Day 2 (the 5th) - Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom - Louisville Kentucky.
And Holiday World - Santa Claus Indiana

So after getting up at what... 3am? The trip starts its 600 mile drive
to SFKK.... yay. On the way to SFKK from TN we passed Beech Bend… I
could see the wheel that's about it… Yeah so after a few more hours
and watching the sun come up… We got to SFKK. After getting to the
park before it opened. We got to walk back to ride ""Chang"". Well as
we were going back we found out Chang wasn't open yet. So we got some
T2 ERT! WOO!!

I took 3 laps on t2. 2 In the front seat and one in the back. The ride
isn't THAT BAD... but its still bad. I had been on it 6 years before
so I don't know why I went on it 3 times in a row... But I did...

T2
Type - Steel
Year - 1995 (One of the first SLCs in the US)
Kind - SLC

The ride looks nice how it's over grown with trees and bushes the ride
is just like most other SLCs but the end hills are different as they
don't tilt side to side. It also has a shorter train and more trains
then the newer ones. It has 3 trains but only 2 are ever uses 2. The
ride is also odd looking... You can see red all over from where the
black paint chipped... and in the station its still bright red…

After that I went over to Chang by now a few park guests had got back
to this part of the park. I waited 2 or 3 loads so I could get the
front seat on it. I had been on it before but never in the front. So
it was worth the wait for me.

Chang
Type - Steel
Year - 1997
Kind - Stand Up

Chang starts off like Mantis but then ends different it has 2
corkscrews and a non twisted end. When it was new it was the tallest
fastest and most looping stand up coaster. The ride is still great and
has some air time and a trim less first drop!...Unlike Mantis. The
ride bangs you a bit but nothing to bad and overall is great. But me
being a stand up fan it's not hard to be great.

After my 1 Chang ride I walked over to the wheel. I took a ride on it
just to get some photos of the park and the rides and stuff… By this
point I had done POV videos on T2 and Chang. But when I got to the
wheel I was told I couldn't take my cam on the ride… So after being
let to POV on T2 and Chang.. I wasn't sable to take it on the
wheel…But I did anyways because im a rule breaker… After I got off the
wheel I made my way to Thunder Run. This is by far the best of the 3
"hurler" clones it was first and it's still better then the PC or PKD
clones of it. Some people don't like it as much as the Hurlers… But I
do…

Thunder Run
Type - Wood
Year - 1990
Kind - I guess it's an Out-n-Back....

The ride is fun and a lot better paced and smoother then both hurlers
it has more air time to. Over all I really like this coaster and
always have. And I'm amazed that Six Flags has kept it up and running
so well...Unlike some other wood coasters they own... The ride was
only running one train and still had no line at all I was able to ride
it 2 times in a row both in the front seat.

After my 2 front seat rides on Thunder Run I walked over to twins...
It was only running one side... the teal one. The ride uses older
style G-Trains and they are not as bad as the newer ones. They still
suck but not as bad. The last time I was at the park both sides were
running but they didn't go at the same time. So I still haven't seen
the ride run the way it should…

Twisted Twins
Type - Wood
Year - 1998
Kind - Dueling

The ride is ok and has some nice air time and a good helix at the end.
It would have been funner if both sides were open and dueling... But
that didn't happen... Also if the ride had better trains…. Going down
the first drop on the ride you see a sign for Holiday Worlds new wave
pool. I went on the ride 2 times. The first time I took the front seat
and then I took the back the park was dead so they let you re ride and
even change seats without going all the way around. So that was good.

After I got off twins I walked around a bit and got some photos and
stuff. And was almost done with the back side of the park But Deka
still had one more coaster to do in the back. The Roller Skater. I had
been on it before but it was a walk on. So I just went on…

Roller Skater
Type - Steel
Year -1994
Kind - Kiddie

The ride is ok. It's just a little Vekoma thing but its ok. The ride
is places in a nice part of the park over a little river with some
trees and bushes around it. I took a front seat ride on it and had a
fun ride.

After that I was done with the backside of the park so I walked over
the infamous bridge that splits the park up... And went to get the
only 2 coasters in the park I hadn't been on yet.

Greezed Lightnin' was the first one I went to. I had never been on a
Schwarzkopf shuttle before so it was a first for me. I took the front
seat my first ride and then the next 3 in the back and my last in the
front once more. This ride even with its 1 train had no line and I was
able to re ride over and over without getting off.

