The Great Zo

That's the fun of having a ride with no restraints -- if you aren't careful you'll take it in the chin! Yep, unfortunately that was the case in 2015. Can't hurt to try if you're gonna be there, though. Hahaha. But the camera doesn't lie! This isn't overly surprising, but sad to hear it's true. There was a little bit of talk about that possibility during our 2015 visit, but I didn't want to mention it since I wasn't sure if it was just speculation or not. She wasn't in the greatest shape 3 years ago, but still, it was one of the most unique (and strange) theme park attractions I've ever seen.

Day 5 -- The Pictures (Part 2) After our meeting with Alicia, we tried out the evil bouncy slide, Cataratas. Calling it a "slide" is generous because whatever material it's made out of, it's not easy to get down. First, a walk up the stairway to the top. It's a nice view over the north end of Selva Mágica's property! But, it's a tough go to get down, and those drop-offs are steeper than you'd think. Pretty sure those at the ground are laughing at us still on the way. Well, I have to say, it was an interesting experience. Now, let's take a walk and see what else Selva Mágica has to offer. I like this dolphin fountain near the main entrance! Trees blooming all over the park. A gathering point for earthquake threats, presumably far enough away from anything that might topple over. A marble-rolling game that looks almost like a low-tech version of Fascination. The park has a selection of flat rides, and like La Feria and Six Flags Mexico, some of them are a little bit out of the ordinary. This one is a Downdraft or something similar. Here's a standard swinging pirate ship. A spinny flat ride in the kids area. A few more low-key flats in the kids area at the north end of the park. Nao de China, a looping boat ride, basically identical to the one at La Feria. Sadly, the Huss Megadance was pretty much disassembled in 2015. I no longer see the ride on the park's website, so I think it's gone. Some, uh, interesting artwork on the Megadance. This park also has a year-round haunt -- La Casa del Terror de Freddy. Presumably Krueger, but I didn't go in, so I don't know for sure. La Casa del Terror was described as small, but dark and entertaining! Hey, how about some more coaster pics? Let's head back to Bullet! Bullet starts out on the back spike. Guests in the front car, waiting for the start of the ride. After going through the station, Bullet makes a big turn... ...before completing a vertical loop /over/ the station! Find me another coaster that does that! The train then heads up the back spike... ...where it slows for just a moment before doing the entire thing again in reverse. Up at the top of Bullet's double-spike. Drive tires! Yay! This might not be the most advantageous location to build a nest... A fun look at just how tilted the train is as it leaves the station. Rounding the curve... ...and heading into the vertical loop. Again, I ask, why are there not more of these? Why did this /not/ get cloned when Boomerangs did? Heading out of the inversion. A quick spin underneath the station. Zooming past the palm trees. Shoot the moon. Round the curve. Behind the spike. Bullet's a pretty great ride. Next up, a run on the park's log flume -- Los Troncos. It's a pretty standard flume -- a decent ground-level run through the woods, followed by a single lift and drop. The splashes were not overly large, but still made for some good pictures. And everyone ends up smiling at the end anyway. A wider look at the drop on Los Troncos. Hm, maybe that is a good bit of water. Am I sure I want to ride this myself? They look a little wet. About to make impact. Kicking up water at the bottom. The boat is in there somewhere! Log #3 checks in. Log #8 laughs. Log #2 is kind of damp. Log #7 is in disbelief! Our next contestants on Los Troncos ... Nozzy and Caesar! Doing a little photography on the way to the lift hill. A bit of grit-your-teeth excitement... Splashdown! That looks kind of uncomfortable, actually. Yeah, hold your nose. Hoping they didn't swallow any. And now it's just funny! Thanks guys for testing the thing out for me! So, here's what happened. I decided to go on as a solo rider, hoping a light boat would keep the splash at a manageable level, as I wasn't particularly interested in a mid-day shower. I had my feet kicked up against the sides of the boat, trying to avoid the water sloshing around at the bottom. Unfortunately, I didn't account for the lack of friction that would provide once I hit the bottom of the drop, and I wasn't holding on very tight. Once the boat hit the splash and started to slow down, my unrestrained self flew from the back of the boat to the front of the boat, my head ramming on the padding attached to the front of the seating area. I actually scraped up my knee pretty good on the bottom of the boat, too. Thankfully, I had Elissa there ready to go with first aid, as I was all about disinfecting whatever was trying to enter my bloodstream from that Guadalajara log flume water! Several TPR people saw the incident, and there may even be pictures, but I haven't seen them! Alright, back to the pictures, and what's going on at the turnaround on Titan? Looks like a quick break for some maintenance. Thankfully, Titan was up and running in no time. Before we left, Nozzy got a few more rides on Bullet, and I was there to capture the fun. That's some excitement. Nozzy enters the loop... ...Nozzy rounds the loop... ...Nozzy exits the loop. Looking for a spot for some quick aerial photography before we took off, I hobbled my way back up the bouncy slide, taking in this side view of Bullet from the top. Oh, and there's Titan not far away. Looking down into the park, there's a scrambler and a pirate ship... ...a carousel... ...and Freddy's house of terror! Meanwhile, Alicia's still just kind of laying there. Had to take in the view over the city as well. This is mainly a residential area west of the park. That's a lot of satellite dishes. More Guadalajara homes, heading up the hill. Views up on a distant hillside to the northeast. Mexico is a hilly place, and Guadalajara is no exception. This is the most interesting geographic feature in the area, though. These huge cliffs stand at the edge of La Barranca de Oblatos -- a huge canyon carved by the Río Grande de Santiago. The canyon is out of view, well below those cliff faces. In some places, the canyon is as much as 2,000 feet deep! There are hiking trails through the area, and if I ever make it back to Guadalajara, I might want to check it out. An interesting vehicle seen on the way out of Selva Mágica. Here's a mural that stands near the entrances to Selva Mágica and the Guadalajara Zoo. It's not very peaceful. I didn't get into the zoo, but I got a picture of the sign on the wall! This fountain outside the zoo is pretty awesome. All of the water elements are animal heads, carved in stone. Snails and fish are also represented! I guess I did get one animal picture. A nice little bird. Seen on the way back to the city -- a torch to commemorate Mexico's 1968 Summer Olympics. Another colorful, historic church on the way home. OK, one last picture of Bullet eclipsing the sun. That's it for Selva Mágica, and that's it for Guadalajara!

