A Great Great Adventure Adventure: My Jerseylicious Coaster Con XXXVIIITrip Report - Part II

Ladies and Gentlemen (+ gender non-conformers)

ARE YOU READY TO RUMBLE???

Or perhaps, fumble.

As in "fumbling through the immense Coaster Con XXXVIII Registration Packet."

Coaster Con has officially begun! Armed with all of our registration goodies, it's time to hit the road and embark on:

"A Great Great Adventure Adventure!"

Six Flags' largest theme park beckons, and we're ready to answer the call with three days at this northeast beast! 

But first...

Detour to Bowcraft Amusement Park!

Nestled in Scotch Plains, New Jersey, Bowcraft is a charming little park with a nice little spread of amusement park mainstays.

Obviously when there's a Dragon Wagon within an hour of the Coaster Con host park, accommodations must be made. :}

Here we go, Michael!

Bowcraft's main attraction is the surprising substantial Crossbow coaster.

Crossbow is built by Zierer and felt like a very pleasant half-step up from a large Vekoma Roller Skater. :}

Across the street from Bowcraft is a strip mall with well-reviewed Indian, Chinese, Thai, and Japanese restaurants. Got me a tempura'd lobster roll! :}

The road upon which Six Flags Great Adventure sits is an interesting one. Trees, trees, and more trees for a couple miles in either direction from the park, plus an outlet mall and maybe two gas stations. Then you see the marquee for Six Flags Great Adventure on an otherwise nondescript edge of street before the park's exit ramp, which then takes you away from the main road and deeper into the trees.

And then BAM. Intamin explosion. 

We've made it to Six Flags! Our Great Great Adventure Adventure has begun!

Cute little entrance. :}

My first visit to Six Flags Great Adventure! I'm so excited. :}

Our first order of business is in this direction! All the way down Dream Street to the Giant Wheel!

Hello, Gingerbread Fancy! I've heard a lot about you. :}

We're in Adventure Alley right now! Home to lots of super-tall trees and several flat rides of the super-tall and not-so-super-tall variety. :}

Our first stop on our Great Great Adventure Adventure is in Movie Town! Can you guess which ride? :}

It's Batman: The Ride, of course! This modern classic was originally not going to be open during our trip, but against all odds the ride was up and running for our first day of Con!

As of this captioning, this incarnation of the Batcave is now being taken from a new perspective – backwards! The ride was originally supposed to be closed during Con for its conversion into Batman: Backwards, but thanks to an unforeseen postponement of the conversion, the ride had not yet closed! Huzzah! :}

While Six Flags Magic Mountain was home to the first Gotham City area in the Six Flags chain, Great Adventure is home to the first area themed around Batman: The Ride, which includes such things as the Backlot Bar and the now-ubiquitous Axis Arena.

And, while not unique to the park, Great Adventure's Dark Knight coaster is the only one located inside a Batman-themed area. :}

Oooh look! A pre show!

Six Flags Great America wasn't running the Dark Knight pre show during our visit in 2012. Or ever.

It's a shame that Great America just whisks you through this part of the cue, because it's obvious that a lot of work went into making this a full immersion attraction.

Oh! What's this?

A Joker card with a…bullet hole in it? Hmm...

Hey look! It's District Attorney Harvey Dent! He seems to be making a press release about the caped crusader!

Ooops. I think the satellite went out.

OH SHOOT! THIS IS NOT IDEAL!

*calamity ensues*

We need to get out of here!

Quick! To the curiously-small Gotham City Rail car!

While not every effect was working, the overall story of the ride actually got to play itself out, which is neat. :}

Back outside, we find the once boisterous Axis Arena shuttered, as is the case with all other Axis Arenas in the Six Flags family. Once the upper half of a midway loop, Movie Town dead ends at the Dark Knight coaster. This former signature region of the park now extends only half the length of Batman: The Ride's footprint before giving way to sheer emptiness.

The manicured gardens of the Dark Knight bleed into a virtually lifeless corner of Great Adventure, which is partially obscured by the coaster's trompe l'oeil box.

