Day 6 (the 9th) - Six Flags Great America - Gurnee Illinois

Pulling into the parking lot for Great America… I was over excited...
and disappointed at the same time… From the lot… I saw something that
made my jaw drop… I could see DEJA-VU RUNNING! AND IT HAD PEOPLE ON
IT!.... But then I could see what looked like 20,000 school buses and
100,000s of kids….. CRAP!

Once I got into the park... I RAN to Deja-Vu… thinking I would be in
line for 3 hours……. But wait…What's this!... THE LINE WAS IN THE
STATION ONLY!.... AND! There was a free seat for the front row! After
last summer going to SFOG 3 times and not getting to ride Deja-Vu… I
was getting my chance… And it would be in the front row! 

Déjà Vu
Type – Steel
Year – "2001"
Kind – Giant Boomerang

My God….. Deja Vu is one of the greatest coasters I have ever been on…
If they were open more often I really see them as ranking in the top
20 on coaster polls…. I sit in the seat and pull down the funny OTSR….
The ride starts… Going out of the station backwards up the vertical
lift hill... My body hanging in a Vekoma made restraint…. I just let
my arms and legs hang down… going up on déjà vu is one of the coolest
parts of the ride… once you get to the top the train just drops and
for freefall back down into the station then fly into the big cobra
roll.. That does NOT head bang you... then you go into the big
vertical loop… and then up the second lift hill… This IS the best part
of the ride… you take this lift fast... but once you get to the top
you just fall backwards on your back floating all the way down….
Greatest feeling ever! After doing the loops backwards you fly back in
and then out of the station and go almost all the way back up the
first spike... then come to a dead stop… that "hold" is a lot cooler
then what you feel on an impulse coaster… Going backwards almost full
speed to a dead stop and falling into the OTSR and just hanging over
100 feet up… AMAZING!

After my amazing ride on Déjà Vu I ran around and still the line was
just in the station... I jumped in the first seat I saw... it was in
the back car... The ride is still great in the back…. But not as good
as the front seat…

After my 2 rides on Déjà vu I walked to the back of the park and went
on Iron Wolf. Getting to ride Iron Wolf for me was almost like going
to Mecca I guess. Getting to ride the very first B&M coaster ever
made. And also the first Stand-Up with a corkscrew… Woo!

Iron Wolf
Type - Steel
Year – 1990
Kind – Stand-Up

Iron Wolf didn't have a line as it's in the back of the park... And
the park had just opened... (Also most of the kids from the 20,000
buses were in the water park)
Just from looking at the ride you can tell it's old as the ride looks
much different then newer B&M coasters even the supports are funny
looking… The ride itself is very fun and force full it's also smooth
and only bangs in 1 or 2 places. I don't see why people seem to hate
it… It's just like a less compact GAS…

After that I walked down going to V2 so I could get on it before lines
would get to long... On the way I walked past the kiddie land and
jumped in the for Spacely's Sprocket Rockets... I have heard you had
to have a kid to ride… But got in line anyways… Well I got into the
station and saw 6 girls that seemed to be 15-16 all getting on... So I
just jumped on….

Spacely's Sprocket Rockets
Type – Steel
Year - 1998
Kind – Kiddie

I don't even remember the ride... I just wanted to get my "point" and
be off to v2… I do remember the girls in back of me were screaming
because they were really scared on the ride... In line one had said
she had never been on a coaster before…So they all sat in the back
seats… Letting me get the front... Woooooo

Yeah... So after that I made my way down to V2… Its line wasn't too
bad. (It filled up later in the day) It was just on the steps into the
station and in the station itself…

Vertical Velocity / V2
Type – Steel
Year – 2001
Kind – Impulse

V2 is one of the rides where even if the front row line is long...
It's worth the wait... So you get the full twist on the front spike...
and then the good view on the hold spike… After waiting7 loads... I
took my front seat... Deka showed up and sat next to me... and we were
off… The first launch isn't to good… going up the front spike you only
twist a bit… going up the back spike you don't go up far… Launch 2…
This time you make it to the top of the twisted spike and float back
down it spinning... Then you go to the back spike... and go all the
way up… and then stop…. The hold is cool... But as I said Dejas is
better. After the hold you drop back down and go a little up the front
spike once more and then its over.

