California Great America (CGA) Discussion Thread

[ABW]

I know I rode RRR in the 1990's. Does anyone remember getting soaked to the skin then? & What about Whitewater Falls? Is there a particular seat where you get absolutely drenched? I went on it last year & didn't get that wet. & That was so funny I thought that Great America had Hannah Barbara playing in the Action FX theater a few years ago. I saw it at Universal Orlando in 1992 & again in 2002. & When It was at Great America. I also liked that Temple movie(forgot the name). Too bad those can't still keep playing. I wonder if oneday Back To The Future will end up at Great America since Hannah Barbara did. That would be awesome. Back To The Future & the Temple movie OMG what a great pair & would draw huge crowds to the Action FX theater. & Too bad we can't get an indoor Flight Of Fear. Oh if only I could controll what CF puts in Great America I would make Great America awesome again. Well that's good about Vortex-no ear smashing. But I do like however that squeak Vortex always makes as the train is rounding the corner to the lift hill. I won't be going until the summer when Boomerang Bay is open & only once since yet another coaster is gone. I sure hope it won't be a Windseeker or Zac Spin. I can't go on any of those. I'd like to see a Flight Of Fear, Back Lot Stunt Coaster, or Maverick. I'm sure they won't make the announcement on what it is until at least January. But please keep a look out for coaster track! If it were a coaster for next year wouldn't we have already seen the track pieces by now?

Your thought process just downright amazes me.

 

Tmcdllr: When you say it went around the trough. What exactly do you mean? It sounds like this was a much better ride back in the day!

[Angry_Gumball]

I know when I saw the rapids and it's little modification, it was a nice sized shower covering the entire width of the river channel. Topping things off, this is the area where the ride's speed is at its minimum so boats slowly drift through the massive shower. With how today's been, weather-wise, it would have been a perfect day to go on the rapids. I don't remember how it was back in the 90s but I actually don't recall that showery trough getting everyone...it was all based on if anyone at the geysers knew how to fire them, and who got the end of the boat that water sloshed into.

 

Tomorrow's April Fools...so you know what that means, pranks! Well, I started early, seeing how much of the GP will fall for this (especially non coaster-savy people). A couple pages back, I posted an image of a ZacSpin sitting in Invertigo's former spot. Well, I posted it on the CGA Facebook wall to see how many people will flip out/go nuts over this rendering. Those who are fans of CGA's Facebook, keep it hush, don't spoil it! So far, got 1 hit and it's a good one: "Is it really there or did you photoshop it?" Funny thing is that the CGA fan was there last weekend. So unless something can get built that fast, I'd vouch to say it's photoshopped. Yes, I'm mean

[Flagg O'Dim]

^That...is brilliant! You've got another comment, "That is INSANE."

 

This is going to be fun to watch. I wonder how long before it gets deleted.

[Angry_Gumball]

The comment about "That is Insane!" Well, they did get it right...It is Insane at Gröna Lund...lol

[Tmcdllr]

ABW, Gumball explained perfectly what I meant..."a nice sized shower covering the entire width of the river channel"

[Angry_Gumball]

Nothing's made a Friday better than watching my mailbox fill up with Facebook messages of people pondering whether my photoshopped coaster is real or not. I think I'll let it ride out for a few more hours before I spill the beans. Some of the best comments I've seen today are:

 

Person 1:

"Did u Photoshop that? I waz there less than a week ago and there is no way that the cement supports are done that fast along with everything else. But it's a good pic though! "

 

Person 2:

"What is this ride called and Person 1 it is possable they have it up already just saying but im going there tomorrow so i will see"

 

And others such as:

 

"omg is that really there oe no"

 

"What the name of that ride."

 

Disclaimer: I'm just copying and pasting their messages, so I hold no responsibility for their poor spelling/typos.

[Tmcdllr]

That's funny, I will have to have a look see.

