Dave & Erin's Traveling Circus: A collection of Photo TR's

IBtacoDave · July 17, 2010

My girlfriend Erin and I visited quite a few parks in 2009, and in the spirit of "better late than never" I thought I would share my adventures with TPR. Let me know if you have any questions or suggestions. Here's a list of the parks I'll be posting trip reports on in the following weeks. Hope you like them!

Six Flags Great America 4/3/2009

Indiana Beach 5/3/2009

Cedar Point 5/18/2009

Holiday World 5/19/2009

King's Island 5/30/2009

Busch Gardens Europe 5/31/2009

King's Dominion 6/1/2009

Six Flags America 6/2/2009

Six Flags Great Adventure 6/3/2009

Dorney Park 6/4/2009

King's Island 6/5/2009

Photo TR: Six Flags Great America - Opening Day 4/3/2009

After a loooong winter, we were quite excited to get back on a coaster. SFGam opened about 2 weeks earlier than usual so we were quite excited about riding the rides in our winter gear. Enjoy the pictures!

Its 50 degrees and sunny, a beautiful day to visit SFGam!

I was expecting light crowds but I never thought there would be this few people.

We decided our first coaster of 2009 would be Superman. We rode 3 times without getting off, what a way to start the day.

Some people call this an inline twist, but I like to call this particular element "too little, too late".

Next, we fought our way through the crowds to Raging Bull.

Looking back at this photo really makes me look forward to ERT on TPR day at SFGam. After 9 straight rides we stepped off feeling a bit dizzy.

We could only handle two straight rides on Batman.

American Eagle was running great that day. I love this ride!

We're not ashamed to admit we love a good mouse coaster and Rajun Cajun is just that. Unfortunately, even with so few people there, we still had to watch the movie before Dark Knight.

We had to ride Iron Wolf to remind ourselves of how horrible it is.

Across the park, we queued for a front row ride on Viper. These were by far the best rides that we got on Viper all season. By our last visit in October, it developed an awful screeching sound throughout the second half of the course and seemed much rougher. On this visit however, it was fantastic.

The new splash battle was still under construction.

Time for a quick rest in the observation tower.

It's too bad there weren't a few more people here. They wizened up in 2010 and opened several weeks later.

Here's an overview of Batman and Vertical Velocity. This makes me wish Tidal Wave were still here.

It's usually difficult to see this much of Whizzer, most of the layout is hidden by trees.

Viper from the air.

This picture was taken when Superman and I were still on good terms. Before he reached into my pocket, grabbed my camera, and slammed it to the bottom of his pretzel roll. Seriously don't take chances with loose items on B&M fliers. Lock it up, strap it down, or Superman WILL steal it.

Raging Bull in its entirety. Say what you will about Six Flags customer service, on this day everyone was extremely nice and helpful. From the parking lot attendants to the ride ops, everyone was smiling and a pleasure to deal with.

Back on the ground, we had a few great rides on the Whizzer. Like many people from the Chicagoland area, Whizzer was my first "big" coaster.

Here's the only ride at SFGam I cannot ride. Something about facing inward while spinning just does not set well with my stomach. I have no problem riding frisbees that face outward like Maxair.

We ended the day with a marathon session on American Eagle. We had a great time at Great America, next up is Indiana Beach.

Edited August 14, 2010 by IBtacoDave

IBtacoDave · July 17, 2010

Photo TR: Indiana Beach 5/3/2009

Our next stop is our home park, Indiana Beach. Upon our arrival we noticed a larger crowd than we expected, it took us a while to figure out what was going on. After noticing the live entertainment we realized it was Cinco De Mayo day at the park. This was my first time on Steel Hawg. Its an alright coaster, the biggest problem is it's location which seems to be outside the park. Hopefully in the coming years they can build a few things around it to make it feel less like a parking lot coaster. On to the pictures...

This obligatory photo can only mean one thing, were at Indiana Beach!

We usually like to begin our visits with a trip on the skyride.

Locosumo was running two trains, always a good thing.

