SFAW: Better than expected

First I have to say that our overall park experience was pleasant, and in no way did I feel that the park lived up to its reputation as SF Ghetto World. The park was clean, had far more shade than SFoT, and all the coasters were running an adequate amount of trains with reasonable waits. The ride selection is getting a little weak, but there are also some gems here. I'll give each ride a ranking 1 to 5. I also have to say that all of the staff was very friendly and even filled our waterbottles with ice and water 3 times free of charge. Doesn't rank up there with the free soda from HW, but water in Houston is just about as important.

Serial Thriller- 4

My first SLC and a lot better than I expected. I was ready for some headbanging so I kept my head pressed back and leaned it into the harness at certain points to prevent it from reaching this inevitable position with force. However, the only part of the ride that was a real headbanger was the twist in the heartline loop. Overall it was a fun ride, and fairly intense experience.
Wait time: 1:15 (front row)

Mayan Mindbender- 2

This is a count coaster. It was OK, not a bad experience but just not intense enough for the wait unless you have some kids with you. Oh well, the theming is decent.
Wait time: :35 (middle)

Texas Cyclone- 4.5

A great wooden coaster. The drops are great as are the laterals as the turns are taken with great speed. The coaster is also fairly smooth, nothing like its Texas brotheren TG and the Rattler. This coaster is highly reridable and highly enjoyable.
Wait time: 5 minutes (back row)

Ultra Twister- 3

A nice novel experience that you will not get anywhere else in North America, but a little rough on the head and shoulders. It was nice to do it once, but I felt no need to reride.
Wait time: :45 (back row) Only single car with 3 rows.

Greazed Lightning- 4.5

Wow! That was my first reaction. I didn't expect the lauch to be that intense versus the new LIM launches of FoF, Mr. Freeze, and Poltergeist but it really delivered. Also backward through the loop was really cool, with a little hang time at the top. A must do if your at Astroworld.
Wait time: :20 (back row)

Viper- 3

This coaster was smooth considering its age but lacked any intensity. I love Schwarzkopf, Shockwave at SFoT, Greazed Lightning, but this one just doesn't pack the punch. Also got stuck arriving back to the station. We were sitting in the back so we had to wait 30 minutes for the mechanics to come and push the train into the station to be released. That did dampen the experience some, but we recovered.
Wait time: :20 (back row)

Batman: The Escape- 3.5

I have mixed feeling about this coaster. I thought that the layout was one of the more exciting stand-ups I have ridden. Much better than Shockwave at PKD or Vortex at PC, and around the same caliber in excitement as Georgia Scorcher. However, this ride was rough, way rough. Even trying to brace my head did no good. I still enjoyed the ride as it would take a brain hemorrage to ruin my fun, but there is room for improvement here. In an interesting note, the rumors concerning the removal of this ride are likely untrue. There was a new train still wrapped in plastic sitting on the transfer track. They were running two trains, so it was a third. It doesn't seem likely to me that they would purchase a new train or even have one refurbished if the ride was going to be removed as reported by Screamscape. Oh well just rumors.
Wait time: N/A Had the free fast passes available from the park. (back row)

XLR-8- 3

Well this ride wasn't very intense, but it was smooth and enjoyable. Nothing close to BBW, but having been away from the Wolf for a full year now it was a neat feeling to be on a suspended again. This is a very rerideable coaster.
Wait time: :10 (last car, front row)

Thanks a lot for your TR, it is nice to read a TR about a park that is hardly talked about. I am glad you had a different feeling about SFAW than other people.

-----------------
Good Times!! Good Times!!
CCI Lives On!!!!
-Patrick

Real shame you didn't get to ride Texas Tornado, very fun coaster, since you love Schwarzkopf's, that is probably some of Anton's craziest work, really, who in their right mind, would make a coaster that pulls 6.7 g's, NOT B&M, Mr. Anton did that though, too bad he isn't around today.

-----------------
Nessy: Ride of Steel
Webmaster of Digital Coaster - http://digital-coaster.com

That's because Texas Tornado has been closed for what...one or two years now?
-------------
TOGO!

Good TR

-----------------
Im the #1 Canobie Lake Park Fan!!!These are my top 3 coasters:
1. S:RoS @ SFNE 2. Yankee Cannonball 3. Cyclone/B:TDK

You waited an hour and 15 min for an SLC? Or do you mean 1 min 15 seconds?

-----------------
-Sean

---

SFgadvMAN said:
"You waited an hour and 15 min for an SLC? Or do you mean 1 min 15 seconds?

-----------------
-Sean
"

---

I waited an hour and 15 min and I don't regret it at all. It was my first SLC and was better than most people say. There was some roughness, especially in the first inversion, but it was still a good ride.

One other note that I forgot to mention in my first post. We didn't expect to ride Texas Tornado as it has been closed for almost two years now, but I was very surprised that they have left the trains on the tracks. One train is totally exposed to the elements. I think that might be an indication of what they think those trains are worth. I wonder if/when this coaster will ever run again.

Well, we can all thank Ed Markey for Texas Tornado not running, that is one of the coasters that is at the top of his hit list.

-----------------
Nessy: Ride of Steel
Webmaster of Digital Coaster - http://digital-coaster.com

Since none of Markey's proposed legislation has yet to see the light of day, I don't understand what would have to do with TT being closed. I believe the reasons, mainly problems with the restraints, for the ride being closed are more real than his fuzzy statistics.

-----------------
"Look, we all go way back, and uh, I owe you from the thing with the guy in the place and I'll never forget it." "That was our pleasure." "I'd never been to Belize."

You waited an hour and fifteen minutes for an SLC!? I rode my first SLC last week waiting 20 minutes for it and even I regret waiting THAT long for it.

In every way that people made Serial Thriller out to be, it was exact. Rough, boring, not fun, painful, etc. the list can go on forever.

I see no problem with SLCs (if they are smooth). Boring? No way! Intense, foot choppers, crazy inversions. I like it.
-------------
TOGO!