you about how big this ride is until you're about to enter the station and see this. That's a 155 ft drop off the side of a hill. Now on to Wildfire, the park's gargantuan steel coaster that launched them into the rides-based theme parks racket back in 2001 I don't actually know how the Trailblazer pass works. I guess you just walk down the exits and show them your pass. This is where the line for PK started later in the day - all the way down the hill from the station. Still, that's only a bit over an hour's wait with 3-train ops. Always start off the day with PK - it's usually the only ride with a much of a wait in the park.

Lol, I guess so, I'm just not used to it - and I don't think a lot of people are. I think we're programmed as enthusiasts by the parks we visit. I mean, I'm always surprised at how many people shell so much money for flash passes, and act like it's just common sense that they have to do so to have a good time. Where I live, NOBODY would do that, and the parks are arranged to accommodate that fact. Everywhere else it's common knowledge. I just think that's interesting. I also don't like having to research my trip in order to be able to have fun. I do want to just want to show up and leave my brain at home - that' why I take the trips! I guess that's another way the parks differ regionally. It's funny how at first, people react with disdain at the prices, but over time come to accept them as normal and think it's weird when people complain. I guess that's universal across industries though, just look at gas prices.

I know how you feel, OP. These other guys are hardened enthusiasts, so they know the ropes and what to expect, and how to get around everything you encountered - many of them don't know what it's like to be a typical, unsuspecting visitor who's just trying to have some fun with his/her family. No amusement park should provide the experience you encountered. I still can't believe people allow themselves to be swindled so easily. I've avoided SF parks for the past several years because I simply can't stand to walk into a place that charges $4 for a bottle of water just because you're stupid enough to be trapped there. It's not like a movie theatre - they know you're going to be there all day long. It's taking advantage of people beyond the usual business norm, IMO. And don't even get me started on the mind-numbing advertising around every corner, and even on the rides themselves. I mean, all power to the guys who want to shell out over $100 for admittance and flash pass, but I would never be able to stand it even if I could afford it. Obviously, the solution is to just not patron them anymore and hunt out other attractions that are more deserving of your money. I wish more people would do that so SF parks could be reasonable to visit again. Support your local, unique attractions! Hope you get a refund.

I don't know if this has been talked about before, but doesn't it seem odd how much bare metal is being placed where (presumably) the riders heads go? Seems like a bad idea, IMO I'm sure they'll make sure it's comforable when it's all done though, I just can't get over how odd the cars are. It was a lot easier when all you needed was a hollowed out toboggan and a seat belt.

Good to see a lot of good welding jobs holding on in this economy. We could very well be on to a new stimulus idea here. Too bad there's no twisty bits though. I'm actually pretty tired of seeing B&M do mega coasters, it's not their strong point.

SDC never allows re-rides - it's a company policy that's come to be after many near-fights and a lot of incidents with kids running around and grabbing seats they shouldn't be taking.

Good grief, I'm really beating myself up for not getting in on this now. I can't believe how well the parks are treating you. That's more coaster-riding than I will get in 5 years.

Wish I was there... Good to hear you liked SDC. I forgot how confusing getting around the park was. It's supposed to be so simple, being as most of the park is a solid loop - but it sure doesn't look like it when you're in there with all the trees and winding paths. At least there are lots of good shops to stop and cool off in. Edit - Hey, did they say anything about the new splash battle? I've been curious to hear some of the new details.

It is indeed the Preston and Barberi splash battle that they were going to build last year. Here is the concept art: http://sdcfans.com/gallery.php?g=7 The parts have been sitting at the park for a year now, but as most of you know, they stopped construction work half-way through due to economic worries. This year I'm happy to report that the park is experiencing above-average attendance. There were rumors going around that they were considering scrapping the river battle and throwing CC's Roaring Falls in there instead, but it looks like they've gone with the original plans (to my relief).

Is this the last Chaos out there? I was disappointing when Celebration City removed theirs. Between that one and this I've had some pretty good rides on this type of ride. The cages are a little uncomfortable, but it's definitely a unique ride experience and more out of control feeling than most.

Lol @ America. So set in one train of thinking. Anything slightly new is cause for immediate alarm and panic. If I were you, I might make a sexism complaint, but then you're just opening up a huge can of worms and pretty soon everyone's wearing t-shirts in the pool. I'd just conform to their wishes in this case. It's not like they're being dicks about it. Society's the problem. Kudos for rocking the speedo though.

Last year I remember riding the 1800's carousel and being attacked each time we went through the far side. Took away a lot from the ride, which annoyed me greatly. Is there really nothing the park can do?

Ch.11 means no major expenditures can be made without court approval, right? So that must mean they're putting in something they already have lying around - or something they already bought. Does SF still have anything left over from Astroworld/SFNO?

I was expecting a lot less, thank you for sharing this. Now I'm a lot sadder that the park is going to close.

SDC does have a little different crowd structure than DW. Notice how we got a culinary school last year instead of a thrill ride. However, I expect to see Q-bots next year when they see how much cash this will make them. Sigh, they're always just a little too expensive for me. I just don't want them to implement any of this in such a way that they increase the normal wait by much. I really didn't enjoy being pressured into buying a fastpass at some of the other major parks - pretty much killed the experience for me.

Well, we all knew this day would come - SDC has just announced their own version of the popular 'skip-to-the-front' schemes found at every other major park. For $20, you can get 6 skips to the front of several of SDC's most popular attractions with the new Trailblazer Pass. This is a somewhat timid first try at the scheme, and it's sure to be expanded in the future as people discover it. The number of passes given each day is limited. I'm not sure how you apply them yet, though I'm sure they have attendants stationed at each ride to handle them. This is sure to be met with a mixed reaction, as some detest such schemes while others have been hounding SDC to get such a system for years now. I myself am not a huge fan of such schemes, as I've witnessed how they can get out of hand, with parks purposefully making the regular lines worse to push fast passes, but SDC will be much more responsible. I am sure SDC will develop this system in such a way that other parks with established systems will soon take notice of, as usual. Buy Trailblazer passes at the showlover's booth just on the other side of the turnstiles. They are limited in quantity and are sold on a first-come first-serve basis. Let me know how they work!

How does Thunder and Lightning run without air tanks? Does it have a longer cycle now? Good photos - I would be a big fan of LC, hope to get there one of these seasons.