SFDL MFI SB... and more?

[James]

Yeah.... So I was going to take a trip to SFDL and SeaBreeze park... I had a weekend all set up for about 6 weeks... Then about a week before I was going to go... I go back to both parks sites and find that..... Sea Breeze changed its opening day by 1 week... And wouldn't be open when I was going to go.... So I looked around RCDB for other parks that I might want to go to. Sylvan Beach was in the "area" I had only found out about that park last fall when someone on TGEs fansite was talking about it.... So I put that on my "to do" list... I also saw that Martin's Fantasy Island was to far out of the way too.. I had not been to MFI or SB so I replaced Sea Breeze with them. I knew MFI was close to Niagara Falls.. So what the hell.. Ill go to the falls to...
So my plan was... Drive from Boston to Aurora NY where one of my friends moved to... Stay the night then drive to the falls then MFI.....

So I get up at 7am... Drive about 3 hours and head to the falls... On the way you drive right onto and then off of Grand Island.. Going right past MFI.. Driving past MFI First you see the wheel then the chance freefall tower. Then you can see the log ride and the MFI park sign and then... You see Silver Comet and all its CCI goodness......

Well I drive past the park and keep going north and just fallow the signs to the water falls... I find a parking lot at some Casino.. It was free parking so I parked and walked to the water falls...

I had been to the fall about 6 years before so I knew how touristy the place was.... Well I walked around and took a few photos went on the the US falls viewing deck and then down to the walk way where you can stand right next to the waterfalls and have the falls hit you... Very wet but cool I guess...

Going back to my car I went into some mall that was very very ghetto and falling apart 90% looked like it was blocked off and all the stores were closed. They had a ball place and playground inside....

They had this really creepy sponge bob plaything I took a photo of...


Out side the mall I saw this "roller coaster-ish" thing that I took a photo of...


From the US falls you can look out and up and see the S&S free fall towers at Marineland in Canada...


And one last photo.. Of the water falls them self.


(3 more parts coming soon....)

[James]

So after I left the falls I went back to go to MFI....

MFI I hadn't seen much about it seems like a park most people just forget about or don't even know about....

I get into the park it was only $13.00 (I think it was opening day) I saw Silver Comet go by and walked over to it.. When I got to it I was told it was closed and would be open in "15Min's" they needed to oil it...

So I went on over to the "Nitro" ride. I had not been on this Zamp ride yet. But I have been on the Huss Frisbee, KMG AFterburn, and the Zamp Discovery. When I got on it the ride started up and didn't run to great... It started to swing maybe to 60* for a few swings then went up to a few 90* swings then went back to a few 60* ones.. (so you think the ride is ending I guess?) then it just speeds up and does a few 120* swings making for a very fun end.

After I got off that Silver Comet was still closed... So I went on the big bumpy slide next to the Nitro ride. The ride was really tall and the drops down were steep but they had real long flat parts between the drops so I stalled out every time on the flat parts....

Then I walked down and saw Silver Comet was...still... closed so I went down to the Chaos... It was closed.... So I went on the "patriot" ride. It was just a Sky Master ride (I think it was ARM made) I have been on this kind of ride 1000s of times at many parks and fairs but this one was the only one I ever went on that had a OTSR to seat belt clip.... The ride itself wasn't run to well and didn't give you a LONG inverted hang most fairs will give you.

So I got off and kept walking to the end of the park... I went on the Chance SlingShot drop tower ride next... I had been on the smaller fair one of this ride at the Brocton fair.. So I knew it would suck a lot.... This was the only drop tower ride style I have ever been on that..... 1 has head banging...... and 2 goes up FASTER then it goes down!.. So my first ride I took my cam on to get photos and then the next time I took my video cam on.... Right before they launch it up they yell "HEADS BACK HEADS BACK!!!"

So now I was in pain from the dumb tower... I walked over and went on the log ride.. It was very small and had 2 small drops... But for some reason the last drop even being all of 25 feet tall.. Got me much wetter then most Spalshboats or Raftrides get you! I was shocked at how wet it really got me....