Day 5 -- The Pictures (Part 1) Welcome to Selva Mágica! Sadly, we were two days early for the start of the lucha libre event. Selva Mágica has an interesting ticketing system, where attractions are available in different tiers based on which type of entrance ticket you purchase. A place to buy the tickets... ...and the colorful stairway to walk up to enter the park. We were very quickly acquainted with this unique red coaster, whose back spike rises well above the trees. This is Bullet, a Schwarzkopf coaster with a very storied history. A close-up of the Bullet ride sign. So, let's head up to the station and get a dozen rides in! You'll notice two things from this picture. First, the "accordion" shoulder restraints, which are a bit uncomfortable. Second, the way the train is actually tilted as it's parked in the station. Yep, the front and back edges of the track in the station are tilted, as those are part of transitions into the tight elements this coaster runs through. Here's another look at the accordion-style restraints, which clamp down from the top. The back of the Bullet train. Drive tires, which send the coaster up the back spike, before accelerating it forward through the course. A closer view of the tires, because I'm sure somebody here will be interested in seeing it. Sitting instructions for riders with Lego-hands. In a seismically active area, evacuation plans are important. But we're gonna take a look at the coaster just behind the sign... Here's Titan, formerly known as Sky Streak at Boblo Island! Pink Floyd is cool. Riders on Titan wave hi to their friends, or perhaps their foes... Heading out of the station and through a very random arctic-looking tunnel. Don't look so excited, it's just the lift hill! Climbing to the top on this strange, strange coaster. Another train of Titan riders approaches the top of the lift. Cresting the hill and heading down! Oh, here it is -- the epic "straight bit" near the end of the ride. The train pulls into the brake run... ...and I think they all had fun. But enough pictures from off-ride -- how about a bunch from on-ride? It's time for some (completely permitted) POV photography. Rounding the first curve on the way to the lift hill. Yep, we're gonna take the tunnel. Preparing to make the climb -- and finally riding a coaster I'd first seen with my own eyes in the late 80s! Gaining some elevation near the top. Looks like some rust on that track, but we'll be OK. The view from the crest of the lift -- and away we go. Awkward airtime is this coaster's calling card, and it's a bit of a challenge to capture with a camera! I think it's brilliant that this turnaround is obviously not banked at all. A few more hills on the return leg of the ride... ...and the straight bit! Yay for the straight bit! Finally, we return to the station. A look down at the station from the lift hill. There's Bullet, just behind Titan's lift. A wider view of Bullet and the skycoaster, which sadly wasn't operating during our visit. A few flat rides near Titan's station. There's our next coaster -- Tornado, another Schwarzkopf creation. Meanwhile, the little Pinfari -- Jubilé -- was out of service. Jubilé was having work done on it, and I don't think it was intended to be a long-term outage. Some interesting views from Titan, looking over the north end of Guadalajara. Here's a look back across the coaster's infield. High-rise buildings and mountains off in the distance. A go-kart track and the log flume both pass near Titan's back stretch. Some nice scenery too, with mountains... ...and the Guadalajara Zoo right next door. Couldn't see any animals, but we were moving pretty fast. More views of the city, including a huge cliff face just to the north. A pretty impressive geographic feature. More views off to the northeast... ...and to the east. And hey, you can buy a car when you're in the area. Moving on to the next coaster, we've got another Schwarzkopf. This is Tornado, operating at Selva Mágica since 2002. And any weather person is going to love this ride sign! The ride starts with a spiral lift... ...before heading into a drop and a sweeping curve. Another group of riders on the first drop. This picture gives a good look at the awkward seating. I'd only recommend trying to fit six in a car if you're with people you're really, really comfortable with. Enjoying a ride on one of Tornado's big turns. More happy faces on a fun coaster. Another train heads down the drop. Even a little bit of hairtime on one of the uphill segments. Everybody's either smiling or screaming, but it's a good time had by all. Might as well hang on and enjoy the ride! As mentioned, here's the Pinfari, which was down for the count. No reason to be too disappointed to miss this one, though. The Jubilé ride sign, with Titan's turnaround in the background. One more coaster -- this is Catarina. It had been down for a while when we visited in 2015, but the ride has since re-opened. Next on the agenda was lunch, and I have to say, the apple sodas that are readily available in Mexico are really awesome! I didn't try the Chorizo Chipotle Fritos or the Queso Ruffles, though. After lunch, it was time for our group tour of the one, the only, the famous Alicia! Alicia's entrance is at the left side of her very yellow hair. Alicia's exit is behind her feet, through the leg of her pants. From up close, she looks a little creepy. At this proximity, it's almost nightmare fuel. Alicia is not recommended for people who are pregnant, which is really ironic, given that Alicia herself is pregnant. Anyway, let's head inside. Alicia's neon uvula. Alicia's teeth, one of which on the right side could use some dentistry. Alicia's heart, which is dangerously disconnected from the rest of her bloodstream! Alicia's spine and rib cage, which appear to be in reasonably good alignment. Alicia's controls! Should we switch off the pancreas? Maybe toggle the intestino grueso? Alicia's femur, with a whole bunch of leg muscle behind it. Oh, and here it is! Alicia's fetus! The glowing creepy fetus child, as lovingly demonstrated by Ryan and Nozzy! Heading on down the line, past the rest of the leg bones... ...and exiting near the feet. Oh, and here's the transformer that powers Alicia, in case you were wondering what turns her on.

