The Great Zo

Day 6/7 -- The Pictures (Part 2) I've gone this far in the report without even mentioning ZooAmerica! ZooAmerica is a small wildlife park connected to Hersheypark. It's free with Hersheypark admission, but can also be entered from the south for a much lower price. In my three days at Hersheypark, I've yet to find the time to visit the zoo, so that will be a must-do whenever I return. The view at the east end of the Hersheypark property: three coasters on the left, and a completely random street scene on the right. Say it again: flying snake dive! This view is only available from the monorail, and it's a good one. Trailblazer is pretty forgettable, but the monorail is pretty much the only way to get any decent pictures of it. Back on the ground, let's head over toward Sidewinder. That's the only coaster I haven't even mentioned yet. Why? I got the credit in 2010, and had zero interest in riding a boomerang in 2014! Sidewinder is one of few boomerangs to use a new type of restraint -- vest-style, similar to recent B&M coasters. The lack of head-banging would definitely make for a more pleasant ride experience. Storm Runner! Storm Tracker! Crazy lightning cloud horse (on fire) runner! Hands up on the launch? You sure about that? Who's Kirk? Few better ways to start a coaster than with a high-powered Intamin launch. Want some roaming entertainment? The Piano Express has you covered. Singing while driving through a crowded theme park? Looks tricky. Actually, this would be pretty fun. Especially if you're not the one driving. Heaven smiled down and said "let there be Fahrenheit." Hope you enjoy Fahrenheit, because there are several more pictures to follow. The lift isn't overly tall -- 121 feet -- but it gets the job done! Plus, it's vertical, which is actually kind of relaxing -- though bright, if you're looking into the sun. Crest the top, and if you're in the back row... ...prepare for the coaster to try to eject you from your seat. Here it is! One of the only cobra rolls on the planet I actually enjoy! Fahrenheit gets an airborne visitor. Where are we flying today? Over to the Boardwalk for a quick look at the water park. East Coast Water Works is still one of the largest water play structures I've seen. It definitely has a seaside park / Coney Island type of theme, which works well for a park not far from the east coast. I really like the way the Boardwalk is seamlessly integrated with the rest of Hersheypark. The only problem is the way it cuts Lightning Racer off from the rest of the park. Take a close look at this picture -- there are four cars going through the Wild Mouse circuit! The capacity they were hitting on this ride -- for a mouse -- was outstanding. Splash boats always make for good pictures... ...and Tidal Force is one of the biggest! People in background: "arghrghrghrahehohowherewhorh." People in foreground: "nope." Tidal Force is pretty tall for a water ride -- 100 feet. Get ready for the plunge. That's a big splash and a guaranteed soaker. Photographers on the main walkway might want to be careful with the mist. How about some zoomed shots under the bridge? Here's the moment just before impact. The splash hits full force... ...and the photographer snaps one more and backs away quickly, nonetheless finding his camera a little damp. The Tidal Force area also offers some pretty good views of Fahrenheit, especially the back half of the ride. Next up is some aerial photography on the Kissing Tower. Opened in 1975, the Kissing Tower is built on one of the highest points in the park -- only the area near the north end of Wildcat is higher. The cabin rises 250 feet above the ground, and it's a total of 330 feet to the top of the flagpole. Here's a look at the same area of downtown that the monorail ride passes through. A view over the Hershey Theater. Way off in the distance, the main campus of the Milton Hershey School can also be seen. The big domed structure is Founders Hall. A downtown parking garage, and a covered bridge across the array of train tracks. At the bottom-right of the shot... ...is Coal Cracker, the awesome old-school log flume! It's not a big drop, and it's not a wet drop -- just a fun, classic ride. Here's a view to the west, with prominent appearances by Great Bear and Skyrush. Great Bear's drawn-out pre-drop sequence is one of its most notable elements. Superdooperlooper is down there also! Here's a train passing under the namesake loop. A wider view over The Hollow, with several of the park's major coasters. Skyrush picks up some airtime on the first hill after the drop. Now looking northwest. Off in the distance to the left is the Giant Center, home to the AHL Hershey Bears. To the right is Hersheypark Stadium, host to concerts and soccer games. In the middle is Hersheypark Arena, which was built in 1936. It's the original home of the Bears, and now home to a few local college teams. The east end of the park has two Intamins, two (or three) GCIs, and The Boardwalk. On the hill across Hersheypark Drive is the landmark "Welcome to Hershey" sign, standing in front of the Milton Hershey School's Catherine Hall. Here's a lesser-known piece of Hershey history. The strip of pavement at the bottom of the hill is part of the runway from the old Hershey Airpark. Yes, there used to be a general aviation airport right across the street from Hersheypark! The Hershey company closed the airport in 1981, but most of the pavement from the runway is still there. Way off in the distance is the Hotel Hershey, which is a pretty big resort! Part of Milton Hershey's "Great Building Campaign" during the depression, the Hotel Hershey was finished in 1933, at around the same time as the Hershey Theater. Hersheypark Arena and Hersheypark Stadium were also constructed later in the same decade. Here are Fahrenheit and Wildcat... ...and on the other side of the water park, Lightning Racer and Tidal Force. Park Avenue is all that separates Hersheypark from the residential area just to the east. Looking east, the hilly terrain of southern Pennsylvania is evident. There's those smokestacks again. Here's the new 19 East Chocolate Avenue facility that was under construction when we visited in 2014, located (at least partially) on the site of the original Hershey factory. Not every office building has a tourist monorail passing right next to the windows. A view out to the open Pennsylvania countryside. Some of the older homes just south of Chocolate Avenue in Hershey. See? Chocolate Ave. Says so right on the sign. "...and to your left is a fantastic parking lot..." A few more views on the way down. The Flying Falcon looks nice from about equal height. This weird element, whatever it's called, is a lot of fun. Finally, the key shot from the whole photo set. With that, we'll head back to ground level. Duck. The poorly-named Skyview chair lift -- which actually drops in elevation for the majority of its outbound circuit -- is our next destination. But first, here's a couple more pictures of Storm Runner, because it's my favorite coaster at the park. It's just so twisted, and looks almost awkward, but rides as smooth as can be. Welcome to The Hollow. Flying over the Comet station. Skyrush is just next door. One is as modern as they come, and the other is a classic. Somehow, they work alright together. POV shot from the chair lift. If you're looking for expansive views, stick to the Kissing Tower. If you want some unique angles of the nearby coasters, give it a ride! A big turn on Superdooperlooper is ahead to the left. One train shot! Two train shot! Three train shot! Ah ah ah ah ah. Nathan and Troy say hello. Now they get a portrait with a big B&M blazing by in the background. What else is Great Bear famous for? Its bizarre support structure. You can get pretty close to Great Bear on the chair lift, but it's moving fast, and tough to photograph! A look back at the Skyrush lift hill, with a train just getting ready to crest. A lucky rooftop reflection makes the shot. Coming back into the station. Time to leave the park. I took this picture of the stadium while I should have been at full sprint for the bus. Oops. Welcome to Hershey -- and now, goodbye to Hershey! The sweetest place on earth. Well, I can't eat all that much chocolate before checking out, but I'm sure I'll be back for the coasters. Day 7 post-script! Was I the only one who found the ice cream shop across the street from our hotel? What to order? I'll just take something small -- pineapple and vanilla with a cherry on top, because everything deserves a cherry on top. The sun sets over the hotel, bringing an end to another fun TPR day. Thanks for reading, and stay tuned. The next part of the trip report may be the most fun of the entire tour!

Day 6/7 -- The Pictures (Part 1) Welcome to Hersheypark -- established in 1907! This photo report will focus on the park's attractions, but I hope to share a little about the history of the area outside the park as well. The Fast Track Pass for Day 1: Comet, Skyrush, Superdooperlooper, Great Bear, and Storm Runner. I couldn't find my Day 2 pass, but I believe we had Fahrenheit, Storm Runner, Wild Mouse, and two others. Who is Milton Hershey? He's the namesake for the community, the Hershey chocolate company, the Milton Hershey School, and a whole lot of other things. The statue of Milton Hershey appears to be made entirely of chocolate. Milton Snavely Hershey was born in 1857, and started making candy in the 1890s. In the early 1900s, he focused his efforts on chocolate, beginning construction on his first factory in Hershey in 1903. He later founded the Hershey Industrial School, now the Milton Hershey School, as a school for orphans. Hershey died in his namesake community in 1945. From one angle, Hershey was a wildly successful businessman, known both for his chocolates and his philanthropy. From another angle, Hershey's legacy lives on in the thrill rides and family attractions at his namesake amusement park. Skyrush and Great Bear (pictured here) are two of the most prominent coasters near the Hersheypark entrance. Skyrush was one of my most anticipated rides of the trip. Two very different roller coasters share their location in The Hollow. Skyrush was built in 2012, and Comet was built in 1946. Comet isn't a bad ride, but it's not one of my favorite classic wooden coasters. Lightning Racer, on the other hand, is pretty spectacular. Posting this so I never have an excuse to forget which name corresponds to each train color. GCI Millennium Flyer trains are some of the most comfortable in the industry. Fahrenheit decided to drop in on this photo of Wildcat and the Kissing Tower. Wildcat crests a hill. Wildcat's name is stylized as "The Wildcat" on the train-front logo. Zach and Sean pick the front row on Wildcat, because they are smart people. I was incredibly excited to get ERT on Storm Runner, a ride that remains one of my top 5 steel coasters. Heading down the top hat. Sure hope you enjoy air time. Flying snake dive! Awesome element. Better name. Loose change (or glasses/phones/etc) might not be a good idea on Storm Runner. Time for a ride on the classic Flying Falcon. Condor rides aren't easy to find in the US. I thought it was fun! Back to The Hollow for a view over Spring Creek. Multi-train multi-coaster pictures are pretty easy here, with four coasters in close proximity. Great Bear completes the vertical loop... ...and heads into the first of several straight parts. The big turnaround looks nice against a crisp blue sky. Inversions are fun. Ian and Scott (not Scott Ian, the guy from Anthrax) are excited for their upcoming ride on Great Bear. Night falls. Coaster pictures get blurrier. The lights come on and things start looking nice. Night rides on Skyrush? Awesome. Watch out for that first drop. Almost time for ERT on Fahrenheit! A few good views from the picnic area next to the ride. Last picture of the night before ERT started up! Good morning, Pennsylvania! Let's head back to Hershey for another day at the park. Most of TPR heads straight to Skyrush. The Simko family approves! Thumbs up from Dan because Skyrush is awesome. More approval from Charles and David in the front row! I refuse to make any Cocoa Cruiser jokes. Instead, I will laugh at the train full of TPR members riding Awful Zamperla Kiddie Coaster #2 of 5! This is intense. Well at least you're acting like you're having fun. Or, acting like you're disgusted. Credits granted for AJ, Nathan, Troy, and Zach. Why am I not in the picture? Because I got the credit the day before. I wasn't riding twice. Our scores on the "shooting 90s kids playing extreme sports" dark ride. I have no recollection of which one is mine, or if these values are any good. On our way out to Chocolate World, we passed the huge mass of people just entering the park for the morning. Glad to not be in that line! We have arrived at Hershey's Chocolate World! This was the first Chocolate World location, and originally opened in 1973. The building design takes inspiration from the original Hershey factory, and is even done up with a scaled-down decorative version of the famous Hershey smoke stacks. Here's what it looks like inside the building -- and this is probably less than half of the retail space! If you can't find the Hershey merchandise you're looking for, it probably doesn't exist. This is the real reason we're here -- the dark ride! Here's the story, for those unaware. For a long time, the actual Hershey factory offered tours, so that people could see how chocolate was made. Eventually, that became impractical, and a dark ride simulation of the chocolate-making process was created at Chocolate World instead. The ride has gone through several revisions since Chocolate World first opened. The entire ride setup is very Disney-esque. You'll be transported past several cows along the way. Also Disney-esque? The theme song that Gabby, Harmony, and Olympia will have burned into your brain by the time the 9 or 10 minutes are up. Time to enter the factory. First, we'll do some bean blending, whatever that is. Today, we have beans from Ecuador. We'll blend those with beans from West Africa, ensuring a multi-cultural chocolate experience. At some point in the production, these chocolate discs move down the line. Then, cows sing again, which is apparently a very crucial part of the manufacturing process. Add sugar and milk to taste. Mix it all up on closed-circuit TV. Roll and refine. The scoreboard! The amorous kisses are far in the lead. KitKat was too busy sponsoring Android v4.4 to show up for the big game. Want some chocolate syrup? It's part of the tour. The Kiss Depositor is the creepy guy in middle school your mom warned you about. Near the end of the tour is the "random cities" room. Imagine that -- we just came from Chicago. Your amusement park sucks. This is foreshadowing, is it not? Also Disney-esque? On-ride photo. Your photographer is a cow. I'd buy one if they carved the picture out of chocolate. Immediately after exiting the ride, we were exiled into the jungle of the Amazon. This is too easy. We're waiting, Hershey. When do we get ROLOcoaster? This is a novelty item, right? Nobody can actually eat 5 pounds of chocolate, right? Maybe this $195 paperweight is more your style. Or, maybe you just want a picture with a giant anthropomorphic Hershey's Kiss. Chocolate World actually has several good options for lunch, making it a nice alternative to eating in the park. I was rather drawn to the dessert showcase. But, let's face it, the mega-sized ice cream counter is the place to be. This is lunch. This is what eight days of walking around theme parks had earned me. Oh, and there's a pretty nice view of Skyrush from Chocolate World -- but not just Skyrush! That's a three-train shot with Comet and Superdooperlooper also representing. Heading back toward the park, and passing another piece of history. The Hershey Pool was a major attraction at Hersheypark for decades, before being closed in 1971. The Lighthouse from the original Hershey Pool has been re-installed near the park's entrance. A picture of Milton and Catherine (Kitty) Hershey near the front of the park. The text on the sign reads: "Hershey Entertainment and Resorts is proud to help fulfill the dream of our mutual founder, Milton S. Hershey, by supporting Milton Hershey School, the largest home and school in the world, as it continues to provide opportunities for children in need." Heading up to the monorail, there's a nice view of the Skyrush lift hill, with a rather indistinctive apartment building behind it. Just about to the good part. I am the eye in the sky, looking at you. A wide view over The Hollow from the monorail. Well, that sure makes Comet look small. It's a quick glance through the trees, but a perfect straight-on view of the Skyrush lift hill. Great views of Storm Runner from the monorail. Then, suddenly, we're out of the park. Welcome to downtown Hershey! It was heavily under construction during our visit in 2014. This view to the east encompasses much of what was formerly the main Hershey factory, which has largely been removed. Local production was transferred to a new facility just a few miles to the west, with other facilities elsewhere in the US, Mexico, and Brazil. Since the closure of the original factory, this area has been undergoing renovations. A new office building (19 East Chocolate Avenue) is in place, and a few of the old factory's historic elements (such as the smoke stacks) were preserved. You're all looking at Skyrush, but take a second glance at the foreground: the street lights are Hershey's Kisses. This large building is the Hershey Theater, home to a historic venue for concerts and plays. Milton Hershey originally conceived of the theater in the 1910s, and hired architect C. Emlen Urban for the design. The theater was eventually completed in 1933. Consider Your Appearance Pardoned, Hershey Company! This is part of the new Hershey office building at 19 East Chocolate Avenue. I like the design, so you're getting a close-up picture of it! The park looks so far away from here. Here are those famous smokestacks, which are no longer in use, but will remain standing as a local landmark.

