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I will try to describe as much as I can but I am mostly excited about getting my count up to the "big 100" (and it is past 1 am and I need some sleep). My bf and I decided to make the trip to Six Flags Great America for our anniversary, so what better time for my first major milestone in coaster riding? The weather was chilly all day with intermediate rain which kept alot of people away. Lines were short to non-existent, except for Dark Knight which was mostly due to the heat inside the ride. Picture link at the end with some 130+ pictures of all coasters and the park.
We got there right as the park was opening and the parking lot was quite empty. Throughout the day it filled up a little more, but not to the point where the park was anywhere near crowded. I'll post my review of the coasters as we rode them:
Viper - #90 - This ride was decent and smoother then I would have thought. It was still early in the day and chilly so it wasn't running as fast as it could have, but overall not a bad ride and not too rough either.
Raging Bull - #91 - Great ride with great speed and very comfortable seats. Very smooth and was both our favorite coaster in the park.
Demon - #92 - Older arrow that rode like an older arrow. Barely any line except what people gathered as they tested the ride (running it through the course about 5 times as we stood there waiting for it to open). The rock structures and tunnels made it unique but it was still very bumpy. Thumbs down also for the flowers in front of the sign instead of the REAL sign.
American Eagle - #93 - Decent ride with some good speed in some places and surprising airtime in others. Not very smooth and also irritating to the ears (screeching along the track). Overall seems in very bad shape.
Iron Wolf - #94 - Ouch. Painful restraints to every region of the body and bad transitions made this our least liked coaster at the park. I guess one would ride this only to see how far B&M has come over the years, even as far as stand ups go (Mantis being one of my favorite rides at CP being far more comfortable).
Vertical Velocity - #95 - Smooth fast ride, and my 3rd Impulse coaster. Seemed less intense then Superman: Possessed Ride Of Voodoo, but it might be just me getting used to them.
Batman: The Ride - #96 - My first Batman clone, and I wasn't sure what to expect. Ive heard alot of praise and it seemed it lived up to alot of it. It was fast, forceful, and more intense then many of the B&M inverts I've been on. I can see why some compare Talon to these.
The Dark Knight Coaster - #97 - Rode this twice because of the heat inside, but it was a fun little mouse-in-a-box. You rushed by the effects but still could get an idea of what they were and it added to the "experience", although I had no idea there was a story until the second time around. Overall I can see this being popular with families and such and a good ride to escape the heat (or chill).
Superman: Ultimate Flight - #98 - My first B&M Flyer. I've only been on Firehawk up to this point and heard these were less intense (and smoother, although I didn't find Firehawk to be very rough) then the Vekoma's, which I found to be right. The pretzel loop was pretty cool and a bit dissorientating, and the rest of the ride seemed almost relaxing with a few turns and dips. Overall it was alot of fun and I am curious to experience the other designs.
At this point we stopped and grabbed something to eat at Mooseburger Lodge. We both had The "Maynerds Special" for around $9, which was a large sized bacon cheeseburger with a bunch of waffle fries. Very good and reasonably priced, we went back later for some apple dumplings as well which were also very good.
Ragin Cajun - #99 - Standard spinning mouse but being only the 2 of us (and un-balanced) we got some crazy spinning on the second set of hairpins. Fun, but nothing special.
**Whizzer - #100 - I saved this for last because I have hear alot about it and how it was saved from the wrecking ball. This seemed perfect as my 100th coaster because of it's classic design and history in the park. A great ride from the unique sprial lift to the brake run. The mature trees also add alot to the experience as well as the terrain in the ground-hugging helixes. Overall alot of fun and I am proud to call this my 100th coaster!
Other then coasters, we also rode the railroad and sky tower. It got increasingly chilly so we left around 8 and headed to our hotel. They had a great deal with the "kids price" for $35. The food was very good, the crowds were light, and the park was clean (though I'm not sure it was as they repeatedly said "the cleanest park in the world", it was still nice). The exployees also seemed very friendly and helpfull. The weather did suck and I really wish we could have done some water rides and maybe a bit of HH, but we made the best of it. Overall a very nice park experience and very reasonable.
As a side note, on the way back home we did stop at Kiddyland and I snapped a couple of pictures (that I will upload to my webshots later). It did look like a nice little park, but we did not go in as $23 for an all day pass seemed a but steep. We could have had another day at Six Flags for $19.99 (special passes you buy for the next day as you leave). While I am sure this is a fun little park it just didn't seem worth it for one small coaster and a few other misc rides. It is sad to see parks like these close but I am glad to have seen it for my first and last time.
Thanks for reading, and hope you enjoy the pictures: (I am thinking of opening a better site to post my park pictures where I can organize them better. Not trying to copy anyone, more-so "inspired")
http://community.webshots.com/album/572897350Dmblgd?vhost=community
http://family.webshots.com/album/572913486aeZaqv?vhost=family
We stopped at Kiddieland for a few shots as well as IB for some rounds on the coasters and night pictures that I couldn't get before (and the park was very empty).
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