It is here we find the Exploratorium; once a major marquee for the area, now a tombstone of sorts for one of the most remarkable and troubled attractions in the history of Six Flags chain of parks, Batman and Robin: The Chiller. 

Across from the Exploratorium, guests are met with a fence stretching across a midway that served as a major park artery for more than two decades. Immediately across said fence is the queue patio for Stuntman's Freefall, still untouched since the ride's 2007 departure. Fans of other Six Flags Freefalls will recognize this patio; it was built to the same specifications for each installation of the ride across the chain.

Years 2007 and 2008 were difficult for Six Flags. The company hemorrhaged money while new management cleaned house on finicky and problematic attractions across the board. For Great Adventure, that meant losing two major attractions that happened to sit right next to each other. With Freefall and The Chiller gone, the back half of Movie Town was completely devoid of all running attractions, leading the park to close the area all together. 

The elaborate station for Batman and Robin: The Chiller has now entered its 8th year of retirement. Beyond it rests the still partially intact Old Country, an area whose demise came alongside the closure of Movie Town's back half. Old Country's closure cost Great Adventure two more rides; the Autobahn bumper cars and the Musik Express. 

Across from The Chiller station, life goes on. With Great Adventure's picnic groves still majorly in use, many a Six Flags guest passes the ruins of Movie Town and Old Country daily. The neighboring Showtime Theater served as home for the ACE Coaster Con General Store, but didn't seem to be in any kind of condition to do much else. 

If wading around in part of Great Adventure's graveyard has you feeling down, here's a North American River Otter to help make things O.K. :}

Hey guys! Nice pavilion you've got here!

Any strange feelings about the walk over here are remedied with fancy cheese.

Our opening meal was fabulous! I had bacon wrapped scallops (like, a dozen), glazed ham, and cranberry chicken skewers! We also got Christmas ornaments! Better take these back to the car. :}

Six Flags Great Adventure is run by a management team that shares a genuine love of this park and all things fun. Before Park President John Fitzgerald's statement, we were treated to a parody video of Meghan Trainor's "All About That Bass" called "All About That ACE," in which Great Adventure representatives laid down a sick beat and rapped about how excited they are to have us at their park! It was amazing. :}

After the opening ceremony, we walked through poor ole Old Country. The Autobahn is still quite beautiful. It had been home to the park's original set of bumper cars since 1994.

When Great Adventure was in its infancy, this was one of the liveliest areas of the park. It was built in 1975-76 and crammed with rides after the public's overwhelming response to the park in its inaugural season. Now it seems things have come full circle; the area is as benign as it was when the park opened. 

This original-to-the-park building began life as a snake habitat in the park's petting zoo. It spent most of its life as a hat stand, but now serves as a billboard for those who happen to be passing through the Old Country.

And finally, where Old Country meets Dream Street, we find the site of the park's beloved Schwarzkopf Enterprise, which was retired unexpectedly in early 2006 when cost prohibitive setbacks arose during the ride's post offseason reassembly. 

I hope you've enjoyed this delightful history lesson on Six Flags Great Adventure's giant Old Country / Movie Town dead zone.

Seriously. I promise that a majority of the rest of this update will be less of a bummer. lol 

Look! Superman is happy and wants you to smile! :}

And so does Nitro! And the Six Flags water tower!

I *think* it might be time for a ride on the famous Six Flags Great Adventure Skyway!

Yep. The time is definitely now. Just look at that lighting!

I commend Six Flags for still running both sides of this unique double Von Roll sky ride! Normally getting seven cars in one shot from ground level is basically impossible. :}

We'll be back for you later, Giant Wheel!

Normally the case of Six Flags' unrelenting swath of advertisements on rides is a source of irritation, but M&M cars of the Skyride just work for some reason. :}

I really like these signs in front of some of the rides. I wish all of the Six Flags parks had them!

Soon we'll be floating over Adventure Alley and beyond!

Since the Great Adventure Skyway is technically two rides, there are two places to queue up depending on which side is calling to you. :}

We'll be back for more around this area later. :}

Next to the Skyway is Great Adventure's new bumper cars, whose bright cars and festive lightning package hark back to the park's original bumper cars!

