Well here we go. PKD Final Fling TR 11-5-05

This was my first time visiting PKD. I was very excited and that excitement grew during the long car ride. We got to the park and we were the fourth car waiting to get into the parking lot. They did not let us in for about ten minutes but when we did we obviously got a great parking spot.

We went up towards the entrance and saw the booth with a sign for Final Fling Enthusiasts. We went over and met Sarah, who ran the event. She handed us our five exit passes and welcomed us to the park. While there I saw someone who I recognized but could not put a face to. After waiting for about 20 minutes they let us into the park.

My first impression was great. The park was very clean and had a great atmosphere. We walked back to Nick Central where a rope was set up. The park did not open until 10:30 and it was about 10:00. While there I saw the guy that I recognized. We started talking and I figured out who he was. He was William Bernstein Jr. from Coaster News World. I am sure you have all heard of him or seen him on his news show. We spent the time talking about coasters, GAdv, his show, the park and so on. He is a very nice man and knows his coasters, obviously. We also spent some time talking to a man who works at GAdv. He was also nice and informative. He said that they were not getting SWAT from SFAW.

At 10:30 the security guard dropped the rope and my brother and I ran to Volcano. We got in line and went to the front row. The theming in the park was incredible. Every area looked amazing.

Ride reviews:

Volcano: The blast Coaster - Awesome ride. We first rode it in the front row. Both launches are great. The first launch got me unexpectedly every time. I love how it does not stop moving before it launches. The second boost of speed is amazing. The inversion at the top is great. It is very slow in the front and very fast in the back. The three other inversions are great as well. They are taken at a perfect speed. I got so much hang time in all three. The final drop is very fun. It is very fast and a great ending. Volcano at night is even better. This coaster might be in my top ten list. I have to let it sink in. Total rides: 5
Volcano: 9/10

Flight of Fear - I really liked this ride. The launch is great. There is a spot on the launch where you pass lights and I thought that we would go up there but the launch continues. The atmosphere and theming is very good. I love the queue. Two times when I rode the MCBR was on strong, slowing the train significantly. The other three times it was off. It is a very smooth ride with good airtime in spots. Total rides: 5
Flight of Fear: 8/10

Anaconda - Ok ride. Very rough as expected. The drop and tunnel were good. The rest of the ride was slow and jerky. Total rides: 1
Anaconda: 7/10

Shockwave - Ehh. Not bad. Some very rough spots that hurt my head. Two spots had great ejector air. Total rides: 1
Shockwave: 6/10

Rebel Yell - Only the forwards side was open yesterday. I liked this ride. It had a lot of airtime and was fairly smooth. Good at night. Not much else to say here. Total rides: 2
Rebel Yell: 7/10

Ricochet - Not bad for a mouse. The first drop was good and there were great laterals on the last two turns. The final brakes are very hard and painful. Total rides: 1
Ricochet: 6/10

Hurler - Rode Back row and middle. This ride looks great but is a bit lacking. The airtime in not there. It has great laterals but gets a bit rough at a few spots. The speed is god and overall it is an ok coaster. Total rides: 2
Hurler: 7/10

Hypersonic XLC - Interesting ride. The launch is VERY intense. It is so short. The tower is rough but has good airtime. The rest of the ride is very rough and shaky. Sometimes it was painful. I was reading the parks description and it said that "the pneumatic tires provided an incredibly smooth ride", they were wrong. You can see the pain just by looking at some of the track. Total rides: 2
Hypersonic XLC: 6/10

Grizzly - This coaster looks awesome. It is. I really enjoyed this ride. The first drop was unexpectedly good. The tunnel was very loud but fun. It was a very rough ride but I liked it for some reason. The airtime was great. The setting is also very good. Total rides: 1
Grizzly: 8/10

Avalanche - Fun ride. This ride is very smooth. It is fast paced with great turns and helixes. I liked this ride a lot as it provided a unique ride experience. Total rides: 2
Avalanche: 8/10

Scooby Doo's Ghoster Coaster - Surprisingly good. The trains were small but I managed. This is a very smooth ride with a nice amount of airtime. I like the concept of a kiddie/family wooden coaster. Total rides: 1
Scooby Doo's Ghoster Coaster: 8/10

Tomb Raider: Firefall - Wow. The theming with this ride is unbelievable. This is the only Topspin I have seen that attracted an audience. Many people stopped and just watched in amazement at the pyrotechnic and water effects. This Topspin seemed much more intense that the others I have been on. It seemed to flip more and seemed wilder. Good ride. Total rides: 2 One on each side.
Tomb Raider: Firefall: 8/10

Scooby Doo and the HauntedMansion - Fun ride. I liked the theming they had and the atmosphere. The ride was long but not too long. The interactive feature made it interesting. I liked how things would happen when you hit the targets. Total score: 1380 Total rides: 1
Scooby Doo and the Haunted Mansion: 8/10

