The Great Zo

Here's a short update -- we'll call it Part 2.5 -- from some free time we had in Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg. There's plenty to do in this area, from tacky tourist traps to awesome mini golf, big attractions and cheesy restaurants. With a group like ours, there is plenty of fun to be had. One thing I did but won't cover (due to a lack of pictures) is a fun trip to Clip and Climb (at Top Jump) which is a facility with a ton of different climbing walls. Robb's update covers this awesome place and I may have had a little too much fun (and scaled their timed wall in under seven seconds...) Another accomplishment was riding four alpine coasters in two days! Reviews of them will be mixed in with the pictures. I have not been in an arcade in a decade, so things are a little different than I remember. Nonetheless, I had fun, and this insane gazillions-of-pucks Pac Smash air hockey table was a hit! I had some skill at this milk jug toss game, sinking three throws in a row, but never made it to five to win the jackpot. I loved the giant Pac Man machine... ...which Russ set a high score on! The machine also allows people to play Galaga on its huge LED screen, and we had a ringer on our hands. A close-up view of one of the Galaga bad guys on the LED board. This was my first time ever riding alpine coasters at night! We started at Goats on the Roof. This coaster has an awesome lighting package on the lower half, but it's pitch black up top, which makes for a spooky ride. The "goat coaster" lit up at night. We also rode the Smoky Mountain Alpine Coaster. A view from across the street at the Smoky Mountain Alpine Coaster. Contrasting with the Goats on the Roof coaster, this one has tracer LEDs that run up the entire lift, which creates a cool glowing effect in the tree canopy above the lift. Here's the view of the track! These two are my favorite alpine coasters in the area. I think the Smoky Mountain coaster is slightly better (maybe a little more intense in spots) but to be honest the rest of the experience at Goats on the Roof is better. A little less corporate, a little more friendly, and a lot less crowded for whatever reason. Wish more people went to that one! The next morning, we went to the newest coaster of the batch -- Rowdy Bear in Gatlinburg. Rowdy Bear got us in early for some rides, and it was a lot of fun. This one's short, as it's on the same smaller hill that the Gatlinburg Mountain Coaster is on. It might be my least favorite of the four, but it's definitely worth riding. Can't wait for their zipline coaster to open later this year! Getting ready to head up the lift at Rowdy Bear. Also, for anyone who's been there, "Bear Facts, Bear Facts, it's facts about bears, it's Bear Facts!" Climbing the lift at Rowdy Bear. The final alpine coaster was the Gatlinburg Mountain Coaster. This one is short, but its second half gains some significant speed, and the final helix is the most intense moment on any alpine coaster I've been on. Hmm, this shirt looks a little familiar... "Hi, this is the Hersheypark legal department, can we speak to the manager?" I summoned the rain to try to make the Gatlinburg coaster run a little faster! That's my story and I'm sticking to it! Next up? A place I've been wanting to go to for several years -- Hillbilly Golf. I think I have to credit Erik/Smisty for doing the thread that first brought this place to my attention. It's a mini golf course that requires a ride on an inclined railway (funicular) to get to the course, which is a decent distance up the hill. POV shot up the funicular! Teeing off. There was more golf skill in this group than I was expecting. He sinks it! Hillbilly Golf has many interesting obstacles -- barrels, broken-down farm equipment, a stagecoach, an outhouse, etc. This is not an easy place to putt from! Take a bath while you wait to tee off! Just, please, keep your clothes on. I won an intense, hard-fought, epic battle -- 43 to 47 to 48 to 50. And then I called down the rain again to make the golf course more interesting! I promise it was all part of the plan! Final picture -- something to do on my next visit to Gatlinburg. This is the lower facility for Anakeesta which will run a chair lift up the hill on the southeast side of Gatlinburg to a new development. Anakeesta, of greatest interest to people reading here, will have a new alpine coaster at the top.

1) You seem to find a way into some of my more, uh, creative shots! 2) GOOD JOB ANDY. 3) Well judging by her reaction, Kristen might have regretted that decision! Likewise, great to see you and thanks for hanging out for a bit in Pigeon Forge! That is the goal!