So after that I walked over and went on the sky wheel to get some photos of the park and when I was on it I saw Silver Comet testing so I got off and ran down to it. I got 2 back to back front seat rides on it.. one with my photo cam one with a video cam... (yes... they let you take POVs...)

SILVER COMET!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOW! I have seen all of 10 photos of this ride... And didn't know much about it.. But it is by far the BEST coaster in New York... Even passing CICyclone and Comet at TGE.....
The drops are great the air time is amazing in parts and the turns are "classic" CCI goodness. The ride was also very well kept it was so super smooth it felt as if it was brand new for 2005 and not 1999 as it was. The ride had great air a fun layout good head choppers and kept its speed. The park also let me "one click" ride both times I went on.. ride #2 the bar clicked down mid-ride at some point on its own.. But man what a great ride. I would even pay the $20 full price just to get some more rides on it.....

I also saw 4-5 ACEs with patch's (my patch vest is cooler ) waiting for Silver Comet to re-open.

After my 2 rides on it and a few rides on the other flats I left MFI for the hour or so drive down to SFDL where I ended my day...

Silver Comet from the drop tower


The log ride of DOOM


Silver Comets first drop


The Nitro ride...

[pipesdrums]

I can't wait to ride those triple towers at Marine Land

Silver Comet looks like alot of fun

[James]

Yeah... So I left MFI and headed down to SFDL to end my day.. It had been raining off and on all day but seemed to stay dry and hot at MFI... on the way to SFDL the sky opened up... I got into SFDLs parking lot and saw SROS go past... Mind Eraser was also going around. I took my Season pass out and got inside the park... I had last been at SFDL in 1999 the year it became six flags. The rain had stopped the park didn't seem to have many people in it just a few school groups. I walked down to SROS and got in line. The line started in the station and the front seat line was 8 wait.. It was only running 1 train and the ops were very very slow.....

SROS... wow how this thing changed from the last time I went on it. It was very rough and felt very slow in both of the helix's. The ride still ends great but I just don't like the layout. To much long flat track and the long "turning turning turning" gets old fast. I took a video POV on it in the front seat... I got off and it started to rain again I walked over and got in line for Predator.

Its line was also in the station I waited 4 trains for the front row... This was also only running one train. Is it me or does SF love to mess up its wood coasters? The ride shakes you around but I still think its a great ride. The first drops trim seemed to be off so the next hill had some nice air time. the ride was running fast and it was still raining when I was on it so it ran a bit faster as it was wet.

After I got off it I walked around and took a few photos.. the wheel was open when I got to the park but when I went to ride it... It has closed for the day... I walked to the back of the park to Viper... it was closed and fenced off.. It looks like it hasn't even opened for the season yet. I went over and went on Ranger... I hadn't been on a HUSS Ranger for almost 2 years so I was happy to take a ride on it. I walked over to the kiddie coaster.. it was closed.... UFO closed... enterprise closed.... I walk over to Mind Eraser and it just went down and stayed down for some time.... I went on "Rodeo Roundup" in the rain and it was fun I guess...

After I got off I was very wet from rain and such so I jumped in line.. or lack of for the log ride. SFDL has a nice log ride. It has 2 drops and a tunnel the last drop is tall and long but didn't get me wet at all.. Yet MFIs short small drop got me soaked. I had never been on SFDLs log ride so that's the only reason I went on it.. lol....

After I got off that most of the rides in the area were closed.. So I walked until I found an open ride... Boomerang.........
I waited one train for it so I could ride the front seat. I had my video cam in my hand from the start they didn't say anything or try to stop me so I took a POV it was raining when the ride started but going backwards it started to rain.... The cobra roll on this boomerang is out over one of the many lakes at SFDL. The ride itself is smoother then other boomerangs I have been on so it didn't hurt or anything. After I got off I went to find one of the only rides added from my last visit.. The topspin...