Day 6 (PM) and Day 7 -- Hersheypark Wednesday, July 30, 2014 Thursday, July 31, 2014 Scorecard (Wednesday): Lightning Racer [Thunder] Lightning Racer [Lightning] Wildcat Cocoa Cruiser Trailblazer Flying Falcon Comet Skyrush Superdooperlooper Great Bear Coal Cracker -- Dinner -- Skyrush (x2) Fahrenheit (x4) (ERT) Storm Runner (x12) (ERT) Scorecard (Thursday): Skyrush (x4) (ERT) Reese's Xtreme Cup Challenge Hershey's Great American Chocolate Tour -- Lunch -- Monorail Storm Runner Wild Mouse Lightning Racer [Thunder] Lightning Racer [Lightning] Fahrenheit Kissing Tower (x2) Skyview Skyrush The Report: Split between two days, the TPR Mini East Coast trip kicked off with about 16 and a half hours at Hersheypark -- 8 hours on Wednesday, and another 6 and a half hours on Thursday. This wasn't my first visit to the chocolate-themed park in Hershey, Pennsylvania, as I'd previously spent a day at the park in June of 2010. Fahrenheit was the new ride back then, and this would be my first visit since the opening of Skyrush. To note: this trip report is from the summer of 2014, so Laff Trakk had yet to be announced. After our Mini East Coast welcome lunch at Lancaster Brewing Company, we arrived at Hersheypark just after 3 PM. We received our Fast Track passes and meal vouchers, and head out on our own until it was time for the park to close. Finding lines to be generally manageable, my group was able to get through a wide assortment of coasters and other rides before night began to fall. I was thrilled to get my first ride on Skyrush, as well as revisiting an old favorite in Lightning Racer. Flying Falcon, the park's Condor, was also a must-ride -- those aren't easy to find, and it was my first time ever trying one out. We didn't stop for dinner until around 9 PM in the Pioneer Frontier area, where this Greek was disappointed to learn that the employees of Hersheypark don't know how to pronounce "gyro" correctly. I was much less disappointed by the meal, which was actually quite good. Right around then is when some good luck came my way -- though I'd planned one more ride on Skyrush, a random person leaving the park gave me a Fast Track pass for another ride on Skyrush. That enabled two quick rides before the park closed, and before I had to prepare to meet the group for our evening ERT session. The whole TPR group met up at about 945 PM in the picnic area just west of Fahrenheit. We had been promised 30 minutes of ERT on Storm Runner, but those plans were changed for the better -- we were given a full hour on both Storm Runner and Fahrenheit! Once the queues cleared out, we enjoyed ERT from 1030 PM to 1130 PM, and made the absolute most of it. I had sixteen total rides between the two coasters, both of which are among my favorites. What an awesome end to a very long day! Leaving the park an hour and a half after closing time, we arrived at our hotel just past midnight. In what was one of just a couple quick turnarounds on the Mini East Coast trip, we left the hotel on Thursday morning at about 815 AM, and got into Hersheypark in plenty of time for the 930 AM hotel guest ERT in The Hollow. That gave us the run of several coasters in the vicinity -- Skyrush / Superdooperlooper / Great Bear / Comet -- all with very short waits. I think most of the TPR group simply stuck to Skyrush, and I was able to get in four rides in just over a half hour. After a couple other rides, my group exited the park to head to Hershey's Chocolate World at about 1045 AM. Chocolate World is not technically part of Hersheypark, which means that anyone can visit without park admission. If you're into chocolate, though, you'll probably spend about as much money as a Hersheypark ticket before you even realize it. While at Chocolate World, we all decided to stop for lunch. Lunch was ice cream and dessert. That's how you're supposed to do it in Hershey, right? We re-entered Hersheypark at about 1215 PM, with a few coasters to revisit, and three scenic rides (the Monorail, the Kissing Tower, and the Skyview chair lift) still on the agenda. While the rest of my group went for a ride on Comet, I rode the Kissing Tower twice so I could get more pictures. I'm pretty sure you'd never find that sentence in another person's trip report. After closing the visit with a final ride on Skyrush, we checked our watches and headed out of the park. My group, along with at least a dozen other TPR members, apparently underestimated the distance from the front gate to the bus. Our departure time of 4 PM was thankfully extended to 401 PM, as a whole bunch of us were about 200 feet away from being left behind. Hey, at least we could have pooled money for cab fares. After leaving Hersheypark, our next stop was Funck's Restaurant in nearby Palmyra. After another great group dinner, we headed back to our hotel, ending the official activities for the day at 645 PM. I wasn't quite done for the night -- I discovered that the KOA campground across the street had a general store with an ice cream parlor, so I gladly gluttonized for the second or third time that day. Back in the hotel by 830 PM, it was time to rest up in anticipation of a very long day ahead on Friday. Overall Impressions: Hersheypark exceeded my expectations when I visited in 2010, and after adding Skyrush in the interim years, it did so again in 2014. Simply put, Hersheypark has one of the most astoundingly awesome top-heavy coaster collections in the country. I look at it this way: how many other parks have a third-best coaster as good as Fahrenheit? All three Intamins are easily in my top 20 for steel coasters, and maybe top 15. Step down from there and you've got a classic Schwarzkopf, a good B&M invert, and one of the most fun dueling GCI coasters around. I did say that the collection was top-heavy -- it's a steep drop off after those six, but what a top six it is. How about the feel of the park? I'd put it on par with most of the good Cedar Fair parks -- Kings Island would be a good example. It's a little bit corporate, but there are enough unique elements that it doesn't feel like a theme-less cookie-cutter collection of rides, as some of the lower-end Cedar Fair (or most of the Six Flags chain) are like. I'll admit -- though it's not like there's anything they can do about it -- the park's layout is confusing. I've spent three days there now, and I still don't think I completely know my way around. A big part of that is the natural ravine, and I think it's a fair tradeoff -- the varied landscape around Spring Creek is worth the indirect paths and hilly hikes. Finally, I think that Hersheypark and Hershey have a remarkably interesting history -- among the most interesting of any park in the country. Hersheypark is sometimes skewed for inconsistent operations. I can't remember having any issues -- in fact, many of the ride ops were quite cordial and efficient. I don't go into a park like Hersheypark expecting Cedar Point's speed, Herschend's friendliness, or Disney's mix of the two. That said, I was quite happy with the experience -- Hersheypark was far closer to the above examples than to, for instance, Six Flags Great America. For the middle of summer, the crowds were very manageable. Some of that simply has to be attributed to the operations, though our weekday visits and the very busy water park also had something to do with it. As for the Fast Track system? It's alright. It lacks the simplicity of a Cedar Fair Fast Lane, and it doesn't provide the all-day effectiveness of a Six Flags Flash Pass. It definitely helped us move through a few of the higher-demand coasters, but I can see some room for improvement. I live within a day's drive of Hersheypark, so I'm hoping I'll be able to make a trip there every few years. Hersheypark is easily one of my top 10 favorite parks overall, and probably in my top 5 for standard amusement parks. I've traveled a lot in the past three or four years, so that's a pretty big statement. Just one question left to ask: when's the next big Intamin going to arrive? One final mention -- was great to see Hershey employee Chris C, TPR member and veteran of the 2013 US trip. We had some good times on the Texas/Midwest tour, and shared a few more during ERT on Wednesday night. The Attractions: Skyrush: What a rush! This was one of my most anticipated coasters on the 2014 trip, and it did not disappoint at all. The layout is simple, but the setting is great, and the non-stop array of positive and negative forces make Skyrush one of the most exciting coasters I've ever been on. Yes, I'll mention the restraints -- they were uncomfortable, and only unlocked on the brake run if we were going to be sitting for a minute or so. It's a small negative on an outstanding ride, and it didn't really affect my enjoyment of the coaster at all. Skyrush is definitely a coaster, like Maverick, that you have to learn how to ride. Anticipating the turns and hills does make it more enjoyable. Some people have said that the lift runs slower than it did in the past, and that Skyrush was actually more intense after it had first opened. I never experienced the ride that way, so all I can say is that I thought it was just the right amount of fun and intensity. To note: I loved Skyrush -- it's in my top 10 steel for sure -- but I'm one of the few enthusiasts with a lukewarm reaction to I-305. Finally, let's give Skyrush credit for its capacity: that line moves fast. Storm Runner: Despite my praise for Skyrush, Storm Runner remains one of my absolute favorite roller coasters -- a top 5 steel for certain, along with Millennium Force, Maverick, Kumba, and Medusa Steel Coaster. Storm Runner is such a fun combination of elements, kicking the whole thing off with an intense launch, and then doing several bizarre maneuvers that very few coasters attempt. Who doesn't love the Flying Snake Dive? I do think it's a little short, but it makes the most of its length. I was thrilled to ride it 12 times in about 40 minutes during our Wednesday night ERT. Fahrenheit: Fahrenheit is my third favorite coaster at Hersheypark, but it would be at least #2 at just about any other park I've visited. The beyond-vertical drop is just as fun as Maverick's, and the compact array of elements make a nice complement to the very different layout of Storm Runner. Fahrenheit also has one of the only cobra rolls I actually enjoy. Great Bear: Yeah, the layout is bizarre -- no question. The first half of the ride is a lot of fun, even if it slows down a bit in the second half. Don't go in expecting Batman intensity, and you'll probably have a good time. It's a mid-tier invert, but easily worth a ride or two on every visit. As of 2016, Great Bear is the sixth oldest of Hersheypark's 13 operating coasters. I can only imagine how big of a deal it was when it was installed! Superdooperlooper: The classic Schwarzkopf with the hilarious name is not one of Anton's most intense creations. However, it's an outstanding upper-tier family coaster, especially for those ready to try their first inversion. It may not be one of my very favorites, but it's fun for one or two rides, and holds an important place in the park's history. Lightning Racer: I admit that I hadn't been on many good wooden coasters until the 2014 TPR US trip, but before that trip, Lightning Racer was #2/#3 on my list -- right behind Outlaw Run. Now in early 2016, through no fault of its own, it's going to fall a few slots -- behind Phoenix, El Toro, Kentucky Rumbler, Thunderhead, Goliath, and maybe one or two others. That still places Lightning Racer comfortably in the top ten, and for good reason -- it's simply a ton of fun. It's not particularly intense, and the individual layouts aren't particularly unique. However, it's smooth, extremely re-ridable, and has the totally unfair advantage of a remarkably creative dueling layout. Full credit to the Hersheypark ops -- every single ride cycle was dispatched to duel, and the race between Thunder and Lightning was always exciting. Wildcat: Well, Lightning Racer ends the run of the awesome top 6 (or 7) coasters at Hersheypark. It's all downhill from here. Wildcat remains my least favorite GCI coaster. It was the first coaster they ever built, and just hasn't aged as well as others. It's not unbearably rough, but it isn't exactly comfortable -- though the front row isn't too bad. More importantly, GCI clearly grew better at putting layouts together later on -- this one isn't as inspiring as its neighbor across the water park. Wild Mouse: It's a mouse, so it's not going to be great. That's a given. I have to give Hersheypark some credit, though -- they run this one fast, with limited use of brakes, and high capacity. I have a picture (posted below) with four cars on the course at once. That's impressive, even if the ride isn't! Trailblazer: The 2013 TPR tour visited some awesome Arrow mine trains. The 2014 TPR tour would not be so lucky. Trailblazer is one of the most bland and uneventful mine train rides I've been on. It's a once-for-the-credit ride only. Comet: As far as classic wooden coasters go, Comet just isn't a favorite. I do like the layout (a modified double out-and-back with a turn on the second leg), but found the airtime underwhelming, and the tracking a little rough. Cocoa Cruiser: On Page 1 of this thread, you may recall I nicknamed this trip the "awful Zamperla kiddie coaster" tour. This is a big part of the reason why -- the second of five such coasters I'd ride for the credit and curse on the brake run. I just don't understand how a small coaster like this can have such jarring transitions. It would help if the seats weren't flat, hard plastic. Just not a comfortable experience by any means. Monorail: Hersheypark's monorail is an interesting ride -- the six-minute cycle actually goes well outside the park's boundaries, circling through a section of downtown Hershey near the company's new 19 East Chocolate Avenue offices, the Hershey theater, and just west of the location of the original Hershey plant (noted by the iconic smokestacks). Those views are interesting, but the remarkable angles of some of the park's coasters -- Storm Runner in particular -- are also well worth the ride. Kissing Tower: Located at the south end of Hersheypark, the Kissing Tower offers views of the same downtown area as the monorail, but it's the sky-high views of the rest of the park that are of most interest. The Kissing Tower's greatest aesthetic asset -- the windows shaped like Hershey's Kisses -- are also its greatest challenge for photographers. Thankfully, there's a work-around -- request a seat near the flat sliding doors, and you'll be able to snap away without distortion. Skyview: Admittedly, this chair lift isn't much of a "sky view" -- it traverses the lowest section of Hersheypark at low elevation. Nonetheless, there are some outstanding views of Great Bear and Skyrush, so it's definitely worth a ride. Coal Cracker: Applause for another classic log flume that hasn't yet met the chopping block! There are two reasons why I rank Coal Cracker as an above-average flume. First, the ride spends a significant amount of time at a raised elevation. Second, the splash at the end isn't overwhelmingly wet. They just don't make 'em like this anymore. Reese's Xtreme Cup Challenge: First, evaluating this dark ride solely as an interactive shooter, I have to admit that it's pretty good. As for the story? Imagine you've got a bunch of mid-90s kids playing extreme sports -- surfing, rollerblading, and rock climbing. Next, dress them up in Hershey's corporate sponsorships, ten acid trips worth of spinning and glowing props, and two wannabe-ESPN talking head sportscasters. Finally, put targets all around them, and start shooting! Yeah, it's pretty crazy. Hershey's Great American Chocolate Tour: Want a 9-minute crash course in making chocolate? Located at Chocolate World, here's a near-Disney-quality dark ride that explains the process of confection manufacturing (perhaps in ways that are most agreeable to the Hershey company). Complete with singing animatronic cows and an earworm song you'll never get out of your head, no visit to Hersheypark is complete without a ride on the chocolate tour.