Hi again! Here's park #2 of the trip -- Dollywood! To no surprise, the reason for going to Dollywood was to try (again) to get on Lightning Rod. Things looked bad, and then looked not so bad, and then looked fantastic as we finally got in line to ride! After success on Lightning Rod, we also saw the fireworks, took a lap on the other coasters, had a great lunch at the new Front Porch Cafe, and ate some cinnamon bread -- though I shouldn't need to specify the last one, since it's kind of automatic. How was Lightning Rod? It's right there with Outlaw Run and Wildfire -- two other outstanding RMC wooden coasters. Outlaw Run might be the most consistent of the three, but it's also the shortest. Wildfire has a perfect first half that lets up a little near the end. Lightning Rod might be the opposite -- it starts out as great, and ends up insane. Having never been on the ride before, I don't know if the launch is slower than before, but we definitely didn't crest the first hill with a lot of speed. That said, the quad down -- especially in the back -- is so awesome it almost hurts! I will say that LR's operations were in some ways odd, and in other ways simply not good. Won't get into that now, because I have to get the pictures up before we arrive to the next destination! Will also have a short update from other stuff in Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg up tonight or tomorrow. This is what we're here for! Cars and stuff. I now feel like I can take pictures of Lightning Rod since I've actually been on it. Lightning Rod was down, but then... ...it was open! Just about to ride for the first time! Launching to the top. On the quad down. Up into the final turn. On the final airtime moment. Reaching out at the end! We got some more rides on Lightning Rod at night. As we waited to ride, everybody else watched the fireworks, and I took a picture of everyone else watching the fireworks. I saw the fireworks too. Gas. A nice view of the fireworks from near the Lightning Rod station. Oh, and the night rides were very dark and very awesome. Back to Dollywood in the morning for more fun. We started off with some rides on Tennessee Tornado, as demonstrated by Nathan. It's a good Arrow coaster! They do exist! It's hard to photograph, but there are a few views from the exit area. Russ enjoying the ride in the back row! More TPR riders near the front of the train. Naturally, we made our way back to Lightning Rod, and watched the maintenance staff make their walk down from the quad down hill. With that, we were on board and ready to ride! Pulling out of the station -- and it's genuine excitement since this ride is so good. Caption this! Launching on Lightning Rod. About to reach the top! Curving up. Intense right to the end. Hands up for maximum enjoyment! This is where the magic happens. Cinnamon Bread and whatever else. We know why we're here. We got a demonstration from Joan at the Grist Mill, as she was preparing new loaves to bake. Take a crap ton of sugar, add half a crap ton of cinnamon... ...and prepare some loaves of bread for the coating. Mix it all up real good. Bake it up for lots of awesome. The end result! Popular with both humans and bees! Next -- some rides on Mountain Slidewinder. There aren't many of these types of rides around (Dollywood's is the only one I know of) and it feels a little out of control! It gets fast. It gets crazy. It might get a little wet. Or, it might get a lot wet. Mountain Slidewinder better not be going anywhere -- it's a fun and unique attraction that is very unlike most amusement park rides. A group of half-soaked TPR people at the end of the ride. Literally half-soaked; just one side! So why not get fully soaked? Daredevil Falls was providing a drenching drop for full boats. Cresting the top. Preparing the descent. Oh, the reactions! At the bottom of the drop. Disappearing into a wall of mist. This is where the wetness occurs. A full boat of fully-soaked riders! Random theming! Dollywood has live eagles... ...and giant eagle statues. Also, coasters themed to eagles! Wild Eagle is good, but those restraints cut off the circulation in my arms, which isn't good. Firechaser Express is one of the best family coasters I've ever been on. Just thrilling enough for everyone. Yes, it has airtime. Crazy Charlie's! Oh, and can you find the hidden Dolly inside the fireworks barn? Try to find it on your next ride! Mystery Mine -- fun layout, great theming, still a little rougher than I'd prefer. Thunderhead is a fun GCI! Drop Line is new for 2017, and it's got a good drop with /outstanding/ views. It's really the only place in the park to get a view of the coasters in the foreground and Mount LeConte in the background. But take it in quick, because the drop can be sudden. There are some definitions to learn while in the Drop Line queue. I'm just going to refrain from further comment on some of these! On the way out of the park: this may or may not be Dolly's van. Yeah, probably not. That's all for Dollywood!

