Entries this day: six_flags_great_america

six flags great america

(written from notes in my little yellow diary that Bryn and Eryn gave me)

8 May 1999

From the internet (www.sixflags.com) here are the specs for the coasters at Six Flags Great America in Chicago:

                     height    length   speed
# name               (feet)    (feet)   (mph)

2 Raging Bull         200+     5057     73
1 Viper               100      3458     50
2 Shockwave           170               65
0 Giant Drop          227       227     62
1 American Eagle      127      4650     66
1 Batman the Ride     100      2700     50
3 Iron Wolf           100      2900     55
1 Demon               100      1250     45
1 Whizzer             (not on six flags website)

# = number of times I rode it today.

Does anyone have a laptop I can buy or that you wanna give me? I'd really enjoy writing my journal entries in the moment, at the park, instead of reconstructing the excitement a month later.

Six Flags Great America greets its visitors with a big blue twisty loopy coaster to the left of the park entrance. Seven inversions. I counted them. Wow.

I came to the park with Carina and Nate, who had brought me here and come with us, respectively. I know Carina from YRUU, and Nate is a friend of hers from the Navy. (Yes, this is Dane's sister Carina)

While in line, I commented on the coolness of the big blue twisty coaster. "What is the name of that ride?" Neither Carina nor Nate knew.

"Shockwave" came the answer from someone almost as excited as me. "But that's not even the coolest coaster."

Whoah.

Of course, Raging Bull was all the rage today. A brand new ride that boasts an underground tunnel and seventy three mile per hour first drop!! I could see its maroon track with big orange supports through the trees. It did look impressive.

Raging Bull, I was assured, was the superlative ride of the year. A group of bouncing high schoolers vowed to head straight for the ride. I boasted that they better run or get out of my way.

The gates opened; I zipped through the gate and ran toward the looming orange coaster, only to be stopped by the rope. What???

"It's not 10 o'clock yet."

Ack.

Before the park opened for real, we were packed like sardines behind an employee-guarded rope, waiting for 10 am. I squoozed myself to the front of the crowd (not too difficult as I had been one of the first people in the park) and looked back for Carina and Nate.

They finally made it. Turns out Nate's big Texan belt buckle had set off the alarms and he had to take it off to go through the metal detector.

Several minutes later (still before 10), "Raging Bull is not going to be open this morning."

Most of the excited crowd hadn't heard that the coaster was still sleeping and wouldn't be ready. I informed the bouncing high school group, who said, "I'm gonna wait in line anyway!!"

As time grew near, many people in the crowd crowed, "it's 10 o'clock!" "it's 10 oh five!" and others, but that didn't seem to help.

Finally a couple of other employees walked up. They were all, "OKAY! DO NOT CROSS THE ROPE! WE WILL LEAD YOU TO 'SOUTHWEST TERRITORY!' RAGING BULL IS NOT OPEN! DO NOT CROSS THE ROPE!" kinda thing and they walked us like a giant amoeba to the Southwest Territory where all hell broke loose toward the Bull with me thinking, "Where do I go????" Since I was not going to wait in line for a coaster that might not open today when tons of other rides were available.

A small black loopy thing was there, and I searched for its entrance. I saw a group walking super fast. "Where is the entrance for this???" They guy told me, but added, "it won't get busy; Batman or Iron Wolf is better!"

Perfect. That is exactly what I wanted to know. But where oh where is Batman? "Come with us; that's where we're going."

I lost Nate and Carina but they didn't want to walk as fast as me. I'm sure I'll find them later.

As we walked, I met my new friend Peter, and his brothers(?) and little sister Megan.

We actually rode Iron Wolf first. It's a stand up ride, pretty compact and speedy, including a loop and other cool stuff. Peter waited for the front car; I just rode the thing in first available seat. Super nice ride, with some good drops and some head shaking. Pretty zippy toward the ground at the end and overall I'll rate it 3.5 of 5. They were running two trains, so there was no line when my ride ended so I rode again! This time I moved to the back car. I got 9 pics while on the ride. I gotta get a digital camera.