Day 5 -- Selva Mágica Thursday, March 26, 2015 Scorecard: Bullet (x12) Titan (x3) Tornado -- Lunch -- Alicia Cataratas Bullet (x2) Titan Los Troncos Titan The Report: Heading northbound from downtown Guadalajara, we found our way to the next theme park on our agenda -- Selva Mágica. Translating roughly to "magic jungle" or "magic forest," the park is one of several underneath the Ventura Entertainment umbrella, which also includes La Feria in Mexico City. The two parks have some similarities -- both are relatively small, and both have an assortment of oddball flats and relocated coasters. As we'd find, however, Selva Mágica's better operations and relaxed feel were much more to our liking. We started the day with film sessions on the park's three operating coasters, beginning with a lengthy run on Bullet. When TPR visited Selva Mágica in 2013, Bullet's track and trains had just arrived -- presumably from its former home in the UK. In 2015, the one-of-a-kind ride was up and running! From there, we headed to another relocated coaster -- the one teased very heavily in the preceding Boblo Island post. Formerly known as Sky Streak, the coaster now known as Titan provided some rather interesting rides. We finished the coaster run on Tornado, another Schwarzkopf with an interesting history. I'll get into that a bit more in the ride reviews below. After riding the three coasters -- and noting that the park's other two coasters were not going to be operating -- we made our way to our group lunch. Once that was finished, we had a date with Alicia! Perhaps the most famous theme park attraction in all of Mexico, Alicia opened herself up to us, and we headed in. How was the experience? Read on to find out! We checked out a few more attractions along the way, including Cataratas (giant bouncy slide) and Los Troncos (log flume). Finishing off with a few more rides on Bullet and Titan, we left the park in the mid-afternoon. If I'd had another hour or two, I would have loved to check out the adjacent Guadalajara Zoo, which looks like a really nice zoo by any standard! The zoo was much busier than Selva Mágica -- we didn't really run into any waits throughout our day. After we left the park, we did some more exploring around downtown, which was covered in the last full trip report segment. That ended our time in Guadalajara! Overall Impressions: It's always a huge plus when a park just seems to have their stuff together, especially with regards to the details surrounding a visit by a group like ours. Selva Mágica did great, which was a huge contrast to La Feria, which was a bit of a cluster. We had plenty of time for filming and other activities in a well-structured day, and even got a private group tour through the innards of Alicia! Selva Mágica has an interesting assortment of attractions, though there certainly isn't one huge star attraction to drive a visit to the park by itself. Bullet's the best, and it's more than just a curiosity -- it's a legitimately good coaster. Overall, though, the coaster collection is more remarkable for its quirkiness than for its aptitude. There's some odd flats, much like at La Feria and Six Flags Mexico -- a Nao de China looping boat, a magic carpet, a log flume, and the nigh-impossible bouncy slide. There's also some of the other Mexican park staples -- a dolphin show, a wacky shack, and a year-round haunt. Since our visit, Selva Mágica has added a ropes course (which looks really nice) and VR on Titan (which, well, yeah). I have to preface my one complaint about our visit by noting that we were there during what was obviously not the peak season for the park. With that said, there were several attractions that weren't operating, in various states of repair. Certainly more than you'd like to see. In a non-TPR-group setting, this is probably a fun half-day park. Unlike the stressful environment at La Feria, though, you'd actually enjoy that half day quite a bit! What do you do with the other half of the day? If I'm ever back there, I'm hopping over to the zoo. That's a pretty impressive one-two punch of major attractions on the north end of Guadalajara. The Attractions: Bullet: Selva Mágica's star attraction is a coaster that's way more fun than it deserves to be. Bullet's a strange little thing -- sort of like if a standard Schwarzkopf shuttle loop got twisted up into a knot. You've got the banked track through the station, the intense vertical loop around the station, and two drive-tire spikes at either end of the circuit. What simply doesn't make sense to me is this -- why is there only one version of Bullet, when there are literally dozens of vastly inferior Vekoma boomerangs? I will never understand. Bullet's one issue is the rather uncomfortable accordion-style shoulder restraints, but that didn't stop me from riding 14 times. for Robb's video from our filming session. Bullet has had a storied history. Built in the early 80s, it started out at Wiener Prater in Austria, then went to Boardwalk and Baseball in Florida, then into the European fair circuit. It found a home at Flamingo Land in the UK from 1991 to 2005, and was finally installed in its new home at Selva Mágica in 2013. Titan: Finally, that whole Boblo Island post should make sense to everybody! I saw this coaster with my own eyes when I visited Boblo in the late 80s, but was much too young to ride. Crazy to think that over 25 years later, I'd finally get to try it out, and I'd have to go to Mexico to do it. This coaster was built at Boblo Island in 1973, and re-installed at Selva Mágica in 1994, shortly after Boblo's closing. The ride was made by Sansei Yusoki, a company who is now more well-known as majority owner of S&S (and now Vekoma as well). Yep, they built a coaster well before those alliances were formed! As for the ride, Titan uses an almost laughably simple out-and-back layout, but it's the hills that make the experience. I really don't know how else to describe it, but it's like the contours of the hills weren't designed with any sort of mathematical principles in mind. Depending on where you're sitting in the train, it makes for some very uneven and unexpected airtime. It's like it's good for the wrong reasons! Oh, and we all enjoyed the epic "straight bit" near the end of the ride, which has seemingly no reason to exist. My Boblo pictures prove that this wasn't part of a themed tunnel or anything. It was just as baffling in Canada as it is in Mexico. Tornado: Yet another Schwarzkopf that's been around the block. It'd take a coaster veteran to have seen this one in its original home at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, where it opened in 1975 as Glissade. When it moved south, it actually opened first at La Feria, before heading west to Selva Mágica in 2002. It's one of only three Schwarzkopf spiral lift rides still operating in North America, along with Whizzer (SFGAm) and Jet Star 2 (Lagoon). It can't compare to Whizzer, which is much longer, but it's still a pretty fun ride (with a pretty awkward seating arrangement). Cataratas: These bouncy slides are evil. They are not as easy as they look, and they don't even look particularly easy. Good luck getting down without embarrassing yourself. The good news (or bad news) was that unlike the one at La Feria, adults were allowed here! Los Troncos: This is actually a decent little log flume! Just ... be very, very careful with how you sit in the boats, especially on the big drop. I'll share the story of my mishap in the captions. Robb, do you have pictures of this? Alicia En Sus Años De Juventud: Oh my, how do you describe a walk-through attraction that explores the insides of a young pregnant woman? Well, I guess that'll do. Anyone who isn't familiar with Alicia should go watch , like, yesterday. I will say that Alicia was in somewhat a state of disrepair during our visit -- some signs of wear (poor girl) and a few effects not working properly. Looked like she could use to have the cobwebs cleaned out. Still didn't keep it from being one of the most bizarre theme park attractions I've ever seen. I guess it's supposed to be educational, but to my eyes and immature sensibilities, it's just too weird to accept at face value!

