coasterer Posted August 18, 2010 Posted August 18, 2010 Hey guys, So I have a number of pictures I was gooooing to post throughout the summer, but for one reason or another, just never got around to it. So I've kind of condensed what I have left and am just going to go through the best of the best of these visits. SFGAdv, these two visits were both in May with really short lines, and a great great time at the park. Great Adventure is my home park while I'm at school, and I've really started feeling at home there. We managed to get a ton of rides in each time, and generally just had a great time. El Toro's still running great, and I think i could ride Nitro all day every day for the rest of my life. It's really starting to grow on me. Lake Compounce was new to me though. Mr friend from school, Dave, lives right above NYC, so I went to his house for a long weekend in between finals and Reunions, and we made it up to the lake for the day. The park itself was surprisingly small, I was expecting a biiiiiit more to do - it was cute. But good lord Boulder Dash more than made up for any short comings the park may have had. This thing has so much power and such a good layout I never wanted to leave. And the ending was just insane, those GCI pops of airtime and those batsh*t insane laterals??? God, what a great ride. I was a little unsure whether to rank it right in front of or behind El Toro (It ain't no Voyage), but after riding El Toro again a couple days later, it was clear, hands down, that Boulder Dash was the better ride, or at least miles away a more complete ride. I really was blown away. And I had the highest expectations too. Also, we met some fantastic people here at the lake. I had remembered reading an article about the couple who had gotten married on Boulder Dash a couple years ago, and knew that they rode it all the time, and so had my eyes open just in case. And what are the odds, Sue and Rich were there, and we had the amazing opportunity to get acquainted with them over a lovely chat on the lift hill when the train got stopped for 20 minutes due to someone having their camera out, and strategic seat placement on my part, that had me and Dave directly behind Sue and Rich. We met Jason however briefly later as well, and all in all had a great time getting introduced to some great east coast TPRers Wildcat on the other hand, no sits in my top three worst woodies. I've never, EVER, felt pain like I felt in the low points of Wildcat. Knoebels was another new park for me, and I was reeeeally impressed with how much fun you could have at this place. There was so much atmosphere here, I really hadn't experienced anything quite like it. And Phoenix - holy crap! There really isn't a good way to describe this ride. Neither words or pictures do it justice. There's just something about bouncing around loosely in your bright yellow train along a track so overgrown with moss and character before skidding to a halt into a station that's thrown all the commercial regulations of ride operation out the window that brings the biggest smile to your face. The ride is an experience. From the creaking and shifting of the track, the overgrown forest encroaching over the ride, the thick untrimmed grass underneath, and flying over hills that only produce that much airtime because of how carefully they've been worn in - it really was a wonderful experience, and to rank it in polls based on technical ride quality alone is simply missing the whole point of the ride. Also, just a quick note, I did get permission from the ride op to take pictures during the ride. I didn't much care for Twister. I thought I would, but I didn't. Then the other day I brought my camera along to Six Flags Great America, my official home park, specifically for the backstage tours we had during the TPR day. Which worked out perfectly, since the battery I thought was full most certainly wasn't, and my camera ended up dying right after the tour anyways. When we were taken back behind American Eagle and Raging Bull, I overheard Robb say that this little surprise stop would mean the world to the TPR participants there, especially the locals since we had grown up on these rides. And he was definitely right. Seeing Bull like that, and getting so close to Eagle were the highlights of the day (except for the insane ERT session, of course). So thank you, to both Robb and everyone who organized the day, and to Six Flags, for allowing us that opportunity. It meant alot to me, and I'm sure to everyone else there as well, and I really appreciate the extra effort that went in to making that happen. The ERT session was insane. Viper was running beautifully after that downpour, and the first ride we had of Bull ERT was the best I've ever seen it run, of my nearly 150 laps on it. The trim brake didn't catch (it was hilarious, every successive time that it did catch, you would hear the entire train let out a disappointed moan), and the track was still wet, and we just flew over everything. The ride came to life like I've never seen it do before, and I finally felt like it was riding how it was originally intended. We flew through the MCBR, and the last half was just a supercharged blur. Really fantastic. Part way through the second lap, after the trim brake caught again, I said to David (who I finally met) and Eric (who I brought with me) "Well thank God, I wouldn't want to get used to Bull running that well." But really, ERT was incredible, and I had such a great time, and had a ton of fun finally meeting people I've been reading about, seeing pictures of, and talking roller coasters with for the last few years. Thanks for reading! Kingda Ka. The best ride to take people on, when they haven't been on a roller coaster in years Ravaged: the Kingda Ka experience El Toro. First drop glory Lotsa wood There just isn't much better out there than getting ripped over these hills Some Bizarro action. A decently enjoyable ride, but once or twice a visit is enough for me AH! A lot more happened this day - a looooot more - but this about sums up the day Oh Lenora. Gotta love her Giving Batman some love. It's not nearly as smooth as others, but its still one of my favorite layouts out there Delightful Check out THIS Golden Kingdom!! hahahahahaha, the most awkward picture of all time El Toro through the flowers at that one taco place just across the way that I've always been meaning to try but just have never gotten around to it And my personal favorite. I have no words, hahaha Knoebels!! One of the greatest atmospheres of any park, any where Gotta love the look of that bright yellow train on such a clear day Oh, yes, I got permission to take pictures on the ride from the ride ops. This is one of my favorites. ... it was hotter than we would have preferred The first drop was fine, sure, but the ride doesn't really pick up til the second half. We preferred the front of the train, specifically the third row, the seat of destiny. Phoenix: a memoire Entering that cloverleaf element thing. Right around here's where the ride does a nice job kicking you out of the seat, and landing you pleasantly on someone else, or the seat divider - amazing. You can feel the good old fashioned fun from here From the midway. Also, food here was really cheap!?!? It was like the first time I'd bought food in a theme park in living memory Twister didn't win over my heart in quite the same way as Phoenix. In fact, Twister didn't really win over my heart at all It did this a lot, and it was occasionally uncomfortable, and often times underwhelming, This on the other hand - someone had a pure stroke of genius when they thought up this thing. I haven't laughed so hard on a ride since I pretended to have an epileptic seizure on the teacups during frightfest in '07. Kind of unconventional, but an oddly comfortable picture... in so many words, hahaha After 37 rides, it was time to say goodbye. And take the world's most poorly timed jumping picture. A day at the Lake!! Let me just say, I was sooooo impressed by Boulder Dash Me and my newest love If there's one complaint I have, it's that these lights are way too low to avoid walking in to if you aren't looking out for them. Talk about embarrassing. One smalllllll small part of glory Dave!! Boulder Dash: an experiment in improvised photographic composition The lift hill of destiny One of the only visible parts of the ride from the main entrance Ok, this ride was horrible. I'm sorry. I hope to never have to ride it again. I have never been in that much pain through out a coaster ride. Signature shot Heading out Hahaha, super sneaky, hello Sue and Rich. Thanks for the great day at the Lake!!