Greezed Lightnin'
Type - Steel
Year - '2003'
Kind - Shuttle Loop

The launch on the ride is slower then new launch coasters but it's
still a very fun ride. I had been on looping stars before so I knew
the loop was forceful… Going up the first spike is cool and you float
all the way back down. Going in the loop backwards is cool but then
something bad happened... I had seen videos of this kind of ride
before so I knew how high up the back spike it could go... But SFKK
trimmed it to death where trains back cars didn't even seem to make it
50% of the way up... Sitting in the front you don't even make it to
the steepest part on the spike. When riding one of my back seat rides
I looked backwards the full ride. That made the back spike funner I
guess...

So now I only needed to ride the mouse. By this time of the day it was
like 95-100* out and the line for the mouse is all outside in the
sun... So after I got a real bad sun burn I got my ride on Road Runner
Express.

Road Runner Express
Type - Steel
Year - 2000
Kind - Mad Mouse

The rides station area looks nice SF tried to theme it. The overall
ride is fun but in the end it's a mouse... If you have been on
one...For the most part you have been on them all. The ride wasn't
using all the cars so the line was longer then it had to be... It
ended up being the longest line in the park fro me.

So after that I took one ride on the parks Intamin drop tower.....
Hellavator I wish SFNE still used this name and not Scream. It's much
cooler... The tower wasn't using all its sides so the line was longer
then it should have been. You get a nice view of the park from the
ride I guess. After I got off I was done with SFKK... After hanging
around for the other people to show up we got in the vans and were off
to Holiday World.

For the first time in my life I went to 2 parks in 2 different states
in 2 different time zones in the same day…

I had never been to the park before and have always seen such great
things about the park and its rides. So I really wanted to go to
it….To bad for the most part everything I heard was wrong......

Once I got in the park the first thing I ran to was...Raven....

Raven
Type - Wood
Year - 1995
Kind - Terrain

My first ride on it I took the front seat. Later I took the front seat
once more... Then 2 back seat rides and one in the middle.
After my first ride on it....The only thing I could think of was.....

WHY IS THIS RIDE RATED SO HIGH!........... I hated it... yes...
hated..... I didn't feel much air on the ride in any spots... And that
"5th hill" with its 'killer' air time or whatever even with a slacked
seatbelt still didn't give me much... Later I was told I was on the
"new" train so that might be why it wasn't a good ride for me. But
still... I think the ride sucked... and it made my head hurt…

After that big let down I made my way over to the Legend this ride
always looked better in photos and videos to me then Raven. And it
was. Legend is a much much much better ride then Raven it's a lot
longer has a better layout and way more air time.

Legend
Type - Wood
Year - 2000
Kind - Umm I guess it's an Out-n-Back Twister Terrain coaster....

Legend is a great ride from start to finish the first drop is cool and
goes into a tunnel you get air time over all the hills and one of the
hills has some of the longest floater air I have ever felt. I also
liked the helix the ride has. I wish I had more time to go on it but
it had a long line all day. So I only got my 2 front seat rides. I
wish I would have had time for one back seat ride. But because it was
only running one train… As with raven... It had a long line.

After that I walk around and went on a few of the flat rides and water
rides. The log ride was nice and had some good views of Legend. The
S&S tower the park has felt very weak. The river raft was nice and
felt long. The flyers they had were just ok... After getting on some
other stuff I made my way up to the Howler coaster

Howler
Type - Steel
Year - 1999
Kind - kiddie

Howler is the parks only steel coaster. I think the trains on the ride
are cooler then the ride itself. It gave 2 laps so that was cool I
guess. The park put it in an odd place in the park. You have to walk
in and around this big playground thing in the park to get to it… I
think I had more fun playing in the playground then I did on the
coaster… The ride itself is just like many clones of the "jeepers"
coasters or "Road Runners" at some SF parks.

And because my TR hit the 10,000 limit... I had to post the rest in this post...


Yeah so in the end... SFKK was the better of the parks for the day.
Chang was the best steel and Legend the best wood. SFKK is much better
now then what it was before… And it really isn't THAT BAD of a place.
People just hate it because of the bridge… But it really is one of the
BETTER SF parks! Holiday World sucked a lot to me. I felt the park was
very over rated and it's also really small with not a lot to do. Raven
is also way over rated for what it is... And I would not go back to
this park unless they added something really amazing... (*NOTE* I
wrote this up weeks before Voyage had its press release)


Changs dive loop


Backseat on Twins


Backseat in the loop on GL


Legends first drop...


