East Coast Trip Part 2

[Fredlv1]

I posted a previous coaster trip report regarding Clementon Lake. That park was actually to be the final post of this trip, but I couldn't wait to show off the ridiculous Terror Trashcans.

 

I embarked on a 11 day trip to the East to not only ride coasters, but to see some of the sights. Some friends wanted to take me to NYC and Philly. How could pass up such on offer?

 

My first stop on this trip was Busch Gardens Europe. I haven't been to this place since 1999--when they opened Apollo's Chariot, although I consider it one of my favorite parks. I took a friend of mine, Terry, who lives in Fredericksburg, VA and yet hadn't yet been to BGE. He sure excited to go, after hearing so many great things about it. He's been taking his family to King's Dominion for the last three and was really getting sick of the place. He says it become quite ghetto. Busch Gardens totally amazed and made him wonder why he never looked into going there sooner.

 

I define a great park as one you can take someone to--especially someone who was no interest in theme parks---and not feel ashamed that this is your hobby. Busch Gardens is simply one of the finest theme parks in the country. From the moment you step of the tram you can see just what a classy place this is. Not only is the park beautiful, its enchanting. I just love how they planned the various midways, which feel more like trails that lead you to the next adventure. This is one of the few parks I could just walk around, get lost, and enjoy it.

 

But admittedly, Griffon is what brought me back here. I loved Sheikra, so I felt Griffon was a good reason to come back. And it did not disappoint. I think it's a slightly better ride than Sheikra, not just because of the extra Immelman, but also because of the nice camelback before the splashdown, and how the coaster hauls back to the station after the splashdown. While these drop coasters (Sheikra and Griffon) aren't very long, they are surely quite an experience. I love the hold at the top of the first drop. It really psych you out!!

 

Terry and I had a hard time deciding which of the three big coasters there--Griffon, Alpengeist, and Apollo's Chariot were our favorite. Alpengeist was much more intense than I remembered it, and Apollo seemed quite tame. However, by the end of the night, we both agreed that Apollo's Chariot was the winner. It may not be all that scary, but it certainly is great fun, especially in the back seat, and has awesome airtime.

 

There were two other rides that really surprised us--the Curse of DarKastle and Corkscrew Hill. I heard a lot of negative things about DarKastle, but I thought it was awesome! Not a good as Spiderman at IOA, but is something that really helps to balance out the park. Corkscrew Hill was something I would have passed up, but Terry was insistent about checking everything out. It was quite an impressive simulator ride, and we both started to crack up as the horse started to gallop to Corkscrew Hill.

 

Another thing we made sure to do, was to check out the shows. We probably saw at least five of them. Two were in Ireland, which was Terry's favorite area of the park, one in Italy, the one in the Festhaus, and Pirates 4-D adventure (which was "Eh!'). I must say they did find some great talents for these shows, and was since for a change to experience all at the park, besides just the coasters.

 

Overall, it was a great day at Busch Gardens and it is still one of my favorite parks. If there is one criticism I have of the place it is that with addition of Griffon, some of the park's natural beauty is disappearing. I would hope for their next coaster, Busch Gardens would find a remote place to build it so that the place doesn't become a steel city. I feel that Griffon, Alpengeist, and Loch Ness Monster are too close to each other, and one can see way too many steel pillars around, instead of trees.

 

But that's a minor criticism. There far too much to enjoy at BGE. Looking forward to when I can get back there again.

 

Enjoy the pictures!

 

Fredrick

A great view of the coasters from the Rhine River

Terry was just blown away by Busch Gardens. "This is so much nicer than the ghetto King's Dominion"

One of the biggest surprises for me -- Corkscrew Hill.

Ireland

Various midway shots---Italy.

Escape from Pompeii is a step up from the usual Shoot-the-Chutes rides, but could have been a lot more.

Apollo's Chariot is loaded with awesome airtime, even over these small hills, especially in the back seat.

Apollo's Chariot soars high over the trees.

The Starlight Orchestra (in the Italy section) was another great show that was loaded with talent.

One of the few shots you'll see of me--right in front of Busch Gardens' most recognizable landmarks--Loch Ness Monster.

Big Bad Wolf is the best of the four remaining suspended coasters in the country. It's spectacular finale runs along the Rhine River.

Curse of DarKastle was a huge surprise, and a first class dark ride.

The Festhaus called us over for lunch and the first of a series shows.

Alpengeist's cobra roll is one of the most intense moments on any roller coaster. Notice how close it is to Loch Ness and Griffon.

