Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Adventure World - Rollercoaster Tycoon


Park Size: 1,689,710sq.ft.
Rollercoasters: 17 (Inversions: 17)
Staff: 108
Shops/Stalls/Rides: 174

Adventure World has it "All" when it comes to Rollercoasters.



Timber Tornado - Speed: 22, Time: 42, Length: 840, Color: Orange/Turquoise, Type: Kid


Castle Cruiser - Speed: 21, Time: 49, Length: 951, Color: Purple/Yellow, Type: Kid


Shock! - Speed: 42, Time: 1:16, Length: 2,588, Inversions: 1 (Loop) Color: Yellow/Purple, Type: Stand-Up (Design inspired by but not a recreation of Intamin Stand-Ups.)


Mouse Trap - Speed: 26, Time: 1:20, Legnth: 1,647, Color: Red/White, Type: Mouse.


RollerCoaster - Speed: 29, Time 1:31, Length: 2,172, Color: White/Brown, Type: Wood.


Wild! - Speed: 42, Time: 1:21, Length: 2,313, Inversions: 3 (Loop, Corkscrew, Loop) Color: Green/Green, Type: Inverted (Inspired by but not a recreation of Tornado an Intamin Invert.)


Dragon - Speed: 40, Time: 1:39, Length: 2,559, Inversions: 3 (Turnover, In-line Twist, Pretzel Loop, Fly to Lie.) Color: Red/Green, Type: Flying.


Rocket - Speed: 81, Time: 17, Length: 682, Color: Grey, Type: Reverse Freefall


Monster - Speed: 53, Time: 1:47, Length: 3,307/3,245, Color: White/Brown, Type: Dual Wood.


Mountain Express - Speed: 37, Time: 1:35, Length: 2,775, Color: White/White, Type: Bobsled.


Tsunami - Speed: 46, Time: 48, Length: 780, Inversions: 3 (Cobra Roll, Loop)Color: Blue/Seafoam, Type: Steel, Shuttle Looping (Recreation of a Vekoma Boomerang.)


Flash - Speed: 50, Time 1:20, Length: 3,209, Color: Yellow/Grey, Type: Launched Mega-Lite-ish (Inspired by but not a recreation of Intamin Mega-Lite coasters.)


TrailBlazer - Speed: 46, Time: 1:52, Length: 3,720, Color: Brown/Brown, Type: GCI Wood


Sky Swing - Speed: 21, Time: 1:05, Length: 1,410, Color: White/White, Type: Suspended Family.


Orion - Speed: 40, Time: 1:29, Length: 2,477, Inverions: 7 (Rollover, Loop, Batwing, Double Corkscrew) Color: White/Turquoise, Type: Steel Looping (Inspired by but not a recreation of Goudurix.)


The Cyclone - Speed: 28, Time: 1:23, Length: 2,224, Color: Red/Seafoam, Type: Spin.


Dips - Speed: 21, Time: 1:34, Length: 1,899, Colors: White/White, Type: Wood/Side Friction.

Sunday, December 28, 2008

Annual Pass Promise

This very Merry Christmas, Sarah got me a Promise Pass to Knott's Berry Farm. Sarah has made me some awesome cards for past holidays and special events, but this year she wanted to do something a little different. We had planned on going to Knott's Berry Farm in January or February because we have good coupons for general admission tickets. I have been mentioning for a while that we should have Knott's Berry Farm Annual Passes, because we are getting tired of the 130 mile drive to Six Flags Magic Mountain. Well my wish came true this Christmas.





I know the pictures are not that great... The Front has the Knott's Berry Farm logo, my Name and "Annual Pass," my picture, and my (current) favorite Rollercoaster Xcelerator. The Back has a bar code with the Christmas date, MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!, Silver Bullet background, and Park Rules And Regulations: Annual Pass Holders must frequent the park on a monthly basis. All Annual Pass guest must be accompanied by the love of their life and/or official Rollercoaster partner. All Park Events must be photographed. Guest who receive this pass must be crazy happy and madly in love with the purchaser.

The truth is, this Annual Pass Promise is not going to be keeped. Sarah gave me this season pass promise on Christmas Eve, but Christmas day my Mom gave me the real deal. We don't know what we are going to do with Sarah's last gift to me, but it better involve Rollercoasters! Thanks for reading, and I hope your holiday wishes came true.