Nitro just looks soooooo appetizing, but we won't be riding it until tomorrow morning!

TARGET SIGHTED AND LOCKED

It's an intamin kind of Con here at Great Adventure. El Toro, Kingda Ka, the Parachute Tower, Congo River, Zumanjaro, and Skull Mountain are all here to please!

The Skyway is remarkably long! It really makes a difference when getting from point A to point B around here, unlike some sky rides, where walking from one station to the other isn't much of a feat. 

This sky ride is a colorful change of pace from the Von Roll at Six Flags Over Georgia, which has featured brown and tan cars all its life. :}

Speaking of which, the Great Gasp parachute tower is still sorely missed at Six Flags Over Georgia. Fingers crossed that Six Flags Great Adventure doesn't get any bright ideas about tearing this one down! It's the last in the country!

Oh look, there's some kind of carnival ride squatting by these roller coasters. 

I've heard great things about Great Adventure's Best of the West Log Flume! And look how pretty it is! 

EL TORO WE ARE COMING FOR YOU!

Approaching this coaster from the sky ride is an experience. It commands attention the way that only an Intamin woodie can!

*first drop screams*

El Toro: "Let me sing you the song of my people!"

…….FRRRRMMMP…….FRRRRRMMMP…….FRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR…….

Not to be outdone, Runaway Train is a pretty substantial ass kicker. More on that later. 

This part of Great Adventure is arrestingly beautiful. Easily one of the most stunning theme park spots anywhere.

*_______*

This part of Great Adventure has done nothing but change since the park opened. It started as parking lot, and now it's got one of the world's best wooden roller coasters!

There were some more wooden coasters over here too, but not anymore. :{

Evidence of Rolling Thunder is everywhere. Some artifacts more prominent than others.

El Diablo may have taken over Rolling Thunder's station plot, but the train shed still stands.

The ride's PTC 3 bench cars rest in pieces next to where the lift hill once stood.

The bottom of the first drop is a bit of a head-scratcher. Is it supposed to be a monument to the ride?

Once framed by Rolling Thunder, El Toro's final act now plays out solo.

Back seat for my first ride! Does it live up to the hype??

Obviously. It's El Freaking Toro!!

New #1 Woodie just like that! :}

Next we need to get Kingda Ka taken care of before it breaks down or something. This requires making a U-shaped passage around the Boardwalk area and back up into the Golden Kingdom.

I've got a date with both of you lovely contraptions tomorrow!

Now for the hike to Kingda Ka!

Kingda Ka and El Toro are literally right next to each other, but you have to walk half way across the park and back to get from one to the other.

Six Flags Great Adventure might just be the most infrastructurally-challenged amusement park in the world right now. 

This area used to be a very open kiddie area, with rides scattered everywhere between the lake and the parking lot. Now the area looks like a damn tuning fork. How could Six Flags let this happen???

Oh, and if you want to get from Zumanjaro to El Toro, just go ahead and rent a car.

Like Top Thrill Dragster, Kingda Ka frightens and impresses. However, Ka rattles aggressively, and thanks to the shoulder harness, its sort of like putting your head and shoulders in a food processor. 

I'm still a big fan, though. Can we talk about he floater air on the hump?? Wow!

With Ka and Zumanjaro taken care of, we spent all of ERT riding El Toro over and over.

Also, there were Dippin Dots. It was perfect. :}

BAM! Day two! No time to rest! We've got a lot of ground to cover today!

We get to take the secret entrance to our breakfast!

I was hoping to get to see the Chiller ruins and all of the other artifacts in this corner of the park on our visit. Little did I know we'd be seeing them twice a day!

Speaking of twice a day, let's get our first Skyway ride! Thank you Six Flags for having it open during multiple ERTs!

Nitro ERT starts after our return flight!

Skyway selfie!!

Let's talk about infrastructure some more, shall we?