DropZone: WOW! I loved this ride. The tower is so huge. It is amazing. The ride up is great. The view is awesome and the anticipation is great. The drop is very fast and very long. The airtime is absolutely amazing. I was shot out of my seat and into the restraint. For the remainder of the drop I just floated around in my seat like an astronaut. Very good sensation. Best drop ride.
Total rides: 2
DropZone: 9/10

Bumper cars - Nice bumper cars. Fast. There were a lot of cars on the ride. I think I counted 35. Total rides: 2
Bumper cars: 7/10

That wraps up the rides. Total rides: 30

The picnic:
Our Final Fling Tickets included a picnic. There we were able to further talk with William and some other enthusiasts. The food was good. Fried Chicken mmmmmm. They had a raffle for some prizes. My dad won two tickets to return to the park next year. I won a Volcano: The Blast Coaster prize pack. It included a very nice hooded sweatshirt (which I am wearing now), a hat, a shot glass, and a PKD bag. We also all received a Tomb Raider: Firefall Commemorative coin, a mouse pad, and a PKD pin. A ten year old boy won tickets for IJST Media Day. I was jealous but I am very happy with what I won. Between the tickets that my dad won and my prizes, we made money.

I did see Clint Novak a few times throughout the day but never had the opportunity to talk to him. You might have seen me Clint, at the picnic. I also think that I might have seen Medieval but I am not sure if it was him.

Overall we had an amazing day. It was well worth the drive down. The park is great. The Final Fling deal was great. Everything was great. I hope to return next year and it would be great if they had Final Fling again. Overall: 10/10

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Nice TR. I actually thought Hypersonic was realitivley smooth and about an 8/10, but that's just my opinion. Too bad you couldn't do Rebel Yell backwards. I also give PKD a 10/10 or close to that. I can't wait to go back next year.

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ROLL TIDE 5-0 BAMA'S BACK!

There were just parts of the ride that banged my head a lot. Going into the first turn I got a nice neck adjustment.

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Yea, I was there yesterday and today. I was wearing my black Deja Vu shirt.

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Ok, I did see you. Were you with three other guys, one wearing a Kingda Ka shirt.

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Should have said Hi.

HyperSonic XLC used to be smooth as glass! I can't belive PKD would let a coaster go into conditions like that. I too agree that it is rough now... Back in 2003 when I rode it... it was super smooth!!

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Even though I didn't go to the event(worked that morning),I still went down there that evening. The only reason was so that got to ride Tomb Raider Firefall at night. It was cool!! Also,rode HyperSonic(very bumpy and rough in some spots). Also rode Drop Zone,Shockwave(once a year),Grizzly,Rebel Yell and Scooby Doo. Looking forward to next year(Italian Job)!! SES

Too bad you only got one ride on Grizzly. That sucker is amazing these days.

It is just about the most insane tunnel I've seen. I always feel like I'm going to lose something in there. lol

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Yea, I wanted to ride it again but time did not permit it and my brother did not really want to.

Medieval - You probably saw me before the park opened. I was right behind youin line to get in. My dad was off to the right with a broken ankle and cast. I went over and entered through the handicap entrance with him after the gates opened. You, or one of your friends, said something when the lady was hesitant to let me go through with my dad.

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Good TR. I wish I can go to PKD more often, but I just SETTLE for PKI and CP.!!!

I remember when Grizzly was not exposed as it is now. I love Grizzly. The first turn around is very slow.... but makes up with all the airtime. I first rode this woodie back in 1982. My first wooden coaster and my first coaster in the US!

Hypersonic was great when I rode it in April this year. I wonder what happened.

TR:FF and TR:TR are very intense rides. I am not sure which I prefer.

Volcano is so unique. Also, I love inverts and launch coasters. I wish there were more of these full circuit launch inverts.

I agree with Vekoma. Backward Rebel Yell is MUCH better than forward one.

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Wood #1 Voyage, #2 Renegade, #3 T-Express, #4 Boulder Dash, #5 Ghostrider

So that was you.
It was nice looking at you

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Grizzly was awsome this year! To bad PKD is now closed till March...

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Yea, it was. I am going to try and plan a longer trip next time. I would have liked to have more time to enjoy the park. I also want to ride RL backwards and Grizzly in a few different rows. I really liked PKD.

While on Avalanche, my brother looked over at Volcano's volcano and saw one or two 'abandoned' stations on the side of it. I know there were previous rides in and on the mountain but I did not know the stations were still there. He said he saw airgates and a platform. Have any of you seen this or or heard about it?

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Yeah, that was the Smurth Mountain mine train coaster that used to be there. Only a litle bit is left now...

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