Ravens first drop...

Nice TR and nice pictures....even know you are not allowed to take pictures on a ride.

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Take a chill pill and stop sounding like Markey.

How bout you take a chill pill. He raises a very valid point. There have been far too many accidents with people losing hard metal objects (i.e. cameras, cell phones) that have ended up hitting people on the ride. I'm sure you wouldnt be a happy camper with a camera wedged into your face.

James - Very nice TR! Glad you had a very enjoyable time at our park! We are really kicking up Guest Service this year, and hopefully it paid off!!

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"...and please don't rock the Gondulas!"

I thought that there are signs saying no loose objects on rides posted everywhere, just because the ops say its ok dosen't mean anything you need to have it in writing from the park. And isn't that against the rules of this board?

Ok.. Yeah... I take on ride photos.. But I try to stay away from the good/bad post or topics about it...

Now really.. what do you think is safer? me putting my cam just in my pocket and rideing where it could fly out at anytime?
OR
If I hold it in my hand where I know it wont fall off.. as its stapped to my wrist and in my hand... NOT just in my pocket.

Now what seem safer now?

How about leaving it in the designated storage areas to the side instead of having it on the ride at all? That seems to be the safest way yet.

__________________
"...and please don't rock the Gondulas!"

And this would be why I try and stay away from this kind of post/topic....

Im not about go put my $400.00 cam in a station where anyone could just walk off with it... And dont say it wont happened... Last summer I was at SFOG with a friend and someone walked off with her bag on MB and she never got it back

You did go with a large group on this trip if I recall. HOw hard would it have been to give it to a non-rider James? And if I am not mistaken, you where told to ask before you took POV shots on coasters to clear it with someone that worked at the park.

But nice TR anyway. I am sure Paula would enjoy it to some degree.

As you know with the "green lantern" joke about me.. that I was told about on the last night..............(FOEO) I was never really with the group... and if i was with anyone I would be with "deka" and she would be on the ride with me.

Now your right I did not "ASK!" at HW.. But I did have both my photo and video cam out and in my hand in the station as as I got in... and in my video It does start and end in the station. If the park didnt want me to take it on they could have asked to put it away. (But at the other parks I did ask... and CG even saw me ask some of the few times I was with the group...)

If anyone is really that mad at the photos im sorry.

There is nothing wrong with onride photos if done safely.

the other day at PKI, id id not take my camera case,s o i had to keep my digicam in mt shorts pocket. While riding Vortex,I looked down and saw the camera laying on the seat where it had slid out. I caught it, and on every ride after that I held the camera in my hands, where it is safe.

Well you did have green hair and you where warned to not take anything I say to heart. But atlast you did and got all bent out of shape over it and complained about it. Maybe you should just enjoy yourself and hung out with us from time to time.

Was only refering to the one park James. No need to get defensive.

Hey James I think you might be confusing Guntown Mountain with Beech Bend. You CAN clearly see GM's Ferris Wheel from the interstate as it's on the side of well a mountain, but BB is a good 5 to 10 miles off the interstate so I really doubt you were able to see their wheel unless your van took a detour.

I too feel SFKK gets an undeserved bad rap and agree that Thunder Run beats the pants off the Hurlers (I've ridden all 3 this year). I hope SFKK is watching their back for '06!

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I'm turning Japanese I think I'm turning Japanese I really think so

Hmmm well from the van I was able to see 2 "parks" the first one had a wheel that I was able to see. It was on a hill top. But later down the road I saw a different wheel on some flat land in a field... I was able to get my cam out for that one but as soon as i took the photo.. We passed a tree.. But you can see the wheel.

would you know what ths is then? I just guessed it was BB as we were in KY and its the only other park I knew of.

you can put your 400 dollar camera in a locker where it should be! I got hit in the head at KK by a camera earlier this year

No you didnt.....


Also I didnt see any lockers around the ride...

James, you are one of a million people who take cameras on rides and snap pictures. I don't really have any reason to be specifically at you. My "rant" was mainly directed towards the "Markey" comment a few threads up.

However, I would seriously suggest taking some time to think about better alternatives to taking your $400 camera on rides with you. I doubt you'd appreciate it slipping from your hands and shattering into a thousand pieces, or even worse, hitting someone in the face and causing you to face a huge lawsuit that I'm sure you really don't need. Correct me if I'm wrong, but both of those seem a tad worse than your camera being stolen.

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"...and please don't rock the Gondulas!"