In the bottom left of this picture we see a closed building that separates the circus tent shops from the Carousel. When the park opened, the tents served as part of the entrance plaza along with the carousel. Not long after the park's entrance was moved to its current location, the decision was made to sever the midway and divert traffic into the otherwise easily-overlooked games midway that would later become the Boardwalk. 

A lot has changed since this decision was made. The Boardwalk hasn't been a low-traffic area in around three decades. The blockade between the tents and the carousel has taken several forms (including the impressive but short-lived Huss Jumpin' Jack Flash ride), but now I think it really needs to go away. Spreading traffic around the park is one thing, but cutting the main midway in half and keeping it sectioned off like this for so long is ridiculous. Going around a closed building and into the Boardwalk to traverse two points that are literally right next to each other got old fast. 

Fortunately, there is a short cut through the arcade tent! It's the only way in which these two halves of the same damn midway are connected. Am I the only one who thinks this is crazy?

And then there's this egregious marring of the midway in the center of the photo.

Like I said before, having to walk through the Boardwalk area to reach two halves of the same themed area is asinine enough, but the fact that the distance between Great Adventure's two marquee roller coasters (not to mention 2014 and 2015's new major attractions) is DOUBLED because the path between the two halves of the Golden Kingdom is now being used as a Halloween Haunt is just staggeringly dumb. This area isn't even 10 years old and it's already being marginalized and butchered; a continued testament to Six Flags' shortsightedness. 

Ok, I'm done complaining for now. Look at the pretty view! ;}

Never in my life have I visited a park that is at once so bewildering and  bewitching.

In a lot of ways, Six Flags Great Adventure reminds me of my childhood Six Flags park, Magic Mountain – they have a lot of the same strengths and weaknesses. Ultimately, both of these parks have extremely high highs and very low lows, but both also have extremely devoted teams who care a great deal about their park. 

Where the parks have their differences, there seems to still be a fair amount of balance. For example, what Great Adventure gains by still having a transportation ride as outstanding as the Skyway, Magic Mountain makes up for by not having a park layout that makes you want to punch a contractor. 

Few coaster experiences have left me as baffled as Skull Mountain. The order of events goes:

Indiana Jones Ride > Metallica Concert > Holiday Clearence Aisle at Hobby Lobby

This is either the best ride concept ever or the worst. 

CREDIT!

Super-cool Roadrunner Express selfie!

Ok! The time for Nitro is now!

Jeff and Steve are camera-ready, but Dan and Alec are a little more preoccupied with the matter at hand. 

We are ready for some hot Nitro action!

As far as Six Flags hyper coasters go, rides pepper the spectrum, ranging from "this was a squandered opportunity" to "this was an elation."

At the bottom of the pile, we find Magic Mountain's Goliath (and by association, Six Flags Over Texas' Titan). Of the three coasters that Giovanola actually produced (their fingerprints are all over various Intamin and early B&M projects per their role as subcontractor), their pair of B&M-esque 255ft-ers share the distinction of least-airtime-laden hyper coasters ever conceived, and their attempt to knock you out with skull-squishing helixes is far from pacifying.

Then there's Six Flags Great America's Raging Bull, the original B&M hyper (along with Busch Gardens' "Apollo's Chariot: The Curse of Fabio's Nose"), which really delivers on all fronts other than a buzz-killing trim half way up the second hill. Its compact layout would turn out to be uncharacteristic of the model in retrospect; Raging Bull remains the only B&M Mega Coaster to not classify as an out-and-back coaster. It would seem that Six Flags was looking for something similar for Magic Mountain and Over Texas but ended up with a couple of pretenders. It's a shame, because honestly this world would be a much better place if Goliath and Titan were Raging Bull clones, amirite? 

While Magic Mountain was getting ready to premier the tallest full circuit coaster in the world (for a month, anyways, until Millennium Force opened), the second and third Superman: Ride of Steel incarnations were making landfall in the north east. While Magic Mountain and Cedar Point engaged in their usual pissing contest over which of their new toys were more substantial, Six Flags New England was quietly slaying the masses with bonafide hyper coaster perfection. The supporting act Rides of Steel at Six Flags America and Darien Lake aren't without their charms, but to this day, Bizarro: Ride of Steel challenges even the most diehard fans of other game-changing mega coasters. 