Day 6 (AM) -- Intermission Wednesday, July 30, 2014 Might want to make sure your alarm is set correctly for a 4:15 AM CDT departure. The first half of TPR's 2014 US tour (Mini New Hotness) came to an end early on a Wednesday morning in Chicago, but a small group -- about 12 people -- were continuing ahead to Harrisburg for the second half (Mini East Coast). Those connecting onward to Pennsylvania headed to O'Hare for a short flight east. We had to brave the ridiculous check-in lines -- United did not make a fan out of me -- and waited for our departure. Waited a little longer than we'd have preferred, actually. Somehow, without any pre-planning, the entire TPR group had a cohesive block of seats near the front of the plane. No idea how we managed that! Yes, the flight attendant was late. The ERJ-145 is a small plane, with about 50 seats. Thus, the ERJ-145 has a small crew. Thus, if you're late for work, that plane isn't taking off until you're clocked in. She did have quite the ridiculous grin on her face, after finally arriving nearly an hour late. TPR Takeover of United 3380! Put your tray tables up, straighten out the seat backs, and enjoy the flight with Michael (behind the camera), Laura, Ryan, Colin, Chuck, and myself. (credit to Michael Goodwin for the picture -- thanks!) Good morning TPR. Goodbye, Chicago. Goodbye, and good riddance, O'Hare! Hello, Harrisburg! Hello, Susquehanna River and Three Mile Island -- or as I prefer to describe it, "if Six Flags ran a nuke plant." Nice view of the river while coming in to land from the south. A scene from a dystopian science fiction film, or Harrisburg International Airport? Your call. This may be a hint for our next park destination. The great seal of Harrisburg International Airport. Wait a second -- international? Oh, there's an observation deck? Nice view, and the answer to the question: that little Air Canada Express prop plane en route to Toronto is why Harrisburg is an International Airport. A scene anyone on the trip will recognize -- our meeting spot! On the big picture, what can I say about the switch from Mini New Hotness to Mini East Coast? The pace was much more relaxed. Discounting only the long Knoebels day, it was the easiest of the four weeks I'd spent with TPR. The shorter travel distances helped a lot with that, and some planned free evenings also provided a chance to catch a breath and settle down. We arrived in Pennsylvania at around 9:30 AM (now back in Eastern time) and had a little bit of time to kill before the official start of the trip. We met the new trip participants, and left the airport just before 12:30 PM. Our first stop was a welcome lunch at Lancaster Brewing Company in Harrisburg, and our next stop was the great amusement park just 20-30 minutes away...

Awesome report! So nice to see all the different angles, especially this one down the main midway. Really puts the ride's location and scale in perspective.

Thanks Zach! Sorry your visits in 2015 weren't great either. Like I said earlier, I'm a little hesitant to push submit on a critical review when my source material is over a year old, but unfortunately it doesn't sound like 2015 was any better than 2014 for SFGAm. You aren't the first person I've heard that from, either. Shhhh! You bring up a very interesting hypothetical, though. The SFGAm experience led SFGAdv to, shall we say, pleasantly overcompensate. ERT, line skips, and incredible interaction with the staff. Given the two parks, and the possibility to have an excellent, perk-filled day at one of the two-- would any enthusiast in their right minds really pick SFGAm? Not that you can excuse the negative, but does it make it easier to appreciate the positive? Don't know if it's the same guy, but Brandon Bruce was quite good to us in 2013, his last season at SFGAm. Correct on the first one -- we rode the tower after 6PM, so I believe the water park had just closed. It was also not a particularly warm day, so I don't know how busy it was in the first place. As for RMC's restraints, I've had good luck with them -- I find them among the most comfortable of any coaster trains in the business, but I know that may not be the case for everyone. Absolutely. Puts things into perspective -- how "spoiled" I was that the only two parks I ever visited as a child were Cedar Point and Disney World. How "spoiled" I was to have never even set foot in a Six Flags park until 2013! SFGAm was really the only negative "park experience" on the entire 2014 trip, and though we visited a couple other parks I wasn't hugely fond of, we were still treated well and had pleasant interactions with the staff. ...and there's two examples of parks that definitely have the whole attitude thing figured out. Two of the best in the business and exactly as you described. As for SFOT, yes -- the 2013 trip didn't have a great day there (maybe not as bad as SFGAm) and I was one of several to publish honest trip reports about it. Still, and maybe it's because I like that park's coaster collection better, I am hoping to return to SFOT, which means... ...that's some very encouraging news.

Day 5 -- The Pictures (Part 2) On our way out of the tower, the ride operator forcibly attempted to sell us on the park's funnel cakes. Even if I liked funnel cakes -- I don't -- I wouldn't have purchased one here. Next up on the agenda was the train, which can be reached by hiking ten miles into the forest, climbing a hill past the construction fence, and desperately hoping to arrive at the station before nightfall hits and we're all left to the wolves. The elevation at Hometown Square is 29. Twenty-nine. Feet? Meters? Either way, that'd put us about 500 feet underground in northeastern Illinois. Thank you Accesso for being awesome. No thanks to Six Flags for neutering their highest Flash Pass tier with brutal operations. V2: back spike edition. Lucky shot of American Eagle through the X-Flight supports. Good angle of X-Flight from the train station. Again, it's an interesting-looking maneuver... ...that just doesn't deliver. Batman climbs into the clouds... ...but, uh, where are the wheel covers? Answer: hiding in the tunnel alongside the ride's brake run. Goliath rides in the distance. Cresting the lift... ...and dropping. OK, time to leave Hometown Square on a one-way return-trip loop around the park. The best part about the train? No queue! Empty seats! Relative peace and quiet! A wide view over the eastern side of the park. Some nice views of Roaring Rapids from the first leg of the train ride. Shockingly, Roaring Rapids had a long line! I know, unbelievable, right? (nature documentary voice on) Now, as you look off to the right of the train, observe one of the rarest and most spectacular of all creatures at Six Flags Great America... ...a park employee attempting to be friendly! (nature documentary voice off) Here's an off-duty engine on the Great America Rail Road. The Mule? This was the real kicker for the train ride -- some up-close views of Goliath. Don't climb in there. OK, actually, the views of Goliath may be too close! Tricky shot of a train going up the airtime hill after the first turnaround. Just to thank RMC for being weird. Now past 7PM, that's still a solid two-hour wait. As for American Eagle? Still lined up on the bridge. The second half of the train ride crosses through and near several coasters, including... ...American Eagle... ...X-Flight... ...X-Flight again... ...Viper... ...and Raging Bull. That first drop in the back is quite good, if I'm being honest. Oh, Whizzer. This park doesn't deserve you. Off the train, here's a history lesson on the park's double-decker carousel. 90 minutes for Superman? Yup. That looks like a whole lot of not-fun. This was one of the few coasters in which the Flash Pass worked as intended. Hey Zach... Flying up the lift hill. The best part about the Mouse-in-a-Box next door is the shadows on the wall. So, you go from this... ...to this... ...and then you ride off into the sunset and dream of being at a better park. Or, if you're dumb like me, you go ride a Mouse-in-a-Box. For subway enthusiasts. For empty pre-show room enthusiasts. For map enthusiasts. OK, for me. Hey, this cajun-themed area looks nice. I wonder what's around the corner? Nothing. R.I.P. spinning mouse of death. Enjoy your trip to the Six Flags Scrap Heap in Maryland. Here it is -- the original Batman. It still holds up pretty well! Want to know what doesn't hold up well? Getting stuck at the air gates for 15 minutes because the ride went down. This just ... doesn't look quite right. Last coaster of the night! Here's a look at the totally orderly and not-at-all disastrous ride platform for V2. Storms were on their way, and we waited ... and waited. We got on and got out just in time, bringing our day to a merciful end. Alright, as that's the last picture in the set, my disclaimer: don't take this post too overly seriously. It's still a vacation. It's still a theme park. It was still a fun day, because TPR is awesome, and my group for the day was awesome, and because a day of good photography is never a waste. So if you're an employee or a fan of SFGAm -- unless you're the park president -- let's not make this personal. Let's not take it as an insult. Let's make it clear, though -- that place has some work to do if I'm ever going to plan another visit.

