I was in Grand Rapids on business and had the chance to check out Michigan's Adventure solo for a couple of hours. In free with the Cedar Point pass.
I got there around 5:40 or so in the afternoon, and was pleased to see that there wasn't much of a crowd outside of the water park. And this was in perfect weather. Good news for me. I immediately went to Shivering Timbers, ignoring that fact that I had to use the little programmers room like you wouldn't believe.
First lap: Front seat. Saw a solo rider and jumped in that blank space. Not a social guy at all. Bastard. No matter, I enjoyed the ride, but wasn't sure what the big deal was. Sure, nice floater air over every hill, but I guess I was expecting more.
I hit all of the other coasters in about 20 minutes. The Arrow Mad Mouse was somewhat bland, not nearly as good as the Mack and Reverchon rides I've been on. The ride op yelled at me for riding solo, saying it wasn't allowed (how I would know this is beyond me). Not sure why he didn't pair me with any number of couples that had loaded before and after me.
Back to Timbers, right after a little snack. The grilled chicken was actually a real live chicken breast. That was different! $5.75 for the chicken, fries and a beverage. Not bad for an amusement park.
This time I waited for the back seat on Timbers. It was a little irritating that they were only running one train, meaning 15 minute waits for what would be a walk on. If I was able to get there earlier, I guess I wouldn't have cared, but I really wanted to get a few laps in. I was surprised to see a line longer for the back than the front. Hmmm... you know something is up when the general public is forming a long line for the back.
Holy crap! Stand-up ejector air on every hill. Kidney busting drops off of the turn around and into the helix. Make no mistake, this thing would kick your butt if you rode it in the back seat repeatedly.
I did two more laps in the middle of the train, and found it to be a great medium between the two. Overall the ride is fabulous, but a part of me was a little bored with the out-and-back layout. I guess Raven and Legend forever changed my definition of a perfect wood coaster! Still, it's a must ride, though I don't know that I'd drive more than five hours to ride it again.
The park in general isn't dirty or anything, but it's just so bland. No landscaping, few trees and a few really nasty looking buildings, like the above ground "basement" station for Corkscrew. The whole entrance area, as well as the Mad Mouse, have had some nice attention. Now it's time to spread that around a bit to the rest of the park. That's where I hope the Cedar Point influence rubs off.
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Jeff
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