Photo TR: A Jiggidy Mid-America Adventure

[Erik Johnson]

Hey there TPR People!

 

I just got back from two back to back trips this past week. The first was the TPR Texas trip, while the second one took me to four more parks a bit further to the north. The Photo trip report for Texas will be posted soon, but I still need some more time to prepare for that one so I decided to do this one first. On this trip, the first park we visted was Frontier City, which is located right beside Oklahoma City. Because of its location (In that there isn't much else located within four hours of the park), it is not covered very often on TPR so I will include over 100 photos in this posting. This was also a special visit for me because I had visited the park before, though that was almost 25 years ago. So it would be really interesting to see how much has changed in that time.

 

Ok, you ready to head on into the park?

Is that you Buff?

Ok, let us head on into the park, shall we?

This is what the ticket booths look like.

Last time I was there, I looked like this. Yes, those would be Jams that I would be wearing.

Yes, it has been almost 25 years since I set foot in this park.

This would be the other Silver Bullet. Instead of a B&M, it would be one of those Schwarzkopf coasters.

Oh, there it is! Frontier City

After about a four hour drive north of Dallas, Texas. We finally made it to Oklahoma City.

Its pretty baren out here.

Let us head into Oklahoma.

Well, well. I finally got my Gainesville, Texas credit.

More track.

But, there was some theming in the area.

Yes, its a small one.

I went ahead and took a few pictures of the coaster area.

They were very strict with this one. Even kids were turned away.

Just in case if Larry needed one for the park index.

Wild Kitty would be the first of two credits that I was denied during both trips.

Yeah, they are not quite the Five Bears Rug. Maybe Five Bears Rug Minus 2?

Ok, one final one.

Vekoma really got this one right.

Whee!

Here is what some of the layout looks like.

It no longer has the really bad wobble that the older models have.

Vekoma really improved the design of these coasters. It delivered a very smooth ride.

See how different the seats look now? They are VERY confortable.

Steel Lasso is the newest Vekoma design for its Junior suspended coaster.

Here are the rules.

Steel Lasso would be the newest coaster in the park.

The park is on the small side, but it is pretty well themed.

Well, it is better not to dwell on such things, so let us move on.

Silver Bullet Midwest?

Ok, one more till we move one.

The classic blurry design.

Though, for whatever reason, this was did not have quite as much intensity when compared to other Schwarzys.

Up the lift hill it goes.

Yes it is one of those fangled Schwarzy coasters that I do so love.

Does anyone have any idea what that is?

Did the ride have some kind of wet section, or something, at this point?

It eventually returns to this point, so I can at least share this with you.

Wildcat is not the easiest coaster to get photos of. It really does zoom off into the woods after this point.

The wrath of the Wildcat would be 46mph ride through the woods.

This would be a lift hill.

This is the Wildcat's history. It proved to be a fun Junior sized wooden coaster.

Two extra points for having this sign.

Oh, that explains it.

Um, something does not look right.

The Cyclone also has really padded seats on the train so you do not die.

You could read up on all about roller coaster history while waiting in line.

Nice Kitty, please do not bite me.

Next was the Wildcat. This would be the park's wooden coaster.

Ok ok ok. Here is just one more for you train buffs.

This part in reverse was quite intense.

Then you do it all over again in a reverse direction.

As an early launched coaster, it has a sled that hooks onto the back of the train which pushes you over the edge.

Our Arrow chariot awaits.

After walking up just a few steps to the top, we made it.

One of them still survives here at Frontier City. Six Flags America had the other one until it was removed around 10 years ago.

Does anyone remember Lightning Loops from Six Flags Great Adventure?

Diamondback would be my very first Arrow shuttle credit.

The final coaster credit would be the Kings Island free Diamondback.

It continues to be abandoned.

According to my records, it would have been my 5th credit.

Many moons ago it used to sit near where Steel Lasso is now. It used to be called the Orange Blossom Special.

It is a coaster in the box. Lucky for me I actually earned the credit a very long time ago.

Actually there is another coaster credit. But it has been closed for years.

No? How about now?

Does this meet my quota for rapids pictures?

Again, for you rapids fans.