Day 5 -- The Pictures (Part 1) The sun is shining! That might be a false omen. We've arrived at Goliath. What a name for a coaster. OK, Six Flags, here's a little hint. Did you actually read the story of David and Goliath? You know, the one where -- despite his impressive size and statistics -- Goliath lost? The infamous Goliath boarding pass -- apparently cheaper than hiring people to keep control of the guests jumping in line. Cutting the line at Goliath is strictly forbidden. Running at full speed through the park to get to the ride is perfectly acceptable, though. Here's one of Goliath's side queues. This may be the actual intended queue, but given that every inch was filled all day long, it was sort of hard to tell. Made it to the station -- one of the only rides at the park with competent operations. After slowly working through a couple other coasters, we came back to Goliath for a couple more rides and some photography. Well, this crowd doesn't look so bad, right? Oh. Yes, that's the huge temporary queue that completely blocks the park's second railroad station. Uh, Mark, what the heck do you think you're doing? Oh, skipping the entire 2-3 hour queue and getting dirty stares from everybody else in line. Good idea. Wait up. A view of the lift hill from the load side of the station platform. I hope the back row is prepared to be underwhelmed. 10 seconds later, the train pulls into the station. Yeah, it's still a bit of a rush, even though it's quite short. Lift chain and anti-rollbacks for all the coaster nerds. Two pieces of perfectly-aligned wood. So, Goliath's elements -- starting with the first drop, which is surprisingly not all that intense for a drop of its angle and height. The first turnaround is fun, taken with some speed. It's followed by a decent (but not spectacular) straight airtime hill. The inverted turnaround is where things simply start to get too slow to be truly exciting. If the stall was done correctly, it'd probably feel like perfect floater airtime while upside down. Instead, there was a clear (though mild) sensation of hangtime, which I'm not a huge fan of. TPR members hit the brake run. Good ride? Yes. Great ride? Maybe. Outstanding ride? Nope. Oh, what's that you guys are wearing? Thanks to Paul and Stacy for proudly modeling shirts featuring a far superior coaster. Back to the station after three rides on Goliath. Have to admit -- the lift structure is pretty awesome. OK, so it's not a traditional wood coaster, but it's still a wood coaster. One last view of the station and the inverted turnaround. There's probably a technical term for that, but I forgot it. Two of the most common scenes at Six Flags Great America: full queues and rampant advertising. The line for American Eagle stretched all the way across the bridge for pretty much the entire day. At least you could have a good view of X-Flight while you wait 75 minutes to get on the ride. Speaking of X-Flight, here it is -- and yet another full queue! The props are fun, but it's one of the most generic "secret military operation" themes I've ever seen. As for the station? It's alright. We got to know it pretty well, considering we were in there for almost a half hour. JC and TJ? Stuck on X-Flight. Trying to have fun anyway, because that's what we do. The drop looks awesome, and feels like almost nothing. Now we'll attempt to not get hit by a train. Raging Bull. Raging Bore? It's still a good coaster -- one of my favorites in the park -- but oh, that trim brake. You know the one. Whizzer. I'll give this classic Schwarzkopf some love. So, uh, the Dapper Dans these guys weren't... LOL. Oh, and what a welcoming sight to the happiest place on earth -- a full-on TSA checkpoint at the front gate! They do the cavity searches behind the carousel. OK, enough snark for the moment, time for some aerial photography. Six Flags Over the Metal Detectors. So, yeah, kind of a busy day. There's the first trap-door slides I ever rode -- braved them on the 2013 visit. We didn't find time for the now-upcharge water park in 2014. It's a shame Six Flags decided to be stupid about that, because Hurricane Harbor is actually a pretty good water park. Quite the assortment of slides -- now sponsored by Welch's Fruit Snacks. There's Viper. One of my most disappointing individual rides of the 2014 trip -- it just flat-out wasn't good. In 2013, it was alright going backward... ...and I was really looking forward to looking forward. Sorry. Let's zoom out a little bit. Downtown Chicago might be out there somewhere, but I couldn't find it. Another view of Raging Bull, and parts of the decently-themed southwestern section of the park. The huge American Eagle structure makes for an interesting backdrop. A wider view to the south. X-Flight and American Eagle -- which was actually running both sides late in the afternoon. Whizzer, with its awesome spiral lift. The park's main square -- formerly the location for their igNight show. The only operating train station is half-hidden at the bottom of the shot. A look to the southeast, at some of the park's other major attractions. I didn't ride either of the two log flumes on this trip, having been on both of them in 2013. They're pretty good, actually. V2 is good, but I prefer Wicked Twister -- two twisted spikes and a heck of a setting on the beach. Batman looks so short from way up here. Even Goliath doesn't look all that tall. Zooming about as far as I can go. Sadly, most of my attempts at zoomed shots from the Sky Trek Tower didn't really turn out, and I'm going to blame the lousy windows on the gondola for it. The northeast end of the park is kind of bland. This area does have one classic flat -- the Condor -- but is otherwise lacking in charm. A closer view of the entrance to everyone's favorite mouse-in-a-box. Superman is at least a little fun, and had one of the only good ride crews in the park. The pretzel loop is worth the wait (and worth putting up with the ride's mediocre second half). Still think this is one of the nicer park entrance areas I've seen -- the pond, the flower, and the carousel in the background. Six Flags Over the Gurnee Police Department. A lonely car on the old Intamin drop tower. Welcome to Gurnee. I said my zoom shots didn't turn out great, but I had to post this one of the hotel, just to prove that it doesn't have flames shooting out of the roof.

Alright, Holiday World's done, Indiana Beach is finished, what's next... ...oh. This day. Well then. I guess I have some pictures to share, but do I really want to write up a trip report for it? Oh, do I. Heck yes. Let's get started. Day 5 -- Six Flags Great America Tuesday, July 29, 2014 Scorecard: Goliath [back] American Eagle (Red) X-Flight (x2) Goliath [Front] Goliath Raging Bull [back] (x2) Viper Whizzer -- Dinner -- Sky Trek Tower Scenic Railway Superman: Ultimate Flight The Dark Knight Batman: The Ride V2 The Report: Oh my, did we have a Six Flags day. As written up in my previous trip report, TPR's 2013 visit to Six Flags Great America on the Texas / Midwest tour was pretty good -- not that it was necessarily an easy day for Robb and Elissa to set up. This time, we knew going in that things would be different, in large part due to the dismissive and unprofessional attitude taken by SFGAm's staff during the planning phase -- straight up to the office of the park's president. We had no ERT. We had no backstage tours. We had no group meals or photo opportunities. We had no special access to Goliath. Given that the brand-new RMC was one of the big selling points of the trip, and a major item of anticipation for our last stop on the Mini New Hotness tour, we were still hoping for the best. How did things turn out? Almost unbelievably, it was worse than expected. I've now been on five weeks worth of trips with TPR, and in terms of the overall park experience, this was the worst day out of them all. There's never a truly bad day on a trip like this -- as long as you're with good people, you can make the most out of anything. Still, despite going in with an attitude to give the park as fair a chance as possible, we were continually amazed (maybe even impressed) by how many ways the place disappointed us -- over and over again. So, there's your warning -- this is not going to be a gushing review. I won't share other folks' stories, though anyone following along with TPR's social media saw some of the worst of what Six Flags Great America had to offer. I'll simply give a fair assessment of my small group's experience in the park, albeit run through a gold-plated filter of dismissive sarcasm. Let's start with some good news -- our hotel didn't burn down! We got to sleep in, with no need to be to the park early, since we had no ERT. Not a bad idea to pick up some extra rest, after the late nights earlier on the trip. We didn't leave for the park until after 9AM, intending to get there in time for the 10AM opening. We barely made it -- our bus was delayed at the toll gate for ten minutes, which I believe gave Six Flags enough time to investigate if we were actually sleeper agents for Cedar Fair. Well, we fooled 'em good -- we were actually sleeper agents for RMC, if my entire Q-Bot group wearing Outlaw Run shirts wasn't an indication. Troll game: engaged. The park gates opened five minutes early, and what happened next was hilarious -- a mad-dash to Goliath. Just one or two bulls shy of Pamplona, literally hundreds of unruly teenagers took off at full sprint to the back of the park, appearing perfectly ready to trample anything in their path. What a dangerous, disorganized mess that was. By the time we caught up to the crowd, the line for Goliath was already about an hour long -- and we were among the first at the queue outside the main park gate that morning. After we got our first rides in on Goliath, we were given our Platinum Flash Pass Q-Bots for the day. Thank goodness for Accesso -- they loaded two passes for Goliath, meaning that we'd get on the new coaster twice more later in the day. Our next stop was at American Eagle, one of a few major attractions not available on the Q-Bot. Despite the park having been open for over an hour, and on an extremely busy day, only one side (Red) was running -- I presume the blue-side ride ops were critically injured in the Goliath stampede. It took us a half hour to get on, and by the time we were done, the line stretched across the bridge to the entrance -- at least an hour in length. We then headed to X-Flight, where we'd use the Q-Bot for the first time. With good operations, a Platinum Flash Pass should allow a user to get on a ride in around ten minutes or less. That's not how things work at SFGAm. After navigating the twisted corridors beyond the merge point, we finally reached the station platform, only to find that X-Flight was X-Grounded. The ride suffered a breakdown while we were in the station, with several other TPR members still loaded on the coaster, unable to depart. Well, at least we had plenty of time to appreciate the horrendously-generic B-movie top-secret government facility theming, and those awesome flight suits the ride ops get to wear (which I'm sure are in no way uncomfortable in the middle of the summer). It was 35 minutes from the time we entered the queue until the time we got on X-Flight, and by the time we left the ride, it was almost 1 PM. We'd been in the park for nearly three hours, armed with the best Q-Bot available, and had been on three coasters. Discussing our plans for the rest of the day over a plate of fries (that somehow took 20 minutes to cook and still came out lukewarm), half of our Q-Bot group decided not to return to the park after the TPR farewell dinner late that afternoon. So, we opted to cash in our two Goliath passes early. What's better than skipping past a 2-3 hour line? Doing it twice in 30 minutes, and feeling zero shame for the awesomeness of skipping ahead of the hundreds of nitwits who probably charged past us earlier that morning. I skipped lunch, choosing instead to sustain myself on the sneers and glares from the enormous Goliath queue, which I found to be plentiful. After Goliath, we rode Raging Bull, and had one of those deliciously awkward conversations with the back-row ride op. The guy was a TPR fan, and had already seen how well everybody's day was going. Yeah... well... uh... enjoy your ride! He wasn't in a position to apologize, and we weren't in a position to forgive, but we reached a happy balance when he noticed our Outlaw Run shirts. He was thinking of visiting Silver Dollar City, and we tried to convince him to get there as quickly as possible, so hopefully our evangelism for the Herschends made that park a few bucks. Still checking my mailbox for the commission, by the way. Our next coaster was Viper, which I'd been looking forward to (which I realize in retrospect was a pretty stupid idea). Queuing for Viper was an experience akin to rushing the stage at a small-venue general admission concert -- except that the show doesn't start on time, and when it finally does, the band's hopped up on Ambien and playing everything at half-tempo. There's simply no defending the horrifying situation on the Viper station platform -- 5-minute dispatches, no semblance of order to the mass of humanity in the musty wooded building, and ride operators who either won't quit chatting with each other long enough to start checking seatbelts and lap bars, or look like they've just BSOD'd and need a hard reboot. That was another 35 minute wait -- with the flash pass, I again point out -- simply to get one ride on a no-frills wooden coaster. After a spin on Whizzer, we headed out of the park, meeting up with the rest of TPR for our departure at 4PM. Rather than spend any unnecessary money at Six Flags, we opted to have our last dinner at a restaurant near our hotel instead. I believe there were numerous tour participants who didn't return to the park after our dinner was complete. I went back to the park with Mark, knowing we'd at least be able to occupy ourselves with photography, even if we ended up too frustrated to ride much of anything else. Mark and I re-entered the park just after 6PM, and made our way to the Sky Trek Tower for an aerial view of the surroundings. On my 2013 visit, I ran out of time for the observation tower, which would be nearly unthinkable to anyone who knows my favorite spots for photography. Our next ride was on the park's railroad, using the only available station at the front of the park, since the back station had been inexplicably closed off for Goliath's temporary queue. We found time for a few more roller coasters during the evening -- Superman, The Dark Knight, Batman, and V2. We had short waits for the first two, but Batman was "currently experiencing a temporary delay in operations", stretching that wait to almost a half hour. On the way to V2, I had to play meteorologist, noticing a potent thunderstorm was on the way south from near Milwaukee. We opted to make V2 our last ride of the night, thinking there would be plenty of time for one final coaster. That almost wasn't the case. As we waited, an announcement came through from the ride ops -- storms were coming, and they'd do their best to accommodate the crowds still waiting to ride, but offered no guarantees. You'd think that would be a sign to pick up the pace, but then, you've made it this far in the trip report, right? Slow dispatch after slow dispatch served only to cut the time closer, as we waited 30 minutes on a crowded station platform before finally loading to ride. I thought we still had just enough time to get back to the hotel, and we did -- heading out of the park at 9PM, arriving to our destination by 920PM, and beating the downpour by a matter of minutes. We could have stayed until close, fought through a soaking, and tried to get one more ride on Goliath. We didn't. It just wasn't worth the effort. Overall Impressions: Six Flags Great America is a park with major problems, and almost all of them are related to demeanor of the park's staff -- mood, motivation, and efficiency. These attitudes must be driven from above, and given our experience with park management, I have little to no faith that they will be corrected in the near future. Crowd control is one of the biggest issues. We visited on a very busy weekday in the middle of the summer, which appeared to put the staff behind the 8-ball from the moment the gates were opened. Other established and well-respected parks know how to handle large crowds, and understand that keeping people moving through queues and attractions is paramount. At SFGAm, ride operations were horrendous on an almost across-the-board level. Disinterested and lethargic station staff plagued many major attractions, with station platforms that maintained no sense of order, and ride dispatches at intervals of 4-6 minutes. Viper was by far the worst offender, with V2 and X-Flight coming in close behind. I can give credit to the ops on Goliath -- the ride was properly staffed and moving quickly, though it didn't stop the queue from reaching 2-3 hours in length during the late morning and early afternoon. Raging Bull's crew wasn't awful, and one ride op earned some extra credit by being a TPR fan. Interestingly, outside of Goliath, the best operations in the park were on Superman -- a notoriously-slow-loading B&M flying coaster. Several rides also went down for maintenance, as described in the trip report, though I'm hesitant to automatically blame the park for things like that. However, when another TPR member's trip report included a picture of out-of-order/broken playground slides, it's hard to give the place a pass. Seriously, how do you break a playground slide? The end result of all of the above is that major attractions had lines that exceeded an hour in length for the entire day, and even the second-tier coasters had 30-60 minute waits as well. The sterile, corporate feel of the park seemed a little worse than in 2013 -- from the Blue Man Group ads on American Eagle, to the verbal advertisements stuck at the end of ride spiels park-wide. Can I get off the Sky Trek Tower without being shanghaied into purchasing a funnel cake? Also, any park with a railroad simply needs to keep it as a centerpiece of the ride collection. It's simply unfathomable that the park chose to shut down the back-end train station in order to haphazardly toss down a gigantic temporary queue for Goliath. Operations completely aside, one big part of my 2013 review that hasn't changed is my opinion on the park's coaster collection. It's large, and has several good rides, but few (if any) that are really outstanding. I hoped that Goliath would be the one star attraction that would cap off the collection, but I didn't find that to be the case. It's quite good, as are Raging Bull, Batman, and Whizzer, but the park still lacks a true destination coaster that would make me want to come back any time soon. Throw in the poor experience in general, and I don't see a reason to return to SFGAm for many years. Perhaps the most critical way I can close this section is to note that several TPR members described the park as a "credit run." No park of this size, with 13 coasters and several other notable attractions, should ever have to be described as a credit run. The Attractions: I won't duplicate all of the ride reviews from the 2013 report, but Goliath has to get its due, and a few others need an update. Goliath: Goliath is a very good coaster, but I don't think it's a great coaster. My immediate reaction after riding really hasn't changed much, and I think describing it as a B+ ride is fair. Despite the record height and angle of descent -- largely-meaningless style-over-substance superlatives -- the first drop was a disappointment. There's a lot to be said for the momentum gained on Outlaw Run's pre-drop, because the sensation that ride provides in the back is vastly superior to Goliath's. The common complaint about the ride being too short is certainly valid as well. It was shoehorned into an extremely tiny plot of land, limiting what RMC could design -- and they really made the most of what they had available. If the ride were run to correct manufacturer's specifications, perhaps the overall lack of force and speed could be improved -- elements such as the inverted turnaround and stall seemed like they were taken too slow to have the intended effect. My group was unanimous in thinking that the Goliath ride experience was greatly improved in the front row, adding some pops and snaps to the motion in a few segments of the circuit. Goliath will definitely still earn a spot on my Top 10 wood coaster list, but down in the lower half. It doesn't deserved to be mentioned in the same conversation as Outlaw Run or El Toro, but it's still a good ride, and proof that RMC can build something good even under less-than-ideal circumstances. Viper: I was very excited to ride Viper again after 2013, as I thought the ride seemed like it would be a lot of fun if the trains weren't facing backwards. What a let down. In addition to the horrible staff operating the ride, the coaster was a slow, shuffly, rough experience. The layout is great, but plodding through the course simply ruins the ride. This was not a positive experience at all. X-Flight: I've now been on all four US wing coasters, and X-Flight is solidly my least favorite of the group. Like my experience on Viper, X-Flight is simply too slow and meandering to generate any excitement. At least Gatekeeper has some awesome visuals and a respectable first half -- while Wild Eagle and Thunderbird are fun throughout. X-Flight is a shaky bore from start to finish. Whizzer: I gave a middling review to a Schwarzkopf coaster (Tig'rr) in my last report, so I'll atone for those sins here. Whizzer's a classic. It may not be my favorite coaster at the park, but after Batman, it's probably the most important. From the spiral lift to the tight turns -- which produce some interesting forces given the odd seating arrangement -- it's just a unique, quirky coaster with few remaining peers in operation. Sky Trek Tower: I can never truly complain about a park keeping an observation tower in operation. A word of advice, though -- you may want to replace the windows once every decade or so, or at least clean them once or twice a year. Just another reminder of why I prefer open-air platforms to enclosed gondolas. The End of the Mini New Hotness Tour: Six Flags Great America marked the end of the Mini New Hotness tour -- the first half of TPR's 2014 US trip. That meant that it was time to say farewell to several friends who weren't continuing on to the Mini East Coast tour. That also gives me a chance to say a few mid-point words of thanks to those I shared the experience with. To my SFGAm Q-Bot group and frequent accomplices -- Stacy, Mark, and Paul -- thank you! To others who coasted along the way -- Lisa, Roxanne, and Zach -- thank you! Of course, to Robb and Elissa, for dealing with a few metric tons of junk on this grueling leg of the trip -- thank you! Stay tuned -- this report will pick up again soon with a big hop to the east...