Next up, it was time to go hoggin'!

Despite its location, it really is a perfect fit for Indiana Beach. The top of the lift gives a great view of the North side of Lake Schafer.

It still had that new coaster smell. Make sure you're sitting up straight when they put the restraints down, otherwise it can be a bit painful.

I just hope they keep it well maintained.With these restraints it has the potential to turn into a quite uncomfortable experience.

Tig'rr in the background, a fun, old, Schwarzkopf. I was disappointed to see that they added seatbelts since my last visit.

It was nice having some live entertainment while in the queue for Hoosier Hurricane.

These ladies were getting ready for their big performance.

Everyone was feeling festive about the Mexican holiday, although the acoustics under Hurricanes station left much to be desired. I would love to see Indiana Beach make better use of this space in the future.

I was a little confused about the religious theming. These decorations had been taken down by our next visit.

I love to see big crowds at Indiana Beach, however, I hate having to wait in line for tacos.

Next up was the Den of Lost Thieves. I like any shooting dark ride with nuns. Look for them, they're in there.

Before they converted it into a shooting dark ride there was a bus behind this door that blasted it's air horn at you. For a first time rider, it was terrifying. Locosumo had something similar but with a train. Does anyone remember what these rides were called before they converted them?

Before we hop back on the skyride, its time for some pinball.

The antique cars are quite popular with all ages of guests.

Sure, its rough, but its a fun kind of rough.

This concludes a fun day at Indiana Beach. Next up is Cedar Point and Holiday World, thanks for reading!

IBtacoDave · July 17, 2010

Photo TR: Cedar Point 5/18/2009

Few of you have heard about the next park we're going to visit, a small, seaside park called Cedar Point. We were originally going to spend two days there, but unbeknownst to us it was math & science & kids up to your armpits day at the park. So we decided to duck out early and head down to King's Island the next day. On to the pictures...

No matter how many times I come here I still get goosebumps when I see this skyline.

We got here just in time for platinum passholder early entry. Millennium Force wasn't open yet so we headed over to Maverick.

It would be great if they could upgrade Mavericks restraints to the strap style on I305. In my opinion that would turn this ride from good to great.

This airtime hill is by far my favorite element of any ride in the park.

Time to ride Mean Streak and make sure it's still painful and pointless. It was.

Making our way around the park, Gemini was next. Meanwhile hordes of children were being dropped off at the front entrance in busloads.

Magnum was next, its an alright ride if you choose the right seat. I prefer row 2.

This ride is OK too I guess.

Yes Pinball! Actually no, the sign was wrong.

Yes Pinball! Actually no, this sign was wrong too.

The crowds really started to fill in. Most of these math & science kids seemed totally unsupervised.

I've heard of head choppers but this is ridiculous.

Iron Dragon through the mist.

As a self-proclaimed Rolling Thunder fanboy, I'm not opposed to Disaster Transport. It's amusing that the theming is so poor that they don't even try to improve it anymore. Even more amusing, they still sell the "3D" prism glasses in the queue.

Finally we found the pinball. Not the best collection, but at least it's something.

This one is just right! Note the miniature machine to the left.

There were a few coasters we didn't have a chance to ride on our first visit here. Namely, Wildcat, Corkscrew and Blue Streak. Blue Streak was getting stuck on it's lift most of the day so we had to wait until our next visit to ride it.

There it is, stuck on the lift. We waited over an hour for Raptor.

I like raptor, it's my second favorite B&M invert after Alpengeist.

It's also quite photogenic.

I like Wicked Twister quite a bit as well. Especially the last row.

Our ride on Maxair was delayed due to vomit cleanup. I'm sure that's a common occurrence on this ride.

We made our way over to Mantis.

After waiting in the Mantis queue for 90 minutes we decided to definitely not spend a second day here.

We were pleased that Skyhawk had a longer program than it did on our previous visit.

I wish more parks had Screamin' Swings, they're my favorite flat ride.

We rode the mine ride...

And then made our way down the Frontier Trail to see what was happening with Millennium Force.

