Playa's West Coast Surprise Inspection Day 1 - KBF

Link to Playa's WCSI Overview - Read this first

ARRIVED: Around 12ish in my stylish but scratched-to-hell Kia Optima. Good thing I checked the car thoroughly before pulling out of the rental lot. LA traffic was no big deal on the weekends. Frankly, I love LA freeways. There's always sufficient lanes to handle yo' bidness with a stomp on the gas and Death Certificate pumpin' in the CD player. I'm afraid it started rubbing off; why did I wanna start calling people "Punk (Butt) marks" as I blew past?

LEFT: about 5 to take a break, then again at closing.

PARK APPEARANCE/ATMOSPHERE: Nice. Loads of personality everywhere. But also crawling with people. Offseason, my eye.

RIDE QUEUE TIMES: Fugly. And don't expect any CP-style jumping-and-dashing from the rideops either. I wouldn't say they were slothful, just what I'd call California laid-back. Four rides in five hours (PP, Boomerang, GR, Xcelerator) starts to get annoying in the hot Cali sun.

BEST EXPERIENCE: Running five line-jumping gals out of the GR queue.

They were pretty slick about it--hopping over the rail at the lower floor in the station house by the entrance as if to buy candy. When the family behind me protested, they hung back and let people behind them pass until they appeared to already be in place. I was going to rat them out to the rideop by the turnstile, but there wasn't anyone there. When we were face to face in the queues I told them they could either hop down the stairs now or be escorted from the park once I told the station personnel. "But we're not even close to the stairs and the line isn't moving!" they wailed. Funny. Didn't bother them when they passed the other couple hundred people, now did it? When the line started moving again, I started letting everyone between us pass me so we'd be face to face once they reached the stairs. They decided to walk on down.

It was all too funny to watch them give me dirty looks the rest of the night. I resisted the urge to run up on them and scream "BOO!" Barely.

WORST EXPERIENCE: Prissy Plunge. What a tease. The height, the steepness, the promise of delectable wetness on a hot day. Ride me, Wavepool Charlie, it beckons. Then come the breakdowns, the straitjackets, the sloooow loading even when it does work. And for what? A splashdown that gives you sprinkly sprinklies until you're soaked? What Da Heezy? And don't even get me started on the bridge experience. Listen, for a 100-plus foot drop I wanna get smacked clean off the mutha into the water below. Expect it. Demand it. Sorry, that's just me.

MOST PLEASANT SURPRISE: Kingdom of the Dinosaurs. Now that's a dark ride, baby. High capacity, classicly cheesy and long and gentle enough for quality make-out time. Ohhhh yeah.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT: Montezooma's Revenge, which was down. I may have to do SFKK just to ride a Schwarzkopf shuttle for once.

COASTER RANKINGS

WITHOUT FLAW:

GhostRider (of course) - It's long and tall and hilly and loaded with laterals and without question the best complete woody I've been on. Is it my #1 wood? No. I like violent air more than anything--and nothing, I mean nothing outguns the 'Clops. 'Clops at 10 am on the first drop has more jump than anything else. But if you dropped the 'Clops trains on GR, it would win. Period.

REALLY QUITE GOOD:

XCelerator - It's all about the launch, baybee. But after that, there's nothing left to do. Why can't it feature inversions? Why?

But while were on the topic: Coaster train, coaster shorts. Coaster train, coaster shorts.

Just had to get that out of my system.

Boomerang - Cuz I really don't care what you think. I like cobra rolls. I like going thru the vertical loop backwards. Maybe having a cool-in-1976 Corkscrew as my only home park looper factors in. Just a little bit.

Jaguar - Theeeeming. Love the queue. Love the station. Love the length. Gimme one to take home. Night rides are so much fun.