Now that's some neat history. It's easy to track coasters that have moved around from park to park, but other rides, not so much. Thanks for sharing! I hope that came through in the report -- it's such an interesting place, and with such a variety of things to do, that you'd have to try pretty hard to not enjoy yourself. That is the worst idea and best idea ever. Strike that -- this is the worst idea and best idea ever. That's an interesting perspective, and not uncommon with aging wooden coasters built 10-20 years ago. There's a lot to be said for getting on a ride in its first few years in existence. I wish I was playing Fascination instead of just about anything else.

Day 4 Part 2 -- Onward to Gurnee Monday, July 28, 2014 A three-hour trip north of Chicago ended at about 6:30 PM, as we arrived at a suburban Uno restaurant in Gurnee for dinner. After that, we settled into our hotel, which did not feature any unexpected fire alarms this time around. Some members of our group with Six Flags passes headed over to Great America for a couple hours. Others headed across the street for a less-stressful evening at Timothy O'Toole's. One of the groups ended up adopting a six-foot-tall teddy bear, but it's more fun if you draw your own conclusions on that story. The best shot I could get of downtown Chicago from the TPR bus, from about 15 miles away on I-294.

Day 4 -- The Pictures (Part 2) Heading out from Fascination, it was time to get on a few more rides, including Rocky's Rapids. Rocky's Rapids is a pretty standard log flume -- an elevated trough with a few turns, and a single lift and drop. Paul and Mark are on their way down. Did I mention that this wasn't exactly the best day for water rides? Well, that's never stopped this group. How was that? A little chilly? Speaking of water, let's go meet the Indiana Beach carp. Yes, the carp. Yes, this is a legitimate attraction -- it's even listed as "carp area" on the park map. Here's how it works. Throw an ice cream cone (sans ice cream) into the water, and the fish fight and swarm for it. I really mean it -- they fight, and they swarm, and they'll stop at nothing to get a piece of it. They'll even jump over each other, almost completely out of the water. I should probably mention that the carp have their own Twitter account (@IBCarp), though it hasn't been updated in over two years. These are not particularly attractive fish. It's like a black hole. A big, fishy black hole. OK, time for a spin on the Antique Autos. Had I thought of it sooner, I might have done a full POV of the ride, but I'm more into still photos than videos anyway. The multi-level car ride passes underneath the track of Lost Coaster on a few occasions. It also provides a great view of the World Famous Indiana Beach "TACO" stand, which I sadly did not get to try. They gave us too much for lunch! Passing the main structure for Lost Coaster on an inclined curve. Danger. Keep out. Or else you'll be run over by the Lost Coaster of Superstition Mountain. Wooden coaster track probably shouldn't do things like this. It's also a little strange how the width of the rails changes around the corner. Moving along the antique car circuit, we come alongside Hoosier Hurricane on the left -- built on supports over the water. The cars provide some great views of the only lengthy outdoor section of Lost Coaster. Close encounters like this one are commonplace at this park -- everything is built on top of everything else. One of my favorite shots of the antique car ride, traversing over the water and under the Lost Coaster. A look at one of the antique cars, as we pass near the station for the ride. That's the bottom of Hoosier Hurricane's first drop -- coming just a few feet from the surface of Lake Shafer. Thus ends the Antique Autos, as we pull back into the station. This sign is great. Riders of the Lost Coaster know that no amount of bracing is going to do a bit of good. That flagpole is visible from just about anywhere in the park. Here's a spot for some elevated views from the south end of the park -- the old Chance giant wheel. As of late 2015, the wheel has been disassembled for refurbishment. The vast majority of the park fits in this overview shot, including the entire length of the main midway and all of the major coasters. A different perspective also adds in the ropes course at the bottom of the wheel's platform. It was a little busier by early afternoon, but the park definitely wasn't crowded. Plenty of good views from the top of the wheel. There's Hoosier Hurricane and Cornball Express... ...and just to their left, Tig'rr and Steel Hawg. Lost Coaster is down there as well. The wheel provides the best view of the first track section after the elevator lift. Just west of the wheel is the suspension bridge that leads to the park's southern entrance and parking lot. A zip line platform can also be seen on the hillside across the water. This picture perfectly sums up the location of Indiana Beach -- a lake, one row of nice houses, and farm fields as far as the eye can see. Here's a view of the south end of Lake Shafer. Looking down at Hoosier Hurricane's big turnaround. The swings over the water were getting a little busier. Finally, here's a nearly-straight-down view at the Adventure Point ropes course. I didn't try the ropes course, but I did climb the wall behind it! Somewhere out there on the internet, there's a picture of me at the top. The south end of the main midway has a quiet area near the water... ...where you can get views of some stinkin' nice houses like this... ...and Norway Dam, which -- if you think about it -- makes the whole thing possible. This is also a good spot to watch the swings in action, as they really do extend out over edge of the platform. No shame in having fun. I give the park a lot of credit for keeping this old sky ride going -- it's one of my favorite things at Indiana Beach. They also have a skycoaster, which -- like just about everything else -- goes over the water. If you're looking for games, you'll find several, including this ball-cannon skee-ball-esque thing. Want a no-frills Whac-a-Mole? They've got it. Want a horror-themed shooting gallery? They've got it. Didn't get on the Shafer Queen, but a ride around the lake would provide an opportunity for some more interesting views of the rides at Indiana Beach. Oh, and here's that third-floor balcony at Frankenstein's Castle. A whole parade of TPR people were coming through at the same time. This picture from near the north end of the park encapsulates so much about Indiana Beach. Pizza, ice cream, random buildings with different decorative styles, and things on top of things on top of things. This picture is kind of important as well -- it lets you know all the ways you can overeat. So, I climbed that slide tower at the north end of the park, and got a few zoom shots of some of the rides in action. Here's Steel Hawg. Yes, the restraints are kind of uncomfortable. It really is like a screwed-up wild mouse with inversions. It was my first El Loco, but with our limited time at the park, I just didn't think it was quite interesting enough for a second ride. I think this marks the halfway point of the ride. Here's the first drop on Cornball Express. Admittedly, I'm not exactly sure where the name "Cornball Express" comes from, outside of the whole Indiana farmland thing. Apparently that was one of the original options for the name of Hoosier Hurricane, and the name was re-used for the next big coaster at the park. Here's a distant view of Tig'rr. It's alright, I suppose. Quintuple hairtime! This slide tower provided some remarkable views of the right-next-door Double Shot. I guess you can probably rent some of these cabins and apartments at the north end of Indiana Beach. Not a bad setting overall, especially once the sun started to come out during the middle of the afternoon. Oops, half of TPR is at the bar -- guess that means it's about time to go! So, we made our way to the south exit, walking the length of the midway one final time. The suspension bridge is a pretty neat feature too. Just south of the bridge is a zip line, which crosses Lake Shafer. The zip line ends near Hoosier Hurricane's turnaround. If we'd had a little more time, this was probably the next thing I would have done. I'll have to come back and give Hoosier Hurricane a ride. I've heard mixed reviews on the quality of the coaster, but it looks like something I'd probably enjoy, and the setting is fantastic. Crossing to the other side of the bridge on the way out of the park. That's all from Indiana Beach!