Peter and crew waited for me (thank them very much), and we went to Batman.

We zipped through the turnstiles and only had to wait 5 trains to ride in the front seat! Batman is a suspended looping coaster, 4 seats across. Super awesome nice ride! It has 2 loops and 3 corkscrews, all black track with beautiful though compact terrain with nice willow trees and a pond thing.. Wow! Especially when right out of one twisty loop, we zip down for a near crash splash in the water. (Choose the left hand seats on this ride; you get closer to the water, and better view of the crowd on the ground)

Oh oh oh! And I rode it barefoot! yeah!

I give Batman The Ride a 4.5 of 5. Very nice ride. Choice: left hand side, front or back seat.

We rode it once, ran down the ramp, and the line was long as hell. Cool. Well, not cool, but cool that we didn't have to wait.

Now that the lines were long, we went to Shockwave, the big blue twisty thing near the front of the park. I rode in the middle of the train with Meagan, Peter's sister. I got several pics while waiting for the train, but zero while on it this time.

This ride is at least 3.5 of 5. It's not as fast as the others, but long and tall and spindly, like Shockwave at Six Flags Over Texas. Long curving entrance drop, then up up up into a tight loop. Long curve again then two loops in a row. Curve again and then a pretzel (two inversions) and back then around and two corkscrews in a row. On a different time I rode Shockwave, I got a beautiful pic while on the corkscrew. Looking through the corkscrew, perfectly framed is a US flag. Nice nice nice.

Now, back at the park entrance, we had made one circuit of the park and began again toward Southwest Territory and Raging Bull. The Bull was still closed, and Peter et.al. declared The Viper line was too long, so we rode Demon.

Demon is the loopy black coaster I had eyed first before finding Peter and gang. This was is fun; it has big rocky terrain around it and even has a big loop around a rock arch thing. Two loops then a tunnel and two corkscrews make this a fun ride. I give it a 3 of 5 (2.5 without the terrain). Great ride for beginners.

Now to the back of the park to ride American Eagle. I got a pic of vacant turnstiles before the ride. American Eagle is a big classic wooden coaster with twin tracks. During Halloween season, the trains are run backwards. The train is vibraty jiggly as hell and has a huge slow spiral acceleration track after the first big drop and answering ascent.

I got pictures on the ride, and casually put my camera in my lap when Peter said, "camera ahead." There's a camera taking pics of riders so the park might make a few extra dollars selling them at the end of the ride.

Classic wooden coasters are not my favorite; I love the speed, but this was nice; I give it a 3.5 or 4 of 5.

Peter and crew left. The lines are long. We rode all that before noon.

I meandered around the park after getting Peter's email address (haven't emailed him yet, but will after this entry is complete) and found myself on Iron Wolf. The line is almost an hour long. I rode near the back. Yay!!

Found Carina (actually she found me) near American Eagle. They were munching messy chili dogs and nachos. After food, we rode Cajun Cliffhangar, a ride that spins so riders are held against the wall while the floor drops out from below riders' feet. Big fun. We got on there and Holli the ride op was on the intercom, "welcome to Cajun Cliffhanger, please stay flat against the wall and .... will you put your shoes back on please?" she said to me. :-) The ride was fun, even while wearing shoes.

Nate and I chilled while Carina made a phone call. She took a long ass time, so we went to ride Shockwave again. I left her a note by the bench where we had been sitting.

The ride was great, and Carina was on a different bench. She hadn't gotten the note. I hopped over to where the other had been and some little junior high girls were all, "are you Carina?"

"Sure!" I said, and they giggled and gave me the note.

I brought it back to Carina, who didn't want it, so I gave it back to the girls. One was all, "why would we want it?" Another piped up, "I'll keep it!"

We still rode more rides and I rode rides the next day. But now, literally as I write this, Wende and I are off to Fiesta Texas to ride more coasters. Maybe maybe I'll write more quickly! permalink