Once we saw the queue we decided to take a lap on the train instead.

And that was it, I hope you enjoyed this look at the little known park called Cedar Point.

Edited July 17, 2010 by IBtacoDave

IBtacoDave · July 17, 2010

Photo TR: Holiday World 5/19/2009

After Cedar Point, we got back to the hotel and I jumped on the internet to check King's Island's hours. I saw they were open the next day so we decided to go there. Once we arrived I realized I was mistaken. It was truly a Wally World moment as we sat in the parking lot wondering where everyone was. Undeterred, we pulled up to the nearest hotspot so I could check Holiday Worlds hours. They were open but only until 5:30. If we hurried we could get there by 2 so we hit the road with a new destination. We set out on a legendary voyage to ride the coasters everyone is raven about. Here's the pictures...

On our way to Cincinnati we passed through this town with a historic carousel.

After a few embarrassing setbacks, we finally made it.

And with plenty of time to spare.

We went straight for the Halloween section to ride the Legend and Raven.

Unlike Raven and the Voyage, I hadn't heard great things about the Legend. I was expecting an average ride.

It's cool if I bring these loose objects on right?

I thought it was way better than the average wood coaster. I liked it better than Prowler and Evil Knievel.

I found the drop to be really intense. The layout was fun and unique, although I admit the laterals near the end can be a bit uncomfortable. I'd love to know how they feel in millennium flier trains.

Next up was Raven.

It was just as intense, but left me wanting more.

Still a great ride, I prefer it to any GCI in Missouri.

I would have loved to have ridden the swings, but we were short on time.

Here's where you get your free soft drinks. I like the gatorade with a splash of Mt. Dew.

Progressing through the seasons, we made our way to the Thanksgiving area.

What a beauty!

It's uncanny how fast this ride is. Not just the first half, but all the way to the end brakes.

What is with the manure smell in the tunnels? Anyone know?

This hip granny prepares you for the Turkey themed shooting dark ride. I really wanted to like it, but nothing about it warranted a re-ride.

Pilgrims Plunge isn't a bad ride. As flumes go it's pretty extreme.

This big-ass fan proves Pilgrim's Plunge is donkey friendly.

Pilgrim's Plunge really brings together the Thanksgiving section.

I wish we had more time to explore the 4th of July and Christmas areas. I would have liked to try Liberty Launch in particular.

Another red white and blue, inward facing ride called Revolution. I won't ride this one either.

These fellers were a hit with the ladies.

Most parks have western themed areas. At Holiday World they reserve theirs strictly to the rapids ride.

We ended the day with a Voyage marathon session.

I find recent reports of Voyage's roughness to be be exaggerated. I don't see how it could have possibly deteriorated that much since our visit.

This was the only picture I have of the Christmas section, at least we have plenty more of the park to explore on our next visit. We had a days worth of fun in the few hours we spent. We can't wait to return!

I hate backtracking! Driving back into Kentucky to get to I65 seems downright counterproductive (although all the mapping and GPS programs tell me its the fastest route). That's why I'm writing my congressman to propose a new highway that runs from Chicago to Santa Claus, Highway 1225.

Thanks for reading, next up is our East coast trip!

IBtacoDave · July 17, 2010

Photo TR: King's Island 5/30/2009

Next up, we head out to some of the best parks on the East coast and a few in between. Originally we planned on going straight to Busch Gardens Europe to start the trip, but since we were driving by King's Island, it seemed appropriate that we stop in on the way. We arrived as they opened to take advantage of platinum pass early entry, and we stayed until around 3pm. On to the pictures...

Only a few minutes before early entry and they just opened the parking lot.

Here we are at King's Island, what a pretty entrance plaza.

Another donkey friendly park.

We went straight to Diamondback, I can't think of a better way to kick off the trip.

We got to ride quite a few times in our first hour there.

Then it was on to the Beast. It wasn't as good as I anticipated but still not bad for such an old ride.