When the time came for Great Adventure to receive its obligatory tall thing, no punches were pulled. Nitro is to B&M as Bizarro is to Intamin, in terms of length, speed, sheer might, and overall performance to the highest possible standards of its designer. Its impressive L-shaped footprint and unrelenting first half has enraptured the masses for almost 15 years, and a relatively merciful mid-course brake run keeps the airtime party going all the way back to the station. It would be half a decade before B&M graced the United States with another mega coaster, but most would agree that Six Flags Over Georgia's Goliath – a Nitro: Part Deux of sorts – was well worth the wait. 

Surprise! We're on the Boardwalk again, because getting anywhere in this park requires passing through here at least once. 

This time we're on our way back to Kingda Ka!

(Spolier alert: it broke when we got there)

The Golden Kingdom had a few animal-related attractions when it opened, but now only the sheep remain. 

Tom, Steve, and Byron are getting ready for their Kingda Ka and El Toro walkback tour! We'll be taking a walkback tour ourselves this evening. :}

With Ka down, the only thing to do in this area is to ride Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom and look at El Toro. 

And, y'know, curse the park for making El Toro a 15 minute walk from Kingda Ka.

All of these vantage points are new, for we pass along the path once taken only by Rolling Thunder's second half.

The queue for Zumanjaro brings guests right up to the bottom of Rolling Thunder's first drop, at which point it then follows the path of Rolling Thunder's first half.

I find it hilarious that a park with so many dead zones is still building wild-ass long walkways like this. 

Here lies Rolling Thunder,

now 6 feet under.

Next we make our final approach to the base of Kingda Ka's tower. It features little side supports not found on Top Thrill Dragster.

I'll admit that putting a drop tower on the side of Kingda Ka is too tempting to resist, but it's a move that could've waited until after some of the park's more glaring deficiencies were hammered out.

Like, if you're going to put a big-ass walkway to a new ride, would it have killed you to pave a little tiny one between Kingda Ka and El Toro, too? lol

Zumanjaro and Kingda Ka operate with a synchronized staggering of dispatches per the requirements of the state of New Jersey. Ka fires out anywhere from 1-4 trains while Zumanjaro loads. When Zu dispatches, Ka's dispatches are halted until Zu's catch cars have returned to the station. Once the convertible roof over Zu's station folds down, Ka is safe to launch.

I've heard that the states strict regulations are what lead to El Toro being an Intamin pre-fab coaster over a GCI, but that may not be the case. Whatever the reason, El Toro feels like an odd move out of lock-step for mid-2000 Six Flags and remains arguably their best decision ever. 

While none would dispute El Toro being a great decision, the masses seem polarized over the park's most recent coaster, 2011's Green Lantern. Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom's loss may have been Great Adventure's gain, but many would argue it wasn't so much a gain as it was a trade of one painful parking lot coaster for another. 

My initial thoughts were that the park approached critical levels of Magic Mountain-ness with the addition of their very own massive green B&M stand-up. It seems only natural, since both parks shared the same Stand-up over 25 years ago: Shockwave!

In other news, there is absolutely no walking by the Parachute Tower without taking pictures.

It's a disease and I don't even want the cure. 8}

I was pretty much doing Riddler's Revenge double takes every time the train came by. Ironically, the ride was originally intended to lead its life at Kentucky Kingdom by that very moniker before new management came in and halted the park's DC Comics integration.

T2 was almost Batman: The Ride and painted black for such a conversion. Chang received its new name not long before the ride was publicly announced in 1996. 

Kindga Ka will attest: Whatever your case may be, it's not easy being green!

IT'S NOT EASYYYY – Hey look! Ka is open!

In fact, being green is so difficult that sometimes part of you just has to be a different color. 

INCOMING! 

And then there's Superman, the B&M bridesmaid coaster of Great Adventure, Great America, and Over Georgia. It's never been the star, but it's never looked bad, either. At least Georgia's has the topography on its side; the subsequent clones offer a much plainer experience. 