Kristen, of all the places you've been in Florida that aren't theme parks, what are your top one or two favorites?

From the video... lol........

Thanks for the comments! Oh, it does, but it's a little strange because it's like the hills aren't shaped quite right. That will be in the next update! Thanks guys! That ride is a definite "no" from me! I might just have to do this some day. Maybe a Windsor/Amherstburg/Boblo day trip if I'm home in Michigan!

OK, I promise, this trip report segment will make sense. But we're gonna take a bit of a trip back in time, to an amusement park that no longer exists... Day ??? -- Boblo Island The Boblo Island signage on the Detroit Harbor Terminal building -- the point of departure for American visitors to the park. Photo from November 2014. So, what's this piece of nostalgia doing in a Mexico trip report thread? Well, it'll all come together at the end. But first, let me ask -- how many TPR members ever made it to Boblo Island? I'll start with a short history of the place. Boblo Island (officially, geographically, called Bois Blanc Island) is an island located at the southern end of the Detroit River, about 16 miles south of Detroit. The island, which is actually part of Ontario, was home to an amusement park called Boblo Island for the better part of a century -- from 1898 through the park's final season in 1993. Accessible only by ferry, the park was home to a few roller coasters, a decent collection of flat rides, an observation tower, and a laid-back classic park atmosphere. Before I go into my personal experience with the park, I want to share some pictures I took in 2016 at the Dossin Great Lakes Museum on Belle Isle in Detroit. The Dossin museum! Home to displays and artifacts that help tell the tale of the maritime history of the Great Lakes, the Dossin Museum has some space set aside in remembrance of Boblo Island. Sometimes spelled Boblo, sometimes spelled Bob-Lo. A poster for the park from around 1950. A bit about the park's history. One of the best parts of the display is a full-on park map, featuring 77 labeled attractions and points of interest. Based on the rides shown, this map appears to be from somewhere in the mid-70s to early-80s. The attraction list, part one. The attraction list, part two. The main dock area on the east side of the island. The lighthouse and train loop at the south end of the island. The marina and log flume at the northwest corner of the park. Oh, and here's a roller coaster... this might be important later... Another important part of the map? The Steamer Columbia -- one of the two famed boats that ferried passengers to and from the island! Because a little picture on the map isn't enough, the Dossin museum has a model of the Columbia on display! When running, these boats were packed with people on their way to or from Boblo Island. Each boat could hold about 2,500 passengers. The good news is that the Columbia has been moved to the Hudson River in New York, where it is being restored. See www.sscolumbia.org for more info. To note, there are plans for its sister ship -- the Ste. Claire -- to be restored as well at its home in the Detroit area. However, I don't think that project is as far along. A little bit about the Columbia, which was launched in 1902! Here's some history -- an ad for a picnic at Boblo Island in 1902. An ad and a picture featuring Boblo Island in its early years as an amusement park in the 1920s. A couple brochures from later in Boblo Island's history. Oh, this roller coaster sure looks interesting... What's happened to Boblo Island since the park's closure in 1993? In recent years, the northern end of the island has been developed into a community of luxury homes. The southern end of the island, home to most of the amusement park, is not in as good of shape. The rides were all sold off, but some buildings still remain, and the park's observation tower even remains standing. I do believe it remains possible to take a ferry to the island from Canada and hike to see the historic lighthouse and block house at the far southern tip of the island, beyond some of the abandoned buildings and old amusement park fixtures. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ So, here's where the story becomes personal. I actually did make a visit to Boblo Island in the late 80s. My family had the date listed as August of 1987, which would have put my age at just over two years old. I'm not sure it wasn't another year or two after that, but I can't say for certain. Either way, I was pretty young, but I do have some recollection of the visit! My family was visiting the park as part of a company outing with my dad, and we made a day of it. I recall the steam ship ride, a ferris wheel, and picnicing in the grassy area near a large roller coaster that looked kind of frightening. Well, "large" to a kid that young, anyway! Nope, the photography bug hadn't hit me yet at that age, so pictures from my family members will have to do! Yep, that's me. I don't post too many pictures of myself on here, but I'll make an exception for this photo set! Taking a spin on a rocket-type flat ride. Not sure I'm enjoying myself too much on the kiddie flying saucers. The cars, though, I was always a fan of! One hand in the air, one hand probably laying on the horn... Yep, I enjoyed my ride on the cars! Taking a spin on the kiddie whip! Watching from behind the fence? My mom (left) and grandmother (right). Waving to the camera, which I probably did a lot more of at that age than I do now. Don't know if this one had a brass ring, or if I was old enough to care, but here's a spin on Boblo's carousel. I'm riding with my dad. I look positively fascinated by the kiddie boats. Taking a spin on the car ride, trying to earn my license... ...but nonetheless, it'd be over a decade before they'd let me drive a real car. Alright, this is pretty important, as I love log flumes. Looks like this might actually be my first-ever log flume credit! Heading up one of two lift hills... ...and making the plunge! And I think now we know where my love for amusement parks may have begun. Oh, but what about my love for aerial photography? Yep, we've got pictures from the top of the sky tower! Here's a look east, toward the main boat dock. That's mainland Canada in the background. Check out some of the rides in this picture -- you've got a set of flyers, and some weird rotating-boot looking wheel. I honestly don't even know what that is, so maybe someone here can help me! Looking northeast from the sky tower, you'll notice the big blue-roofed building on the left. That's the big Boblo Island dance hall, which was commissioned in the 1910s by Henry Ford. However, your attention is likely also drawn to the white roller coaster. The preceding is the only decent picture in this set that includes that white-painted roller coaster -- a Vekoma death-trap looking thing called Screamer. It operated at Boblo Island from 1985 until the park's closing in 1993. You may be interested to learn that this coaster lives on -- it moved to Playland in Vancouver, got painted red, and took on the name Corkscrew. Apparently, it was featured in the movie Final Destination 3! Oh, but there was one more big coaster at Boblo Island. The one you saw on the park map. The one featured on the brochures. The one I remembered seeing from the picnic area. That roller coaster -- a truly legendary ride to me -- was called Sky Streak. Sky Streak at Boblo Island. ...and if you're waiting for this trip report to make sense, well... Could it be? Does Sky Streak carry its legacy onward? An international journey from Canada to Mexico... coming soon, the next segment of this trip report, from Sky Streak's new home as Titan at Selva Mágica in Guadalajara!