Day 4 -- The Pictures (Part 1) Welcome to Indiana Beach, home of the Lost Coaster of Superstition Mountain. The sign's a little worn -- let's just call it advanced theming with age, 'cause older photographs show it didn't look like this before. Here's roughly half of TPR waiting for Lost Coaster to open for the morning. It was a challenge for the ride crew to get the balance right on this temperamental coaster. Meanwhile, early this chilly morning, the main midway remains mostly barren -- the park had not yet opened. Heading over to Cornball Express gives a great idea of how things are built at Indiana Beach -- quite vertically. The station platform is way up at the top of the picture. Here's a look up at the ride -- a pretty good CCI coaster, but not one of my favorites. ERT is awesome. By late morning, the Den of Lost Thieves was open -- a classic dark ride re-imagined as an interactive shooter. I guess it went well. The rules of the game. Vandals will be prosecuted and keelhauled. Don't turn. Don't turn what? Help! Let's scan in for a lap on the sky ride. It's a classic chair lift -- very open-air and great for photography! Coming up over the buildings, and heading south above this densely-packed park. The sky ride provides some good views of Steel Hawg, which is a little hard to find, as it's offset quite a ways from the main midway. Sadly, the trains for Hoosier Hurricane remained dormant. The two wooden coaster lifts make a nice criss-cross. Cornball Express winds around near the north end of the park, while Hoosier Hurricane rides the length of the midway to the south. Here's a view over the main midway. Several attractions are built over the water of Lake Shafer. I am pretty sure that this Sea Dragon didn't once belong to Michael Jackson. Frankenstein's Castle is awesome. If you don't like haunted attractions, suck it up and go through anyway. The sky ride passes very close to Lost Coaster, and if you're lucky, you might time out some shots of the ride in action. Hoosier Hurricane, Lost Coaster, the antique cars, and I believe the park's train all cross through this tiny area -- built entirely over the water. To say those trains are interesting would be an understatement. Looking back across three layers of antique car track, along with the sharply-banking track of Lost Coaster. TPR doing TPR things at the taco shack. A Lost Coaster train pulls back into the station. The two cars are connected by hitch, allowing for some interesting changes in direction. Here's the bottom of the elevator lift, along with several layers of Lost Coaster track. This just doesn't look normal, but if you've made it this far in the trip report, you've figured that out by now. A look back into the Lost Coaster station, as we turn around and head back to the north. Crazy, the people you find 40 feet off the ground on a chair lift. Nathan's doing it with style. Caroline traveled a very long way to come to the middle of nowhere in Indiana. The rides over the water are awesome, and the swings may be the best of the batch. Here's the view heading north along the western shore of Lake Shafer. The Paratrooper is another ride that makes good use of its aquatic location. Viper looked interesting -- sort of an inverted, elevated scrambler. I think if you lose at the Den of Lost Thieves, you get the business end of this guy's cannon. He can't kick you, because he has no legs. The north end of the park has more permanent buildings, all with several stories. A lot of the vacation housing can be seen off to the left. In the far back you'll notice the S&S Double Shot -- the northernmost ride at Indiana Beach. At the bottom of the picture is the Shafer Queen, one of the park's main pleasure boats. Behind it, you'll find one of Ideal Beach's main slide complexes, an ice cream shack, and the former location of the park's Galaxi coaster. Goodbye Galaxi. (there must be at least one Commander Keen fan here, right?) Yeah, this pretty much tells the story on the crowds at the water park. The beach at Ideal Beach isn't very large. On this chilly late-July morning, I was surprised to see even a few people swimming. The lazy river is built on a lake. This is all kinds of bizarre. Also, hello to another totally bored lifeguard. If speed slides are more your thing, you'll find a bright yellow one here. Quiet day at the beach, to say the least. Coming back into the northern sky ride station. Note the slide tower behind it -- I'd head up there for some pictures later in the day. Here's the station, located right next to the Skyroom Restaurant, and right above the Beach Bar, which I'm sure no one from TPR noticed. One look back up at the sky ride, and I found a Russ, in case anybody is missing one. Just about time for lunch in the Skyroom -- that's the big second-floor glass-enclosed area at the center of the picture. A view down from the Skyroom, roughly an opposite view from the last photograph. Cocktails and dancing -- this place is old-school. No mistake about it, though -- this was the best meal of the Mini New Hotness trip! While we were up there, we met park mascot I.B. Crow, and got a history lesson from the park's management. Since I didn't think to take notes, you're going to get the "framed on the wall" version instead. Indiana Beach Chronology from 1926-1944. The original name of "Ideal Beach" is still used for the water park. This place used to have a bowling alley, a skating rink, and archery! Indiana Beach Chronology from 1947-1969. We were only 58 years too late to see the great Man Shot from Cannon. Little did we know that we were visiting in the 47th year of the World Famous Indiana Beach "TACO" (complete with quotes). Indiana Beach Chronology from 1970-2005. In addition to what's listed here, we heard stories about famous bands playing at the ballroom on their way between Indianapolis and Chicago -- Glenn Miller, The Yardbirds, The Who, among others. Legend has it that the Beatles almost played there in 1964, but the park owner didn't feel like paying the $10,000 fee. Talk about your missed opportunities. Here's one opportunity we won't miss -- it's time for the TPR Fascination takeover! I may or may not call Skyline Signs for all my Fascination signage needs. We took just about every seat in the Fascination parlor, threw down some money, and got on with the competition. I think we've got a winner here! Pro tip: wearing as many wristbands as possible increases your chances of victory. Joy and elation -- another bottom-line winner! Running with the pre-game routine. Whatever it takes to get ready to play. Perhaps a dose of The Human League, which was generously piped through the in-house sound system. The race is on. The challenge: light up a full line before anyone else in the room. That's not easy to do with at least 30 people in the contest! This is true focus. Everyone wants some of Fascination's incredible prizes. What kind of stuff are we talking about? Tool sets. Harmonicas. Cappuccino frothers. Probably toasters and hand-vacuums. You'll gladly pay the excess weight fee to put one of those on your flight home! The game would be so much easier if you could just control which hole the ball fell into. Onlookers, please stand back. You may get injured if you're behind someone who forcefully celebrates a win. I'm almost certain that the employee in the yellow shirt was also in a picture I saw from the 2007 TPR trip to Indiana Beach. When that realization of "I came all the way to Indiana for this" strikes. We all know the first rule of Fascination: no matter who lights up a line first, Kristen always wins. Paul thoughtfully prepares to throw down some more money in the losing effort. Mark, on the other hand, wins an extremely quick game and makes the rest of us look stupid. So, after Fascination, we all headed next door to the Quackerz parlor for another takeover! Wait, where is everybody? Oh come on. Don't tell me I'm the only one who likes Quackerz.

From southern Indiana to northern Indiana -- the 2014 TPR tour marches on. Surgeon general's warning: this trip report contains numerous pictures of TPR members! If you were on the trip, you'll probably find yourself in here somewhere. Day 4 -- Indiana Beach Monday, July 28, 2014 Scorecard: Steel Hawg Cornball Express Lost Coaster of Superstition Mountain Tig'rr Den of Lost Thieves Skyride (to South) Skyride (to North) Double Shot Dr. Frankenstein's Haunted Castle -- Lunch -- -- Fascination -- Rocky's Rapids Antique Autos Giant Gondola Wheel Rock Climbing Wall The Report: There's more than corn in Indiana. There's also carp. There's also Fascination. But more about that later. The fast-paced Mini New Hotness trip continued ahead, with a 2:30 AM arrival at our hotel in Lebanon, Indiana, and an 8:30 AM departure. Who needs sleep when we have roller coasters? Navigating our way through the cornfields of the northwest part of the state, we made our way to Indiana Beach on a very chilly morning for late July, requiring a sweatshirt for the first half of the day. We arrived at the park just before 10 AM, having voted to arrive a little later than originally scheduled, on account of our lack of sleep (and a very late but very awesome evening at Holiday World the previous night). We headed into the park office to get our wristbands and materials for the day, and set off for morning ERT before the park opened to the public. The big disappointment of the day was that Hoosier Hurricane (the park's largest coaster) was unable to be opened. As a replacement, all four other coasters were operated early for us instead! After learning that Lost Coaster would open a little later than the others, I started on Steel Hawg, knowing its capacity could become an issue later on. Cornball Express was next, followed by the infamous Lost Coaster of Superstition Mountain. Most of the TPR group got in line for Lost Coaster by 1030 AM, as we waited for the ride to pass the morning checks and open up. We all got on in about 20-30 minutes, which was not bad at all, especially as Lost Coaster was one of the few attractions with a consistent line throughout the day. After traversing the sky ride, and checking out a few of the park's other attractions, it was time for the best lunch of the Mini New Hotness trip. We were served a full buffet in the Skyroom Restaurant, which was a large and refreshing mix of options we hadn't yet seen on the "fried chicken and hot dogs" tour. After getting to meet the famous I.B. Crow, we headed off to finish out the park's attractions -- or at least the ones we had time for! First on the list, of course, was a TPR takeover of Fascination -- probably the busiest that parlor had been in a long time! We took a group shot before departing Indiana Beach at around 3:30 PM, and headed north to our final stop of the first-leg trip in greater Chicago. Overall Impressions: Indiana Beach is a really strange park, unlike any other park I've been to. Large parts of the property appear to be suspended in time -- some of which is good, and some of which is not. There were some clear signs of a lack of upkeep -- some simple maintenance issues that could be addressed, a need for a little selective modernization here or there, and perhaps a fresh coat of paint across the board. The overall atmosphere, however, doesn't need a big change. What an interesting place, with rides and attractions built on top of each other, utilizing every ounce of space on the park's tiny footprint. The relaxed atmosphere and hand-painted signs might recall seaside parks in other locations, and at the very least, it's quickly clear that Indiana Beach is a very different experience than the standard North American corporate park. The lakeside setting -- in Indiana, of all places -- is a major strength of the park. I was impressed with how well the water was used, with numerous rides built right over the lake, and others offering great views of the pleasant setting. The park is built on the west bank of Lake Shafer, a dammed lake on the Tippecanoe River. The lake is surrounded by an array of very nice homes, while the park is surrounded by vacation housing -- apartments, trailers, cabins, and smaller developments. One challenge of doing a trip report a year late is the possibility that conditions have changed, and that pictures or stories may no longer be representative. I don't think that's the case here. While the management staff our group spoke to was very optimistic about the future, and looking forward to making positive changes, it's clear that it won't be a quick process -- especially with the recent change in ownership. I don't want to make a big deal out of the missed credits, but just want to note it here. Hoosier Hurricane was closed -- I heard a few reasons for why that may have been the case, and it's probably for the best that we didn't get to ride at the time. The park had recently removed a S.D.C. Galaxi, and their new kiddie coaster (Dragon Wagon) was built, but not yet operational. The park's train was also not operating on the day of our visit. Overall -- and I'll try to phrase this carefully -- the fun I had at Indiana Beach greatly exceeded my overall objective opinion about the park. I truly had an enjoyable morning and early afternoon, even as I recognize that the park's got some issues to work through. I had mixed experiences with the operational staff -- some were fantastic, and others were disinterested. I didn't re-ride anything, even though several of the rides were good or interesting in some way. Perhaps that wasn't my primary focus for this stop on the trip? One of the best parts about visiting a small park (like this one) on a TPR tour is the increased interaction with the other tour participants. It's impossible to not run into people all over the place -- on coasters, across the sky ride, or scaling a climbing wall. It was a legitimately fun visit, and I'm glad we made room for it in the itinerary. Indiana Beach is such an interesting place that I'd recommend a visit for serious park and coaster enthusiasts, based on the strengths of the overall setting and a few quirky stand-out attractions. I plan to return at some point -- it's an easy stop for the next time I head on a trip to Chicago, and I still need to get a ride on Hoosier Hurricane, which looked like it would be a lot of fun. The Attractions: Steel Hawg: I was expecting a little more out of Steel Hawg. The "wild mouse on hallucinogenic pharmaceuticals," with promises of strange and intense forces, simply wasn't as interesting (or intense) as I'd hoped. I'll give S&S a pass on the restraints -- they've improved them significantly on their later El Loco models. Cornball Express: Several people in the group had very good impressions of Cornball Express. Perhaps it was because I'd just been on two good CCI coasters the day before at Holiday World, but I wasn't willing to join the hype. It's not a bad coaster. It doesn't do anything wrong. It just didn't make much of an impression on me. Lost Coaster of Superstition Mountain: This is a truly bizarre experience. I'm not sure it's even fair to review it after just one ride, but the line was prohibitively long for a second spin. The story is that Lost Coaster was originally a powered dark ride, but was converted into a wooden coaster (with an elevator lift) by CCI. The trains are remarkably strange -- two enclosed mine cars with front-and-back seating, with the enclosures necessary due to the ride's extremely small clearance envelope. The ride's slow motion allows for some incredibly tight turns, despite being built on traditional wood track, which just looks and feels strange. I won't say that Lost Coaster was exactly a comfortable experience, but we laughed straight through the whole thing. It's something any coaster fan should try out, and perhaps sooner rather than later. Sadly, I'd heard that the ride used to have several effects and props which were no longer present. An interesting fact: part of the slow loading process is an attempt to get things balanced. All eight seats on the train must be filled, with the heaviest riders in the front car. Tig'rr: I understand the Schwarzkopf love for several rides I've been on -- Bullet, Whizzer, Cascabel, Scorpion -- but let's not get carried away on this one. It's a little carnival-size coaster, with some tight curves and abrupt drops. It's fine for a family attraction, but I'm not going to gush about it just because of the manufacturer. Den of Lost Thieves: The Den is a vintage dark ride that was later converted into a shooting ride. I don't remember much about it, but it was fun, and I liked the two-tier scoring system. Double Shot: Not all S&S towers are created equal, and pretty much anyone who rode this one agreed it was one of the most extreme they'd been on. The two pops at the top were shoulder-smashingly intense, and can legitimately be described as ejector air. This is a must-ride at Indiana Beach. Dr. Frankenstein's Haunted Castle: I'm no big fan of haunt-event haunted houses, but based on what I'd heard about Frankenstein's Castle, I couldn't pass it up. It's a classic walk-through attraction, focusing more on atmosphere and curiosity than jump scares. The first thing that needs to be said is that it's very dark -- hands-on-the-walls required to find your way forward. There are some false paths, some moving floors, and that "rat effect" some people hate. My favorite part was the rock'n'roll band in the middle rotunda, and the awesome scare on the ledge that overlooks it. The castle uses three stories to full effect, including a quick exit to a 3rd-floor balcony that overlooks the rest of the park. Frankenstein's Castle is a negligible upcharge, which shouldn't stop anyone from visiting one of the park's best attractions. Rocky's Rapids: There's nothing particularly special about this log flume, but it's a traditional log flume! Any park keeping one of these around deserves a round of applause. Outside of coasters, traditional flumes are probably my favorite park attractions. Antique Autos: I usually don't care much for antique cars, but this one is a must-ride. The track for the antique cars is built on bridges over the water, passing through and under the track of Lost Coaster, and right alongside the lengthy Hoosier Hurricane. It's worth it for the photo opportunities alone -- as long as you have someone else nice enough to drive -- and it's definitely one of the best courses for a classic car ride I've ever seen. Outside of Lost Coaster, the wait for the car ride (15-20 minutes) was the longest we had all day. Fascination: The pictures will tell the story. The concentration. The drama. The elation. The heartbreak. The harmonicas and tool sets. Where else can you find all of that? Oh, at Knoebels? Well, I might have some pictures of that to share some day down the road.