Thanks everyone! Yup, that they are. And yet it's already dropped to the second-best coaster I've been on this trip...

CONTENTS: Part 1: Carowinds (Page 1) Part 2: Dollywood (Page 2) Part 2.5: Pigeon Forge / Gatlinburg (Page 2) Part 3: Kings Island (Page 3) Part 4: Holiday World (Page 3) Part 5: Six Flags St. Louis (Page 3) Part 6: City Museum (Page 4) Part 7: Silver Dollar City (Page 5) Part 8: Branson (Page 5) Part 9: Worlds of Fun / post-trip (Page 6) ------------------ Hi all. OK, I think we'll be riding the buses long enough that I can edit up some pictures and do a rapid-fire, near-real-time trip report from our latest 11-day excursion. So let's get started at Carowinds! Got into town Monday night. We went to the park Tuesday and early this morning (Wednesday) and had plenty of time to explore the park and ride things. I did a credit run of the coasters but made sure to give extra time to the park's three best attractions: * Intimidator: This was actually better than anticipated. I was expecting a weak ride like Silver Star, but got something closer to Diamondback, which is a pretty solid coaster. * Afterburn: Classic old-school B&M snappyness. Instantly shoots into my top 3 with Montu and Banshee, and I think it's a steep drop off after those three. * Fury 325: Of course, this one was pretty much the star of the show. I'll say it's an "A" coaster rather than an "A+" coaster simply because the second half of the ride isn't quite as incredible as the first. But the first half does a lot of really weird stuff that isn't typical for B&M, all while moving at an incredible, face-peeling speed. Yup, our "very small but not quite zero" chance of rain ended up coming to fruition at about 9PM, but things dried out just before a fantastic round of ERT at the end of Tuesday night. On to the pictures! Before the trip started, got some scenic shots of downtown (or is it uptown?) Charlotte. Charlotte's skyline is nice! Shiny. Welcome to Carowinds! Two states, one park. Let's not get into how long it took me to get this photo timed out. Fury wraps around the entrance area. I232 takes a drop. Also in view at Carowinds? Airplanes. Charlotte's airport is quite nearby. Not quite as close as the Louisville airport to Kentucky Kingdom, but much more air traffic. Some history and information about Carowinds on the state line! A shot right down the state line. It's a geo-oddity /and/ a theme park! Another state line picture. Weather theming! (the sign is better than the ride, though) TPR folks on the kiddie woodie! Coasters of all sizes. Fury is the star attraction, though! Coasters and clouds. Fury on one of its many high-speed turns. Fast as a rocket on Fury. Another tight corner on Fury. I absolutely loved the first half of Fury, and liked the second half. Fury and Intimidator. The famous "treble clef" shot. The entryway to Carowinds as evening begins to fall. Awesome colors as sunset approaches. More airplanes! Intimidator and awesome clouds. Fury's drop, silhouetted in the sky. Clouds and coasters. I could do this all day. Yes, we had some rain, but all it did was make this shot more awesome! This is a classic night view of Fury that just about any serious photographer who's been to the park has, but I had to get it myself. Bug guy! We went back to Carowinds in the morning for a tour of Fury's maintenance area. New wheels. Old wheels. A high pressure washing machine thing, and some other machinery in the Fury maintenance area. A "behind the scenes" shot of Fury's mess of track. Reflecting on the lift hill. Fury is patriotic. Now for a few more action shots -- like this one of Fury going through its tunnel. Fury comes off the weird sideways airtime before the tunnel -- a first for B&M! Fury coasts onward. Fury rounds a curve. Fury dives into the tunnel. X marks the spot. Coaster nerd track shot. Thanks I232 for the cameo. Fury at high speed and low to the ground. Framing the turn-around in the supports. The first drop is pretty awesome! Furious! Warning. Restricted area. Do not enter. Fury pulls into the brake run, and we pull out of Carowinds. Great first park visit of the trip!