MAJOR NON-COASTER ACTIVITIES: After the run through the major rides (except the closed ones, the not-there-yet ones and Supreme Scream) I took on the rides that didn't have such long lines. The Calico Mine Ride and KOTD were among them. Finally I got tired and went back to the hotel to check in and try the highly ballyhooed In-and-Out Burger. I can't remember where on the web someone mentioned that naming this place In-and-Out was like naming a Taco stand El Farto...but I'll never forget that was said.

Justice was swift and harsh.

On the way back to KBF, I had to pull over at the Radisson and dash like a running back high-stepping in the end zone for the loo. I don't think I've felt the urge to crap on myself like that since I was in diapers. Hooooooo boy. That wasn't right.

One day I'll write up SFMM. If it wasn't for the fact that I'm about to seriously stack up on TRs, I'm not so sure you woulda seen this one.

-'Playa

Nice lengthy TR.

I have to disagree with you on Plunge and Kingdom of the Dinosaurs. I know it's your opinion and everyone feels different about certain things, but generally, those two rides regularly would/should be swapping positions on your TR.

Kingdom of the Dinosaurs is in no way a high capacity ride. Cedar Fair took the individual cars and strapped them together into a single train, keeping the flow of the queue jammed. And if your only reason for it being a good ride is because it's a good make-out session opportunity, then it isn't the actual ride you're enjoying, just the fact that it's enclosed and is dark.

Perilous Plunge...I don't understand your whole "sprinkled by sprinklies" phrase. Are you saying you only got misted? Which is gauranteed an impossibility from the nature of this ride. But then you finished that sentence with drenched. And drenched means completely soaked. So I'm not following you on that one, because you seem to be contradicting yourself. And PP's bridge is placed sufficient enough to completely douse people standing on it without knocking them off their feet (which is something you are expecting, but would be a liability and safety issue on the park's behalf). That's why you have shoot-the-chutes out there with a large glass panel on the bridge (Mile High Falls), and that's not so fun is it?

Glad to see you stand up to the line jumpers!!!!! If more would do this maybe it would happen less often.

Great TR, Playa. I for one, would love to see that SFMM report, and I'm sure I'm not the only one! :)

First of all, but maybe least importantly... wasn't it me that gave you the name Wavepool Charlie? I seem to remember calling you that on a kneejerk reaction. If so, where? Ah yes, here it is http://www.coasterbuzz.com/forum.aspx?mode=thread&TopicID=37146

Second of all, and of middlin importance... was it Tina who speaks so highly of In-N-Out Burger? I tried one when we were out there for Solace, and I share your sentiment.. although without the horrific side effects.

Thirdly, and probably most important... I'm dishearted to see that picture of you in your sho..err Jams. Not because you actually are wearing the Jams, but moreso that you don't quite resemble Walter Payton as much as your info picture led me to believe.

Brian, who says R.I.P. "Sweetness"

EDIT : found 'said' link *** Edited 5/15/2004 6:55:33 PM UTC by Homey G.***

I'm the in-n-out burger fan...sorry you guys didn't enjoy it. :(

LOL on your "scare" tactics with the line jumpers. Sorry you didn't find Perilous to be all that and more......silly me, I rode it 3 times for a TV shoot so I really can't remember what a single ride was like! I just remember being soaked at 9am.

I agree with you on Jaguar. It was my favorite coaster there (mostly attributed to a long GR wait yielding only 1 ride). Too bad Monte was hibernating......good launch. Still I prefer the weight drops. Maybe I'm just partial to Greezed Viper Wave (which is running well BTW, so as they say at KK "C'mon doooown!"). Am I sorry that you have a Corkscrew in your backyard? Sort of, but then again I'd kill to have one at Wyandot! One can only take so many laps on a John Allen junior. :)

"I'm the in-n-out burger fan...sorry you guys didn't enjoy it."

Yeah, but you prefer also La Salsa over Chipotle. I'm not sure if that makes you a person with questionable taste or if it puts your taste in question ;)

I've lived in So Cal for most of my soon-to-be 39 years. I'm not an I-&-O fan. Their fries are horrid and taste-free. There are much better burgers out there for sure.