I totally understand. It's very close to the edge of what I can handle on a wooden coaster, but it's a rare case for me where I think the awesome layout is worth a little discomfort. Thanks David, and sooner or later I'll get to a part of the trip report you're in!

Day 3 -- The Pictures (Part 3) Oh, hey, did there used to be something here? There's these two giraffes, and I, uh... Anyway, here's the Mayflower, for those of you with stronger stomachs than the rest of us. Venturing into the water park, there's a neat observation deck above Bakuli. You can get some pretty good views of most of the rest of the water park, including Jungle Racer. Here's one of the two large pools, but you're probably all looking off to the right. Mammoth's conveyor lift, followed by that spray at the top, just in case you don't think you'll get wet. Looking the other way, you'll get another interesting angle of Voyage -- almost perfectly perpendicular to the lift. Up... ...on top... ...and down. Wildebeest. It's awesome. Go ride it. If you don't live in the midwest, or in the USA, or even on this continent -- find a way to go ride it anyway. Ride Mammoth also, which is pretty great. Here's the ending pool, where an unlucky raft (i.e. one with me in it) might get stuck for a few minutes. Airtime on an open-air handle-restraint water ride? You better believe it. Holiday World doesn't just have a mat-racer -- it has a 10-lane mat-racer. I'll give the win to lane 5. Oh, here's Hyena Falls #4, which my shoulder regrets. I'll think twice about solo-rides on pipeline wave slides in the future. Shifting back to 2014, as evening fell, we prepared for our night-time coaster ERT. Voyage at night was quite the experience! Turkey Whirl? Possibly the most awesome Tilt-a-Whirl ever made. Think there's room for all of us on this Legend train? We closed the night with some pitch-black night rides on Raven! My first two visits to Holiday World were a ton of fun. Special thanks to Paula, Eric, James, Chris, and everyone else who took care of our group in 2014. Can't wait to see what else is planned for the future!

Day 3 -- The Pictures (Part 2) Jumping ahead to 2015, here's that dramatic view from the north -- Voyage and Thunderbird make quite a pair! No question it's an impressive sight, likely even more so for those who have been going to the park for years. To say the first inversion dwarfs those nearby water slides is an understatement. Didn't forget about you, Voyage! A wide look over the whole northeast edge of the park. Yup, the Thunderbird station is quite a hike to get to! Speaking of that station, let's jump back to 2014 for a look at where it was built. Here's our group coming into the construction zone from the north. We visited on a Sunday, so the construction site wasn't active -- that allowed us the chance to tour it! Everyone remember the "almond" discussion? Anyone want to try to forget it? This view is looking east at the future site of the station building. Here's another view east from a little further south, near the edge of the building and the start of the launch track. I'll note a comparison for this shot about 10-15 pictures down. *** Looking southeast from the same spot, the launch track passes just to the right of the wooden building (the Will Power building) and toward Hyena Falls. Here's a closer look at the Will Power building, with the unmistakable chimney. The train engine would be just about front and center in this shot. Looking the other way, here's the first crossover, at the south end of the current Thunderbird plaza area. This may be the most important bolt installed on Thunderbird. It probably isn't. Here's a view from the launch area, looking down toward the restrooms near Hyena Falls. The first inversion occurs right around here, turning to the right side of the picture as Thunderbird heads toward Voyage. Thunderbird wasn't the only thing under construction -- Crow's Nest and a long new pathway were slated for this area, behind Hyena Falls. Here's my last picture of the construction site. This is near Thunderbird's far south end, looking north at the Will Power building. Awesome PR move -- right after the announcement, get a sign up to make sure everyone in the park knows exactly what's coming! So, how did Thunderbird turn out? Fantastic! This is at least a similar view to the one two shots up, and while I failed at getting very many good A/B comparisons from 2014 to 2015 (mainly because I forgot to pay attention to exactly what I was shooting), it's easy to get the idea of how much the area changed. There's the Will Power building, located adjacent to the launch track. I'm going to assume these are important. Now for a slightly less-technologically-advanced form of propulsion. Our construction tour walked right through this area -- it's now a wide open plaza, complete with a gift shop, restrooms, and a Pepsi oasis. Let's take a closer look at the station, which is simply one of the best coaster stations I've ever seen. This shot is a very close approximation to the image I marked with *** about 10-15 pictures up. This is the south end of the station, looking east. Here's the launch track, passing the Will Power building just to the right, with Hyena Falls in the background. Thunderbird loops around and turns into the forest, with the relocated Crow's Nest just to the south. Oh, well that's interesting. Has anyone seen Thunderbird roll back? More back-story and theming in the station. Anyone who'd been paying attention to #66minutesofsleep ... I mean, #66daysatsea will appreciate this! Were you born in a barn? The lighting in the barn flickered every now and then. Theming, or excessive power consumption by the launch? You be the judge. Station waits for Thunderbird for most of the afternoon! Here's a view from the back of the station, with the themed launch room straight ahead. Looking out on the launch track -- B&M's first-ever in-house launch! Yes, this picture was taken legally from the station, not from the ride -- just had to put on some zoom. The vest restraints are the worst part about a newer B&M brake run, but Thunderbird's didn't give me as much trouble as Gatekeeper or Wild Eagle. Sliding back into the station. Here's a view of the launch from the ramp on the east side of the station. Looking down at Hyena Falls and Splashin' Safari's rather odd extension on the east side of Voyage. Do you think Holiday World might have some plans for all that land nearby? Oh, and what makes Thunderbird fly? Start with about 100 heavy-duty cables... ...run them down the hill... ...and into these trailers, which do, uh, something... ...and belch some smoke as the bird screams off! Cool cloud in the background, too. How about some views of the coaster? Launch away! A closeup of the logo, which is pretty awesome. If you're not having fun, you're doing it wrong. I swear, that Thunderbird was this big! Invert it. Twist it around. Straighten it out. That's how you do a good wing coaster. More theming! This area looks awesome already, and still, you can tell it's just the start of Holiday World's vision for this end of the park. Not sure which way is up here. Safety netting makes this one interesting. Wasn't there something about the sun shining down at the end of that #66days thing? Heading down the new path, there are some good views of Thunderbird above the tree tops. Two rides in motion! A look at the new pathway -- it's long and gains some elevation, but Thunderbird is worth the walk. A view from a little further away, with Hyena Falls on the right. Immelmann on high. A view from near the start of the new pathway. Looking the other direction, some different angles of Voyage are now available as well. This view would be great early in the morning with the sun shining from the east. Voyage has the best drop in the park. Hope you're all ready for the ride. Holiday World's lift-top flags are iconic. Zooming past the station on the return run. A final turn into the brake run. In case you forgot the name of the coaster. A zoomed view from the other side of The Voyage. The kid in row 4 is leaning back, either because he's sleeping, or because he knows he's about to get a face full of hair. This is the part of the ride where the train feels like it's trying to violently rip itself off the track. In other words, the good part!

Day 3 -- The Pictures (Part 1) Waking up in a fog on the 2014 trip -- or at least, what happens when your camera lens wakes up in a fog. Hey, it's Paula! Okay, about a mile up, there's a little detour. We're gonna take a walk in the woods. ...and we're gonna take nerdy pictures of early-morning dormant roller coasters. A view of Raven that few get to see! On the shores of Lake Rudolph. The turn over the lake is one of Raven's signature elements. The grand TPR tour of ... Raven's back-door maintenance shed. Has anyone ever seen "The Seventh Seal?" That old Swedish Ingmar Bergman movie? Where they're all up on the top of that hill and... yeah, I didn't think so. What do you do with fresh wood? It's not there for show. Look closely at the top left of the picture! Our little tour took us past some interesting views of Holiday World's first two wooden coasters. Maybe a view or two of Frightful Falls, also. Legend's first drop is big, but this picture makes it clear how much it takes advantage of the terrain. After our wooded adventure, we headed to Thanksgiving for... ...donuts! That was followed by our first rides on Voyage. Next up was a trip next door to Gobbler Getaway, for some turkey "calling" action. Then, the nursery rhyme kiddie train. Oh, the kiddie train. I just ... can't come up with a caption for this. I tried, and I'm at a loss. This little piggy was probably safe since they only served fried chicken on the TPR trip. Little Bo Peep is crying because it's a Zamperla kiddie coaster. Time to check out the rest of the dry side of the park. This sign was put up in 2015 to celebrate The Raven's 20th anniversary. The station is simple, yet effective. The archway at the start of the queue (no picture, unfortunately) is a nice effect also. You think Edgar Allan Poe, I think The Alan Parsons Project. Raven's got a great spot right at the front of the park -- can't miss it! Just down the hill, Raven's younger sibling also hit an anniversary in 2015. The headless horseman rides on (if you're 10 minutes early for the "Boo To You" parade...) JJ Abrams took this photo of the Legend queue entrance. For those who want the stats. TPR has the front car filled up. Have fun! Back to the front of the park, this guy's got his name all over the town. So does this guy -- a legendary figure in his own right. Holiday World is awesome, according to Liseberg! A round of applause. New at the front of the park for 2015 -- a Thunderbird flag. Holidog wants a hug. Who are we to say no? Now I get to applaud the park -- thanks for the clearly marked severe weather shelters! Kind of a thing for me. Oh, did we mention the free drinks? Both my 2014 and 2015 trips were on very hot days, so a half-gatorade half-water mix was my beverage of choice. Celebrate the 4th of July with more bacon. Time for lunch -- I guess this is our spot! Guess what we ate! Here are -- in order from left to right -- Eric, Paula, Chris, and James. Ask them about the Beef Jerky room! Here's us! The view of Voyage from our pavilion was pretty nice. So, why not head over there next? It's time for another backstage tour! This one was a little more strenuous, but we made it through. Wooden coaster, steel supports... ...attached to concrete. Do I get some sort of coaster nerd credit for these? I'd rather enjoy the views of the coaster like this one! We were pretty much right next to the first drop, giving us a great angle to watch people fly by... ...and then fly up the next hill for some nutso airtime. Yeah, we see you. Just to give an idea of our pathway through the woods next to Voyage. Something new happening a little further north on the path. Here's the first Voyage/Thunderbird crossover point! Here's the second crossover, located just a bit to the north of the first. Thunderbird cuts east-west twice across Voyage's north-south path. Chris and James described the path Thunderbird would take. Though it was hard to picture at the time, it all makes sense now. Meanwhile, coaster nerds take pictures of coasters, and I take pictures of coaster nerds. Just to drive the point home. As if I'm not taking pictures of the coaster also. Into the clouds, and into... ...the epic turnaround at the north end of The Voyage. Yeah, this part was a little rough, but I didn't think it was bad enough to keep me off the ride. Eh, I don't know. Maybe someone will like this picture? Anyone want some old rusted Voyage track? Here's where the group exits the woods into the cornfields of southern Indiana, and the construction site of the park's first full-size steel coaster. Before we look at the construction site, though, let's get an overview of the finished product.

