BGW 9/7/02: My first B&M Hyper
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During her visit, we had planned a (long) weekend to DC, then to visit my sister's house in Virginia Beach, with a day trip to Busch Gardens on Saturday. An unexpected illness prevented us from making it to DC as we planned, but we did make the trip to my sister's and BGW.
The weather was very nice and park was modestly crowded. The longest wait we had was for Alpengeist at 30 minutes, but this was for the front row. Also joining us this day were my parents, my sister, her husband and their son (my nephew, the coaster-enthusiast in training).
Our first ride of the day was Escape from Pompeii. No wait at all. Simple, short water plunge ride. The effects are pretty nice. Got soaked !!
We then wound our way over to Apollo's Chariott. This was to be my first B&M hyper so I was pretty excited about it. And just like all my other B&M experiences I was not let down. In general the airtime was nice but nothing extreme. This could have been due to the fact we were seated in the dead-middle of the coaster. But what I really loved about this ride were the three highly-banked curves. Their placement is sublime. Usually occuring right after you crest a hill so you really cant see them. All the sudden the train banks so drastically it seems it is trying to throw you out. Great trains, nicely themed, great scenery, overall a great experiences.
After Apollo we grabbed some lunch in Italy. We had several complimentary food tickets which really made this meal a great deal for us. The live music in the outdoor theater is fantastic, though a little too loud.
Next we boarded the train. During the ride we passed the former site of Drachen Fire as well as some decorations for the upcoming Halloween Fesitival.
After exiting the train, we made our way over to Alpengiest. My nephews was thrilled because he was finally tall enough this year. I convinced the others to wait for the front seat since the wait wasnt really that bad at 30 minutes. The crew was really dragging. 2 train operation, stacking every trip for almost 1 minute. Finally we made it on. I love this ride!! The pacing may be a little slow, but the Gs through the first half are relentless, smashing you into your seat constantly. Because of its location in the woods I get completely disoriented on this ride everytime. A little rougher than I remember from a few years ago but still a killer ride.
We then journeyed over to Ireland to catch the Riverdance-inspired Irish Thunder. Excellent theater, decent show. I swear there was a set of triplets in the show. Anyone know if they were?
We grabbed a little bite, then jumped onto Lochness Monster. This is a nicely aged Arrow looper. Nice first drop, the interlocking loops are very unique and despite the heavy braking the tunnel does manage to pull some serious Gs. A classic coaster, well maintained by the park.
Snapped some beautiful photos in the river valley. This is my favorite location at any park. I could hang down there for hours.
Up the other side, took a run through the Land of the Dragons. Kids love this thing !! I can see why, it really is fun to just run around and find all the passages.
We then tried to hit Oktoberfest, but it closed a little early. We started our journey back through this very confusing park. On the way, my nephen and I grabbed a ride on Big Bad Wolf, the last of the day This ride was cooking through the village. We came to a complete stop before the second lift. Eventually we moved onto the lift and up. The drop is amazing. The cars swing so much during the last two turns of this ride.
Apollo's Chariot is definitely my new favorite at this park. But actually, every coaster here is a winner.
In general another fantastic day at the park. But everytime we ate something we had terrible service. Slow and not very friendly. It also seemed odd that they were training new people so close to the end of the season.
Photos will be up in a few days.
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*** This post was edited by jdancisin on 9/20/2002. ***
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-Sean
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sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't
I love Apollo... honestly I'd have to say it's my favorite hyper overall. Back seat is killer on that ride.
Like you say though, while they don't have a ton of rides, they're all pretty good. A shame you missed the Maus. First one I've ever been on and I love it. Any park that doesn't have one now seems empty to me.
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Jeff - Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com
"There's nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, when it's all in your mind. You gotta let go." - Ghetto, Supreme Beings of Leisure
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*** This post was edited by medusafanatic on 9/21/2002. ***
I didn't think Wild Maus was all that. Every other Mouse I've been on, I enjoyed more (especially the spinning one).
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TOGO!
http://groups.msn.com/AmusementParkPhotography/
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Not to get technical, but AC has a 170 foot lift and 210 foot drop. Correct? Does this make it a hyper or not?
Yes, it is still a hyper. The unnofical definition of hyper (which the only one I'm aware of) goes something like this: A coaster that has either a lift hill of over two hundred feet, or a drop of over two hundred feet. Steel Phantom was called a hyper, and Phantom's Revenge still is, yet both of these coasters had/have lift hills of 170 feet. The lift hill part is necessary if you're goin to include Maggie, which is genreally credited as being the first hyper (shuttles notwithstanding), despite having "only" a 194 foot drop.
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