Once the rope dropped the race to Fort Kinzel was on. Riding Firechicken and FoF first is the best King's Island advice I've received.

One ride will be enough, there are better coasters here.

Who would have thought aliens use such primitive technology.

Speaking of better coasters, this one fits the bill.

The launch into the helix was especially fun. I'll take this over any of the spaghetti bowl Premiers.

I wasn't expecting much from Adventure Express and was pleasantly surprised. Although, I found the end to be laughably anti-climactic.

Racer wasn't racing this day.

Here we stand at the crossroads between pain and mediocrity.

Mediocre it may be but when compared to a ride like Iron Dragon, Flight Deck isn't so bad. Though it is certainly no where near the quality of Big Bad Wolf.

This juggler contributed to the festive atmosphere.

If you're going to be in a marching band, Ohio State is the only place to be. These guys were treated like rockstars by random guests.

It was getting late, so we quickly hit Vortex before a few last rides on Diamondback.

Did I make it clear that I like this ride?

Sure the 2nd half isn't great but I love the wooded setting.

It really rounds out King's Island's coaster collection. Also, the operations were extremely efficient.

That's it for King's Island, but since we missed a few credits we'll be back later in the week.

I did a bit of rubbernecking at this bridge construction.

If it had been El Toro I would have stopped.

An exotic sight for a couple of midwest people. It sure was fun driving through the mountains of West Virginia.

We've got a while to go but it will all be worth it once we get to Busch Gardens Europe.

triggernel · July 17, 2010

I have mixed opinions about your likes and dislikes. I completely agree with you about Maverick's airtime hill; such a great ride! Although I don't really see the love for BlSC; I mean sure the launch is fun, but FoF i infinitely better IMO.

Love the reports, keep the updates rolling!

IBtacoDave · July 17, 2010

Photo TR: Busch Gardens Europe 5/31/2009

Quality over quantity is the first phrase that comes to mind when I think of Busch Gardens Europe's coaster collection. I could go on and on, but I'll just sound like a blathering fanboy. This place is great, we had a blast, on to the pictures...

We've made it to Busch Gardens Europe!

The theming here is impeccable. From the authentic architecture to the British transvestites, no detail is overlooked.

First things first, we headed to France.

We thought we would beat the crowds heading towards Griffon.

But there was no need for that, it was a walk-on for most of the day.

After 4 or 5 rides we knew it was going to be a very good day.

We jumped on the skyride to go exploring.

You get some great views of the coasters from the skyride.

Big Bad Wolf opened a bit later that morning, so we rode the swings while we waited.

I've looked forward to riding this since I was 7 years old, a few more minutes won't kill me.

It was finally time. On this lap around the park we rode it 3 times. It too was a walk on most of the day.

Darkastle was fun, but without watching the pre-show videos I didn't really know what was going on.

We're certainly not used to this level of theming.

Apollo's Chariot was just as good as Diamondback, if not a bit better.

It's too bad they had to install the goose nets by the river. Fabio ruins everything he touches.

I think they liked it too.

We don't usually do water rides, but Escape from Pompeii was a welcome exception. This is said often, but it's worth the ride for the pyrotechnics alone. And you don't really get all that wet.

I like a good train ride, so I regret not riding the one here.

They have animals here too, like this eagle...

And a pack of wolves, nothing too exotic.

At most parks Alpengeist would be the featured attraction.

But BGE has an ensemble of great rides so it just blends in.

It takes some serious maintenance to keep an old Arrow like this running smooth.

And it is still quite comfortable.

I can't think of another Arrow looper that I would be inclined to re-ride.

We had lunch at the buffet underneath Griffon. The food was good...

The views were better.

We stopped off in New France to ride the log ride. I thought it would be themed better. It was just a regular old log ride.

We came back for a few more rides on Big Bad Wolf.

If I would have known then what I know now, I would have waited for the train.

I can't believe I didn't take the train ride. Or the boat ride for that matter.

I'm sure the shows here are great. It's just so hard to pull ourselves away from these rides.