It looked like a good one. Too bad we still had a 2 hour drive after this park, otherwise I would have ridden it.

For you rapids fans.

Plus we would have probably gotten really wet.

There is a really early Arrow log flume here. Too bad the line would have taken an hour or more to get through.

See what I mean?

There is really a lot of nice western theming all around the park.

At this park it is an inverter.

Mind Bender is nothing like the one in Georgia.

Tornado would be the tilt-a-whirl.

There were quite a few flat rides all over the park.

Random Buffalo!

What I really liked was that when you shoot a target, it often revealed another set of hidden targets.

Andrew looks ready to go shoot stuff.

For me, the real surprise would be the Sally Shooting Dark Ride, Quick Draw.

Ok, let us check out some other things in the park

This would be this year's schedule.

This would be the concert hall/building.

One final Hangman photo.

However the launch was very sudden and intense. Unlike the normal S&S towers, there was no warning on this one.

After it launch sequence it brings you back here where it does some very controled decent back to the bottom.

It sits here waiting for its next victims.

Hangman proved to be a very messed up launch/drop tower.

Its kind of like Soarin' Over Steel Lasso.

You really do get a nice view of the park.

It was also placed on top of a hill, which was the highest point of the park.

This is just a reminder to help you remember where we were.

Would you like to see the park from a better view?

I am not sure if I would be brave enough to ride one of these. I was kind of happy that it had a really long line.

They have one of these, and no it is not an upcharge.

Random barn.

[Erik Johnson]

Frontier City Part 2.

Take the Tunnel!!! At about 4 mph.

I think this ride was closed during out visit.

Yes, an exclusive POV shot.

Drive us to Pizza Hut James.

Here comes our car.

One of the shortest car rides ever can be found here.

I guess that would be a slush in his hand.

Random Scrambler.

Another random flat ride sign for the park index. I think this was for the enterprise.

Back on the ground and through the trees.

Hangman with Diamondback.

That would be Oklahoma City way off in the distance.

Random Wildcat track.

We see you Silver Bullet.

Off we head onto our next park, which will be posted soon.

Wave goodbye to Silver Bullet.

Well, it is time to leave the park.

Random street shot.

The bumper cars actually do have a proper name.

Paul versus the world.

The same bumper cars in 1985.

Bumper Cars.

Hooray, we are almost done.

[ctriceman]

Great Tr. I remember driving by this park a few years ago but didn't have time to stop in. It seems like it is a bit underrated.

[Emiroo]

Great Report! I didn't even know this place existed.

 

I usually have to go to OKC once a year on business so you can just guess where I'm going to make a pit stop on my next visit...

[coasterdude5]

Great pictures - I've never really given this park much of a look before but it looks like a nice place.

[redfoot12]

That TR makes me wish I had just taken off a few more days of work. Great pictures as usual!

[Shavethewhales]

Nice PTR. This is actually my home park, but I haven't been in over 2 years. Looks like the place has really cleaned up nicely, it was a pit the last time I visited. The new owners have really cleaned it up, and the two new rides are very good quality for the park.

[Homer]

I haven't seen many pics of this park, but I can definitely tell that it has cleaned up. Glad to see Diamondback got a new coat of paint and another Arrow loop in good condition like Elitch's.

 

Also, Pheonix.

 

Enjoyable trip report.

[Carnage]

That drop tower was pretty strange.

 

The launch up was unpredictable, as well as quite jarring. And yet the downward launch was tame as can be.

 

Too bad they were only running like 3 boats on the log flume. We started waiting in line, only to quickly figure out that the short line was going to take forever.

[Erik Johnson]

Ok then, you guys ready for Silver Dollar City?

 

In case if you did not know, Silver Dollar City is located right next to Branson, Missouri. Its very similiar to Dollywood with a few exceptions. SDC is a bit more compact when compared to Dollywood, as well as its move covered in trees. Trees are everywhere which means a lot more shade in the park. Its a bit easier to get around in SDC as well with its multiple paths across the entire span of the park. The roller coaster collection is simply awesome. I would have to say that, overall, they do top Dollywood's collection. Plus they get bonus points for having the Marvel Cave as an additional attraction. I think Dollywood does have a slightly better selection of food as well as shows. Basically it comes down to this , if you really love Dollywood (Which I do), you will love Silver Dollar City.