After my only ride on v2 for the day we went over to Batman The
Ride... It had the longest line of the day... But it moved... This was
also one of the "Mecca" moments… First inverted coaster ever! It's
also one of the 2 coasters I feel put B&M "on the map" (the other
being Kumba)

Batman The Ride
Type – Steel
Year – 1992
Kind – Inverted

Deka got mad because in the station we were in line for row 2... It
was the shortest... But when it was our turn to ride… The front row
had 1 free seat... So I ditched Deka for it . The ride itself is
nice but doesn't feel as powerful as SFStls or SFOGs. The rides
setting is nice. The corkscrew part is over a little pond so you get
close to the water. It might not feel as powerful but it's still an
amazing ride and I will always love the layout…

After that we headed to the first of the 2 lines I feared of for the
day….. Ragin' Cajun… After seeing photos of the ride with what looks
like hour long lines… And only 2 or 3 cars on the track… This was `one
of the 2 rides in the park I really didn't care if I skipped… The
other being Superman - Ultimate Flight…

Ragin' Cajun
Type – Steel
Year – 2004
Kind – Spinner Mouse

The line didn't seem THAT bad... so we jumped in… The line even if its
not long moves slow... and its all outside in the sun... So I got a
bad sunburn in the line… In the station… Me and Deka both took a few
photos… the op over the PA system said "No cams on the ride"….We were
still in line at this point... then in the station itself… I took a
photo of the car... once more the op said "No Cams on the ride!" we
then sat down in the train… and for the third time… "NO CAMS ON THE
RIDE!"… As someone checked our lap bars… the op said for the FORTH
TIME! "NO CAMS ON THE RIDE!!!" and then she walked over to us and said
"IF WE SEE YOUR CAM OUT ON THE RIDE WE WILL STOP YOU"…LMAO…We both had
had our cams away in our bags... in the bag hold way before they even
said no cams the 3rd time…... what losers……. The ride itself was good
and we had some good spinning on the lower part.

After that we had to ride 3 more coasters so Deka could make bull her
200th coaster… We went over to Superman... The line didn't look to bad
so we jumped in line.

Superman - Ultimate Flight
Type – Steel
Year – 2003
Kind – Flyer

Having been on SFOGs superman the summer before I knew I was in for a
tame ride…We got to the station... The park has a line just for front
row riders… with a sign "45mins from this point" and it was full!...
What loser waits for the front row on a flyer!.... YOU LOOK DOWN! It
doesn't matter what row you're in……….. Me and Deka just took the
shortest line we saw… and rode. The Pretzel Loop is the only fun part
of the ride... After that its just turn turn turn... let me off… yay
it's over.

After that we walked over and went on the sky tower ride. I like tower
rides because of the views and it's good for photo taking. But I like
the "deck" style better like at PKD/PKI where you can spend all the
time at the top you want…. After a fun ride on the tower we walked
over to the Stargate ride. It was really hot and sunny out... So going
on the indoor sim ride seemed like the thing to do…It had no line at
all… We walked right into the preshow. The sim itself was ok... But
the ride system was old and outdated… it was the big boxy row and was
very rough... It gave me a headache …But it felt good to be in the
cold dark room and not in the 95* sun….

After that Deka still needed 2 coasters before we could ride bull...
So we got in line for Whizzer….

Whizzer
Type – Steel
Year – 1976
Kind - Speed Racer

Whizzer is one of only 2 "speed racer" coasters left. It's also the
only one in its original spot. The rides lift hill is a spiral so
that's cool I guess. Once you get to the top you start into a long
shallow dive the train picks up some speed part way down the turns on
the ride are fun and low to the ground. The ride is also in and around
the trees in a very nice setting. I wish I had took more then one ride
on it but I never got around to it…. Oh well…

__________________

After that we were off to the southwest land of the park. This HAS to
be the greatest themed land in ANY Six Flags park…

When walking around to get in line for Viper... I looked over and saw
that DejaVu was stopped on its lift hill... with riders on it… We got
in line for viper… and 10 mins later… The train was still on the lift
with riders… then we saw it get lowered slowly back into the
station….In line for Viper you get a nice view of Bulls drop and first
turn... As the turn is right over Vipers line….

Viper
Type – Wood
Year 1995
Kind – Cyclone-Clone

Viper is the last of the "1995 vipers" still open… And is also the
best Cyclone Clone I have been on… Even better then the CONLEY ISLAND
CYCLONE!.... The line for the front row was way to long so we took the
back. The layout is the same as the Coney Island Cyclone but its
updated a bit and runs much better then the real one….The best part of
the ride is the first drop and then after then 2nd turn around where
the park added a little dip then the big drop... So you get some nice
air. Viper is also a lot smoother then SFOGs or Coney's cyclone….

Well now that Deka had 199… We could finally get inline to ride Raging
Bull… So it could be her 200th coaster. The line was long but it was
running all 3 trains so it moved fast.