Monday, December 22, 2008

Final Six Flags Magic Mountain Trip Of 2008


This was our last trip of 2008, and even though it was considerably a good day, it felt unnecessary. Even though everything went by fast, it just felt a little incomplete and a little boring. I guess there are some "requirements," to having a great day at Six Flags Magic Mountain for me, and they are... Batman The Ride, Colossus, Goliath, Ninja, Riddler's Revenge, Tatsu, & Viper (Soon to be added is the greatly improved X2.) Missing out on any of these coasters takes away from the experience each.

We got to the park about around 10:30 (Opened at 10:00) and the place was dead (As predicted.) We decided it might be a great time to ride X2, but unfortunately a 20 minute line turned into a 45 minute line due to, "minor technical difficulty."


For those of you who don't know, your seat is chosen for you by a staff member on X2 and so far I have been pretty lucky with getting a lot of back seat rides (My favorite.) You can ask for the seat you desired, but in most cases (I've Seen) they make you wait a little extra for it. Today we got lucky and rode it in the front seat (Second favorite seat.) The ride was pretty close to perfect, for those who prefer a less intense ride, try to get a seat around the front of the train, also front seat is the farthest away from the fire effect :(.



After that we begin the "walk-on" Festival! After X2 we went to right next door and walked on Viper. All seats were walk on with the exception of the front, being about a 3 train wait. We picked the very last seats.


For some odd reason Viper is on a 2 month smooth streak, it is a little more rough in the back compared to front, but the G forces were more intense going through the 3 Vertical Loops, great hang time in the Batwing, and the Double Corkscrews as well.

The next coaster on our list was kind of a walk on, (We used Flash Pass) Tatsu is always a better ride in the front of the train, but we decided to give the back another chance. It was fun, I really like getting yanked down the first drop, but I would rather ride near the front of the train.


Now it was time to make up for a lost ride from our last visit and ride the big boy Goliath. How long do you think it took for us to get on it!?


It took us longer to walk through the line than to wait in the station, and finally I got to ride it up front (Last time was February.)



Because we had other stuff to do that day we didn't re-ride Goliath, or anything else. After Goliath we decided to eat some Fries!


They didn't have anything on the menu that just said French Fries, so we got the closest thing to it, Seasoned Fries. They were way too Seasoned, good thing they gave us a ton a Ketchup (Or Catsup, or Catchup, whatever you call it.)

After that is was time to ride a classic (In the last seats of coarse) Colossus.


I don't know why anyone would want to ride front, except maybe to make a video. Everything that is good about this ride, is in the back, That is why Colossus Backwards is possibly the Best coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain. After that it was time to do some more bodily harm on the I can't believe how bad this coaster gets everyday ride, Scream!


Possibly the worst ride I've ever had on this coaster. It was a little ruff, but extremely shaky, to the point where it is all you can concentrate on. There still is a little evidence of it's "good 'ole days," Scream!'s Zero-G-Roll is still the best one I've ever been on. I hope they revamp this coaster next.





After that we walked on the always amazing Batman The Ride. In 2007 Sarah would always get off this ride feeling sick, so we skipped a lot. This year I kind of pretended that didn't exist and I got away with it every time but this time. I thought is was flawless as always, but she felt sick to her stomach.


We sat down for a little bit, and then we left the park. I was have to admit, I was pretty upset. We left the park with two coasters missing off my great day list, Riddler's Revenge and Ninja (Closed.) I Know what to do now for 2009, ride everything and end with Batman the Ride cause I'm not skipping it. Another thing that makes me mad is we left the park 1:30, which means we spent more time driving than riding. while this may have been the worst trip of 2008, it doesn't even come close to the worst trip of 2007.

Quick review: July 2007, Super Crowded, Several Hours, Only 3 Coasters, Colossus, Ninja, Gold Rusher.

Thanks for reading, Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

Monday, December 15, 2008

Season Pass Sale


I'm so glad I decided to buy Sarah's 2009 Season pass because for today only it was $47.99 (Usually $59.99) We will be sure to make the make the most of our passes next year, Thank you for reading & because this might be my last post of the year... Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, & Happy New Year!