 

You ready for more photos?

 

Silver Dollar City (Part 1)

Ready for launch?

After you leave the station you are transfered to the launching area.

Dispatch?

Ready for a ride?

It looks like it is almost our turn.

Here is a close up of the track.

So that is where S&S gets its launching power from.

Dispatch!

S&S really needs to build more of these. This one is really good.

I see a coaster train.

More stuff.

Good to know.

It also includes a lot of theming which is historically accurate to the region.

There is all kinds of theming in the queue line as well as the station.

Good to know.

Here are the rules.

OK enough of this, let us go ride a coaster.

If you do go inside, you must be quiet.

They do have a church here, just like Dollywood.

Let us head into the park.

The park map comes in the form of a newspaper.

Here is some more information about it.

The water clock looks pretty interesting.

So just in case you want to get hitched and to ride coasters.

They do have a wedding chapel at SDC.

Wow, I finally made it!

Let us take a short tram ride to the gate.

From the parking lot you can see Wildfire on top of the mountain.

You see, he is pointing us in the right direction.

It sure looks like we are in the right place.

The road of no return.

Silver Dollar City Billboard!

It does look a bit different than Oklahoma.

Edited March 10, 2010 by Erik Johnson

[Erik Johnson]

I can not think of a better way to show off Powder Keg than to link the video that Robb and Elissa did a few years ago:

 

[coastertube]http://www.themeparkreview.com/coastertube/play.php?vid=powderkeg_ider[/coastertube]

[Erik Johnson]

I found Powder Keg to instantly leap into my top twenty. The airtime in the back row was pretty amazing.

 

Here are a few more Powder Keg photos.

Ok, I think you are now probably sick of Powder Keg. Let us move on.

As you can see, the area around the coaster is themed really well.

Powder Keg doing its thing.

Before Powder Keg, this area used to be a part of the old ride, Buzzsaw Falls. This is one of the old cars/boats.

This is here, along with a brake in the station, to make sure there are no rollbacks.

[redfoot12]

Just to bring in another hot topic of the day--it looks as if a ride like Powder Keg would be a good replacement for Big Bad Wolf. Doubt it would happen though.

[Roachman]

Great TR. Powder Keg looks like alot of fun!! I really enjoyed the old photos of your trip to Frontier City as a kid!

[Shavethewhales]

Yeah, PK is hands-down the crown SDC ride, even with a massive B&M next door. I mean, 5 years later, everyone is still flocking to it. It's probably the best family ride in existence.

 

I'm still in disbelief that no other family launched coasters from S&S have been built. There's no major mech. issues with it as far as I can see, aside from the annoying sensors that have to be individually wiped off after even the slightest precipitation.

[Guy T. Koepp]

Great TR Erik. These are a few parks that are very difficult to get to, and often get overlooked. I am hoping to get to them both one day. Perhaps on a trip such as this one. I look farward to the rest of your pictures.

[TheRapidsNerd]

Great set of TRs so far!

 

For you rapids fans.

And this made them that much better. Many thanks for those shots and they'll be added to my screen saver slide show shortly.

 

Also looking forward to the next round my friend.

[PKI Jizzman]

Wow, what a cool looking little park! I had no idea it existed, or what inhabited the place.

 

Thanks for the report, Erik!

 

-Zach

[Electerik]

I, too, had no idea that Frontier City was so nice. Great TR, so far!

[Erik Johnson]

Silver Dollar City (Part 2)

See what I mean?

But you do get really wet.

We found the log flume to be fun. Though there is only one drop.

Good to know.

Watch out for the deep dark scary tunnel.

Ready to get wet?

This would be its theme.

Ok, let us check out the log flume.

We checked out the gift shop for a little while.

Ride stats.

The coaster is powered by waterwheel. Honestly!

You can buy photos as well as onride videos here.

You must be 52 inches in order to ride this ride.

Check out that view.

I think we rode it 4 or 5 times. The ride was a walk-on all day.

