SFGAM:TR..6/26/04..Fun!

Left Columbus ohio at 6pm on friday with 3 of my best girlfriends and got to Gurnee(chicago) at 6am. Longest drive of my life(lol). It really should have only taken us six hours and not 12. But we made a lot of rest stops. Anyways we stayed at the comfort in, located right across from the park. Slept for 3 hours and woke up at 9 and got to the park at 10am. The front gates were pack. I'm talking lines of people to the parking lot trying to get through the medal detectors. It took us 10 min to figure out that there is a seperate entrance for season pass holders(Wyandot Lake)

Ragging Bull: 1st ride of the day and was a lot of fun. The airtime was great and it felt really fast for some reason.(since i last rode in 99'). This coaster is never a let down an always lives up to its hype. +10

American Eagle: Never rode this in my life till saturday. so I didnt know what to expect. This coaster was so much fun and is now in my top ten(wood).(seriously) Airtime was great and the helix thing was cool +10

Revolution: A nice small huss frisbee(nothing like Delirium) but was longer and gave more of a ride.+9

Fiddlers Fling: Most fun I have ever had on a flat ride. its like a scrambled egg ride gone insane! Loved every moment. Laughed so hard I cried.+10

After that we sat around checking out guys for like 2hrs and we ate. They have really good nachos.

Then we went on Stargate Sg 3000. Had no clue that that was the ride from the outside. No signs anywhere, just a giant rocket ship.Pretty good simulator. +7

Top Speed w/ Tim Allen: Total snooze fest. Don't waste your time. +1(AC)

Viper: Similar as the ones @SFMM and SFOG(georgia Cyclone. Pretty but felt very weird. +6

Train: Rode around the park Once

Iron Wolf: Waited all day to ride this and it finally opened right after we got off the train ride and we were 1st in line. I absolutely love this coaster. It packs such a big punch for such a small coaster. Alittle rough at parts. but I didn't mind. +9

Demon: Nice arrow coaster. Pretty smoothe (sp?)the corkscrews were fun.

B:TR- Waited an 1hr 1/2- Before you ask why? All my friends I went with had never been on it. Good as always and very intense. +10

And that was it. The park was packed and Superman had a 2 1/2hr wait and we werern't going to do that. V2 was closed and all the larger flats(king Chaos and Condor) had to long of lines for the ride. Overall the park was great and I have to say that SFGAM is the Best SF park out there. Good Job!(plus they have the cutest ride ops.) *** Edited 6/28/2004 4:48:58 AM UTC by Alizabeth***

Interesting that you found Viper in the same league as SFMM's and Georgia's. Psyclone (at SFMM) is widely hailed as the worst piece of wood to ever bear the name "coaster" and when I rode SFoG's I got the roughest ride on any wood I've ever ridden (earlier this year). We're talking sitting on a jackhammer rough. A lot of people like it, but I though it gave SFMM's a run for worst wood ever.

On the other hand Viper at GAm. is widely considered to be a fairly good/very good/heavenly ride. It's definitely in my top 5 wood and at night it's scary good.

Not to say that you should've liked it or anything, but try 1-3 at night next time you go and see if that changes your opinion. *** Edited 6/28/2004 5:14:09 AM UTC by ApolloAndy***

I too am surprised to see Viper compared to the unholy Psyclone, the worst coaster I have ever ridden. I will concede, however, that unless you ride in 1-3, Viper can give a less than stellar ride. I don't know what it is about that seat. I have tried every seat on the ride including the ones directly in front of and directly behind 1-3. No seat even came close to giving the ride that 1-3 gives. Not even close. Riding 1-3, Viper is my number two, ahead of such legends as Ghostrider, Raven, and Beast. It's biggest failing, IMHO, is that it isnt consistantly good, or nearly consistantly good throughout the train. The difference between 1-3 and the rest of the train really is night and day.

Glad you had fun at Great America. Saturdays during the height of summer is not a time I would visit the park. Next time you go, you might want to try a Sunday or a weekday. You might find shorter waits that way.

Sky-

Glad to see I'm not the only one that has done "exhaustive" research to check out all the seats on Viper. Actually, lots of folks have said the same thing and I usually make it a point to tell people I hear complaining about the ride to check out 1-3/

Without fail they are always more impressed after riding in that seat.

I think Viper as a rule, is very tempermental with weather conditions compared to some other coasters. It just seems to be it's nature. Riding it after a rain is pure torture with all the squealing and it's very sluggish.

You're right, the night rides are awesome, especially after a really warm day.

Glad to see the original poster enjoyed the park, even on a Saturday. I'm not sure how you turn a 6-hour drive into 12 but that's another topic!

I think Alizabeth was referring to the fact that Viper, like Psucklone and Brian's (Homey G's) baby, is a replica of the original in terms of LAYOUT...not comparing them in ride quality...

GAm's and oG's are good enough, but (IMO, as always) only the one in Texas earns the right to "hold Mom's jock"...;) And that even with (gasp!) Morgan trains...

Nice TR Alizabeth, we need more womenfolk 'round there parts...;)

Of course, I think the spelling of Bull was one of those "Freudian typos"...and that ANY place you can get AC on a hot summer day is worth having AVAILABLE....for when ya need it....:)

One of my best rides ever on Viper came in 2.2 on a very cold Opening day this year so go figure. I've always thought all this talk about 1.3 was just so much hype as I get consistently stellar rides all over the train on this beauty - front or back, warm or cold, day or night.

I've gotten great rides in 1-1 and in 5-3, as well. 1-3 is really where the money is, though.

Viper in the last rows is a great ride with great airtime, a very under-rated wooden coaster!!!

Rollergator was right. Sorry about not being more clear. I ment that Viper had the same/similar layout as Georgia Cyclone and Pysclone. Viper was a good coaster, but felt a little bit to rough.(but no SOB. Worse woodie ever)

Brad G, When we(my freinds) go on road trips we stop at just about every rest stop and when ever we see a shopping center. Just something we do. And its lots of fun.

I think rides both in 1-3 and the very last row are about equal, however, I go to 1-3 because of the always shorter line, which is always about three to five cycles. I think it's a great ride; starting with the hill after the first turnaround. Last real hill is amazing. Also, Viper's three-bench trains really, I think, are a much better train than any two-bench ones.

I just wanted to add that I hadn't even seen this thread until now but I was just at SFGAM on Saturday while in town for US vs Poland. I had a walk-on Viper right before park close in 1-3 and it is now tops on my list. What a great ride!

How in the world do you keep track of what seats give what ride? Do you keep a notebook? lol.

SnakeEyes...a fabulous soccer match AND a fabulous SF park, sounds like had a great trip yourself! :)

Apologies to Bull lovers, but "Ragging Bull" will probably become part of the *infamous 'gator lexicon*...LOVE to get back to that park, and give "the REAL Chicago Bull" another couple laps...along with more V2 (and Viper, and Whizzer, and Eagle backwards, and....), yummmm!

8.3....I have an easier time remembering the different riding locations than I do keeping track of laps...then again, I'm *way* more interested in where to ride NEXT than I am in how many times I've already ridden, LOL.

When is Con '05 again? ;)

I never rode Whizzer when I went to GAm, I didn't even know it was there.

It's very secluded in the woods, which is what gives it quite a bit of its charm.