WTF was the park thinking when they added it.. you have to like go out of the park itself and walk around the camp ground and then around the camp store ad food stand and pool.. then go back inside the park.. Over abridge then walk around under it....... then you walk down a path and can see the topspin... once you get to it you still have to walk some way to get to its line... SF added a line for this ride that is so long it could never fill... BDK at SFNE has a shorter line set up then this topspin has.... The ride itself was run "ok" but it was cool because they gave 2 back to back rides without letting you get off. I took a POV on it. The first part of the ride did what SFNE runs most of the time with 2-3 flips then a few times back and forth then a hold.. "round 2" as they called it was much better.. give a 5 back to back...back-flip then one "over the top" and then a hold. It was very cool of them to give the 2 rides in a row like that.

So after that I walked around seeing more closed rides... It was still raining off and on.. I was almost out of time so I jumped back in line for one more ride on SROS... the line was shorter then before and only 3 waits for the front seat.. So I took another front seat ride on it.. this time I took photos on it. It started to rain as we were going up the lift hill.. So the ride hurt a lot.. but not as much as SFNEs SROS in The rain... After I got off I went to a gift shop got some stuff and made my way out of the park... Driving out of the parking lot I saw Mind Eraser going............(but it was only running one train)

Yeah so at SFDL I saw 20+ closed rides.... and 3 closed coaster (one was closed off and on) and all 3-4 opened were running 1 train.....

Boomerang in its cobra roll


The log rides bigger drop


SROSs first drop


The dumb way to big Helix's of SROS...

[James]

So I went back to where I was staying in New York and slept... I got up the next day and started my long drive back to Boston.
Sylvan Beach didn't open till 1pm... I read that on the parks site but I forgot... So I got to the park around 12pm and had to wait for it to open.....
Sylvan Beach is a really cool park its small but really cool. The park feels like its "stuck in time" all the rides look and feel like they are from the 1950s. They all have the same color paint jobs to and were well kept.

The first ride I went on once the park was open was the Galaxy coaster. I went on it 2 times in a row both in the front. The first ride I took a video POV and then next photos. The ride itself isn't different then any of the other 100s of clones of the ride. But it ran the "2 car train" style so it was nice. It also seemed to be trim less till the end so it ran fast...Unlike Canobies....
So after my 2 rides and an upping of my coaster count.... I walked around the nice park to the Roll-O-Plane.

I hadn't been on one of them for about 10 years. They use to have one at mt city's fair but not anymore. I got on thinking I knew what would happen.. but then something different happened... This one tilted! I had seen videos and photos of other ones that tilted but never went on one that did tilt. The tilt makes the ride so much better. Doing the "anti" banked turn is really fun and feels.. umm.. odd. yeah So it was great. I love the ride even more now then I did then.

After I got off that I walked over to the Rock-O-Plane... Like the roll-o I had not been on one in many years. So I was very very happy yo ride it. I had so much fun playing with this ride. This was the only ride I went on that someone else got on to. So I got on and my car was stopped at the top as the other person was loaded... I started rocking my car at the top and got 3 flips before the ride even started to move . Once it got going I was rolling and flipping a lot. I was locking the car at the top and doing "anti loops" and doing things where I would lock and unlock my car keeping it upside down for a full round and things like that. I had so much fun on it I went on 2 more times.

After I got off I had 5 tickets left.. So I went on the small bumpy slide and then on the "laff land" dark ride.

It was very Corny but funny. It had such lame gags it was funny. But at one point.. the "car" gag was great. It was such a funny ride. I wish I could have gone on a few more times. But I was out of passes and money.. And I still had 6 or so hours of driving before I would be home... So I left...

Sylvan Beach is such a cool park. I would make the drive all the way out to just to go back to it. I had way more fun at SB then at SFDL or MFI. Its just such a great "old school" park and was just a great way to spend a few hours.


lol... on the way home on the highway I saw signs for the "Salt museum" CANT WAIT TO TRY THAT OUT!!

Roll-o before it tilts


A view from on the Galaxy


Rock-O and all its goodness...


The coaster being oiled before it opened for the day.