I just got back from a weekend in Virginia. We went to Kings Dominion on Friday and Busch Gardens on Saturday. I had heard that the Big Bad Wolf was on the chopping block, but didn't read the news that it was definitively being removed until Saturday morning, right before we left for the park (it was an awesome day, by the way, as our longest line was for Le Scoot).
The Big Bad Wolf was by far my favorite coaster at the park, so I'm grateful that I was able to get in my last ride. It's funny, while waiting in the queue, there is a clip playing on the video monitors that says something along the lines of "The Big Bad Wolf continues to entertain riders after 25 years," which I thought was kind of funny given the news. The Wolf was riding slightly rougher than I remember (especially following the final drop) from my last visit in 2007, but it may just been because I was riding somewhere other than towards the front of the train.
As upset as I am, Busch obviously has a valid reason for putting such a popular ride out to pasture - whether it's necessary for park expansion, or becoming unreasonably expensive to maintain. When I was in the gift shop, there were at least 10 or so people that came in to ask the cashier if the park was really getting rid of the coaster. One of the parents said that it's the only "big kid coaster" in the park that her children would ride.
Well, Big Bad Wolf, you will be missed. I bought myself a stuffed wolf, wearing a red Big Bad Wolf t-shirt.
I have some pictures from Kings Dominion and Busch Gardens that I'll try posting once I download them from my camera.