coasterer Posted August 18, 2010 Author Posted August 18, 2010 SFGA: Six Flags Great America, TPR meet up - meet Eric and me, of course. Behind the scenes at six flags. Quite the set up. And then we got some great views of Superman on our walk around The cloud cover wasn't quite ideal, but it would clear up soon enough The walk back was excellent, thanks to everyone who made that work Eric and I. It was hilarious seeing everyone so intent on taking pictures of the same thing. I used to always laugh at the pictures of everyone taking pictures, but it's even more ridiculous in real life. What a sense of community hahaha Superman Ultimate Flight over the fir forest Some cool shots over here Well, I skipped over pictures of the whole landscaping department, but walking under Wolf was real neat Just because I refuse to ride it any more doesn't mean I'm above taking exclusive pictures of it The surprise highlight of the walkback!! I saw parts of Eagle I didn't even know looked like that! This has all the potential makings of a good picture... and just as many shortcomings I really never thought I'd ever even see this side of the ride, let alone get this freaking close to it!!! Possibly my new favorite picture of myself hahaha. I couldn't resist This turn around looks amazing from underneath. I'm just sayin' this part of the ride does some pretty odd things when viewed from ground level Just a mess. A beautiful, beautiful mess After ERT, I think this ride is back on top of my hyper list. Gotta love the layout Ok, I love these little pre-lift dip turn thingys. They look great too this is sufficiently interesting Completing the walk around.. I just can't put into words how amazing night ERT was I wouldn't have it any other way cute Again, thanks for reading, and thanks to everyone I went on these trips with and to everyone I met. I've had a blast so far and can't wait to see where things take me next One last glorious credit whoring picture from Lake Compounce. So worth it
mr. cockblock Posted August 18, 2010 Posted August 18, 2010 Loved those pics of Superman UF with the white sky contrast. Good TR, thanks.
Sue Posted August 18, 2010 Posted August 18, 2010 Happy to see you finally post your Lake Compounce TR! Ya know, you could've asked us to turn around for the picture. It was great meeting you as well. If you're free, you should come to the Oc-Boulder-Fest event at LC on 9/11.
Mr. Starr Posted August 18, 2010 Posted August 18, 2010 Haha, awesome P:TR, glad you had fun at TPR Day, it was so awesome!
jynx242 Posted August 18, 2010 Posted August 18, 2010 Danny - it was awesome meeting you and hanging out on Bull during ERT! I feel the same way that you do about Knoebels and about Compounce and Boulder Dash. Thinking back - it seems that you had an AMAZING summer. Hopefully you get to de-compress a bit before school starts back. Also - I have managed to not off myself at my desk since returning from the trip. I thought about flinging myself out of my window, but A) it doesn't open and B) I'm on the first floor David
coasterer Posted August 19, 2010 Author Posted August 19, 2010 Thanks for the comments so far, guys! Sue - By the time we'd actually met and introduced ourselves and I had calmed down enough (you guys are like celebrities to me, honestly, haha) taking a real picture with you guys had completely slipped my mind. Next time for sure though. I'll be back out east soon enough. David, hahahahaha that's too bad about the window. Glad to see you're still around though. I might've suggested trying to drown yourself in the toilet but that's too undignified for you. And you wouldn't want to have spoiled that amazing gold vest!! I did have an amazing summer, with ooooooone really big hitch toward the end but yeah, it's finally time to relax. Summer camp ends tomorrow and then I'm free for 2 and a half weeks before its back to school again. thanks again guys
PKI Jizzman Posted August 20, 2010 Posted August 20, 2010 Nice meeting you Danny! Awesome photo tr's as always -Zach
jynx242 Posted August 23, 2010 Posted August 23, 2010 David, hahahahaha that's too bad about the window. Glad to see you're still around though. I might've suggested trying to drown yourself in the toilet but that's too undignified for you. And you wouldn't want to have spoiled that amazing gold vest!! I did have an amazing summer, with ooooooone really big hitch toward the end but yeah, it's finally time to relax. Summer camp ends tomorrow and then I'm free for 2 and a half weeks before its back to school again. thanks again guys Don't be dissing on the Gold Vest of Awesomeness (henceforth referred to as the GVA.)
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