shivtim Posted October 9, 2013 Share Posted October 9, 2013 (edited) ^ Haha, I really cannot imagine how weird it is to mix chicken and orange together Gotta try it out the next time! There's a really interesting book called "The Fortune Cookie Chronicles" about the evolution of "Chinese" food in America and around the world, and how it has influenced American culture. fortunecookiechronicles.com/ Or you can watch the TED talk about it: Thanks for all of the updates, I'm enjoying this trip report from your unique perspective! Edited October 15, 2013 by shivtim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerstlaueringvar Posted October 9, 2013 Author Share Posted October 9, 2013 ^ Haha, I really cannot imagine how weird it is to mix chicken and orange together Gotta try it out the next time! There's really interesting book called "The Fortune Cookie Chronicles" about the evolution of "Chinese" food in America and around the world, and how it has influneced American culture. fortunecookiechronicles.com/ Or you can watch the TED talk about it: Thanks for all of the updates, I'm enjoying this trip report from your unique perspective! Thank you! I felt quite funny when I saw fortune cookie at San Fran's China Town on my own last year . Especially when the Chinese on the little piece of paper is mistaken. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerstlaueringvar Posted October 14, 2013 Author Share Posted October 14, 2013 Finally we are here! Silver Dollar City was one of the park that I dreamed to go when I was younger. With Powder Keg’s opening, I started to search for information about the park but I can find very little things… Now that Outlaw Run is coming and people talked about how awesome their food are on the board, Silver Dollar City became my most anticipated park on the trip. After the trip, I can say SDC definitely gave me the best days of my life! This is my favorite park (probably my favorite place in this planet) with my NO.1 coaster Outlaw Run and my 3rd favorite steel coaster Powder Keg. Plus the coolest gift I’ve ever gotten--a piece of wood from Outlaw Run with the signature of all the amazing people who made this beautiful wonderland ! First time in my life, I started to focus on the things except for thrill rides. Just enjoying the atmosphere and trying out the delicious food made by their friendly employees, they made a feeling of being at home! I’ve seen quite a lot of families with kids around 3 years old and an aged around 80 years old just walking around the park and having a great time. Like how I posted on the trip board, I thought Six Flags Magic Mountain is a world class park before and I did not change my mind until I step into the park (Don’t judge me if you are a SFMM fan… ) Everything about the park completely change my taste of amusement parks! The park has a wonderful setting with shade everywhere and there are NO BUGS ! All their big rides are very outstanding and well-themed; their cave tour is very different from the Chinese ones and again, they have awesome food!!! During the first night at the park, I actually spent my whole night on Outlaw Run . Before the ERT session, I spend an hour waiting for the ride to explore the detailed theme on the queue area and it was one of the few lines that I enjoy waiting for because you can HEAR how awesome the coaster would be while reading those posters and lines on the wall, an hour pass quickly. My first ride was in the last row of the train. After the first ride, all I said was OMG IT WAS AWESOME! Started from the beautiful sound of the chain lift to the amazing ending of the ride, EVERY second of the ride was enjoyable and full of surprise ! The twist on the way down from the 153degrees turn had some nice ejector and all the elements on the ride that doesn’t look real have a lot of fun. To me, the ride is not an intense type like Maverick (Still need to try SkyRush and i305 in the future) but a ride full of surprise and enjoyment. I love intense but this one is definitely a winner . After the ride, I went to the souvenir shop…Marcel you know what I mean … ERT was a lot of fun and I got 4 rides in total (One train operation) but the four rides were much better than another woodie at Wisconsin which I nearly killed myself on . We walked through the empty park at 11:00pm which was another amazing experience especially when it’s Silver Dollar City! More pictures coming up soon! OMG we are here!!!!! Waiting to get into the park and we had a pack of great stuffs. And the Outlaw Run sign on it made the package with front of the line ass even better!!! Hi Eric! Just beautiful, beautiful and beautiful! Fantastic atomosphere! Plus the way down the mountain allow us to arrive at Outlaw Run faster! We are closer to Outlaw Run now! AM i DREAMING? NO! NOW GET INTO THE QUEUE AND RIDE ON! Tracks! Logo! Theming! More theming! 60 mins? Not too bad for an amazing ride!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerstlaueringvar Posted October 15, 2013 Author Share Posted October 15, 2013 Outlaw Run queue decorations and ERT photos! Like I said, even waitng in the line is enjoyable at Silver Dollar City! Because there are a lot to see and HEAR! Station is right next to us. Just like being in the jail I think. But I haven't been there yet of course... But it wuould probably feel worse because Outlaw Run was right there lol. I'm making terrible jokes. A lot to read. Now that's what I call a cool suit case! Darkness had fallen! There is a fan inside to keep us cool on the queue. It's like having a party inside of a tent. More people coming in to grab the last ride of the day. How much does it cost? Souvenir! I would catch six of them for another TPR tour! track! Wheels! Wait... A lot to read and see. Finally entered the station, a group of TPR members were ready to ride on! See the darkness