One last Griffon shot before we leave BGE. We had to go get some rest for a big day at Kings Dominion in the morning.

IBtacoDave · July 17, 2010

I have mixed opinions about your likes and dislikes. I completely agree with you about Maverick's airtime hill; such a great ride! Although I don't really see the love for BlSC; I mean sure the launch is fun, but FoF i infinitely better IMO.

I find the restraints on FoF to be a bit cumbersome in the area where your feet go underneath them. Also, on one occasion my girlfriend and I bumped our heads together leaving us both with a headache. It's hard to watch out for stuff like that in the dark. FoF is certainly more intense and I appreciate that but when all the effects are working I find BLSC to have a higher fun factor. Especially in my first experience not expecting the tunnel at the end.

coasterer · July 17, 2010

Nice reports!! I really enjoyed reading through your comments - a great set of pictures, some really funny and informative commentary, and you guys sound like you had a great time. Also, I agree with you on just about every ride. Can't wait for more!

IBtacoDave · July 17, 2010

Nice reports!! I really enjoyed reading through your comments - a great set of pictures, some really funny and informative commentary, and you guys sound like you had a great time. Also, I agree with you on just about every ride. Can't wait for more!

Thanks a lot! I'm glad you like them, I enjoy making them.

Photo TR: King's Dominion 6/1/2009

Contrary to BGE's policy, King's Dominion seems to have taken a quantity over quality approach to their coaster lineup. That's not to say I didn't like King's Dominion. When sandwiched between rides like Griffon and El Toro it's hard to find a ride at KD that compares. Although, the addition of I305 certainly helps. And now the pictures...

We've made it to King's Dominion. Light crowds and beautiful weather, what more could you ask for.

First up was Dominator. I was really looking forward to this one, it was KD's premier ride at the time.

Unfortunately, I hit my head going into the loop. We rode it again and I tried to hold my head back and brace myself, but I still whacked it on the restraints.

The rest of the ride was alright, but as I am not a masochist I refrained from anymore rides.

Ahh, sweet memories of Power Dive at SFGam. Do you know what happens when someone vomits on a ride like this? It's not pretty.

"My love for you is like a truck, Berserker!"

It must be a popular ride if they named an ice cream concoction after it.

"For the low, low price of $899.99 you too can own this hideous dragon!"

I was impressed by the landscaping and foliage at King's Dominion.

Although these signs around the park were covered in some sort of indelible filth. It's too bad, I like little markers like these that document the history of the park.

It took a while to find the entrance to Grizzly. It was alright, nothing to write home about.

After Grizzly, Ricochet was next.

I've said before that I like a good mouse coaster, however, this particular mouse I do not consider good.

Haiku time:

Shockwave does a dance

Between discomfort and pain

Nimbly, it tip-toes

We walked up the entrance to Hurler followed by a small group of people. It wasn't the entrance, it was the exit. Neither were clearly marked. Also it sucked, or as Garth Algar would put it: "Turn it off, man, turn it off! It's sucking my will to live! Oh, the humanity!"

I thought Rebel Yell was the second best wooden coaster at KD.

This is the one I preferred. Also the least rough of the lot.

Anaconda is my favorite ride named after a Sisters of Mercy song. At least until someone names a ride "1959".

"Fat Americans"

Laughs Togo machine of death

"Squeeze into restraints"

It was time to head up to the observation tower.

Something was going on behind Anaconda, I'm sure its nothing.

There's Volcano over there.

Here's the sign for Volcano.

And here's another in case you didn't see the giant-ass sign you just walked under.

This ride creates UFO's out of thin air. How many rides can you say that about? Seriously though, I really liked Volcano. Most of the guests on our visit came in buses and most of those buses shipped the people out a few hours early. We rode it at least seven times during our last hour there.

I had read some very positive things about Avalanche.

I think I had my hopes set a bit high. It was just alright.

I couldn't tell the difference between this Flight of Fear and the one at King's Island. Just another credit.

Same goes for the backlot stunt job.

I wish I would have ridden this one. I like falling stars and I'm curious what it feels like to sit in the other direction.

