Photo TR: Paul's 2009 TPR West Coast Tour

Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2009 7:16 am Post subject:

Haha, it's the BFC!!!! Taiko LMAO!

Great Update.

I hope in the next one you have tons of pictures of me and Matt being pathetic on those two kiddy rides! Taiko Laughing

Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2009 5:00 pm Post subject:

Good to see you getting into the TRs Paul....I missed the San Fran parks, but It'll be interesting to hear/see another aussies take on the SoCal parks when you get around to them.

One thing I haven't worked out though is why the trip didn't just start in San Fran to avoid the long northbound drive....Something I missed?

Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2009 5:16 pm Post subject:

^There was an option for people to fly directly to the Bay Area and start there instead. Only 6 people chose that option. Everyone else went round trip from LA (Mostly due to cheaper airfare, but also because everyone knows long TPR Bus Rides are the best!)

Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2009 6:24 pm Post subject:

Yeah, The Bay Area people missed the epicness of Shark Attack 3. Taiko Wink

Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2009 6:33 pm Post subject:

^And the Paper Mache Volcano!

Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2009 7:05 pm Post subject:

Great report! It's interesting to hear the comparisons between the US and Australia.

Looking forward to the next installment!

Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2009 9:15 pm Post subject:

Damn, posting Photo TR's on TPR is addictive!

That first epic bus trip was a great introduction to the craziness that is TPR. How long was it? Something like a 7 hour drive, it honestly didn't feel that long though, it felt more like 3 hours to be honest. It was nice to see some of Americana though that you don't see in the cities like LA (such as how desperately dry it is over there compared to Australia, and even then we are pretty dry). I remember driving past this massive water catchment dam, (anyone know the name of it? it was massive, but there was so little water in there, it was awesome. It was a great "Welcome to America" introduction for me.

I could have flown into SFO, but I would have had to make my own way to the Santa Clarita area, more hassle than its worth. At least flying into LAX was rather easy and relatively painless.

So gavin, never been to SFDK? Well I see it as if Dreamworld and Sea World had a baby. It has plenty of animals, plenty of rides, and just a nice atmosphere. It hasn't got an immersive theme on the rides, but some nice scenery details, great landscaping and so on.

Oh Elissa/ Robb, how is the construction of that Paper Mache volcano? Have you been given land approval yet? Taiko Laughing

And does anyone know what BFC stands for on the Monster Can? The only thing that comes to mind is "Big Fu..en Can"

Posted: Sun Nov 01, 2009 9:45 am Post subject:

Posted: Sat Nov 07, 2009 12:05 am Post subject:

Hello Everyone.
Now we have had a short intermission (I have been demoted to Page 2 of the forums, better fix this) it is time to continue this photo trip report.

Day 3 - Gilroy Gardens & Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk

Today for me was a day of unknowns. I knew very little of Gilroy Gardens and Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. All I knew about Gilroy Gardens was that it was previously Bonfante Gardens, had Mushroom Swings and Garlic Tea Cups, and it was managed by Cedar Fair. So I had no idea what was coming. I'll just say that this park really surprised me. Not only was it beautifully landscaped & maintained, but it had some pretty kick arse rides. The Day started off with some ERT on Quicksilver Express which was a surprisingly awesome coaster as it was. Once we had finished the ERT, me Josh and Matt worked our way around the park, viewing the parks "birds" and natural wonders.
The staff at this park really were exceptional, and a big thanks goes out to them for making the day such a great day.

We checked out pretty much all the rides in the park, and I insisted that we did the flower boat ride, as I always have wanted to do it. Whilst lame at the beginning, the un-loading procedure was sure worth the lame ride Taiko Happy

Another worthy note was the Car Ride at the park. It was very well themed to their respective decades (there are 2 decades, one with the vintage cars, one with the retro cars). Sorry, I can't remember which years they represented, but it is very well done, and dare I say better than Autopia at Disneyland (braces for a bashing from those Disney fans who don't agree!). Overall Gilroy was a great park, and if i'm in the area again I will certainly make the effort to revisit.

Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
After Gilroy Gardens, it was time for a scenic drive down to Santa Cruz Boardwalk. Again I knew very little about this park, with the exception that it was located on a beach and was reasonably historic. After fighting with the traffic, we finally made it to the park. First stop? Tornado. Whilst there were a few in the group that liked it, the general consensus was "Nup, it's poo-poo". Giant Dipper on the other hand was a great ride offering some awesome surprises. Unfortunately Matt's cell phone was swallowed by the Dipper, so he went off to go get another one before the stores closed whilst Josh and I continued to enjoy the park.
After Dinner and the backstage tours of the carousel and Giant Dipper, Matt once again decided to join us, and we continued exploring the rest of the park, including the array of classic rides and dark rides the park has to offer.

Anyway, again this park exceeded my expectations, whilst a little crowded, it was still a great park, with plenty of atmosphere and charm. It certainly reminded me of the classic seaside amusement park, and fortunately this park still has what makes a really good seaside park. I can imagine this is what our Luna Park's in Australia would have been like back in the 1950's and so on.

Anyway I'll finish the boring "text" bit of the report here, and let the photo's do the rest of the talking. For those who are leaving us here, thanks for reading. For those who are staying on, what are you doing? There's pictures below!

Posted: Sat Nov 07, 2009 7:13 pm Post subject:

Nice TR. I liked your pictures personally.

I couldn't believe how long we waited for that stupid kiddy credit. I felt bad for making you wait while we were whoring. Taiko Rolls Eyes

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