Photo TR: SFMM/Knott's

So, my dad and I took a SoCal trip and I just got back and I'm all dizzy and my feet hurt. So here's a TR!

First up was SFMM. I really hate the way they hold you outside and play the sound of a clock ticking. Then some guy came out and tormented us and made us all scream. lol...Eventually we got in and we run to...TATSU!!! No line! We got on the third train of the day, and let me say, for my first flyer, HOLY CRAP!! It is just amazing! I really never thought that the station looked so much like a McDonalds until I saw it in person. I felt like I was on McDonalds the ride! lol...The tilting of the cars was so cool. The restraints were so comfortable, too. The lift hill was really comfortable, like I was almost sitting upright, and because there was nothing below us, it looked like we were really high up. The filps were really disorienting, and I never thought the pretzel loop could be so forceful. It was just amazing. Next, we were on to Superman which was open, unlike my last visit, and for some reason, I really loved it. The weightlessness was really cool, and they kept launching us twice every time. So in 1 day, I got in 6 rides in 5 minutes! They were only running the right side because the other side was either under maintinance, or was falling apart. I have a pic. After, we hit DeJa Vu with, also, no line! Then we hit Riddler, Batman and Scream! a couple of times each. Goliath was faster than I remember it, though. I was getting a little grey out at the end of the helix. I don't remember it doing it that before. maybe I was unconsious! lol... Flash pass was a must for getting on Tatsu again, so I thought, "What the hell, huh?" So I used the extra pass for Riddler because the lines are always long for that. Second ride for Tatsu was in the back, and let me say...ouch! The pretzel loop was just too much for me in the back. The forces are much too intense and the sun above made it worse, but it was fun, as always!

Day two, Tatsu was a must first, but it was closed for the first hour, so we ran back to X just in time to ride the first train of the day! X was a lot rougher than I remember it, but it was still as quick and fun! Then came the 30 min. wait for Tatsu, and the last ride for me for at least 2 years . next, we rode superman 4 more times to top it off at 10. The day went on and we left early to drive to Buena Park through rush hour, so we stopped it with an hour wait for Goliath while they took a train off and then put it back on, and that's when I got a girl to smile at me! That was my last ride ever at SFMM and it was pretty good! Then we drove down to Buena Park in 2 hours and stayed at the Days Inn across a couple of streets. We decided to walk over to get something to eat. I wanted to get an evening pass to Knott's, but my dad didn't want to pay $50, so we just went the next day.

Day three, we went to Knott's for the first time. The park was pretty crowded because it was a special school week and all the schools from elementary to high school were there. The upside was that more than half of them were too short to ride most of the coasters! I decided to just go to Xcelerator first, but as we got there, they said it would be closed for 2 hours. So we rode Boomerang because it's right there next to Xcelerator. Then we didn't know what to do next, so we decided to go over to Ghostrider and wait for an hour and a half to ride it, and I'll say it was worth it. Xcelerator wasn't open and it was probably the best wooden coaster I have been on so far (the airtime is great!). We walked by Silver Bullet, but the lines were just way to long to even consider it, so we skipped it. By the time we got off Ghostrider, Xcelerator had opened, so we went over to the Boardwalk. We waited until there was one trainload in front of us, the train locked into place, but the brakes didn't drop... The lights counted down...nothing. Then the train just sat there until they came by and manually got everyone out. Eventually, everyone left the station and my dad and I were the only ones left, but it was worth it. I was talking to one of the mechanics and asking questions. Apparently there was a problem with a sensor inside the catchcar that senses when the train is locked and it triggers the brakes and the hydraulics to go. I asked if I could get a tour of the hydraulic room, but they said no because of insurance problems and "secret mechanisms." I was then confused and I had to describe that I knew more than the mechanic about what was inside that building. I still stayed and watched them rewire the catchcar, but it was taking quite a while, so we got off to go get some Dippin' Dots, keeping my eye on Xcelerator. As we were moving up in the Dippin' Dots line, the mechanic I was talking to called us over and he said if we saw Xcelerator run, he would let us enter through the exit and ride the first ride, no matter the length of the line. So we went back in line for Dippin' Dots, which I must say was the slowest line in the park. We barely moved up 2 people when they started shooting off trains. We decided to screw Dippin' Dots and we stood in the exit line until they were finished testing. We got in the front row and I thought they were just going to shoot us off, but they waited for the train to fill and I got my first ride in the front seat! Xcelerator is a great ride; probably my favorite in the park, but I have no idea where people get that it's more intense than Top Thrill Dragster... I'm still sticking with TTD as my favorite Rocket.

