SFGAm 5/11/02 - CoasterBuzz

Well, even though it started raining, it was a pretty good day to be at Great America. As is usual when I go to SFGAm, Deja Vu was not open. I seem to have really bad luck with that ride, in that respect. American Eagle looked to be open, but by the time it started raining, it stopped running.

I haven't been on so many rides in the rain before, so getting rain drops smashing against my face on Batman, V2, Iron Wolf, Shockwave, and Raging Bull was an experience. The lines were incredibly short, with a virtual walk-on for V2, Batman, and Iron Wolf, but by 2:00 my friends and I were soaked and we opted to go home. On the way out of the park I felt a surge of sorrow as I walked over the bridge by Roaring Rapids and saw that Cajun Cliffhanger was indeed gone. I felt extremely sad that the ride I'd ridden countless times was gone. (Unlike Sky Whirl and Hay Baler, this ride's place was clearly marked, so it didn't seem easy to forget about...)

All in all, it was a pretty good day, but we'll see what day 2 brigs tomorrow. Maybe I'll finally get to ride Deja Vu and Backwards Eagle...

Dont count on Deja-Vu being open tomorrow. They were in the process of trying to move the train through the loop into the second lift. As of Friday night a crane was on site with this process going on.

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""To be the man, WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!, You got to beat the man""!!!

So, let me get this straight -- they're going to move the train up the second tower and let it go through a backwards run through its course to fix the problem?

Well, all I know is that the train for DV was not on any part of the track, so it must have been in the station. Frankly, I'm worried most about the cold.

It can be painful in the rain!!! Last year while on RB it hurt when it began to rain hard!!! But if you are lucky when the rain stops you can have a great time with little to no lines. After the rain last year i got re-rides on RB which for me was a first!!

Day 2:

Deja Vu was indeed down, and today I got to see why. Chitown was right-- the train was stuck right between a tower and the loop. There was very little rain, if any at all, and very few people. That translated into finally getting onto Eagle backwards. What a rush!

Total trip: RB 7x, B:TR 3x, AE 3x, V2 2x, all the rest once. And we left the park at 5 and stopped for an hour without doing anything. But my friend got sick on Condor.... LOL!

Today was a great day, especially since I got 2 of my friends in for free with season passes.

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Did you know that 1 in every 5 American teenagers believes that the US declared its independence from FRANCE???

Bull fan said:
So, let me get this straight -- they're going to move the train up the second tower and let it go through a backwards run through its course to fix the problem?

If they can do that instead of taking the train apart piece by piece and then re-assembling it piece by piece, then yes, that is what they are attempting to do.

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""To be the man, WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!, You got to beat the man""!!!

I think the park got a bit lucky it was raining this weekend and crowds were sparse, making DV's inactivity seem more forgivable.

Im sure the park didnt think they were lucky!!! Sparse attendance means less profits!!!!!

My wife and I were at the park yesterday (5/12) and the train was just outside the station toward the tower and was 1/2 dismantled. So, I'm guessing they're taking it off piece-by-piece and re-assembling it. Don't plan on the ride being open anytime soon. I've never ridden DV and it appears I never will. Everytime I'm there the ride is down or goes down.

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Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former." - Albert Einstein

DV Monument rises again!! Whew....for a minute there it seemed to be acting like a coaster.