You haven't changed a bit! Always love seeing old pictures from Disney World. My family has a bunch from around the same time also. Thanks for sharing!

I rode Phoenix at around 9PM and then tried to go to the Pioneer Train for a night ride in the woods, but the weather-related shutdown occurred just after I got in line for that. So, I headed over to the Skooters (one cycle wait, still operating) and then decided to try my luck with Phoenix at about 940 -- to find it was open again! Sadly, they shut the line down at 950 so I only got one more ride. Turns out the last thing operating in the park was Fascination -- didn't close down until about 1010PM. They finished the night out with a three ball cover-all game -- which I lost miserably at.

Oops, a few more I forgot were on my phone. The mini golf course was a lot of fun -- it appears quite simple but it's deceptively tricky. This device, for example, is one of the most evil contraptions I've ever run into on a mini golf course. It's virtually impossible to get through it without completely borking your shot somehow. How about this? I won Fascination on the middle line... ...then I won again, on the next game, on the same line. Strange. For my efforts, I won a whole 8 tickets! That's a long way from getting me a crock pot, but if you've ever wondered if anyone actually plays enough Fascination to win a crock pot, your questions have been answered. Over the Top looks like it's fully installed, but not yet operational.

I was at Knoebels on Monday. Had a great visit, with manageable crowds -- Flying Turns was 20-30 minutes, flats were a cycle or two, Phoenix and Twister were running only one train each (meh) with 2-4 cycle waits. Was gonna post my whole scorecard from the day but I'll just cut to the important stuff: * Pierogis (from the good place) * Pork chop on a stick (with three different seasonings) * Ice cream waffle sandwich (with neapolitan ice cream) * Mac and cheese bites * Tri-taters * Cesari's pizza A short photo set, mainly from Impulse (because it's new since my last visit) and Skloosh (because it's fun to photograph). First chance to ride Impulse! I really liked it, a little more than I had anticipated. The drop has some bonkers airtime, and is one of the best parts of the ride. The cobra roll is pretty intense -- it's smooth, but it does a nice job of pushing the restraints down a little tighter. That was actually my biggest complaint about the ride -- the restraints, when tightened over the course of the coaster, were pretty uncomfortable to my hip bones. Nonetheless, the ride was quite smooth -- no shaking or wobbling like other similar coasters I've been on. Hangtime! Coaster nerd shot. The moment at the top. Full speed at the bottom of the drop. Impulse's bright colors really liven up the front of the park. Admittedly it's still a little strange to see a standard-looking steel coaster plot of land at Knoebels, but it's worth it. Gone vertical! The sky ride, as mentioned, was not operating (plastic over the operator's console, too). Looks like this will just be some temporary downtime. Twister is looking patriotic. Phoenix, riding as fantastic as ever! I wish they were running two trains, because it did slow the line down, and there was never a chance to get on and off and on again really quickly. Impulse flies through the sky. My favorite ride on Phoenix was in 1-3 (row 3). The airtime is just as crazy as advertised. A pleasant view of the giant wheel. Squirrels were eating corn. Passing the other Pioneer Train. Hattie and Henry. How about some Skloosh? The wave is coming. The wave has arrived. Now you regret your decision. A wall of water. Ripples in the wave. I sacrificed my own dryness to get this shot. You're welcome. For a short drop, Skloosh packs a huge punch. Like sailing headlong into a storm. The mist after the splash. Splashing at the bottom of the drop. Drops hang in the air. Fear and excitement. Almost like I'm riding alongside! Not a dry inch anywhere. The aftermath. The elusive "moment of impact" shot. Took a few tries to get this! Storms grew around the park on Monday, but I'd like to thank Knoebels for putting up their force field to keep the bad weather away!