My dad was getting hungry after three rides on Xcelerator, so we walked around the whole park, looking for a short food line. We eventually found one in Camp Snoopy and ate there. After, we headed towards Xcelerator again because Ghostrider wasn't worth it again and Silver Bullet would take longer than the time we had left in the park. We decided to stop and Montezuma's Revenge and ride that. I really had no idea that a flywheel launch would be quite as intense as it was (not as much as Xcelerator, though). It was my first inverting coaster with lapbars. It is much better with lap bars, believe me! We decided to get one last ride on Xcelerator before we left. We got into the station, the train rolled back, but the brakes didn't drop. "Ah, Crap!" I said, and we just left Knott's for another year.

I definitely need to get back out there sometime! Those are two great parks!

And here are the photos:

The guy in the yellow was the guy I was talking to and he let us on through the exit.

Tech pic!

Yay, Intamin brake fins! They're my favorite part of the ride!

LOOOOONG line for Ghostrider.

Ghostrider! My favorite woodie of all time (well, that I've been on)

THIS station is cool!

It doesn't look like it, but this sign is like 50 feet tall!

YAY!!! a rocket coaster!

This was in the Superman station. If anyone knows what it is, please tell me.

Tuesday, the line came down to here before it opened, but it wasn't that long of a wait.

The sun really likes this ride!

Sky tower was open and this looked cool, so I posted it!

ME!!! I totally own this ride!

I was amazed at how close the Riddler track came to the path!

I love this picture!

Viper lift!! It's the best part of the ride!

Ninja's line is longer than I remember it...

Tatsu dominates the park!

I am the random track piece king!!!

tall.......arghrhhghghhhhghh

Twisty!!

BATMAN!! dun dun dun daaaaa!

The longest line of the day was definitely Colossus(what am I saying!?)

Next up was Goliath!

Yes, I love this ride!

NO line for Superman, making for 4 rides in 5 minutes!

Eggs...why else would you ride Tatsu?

We had the park all to ourselves!

of course, with no line!

DeJa Vu!

...GIANT PRETZELS!!! smothered with G forces!

I'll have one Tatsu train with a side of...

TATSU!!!!!!!!! YAY! I got on the third ride of the day!

This guy was being annoying and not letting us in. The girl the next day was asking incorrect trivia! (like that the newest coaster aside from Tatsu was x...wtf?)

Colossus, Superman, and Goliath! What more can I say?

Talk about a new skyline!

X!!!!

Yay! Six Flags sign! (because the gift shop is more important than the two parks! lol)

so when did you go to SFMM?

i was there on monday,

if you were at S:TE and the ride op commented on someones long hair,

thats my hair she was talking about

You mean the one that kept on letting us launch twice? She was kind of loud..., but no, I didn't hear any ride op say anything about hair. I might have seen you though. I talked to a lot of people I didn't know.

well in the morning i was wearing a green collered shirt,

in the afternoon i was wearing a grey shirt with Deja goin through one of her inversions and it says "Déjà Vu" in purple

maybe this will help

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f361/jdsmartdude911/P1010023.jpg

I was there on Monday aussi! I was wearing my awesome Hairspray shirt and England sweatshirt...

I was in the front row of the 1st train out of station 2.

Pics now added!

GREAT TR

great pics and it looks like you had alot of fun

Now get your ass to Cliff's

Awesome PTR! It really looks like SFMM is a great park. Thanks for sharing!

I was there on Monday aussi! I was wearing my awesome Hairspray shirt...

Hairspray!

I was there Saturday! (and knotts thursday)

Nice TR. Thanks for sharin.

Nice dude, i need to get out there and ride this beast, maybe in two weeks and i can't imagine what it'll be like at night

This guy was being annoying and not letting us in. The girl the next day was asking incorrect trivia! (like that the newest coaster aside from Tatsu was x...wtf?)

Ahem, X was the second newest coaster after Tatsu. The opening date was 1/12/02. The second newest one was Deja Vu and it opened on 8/25/01.

---Brent

^ Scream! opened in 2003.

^ Gah, forgot about it. It is just so tucked away in that little corner over by Collosus, I sometimes forget about it.

---Brent

Hey, nice pictures! Looks like you had fun with SFMM to yourself! Why can't that ever happen to me?

^Because I'm very lucky when I go to theme parks. I don't know why, but I am. (and I'm happy about it, too, because I only go to theme parks for 3 days a year!)