We didn't pass on the drop tower although I'll admit I'm starting to tire of them.

Having skipped the Scooby Doo dark ride at KI, we made a point to check this one out.

So we did. I lost, by a lot.

And that concludes our day at King's Dominion. It's a fun place, we can't wait to return and ride I305. Thanks for reading!

Next up, the shadeless slab of asphalt that is Six Flags America!

IBtacoDave · July 21, 2010

Photo TR: Six Flags America 6/2/2009

The next park on our trip was Six Flags America. Despite having a fairly decent flagship ride, the bland atmosphere and horrid customer service made this the worst amusement park experience I've ever had. Here's the pictures to prove it...

We left Virginia early to get to SFA by the time they open.

We're here just in time for the big rope drop.

The crowd waits eagerly in anticipation. What will happen when he flips the switch? What great ride should we go on first? Will we ever find shade?

Assuming most of the crowd would head for Superman and Joker's Jinx, we though we would be smart and head for Roar first.

But one of the ride operators was late for work. We waited here for five minutes and then decided to come back later.

So we made our way to Jokers Jinx.

The ride operator here really made it feel like it was our privilege to ride. To say he was disgruntled would be like saying Mind Eraser is "a little rough".

It was a fun ride I suppose, I certainly wouldn't want to wait in a queue for it.

After a couple laps on Joker's Jinx we headed towards Superman.

It was stuck on the lift so we headed to Batwing instead.

The locker attendant at Batwing evidently worked on commission. He wanted me to pay to lock up my camera instead of putting it in my pocket. An argument ensued that ended with me pointing to the posted rules and reading them aloud for him (I had zip up cargo pockets).

I thought it was much rougher than Firehawk at KI. Also, the restraints are awful. One ride was enough for us.

Back to Superman now, it was finally time to ride the best coaster here...

But it got stuck again.

This looks like a fun, shadeless place to bake until you're well done. At least you'll be entertained.

Shadeless and scorching hot. It was only around 90 degrees on our visit, I can't imagine how bad it would be if it were hotter.

We made it back to Roar, it was a little better than I was expecting. One ride was enough though.

The waterpark hadn't open for the season yet, so the water rides were the only attractions with a wait.

You can see how popular the dance contest was with the guests.

The Looney Tunes kids area and the front entrance plaza were the only sections of the park that didn't feel like a shadeless slab of asphalt.

And now here are the top 5 things that make Six Flags America great....

#5. Superman

#4. SGA is only 3 1/2 hours from Six Flags Great Adventure! Well worth the trip.

#3. SFA is only 2 1/2 hours from Hersheypark! Not counting traffic of course.

#2. SFA is only 2 hours from King's Dominion's adequate coaster lineup!

#1. SFA is located only 3 1/2 hours from Busch Gardens Europe!

We made it back to Superman, I liked it quite a bit. Although, the trains can be a bit uncomfortable for a man of my tubby stature. I'm really looking forward to SFNE's Bizarro.

It took some time but we finally found some shade in this place.

These carousel horses ears looked more like donkeys to me.

We hit Wild Thing and Mind Eraser quickly before we left for SFGadv. I felt a bit concussed after Mind Eraser which made for an interesting drive to New Jersey.

That smell can only mean one thing, we've made it out of SFA alive! Tomorrow we have a great day at Six Flags Great Adventure planned. Thanks for reading!

Intimidator305 · July 21, 2010

Something was going on behind Anaconda, I'm sure its nothing.

Nothing was turned into a GIGA! I'm pretty sure nobody was expecting that. What a difference 10 months can make! Intimidator 305's construction began on June 1st 2009 and its media day was April 1st 2010.

BTW, love your trip reports!

IBtacoDave · July 22, 2010

^Thanks a lot!

Photo TR: Six Flags Great Adventure 6/3/2009

The next park on our East coast trip is Six Flags Great Adventure and Wild Safari. Great rides and fantastic customer service added up to a very fun day at the park. I only regret not having more time to spend there. And now the pictures...

