Six Flags Great America Trip 2, Opening Weekend

For the second day of Opening Weekend at Six Flags Great America, I arranged a day off work for a solo trip to the park to enjoy the pleasures of simply having fun without anyone getting hurt.

I slept in, and I had some discrepancies of if I wanted to fly solo or not. Last year, I went once and it was great, meaning nobody was there. Another time, it was so packed I left after three rides. But my gut said I’d regret it if I didn’t go, and I don’t regret going it solo.

I started off with Condor to get some blood to the brain. Then, while picture taking, I decided to ride Roaring Rapids, a raft ride that splashes along a wavy river. I remained fairly dry for a while, while the family riding on my raft was getting hit the most. That changed when I ran into a ride attendant stationed at a water blast cannon, which hit ME directly.

I saw it in his eyes; he meant to drench ME. Throughout the rest of the ride, and while waiting to unload, one girl kept saying how I got it the worst. I truly did. I would get some revenge, though. At the ride’s exit, you can blast riders with water as they finish their last rapid. So I shot those people from my prior ride, and then the next group got it even better.

To dry off in a breeze, I rode East River Crawler, like an Octopus or Tarantula. Some Marines were riding the ride, and one was saying how sick he was feeling. Before the ride he said he probably wouldn’t be able handle it. He did, but if he’s a Marine, shouldn’t he be able to handle it?

Since I wasn’t dry, I rode Yankee Clipper, another water ride, this time a boat flume. Walking along, I thought maybe a spin on Fiddler’s Fling would help me dry off. All it did was get me extremely dizzy and sore, as I was suctioned to the side of the car the whole time. What a ride!

To keep up the g-force feeling, I rode Revolution, and then hit Iron Wolf because the line was barely at the stairs. Never miss a good opportunity. Then, I had to ride American Eagle, and since the two tracks actually have a different layout after the first drop, I rode both the red and the blue trains. I like the red side better, as it has one more hill going over the blue track.

I went to Demon to see if I could actually capture a video of my ride with my digital camera. Though it turned out shaky, you can view the loops and corkscrews real well.

Heading to Hometown Square, I decided to ride Triple Play to make up for last year. I rode twice in a row, as there was hardly a line. Then, since Whizzer had just re-opened, I rode it for the first time this season. I like how the ride doesn’t scare you to death, but it still packs more feeling than the kiddie coaster.

I didn’t feel like going around the park entrance area to get back to Orleans Place, so I backtracked to Southwest Territory and rode Viper. I love the ride and I love the hills, and sitting near the back wasn’t as rocky as the front. The thing about the front is that when the train reaches the top, it seems as if it’s coming to a stop. Then the back of the train finally reaches the top and it goes racing from there. The ride kind of hangs at the top.

Since lines were becoming shorter as the day went on, I rode Raging Bull and Giant Drop. Someone thought it would be funny to spit from the top of the drop. But the stupid kid didn’t realize that both his spit and mouth were totally blue from cotton candy. Ride attendants had no problem identifying the spitter, and he was taken aside, I assume to wait for security. My guess is he was ejected from the park, as he was with a girl and two other couples, and later I saw the couples and the girl, but no guy.

Since I was in the area, I went back on Raging Bull and again on Giant Drop. Not screaming on the ride feels funny, like some extra pressure in the body. But not screaming on a 227-foot freefall also seems kind of silly, doesn’t it?

After riding Ricochet, I skipped Demon and Eagle, as well as any of the rides in Wiggles World. I just couldn’t bear to ride the kiddie rides without my brother Joe. So I went for Iron Wolf, as the line again was minimal. I again rode Fiddler’s Fling to keep up the exhiliration.

By this time, it seemed that the park was empty. I rode V2 with virtually no wait at all. I got three rides in, not in a row, but pretty much just by exiting and re-entering the line. I was on every other ride.

This was a good time at night to ride coasters that have long lines during the afternoon. Batman had no line, even on the stairs. I rode twice, and then spun on Whirligig.

Since I didn’t bring a lunch, and all I had was a jerky and some candy I brought in, I went for one of my favorite snacks at Great America: a jumbo pretzel with what seems like a tub of cheese sauce. I figured I’d have time to eat that while waiting for Ragin’ Cajun. I wonder if people were afraid I’d be the guy who eat’s a pretzel with cheese and then goes on a ride and gets sick all over. I am NEVER that guy!!

I was put in a car with a couple, probably in their 30s, who had never been on the Cajun. They weren’t expecting the ride they got! Ragin’ Cajun is designed like Wild Mouse coasters of the past. Cars go through hairpin turns and a few dips before the car spins like a Tilt-a-Whirl through more hairpin turns. The couple with me were freaking. I love riding with first-timers!

Because the park would soon be closing, I decided to end off with Superman. Hardly anyone was riding at the time, and I could easily see my car in the nearly-empty parking lot. I couldn’t ride just once. Nobody was in the line for the last row, which I was in, so I stayed on. As long as there was room for one, I had a ride. After four rides in a row, and because an annoying fat kid kept blabbing about this or that, I exited the line to get in line for the front row. I still had a few minutes before closing time, so I rode Condor again before heading back to Superman for a last ride in the front row. The view is spectacular and the pretzel loop is mind-numbing. It feels like you’re going to black out from the pressure of doing a head-first loop into the air. My whole lower body cramped up the first ride, but by my fifth and final flight, my body adjusted to such punishment.

I didn’t think I would stay until closing time, but since the park was clearing out by 5 p.m., I just couldn’t leave. I hit 34 rides in just seven hours! Some people may wonder how I can go to Six Flags solo, but after reading this trip report, and knowing how I am a coaster enthusiast, the reason just might make sense. As my friend Nicolle told me before my trip, "Hey, you just wanna do something fun! Do it!"