Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Day 10: Six Flags Great Adventure

Today was our day at the world's largest Amusement Park (in overall area), Six Flags Great Adventure! The area around is weird as hell (apparently common in New Jersey) and there were no hotels near the park, so the way in took somewhat longer than it really should have had things been laid out with any sort of sense and logic involved. But what else can you expect from a state that appears to be terrified of people turning left?
But anyway, we got in around ten minutes before non-season pass holders and rushed over to Kingda Ka, and we made good time since we got on the first ride of the day! Kingda Ka is absolutely nuts, 0-128 mph (206 km/h) then straight up 456 feet into some sweet negative g's at the crest of the top hat hill, before you go hurtling back to earth, while doing a 360 degree twist, before hitting the bottom of the main hill and going up another, more gradual hill for a little more air time and then the brake run on the other side of the hill's slope. Since we were on the first run of the day, we got to ride again right away! Great ride, the acceleration is so intense and sudden and just being up 456 feet in the air in an open car is awesome, and it is extra awesome when your butt does not touch the seat for pretty much the entire time you are up there! Total must-ride!
We then wandered over to Bizarro, an extremely twisty floorless coaster. The area had just opened, and it seemed everyone was in line for Kingda Ka, so there was no wait whatsoever and so few people in the area at the time that we rode Bizarro three times in a row! The ride rolls out of the station, dips down then goes into a 180 degree turn that takes you to the lift hill. After reaching the top, you are twisted 180 degrees again on the drop through light-up S-shield rings and into a giant loop. Then you are shot upwards and flipped over into a diving loop with flame effects blasting to either side, then back up again into the sweetest zero-g roll I have ever experienced. Then up into a cobra roll above the ride entrance, and then down into a tight upward helix around and through some ruined building scenery pieces, a slight brake, then interlocking corkscrews with a head-chopping spiked roller scenery piece in the middle of both corkscrews. One last little hump and you are on the final brake run and into the station. I really liked this ride, lots of thrills and inversions! Another must-ride!
Not wanting to waste too much time we could be riding coasters in, we did the short walk to El Toro, one of the tallest and fastest wooden coasters in the world. The ride opened in 2006, making it one of the newest wooden coasters around, and it uses a new style train with rubber wheels for a super smooth ride. You leave the station, do a 180 degree turn then go up the lift at a respectable speed thanks to the cable lift instead of a traditional chain lift. Once you reach 181 feet, you take a leisurely slight slope, followed by another 180 degree turn, then you are dropped down one of the steepest drops in wooden coaster history at 76 degrees. You hit 70 mph (110 km/h) wizzing under a section of track and then shoot up the first camel back air-time hill, followed immediately by a second one, then up into a severely banked 180 degree downward turn, then back up again in another, slightly less banked turn. Up and over another hill for some negative g's. Another turn and a hill hurtles you over Rolling Thunder, the other wooden coaster, then you travel through a series of high-speed turns inside the inner hollow of Rolling Thunder's track. You are then hopped over some s-curve hills before hitting the brake run and returning to the station. I honestly never thought I would be on a wooden coaster that could do the things El Toro does, and do them smoothly. Top class coaster, absolute must-ride.
After we had done the three we felt we had to in the area, we went on the long, meandering way to Nitro. The only way Nitro and El Toro could be farther away was if they really tried. But after a substantial walk, we arrived and there was barely a wait at all to get on.
Nitro is a classic hypercoaster, with its lift hill reaching 230 feet up in the air, and lots of negative g air-time. After the lift hill, you are dropped down nearly to ground level before shooting up a 180 foot tall camelback for some nice air time, then down and up into a second camelback for more air, which then twists you on the descent into a run to an over banked hammerhead turn through and above the woods. You are then popped over another air-time hill, before you hit an s-curve into the tight 540 degree upward helix. Some intense g forces on that one, though doesn't hold a candle to the forces on Intimidator 305's first high speed turn. After the helix you hit a slight brake and then go bouncing across the final three camelback hills for some more air-time before coming to a stop on the brake run and returning to the station. Fantastic ride, lots of negative g's and speed, must-ride.
Keeping with riding efficiently, we rode Batman: The Ride next, being right next to Nitro as it is. Batman is Great Adventure's most ridden roller coaster and the world's first inverted coaster. You are carried up the lift hill, turnes 180 degrees on the drop and then sent around a vertical loop, followed by a barrel roll, then into a second loop. You are then sent around a tight upward helix to the left before a wider right turn and into a corkscrew, another speedy turn and a second corkscrew. One final turn brings you to the brake run and station. Good, speedy ride, thought it has been outclassed by the likes of Raptor and others since, it is still a great ride and has been declared a coaster landmark. Highly recommended.

We grabbed some lunch, some souvenirs for the folks back home, and went to the car to ditch my phone and the stuff we just bought. Then we headed back into the park and went straight for Superman Ultimate Flight.
Unlike Firehawk, Superman sits you down, then tilts you parallel to the track, face down. Way better than laying down on your back, staring into the sun, but still rather uncomfortable to me. After the lift hill, you drop face-first towards the ground before flying up again, and into an oddball pretzelpretzel loop, where you start at the top and the apex of the loop is on the ground. Then you are flung around two 180 degree horseshoe turns and an upward helix before hitting a barrel roll and finally the brakes and station. Fun ride, very smooth compared to other flying coasters, but I find the discomfort of hanging there face down while the other train seems to take an hour to load sort of takes something away from the ride I just experienced. Maybe flying coasters just aren't my thing, I do not particularly like the way the forces act on the body when your back is parallel to the track. Ride if you have time, but do not plan you day around it. Odds are once will be enough.
I rode on Green Lantern alone next, since dad did not think a stand-up coaster would be so kind to his back. You climb a 155 foot lift hill, before dropping around 180 degrees, though a misted, reaching Parralax scenery piece and up a 121.6 foot giant loop and then rises again into a diving loop. Up again and around the station, then the train drops into an inclined loop (a verticle loop placed on a tilt rather than straight up and down), followed by another rise and then the first brake run. You are dropped again, into a corckscrew and then up through the diving loop before making a ground-level turn and a second corkscrew followed by a weaving helix around the inclined loop then another, tighter helix up to the break run and station. Good ride, little more head-banging than I appreciate, but fun overall. Like Superman, ride if you have the time, but I recommend it higher than the flying coaster.

With Green Lantern under my belt I felt we had ridden all the worthwhile coasters and rode Kingda Ka one final time, flowed by another jaunt on Bizarro and finally we tool the cable cars across the park to save the walk and get out of the heat a bit and rode Nitro one final time. All in all, one of the best days of coaster riding on the trip!

Tomorrow we go to Hersheypark in Pennsylvania, our last stop before the journey back to Canada and Wonderland.

Record Holders:
Kingda Ka: 1st tallest, 2nd fastest
El Toro: 1st fastest, 3rd tallest, 3rd steepest (wooden)
Bizarro: 3rd most inversions (multi-tie), 9th tallest vertical loop (tie)
Green Lantern: 6th tallest vertical loop

Golden Ticket 2012 Winners:
Nitro: #3 steel
El Toro: #1 wooden

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