Despite popular belief, Alpengeist remains one of the best inverted out there.

SPLASHDOWN!!!

The second Immelmann and bunnyhop is something that differentiates it from its cousin Sheikra.

Griffon's second vertical drop.

First off was Griffon, and is awesome 90 degree, vertical drops!

This view of the Rhine River easily show why Busch Gardens is the most beautiful theme park in the country.

[yankees15]

Another great trip report! I am really enjoying reading your trip reports and I am excited to read the rest.

 

I didn't think Alpengeist was the best inverted coaster out there though. I know I am going to get bashed for this but i prefer Talon to Alpengeist. Alpengeist was just a little to rough and shaky for it to be the best. Maybe I just caught it on a bad day, but it is an awesome ride.

[redfoot12]

^

I definitely agree that Alpie's gotten a bit rougher and a bit moody. Definitely not as smooth as it once was. It is 10 years old!

 

Nice pictures! Glad your friend has seen the error of his ways (with regards to taking his family to KD over BG)!

[Buddy johnson]

Thanks for great TR and photos!!

i just love Griffon's splashes hahaha

[ghost007jas]

Great trip report, you had some fantastic shots of Griffon! I have to get to Busch Gardens soon to ride all these fantastic B&M's!

[Fredlv1]

After braving I-95 and the DC Beltway, my next stop was Six Flags America, a park I haven't been to in 8 years, when it was officially "flagged" in 1999. First off, let me say how much I love Six Flags' Xtreme Play pass. I was able to drive through the $15 parking toll, without paying a cent! Nice! It also didn't hurt to not have to pay to get in either!

 

Six Flags America is one of the chain's parks that needs some serious work, IMHO. Some areas of this park were just totally generic and in serious need of a make-over, while other areas of the park could be livened up with more landscaping. Just look at the area around Batwing. Yuck! There's tons of dead space where trees could be planted and/or flat rides could be built to add some atmosphere. Gothom City is a concrete wasteland that is just feels hot to walk through. The back area of the park desperately needs some beautification. I think such things could diversify their primary crowd of visitors.

 

Compared to Six Flags over Texas, Great Adventure, and Great America, SFA just feels like its lacking in energy. Maybe it felt this way is because the park was not that crowded. However, I would never want to be here on a crowded day.

 

However, that's not to say that it hasn't improved tremendously since my last visit. The place boasts an impressive coaster collection, and ride operations have improved. Wild One, Roar, and Joker's Jinx were all running two trains. Rides were a walk-on. Superman ran only one train but the wait was never over two trains.

 

Speaking of Superman---what an awesome, amazing coaster! I rode Darien Lake's Superman back in 2000. While I did not hate the coaster, I was a bit disappointed. I felt it was too linear and lacked extreme airtime. So I approached SFA's Superman with the expectation of simply enjoying it. Nothing more. After two rides, I realized that I REALLY love this ride! The airtime on EVERY hill is just extreme and the speed going through the helices is very powerful. I realized that this coaster is a solid #2 on my steel list.

 

Batwing was fun, but one ride was enough for me. It's fun, but not too comfortable of a ride. I'd rather be on Superman. Same with Joker's Jinx, fun ride but I guess being flipping upside down is all what it is cracked up to be.

 

After making multiple rounds, I decided to head out around 4 PM when I noticed they had just opened the Typhoon Sea Coaster. Apparently the park only opens it when the park reaches at certain attendance, due to its cost to run. This is a great flume ride. I love the camelback after the first drop, and all of the tunnels. Since I was last here, they apparently got rid of the backwards feature. Not a big deal, if it allows much better reliability to the ride to operate. There was something strange it noticed about the tunnels. I heard "Yo Ho, Yo Ho, A Pirates Life for Me" playing over the speakers. Does Disney know about this??? Maybe Dan Snyder has some connections to Disney that allowing the playing of "Pirates" music.

 

Overall, it was a fun day at Six Flags America. I hope the park can do what it takes to make it more of a destination park, than a local park. As a local park it does seem a tad ghetto, and know several people in the area that won't go near it because of its reputation.

 

After leaving the park, I headed over to the DC Mall to take in a walk around the monuments. DC is one of my favorite cities to visit.

My visit to DC started and ended around the Jefferson Memorial as parking was extremely hard to find.

Here's a sexy shot of the Washington Monument and Capitol Building from the Lincoln Memorial.

Ahh! What a view!

The World War II Memorial opened back in 2004.