[ScottBrown]

I know when I saw the rapids and it's little modification, it was a nice sized shower covering the entire width of the river channel. Topping things off, this is the area where the ride's speed is at its minimum so boats slowly drift through the massive shower. With how today's been, weather-wise, it would have been a perfect day to go on the rapids. I don't remember how it was back in the 90s but I actually don't recall that showery trough getting everyone...it was all based on if anyone at the geysers knew how to fire them, and who got the end of the boat that water sloshed into.

 

Tomorrow's April Fools...so you know what that means, pranks! Well, I started early, seeing how much of the GP will fall for this (especially non coaster-savy people). A couple pages back, I posted an image of a ZacSpin sitting in Invertigo's former spot. Well, I posted it on the CGA Facebook wall to see how many people will flip out/go nuts over this rendering. Those who are fans of CGA's Facebook, keep it hush, don't spoil it! So far, got 1 hit and it's a good one: "Is it really there or did you photoshop it?" Funny thing is that the CGA fan was there last weekend. So unless something can get built that fast, I'd vouch to say it's photoshopped. Yes, I'm mean

 

Yes you are 100 % correct getting soaked on that ride once was only possible by either being on the side of the boat the water was splashing into or good aim by the people shooting the geysers, the water fall in question if it is the one I am thinking it is originally crashed down on a rocky area off to the side of the river bed and never used to even splash the boats, is it located between the last set of geysers and the lift? Can someone get a pic of it for me please ?

[Tmcdllr]

That is exactly where it is.

 

Early on in this ride's life that trough did shower water all the way across the channel. I remember riding it, I believe it was somewhere in the '89 to '92 season and getting totally soaked by that thing....then getting more soaked by the geysers! This was also when the last "gate" that spaces the rafts was different. It did not have two sides like it does now, only one and sometimes it would go back up as a raft was passing it, lifting the raft a little. I believe Intamin changed to the current design because of a similar incident or to prevent one. Although back then, I don't remember there ever being one of these gates at the beggining of the ride like there is now.

 

Glad its back up to its full-soaking potential.

[ScottBrown]

See thats what I don't get I remember the year that ride opened and grew up going to that park and have never once seen the waterfall spilling out across the channel are we sure we are talking about the same one ? You said you got soaked by it then even more by the Geysers but the one I am thinking of comes after the final set of geysers

[Tmcdllr]

I don't have a picture but its a trough way up high (I think it might even be on a little fake wood building or some big rocks) that sticks out and its at the turn near where the water from the upper channel spills down some rocks on the side of the hill to the lower channel, just before the geysers--- it's been awhile since I've been on it so maybe I have that backwards and the geysers come first, but in any event it's there, and I do remember getting soaked twice back in the day and it was at night and very windy, man I was freezing!

[Angry_Gumball]

Yea it's not the rock waterfall, it's a wood trough higher up. It's directly behind Orleans Orbit and can be seen from the midway. Its right after lake #2 and just before the rock waterfall.

[rolercstrluvr]

Update: The area where Invertigo was is now all grass and is surrounded by benches.

[Vffreak07]

No garbage disposal units?!

[rolercstrluvr]

None, just a huge chain of blue benches all the way around it and signs saying, new sod keep off the grass.

[Angry_Gumball]

Well maybe that was the new opportunity. Would they typically go through and set up landscaping like that if a new ride was to go in that spot?

[Tmcdllr]

Well think of it this way, if you were not going to put a ride in that spot until next season, would you just leave a dirt patch that looks terrible and is in plain view of the GP or would you at least landscape it so it looks nice? Great America has always been very good at their landscaping and keeping it well maintained and with something like this there is no way they would just leave a dirt patch sitting there for a whole season.....why do that when you can make it look nice. Besides this isn't that expensive and can be easily torn out for a new ride.

[Angry_Gumball]

Ok, I found the trough we've been discussing. It comes off from a little water tower towards the beginning of the ride. If I recall right, when you pass under the first part of it, there's small 'leaks' that lightly wet you before the first geysers. After the second set of geysers, there's the end of the trough that showers over the channel. I took a snapshot of it so you all can see.

[Flagg O'Dim]

I saw the Inverti-Garden today. That sure is a lot of benches. The landscaping almost looks nice...if you were ignorant of the fact that there used to be a ride there.