My rankings are done! I already posted my top coasters, but I'll share my bottom 10 as well, worst on top. There's quite a bit of overlap with Elissa'a list... Hades 360 -- The Gravity Group -- Mt. Olympus Water and Theme Park Bandit -- Roller Coaster Corporation of America -- Movie Park Germany Condor -- Vekoma Rides Manufacturing -- Walibi Holland MP-Xpress -- Vekoma Rides Manufacturing -- Movie Park Germany Soarin' Eagle -- Zamperla -- Scream Zone Temple of the Night Hawk -- Vekoma Rides Manufacturing -- Phantasialand Crazy Mine -- Maurer Rides -- Hansa Park T3 -- Vekoma Rides Manufacturing -- Kentucky Kingdom Nighthawk -- Vekoma Rides Manufacturing -- Carowinds Indiana Jones et le Temple du Péril -- Intamin Amusement Rides -- Disneyland Paris - Disneyland Park Dis-honorable mentions to two rides not on the poll: our dearly departed Son of Beast (rest in pieces) and that kiddie Dragon Coaster at Beech Bend that we all thought was going to break apart -- and eventually did.

Hey, just a quick note that the Sea World San Antonio coasters don't work through the search feature -- I think it's because the park abbreviation was changed. Also couldn't get Mystic Timbers on the search either. Working on the rest of my list now.

Had it at 6:09 PM, lost it shortly thereafter, got it back a minute or two ago. The joys of propagation.

Got it!

I took this picture of Kings Island on Sunday. Not sure I've ever seen anyone attempt this view before, 'cause it's quite the distance. Location: top of the Carew Tower, downtown Cincinnati, ~21 miles away.

Pretty much how I'm looking at it too. Rather than something where you'll actively feel like you're rotating around, the bigger impact from the spin will be how it changes your position with respect to the elements the coaster goes through. There are some elements that look somewhat intense and disorienting even for a straight-on coaster train, so taken sideways or diagonally -- or backwards -- it'll be really interesting to see how that feels. That crossed my mind too!

This looks like fun. Lots of interesting scenery, unlike anything I've really been through anywhere. Jotting down a note about Porto's, too.

That's a crazy day and a fun story. Well, minus half of Knott's not operating. Taking a few notes for my future travels, and can't wait to see the non-theme-park stuff to come!

Yep. Goliath and Lost Gravity are both in my top 30. Add in an RMC Robin Hood to that? This park's about to become a required hit for any Europe trip, and it was already a pretty nice place. Amusingly, this park's also got a coaster (El Condor) in my bottom 5. Start placing your bets on Loup-Garou at Walibi Belgium...

That's awesome! Jogging some old memories. Yep, several landmarks worth remembering, really nice place.