Time to resurrect this thread -- I haven't forgotten about it! Going to do something a little different with this post -- a combination trip report from the TPR 2014 tour visit to Holiday World, and a trip I made with a friend in 2015. That allowed for a wider variety of pictures to choose from, as well as a chance to ride Thunderbird! Day 3 -- Holiday World Sunday, July 27, 2014 ---and--- Monday, July 13, 2015 Scorecard (2014): Voyage Gobbler Getaway Howler Holidog Express Liberty Launch Legend -- Lunch -- Voyage / Thunderbird Tour Raven Frightful Falls Raging Rapids Watubee Zoombabwe Hyena Falls (1 / Laughs) Hyena Falls (4 / Giggles) -- Dinner -- Mammoth Wildebeest (x4) Mammoth Voyage (x3) Legend (x2) Raven (x3) Scorecard (2015): Thunderbird Gobbler Getaway Mammoth Wildebeest Jungle Racer Zoombabwe Bakuli Legend Raven -- Lunch -- Voyage Thunderbird (x3) Voyage Liberty Launch Legend Raven The Report (2014 aka #66minutesofsleeptour): After a swanky night in Owensboro, Kentucky, the TPR crew awoke to a foggy morning as we drove north into Indiana. Our trip to Holiday World was punctuated by a crossing of the Ohio River, a scenic view of a large coal-fired power plant, and a bus full of fingers extended in the direction of a certain hotel near the park. Although I've lived just a few hours away for 8 years, I'd never made the trip to Santa Claus, Indiana. My first visit to Holiday World certainly did not disappoint! We met Paula (Raven Maven) at the front gate and received our itinerary, which would prove to keep us busy for much of the day. We headed into the park for a back-woods walk past Raven, ending up at Plymouth Rock Cafe for an awesome breakfast spread. We were also granted front-of-the-line access to Voyage as soon as it opened, getting the park's biggest coaster out of the way early. The group split up after riding Voyage, as a few of us went onward to hit some of the other items of interest on the dry side of the park, including the kiddie credit and train ride. At lunch -- which may or may not have included fried chicken -- we had a Q&A session with Paula and a few other Holiday World staff members (Eric, James, and Chris). With the Thunderbird announcement having come just a few nights before, it was obviously going to be the #1 topic of discussion. We learned about how Thunderbird had initially been conceptualized by Will Koch and B&M as an inverted coaster in the late 00s, but the passage of time and development of new technology allowed these plans to change. The launch was the unique element that Holiday World was proud to introduce -- something to set Thunderbird apart from the other North American wing coasters, all of which are within a half day's drive from southern Indiana. Those on staff with Holiday World who knew about Thunderbird in advance were few, and they kept it a close secret! The TPR group asked a few pointed questions, and the Holiday World team answered them skillfully. The crew was coy about the Timberliner experiment on Voyage, which didn't ultimately work out, but offered a hilarious response in confirmation of their choice of manufacturer for Thunderbird. After lunch, we embarked on a guided tour at the northeast end of the park. The tour served two purposes -- a backstage look at Voyage, and a walk through the Thunderbird construction site. We learned that track delivery was set to begin the very next day, a milestone we all promised to check social media for as we continued north on the trip. The hike through the woods on a very warm day provided plenty of motivation to check out Holiday World's legendary water park once the tour was over. Splashin' Safari is practically a show room for ProSlide, containing both quality and quantity of that company's water attraction designs. Splashin' Safari was very busy, but I got on several slides during the mid-afternoon hours. However, my run of injuries on the trip continued, after a particularly rough ride on Hyena Falls #4 -- a solo-tube slide with a half pipe wall (pipeline wave) coming off a big drop. I did meet the safety requirements, but I wonder if I was a little too light anyway! Coming off the wall, I hit a lip of water at full speed, bouncing my tube in the air and causing me to lose my grip. The tube flew out from under me, and I landed hard on my shoulder, conveniently in a spot on the slide where nobody on the platform (or in the pool) could see. I slid my way out, just in time to not get run over by Paul, who had successfully navigated the rapids I was unable to tame. We took it easy until our evening ERT was set to begin, then headed back to the water park for some extremely valuable time on Mammoth and Wildebeest. Several trip participants thought this was the best ERT of the entire Mini New Hotness trip, and though the previous night on Kentucky Rumbler was pretty epic, I'm not sure I can disagree with the consensus. The only problem? The hot and humid conditions from earlier in the day had disappeared (a cold front went through, because of course I have to mention that). By the time our ERT was done, things were a little shivery. What better way to not warm up than to finish things out with ERT on the park's wooden coasters? I got several rides in on all three, ending things with a pitch black night ride on Raven, before TPR packed up for another late night of driving. The Report (2015): Making just my second trip to the park, it was my first time driving in from the north, and taking in the view of Voyage and the water park would have been impressive enough. Imagine the awe, though, to see the bright orange Thunderbird rising high at the eastern edge of the property -- perhaps not the phoenix from the ashes, but maybe a hawk out of the cornfield. Thunderbird was the first item on the agenda, and it did not disappoint. Expecting things to get busy during the afternoon, visiting Splashin' Safari as soon as it opened allowed for rides on Mammoth and Wildebeest with minimal waits. The water park got very, very crowded shortly thereafter! Thankfully, things on the dry side of the park stayed manageable, and there was time to cut out a couple hours for photography. There was plenty of opportunity for a few more rides on the coasters -- including several cycles on Thunderbird with only station waits -- before leaving in the early evening. Overall Thoughts: Holiday World is a really cute park, and I don't think anyone would argue that point. If the park's primary reputation is that of a family park, though, I think that sells it a little short. It is an outstanding family park, but it hits all the park-going demographics, and is definitely somewhere that young adults and coaster fans could spend an entire day -- not just on the big rides. Holiday World is well known for its awesome staff and friendly setting. That was easily on display during our visit in 2014. I admit that it's tough to go to a park for a second visit when the first visit was a VIP-level experience with TPR. There was no shortage of friendliness among the people I met in 2015, but the overall operations seemed a half step down. Coaster crews were stapling seatbelts, which was a little uncomfortable, and made loads/unloads take some extra time. Water park operations were fantastic on both visits, which is a crucial thing given the crowds Splashin' Safari attracts! I thought the wooden coasters were all running better in 2015 than in 2014, including Voyage, and Thunderbird is a hit -- it definitely exceeded my expectations. Another word of thanks to Paula -- Holiday World is quite fortunate to have one of the best in the PR business on their side! Until I experienced the finished product in 2015, I couldn't place just how far back Thunderbird is in the park. Now that I've been there to see it, it's clear that there's even more room in that section of the property (Thunderbird / Crow's Nest / Hyena Falls) for more big plans and big additions. I can't wait to see what comes next! The Attractions: Thunderbird: Thunderbird was my third wing coaster, and instantly became my favorite over X-Flight and Gatekeeper. I rode Wild Eagle later in 2015, and it came close, but Thunderbird definitely stays at the #1 position. It's surprisingly intense in spots, and the transitions are all a lot of fun. It feels fast (something X-Flight lacks) and doesn't end its course as a kiddie coaster (a la Gatekeeper). The TPR group clearly understood what Holiday World was going for with Thunderbird when the announcement was made, but I think everyone was a little cautious based on the chosen type of coaster. Well, Thunderbird took those concerns and threw them out into the cornfield across Route 162. It's a load of fun, and I'd encourage people to give it the fair shot it's due. Oh, and the theming is spectacular -- one of the best parts of the experience. Voyage: I loved Voyage. I get the complaints -- it's among the more aggressive wooden coasters I've been on. I just can't put it in the same class as Son of Beast and Hades 360. Those rides hurt my head in ways that roller coasters simply shouldn't do. Voyage banged me around, but I never felt like I couldn't get back in line and give it another spin. My roughest ride on Voyage may have been the very first one with TPR on the 2014 trip, but my night ERT rides were all spectacular -- including one "eh, let's give it a shot" ride in the far back row that ended up being the smoothest of them all! Voyage is long and doesn't let up, and though the first few hills are the best part of the ride, the section that crosses through those same hills on the return leg is quite exciting as well. Voyage will probably sneak into my top 5 wooden coaster list, even if I admit it's not something I could marathon for an hour. Legend: Legend is full of laterals and transitions, which aren't among my favorite coaster elements. However, after hearing that this was considered the lesser of the three wooden coasters at Holiday World, I have to say that it slightly exceeded my expectations. I don't think it's an outstanding coaster, but it's a fun and varied journey that features a few white knuckle moments to make sure you're paying attention. Raven: Riding Raven at night is something that every coaster enthusiast must find a way to do. No wooden coaster is more famous for its night rides than The Beast, which earns credit for its lengthy jaunt through the woods. Raven must be credited for finding a way to be a darker night ride than The Beast -- its second half is so deep within tree cover that virtually nothing is visible at all. It's quite the experience! That's where my praise for Raven will have to stop -- this may be blasphemy, but it was my least favorite of the wooden coasters at the park. That's not to say I didn't like it! It's just a little too short for my preference, and aside from the turn over the lake, it doesn't really do anything else that Legend and Voyage don't do better. Still, go ride it at night, and be amazed! Howler: Oh no, here it begins -- the first of many awful Zamperla kiddie coasters on the TPR 2014 US trip (though the rest were all on the second half of the tour). Miler and Vekoma make much better rides than these. OK, I'll give it some credit -- it's got Holidog on the lead car! Gobbler Getaway: The concept is hilarious -- a bowdlerization of the classic shooting game into "calling" turkeys for Thanksgiving. The execution earns a little more of a mixed review. The scenes on the ride are awesome, and who doesn't love the talking granny in the queue? The guns were tough to use, though, and the lack of a lighted targeting system made it a challenge to hit the targets. Definitely worth a ride on every visit, even if just to take in the theme and the scenery. Frightful Falls: The "RMC Log Flume" (nicknamed due to the colors of the rails) was decent. It's not too long and not among my favorites, but I'll never discredit a park for keeping a classic flume around! It offers some nice views of Legend in a few spots. Raging Rapids: Not a ton happening on this rapids ride -- again, the theming is outstanding, but it's pretty short and we had several people walk off bone dry. Tough to argue for a ride on this with such an awesome water park located steps away. Mammoth: Despite all the hype, there's no way I could prepare myself for the experience on Mammoth! It was not my first time on a magnetic water coaster -- I rode Deluge at Kentucky Kingdom the day before and enjoyed it greatly -- but Mammoth was clearly in another class. If you're on the going-backwards side of the raft, you're getting drenched at every change in elevation. If you're on the top of the raft going around a corner, you're holding on for dear life, feeling like you're about to flip over! The whole thing is a remarkably out-of-control feeling, guaranteed to have every person in the raft laughing through the entire ride -- and possibly ingesting some of the chlorinated water on the way. The only break you'll get is at the end, when you may get stuck in an eddy in the pool before the station, finding yourself with a few spare minutes to contemplate the experience. Wildebeest: I might heap a ton of praise on Mammoth, but I'll give Wildebeest the slight edge as my favorite of the two. It's not quite as out-of-control as Mammoth (perhaps since it uses one-row rafts instead of circular rafts), but it nails the coaster experience to perfection, in a way I never thought a water ride could manage. There's one hill about a third of the way through the circuit -- if you've been on the ride, you know the one -- that offers legitimate ejector air on a ride with no restraints. Better grip those handles with everything you've got. Honestly, it's fair to say that Wildebeest and Mammoth are my two favorite water park attractions on the planet, with only a few other attractions (Deep Water Dive, Deluge, Summit Plummet, The Falls) even worthy of being in the conversation.

News that very conveniently just happened to leak out at around the time of the final vote last night. Almost like somebody didn't want Skyplex to have all the news headlines to themselves.

Great pictures Chuck. Glad you got one last look at the "old" DHS. I'm with you on the Great Movie Ride -- it's still one of my favorites, and with a good cast member it can be a lot of fun. Forget the loaded car on Space Mountain -- I have no idea how three adults in a row on Big Thunder is even remotely a good idea. I've stayed at that same building at All-Star Sports -- very convenient, even if it's not my favorite hotel in the world.

Coney Island in Cincinnati has announced a new water play complex called Typhoon Tower for 2016.

Alright, you got Nozzy as the construction worker. Where's the cop, the sailor, the native american, the biker, and the cowboy?

Awesome report -- these are always among my favorites at TPR. This may be the Erik & Smisty-est picture ever.

Given that the Griffing Sandusky Airport no longer exists, and that huge development plans have been announced to turn the site into public park space -- a project backed financially by Cedar Fair -- I'm sure they'll work that one out pretty quickly.