Associated parks:
None
I showed up just after the park opened and it was awesome to see "Superman" right at the front of the park, unlike its twin at SFA. As I walked into the park I saw Ride of Steel stuck on the lift so I decided to get the Boomerang credit first. Nice ride. I know this is pretty much a standard ride at any decent sized park but I still love going through the cycle backwards.
Next, I headed to Motocoaster. As I approached the line I saw the train/motorcycles sitting in the brake run and the riders didn't look happy. I guess they had been there a bit and it turns out they sat there for a long time. I headed out after ten minutes and made my way over to Viper.
My wait at Viper wasn't long but it was a bit longer than I expected after the main ride operated made this nice comment. "Excuse me but everyone is going to have to wait a little while because I have to clean up a mess from the little girl that peed her pants." It wasn't those exact words but something very similar and I don't think he needed the last part. All he had to say was that he needed to clean up a small mess. Oh well. The ride was good for an old arrow and I liked the visuals you get from the queue line.
Time for another Vekoma. Minderaser is your standard hang-n-bang. I braced myself for survival. I really do love the layout of this ride and I would love to see what B&M could do with it but these things are usually one and done for me. This was no exception.
Back to Motocoaster. They were finally evacuating the ride, but it didn't look good for the rest of the day. I went in the gift shop and found the OCC theme bike for Darien Lake. This thing is incredible! I took a ton of photos and I even broke down and bought a T-shirt. That is the first T-shirt I have ever bought from a park. Yes, I am a cheapo, but I love OCC and coasters so my Motocoaster t-shirt was perfect!
Off to ride Predator. This ride looks good. I got in the back for my first ride. This baby threw me around. Some ejector air but a bit rough in the back IMO. I went back later and got a front seat ride. I enjoyed the front and had some floater air. If you don't like to get thrown around then ride this one in the front.
I saved the best for last....Ride of Steel. As I stood in line it finally started to rain. Just a little at first and then as I got close to the station it really started to pour. I thought I was going to miss my opportunity to ride this baby but the crew kept shoving the trains out. As I got into my third row seat and headed out the rain had calmed down, but no kidding halfway up the lift the skys opened up and just let the rain rip down upon us! I love riding in the rain! Ya it stings a little bit and you can't open your eyes all the way but the coaster went from being a huge air time thrill ride to a huge air time water thrill ride! This coaster never lets up just like its twin and by the time we got back to the brakes, if we were not sitting on the train you would have thought that we had all jumped into the wave pool with our clothes on. Since it was raining the line was dwindling and I was already soaked so I kept riding. Everyone was yelling and screaming and having a great time getting to ride this slick monster while speed swimming through the thick down pour. It was also cool to see the steam coming off the brake fins in the final brake run when the coaster stopped. It gave a nice effect.
The rain finally let up and I went back over to Motocoaster. It was still closed, but they were launching trains. So I made some phone calls and waited. The coaster finally opened and I jumped on for my ride. The motorcycles are cool and the restraints work well. I loved the idea and feeling of riding this bike. The blast off is nicely done with a quick right climbing turn. The layout is pretty basic but the ride is just a lot of fun. I could see some really good layouts and theming being done with these types of coasters especially if you put an X-Games spin on it. As far as I could tell this ride is a big hit among the GP and in my book, too.
After Motocoaster I decided to head out and make the drive out to SeaBreeze. I got to the park about 45 minutes before the Night rider ticket would be sold so I decided to walk around the outside of the park and snap some pictures from the outside and take a look at the lake. This is a beautiful area with Lake Ontario in the background. Once I got into the park I went straight to Jack Rabbit. This ride looked like a lot of fun from the outside but after my ride on Predator I didn't think this ride would track very well. I was wrong! I loved this 88 year old coaster. It uses the terrain well. Has some floater air and the best part of the ride is the part that you can't see until you ride... with the final helix, tunnel, and drop in the dark! After 88 years this ride is still the headliner for this little peace of coasterdom.
I got a spin on Whirlwind next. My first ride on this type of coaster was Spider at Lagoon. They are the same layout and a great alternative to a standard Wild Mouse. If I had to choose between the two for my own park I would choose the spinner over a standard any day. The GP loved this ride.
My final new coaster of the day was Bobsleds. This is a crazy looking coaster. It is part terrain, part home-made, part redneck, and all fun! This coaster is very deceiving because it looks so small but it just keeps going and going. If I ever built a coaster in my backyard I would imagine something like this. I know it isn't fast, tall or go upsidedown but it was still fun. There seems to be something very nostalgic about this ride and I hope they keep it forever.
After my Bobsled ride I went back to Jack Rabbit for lots of re-rides. I got a nice look of their kiddie coaster Bear Trax. It looks like a good layout for a kiddie coaster. Not just a little circle like so many of them. Jack Rabbit delivers a great ride from any seat! Have fun and don't miss out on this awesome little park if you are in the area.
I wanted to give a quick mention and thanks to Darien Lake for the military discount on the gate admission. It was more than half off! I like to salute/praise the businesses that support our military in this manner and try to help them with more patrons because of it.
Thanks for reading!
Doug
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