Great first post and looks like you made the most out of a long trip -- nice to hit a few smaller parks that might not be on a typical theme park agenda! I'm asking myself would I really want to get splashed by that?

At Knoebels today. The Skyway is not operating. Generic sign in front says "temporarily out of service." Hope this isn't what I think it is. Flyers are down today too. But I'm already one order of pierogis deep so today is a good day.

I love a good well-written, knowledgeable, detailed negative theme park review. This may be among the best. Gold. I'd bet that riding in an otherwise-empty Hellcat train probably contributed to the awfulness of the ride -- i.e. if filled with guests, the back might not have been as awful.

Another great report, and really loved the aerial shots of the beach. Ocean City was one of several beaches / boardwalks I stopped at along the east coast last year, and it was definitely my favorite of the batch -- though I admit I didn't stop at Wildwood, which I'm sure I'll rectify some day. Gillians indeed looks quite nice -- put an ARM tower in and it's definitely worth a visit!

I went to Clingmans Dome last year. Had a beautiful view of ... nothing! The participation trophy of mountain views. So, I might be a little jealous of your beautiful day! Seriously, anyone going to Dollywood should drive the hour to Clingmans Dome and Newfound Gap. A bit of nature, a lot of great views, with little actual effort required. I mean, the tacky tourist traps are kinda fun too, but yeah. Actually, I've had Hillbilly Golf on my list for a while now, and still haven't made it there. Looks hokey as heck and probably a lot of fun.

I was at full speed or nearly full speed for the majority of the descent, and never came close to flipping, so I think I found the right balance of not risking it too much. I have, however, managed to flip a single-person tube on a water slide! Yup, it did have a bar, but I didn't even realize that until I was most of the way up the ride. Interesting that both the alpine coaster and alpine slide required everyone to receive a safety briefing before riding, but they pretty much just threw me on the chair lift!

Now for some extra stuff, because Colorado is pretty awesome. St. Mary's Glacier is remarkably scenic. A view over some high mountains from Guanella Pass. A night-time view over Boulder from an overlook on the slope of Flagstaff Mountain. Creepy tree and lighting on Flagstaff Mountain. A classic scene in Rocky Mountain National Park, which has many good views, but was most notable for its wildlife. Such as elk! And marmots! And chipmunks! (hi Elissa) A really-long-exposure shot of Tenmile Peak over the Dillon Reservoir well past sunset. Ended the trip on North America's highest auto road -- the road to Mount Evans. Mount Evans is one of Colorado's famous 14ers -- one of 50+ peaks that exceed 14,000 feet in elevation above sea level. Because of that, this is /not/ a good place to go on your first day in Colorado, unless you enjoy altitude sickness. I did this on the last day of my trip, and dealt with the expected shortness of breath and fatigue, but did not have any more serious issues. There's a parking area near the top of Mount Evans, but the summit requires a short hike. With the summit trail completely snowed over, though, it quickly turned into a moderately-steep snow/rock scramble to get to the top. At the summit of Mount Evans -- 14,264 feet above sea level. Spectacular views in all directions. I'll end it with a mountain goat, because why not? The moon rises over US-36 near Boulder. 36 miles away and 9,000 feet below, downtown Denver is visible!