Frank and Scott are ready to get Lantern'd! Or whatever it is the Green Lantern does!

There they go!

Green Lantern is as good as I remember it being as Chang. It's not the unlikely divinity that is Riddler's Revenge, but it's better than most stand-ups.

I think the stand-up coaster trend would've held out just a bit longer if the Floorless coaster concept hadn't come in and totally slayed everyone. The last stand-up and the first Floorless opened the same year; Georgia Scorcher passed the torch to Medusa, and that was that.

With the death of the stand-up coaster came the death of the B&M inclined loop, which is a pity. It was a hit when it debuted on Mantis, and with the subsequent re-working and expanding of the core layout for Chang and Riddler, the incline loop remained a standout element that could only be enjoyed on a B&M Stand-up.

With the debut of Rougarou at Cedar Point, the new question to ask is, can we expect to see more stand-ups go the way of Mantis? It's probably not a likely choice for parks like Magic Mountain and Great Adventure, who already offer floorless coasters, but perhaps not beyond the realm of possibility for Georgia Scorcher. It's a great stand-up, but Six Flags Over Georgia could do a lot to spruce up the ride with its highly-visible location at the park's entrance.  Carowinds and Great America could also see this as a way to breathe life back into some 25-ish-year-old investments.

Unlike stand-ups, whose finicky and slow-loading trains now have hope of being traded in for trains of the floorless variety, flying coasters are probably doomed to run their temperamental rolling stock until they retire. 

Alright! Time to spend some quality time with one of Great Adventure's  greatest ever attractions: The Edwards AFB Jump Tower a.k.a. The Parachute Training Center a.k.a Parachuter's Perch!

Plaque of Legit-ness!

1983 was a strong year for Great Adventure; both the Parachute Tower and the Freefall made their debuts! Intamin party!

Six Flags and Intamin worked together in the mid-70s to create a ride just like Coney Island's infamous Parachute Tower, only safer and more reliable. All three original Six Flags parks received Parachute Towers, the last of which going to Six Flags Over Mid-America in 1978, the same year Great Adventure joined the Six Flags family.

 By the end of the 70s, having substantially beefed up Great Adventure's coaster collection, Six Flags turned their attention to more oddball attractions for the park. The Boardwalk at Great Adventure was the perfect home for a Parachute Tower, but rather than install a new one, Six Flags pulled the plug on Missouri's 5-year-old "Sky Chuter"and mailed it to New Jersey. :}

Guests looking to catch a bird's eye view of Six Flags Over Mid-America didn't have to wait long for an alternative to the lost Parachutes; the park's now-famous Colossus Ferris Wheel opened the very next season. :}

With permission from the Parachute Tower ride staff, I took my camera on several flights. :}

Hopefully, since Great Adventure has basically every kind of tall ride imaginable, the Parachute Tower is safe from being bulldozed for some other tall ride, as was the case with the other two.

The views are, of course, awesome. 

My cup runneth over with Intamins!

And other major attractions of Swiss heritage!

You guys we totally still haven't ridden Bizarro yet! I completely forgot about him. :x

Zumanjaro is an excellent ride, btw. The drop is thrilling but gentle; not actually much of a step up from the Parachutes! 

The Intamin legacy of heights, drops, and scaring people out of their wits lives on! 

Now it's time to party like its 1999 on Twister!

I never thought I'd say this, but this Six Flags Top Spin has a great ride program!

I still remember my first Top Spin; it too was a late 90s Six Flags expenditure, in this case Voodoo at Six Flags Marine World. I will never forget the ferocity of that first ride, back when all Top Spins ran wild ride programs! 

Any excellent ride program can be made even better with Rita's Italian Ice. I was definitely feeling the mango. 8}

It's just me and my Rita's for now! Let's go for a walk. :}

If you were to look at Great Adventure Giant Wheel serving as north, you would find that there is very little in the park that is to the left of Dream Street.

