davidm
Strata Poster
Wednesday 6th June
So the doubling-back on my self a bit / slightly convoluted route / reason I was staying near Albany last night was because today's park
wasn't open earlier in the week and Albany was an easy hour drive South of it so seemed like a good base to go/come back from. In hindsight I
should have booked a hotel further South for that night, but hey you live and learn.
So the easy hour's drive North got me to Great Escape (A Six Flags Theme Park) - and I think that distinction
was interesting, it being "A Six Flags Theme Park" rather than "Six Flags Whatever" - La Ronde was the same and this place felt even less
like a Six Flags than that place did. Not only was it lacking the big thrill-coaster type rides of a typical Six Flags but a lot of the park
itself felt very un-Six Flags (which is both a good think and a bad thing I guess).
Anyway, I was prepared to give it the benefit of the doubt and after completing a brief marketing survey as I headed in (I guess a lot of my
answers were non-typical ones - "How far have you travelled to visit us today" "all the way from the UK!" and so on) I headed in and was most
amused to immediately see this
I thought "that looks like that pig from Florence..."
and indeed it was!
Managed to avoid picking up a map in my pig-based-enthusiasm and started wandering around looking for the roller coasters. Had passed one as
I came in and the boomerang was pretty easy to find but was not running straight away so I kept wandering a little randomly.
Was a bit concerned that I hadn't seen any more coasters (there were meant to be a couple more) but as I headed towards what was the back of the
park I did find the bobsled (which was closed) and then the woody Comet.
I was actually pretty pleased to come to see this, years ago (before all this looking coasters up on the internet made life so easy) I had
bought a book about roller coasters and this one had featured in some great pictures in the book that helped fan my early enthusiast days.
And the ride was really very good - really liked it. Its not that big, but it does a lot with it (for a 1994 rebuild of a 1948 coaster).
Bobsled was still closed though, was starting to get that spite-feeling.
Their kiddie coaster was denied too (I did ask!) - so thats 3 potential spites already
Soon found another coaster though, Canyon Blaster - a mine train ride.
(interesting that the building for a long gone coaster 'Nightmare at Crack Axle Canyon' was still there in the background of that ^ pic, much
like at Frontier City where there is a similar building not-housing a long gone cred)
The mine train was OK and nearby was the last coaster, which was at least running ; Steamin' Demon - another relocated ride (they all
seemed to be relocated rides here) it was this one that you can't really avoid seeing as you walk into the park
Just a loopscrew, this was not good - did ride it a couple of times but very defensively.
Park is very green, being set amongst woods for the most part
Yay the boomerang Flashback was running now...
Was starting to run out of steam though - wasn't a lot in the place to keep me too amused. Had a go on the chair-lift thing just to see a
few different angles
Did not ride, stupid things;
Then joy of joys, I saw some action back at the bobsled, so watched them test for a while and then camped out at the ride entrance. After a
few minutes someone walks down and removes the "closed" sign and we are in.
Think I enjoyed Alpine Bobsled far too much for what it is.
Didn't realise at the time that its a clone of the one at Six Flags over Texas. This particular one had been relocated from Great Adventure
and Great America - such was its pedigree.
Right, bored of the park now. Went back to the woody for a few more rides and to take some pictures;
No, no idea;
Heading out;
So yeah, not a great park, 1/2 day place really but miles away from anywhere else so thats not much use. Another place I'm glad I've been to
but would not imagine ever going back to (unless they relocate in some other coaster I'm interested in )
So I could have done a lot more driving that day, got myself better positioned for where I wanted to be the next day, but I was still in the
same hotel (with the non-existent beer&bbq place next door) so it was Denny's and a quiet night instead (early start in the AM)- pah, must do
better planning.
So the doubling-back on my self a bit / slightly convoluted route / reason I was staying near Albany last night was because today's park
wasn't open earlier in the week and Albany was an easy hour drive South of it so seemed like a good base to go/come back from. In hindsight I
should have booked a hotel further South for that night, but hey you live and learn.
So the easy hour's drive North got me to Great Escape (A Six Flags Theme Park) - and I think that distinction
was interesting, it being "A Six Flags Theme Park" rather than "Six Flags Whatever" - La Ronde was the same and this place felt even less
like a Six Flags than that place did. Not only was it lacking the big thrill-coaster type rides of a typical Six Flags but a lot of the park
itself felt very un-Six Flags (which is both a good think and a bad thing I guess).
Anyway, I was prepared to give it the benefit of the doubt and after completing a brief marketing survey as I headed in (I guess a lot of my
answers were non-typical ones - "How far have you travelled to visit us today" "all the way from the UK!" and so on) I headed in and was most
amused to immediately see this
I thought "that looks like that pig from Florence..."
and indeed it was!
Managed to avoid picking up a map in my pig-based-enthusiasm and started wandering around looking for the roller coasters. Had passed one as
I came in and the boomerang was pretty easy to find but was not running straight away so I kept wandering a little randomly.
Was a bit concerned that I hadn't seen any more coasters (there were meant to be a couple more) but as I headed towards what was the back of the
park I did find the bobsled (which was closed) and then the woody Comet.
I was actually pretty pleased to come to see this, years ago (before all this looking coasters up on the internet made life so easy) I had
bought a book about roller coasters and this one had featured in some great pictures in the book that helped fan my early enthusiast days.
And the ride was really very good - really liked it. Its not that big, but it does a lot with it (for a 1994 rebuild of a 1948 coaster).
Bobsled was still closed though, was starting to get that spite-feeling.
Their kiddie coaster was denied too (I did ask!) - so thats 3 potential spites already
Soon found another coaster though, Canyon Blaster - a mine train ride.
(interesting that the building for a long gone coaster 'Nightmare at Crack Axle Canyon' was still there in the background of that ^ pic, much
like at Frontier City where there is a similar building not-housing a long gone cred)
The mine train was OK and nearby was the last coaster, which was at least running ; Steamin' Demon - another relocated ride (they all
seemed to be relocated rides here) it was this one that you can't really avoid seeing as you walk into the park
Just a loopscrew, this was not good - did ride it a couple of times but very defensively.
Park is very green, being set amongst woods for the most part
Yay the boomerang Flashback was running now...
Was starting to run out of steam though - wasn't a lot in the place to keep me too amused. Had a go on the chair-lift thing just to see a
few different angles
Did not ride, stupid things;
Then joy of joys, I saw some action back at the bobsled, so watched them test for a while and then camped out at the ride entrance. After a
few minutes someone walks down and removes the "closed" sign and we are in.
Think I enjoyed Alpine Bobsled far too much for what it is.
Didn't realise at the time that its a clone of the one at Six Flags over Texas. This particular one had been relocated from Great Adventure
and Great America - such was its pedigree.
Right, bored of the park now. Went back to the woody for a few more rides and to take some pictures;
No, no idea;
Heading out;
So yeah, not a great park, 1/2 day place really but miles away from anywhere else so thats not much use. Another place I'm glad I've been to
but would not imagine ever going back to (unless they relocate in some other coaster I'm interested in
)So I could have done a lot more driving that day, got myself better positioned for where I wanted to be the next day, but I was still in the
same hotel (with the non-existent beer&bbq place next door) so it was Denny's and a quiet night instead (early start in the AM)- pah, must do
better planning.