Here's a short trip report on a different kind of park, and one I don't think has been covered at TPR in the past. On a recent trip to Colorado, I made a brief stop at the Breckenridge Ski Resort, to check out their Epic Discovery summer activities. Like many ski resorts, the Breckenridge Ski Resort has looked for ways to capitalize on their location to make the most out of the summer season. The resort is owned by the same people who own ski resorts in Vail, CO and Park City, UT, two resorts that have already expanded their run of attractions beyond skiing. With that in mind, for 2017, Breckenridge re-branded their previous Peak 8 Fun Park into Epic Discovery, with plans to continue to expand the park's offerings in conjunction with the US Forest Service (White River National Forest) and The Nature Conservancy. The park opened for the season on June 9, and I visited on June 12 -- just the fourth day of operations! From what I could tell, everything seemed to be running smoothly. Several major aspects of the park are not scheduled to open until July 1, including chair lift rides, hikes, and bike trails at higher elevation. At the time of my visit, most of the operating attractions were the ones close to the ski resort at the base of the mountains. For the hardened theme park enthusiasts, the attractions of greatest interest are the alpine coaster (GoldRunner) and the triple-trough alpine slide. I rode each attraction once, and while I enjoyed them both, I think the slide came away as the winner! I didn't have time to ride anything else, but I got enough pictures to put together a small report, and I'll mention some of the other attractions along the way. I should note that this was not a theme park vacation, hence only making a quick stop here, while completely ignoring Elitch's and Lakeside. Maybe some other time. But since I visited some other awesome places, I'll close out with a few selected pictures from the other spots I visited. My only complaint, and it's kind of a big one, is the cost. An all-day unlimited pass is $82. That's a boatload of money for what, at least for now, is a half-day experience at most. Perhaps that will improve once the additional attractions open in July. The option to buy access to single attractions is available, which is what I did for the alpine slide and coaster -- at $25 each. Sort of a "well, I won't be back here any time soon since I live in Ohio" thing, as I opted to hand over the credit card and take the hit. If you can get over the price, I really thought this was a fun venue with a great atmosphere -- and if you're into mountains, the setting can't be beat. Ride ops and employees were friendly and helpful across the board. The whole resort looks pretty great, too, in case you're into staying there in the winter! As for me, this is my preferred way to see snow -- at 75 degrees in June. On to the pictures! Say hello to Peak 8! Peak 8 is part of the Tenmile Range, a range of the Rocky Mountains that Breckenridge is adjacent to. One of the interesting things about the Breckenridge Ski Resort is that you can't actually park at the resort. The fun part about that is that you get to take a gondola ride to get there! The parking area for the gondola ride is located just north of downtown Breckenridge. The main lot costs $10 to park in, but the south lot -- which is adjacent -- is free. Gondolas and mountains. A map of the Breckenridge Ski Resort area, with plenty of runs for people who like to ski -- which doesn't include me. Here's the downtown station for the Breck Connect gondola. While the gondola requires tickets during the busy winter season, it's free during the summer! So, in theory, you could just ride the gondola back and forth and never pay a cent. Safety info for the Breck Connect gondola. These are Leitner Poma gondolas, which is probably of interest to at least a couple people here. Riding onward and upward. Looking back at the downtown station. This is not your standard scenery. A constant stream of gondola cars means the wait to get on should be minimal, if any. For 2018, they're building an RMC, as you can see. (or it's just another resort hotel, but I like my version better) Welcome to Breckenridge! Off the gondola at the main resort area. Epic Discovery is new for 2017, though most of the activities that were open during my visit on June 12 were previously in place as part of the Peak 8 Fun Park. The Ski Hill Grill is one of the restaurants available -- I think there will be more later in the summer, including one that's way up Peak 8 and accessible by chair lift. Yes, there's a bar. Looking at some of the activities -- a mini golf course and the alpine slide. Before you can run to the activities, first you have to visit the Activities Center to sign a waiver and purchase a wristband. The wristband can be good for unlimited activities all day, or just for select activities on an a la carte basis. There's Peak 8 again, which the ski resort is built at the base of. A plethora of chair lifts were not operating, but they eventually plan to get one running to near the top. My first attraction was the alpine slide. I admit -- I have never done an alpine slide before. I went in as a rookie. This was going to be interesting. The slide down isn't the only part of the ride -- you also get a ride up the #5 chair lift! As I boarded the chair lift, I understood part of the reason for the waiver I had to sign: they don't lower the bar. Have fun on your restraint-free, tiny-bench-seat