This is due in part to being both close to the shore of Switlik Lake and under the path of the Skyway. :}

Like at Six Flags Over Georgia, development has stayed far away from the immediate area of the Sky Ride, which has both helped protect the ride from retirement and allowed the plant life beneath the ride flourish. 

The Great Lake Grandstand was an integral part of early Great Adventure. It is now empty and largely forgotten, as is the aqua stadium next door. 

Only trees, picnic tables, and a few closed buildings lie between the Grand Stand and the central fountain.

This is a beautiful, quiet area of the park, but all of the abandoned stuff is depressing (are you noticing a theme, here?).

This is an area that hasn't seen much attention since the opening of Blackbeard's Lost Treasure Train during the Great Six Flags Over-speculation of Capital in 1999.

Six Flags Great Adventure doesn't always build kiddie coasters, but when they do, they build two in one year. And a prototype B&M coaster. And 24 other rides. 

These and all other Great Adventure attractions, from the brilliant to the boneheaded, can be remembered at the Great Adventure museum if their time at the park has passed. 

This is the home for all Great Adventure nostalgia!

Every era of the park's past, including conception, is covered.

Some of this stuff is older than the park, I think!

Here's a very cool model showcasing Great Adventure's "Adventure Rivers" wet/dry slide waterpark concept, i.e. a waterpark that people enjoyed fully-clothed. The area only lasted 7 years, but nowadays finding a water park inside of an amusement park is commonplace. The park's Arrow Super Flume and Intamin Rapids pre-dated the area, and now only Congo Rapids remains. 

While the Super Flume (which had about five names during its time at the park) never really lived up to the expectations set by the Best of the West Log Flume, Congo Rapids (or Roaring Rapids, as it was known for its first decade) still impresses to this day.

Who else loves maps?? Here's a pretty amazing one from the year I was born!

(Who here can figure out what year that is? ;} )

Gotta love these famous Schwarzkopf ride vehicles! They can be found on Polyp rides (of which Great Adventure has had a total of three) and Calypso rides (which Great Adventure also had back in the day, but a Mack model similar to the one at Cedar Point).

Here's another map! This one is older than the first; can you goes when it's from? :}

Fortunately not everything classic at Great Adventure is in a museum! The Yum Yum (Palace) Cafe is arguably the most well-loved of Great Adventure's original structures, and it still stands proud today! 

Furthermore, all is not lost for Old Country. This view could look a lot different in a few years! :}

The Exploratorium is home to the ACE Photo Contest this year! 

First couple times I walked by the building, I thought it was completely closed off! 

A lot of this stuff really is in good shape, still. Hopefully we'll see it all back in action soon!

The theater is in need of a cosmetic remodel, but other than that it's in solid shape. The left corridor was full of lovely ACE wares for the duration of Con. :}

At lunch today we have an amazing silent auction full of amazing Great Adventure artifacts!

(plus a Magic Mountain artifact there on the left. lol)

Growing up with Medusa at Six Flags Marine World, I found this stuff extremely nostalgic. I got outbid several times over. At least it went to a good home. :}

I also bid on some of these treasures from ACE NJ Regional Rep and Con Coordinator Mark Davidson's closet! The trio of 90's shirts really called to me, but once again I was greatly outbid! Bad news for me, great news for the preservation fund! 

The pièce de résistance is this blue print of the park from a very pivotal year in it's history. It sold for over $200!

(I'd like to complement the park on the Mexican feast we head for lunch, particularly the steak quesadillas that were too good to remember photographing before eating. :} )

Now if only they would auction off the Chiller station. I would gladly live there! :}

Ok gang! What are we riding next?

(Spoiler: It's not Sky Screamer. No freaking way.)

It's time to party like it's 1980 on an original Intamin Rapids Ride!

Like the Parachute Towers, Intamin's Rapids Ride concept was born at a Six Flags park; the original ride and layout debuted at Six Flags Astroworld in 1980. The ride was such an immediate success that Six Flags opened two more identical rides at Magic Mountain and Great Adventure, plus a fourth identical one at Six Flags Over Mid-America in 1983 where the Parachute Tower was.