Guadalajara Culture Day continued... at night! So, let's jump back to Wednesday, March 25. After sunset, we had a small group go out and do a little more exploring, and I used it as a chance to do some night photography of the city's landmarks. We'll start at the gazebo in the Plaza de Armas. Nearby, a magician entertains a group of small children, and Caesar. Across from the plaza, the Palacio de Gobierno -- with its bullet-holed clock -- glows in the orange light. To the north, the cathedral really shines in the dark. A view of the west side of the cathedral from Plaza Guadalajara. Looking up at the spires of the cathedral. Still wish the water was turned on, but here's the fountain in Plaza Guadalajara. North of Plaza Guadalajara is the Palacio Municipal de Guadalajara -- city hall. Several horses, who are better at parallel parking than I am. My favorite of all of Guadalajara's monuments -- the stunning Rotonda de los Jaliscienses Ilustres. This one's just north of the cathedral. Written along the top: Jalisco a sus hijos esclarecidos. It's a monument to the illustrious men and women from Jalisco -- and to their contributions to society. It's also really well lit, with multiple changing colors! The Rotonda and the cathedral, next door neighbors. At the bottom of the picture, you can also see the tops of some of the statues depicting the people who are honored. Across the street from the Rotonda, we walked into the Museo Regional de Guadalajara, another centuries-old building now used as a museum. We had no idea what was going on in there -- just kinda wandered in with the locals to check out the art. There were lots of artistic musical instruments... ...as well as native pottery and decorations. The courtyard of the Museo Regional, which has a cannon, which is awesome. On the east side of the cathedral is the Plaza de la Liberación. On one side, you get a great view of the cathedral. On the other side, the main entrance to the Teatro Degollado. This plaza, like the Plaza de Armas, was very busy! Also, plenty of room to shoot off your light-up flying toy thing, or try to sell a few to the people passing by. With that, we stopped at a nearby Oxxo, grabbed some snacks, then headed back to our hotel. That was a really fun day (well, day and a half) in Guadalajara. What's coming up next? This trip report is about to go off in a different direction, so you'll have to wait to find out...

Guadalajara Culture Day continued... And now, we continue to wander the city and see cool things! Here's a statue of Beatriz Hernandez, who had a role in the founding of Guadalajara. A statue of Jorge Matute Remus, an engineer who moved the Teléfonos de México building so a street could be widened. Yes, this statue is meant to show him /physically/ moving the building! The "four boys" fountain (Fuente de los Niños Miones) which is, well, interesting. Looks like it takes some inspiration from Belgium's famous "Manneken Pis" which is exactly what it sounds like. A bronze sculpture in the Plaza Fundadores displays the location where Guadalajara was founded in 1542. Looking up at some windows and architecture... ...some that look classic and ornate... ...and others that are luxurious. The Palacio de Justicia, home of the Jalisco state supreme court. A marker for Guadalajara's historic city center. A fountain on the Plaza Tapatía. This is near Las Famosas, and just a couple blocks east of the cathedral. The fountain has frogs! And pigeons that like the frogs! A look back the other way, in a rare shot that I think the glare actually enhances. Trees in Guadalajara. Walking around the city, you see your typical streetside vendors. Tacos are common. Pizza is also common. Chinese is less common, but this is a big city, so you can probably find whatever you want! But not this. I do not want this. Ooh, a personal request! No high school experience necessary! Sign me up! (Wait, what am I signing up for?) You know what, I thought this sign might have something to do with prostitution, but it turns out it just means Sanborns is hiring. So I'm going to share my new knowledge with everyone else here. You have been educated! I'm going to skip ahead here to a second day around Guadalajara on Thursday, March 26 -- after our theme park visit was done. We headed east from the center of the city and pass the Teatro Degollado, an important theater for the city. The theater was named after Santos Degollado, a politician and military leader. Another day, another horse-drawn carriage! Nozzy wants to go in the sketchy arcade. Should we follow? Yes we should! Check out the awesome games in the sketchy arcade! Should we peek at the view through the barred window? Most of Guadalajara looked very nice. We found one corner that didn't. Ah well, it's all part of the experience. And to be completely fair, recent images online show that this area is being re-developed and cleaned up! So, good for Guadalajara. Perhaps we could hang out at the internet cafe instead... ...or we could head onward through some of the nicer parts of downtown! Some big words about Carlos V establishing Guadalajara and its coat of arms. A monument to the Guadalajara coat of arms. Looks like two lions and a tree! La Fuente de la Inmolación de Quetzalcóatl. The fountain of the immolation of Quetzalcóatl, a mesoamerican deity. Yay immolation! Sculpted by Victor Manuel Contreras. This fountain is at the center of the Plaza Tapatía. Tapatío/Tapatía are terms that refer to people from Guadalajara. Continuing east, our next destination is up ahead. But first, a few more fountains to get through. Including this one, which is doubling as a pool, though I'm not sure why. Check out this beautiful, clean water. Anyone up for a swim? Anyway, our next stop is the Hospicio Cabañas -- also known as the Instituto Cultural Cabañas. It's a UNESCO World Heritage Site! The Hospicio Cabañas complex was originally built as a hospital and orphanage in the late 1700s and early 1800s. It's one of the oldest and largest hospital complexes in the Americas. It was named after Juan Cruz Ruiz de Cabañas, who was a Catholic Bishop for Guadalajara beginning in 1795. Manuel Tolsá designed the building. The ornate dome is a frequently-used symbol for the city of Guadalajara. The inside of the chapel, underneath the dome. The chapel is full of art -- murals painted by José Clemente Orozco. At the center of the dome is a piece of art known as El Hombre de Fuego -- the Man of Fire. El Hombre de Fuego represents the submission of humans to machines. Heavy stuff. More art from Orozco, who is considered one of Mexico's greatest artists. The Instituto Cultural Cabañas is essentially an art museum and cultural institute, so much of the complex is now home to various other forms of art. Like glasswork... ...and metal work... ...and architectural renderings... ...and poetry... ...and map-making... ...and photographs of sidewalk cracks being covered up by plastic tape. A huge tent and seating area were set up inside the main courtyard -- one of 23 courtyards within the Hospicio Cabañas complex. Here's the dome of the smaller chapel near the western end of the complex. Arches on the edge of the courtyard. A look back at the main chapel, the tallest part of the complex. A few other visitors relaxing in one of the complex's smaller courtyards. Well this is different. A green glow inside the small chapel. Sunlight through the windows. We also have red windows... ...with blue, white, and yellow paint on the ceiling. Not as ornate as the other dome, but still kind of neat! In another courtyard, a piece of art to commemorate the 1968 Mexico City Summer Olympics. Outside the Hospicio Cabañas, we have a table. With feet. And eyes. And geometric shapes. Art is weird. Another old church -- the Templo San Juan de Dios. Nearby is the Plaza de los Mariachis, a touristy-looking spot that celebrates Guadalajara's history in Mariachi music. The plaza is heavily sponsored by Pepsi. A nearby restaurant is heavily sponsored by Coke. I smell a fight. Just some random street art. It's very colorful! Oh, and you can't walk five steps in Guadalajara without running into a dress store. Wedding dresses, costume dresses, quinceañera dresses, whatever. They are everywhere! Even more dresses showcased on a second-floor balcony. Gratuitous lens flare shot. Back on the street and about to head to dinner with the group. Chavas'n Charle's... ...restaurant turistico familiar. Yep.