 

Well think of it this way, if you were not going to put a ride in that spot until next season, would you just leave a dirt patch that looks terrible and is in plain view of the GP or would you at least landscape it so it looks nice? Great America has always been very good at their landscaping and keeping it well maintained and with something like this there is no way they would just leave a dirt patch sitting there for a whole season.....why do that when you can make it look nice. Besides this isn't that expensive and can be easily torn out for a new ride.

 

I totally agree. CGA tears out a lot of their landscaping every year for Haunt, especially by Vortex, where they put up the fake graves. So I'm sure ripping apart a grass lot with flowers is of no concern to them.

[Sunfire]

Yup, I have to say that the InvertiGarden looks okay for now. It certainly looks better than the patch of dirt we had last week. I just hope that next year there will be something other than empty space.

[greatamerica1990sfan]

Yeah I'm glad too they didn't leave a big ugly dirt pile to look at & covered it with grass to make it look nice. Does anyone know if the new thing for next year will be in Invertigo's spot or elsewhere? & RRR your shirt,pants,shoes,hair get really dripping wet like Popye & Bluto Rat Burges? & No matter where I stand on the Whitewaterfall bridge I don't get sprayed!!! Didn't they lessen the force of the water spray on the bridge? I think they did. It used to be very forceful. The falls boat ride at SFDK you get much more wetter & same with their rapids ride. One year I got drenched-completely soaked! The water rides at SFDk are much better than CGA's.

[Angry_Gumball]

Agreed. I just hope that this garden isn't here to stay as our future attraction. Looking at it more, I noticed it was kept to be quite simple. I'm not sure what's planted in the little island (50-yard line?) but it looks like something that could probably be transplanted to another spot when time comes.

[Tmcdllr]

Yeah I'm glad too they didn't leave a big ugly dirt pile to look at & covered it with grass to make it look nice. Does anyone know if the new thing for next year will be in Invertigo's spot or elsewhere?

 

Too early to tell and nobody knows yet what is going to happen next year, but we all hope its something coaster-good.

 

"Inverti-Garden"......I like that. Maybe to commemorate what used to be there they should plant some upside down plants in the middle with one of those photo oportunity spot signs naming it as the "Inverti-Garden".

 

I hope, I PRAY that a wonderful coaster goes in this park somewhere, could be anywhere, next year......its needs several soooo badly! This is my home park, the park I grew up in riding Willard's Whizzer, Bottoms Up (remember that one?), Yankee Clipper, The Edge, Tidal Wave (my favorite), the original Fiddler's Fling, the Pictorium (they used to show a movie that had things like flyhing off a cliff in a hang glider, riding Colossus at MM, and other awesome stuff that made you feel like you were actually doing it), Sky Whirl, and so on. I even worked there one summer, it was the most fun I have ever had working at a job! It makes me very sad that things are like they are with the bitchy neighbors, the 49ers B.S., and CF seeming not to care. And through all of this nonsense the park management has done an outstanding job keeping the place running and always looking clean and beautiful. I have to commend them for making the best of a horribly bad situation, it can't be easy and I'm sure is very frustrating.

 

I wish I wish I wish things would/will turn around and we see some great additions and a long life for CGA in the future.

 

Bash me if you want, disagree with everything I've said...... I don't care. This is how I feel about Great America, nobody can ruin that for me......NOBODY!

[Intimidator305]

One reason I'm having doubts for Great America is that Cedar Fair wouldn't even spend the little amount of money to give them a Starlight Spectacular this year. NOTHING at all for the park this year? Especially after removing Invertigo, which was an ALRIGHT coaster at most, but at CGA it was one of their best ones... Just some shows? C'mon! I can't remember the last time any other former Paramount park got absolutely nothing.

[robman]

I don't think the Starlight would fit that well in CGA because of the size of Great Americas Planet Snoopy compared to the other parks in the chain unless they brought it all the way around KidzVille. Well hopefully we can see something really good added to Haunt this year.