And Playa...I wanna see that SFMM TR, too.

mOOSH - who wishes Playa will give him more warning the next time he comes to LA.

kRaXlErIdAh: After comparing your words here to my own experiences at the park, I've decided I'm wrong and you're right. ;) Yeah, that'll happen.

If you stand in a gentle sprinkling spray long enough, you're going to get soaked...that's how the PP splashdown felt. Not the worst thing in the world--but I could stand in front of a lawn sprinkler for that sensation without a wait or a straitjacket.

-'Playa

*** Edited 5/16/2004 6:39:53 PM UTC by CoastaPlaya***

I am assuming you were talking about Cyclops? I did not find much air on the first drop. The second is great air and often goes unmentioned, and it is that mid course drop that gets you. How does GR compare to Legend? (As far as the woodies I have been on, Legend is the most complete.)

Nice TR.

Captain Obvious slinks In-n-Out of SoCal unmolested by most of the locals, with the exception of InO revenge. Film at eleven.

Have to agree with 'moosh on the food issues. Chipotle stores may be stainless steel cafes (at least the few I've been to) and present their product in less colorful wrappings, but seem to put the savings into the taste. In-n-Out doesn't seem to realize potatoes need a little aging before frying. ;) As for semi-fast food burgers give me a Fat-Burger and skinny fries.

Playa, what is the difference between 'clops and GR's trains? Aside from the fact that GR uses 7 car trains and I think 'clops uses 6ers. Headed for Olympus around June 22. *** Edited 5/17/2004 9:35:50 PM UTC by boblogone***

Bah, Chipotle is cardboard wrapped in brown paper. Give me Baja Fresh. MMMmmmmmm.

I didn't have to find the air--it found me!

Then again I only rode the back row. For $5 a ride, wouldn't you?

Homey G: Yeah, I thought you'd like that.
And I never looked like Walter Payton. Musta been the Super Bowl Shuffle and Cosby Show Era Wayfarers. Obviously, Ray Bans 2.0 are a twitch different.

Regarding In-and-Out Burger: I guess it was a mix of Robb Alvey's worship pages back in the day and a little bird raving about them recently that sent me there.

My meal went down fine! Problem is it just kept going...

-'Playa

*** Edited 5/17/2004 10:47:02 PM UTC by CoastaPlaya***

On my last trip out to Cali, we tried In and Out Burger. It pretty much reminded me of Wendy's.

I don't think any wooden coaster can out-do the insane mode ejector air like Cyclops delivers on the second drop.

Boblogone: GR uses the all-too-common PTC coaches with those maddening individual orange lapbars. 'Clops has a single lapbar spanning each bench and a seatbelt that spans both seats as well as the divider.

The standard PTC restraints are great if you're Kara or Elissa White--but not if you've got slavery thighs and the traditional ghetto booty. They just don't work for a brutha like that. On the other hand, 'Clops has both the trains and the layout that will get you close to God in a big ol' hurry.

-'Playa

Mmmmmmmm....Buzzbars.....droooool. Most of my extra (excess?) weight is between my knees and waist also, though I'm still far from the model Acer shape ;) . The belt buckle on GR likes to find its way between my gut and the lap-bar far too often, ouch. Knott's could probably run three (or two without stacking) with that set up. One belt, one bar, CHECK!

I've got a good mind to 'Clopathon Friday...

I'm anxiously awaiting day two. My California trip was almost a wash out. Record breaking rain, no Xcelerator or GR but I did get two rides on X. Great chicken dinner at Knott's and the SFMM sushi was a bonus. Biggest surprise of the trip? The nachos in SoCal paled in comparison to the big black plastic bowl of jalepeno goodness that can be found in Sandusky. I'm still shocked. I thought the shorts were right on man, that was theme on top of theme.

Knowing me, I wouldn't suggest holding your breath...;)