With the first leg of the trip in Mexico City complete, our next adventure required a quick hop to the west to the capital of the state of Jalisco... Day 4 -- Culture Day in Guadalajara Wednesday, March 25, 2015 The Report Departing from the Benito Juárez airport in Mexico City, we had a short flight to Guadalajara on AeroMexico, a Delta Airlines affiliate and the flag carrier airline of Mexico. The Guadalajara airport is just a short distance south of the city center, where we'd be staying for the next two nights. Guadalajara's downtown has a much smaller and more homogenous feel than Mexico City, but it was no less interesting to explore. And that we did, on a few different occasions. Our first day in Guadalajara included a long walking (and eating) tour, led by a local tour guide. I went out that evening with a small group to see the city at night. We also explored a little more after our park day on the 26th -- for the sake of ease, I'll just mix those pictures in with the larger batch from the 25th. As with the Mexico City culture day post, it'll be easier to describe our adventures in the captions. So, here are a whole bunch of pictures of a pretty cool city! First, we depart from Terminal 2 at Mexico City's Benito Juárez International Airport. The concrete and pinhole designs make this place look older than it is. This terminal was opened in 2007. Should I have bought this Frozen "Mágico Invierno" coloring book for my flight? Here's our AeroMexico plane for the flight to Guadalajara. How was the flight? From a message to a friend: "The takeoff was kind of frighteningly rough and vibratey." Oh no, Guadalajara won't do. ...actually it will, but that line was /always/ gonna get dropped into this trip report, regardless. Here's our hotel for the next couple days -- the Holiday Inn in downtown Guadalajara. The main entrance to our hotel. Easy walking distance to everything in the center of the city. A nice hotel lobby! Sculpture! Guadalajara-inspired artwork! And now, our group heads out into the city for the first time. We started our day in Guadalajara with a guide from Guadalajara Food Tours, who took us around to several restaurants to sample dishes around the city. Our first stop was at La Rinconada. I don't have a picture of what we ate, but we started with dessert. I think it was some kind of flan. Guadalajara has several restaurants that look like this -- with the main dining area inside of spacious, well-decorated courtyard / atrium type areas. Sorry if I don't know the technical term for it! Stop #2 was at Las Famosas, serving up what can probably be described as one of Guadalajara's signature meals -- the Torta Ahogada. A look at the inside of Las Famosas, which opens up to the Paseo Degollado -- a tree-and-water-lined pedestrian walkway. We started with some strawberry horchata. I love horchata, and the pink version was pretty great! Then, the star of the show -- our tortas ahogadas. It's a submarine sandwich, filled with meat, and drowned in a pepper-based or tomato-based sauce. I thought it was very tasty, but have to be honest -- just about impossible to eat! It's kind of a mess. But that's ok, because this was all about trying some new things. Next time I'd probably just order it partially-dipped rather than totally submerged, even if that's probably a sacrilege to the locals. We exit Las Famosas, and head off to the next restaurant. Our third stop was Cafe Madrid, a coffee shop and traditional restaurant. Some cool art on the wall of Cafe Madrid! Here, we received pozole, a pork and hominy stew. Was the first time I'd had it, but not the last! Halfway through the tour, we took a walk along the street on the way to our next destination. I have to say -- the traffic in Guadalajara was much better behaved than in Mexico City. Like, to the point that I'd be comfortable driving there. We headed into the heart of Guadalajara, approaching perhaps the city's most impressive building -- the Catedral de Guadalajara. Guadalajara's cathedral was completed in 1618, though occasional earthquake damage has led to some of the structures to be re-built over the centuries since. The Cathedral sits on a block at the center of the city, and is surrounded on all four cardinal directions by plazas. The plaza immediately to the south, pictured here, is called the Plaza de Armas. Another look at the Plaza de Armas, which -- day or night -- was always filled with people when we visited. Adjacent to the Plaza de Armas to the east is the Palacio de Gobierno -- the seat of the state government, essentially a state capitol building for Jalisco. Hey, you've got a pigeon on your head. The Palacio de Gobierno would be a cool place to tour on another visit! Yes, this is a mode of transportation commonly seen around Guadalajara. Not sure if it's a touristy thing or a traditional thing, or maybe a combination of the two. Cloud porn, part infinity. So, before our next restaurant visit, we headed to the roof of a hotel adjacent to the Plaza de Armas for some aerial views. And oh, do I love my aerial views. The rest of the group was probably dumbfounded as I managed to snap off 164 pictures in 13 minutes. No, I'm not posting all of them here! But first, enjoy this panoramic view of the cathedral and the plaza. A look down at the Plaza de Armas. The kiosk / gazebo in the middle is apparently of Parisian origin. The Palacio de Gobierno on a nice March day. A flagpole, a balcony, a bell, and a clock. Closer view of the flagpole! The Palacio de Gobierno was completed in 1774. The balcony, which I can imagine being used for various ceremonial functions. The palace's clock has a hole in it. It's a bullet hole. There are various stories as to who might have shot it, but apparently it came from during the Mexican Revolution in the early 1900s! A view over some of the businesses to the south of the Plaza de Armas. A southbound view on Avenida 16 de Septiembre. What happened on the 16th of September? Just the little thing of Mexico's independence in 1810. Quite the mix of architectural styles, including the Templo de San Francisco de Asís, built in the late 1600s. Our group checks out the view over the cathedral. The cathedral! It's a very awesome building! The west face of the cathedral, which faces Plaza Guadalajara. A fountain at the center of Plaza Guadalajara. Domes on the cathedral. Stained glass. For whom the bell tolls. The entrance to the cathedral. I did go in at night, and it looked pretty awesome inside. No pictures, as requested. Behind the cathedral to the north, some interesting geography... ...but I'll save that for a future trip report segment. Down on the plaza, a gathering of pigeons. Do the pigeons play with the kids, or do the kids play with the pigeons? Two horse-drawn carriages. The roof of the one on the right is, uh, interesting. A few more distant views looking out over Guadalajara. Here's one to the northwest. Church spires, apartment highrises, and distant mountains. Housing on the hill. The Hotel Riu Plaza is the tallest building in Guadalajara. It's located a few miles southwest of the center of the city. A view northeast, past the cathedral. Off in the distance... ...Cerro de la Higuera is one of the taller hills / mountains surrounding Guadalajara. Another distant view over the plaza to the east of the cathedral. Yet another historic structure. They're pretty much everywhere. A really interesting building way off to the east. It's the temple / headquarters of the Luz del Mundo, a Christian denomination based in Guadalajara. Native plants line the walls of the hotel rooftop. Alright, time to head down! Next on the tour -- our fourth restaurant -- was La Antigua. La Antigua has a great location on the corner between the Plaza de Armas and Plaza Guadalajara. Is this not the cutest bread basket you've ever seen? We had some sort of orange drink! (I wish I remembered the details!) Then we had enchiladas! I guess these are kind of familiar. The view over Plaza Guadalajara from La Antigua. This is a cool fountain! At least, I think it would be if the water were turned on! Another view of the corner of the cathedral as we head out of La Antigua. And a view that shows the whole west side (front?) of the cathedral from across the plaza. Onward we progressed through the streets of the city... ...to our next stop at La Fonda de San Miguel Arcángel. We head inside through an assortment of local art... ...and Jesus, who told us to eat here! Another cool building with the restaurant space inside a courtyard. Oh, and that's our tour guide in the green shirt! At La Fonda, we got aztec soup -- which, again, is just way better in Mexico than anywhere I've had it in the states. Our final stop on the tour was at a divey-looking bar called La Mutualista, where those inclined tried some local tequila. I don't have any pictures from there, so here's our gift pack we received at the end of the tour. Great way to get an introduction to the city!