ride up the mountain! The chair lift passes over the alpine slide, which criss-crosses underneath it. So, along the way, you get some views of the people riding down. A look north... ...and a look back down the hill at the main resort building, and the base of the park. Climbing the hill a little higher. How far does this go? The lift and slides cover a horizontal distance of almost a half mile, and the elevation change is almost 500 feet! Riding ahead. As I rode the lift, I watched the people on the slide -- some of them used the brakes and slowed themselves down, and a few brave souls went all out, catching some serious banking on the turns. Going higher, I found a little more snow. Another look back down the hill. Trees and mountains to the southeast. The three slide troughs are lettered, from left to right, C - B - A. They all seem to follow the same general path, but based on the lines at the top, people seemed to prefer Slide C. How can I raise my bar here if the bar was never lowered?T Arriving at the alpine slide platform. So, yeah, about that waiver I signed... ...what am I getting myself into? Rules are actually kind of important on a ride like this. At the top, and about ready to go. What a view! So, how was my first alpine slide experience? Actually kind of scary, but really fun! I went full-on for the majority of the course, but did tap the brakes heading into a few of the tighter corners. That was probably unnecessary, but hey, this was my first time on one of these! I never came close to overturning, thankfully, but it's weird to be moving that fast with zero restraints or safety devices. Honestly, between the views on the chair lift and the experience going down, this was easily worth the visit by itself. Next, I headed to the GoldRunner alpine coaster. This would be my fourth alpine coaster -- I have already been on three in Tennessee (Smoky Mountain, Goats on the Roof, Gatlinburg). How would this one compare? GoldRunner is a Wiegand coaster. The line moved quickly -- I waited all of five minutes. After demonstrating your proficiency with the braking system, head up the lift hill. Get ready for some awesome scenery along the way. I really enjoyed this coaster, though it's not a perfect ride. Its main detractor is its length -- it's pretty short, comparable to the Gatlinburg Mountain Coaster, and /especially/ comparable to the alpine slide here at Breckenridge. It also has a pretty sizable amount of auto-braking along the course. However... ...with the way the course is designed, that auto-braking is actually rather necessary! This is one of the more intense alpine coasters I've been on. You could really feel some of the turns, and there were legit (though short) pops of air on a few occasions! Finally, no matter how much I love the Smoky Mountains, the setting on this coaster is an order of magnitude more impressive. Steep terrain with snow-capped peaks in the distance. This coaster winds its way through trees on the way down, so you mix those views in with some close calls through the evergreens. The overall experience is pretty great. With that said, if I were spending more time at Breckenridge, I'd likely spend more of my time on the alpine slide. Looking at some of the other attractions -- here's the bottom station for a rather lengthy zip line. This would have been fun, as it's actually fairly steep. I would have liked to try the tubing -- I've seen videos of summer tubing at other similar parks, and it looks like fun! They also had a bungee / trampoline area. Some of the other attractions at the park include a maze, mini-golf, and gemstone panning -- with other activities at higher elevation slated to open later in the summer. Actually, one of the best activities at the park was completely free: a huge leftover mound of snow near the coaster station. I said I hate snow, but it's a lot more tolerable when it's 75 degrees outside! I tried to stay out of the way of this group of hooligan snowball fighters, but one managed to get me anyway. Looking over the resort from the snow pile. The main hotel / lodge / resort area looks pretty nice! The seating area near the restaurant / bar. Looking over at the lift hill for the coaster, which runs alongside the trees. The downhill portion winds its way through the trees. The GoldRunner coaster station. A view of the other end of the park, with heavy construction on the new resort area being built to the north. Mini golf and the maze. The bottom of the alpine slide -- hopefully you remember to hit the brakes before the end. If not, you'll stop one way or another. A view up the mountain toward the alpine slide's chair lift. Another view of the lift. Sliding down under the lift (and why you wouldn't want to drop from one of the chairs). Some necessary sharp banking on the walls of the slide. Where it's OK to hit the brakes! Riding the slide, pt 1. Riding the slide, pt 2. Riding the slide, pt 3. Riding the slide, pt 4. Looking up the ski slope that the giant snow pile is on. For all your snow-moving needs. Even if you don't ride much, anyone can appreciate the views in the mountains, like this one. Better hope you're acclimated, though -- the base of the resort is over 9000 feet above sea level! A quick look over the construction walls at the new addition. Time to get back on the gondola and head out. Glad I was able to stop in here. Wish it were a little cheaper, but once they get all the activities going, it should be a great spot to spend the better part of a day!

