The Ytterbium Analysis

[ytterbiumanalyst]

I love how the hotel offers better views of Judge Roy Scream than you get inside the park.

Agreed, it really is a great view.

 

Woo-hoo...a new report from parks that I have never visited!

 

Hope you're doing well, Andrew...things are going as good as they can in KC. Looking forward to seeing more and perhaps someday I might be able to get back into doing some old TR's of my own. It would be a great way to pass the time...I miss doing that and reading other folks TR's on here!

Eh, we're holding up. I'm out of work like half the country is right now due to the virus, but we'll get by. Everyone's TR's are helping!

 

I was just at Six Flags over Texas in Feb and all the roads around the park were under construction. We stayed at the hotel next to yours. Comfort in across from the Judge. Ours did not have a Texas shaped waffle iron

Well, then you stayed at the wrong hotel. Seriously, all four of ours did, it was weird.

 

And yeah, that whole area is all ripped up right now with the new interchange going in. It'll be nice when it's done. Like I said, Texas is eternally under construction but at least they build the roads right. Can't say the same abut Ohio.

[Nrthwnd]

Been awhile. Glad you're reporting trips again. Go Texas Waffles!

 

Between these and Mickey Waffles, how can we go wrong?

Peter, Mike and my Mickey Waffles. TPR Sept.2007 Japan Tour.

[ytterbiumanalyst]

[youtu_be]

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[CaptainUnknown]

I was just at Six Flags over Texas in Feb and all the roads around the park were under construction. We stayed at the hotel next to yours. Comfort in across from the Judge. Ours did not have a Texas shaped waffle iron

Well, then you stayed at the wrong hotel. Seriously, all four of ours did, it was weird.

 

I thought that hotel was a Sleep Inn. Anyways, it had Texas-Shaped waffles back in Mid-August.

Proof.

Weird that they got rid of it.

[The Great Zo]

I got to see a part of Oklahoma I haven't seen before. And by that I mean I saw a couple of combination gas station/casinos I hadn't seen before.

 

This is the most Oklahoma thing of all Oklahoma things.

 

I once found a combination gas station / casino / Dunkin' Donuts ... across the street from a much larger casino. It was like the nexus of all Oklahoma.

 

Glad to see the La Quinta across from the Judge is still standing!

[ytterbiumanalyst]

Day 2: The IRS Photo Trip Report: Who'll Buy My Memories?

 

A trip that's sprinkled with waters blue

A few old photos I need to use

Who'll buy my memories

Of things that used to be

There were the smiles before the fears

Before Covid-19, in a better year.

 

No? You want this for free? Ugh, fine, I guess.

 

Sunday of Memorial Day Weekend was set aside for Hurricane Harbor. Unlike other Six Flags parks, this one is actually across the freeway from Six Flags over Texas. It is clearly a little older but it decently well-maintained, especially by Six Flags standards. We had a lot of fun in the wave pool and the lazy river, but we did fit in a couple of the tube slides as well. I loved the Raging Rapids especially; it's a lot like a slide that used to be at White Water in Branson a long time ago and was a favourite back then. I kind of shy away from the more thrilling slides usually; I prefer my waterpark time to be more relaxing, and slides like Raging Rapids fit the bill perfectly.

 

We spent from opening through the afternoon at Hurricane Harbor, then headed back to the hotel to change and go out to dinner. Remember going out to dinner? It was awesome! Anyway, we went to Our Glass Tavern, which was a sushi/pho bar that was surprisingly kid-friendly. It's gone now, replaced by a barbecue place that I hope is decent. We enjoyed our time at Our Glass; you shall be missed.

 

We finished off the evening just like the previous one, riding whatever we could until the park closed. We got on almost all the coasters we hadn't ridden the day before, plus El Aserradero, plus some more rides on Titan and Texas Giant. It was a great evening.

 

Day 3: On the Road Again

 

Our final day in DFW was just for Six Flags over Texas. There were just two coasters we hadn't gotten to yet: La Vibora and Runaway Mountain. We of course headed straight to La Vibora at rope drop. Usually it's just me and my son riding the coasters, with the girls preferring the milder rides, but my oldest wanted to ride this one. She gave it a 9/10 as soon as we got off. Personally, I thought it was pretty good, though not nearly to the level of Flying Turns at Knoebels, the only other bobsled coaster I've been on. I'm not sure if it's just that we went early in the day and early in the season that made a difference, but I didn't experience anything like what others have said about it here.