We've made it to Six Flags Great Adventure!

The Safari restrooms offer a better view of Kingda Ka than you'll find in the park. The safari opened earlier than the park, that means we get to experience the wildlife without sacrificing any rides on El Toro.

These guys know the truth about Kingda Ka's "airtime" hill...It's just a forceless slope.

Along with a world class wooden coaster, SFGadv also shares Wildebeest in common with Holiday World. But I'm sure you gnu that already.

The safari is a must do attraction at Six Flags Great Adventure.

Awww...

Where else can you see bears doin' it? We named the one on the bottom Rex Grossman.

The bears were really active on our visit. If not for El Toro and Bizarro they would have been the highlight of the day.

It takes more than smoke and fire to fool this monkey, he still calls that ride Medusa.

After a fun drive through the safari we made it to the park in time for the rope drop.

Not knowing how crowded it would be, we made a beeline to Kingda Ka.

We had gone the whole trip not expecting to ride Kingda Ka. Lightning had struck it just a few weeks before hand. Despite rumors that it would be down well into June, they fixed it just in time for our visit.

This kitty lives in between Kingda Ka and El Toro.

Here's what we came here for...

We've had some great luck with queue times on our trip. Today was no exception. Everything was a walk-on all day with the exception of Kingda Ka (10-15 min.).

I don't understand why there aren't more Intamin pre-fabs around. Are they much more expensive than GCI's? Whats the deal?

After 4 or 5 rides on El Toro we had to catch our breath. Here's a photo you've never seen before.

I hear this log flume is fun but we didn't ride.

Kind of like Adventure Express at KI, I wasn't expecting much from this mine ride but it was actually pretty fun.

Bizarro was next, we really like this one too.

Here's a reminder that maintenance jobs are not only thankless but also can be quite dangerous. I consider myself a thrill seeker, but seriously if I was that guy I'd be pooping down my leg.

Skull Mountain seems like a really good family coaster.

We've been to 5 parks so far on this trip and this is the first pinball machine.

Batman was next...It reminded me of Batman the Ride and Batman the Ride. They're all the same to me.

We got held up for a while at Nitro while they changed trains. We only rode once and my initial reaction was underwhelmed. I wish we would have ridden it a few more times as I'm sure it's better than what I initially thought.

Superman was next...

Then on to Great American Scream Machine, the second of three now extinct coasters on our trip. A lot can happen in a year I guess.

It brought back some painful memories of Shockwave at SFGam. We should have saved it for later in the day because I did get a pretty bad headache.

My source at the park tells me they may use this building to contain Joker's Jinx.

We couldn't spare the time to ride this top spin. I really would have liked to have ridden the parachutes but we skipped them too.

The antique carousel had these predator/prey paintings across the top. Also, giant chickens!

Now that the rest of the coasters were taken care of, it was back to El Toro.

Between rides we rode Rolling Thunder. It made El Toro seem that much better.

Six Flags America take note: Foliage and fans, this is how you do it.

We skipped the tiger show for more rides on El Toro. I regret nothing.

We spent the rest of the day going back and forth from Bizarro to El Toro.

I thought the audio was a bit too loud in the station and on the lift (so loud it hurt my ears). The smoke and fire were nice I suppose but I'm not sure it was worth the money they spent. It's still one of my favorite steel coasters.

Our day concluded with a very rare ride on El Toro in the rain. We had a fantastic time at SFGadv.

Tomorrow it's on to Dorney Park! Thanks for reading.

djbrcace1234 · July 22, 2010

It seems like all the good coasters are on the East coast. >.>

It must be a gift to live so close (time travel wise) between all of these parks. It looks like you had fun!

IBtacoDave · July 23, 2010

Now with 40% less superfluous, unnecessary adjectives...

Photo TR: Dorney Park 6/4/2009

We're on day 6 of our trip and we're heading to Dorney Park. It's a charming place with some excellent rides. It was disappointing that they upcharge for their Screamin' Swing but that's my only major complaint. Here are the pictures...