How did the rest of us not notice this? (well, I guess that's how it slipped by...)

I'm probably as much of a statistics nerd as anybody on this fine website, but if you ever catch me wearing a shirt with coaster stats on it, please throw me overboard.

It works, thanks! Here's my top 25, I'll put more in later. 1) Millennium Force -- Intamin Amusement Rides -- Cedar Point 2) Expedition GeForce -- Intamin Amusement Rides -- Holiday Park 3) Lightning Rod -- Rocky Mountain Construction -- Dollywood 4) Medusa Steel Coaster -- Rocky Mountain Construction -- Six Flags Mexico 5) El Toro -- Intamin Amusement Rides -- Six Flags Great Adventure 6) Outlaw Run -- Rocky Mountain Construction -- Silver Dollar City 7) Schwur des Kärnan -- Gerstlauer -- Hansa Park 8) Wildfire -- Rocky Mountain Construction -- Kolmården 9) Helix -- Mack Rides -- Liseberg 10) Fury 325 -- Bolliger & Mabillard -- Carowinds 11) Storm Runner -- Intamin Amusement Rides -- Hersheypark 12) Skyrush -- Intamin Amusement Rides -- Hersheypark 13) Maverick -- Intamin Amusement Rides -- Cedar Point 14) Phoenix -- Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters -- Knoebels Amusement Park and Resort 15) Top Thrill Dragster -- Intamin Amusement Rides -- Cedar Point 16) Goliath -- Intamin Amusement Rides -- Walibi Holland 17) Voyage -- The Gravity Group -- Holiday World 18) Intimidator 305 -- Intamin Amusement Rides -- Kings Dominion 19) Colossos (Heide Park) (not on the poll, but this is where I'd put it if it was!) 20) Banshee -- Bolliger & Mabillard -- Kings Island 21) Montu -- Bolliger & Mabillard -- Busch Gardens Tampa 22) Phantom's Revenge -- Morgan -- Kennywood 23) Kingda Ka -- Intamin Amusement Rides -- Six Flags Great Adventure 24) Kumba -- Bolliger & Mabillard -- Busch Gardens Tampa 25) Lost Gravity -- Mack Rides -- Walibi Holland

Working on getting some rankings on there now. Her's something I noticed. If I search for "Expedition GeForce" and click on it, it takes me to this URL, which gives me a 404: https://coasterpoll.com/@HP/expedition-geforce If I search through the "coasters" link and pick Holiday Park from there, I can access this URL, which works: https://coasterpoll.com/@HolidayPark/expedition-geforce