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Six Flags Magic Mountain

Well we just got back from Six Flags Magic Mountain, and what a day! Sarah and I always enjoy the park much more when we have a first timer in our group. My best buddy Kevin and Katie joined us today.



Katie is a big time Disneyland fan and a 20 year California resident. She has known about "The Mountain," her whole life and it was time she finally experienced it for herself.

We got to the park around 1:30 and the place was a little dead. For once! We actually caught the tram without having to wait for it.


Katie voiced her opinion about not wanting to ride Goliath so we decided X2 would be a good coaster to break her fear. Today the line was about a 50 minute wait even with some delays with one of the trains. Here is a look at the view from X2's chain lift about 3/4s of the way up.

Unfortunately fire was not present to enhance our ride experience.




We all thought that would have done the trick for Katie, but she still was not ready for Goliath. Next we went on Viper. Don't know why, but it was the smoothest ride this coaster has ever performed.



Still not convinced there is nothing scarier than Goliath we headed up the mountain to Tatsu. It seems only the chain lift had heard scared, not even the massive pretzel loop could do it. Ninja had an amazingly long line so we sadly skipped it and went on Jet Stream. After that it we hit up the great Riddler's Revenge. The line was short, and the ride was great, but after is when our trip took a turn for the worst. I left my hat, sunglasses, souvenir bottle, and Kevin's sunglasses down by the lockers (Not in the lockers) before boarding Riddler's Revenge. When we returned from riding our stuff was gone. Kevin's sunglasses were $200+ and we were really upset about it. This wouldn't have happened if Six Flags Magic Mountain didn't recently enforce a strict (Nazi) locker policy where they charge people a dollar to store belongs at each major coaster. After a short argument with some staff members, we cut our losses and continued on to Batman the Ride. I don't know why, but Katie was looking forward to this coaster the entire trip (Might have something to do with a Silver Bullet (Knott's Berry Farm) appreciation, but I don't know.)

I must say out of all the coasters at the Mountain, Batman the Ride gives the most consistent performance year after year.



After that little pick me up, we headed to Colossus and Scream! I think it is cool that there is still a big crowd of appreciation for a classic old wooden coaster in a park full of steel coasters. Colossus had the longer line of the two and the better ride as well.



Now it was time for the big boy... GOLIATH! Unfortunately Katie was not going to ride it and when we got in the long line, we realized either were we. The park was closing soon and on the way out I decided it would be great to ride Log Jammer. I forced the group on and we all were not expecting a night ride on log jammer to be nearly pitch black. I assured the group we wouldn't get that wet, but the truth is, we all got soaked! After that we filed a lost item form for Kevin's sunglasses and we headed back home to San Diego. Thank you for reading, and have fun!

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Season Ending Ranks

I've been counting coasters ever since Sarah and I started dating early 2007. As now my coaster count is 43, and here is how they rank.

43. Pony Express @ Knott's Berry Farm
42. Gadget's Go Coaster @ Disneyland
41. Cobra @ Six Flags Discovery Kingdom
40. Mulholland Madness @ Disney's California Adventure
39. Jaguar! @ Knott's Berry Farm
38. Scandia Screamer @ Scandia Amusement Park
37. Matterhorn Bobsleds @ Disneyland
36. Giant Dipper @ Belmont Park
35. Boomerang @ Knott's Berry Farm
34. Hurricane @ Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk

33. Psycho Mouse @ California's Great America
32. Demon @ California's Great America
31. Gold Rusher @ Six Flags Magic Mountain
30. Revolution @ Six Flags Magic Mountain
29. Vortex @ California's Great America
28. Sierra Sidewinder @ Knott's Berry Farm
27. Boomerang @ Six Flags Discovery Kingdom
26. Big Thunder Mountain @ Disneyland
25. Giant Dipper @ Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
24. Kong @ Six Flags Discovery Kingdom

23. Superman The Escape @ Six Flags Magic Mountain
22. Montezooma's Revenge @ Knott's Berry Farm
21. Tony Hawk's Big Spin @ Six Flags Discovery Kingdom
20. Colossus @ Six Flags Magic Mountain
19. Space Mountain @ Disneyland
18. Roar @ Six Flags Discovery Kingdom
17. Ninja @ Six Flags Magic Mountain
16. Invertigo @ California's Great America
15. V2: Vertical Velocity @ Six Flags Discovery Kingdom
14. Silver Bullet @ Knott's Berry Farm

