Tikifire

Awesome TR! Thanks for sharing this!

My biggest missed credit I wish I'd ridden was the Texas Cyclone. I was at Six Flags Astroworld during spring break back in about '93 or so with college buddies who weren't big amusement park lovers like me and I got them to ride most of the other rides but they wouldn't wait the hour to ride the Cyclone. It was pretty packed that day and I did make them wait an hour for Ultra Twister and managed a ride on Greezed Lightnin' too so at least I didn't miss out on those two.

Awesome trip reports! Thanks for sharing all that and sorry your head was hurting you so bad when you were there!

This whole thing is a really bad idea! I'm sure the bean counters are at work at BGE.

This doesn't sound good. According to Lance at Screamscape: Not sure what you guys think of that site or Lance around here but he's generally on the money about this stuff from my experience. He makes some other good points in his write-up over there. I'm thinking that if this is correct, perhaps they're not going to replace it with anything for a while, just a bridge to that side of the park as was mentioned earlier in this thread.

This really sucks. I finally got to ride the BBW back in spring of 2000 and I remember it and Apollo being my fave 2 rides at the park. I was hoping to take my wife and kiddo up there sometime in the next 2 years to ride it but I think this dismantling puts that trip on the back burner for a few more years. Ah well, BGW, you just lost my money for a while.

I would think it's because we're in the busiest tourist season down here at the moment. The only time that even equals business at the theme parks here is the week between Christmas and New Years but that's nothing like July here (nor is it as hot, ). Being hot and busy wears the employees down and makes them more prone to making stupid mistakes I would think.

HAUNTINGS!!! I loved that place when I was a kid. I talked my dad into going in there back in the mid 80's and it was awesome! Gatlinburg used to have a lot more cheesy type attractions like Hauntings, World of the Unexplained (kind of a more interested in the occult Ripley's museum), World of Illusions, The American Wax Museum (in the town's old theater), Gatlinburg's Haunted Mansion, the old Ripley's Believe it or Not with the gigantic water faucet suspended in mid air out front, and all the gigantic arcades with all the latest games. A few of those are still around, and some have changed buildings like Ripleys after the original burned, but the 80's was a great time in Gatlinburg!

Cool pics, and that Avalanche coaster looks wicked. That "truck" you passed looked like a spray-tractor and I believe it's built high like that so it can go over the plants without crushing them while it's spraying pesticides.

The Wabash Cannonball at Opryland... sniff

Thanks for the pics and the great TR. I need to get back up to Holiday World. I haven't been since Legend's 1st year.

Thanks for sharing the great pics. You got my vote, hope you win!

Ah, bummer. I rode it back in 2004 and it was neutered with that mid course brake like you're saying. When I last rode it in June of '08 they barely had that mid course brake on and it was running crazy like the old days. I guess the wear and tear is too much on it for them to run it wild like that on a consistent basis. BTW, does anyone remember that pit with the crocs in it that was right past the platform for the first couple of years? Fun stuff, used to really freak riders out as they hung over them on the way to the lift..

When I rode Montu last summer it was almost to it's original '96 levels of insanity. The trim brake before the batwing was barely on. Looks like they're keeping it painted bright colors as well. I love MONTU when it is running right!

Thanks for the awesome TR's guys. Your photos made me want to get out to some of the parks I haven't been to in years.