Wonder if they might be planning a new gate somewhere near the east end of the Mean Streak structure. Would make access a lot easier for Lighthouse Point / Sandcastle Suites, and it looks like there's potentially some room there. Just a backstage area right now between Mean Streak and Gemini.

My mistakes: 1) Riding in the very last row. 2) Not doing the seat belt trick. Really should have remembered that one.

Mark, my CoasterMania partner in crime! I can't wait to see some of your shots, especially a few good ones I know you got after my camera went and bricked itself. But giving away the secret pier? Was great to catch up and make a few laps around the park together. Sorry about the noise in the hotel. I know we'll both have some new photo contest entry options for 2018, but I think I'm sticking with my original idea... Preach it! This^ is the expert speaking: if Mark says the fries are good, the fries are good.

Went from T2i to T7i! Same product line, updated version. Thought about getting something fancier/bigger/etc, but this still fits everything I'm looking for. I had plans to spend Saturday in Cleveland doing a bunch of photography, so I was really lucky to find a camera store near downtown with one available. I really enjoy Screamin' Swings, but I always seem to find myself drawn to other rides at Cedar Point. I've been on the one at Dollywood the last couple years and probably will be again later this year. As for MF, it's really been challenged -- Outlaw Run, El Toro, GeForce, Karnan, Wildfire, Skyrush, Medusa -- they all come really close, and some are better than MF in some ways. But overall the whole experience remains my favorite!

Want to clear this up a little bit from my memory of the Q&A. I don't recall that Rob said which year of IAAPA it was. I also believe what he said was that a company came to them with a proposal that was so good they "pulled out the checkbooks" (which is probably a slightly euphemistic phrase in and of itself). Rob didn't give any indication as to which park it's for, what year it was purchased in, what company the attraction is made by, or what park it's going to. However, it was strongly implied that it's not something that's just an off-the-shelf model the company was showing on the floor. This was a custom idea. With that in mind, it's pretty much impossible to speculate on any details -- yeah, I know, you're all going to try anyway.

Ah, so that's where all the malcontents were -- bruising their thighs on Magnum during evening ERT! I mentioned this in my TR, but I didn't have any issues with the Coastermania crowds. Sounds like I did miss out on a few of the problem children.

Thanks for all the comments everybody. Bert's info is interesting -- because I had no idea the shuttles were running that early. No one ever published when the shuttles would start (I probably should have asked) but based on Tony's response to a tweet, I had believed they weren't going to start running until 630 AM. I got to the hotel entrance at about 625 AM, the first shuttle I saw was at 635 AM (it filled up) and then I got on the next shuttle at about 650 AM. It's far from a deal-breaking issue or anything. Just, maybe as plans are revised for next year, having the shuttle plan set/published in advance might make it a little easier for everyone. The attendance cap was a big thing that took Coastermania from "eh, maybe I'll eventually go" to something I really wanted to do. I couldn't make it last year but this year it worked out! Maybe next year will be a good year for you to attend, for reasons you've stated well. And thank you again for being a great ride host. Glad we could chat for a few minutes, even if the circumstances on the TTD platform were less than ideal. I thought about going to Marblehead, actually, but didn't feel like doing the half hour drive around the bay. It worked out because I got pretty much every shot I wanted from Battery Park this time, and now that I've been there twice for night shots, I'll probably make Marblehead the priority for next time. As do I!

Wait, is there a strategy for Fascination? Glad that wasn't closed, even if half the rest of the park was. Indiana Beach could be such a great place, but it's got so much work that needs done.