13. Déjà Vu @ Six Flags Magic Mountain
12. Scream! @ Six Flags Magic Mountain
11. Viper @ Six Flags Magic Mountain
10. Desperado @ Buffalo Bill's Resort & Casino
09. Batman The Ride @ Six Flags Magic Mountain
08. Medusa @ Six Flags Discovery Kingdom
07. X2 @ Six Flags Magic Mountain
06. California Screamin' @ Disney's California Adventure
05. GhostRider @ Knott's Berry Farm
04. Riddler's Revenge @ Six Flags Magic Mountain

03. Tatsu @ Six Flags Magic Mountain
02. Goliath @ Six Flags Magic Mountain
01. Xcelerator @ Knott's Berry Farm

Friday, November 7, 2008

3 Rollercoasters - My Rollercoaster Tycoon 3 Collection

While my game of choice is Rollercoaster Tycoon 1, I can't help but feel a connection to the 3rd game since I entered Copperhead. Well recently I have done some work on Copperhead's supports as well as build 2 new Rollercoasters, Tornado & Shock!



Thank you for reading, and have fun!

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Six Flags Magic Mountain: (Not So) Fright Fest

I titled this post (Not So) Fright Fest because just like our last visit, we did no mazes. What can I say, Sarah doesn't want to be scared. Today's trip lasted from 11:30 - 5:00. We started off heading to X2. It was having trouble getting ready this morning, so it remained closed until tell later. Revolution is where we headed next (Make sure to aviod the red, white, and blue train.) We boarded the white and turquoise train, seat 7, and it wasn't that bad of a ride. Next we headed up the mountain to ride Ninja and Superman the Escape. Ninja was having trouble getting ready as well, but we were able to ride Superman the Escape in under 10 minutes.



After that we went down the back to ride Riddler's Revenge. Ofcoarse we couldn't walk by Gold Rusher without giving it a whirl. Gold Rusher is always a great ride, but we came for the big ones! Riddler's Revenge had about a 10 minute line for front row.



I was upset we missed this coaster on our last visit, but I'm glad we were able to ride up front without listening to the song "Ecuador," for too long.



After that Sarah expressed her desire for Colossus Backwards. We rode Colossus Backwards 3 times in a row (It's Awesome!) I recommend riding this coaster in the front (Technically the back, the seat I filmed my pov from.)


Today wasn't that crowded so the race was on!



After 3 rides we were kind of tired of the abuse, so we went on Scream!


The ride wasn't ruff today, but the train was vibrating a lot. I wasn't really impressed with this coaster today. We were ready to eat by now, but I felt like 4 months was a long time to go without riding classic Colossus. We rode it in the back because I fell like this is the most enjoyable seat on the ride. Today we wanted to try something new so we headed over to Johnny Rockets.



The burgers were great! It tasted like a hybrid of Carl's Jr. & In & Out, I highly recommend going there. After a great lunch we headed over to Jet Stream, but it was closed for the moment. I was surprised to see Déjà Vu open, but it wasn't why the reason I was in the area. I wanted to see some construction of the new Rollercoaster, "Psyclone 2: The Sarah Connor Chronicles." That is not the real name, but it is a wooden coaster themed to a Terminator movie. The only thing I noticed was some concrete framing in the form of a circle.





After that nonsense we went on Ninja two times in a row, and ofcoarse, now Jet Stream is open. Too late for that though, our next ride was Tatsu in the very back. It was a first for us and probably our last. There wasn't anything wrong with it, but the views are better when you can see the track.





Now it was time to piss Sarah off and do some waiting. We got in line for X2 against her wishes, but surprisingly trains were going faster than Tatsu. It took about 45 minutes to get on board today, and due to high winds fire was not present (I'm thinking X2 might make into my top 10.)

After a big ride like that Sarah was feeling worn out. I was not about to leave the park without riding Viper & Goliath. Viper was great as usual, rough, fast, and tons of fun.


Goliath's line was dead! We walked on the first train after entering the station. Goliath was amazing and a great ride to end the day with.



That is all for our Frightless Fright Fest visit. Thank you for reading, and have fun!