There it is, Dorney Park!

Holy busload of buses Batman! There's gonna be a lot of kids running around today. We weren't worried though, we know the drill by now. The kids will all clear out by mid-afternoon and we'll have the park to ourselves.

Like many Cedar Fair parks they allowed platinum pass holders early entry. Membership has it's privileges.

Talon was first up. If you guessed that we liked it you would be correct.

This is heavy machinery, serious stuff.

The best thing about talon: It's not Batman the Ride. The second best thing is this sweet Immelman.

It's preceded by this short Death Star trench run.

Here's the upcharge Screamin' Swing. I guess they're just hoping we've never been to Cedar Point.

They periodically ran it empty throughout the day. What a waste.

We love a good mouse.

This one was good. Not Arrow mouse good, but good nonetheless.

Continuing down the midway towards Hydra now.

It seduces you with its unique pre-lift inversion. It adds a lot to the ride in my opinion.

It's short, slow, and funny lookin'. Just like me!

There's Steel Force in the background. Time to work our way there.

I like the atmosphere here at Dorney Park. Nice and relaxing.

Goose, gosling, and trout all living together in peace.

Dear Six Flags America,

See those tall, green things along the path? Those are called trees. They provide shade for guests and are aesthetically pleasing. They also keep your park from looking like a lifeless slab of asphalt. They are relatively inexpensive and as a bonus they convert carbon dioxide into the oxygen that we breathe. Love ya, Dave

Thunderhawk was a little rough, but still not bad considering its age.

We finally made it to Steel Force.

The mid course break run really ruins the last half of Mamba, but I didn't get that feeling on Steel Force.

That combined with the tunnels and lakeside location ranks Steel Force a bit higher than Mamba in my book.

Don't worry Worlds of Fun fanboys, they're both really good rides.

Like the other two rides named Revolution I've reported on, I refuse to get on this.

There's a nice assortment of flats here. Like this Sea Dragon...

Monster...

Meteor...

And a duel S&S drop tower.

Also a whip. They don't have many of these in the Midwest so we had to check it out.

I've never seen a gun on a kiddy carousel before.

They have 3 kids coasters here. This is the largest.

These Voodoo pops will soon be replaced by the more PC Possessed pops.

Is this a cookie or a brownie? I'm not sure of the shelf life, but these sugary confections usually seem like they've been sitting for a while

Bonus points for a pinball machine. Nice going!

We ended the day with a mini-marathon on Steel Force...

And a few more rides on Talon for good measure.

As the sun set on Dorney Park we realized our trip was sadly nearing its end. We're heading back to King's Island tomorrow for the credits we missed as our East coast trip concludes. Thanks for reading!

IBtacoDave · July 27, 2010

Photo TR: King's Island 6/5/2009

Here we are on the last day of our trip already. We were supposed to head to Hersheypark today, but after some unforeseen car trouble we ran out of money and had to go back to King's Island. We managed the entire trip on a small budget of $800 (not counting SF and CF season passes). It was nothing glamorous, lots of Wendy's and Denny's and nasty hotel rooms. I guess we can't call it a total success because we missed out on Hersheypark, but if we hadn't gone back to King's Island we may have never had a chance to ride Son of Beast (I know we wouldn't be missing much). On to the pictures...

I try to not take modern technology for granted and still marvel at the simple things in life. Like this, we're about to drive through a mountain. That's almost as interesting as flying through the air while sitting on a chair!

It was some kind of historic road.

Back in Ohio already, this trip has flown by.

Yep, we're definitely back in the Midwest.

Day 2 at King's Island. Not as exciting as Hersheypark but at least we get to ride all the stuff we missed the first time.

Like the Scooby Doo shooting dark ride.

Not too shabby, of the three I've ridden I can safely say the SFStl version is the best hands down.

That Diamondback ride was still here.

Another ride we missed the first time around, the Crypt. We were in the next group to get on when we heard a bunch of people booing in the other room. We thought for sure the ride broke down.