While it is a sitdown B&M, your feet really do not touch the coaster much.

Cobra roll madness!

While the coaster is on the short side, there isn't a dead section on the ride. Its really good.

Up the lift hill we go!

Dispatch!

Everytime a train is dispatched, Wildfire gets cooled off by mist.

The station does have quite a bit of theming.

The ride's rules.

Wildfire's first drop is really great. One of B&M's best in my opinion.

Again, the theming at SDC is really top notch.

This is what the ride's sign looks like.

Next was the B&M sitdown coaster.

One last photo of the train.

I happen to like rule #5

You get attacked by many of these guys while on the ride.

The ride operator counts how many people are in each train and writes that number on this chalkboard.

Loading area!

The same goes for this.

This can be found in loading area on the ride.

While both rides are similiar, they do have different layouts as well as theming.

Dollywood has Blazing Fury, SDC has Fire in the Hole.

[Erik Johnson]

Silver Dollar City (Part 3)

This guy looks really happy, for some reason.

Each target is worth 100 points. Its actually pretty easy to score over 100,000 points. Though you get really tired by the end of the ride.

There are many, many, many, targets to shoot.

As you can see, there are a lot of boats connected to each other.

Do I really look like a prisoner?

Incoming!

This would be the weapon of choice.

How many shooting boat rides have you ridden?

Noted!

It used to be just a dark ride, but they turned it into a shooting dark ride awhile back.

Just in case if it is needed for the park index.

SDC still has its other dark ride, The Flooded Mine.

Again, the park has a lot of random theming.

Lunch time!!!

How was your 48mph ride on Thunderation? Other than the lift near the end of the ride, it is quite relentless.

This is really a good idea. I think that this is the most intense mine train I have ever ridden. Seriously, its quite insane.

Well, how many mine trains have you ridden with backwards seats?

Looks like a normal mine train, right?

Into the station we go!

Yet again, the rules of the ride.

This would be another name for kick-butt mine train.

Awww....Poor Fleegle, Bingo, and Snorky.

No park is complete without a hill of doom. Though this one isn't too bad.

Santa.

Blacksmith.

There are also many craft stores in the park.

Really?

Throughout the entire park, there are tons of little bits of cool stuff like this.

[Guy T. Koepp]

I have got to get to SDC! It looks beautiful.

[Erik Johnson]

I have got to get to SDC! It looks beautiful.

 

It really is. If you like Dollywood, you will love SDC.

[Wood Dragon 1988]

Great TR, I've always wanted to go to SDC.

 

Wildfire trains look pretty unique...like a B&M floorless train with a floor lol.

[Erik Johnson]

Silver Dollar City (Part 4)

This was a sad reminder of the closing of Celebration City last season.

Noted!

This maybe would be the oldest ride in the park.

Reverse POV.

We made it back to the light.

Are you ready to leave the cave?

Oh cool. The cave actually has a ride!

Lucky for us, we do not have to walk our way out of the cave.

Gulp!

Many years in the making.

Seriously, the cave is a very cool way too spend an hour at a theme park. No pun intended.

This sounds like a great idea for a TPR ERT event. Make sure you sign up next year.

This would be the cave waterfall.

They used to mine the cave a long time ago.

More stairs and walkways.

Make sure you follow the rules.

Lots of cool things to see in the cave. Plus it is a great way to cool off.

We made it to the bottom.

Are we there yet?

The first of about 2 million stairs begins. Actually there are only about 750 the entire tour.

This is basically the point of no return.

Just follow Cameron, he knows the way.

Is that a hole in the ground I see?

The cave was an attraction way before SDC was built.

Our fearless leader has a few short rules as well as warnings to tell us before we start.

We have started, try to keep up.

I like things with the name doom in it.

Before you enter the cave, you learn a little history about the cave.

Information about the cave, Part 2.

Information about the cave.

Before you even start the tour, you must first pass this test.

You should allow yourself about and hour and 15 minutes for the experience. Each group has a limit of 60 people at a time.

You find the entrance in the main gift shop in the front of the park.

What should we do after lunch? Let us go explore a cave for an hour.