out there, I love night ride! Should be enough for my souvenirs! It just feel great to wait in a station with theming like this. Finally here! Just a few trains to wait for. Ready to ride on! I know I looked terrible... This picture was taken after the ride, I was too happy to wait for a train to come to the turn! One word, AWESOME! Of course the second ride is needed, so does the third, the fourth, the fifth... I like the joke he was telling while we were waiting, Silver Doler City rocks! It's time for ERT! It's our party time! I din't forget to take nerd shots! More nerd shot! Welcome back, how was your ride? Actually we screamed even without the ride op's part because it's Outlaw Run!!! KT is able to ride! Thank you Laina for this photo. Group photo time! I have to say how priceless this photo is. After the ERT, I was taking a selfie on the test seat of the S&S swing and Elissa went pass me and took this photo for me. The point is, Kristen was asleep and Elissa was carrying her! And the hill towards the front gate is a challenge for most of us after an exhausting day but Elissa made it to the gate just like taking a walk on the beach! I gotta start to work out now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted October 16, 2013 Share Posted October 16, 2013 Thanks for all the pictures of the queue. Looks like Silver Dollar City did a first-class job on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerstlaueringvar Posted October 16, 2013 Author Share Posted October 16, 2013 ^Totally! I think Silver Dollar City's queue theming is much better than the Disney parks I've been to. *cough* California Screamin' *cough* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerstlaueringvar Posted October 22, 2013 Author Share Posted October 22, 2013 Let me give a huge thank you for the gift bag from Silver Dollar City first . My family loved the candy so much! The best day of my life started from the backstage tour of Fire in the Hole-one of the oldest rides at Silver Dollar City. I was really impressed by how big the maintenance area is ! Especially inside of a building that does not look big at all. A really nice breakfast was offered after the backstage tour, started to fall in love with the food at Silver Dollar City even before the park opened! Then, being one of the first riders of Outlaw Run is no doubt a highlight because I had nearly half an hour to see how to get ready for a coaster to open . Plus, first time in my life, I saw how the second train is transported to the track! After the five rides in the dark, I finally got to see the whole track. OMG it’s BEAUTIFUL !!!!! Of course more souvenir is required for a great day, I’m covered with Outlaw Run already. Outlaw Run shades, Outlaw Run baseball cap with bullet holes, Outlaw Run T-Shirt which is in the park’s gift bag, Outlaw Run iPhone case (Amazing that I replaced my 3GS eight hours before the plane took off), Outlaw Run key chain and Outlaw Run pencil. Plus the front of the line pass, the envelop etc with Outlaw Run on it. Outlaw Run was too great that I honestly FORGOT about the other coasters, Powder Keg was closed due to the rain earlier that day so we started from Wildfire-a B&M with a great first drop on the back . The station theme is also outstanding (Again, California Screamin’…) with the special effect before the train dispatch still working after 13 years of operation. Sitting in the back is a great experience because the first drop has some really nice floater. But the rest of the ride, just a B&M you know… The coaster got my heart by the amazing setting though. Talking about Silver Dollar City, how could we forget about the food? Our food adventure started after the second ride of the day from the skillets. After the first bite, OMG I’m so living here! Seriously who said America does not have great food? I prefer SDC’s food far over from those Chinese foods! And I said that even before I tried the cinnamon bread! Our small group had a food party later with the funnel cake, nachos etc. I want to live here! Fire in the Hole is the next ride, after the backstage tour, I wasn’t expecting too much from this ride but those two drops really surprised me! I can imagine how great it was for the visitors in the 70s. Silver Dollar City seems to has a tradition of building great ride since their very first ride. What came next had been my dream since I knew Silver Dollar City—POWDER KEG!!! Ever since I watched the POV of that ride, I feel like it could be one of my favorite coasters and it ended up being my NO.3 steel coaster after Maverick and Mega-Lite! The launch was great and it has some nice ejector. For a family coaster, this one is not super intense but super fun. I did find the old Premier’s section a little bit bumpy but who cares? Our nice hotel Nothing can wake me up better than a bag of Dippin' Dots, and it's at SILVER DOLLAR CITY!!! We are entering the hole...wait a minute Really nice vehicle for a ride built at the 70s Main track of the ride Yay! maintainance area! A lot of nerd shots were taken there for sure. Such as this one And this one And this one Yay! more control panel(is it?) Even this one Love it! BTW, thanks for the puncho, SDC I took this photo again Hi there, how was your sleep last night? More nerd shot! OMG I'm seeing this happening! The train goes very quick the whole time, even in the transitional track. Am I the only one who found that there is actually a piece of I-Beam track on Outlaw Run? Oh, a B&M is here! Beautiful setting for a ride. It could be better if something like SkyRush is sitting here I think. Cobra Roll Nerd shot Lift hill shot. I think the color is perfect though. Gotta go to have something better like... SKILLET! Another skillet! Then we went back to Fire in the Hole. And OMG it is a big surprise! I didn't expect something that good for a 70s dark ride/coaster! Station. Again, Silver Dollar City really should give Six Flags, Cedar Fair and all those Chinese parks some lessons. Next highlight coming up here. Closer and closer... And closer... But I have to stop, because... THIS is way more important! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerstlaueringvar Posted November 5, 2013 Author Share Posted November 5, 2013 Sorry for not posting last week because I was busy preparing for the TOEFL test. Continue! Again, this is what shows we are at Silver Dollar City. JERKY! First time in my life, I ate kangaroo and aligator... We tried all flavors of them and it is time for... Powder Keg! I have been waiting for this day to come for years! This is certainly one of the most underrated coasters in this planet. Ready to ride! Again, we are at Silver Dollar City. Which means ride-eat-ride-eat-ride... Yay! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerstlaueringvar Posted December 3, 2013 Author Share Posted December 3, 2013 Sorry for a major delay since the last post. Keep going at Silver Dollar City! During our second day at the park, the amazing Silver Dollar City held a moon light madness event and we stayed at the park for 16 hours! The only negative thing was about the Cave Tour that it was raining in the morning so parts of the cave was flooded, which, in the other hand, increased our time with Outlaw Run and all the great park food! After the cave tour, Silver Dollar City gave us a great buffet including VEGETABLES!! We were also one of the first prople who tried their new funnel cake. When lunch time was over, SDC held a game section with the best present I have ever seen--a piece of wood from Outlaw Run with the signature of the Silver Dollar City crew. I was so glad to get a piece of wood as the member that travelled the furthest to come to the park. I was also very lucky to meet the CEO of Herschend, thanks IAAPA videos that I recognised him. Where are we going now? CAVE TOUR! Seriously this is a huge cave! The tour guide said that the Statue of Liberty can be put into this cave. How about an Intamin Mega? Noted! More cave or more food? I chose more food! Little bit of light can keep those little lives living It's Silver Dollar City! I was also amazed by how I managed to eat all of these! New flavor! The amazing Silver Dollar City crew and the amazing Robb! Joel! I met a celebrity! More coming up soon! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cal1br3tto Posted December 4, 2013 Share Posted December 4, 2013 Very entertaining report! Lots of fun reminders of the trip. I love the views from the Wildfire deck, and I agree with you on all the coasters at SDC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerstlaueringvar Posted December 4, 2013 Author Share Posted December 4, 2013 Very entertaining report! Lots of fun reminders of the trip. I love the views from the Wildfire deck, and I agree with you on all the coasters at SDC. Thanks! Remember the Hollywood Tower Hotel section before the cave tour? Drop tower down the cave! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerstlaueringvar Posted December 6, 2013 Author Share Posted December 6, 2013 Does anyone know what does this thing mean? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hyyyper Posted December 6, 2013 Share Posted December 6, 2013 Not sure if it had any meaning, but it is a giant spherical piece of rock that's floating on a thin layer of water. The water acts as a bearing, reducing friction so much that you rotate the sphere by pushing it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerstlaueringvar Posted December 6, 2013 Author Share Posted December 6, 2013 Not sure if it had any meaning, but it is a giant spherical piece of rock that's floating on a thin layer of water. The water acts as a bearing, reducing friction so much that you rotate the sphere by pushing it. I think it doesn't have any special meaning. Located in the kiddie area, it might just be something that use water to cool the kids down in a hot summer day. Does the water come with high pressure to float the rock? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodie Warrior Posted December 8, 2013 Share Posted December 8, 2013 I think that thing came from Celebration City when it closed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vtafro Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 Great picture yin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerstlaueringvar Posted August 4, 2014 Author Share Posted August 4, 2014 I think it's time for me to pick up this TR First, congratulations to KT! She rode El Toro during the East Coast tour, that must means a lot to the Alveys. In St. Louis, we stopped at City Museum which is as great as everyone said: one of the most messed up places in this planet. I really think words and photos cannot show how awesome it is, also because I was too busy running around like I'm on fire, I didn't too many photos so this TR would be pretty short. After we returned to the hotel, a bunch of us went to a White Castle and had a lot of "fun" Empty street Cultural credit! I have to say American cities are very different from Chinese cities. But I haven't been to New York yet. Top of the 10 stories slide... I still prefer a 10 stories tall drop tower. From the bottom of the 10 stories slide This thing took me 20 minutes to climb up! So messed up! Hello Marcel! City view The Ferris wheel, I rocked it so hard that I swings like Green Lantern. Attack! Werner throwing a giant ball to me. Thank you City Museum for a great night! I ordered this, actually I don't think it's "that" bad. At least they have these! Why there aren't more of them in everywhere? Or better, replace all those Pepsi machines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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