A Newbie to Credit Runs

[Homer]

Hello experienced travelers/road trippers,

 

This spring break, I'm planning a 2 day credit run on the weekend of March 8th and 9th at Wild Adventures and SFOG respectively. And I want some advice for a first time "long road trip."

 

First off, the road trip. From my house, WA is 4 hours away and SFOG is around ~8 hours. Since I'll be driving up all my lonesome, do you have any advice for driving long distances?

 

Secondly, advice on the parks. Is SFOG crowded on the first Sunday or not? I hope it isn't because I still have to get half of the credits there. Also, is Wild Adventures usually dead and is it relatively quick to get all 9 credits?

 

I can't wait!

[SharkTums]

FYI it will take you longer than 4 hours to get to WA from Sarasota.

 

It's a little under 3 to Gainesville, then a little under 2 to WA. That's with no stops.

[Brad]

You can make it from Wild Adventures to SFOG in about 3 1/2 (if you don't end up on I-285 in Atlanta during rush hour.)

 

And FYI, that's SFOG's 2nd weekend of operation, but still expect very light crowds (especially on Sunday.) Also, expect operations to reflect the crowds though (one train on most things, with the exception of Goliath and S:UF, generally.) Still, it shouldn't matter and you'll have PLENTY of time to get in everything (more than once.)

[SharkTums]

^Except if you hit traffic or construction on I-75. Several times I've had delays around Macon. Once the interstate was closed and we had to detour.

[BarryH]

Even on a Saturday, I was able to do a credit run at Wild Adventures and do all of the credits in 3 hours.

 

As long as you don't go on a concert day, you should be able to do WA in a few hours.

 

Also, for more credits, you can drop by Dixieland in the Atlanta area and get a credit! If you want to detor to Jacksonville, there's a Wacky Worm at Jacksonville Beach.

[larrygator]

Don't expect to get all the credtis at WA. Has the park ever had all 9 coasters open on the same day? Then again, there are new owners.

 

I went to both parks the first weekend in April and got each park done (coasters) in less than 2 1/2 hours

[BarryH]

^I've gotten all 9 credits on my first try!

 

I'm also the one who has visited SFMM twice and all the credits were open each time, even Deja Vu.

[BeemerBoy]

^Except if you hit traffic or construction on I-75. Several times I've had delays around Macon. Once the interstate was closed and we had to detour.

Here's a great up-to-the-minute site for Atlanta traffic:

 

http://www.georgia-navigator.com/maps/atlanta

 

And as for long solo road trips, two words....music and snacks.

[ParkTrips]

^ I like google better

http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=33.748322,-84.388733&spn=0.801591,1.340332&z=10&om=1&layer=t

[BarryH]

^^If you're driving up I-75, you can also stop by Cafe Risque. You can have a burger and watch naked women. No, seriously.

[Carnage]

And as for long solo road trips, two words....music and snacks.

 

And don't think that coffee/energy drinks will help to stretch your drives when you stat to tire.

 

I'd say 8 hours driving is the most you should really do in a day. More then that, and you really should be used to long drives.

[Erik Johnson]

Wild Adventures is my true homepark. With that said I am missing 2 credits there (Cheetah and some Mine Train one). Since this is your first visit to SFoG I highly recommend spending money on a Qbot. Like Elissa said, it will take you about 5 hours to get to Valdosta from Sarasota, and another 3 or a little more from Valdosta to Atlanta (Depending on road construction). Good luck on your trip!

[Homer]

^Actually Erik, its my second. I visited SFOG in 2004 and only got half of the credits there. However, this will be my first visit to Wild Adventures, so.

 

But I just checked the WA site again, and I wonder if anybody has any advice on concert days. On March 8, there will be a Sugarland concert there.

 

^^If you're driving up I-75, you can also stop by Cafe Risque. You can have a burger and watch naked women. No, seriously.

 

Only you Barry. Only you...

[BeemerBoy]

And as for long solo road trips, two words....music and snacks.

 

And don't think that coffee/energy drinks will help to stretch your drives when you stat to tire.

I'd say 8 hours driving is the most you should really do in a day. More then that, and you really should be used to long drives.

This is very true. When I do my two 1400mile east coast trips each year, in a 24 hour span, I'm generally driving 21-22 hours of it (NOT recommended). But during that time, I stick to bottled water and fruits for snacks, and I never push myself too far. Caffeine is no substitute for actual rest.

[WillMontu]

At Wild Adventures - The mouse is one of the lowest capacity rides there (aside from some of the kiddies), so try and get that in early. The kiddie SLC usually has a reasonable wait too. You know there's something wrong with a park when the best ride there is a Boomerang. It's one of the newer ones that doesn't have the valley platform, yet it's actually somewhat smooth. Same goes for the SLC.