Raging Bull
Type – Steel
Year – 1999
Kind - Hyper Twister

Mmmmm B&M Hyper trains… I hadn't had the joy of sitting in one of them
for 6 years…. I love those trains. Going up the lift hill you get a
nice view of the park and rides… Once you get to the top you get the
"beema dip" then go down the first drop into the tunnel… SROS at SFNEs
drop to tunnel is better but Bulls is still fun. The first turn around
is cool because it's high and slow so you get the "I'm falling out"
feeling… The next hill has a trim on it that's used hard... You still
get a good float over the top of it... But I bet its better
trimless…after a few more turns and hills you get to the MCBR… the
park really kills the ride in the MCBR slowing it way to much… after
that you drop down and going over the last bunny hill on the ride and
head into the figure eight turn around that also has a trim in it… and
the ride is over… Raging Bull is a great ride but could be so much
better if the park didn't trim it or slam the MCBR on…..

Wow… We had almost got on every coaster in the park... And still had a
few hours left…. I guess... EVERYONE must have been in the water park…
After that Deka got back on bull and I went on giant drop. The line
for this ride is cool… Part of it is inside... and part has tall caves
for walls… the ride itself is also very good… This was the first tower
I had been on that did a penny check (I had read about parks doing it
but never had it happen to me)…. I had my cam in my hand... But they
didn't care as it wasn't a penny….. The view going up on the ride is
good like on bull... the drop on this ride is great! It feels a lot
longer then most towers... Even PKIs Dropzones drop didn't feel as
long as Giant Drop.

At some point when I was in line for the drop Deka found me and we
were off to Demon then to the back of the park for eagle and a few
flats to end the day.

Demon
Type – Steel
Year – 19"76"/ 1980
Kind – Corkscrew

Demon is a cool little looping coaster. The ride has an "outdoor"
station something I haven't seen much of… The ride starts with a
little tunnel then the lift hill… At the top the lift you make a small
turn and go down the first drop... You get some nice pop air in the
back going down the drop... then you go into 2 back to back vertical
loops the second one has some fake rocks in and around it. (It's also
the one where the train got stuck in) After the 2 vertical loops you
go into the super cool long tunnel that has color changing light in
it. Then you go up and into the MCBR and dive into the last tunnel
that also has a waterfall going off it. Then you go into the 2
corkscrews and into a little helix and its over. Overall Demon is a
neat little ride and had no line... So it's worth a few re-rides. The
light up tunnel is the coolest part of the ride…

So with Demon out of the way me and Deka only needed to go on 2 more
coasters in the park... Both sides of the racer…. On the way to it we
pasted the worlds ugliest/shortest looking Sky Coaster…. We then got
to the entrance to American Eagle…The line set up for this ride is
way to long.. It took for ever to walk to the station… then the fact
the exit ramp is just as long... then you have to walk all the way
back to go on the other side….. The ride WAS racing… but... the
backwards side was only running one train... so it only raced every
other frontward train.

American Eagle Backwards
Type – Wood
Year – 1981
Kind – Racer

Eagle is the tallest and fastest racing coaster… and one side runs
backwards... So I guess that makes it also the tallest fastest
backwards coaster too…This was also my first Intamin wood coaster...
And it sucked… The first drop in the "front" seat backwards is great
and the 'out' trip is fun... But once you get to the first MCBR on the
ride... the trains are almost STOPPED! You take the big helix slow...
but it picks up midway down… dropping off the helix is fun but also
has a trim... the way back to the station is ok... but rough... then
you get to MCBR #2… and the trains. STOP!...But the ride isn't over...
it has one more helix… then you get to the blocks and the trains stop
once more… The stop before the last Helix is so strong Deka didn't
know the ride wasn't over!

After walking for what seems like a mile... We got back in line to
ride the frontward side…

American Eagle Forward
Type – Wood
Year – 1981
Kind – Racer

The frontward side is a bit smoother but it's just as trimmed and
slowed. This time we didn't get to race the other side... So that took
some of the fun of a racer away….Yeah… But the ride is ok even without
getting to race.

So now that we were done with SFGAm… Me and Deka both got in line and
rode the Frisbee… A few of the other trekkers were on it with us…
After that I went back to Iron Wolf so I could front seat it and Deka
went off to ride the topspin... That was pretty much the day… After my
ride on Iron Wolf I went down to the topspin and saw Deka just getting
off so I found her and we went back to the van… On the way out we got
some free soda from the "Sprite Remix mixing station "thing…. and then
headed off to Wisconsin…

IronWolfs first drop.


SEE!!! Dejavu WAS OPEN!


Bulls 2nd drop


Demons corkscrew...


American Eagle Forward

__________________

It appears you had a great time there. I'm always happy to hear about someone having an awesome time there at my homepark. I totally agree with you about S:UF, the best and really only great part is the much talked about pretzel loop. It's a shame too since I know B&M has so much potential with the flyer. Last time I was there a couple weeks ago, Deja Vu stopped on the lift with riders on it. It must not be too big a problem because later that day, it was running again and not it wasn't that much later either.

Great trip report, by the way.

__________________
I want to go to John's Park.