 

The park also had a cool beer event that weekend that worked similarly to the BBQ & Brews that Cedar Point did a couple of years ago. You bought a ticket for I think like $15 and got essentially like 3-4 flights of beers. Good opportunity to taste the bounteous Texas craft scene.

 

Texas Craft Beers!

 

As for other non-coaster rides, the sombrero and gunslinger rides were pretty cool, Justice League is good as always, and of course the carousel was a great way to begin the day (it opened before rope drop). We got plenty of rides on NTAG--best ride in the park--and then headed on south through Willie Nelson's hometown and on to Mission City for the real goal of this Trip: SEA WORLD.

 

Roll that beautiful bean footage!

[ytterbiumanalyst]

Day 4: Just LIke Sister Ray Said

 

It was so close, we could smell the salty sea air. Just a mile away from our hotel reside central Texas' most beautiful aquatic mammals--and it was time to get PUMPED! We had bought two-day passes with meal plan included, so we were going to take our time and enjoy every part of the best theme park in Texas.

 

It's so beautiful.

 

We began at Aquatica, with the idea of doing whatever we wanted to there and then migrating over to the main park whenever we were done. We actually enjoyed the waterpark so much that no one wanted to leave, so we ended up spending the entire day on that side.

 

The first stop was of course Stingray Falls. It's a really great, really gentle family slide that splashes down into an underwater tunnel with stingrays all around you! We rode this more than anything else that day, and since attendance was low that early in the season, we got to ride it a lot.

 

The other really notable slide was Walhalla Wave. Man, that one is good. It's super tall, and the wave wall is gigantic. We were big fans of the late great Hyena Falls, and this one is similar but way scaled up.

 

As far as food options, it's pretty limited. There's really just one restaurant, with two snack bars on other sides of the park. Even the limited options were very good, and I appreciate that fruits and vegetables were readily available.

 

But of course, what day at Sea World would be complete without an animal encounter? Well, they've got you covered there. Near Stingray Falls is a touch pool where you can pet stingrays! They have an upcharge where you can actually get in the pool with the stingrays. We were content to pet them from the side of the pool, but there was a family that was doing that upcharge encounter while we were there. Pretty cool!

 

Aminals in a water park!

My youngest petting the rays

 

We went back to our hotel exhausted but excited for the next day, the main event and the whole reason we drove 14 hours. We're gonna see some whales, y'all.

[Canobie Coaster]

Great reports!

 

Do you pass through the stingray tunnel on Stingray Falls fairly slowly? I hated how quickly you blow through the dolphin pool on the speed slide at Aquatica Orlando.

[ytterbiumanalyst]

Yes, the splashdown pool for the slide is at the beginning of the tunnel, so you go through it pretty slowly with plenty of time to see the rays. There were a couple of lifeguards that would grab your raft and move it along, but you're definitely not blowing through it.

[bert425]

really great to see these reports. . somehow I had missed that you started updating again.

 

and Texas parks too.. . tho it's odd to see your assessment of NTAG as "best coaster in the park".. as I will always give that honor to Shockwave. and I think actually I might like Runaway Mountain better than Giant too.

 

We stay at the old Holiday Inn Express around the corner from the park (it's rebranded into some Hilton brand now, but still has the same layout/options) ..still walking distance if we care to, but it's got such nice rooms and a great restaurant in the lobby.

 

it's been so many years since I'd been to SeaWorld, that it is basically a new park to me when I eventually get back that way. Glad you had a great time tho.

 

did you not go to Fiesta Tx? That one is really my "home" park, and the one I visit most. It's a great park, and it's beautiful.

[ytterbiumanalyst]

Oh man, Shockwave and Runaway Mountain are both fantastic. No shame in raving about those. Freeze and Batman are also great fun, mirror images of the ones in St. Louis so we just rode each one time but that doesn't diminish them at all.

 

Fiesta Texas will be coming up after Sea World. Love that park too...but I'll save the rest of my thoughts for when I get to that day.