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Well it's that time of year again,time for the offseason that is and after a delay of about a week my friends & I finally made it out to SFA for one final day of coaster riding fun.
Upon arriving at the park just a little after 12 noon we encountered a small problemtrying to get into the gates,it seems that the park cancelled our season passes for the year a bit too soon & we were forced to wait a good 15 minutes or so while they ran our passes through the main computer to determine that they were in fact still valid(a first in SFA's history might I add)
Having gotten that little problem out of the way we headed into the park,first stop southwest territory,we notice that Two face is a walk on so we seized the opportunity to grab a quick ride in the front row with only a one train wait,for some reason the G's going through the loop backwards weren't as intense this time around.
Next up Wild one which was also a walk on (things would change dramaticaly by mid to late afternoon though)and we got in line for the front seat,the ride was running all out today with massive speed on the return trip which provided for some great airtime as well,as was noted before near the end of the ride just as you approach the trims if you look to the left you will in fact see the support structure for the new ride that everyone's been talking about as well as a whole bunch of new containers too.
Having gotten those two coasters out of the way we proceeded next to Gotham city & Batwing,as usual Batwing was having it's own share of problems but after a few minutes it was up & running,at least the lines wern't too bad for a single train operation.
Next coaster on the list was S:ROS,for some reason they were only running one train but the crews were loading the train rather well today & despite the cold temps the ride performed flawlessly. :-)
After a quick break for lunch it was on to some flats,first up iron eagle,I love this ride so it only seemed fair not to pass up a trip on this baby before the season ends,we headed to Roar next & were given a moderately rough ride or at least it seemed that way to me,they were having a bit of trouble with the trains coming into the brakes to fast so it took a few test runs before we were allowed to ride though.
After a quick ride aboard High seas it was off to Mind eraser,while in line I was surprised to learn that a friend of mine who works at the nearby Giant food store had arrived at the park & wouldn't you know it we were on the same train,we were up front ,she was all the way in the back,the ride was smooth for once but this time there was another problem.Right as the train crested the lift I swear I heard my restraint pop open,it made the distinct "popping sound that it does when they are released during the unloading process,needless to say I was hanging on for dear life,first to the restraint & then to the grips on the side of my seat.(like that would help if it opened completely)
Time for some more flats,so we took a quick spin on flying carousel & headed over to tower of doom,then it was back to the coasters so we decided on riding Wild one again,while in line (which had gotten pretty long by this time) we ran into a couple of enthusiasts & started talking about the park & coasters in general,I found out a bit of info about the old Python coaster too & the reason for it's removal was because when SF took over the park they didn't want the ride anymore due to the fatality that occured at SFGRADV when it operated there as Lightnin loops,all that aside we finally got on & were treated to another great ride which was every bit as good as it was earlier in the day.
Having gotten done with Wild one it was back to Gotham for our last flat of the season,Penquin's polar express.This is the first time I had ridden this ride withthe lights on at night & boy was it great,if you want an insane experience on this ride try rocking your car side ways during the high speed portion of the ride,it's probably the same feeling you get when snapping the cables on the flyers at various parks which have them.( most here know what I mean)Next up a quick flight on Batwing one final time before the season ended,the line moved rather well despite single train operation until we got to the station,as usual the Vekoma curse had befallen the ride & a train was stuck right at the top of the lift,it didn't take too long for the r ide to re- start & after a few test runs they switched trains,having gotten that out of the way it was time for a dinner break & boy was crazy horse saloon packed! it took forever to get dinner there.
After dinner it was back to the rides,we headed back to Roar for one last woodie fix beforee the season ended,wasting no time we hopped aboard in car 6 row 1 & had one of the most intense rides ever aboard this coaster,great spees,insane airtime & just all out fun which is how a great woodie should be.
All good things must end so we chose to end the final day of the 2002 season with a couple of closing laps on S:ROS,again only one train was running but once again the crews were doing a great job of loading & sending it out,we first chose to ride in the middle of the train & had a great but cold ride,once off the train we entered the queue for what would be the final ride of the season & what a great ride it was,this time opting to ride up front(of course you gotta end the season in style) while waiting in line I ran into another coasterbuzz member who wouldn't mention his buzzname to me,I mentioned my buzzname to him(you know who you are :-)) though and were off for a final lap into the darkness,the ride performed very well delivering airtime on each & every hill,what better way to wrap up the 2002 coaster season than that?
By this time it was already 10:30 so we headed home,on the way out I managed to buy a nice Batwing T-shirt at one of the shops on mainstreet for a cool $10,not bad considering it was normally around $20.00 or so,all in all it was a grreat end to the season,there were no line jumpers whatsoever today & all the rides were running great,it looks like I'll be returning again in 2003. :-)
I wish that I could have made it.
One note on Two Face, the G's on the loop are actually lower if you are riding the ends of the train. G's are highest when you are riding the middle. That may explain the difference you experienced. of course many other factors can have and effect including how long since your last meal, dehydration, and how tired you are.
I always rode in the front when the ride first opened back in 99 but found the G's much higher so I started riding in the middle of the train instead.
One other note I forgot to mention in my TR: I did see some construction equipment ie bulldozers,excavators in the clearing between Batwing & the picnic area,I wonder what may be going on over there,I gues we'll find out soon enough.
I noticed about a week or so ago that I consistently ride in the same seat on every coaster (the left one). So today, I made a point to ride in the right seat on every coaster. On S:ROS, I was like WOW!!! Coming down the lift hill and tilting to the right you feel like your face is going to meet the ground. There were less G's in the helix's but you felt the twists a lot more on the bunny hops. On Roar, I felt a different experience as well but can't tell what the difference is. Wild One, I noticed you get whipped around a little more in the right seat. Something to think about when you hit the park next season.
Thanks for pointing that out,I usually enter the train first ,my friend enters 2nd so on a ride like S:ROS or JJ for example I'm always sitting on the left side of the train.
Another way to change the ride experience is simply to switch cars,I almost always ride up front,however when it get's closer to closing time I'll go for whichever seat has the shortest possible line.When I rode Roar last night for example I didn't want to wait for the front so instead went to car #6 row #1 & it was a much more out of control ride back there than it usually is up front.
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