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Made a trip out to Waldameer on Saturday for Opening Day. Thunder River was closed for testing (a sign was posted stating it would be closed all weekend), the Flying Swings were down, and Chaos was suffering some sort of issue but was running early on.  Aside from that, everything else in the dry park was operational. The main thing I noticed was the extensive amount of new wood on Ravine Flyer II.  The entire turnaround on the opposite side of Peninsula Drive looked like it had new wood and there were other sections that appeared to be new as well.  The result was the smoothest ride I have had on RFII in years, and it was never really a brutal ride to begin with.  So kudos to Waldameer for their incredible upkeep of one of the best wooden coasters out there. It was so good it crawled back into my Top 5.  Mr. Gorman was out and about making sure things were going smoothly. He even "assisted" me as I purchased my Wally Points for the day. Always nice to see a park president out mingling with the common folk!    And speaking of Wally Points, I think the park added new kiosks over by the Scrambler and arcade for purchasing them. They looked like those slot machines with the big screens that are all the rage at casinos these days.  Nice to see new technology being used as the older terminals (like the one Mr. Gorman assisted me with) are a bit confusing. Whacky Shack was in prime form with all of the stunts working. Again, props to Waldameer for maintaining this classic dark ride. I rode this first thing when I arrived and there were probably about a dozen people in line. Rode again immediately afterwards and the line had doubled. By the end of my third ride, the line had filled the entire first switchback. Nice to see the Shack is still loved by park goers!   Rode the Music Express for the first time in several years and I forgot just how fast this ride is. While it seemed a bit bumpy, especially when running in reverse "turbo time" mode, the speed this thing travels at is pretty crazy.  Rode the train, Giant Wheel and Sky Ride, took in the sights and just enjoyed my brief few hours at the park. The place looked good as usual, the employees I encountered seemed happy, and I look forward to seeing what the park has in store for 2025 (and beyond). 

^ I'll be there in a few weeks. I'm a little concerned that I've read it's rough in the last row. That's normally my go to row for most coasters. Did you experience that? Also this "locker thing" seems to be a mess. It seems like Steel Vengeance all over again from year one. What are your thoughts on this? I too have low expectations.

Sounds like every other season at SFSTL.

... But - I gotta say.... Tornado your worst coaster? LOL I rode it back in '09 and '14 in the early TPR tours, and found it to be one of my all time faves in the tours! Slow speed lift or insanely speedy lift! When I knew it was coming I braced myself accordingly. And I actually dreamed of one of these being built in Playland(PNE), my home park... Anyway, sorry it's not one you enjoyed. TPR tour 2014 - Bakken park - where I ran into my folks, that trip. 😉  

^ What he said. I always enjoy reading through what you've .....uh ......been through, on all your tour TRs! 👍