 

At SFOG - If you get a Q-bot, hit the Mine Train first if you need the credit, as it doesn't use them and has a low capacity (it has the old Arrow trains that require the op to manually lock and unlock the restraints.) I've heard that Mindbender is also a little difficult to get running when there's rain, so try and knock that credit out too if you don't have it (but since it's a Schwarzkopf, you may want to ride anyway)

 

If you pass through Gainesville, you may even catch a glimpse of Erik's famous van. I sometimes see it myself on the way to work.

[Erik Johnson]

^Actually Erik, its my second. I visited SFOG in 2004 and only got half of the credits there. However, this will be my first visit to Wild Adventures, so.

 

But I just checked the WA site again, and I wonder if anybody has any advice on concert days. On March 8, there will be a Sugarland concert there.

 

^^If you're driving up I-75, you can also stop by Cafe Risque. You can have a burger and watch naked women. No, seriously.

 

Only you Barry. Only you...

 

Make sure you get there at opening or close to it. If you do, you should be fine. I do not think it gets really crowded until a little later in the day.

[Carnage]

^ Erik I never would have figured you as a Cafe Risque type of guy.

 

Not sure why you know when it gets busy.

[carolinacaniac]

Melissa and I are planning on heading to Atlanta that same weekend. Originally we were going to visit SFOG on Sunday the 9th, but we found out that the NASCAR Sprint Cup is racing in ATL that day. Neither of us have been to a race before so we are looking into doing that. What I would like to know is if crowds should be heavy for an early March Saturday (and therefore possibly call for a q-bot), or is it more likely to be slower since it is early in the season?

[BeemerBoy]

^^If you're driving up I-75, you can also stop by Cafe Risque. You can have a burger and watch naked women. No, seriously.

No.

 

Strip joints and restaurants are two types of establishments that should never find a happy marriage. The thought of eating a burger at Cafe Risque turns my stomach.

 

At least having a drink at a strip joint provides a chance that the alcohol will kill off some of the diseases that are lurking about.

[Homer]

^Actually a change in restaurant plans. I won't stop over at Cafe Risque, instead I will stop at Lake City for some Fu King Chinese!

 

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g34360-d516440-Reviews-Fu_King_Chinese_Restaurant-Lake_City_Florida.html

[pagemaster_b]

I've done a few long road trips (like from Oregon to Idaho to Utah to Nevada to Cailfornia back to Oregon again).

 

Eight hours for driving is a decent time, though for me tweleve hours is usually what I will drive in a day. You'll just have to find what works with you. The best advice is take frequent breaks. You should be stopping about every two hours to get out to stretch and walk around. This should help with fatigue and sleepiness. It is recommended to not use caffinee to help stay awake. Whenever you feel sleepy, you should pull into a Rest Area and take a nap. Snacks or munchies are also a good thing.

 

Music is a must. I hate surfing for radio stations every couple hundred miles, and they're really hard to find in sparely populated rural areas. If you have an ipod or an mp3 player you can run through your radio, create a huge play list. I have four play lists on my ipod that have between 100 and 150 songs a piece (and another all encompassing play list clocking in at over 850 songs). Avoid the mellow, relaxing type music and play upbeat songs you can sing along too.

 

Audio books are a good alternative to music. They can certainly help pass the time, but I have found that it can distract my concentration on driving.

 

Other things you should consider. Have an emergency road side kit in the back of your car. You never know when something might happen. Call someone you know before you start driving for the day and when you get to a stopping destination at the end of the day. Keep them updated on delays. This is strongly recommend during times of bad weather. (I do this with my family whenever I drive out to visit them. If I don't check in, then they know something has happened.) Take a calling card with you(even if it's prepaid). Cell phones are handy, but not all areas have coverage. A lot of this is based on experiences with my family and long trips. We've had car problems, accidents, weather delays, etc.

 

Hopefully this will help. (Sorry, don't know anything about where you're going.)

[Homer]

^My trip is going to be a solid 9ish-10ish hours of driving. Depending on Atlanta traffic of course.

 

As for the trip;

 

Sarasota, FL > Valdosta, GA > Atlanta, GA then back to Sarasota.

 

About 7 hrs and 38 minutes according to Google maps.

 

Thanks for the handy advice though!

[Carnage]

^My trip is going to be a solid 9ish-10ish hours of driving. Depending on Atlanta traffic of course.

 

At one time? Planning on driving 10 hours when you're not used to long drives can be pretty risky.

 

You should plan for it to take longer then you expect. And break up the drives if possible.

[BeemerBoy]

^ I've found that 8-10 hours of driving isn't too bad.....as long as it's during your regular active daytime hours. As the sun drops, it naturally becomes more difficult because your eyes are more strained and focused on the road.

Even so, Homer, still never push yourself too hard regardless of when you're driving. Always make time for your normal meals during the day. It definitely helps.

[mcjaco]

^My trip is going to be a solid 9ish-10ish hours of driving. Depending on Atlanta traffic of course.

 

At one time? Planning on driving 10 hours when you're not used to long drives can be pretty risky.

 

You should plan for it to take longer then you expect. And break up the drives if possible.

 

One way to break up long drive times is to have a tire blow out. It's very relaxing.