The Lincoln Memorial is a great place to hang out, people watch, and just relax.

While walking on this stretch towards the Lincoln Memorial, you will be greeted by joggers and the local clan of ducks.

There was so much taking place when I was at the DC Mall. There were dozens of softball games going on, as well as a military band performance.

My next stop was the DC Mall, which is one of my favorite walking places.

Goodbye SFA! See you in another 8 years or whenever you get another coaster that's almost as good as Superman.

The ride no longer uses the backwards feature. Oh well.

 

However, I wonder what the Disney Company would think if they knew the Pirates of the Caribbean was playing on this ride. Hmmmmmm?

Just kidding!

Just before leaving SFA, the Typhoon Sea Coaster (aka Skull Mountain) opened up and I decided to take in a ride and to get more photos.

 

Typhoon Sea Coaster IS the world's ONLY splash-free flume ride!

Then there's the final helix that has some white knuckling extreme laterals.

Wild One features a double down, great speed, and lots of air.

Wild One is the better of the two woodies! While not a great as it was back in '99 (after it was extensively retracked), it still does kick some serious butt, and it loaded with air. I think got at least 4 rides on it.

Roar has gotten a lot rougher and its layout seriously lacks airtime, especially the hill the train is cresting in the photo.

Joker's Jinx is a lot more ridable w/o the OTSRs, but the ride nonetheless is still quite forgettable. The ride could be enhanced with better theming in the queue (remember 'Joker's Revenge" anyone?) and on the ride itself.

Batwing is quite a spectacle. It's a fun ride, but feels too controlled and uncomfortable in places. Still, it makes a great additional to SFA's coaster collection.

Wile E. Coyote and Petunia Pig greet guests on their way to meet the executioner (Minderaser). Unlike most guests who come here, I wisely stay this Vekoma pain machine

This shot speaks a thousand words. One can easily contend that airtime filled hills are far more thrilling than gimmicky loops and inversions.

 

Just look at the faces of those riders!!!

The first of three final bunny hops on Superman. Just look at the excitement of the riders.

The second and third hills of Superman, along with its two helices can be seen in this shot. This amazing ride is loaded with insane airtime and tremendous speed.

Two Face was closed that day and closed the last time I was here 8 years ago. Here's a credit I still have yet to claim.

Batwing is a Vekoma Flyer that is a clone of Firehawk at King's Island. Interesting that is was a walk on while guests wait over two hours to ride the same ride.

Joker's Jinx is made up of a ridiculously tangled track, that features 4 inversions.

Roar is SFA's ultra twisted GCI woodie.

Minderaser is SFA's primeire Vekoma pain machine. Riders are "treated" an array of head bashing and body slamming. Let's be thankful, though, it does not live up to its name. Or does it?

Wild One is the better of the two woodies at SFA. An old 3 bench car greets oncoming riders at the coaster's entrance.

Superman: Ride of Steel is the easily the best coaster at the park, and one of the best steelies in the country. I personally rank it at #2.

The entrance to Six Flags America. The second of seven parks I would visit on the east coast this year.

[Axman]

Nice TR. It nice to hears some possative reviews about Apollo's Chariot and Alpengiest. All I ever hear is "Alpengiest is so lack-lustre", or "Apollo's Chariot has no airtime because of breaking".

 

Thanks for making feel good about visiting BGE.

I thought this picture turned out really great, like the sort of thing you'd see in a brochure.

[yankees15]

It really looks like I missed a great coaster in Superman when I went down to Virginia this summer, but I didn't have time to stop at SFA.

 

Looks like the park is really fun with a few good coasters though. Thanks for these wonderful pictures.

[kennywood!007]

Great photo tr! Griffon is a really awesome coaster. Your SFA pictures are awesome, that one Axman mentioned is such a great photo!

[Reon]

I dont know. Wild Ones seemed a bit too...wild for me. And I normally ride Beast in the roughest seats on normal basis. Roar was fun though...Oh well, yay Joker's Revenge! One of the best queus ever.

[alpengeist04]

Very nice picture TRs, thanks. Oh and I agree with every statement you made in your BGE report, even the slight criticism of the tree removal.

 

 

...and I don't care what anyone says, IMO, Apollo's Chariot is much better than the B&M Hyper up in Jersey.

[bgwfreak]

Sad that Roar isn't running any better.

 

My last and only trip in 2003 it was awesome!

 

I can't believe the stupid water ride is finally working. Oh wait, I think I just heard it break down again.