Associated parks:
None
i travelled with 2Hostyl(jeremy)...met at his place in DC, then got to the park right at 10 am. we got in, suprisingly quick, and i was suprised to see how little crowded it was so far. we walked around a bit...jeremy said that we should go to Midway America cause Comet Hollow gets crowded first becuase of Great Bear...so we headed that way. on the way, we stopped at our first ride of the day..SideWinder: this is a Vekoma boomerang..we got to the queue entrance, and an employee was blocking it. we asked him when it was going to open..he smiled and said "how about now?!", and off we went!! anyway, it was really good...alarmingly smooth for a Vekoma...postitive Gs were a little tight in the vertical loop but still a great ride...7 out of 10 :)
next we hit TrailBlazer...i think its an old Arrow minetrain...it was ok..not as good as the mine train at SFGadv, but the heliz at the end was nice...5 out of 10
then on to WildCat..GCI woodie..i was excited about this one, cause i love ROAR at SFA...and i thought they were similar..i was wrong. the drop was intense, and the speed was really good, but it was really rough. the switches and turns were really tight, and the trims at the end locked up way too fast. it was enjoyable though, and good for the track record...6 out of 10
next was Lightning Racer(GCI dueling/racing woodie...ive been excited about reporting this one...i have a new favourite woodie now!! we rode THunder first...the lift was fairly quick then came the steepest, most twisted wooden drop i can recall!! the first hill had a sweet twist on it, and then the turns headed into the tunnel were outta sight!! the best part is towards the end when the two tracks kind of "pretzel twist" around each other...gives a smooth but realy thrillling ride...all in all, not a whole lot of airtime, but a VERY smooth, and VERY VERY fast ride!! 10 out of 10 IMO ::)
we were going to hit the Wild Mouse next, but the line had gotten kinda long, so Jeremy suggested we grab a snack and head over to Comet Hollow, so off we went :) on the way, i saw something that made my heart stop....an old Huss Enterprise ferris wheel!! for you PKD buffs, do you remember the Apple Turnover? it was where the scrambler is now, right across from Shockwave?? they had one there at HErshey!1 that was my fav ride as a kid. i HAD to ride it...man, did it bring back memories :) anyway, back on the path here :)
next stop was finally the "hollow":) the line for the Comet was kinda long, so we went to sooperdooperlooper instead.
sooperdooperlooper(Swarzkopf steel looper)..this was historic for me, as it was my FIRST Swarzkopf coaster. we got into the back seat, after a fairly short wait, and off we went. the drop was pretty good...kinda slow, but still very enjoyable...next came that world famous life sucking positive G loop that Anton S is famous for, hehe :) man, was it freakin awesome!! it can be painful, but it made my adrenalin rush!! a very sweet turn thru the loop, then thru a tunnel was next, then quick drop beside the creek that runs thru the park. after a short trim break run, a final VERY tight helix before the station...after riding this, i really miss Swarzkopf....he sure did have a GOd given talent :) 9 out of 10 :)
next was Great Bear (B&M invert) while in line, jeremy told me to not ride with this with expectations of Alpengeist or B:TR at SFGAdv....but again, i was pleasently suprised. we waited for the front seat, which was barely over a 30 min wait :) coming off the lift, you go into a tight helix, something ive never heard of on a BM invert..but it was nice :) then the drop..it may be only 124 feet, but boy...its a THRILLING 124 feet!! very fast loop and Immelman, and the 2 zero G rolls were nice....my only big dissapointment was that there is too much flat track, as in too much space between the elements...you can tell that it follows in the tradition of "family friendly". which is great...Great Bear is a good invert for a new coaster fan to start out on....8 out of 10
finally we went to the Comet (Herbert Schmeck woodie) ever since i was a little kid, ive wanted ride the Comet..i saw it on Reading Rainbow when i was in elem school!! man, this thing has aged really well!! i couldnt believe it!! seeing the old sled brakes was really funny. the drop was great..a little pounding at the bottom, but hey after 77 years, its to be expected :) the rest of the ride was very thrilling, and suprising not too rough :) 8 out of 10 :)
we hit a few flat rides, which arent really coming to me, but they were fun, hehe :) then it was over to the Wild Mouse to finish off the coaster list...this is another Mack mouse....the line was really long, but i had to do it :) extremely similar to the one at BGW...since its the same company im not suprised...the one difference is that the one at Hershey has little or no trim brakes on it...or they are turned off. so you rip into the turns and drops!! very fun :) 7 out of 10.
we then rode a few more flats....then rode Tidal Force...this is a Intamin shoot the chutes ride, with a WICKED tall drop on it! jeremy said it was the tallest in the world until Perilous Plunge at KBF..not sure, but that sounds about right. it was freakin cold but i had to ride it.. awesome drop, but save it for a hot day :) then to dry off we took a few rides on Lighting Racer...,man i freakin love this coaster!!
we then went and toured Chocolate World, got some free candy and then i got a keychain for a friend of mine...(you know who im talkin bout jeremy, haha!! :)) then back into the park...we rode the monorail, then headed back to Comet Hollow to finish the day..we rode the Comet again, then hit the Coal Cracker, the log flume there...loved this thing..loads better than PKD or BGW's log flume :) then it was onto sooperdooperlooper 2 times, then 2 more times on Great Bear before leaving.
all in all, it was an awesome day. we got quite a few rerides, as the lines were fairly short all day. i have to say, HersheyPark still maintains that old park ambiance, while providing thrills for even the seasoned coaster buff!! i give this park overall a 9 out of 10. i will DEFINITLY be making more visits in the future!!
-----------------
ROLLERCOASTERS....BETTER THAN OXYGEN BABY!!!!!!
Glad you like the park, I think Hershey is wonderful.
-------------
Let the world know your Top 10 Coasters at http://www.coastergrotto.zzn.com
-------------
Batwing-Bow Down
Intamin Fan said:
"You also went with a cool person to the park:)"
You must be logged in to post