This original rapids ride layout is nothing more than a large rectangle with a double-file station and conveyor system. For whatever reason, Magic Mountain's second station was never installed. I distinctly recall waiting over an hour for that ride and wondering why on God's green earth was the second station never built. lol

When Thunder River opened, it was fairly secluded corner of the park. Nowadays it's enveloped by Nitro! :}

"I watch over this small water attraction" says Nitro.

Six Flags Over Georgia and Six Flags Over Texas cannibalized their Jungle Cruise-style rides to create the first customized rapids rides in 1982 and 1983, and when Six Flags purchased Great America, their first order of business was to install a custom rapids ride from the ground up in 1984. :}

You guys, I think it's time for another ride on the Skyway. Yes. :}

Three cheers for synchronized double station loading! :D

This is our first ride on the "lake side" of the Skyway.

PREPARE FOR ARTSY(ish) PICTURES PARTIALLY OBSCURED BY SKYWAY CARS.

Oooh :}

Ahhh :}

EL TORO APPROACHES

*_______________*

I really want M&Ms now for some reason. 

Log Flume happens next! We haven't done much over here yet!

Oh crap I keep forgetting about Bizarro, too.

I'm so excited about this log flume <3

ACK WE FORGOT THE MINE TRAIN TOO!

It's hard to believe that this is in the same park as the Movie Town / Old Country graveyard. 

This is often called one of America's most beautiful log flumes! Let's see why for ourselves!

The flume meanders out on a small peninsula on the lake that wraps back around close to shore. The flume bridges the lake before its final splashdown!

Gotta love the classic logo logs.

Log Flume is excellent, of course. 

For a park that seems to be perpetually changing everything all the time, it's nice to know that this view was largely the same in 1974.

This view kinda changed a little in 1999. :}

But this view also hasn't changed since 1974! :}

This is an awesome Arrow Mine Train. Like, wow.

I don't think I've ever had my ass handed to me by a Mine Train before. 

Some of those transitions will kill you, but that airtime? Bruh.

I can't remember why Medusa became Bizarro, but I bet it had something to do with reminding people that ride exists. It is just way back here!

And yet, such a beautiful ride! I wasn't a fan of Scream! at Magic Mountain, but the location makes all the difference. It's just like the Superman in Georgia vs. the one here. 

THRILLOGRAPHY YOUR HERO NOW!!!

Giving Medusa a mine theme to work with the surrounding area was a stretch, but still a nice gesture. Now that it's a Bizarro-fied Medusa Mine, it's perfectly crazy!

Look! The other Bizarro makes a cameo appearance in line! Likewise, Medusa makes an appearance in the line for the other Bizarro. Isn't that neat? :}

While I applause Great Adventure's desire to run three trains on Bizarro, it was a bit silly. The double stacking was a trip! lol

FIRE! BIZARRO LIKE FIRE!

Not only does this look way better than Scream!, it also rides better. It's a smoother ride than it's clone in SoCal and it's former shared namesake in NorCal!

I call this "The Maxi Pad Picture."  ;}

As if our backseat ride wasn't wild enough, our front seat night ride later that evening was NUTS. The lap bar was only down two clicks because of the size of my legs, so when we hit that one hill, BAM! I'm pretty sure I actually died.

I guess outstanding airtime is just in this park's nature. :}

The Bull goes "FFFRRRRRRRRRRRRRMMMPP!"

The Runaway Train goes "fmmmmmm–CHUNK–"*people screaming in shock over that one hill.*

Now that I've ridden 75% of the Intamin pre-fab wooden coasters, I think it's time to plan a trip to South Korea. :}

Whoever is taking the 5pm walkback tour of Kingda Ka is actually getting to see it run while standing in the ride's infield!

Here's an amazing little ride that we've overlooked thus far.

Houdini's Great Escape was built in 1999, a year full of rush-jobs and rides that didn't last. Fortunately for us, this fabulous Vekoma Haunted Swing is both beautiful and very much present!

Like its twin at Six Flag New England, Houdini's Great Escape treats us to an interesting pre-show with a super convoluted plot. lol

The best part about Haunted Swings are people's reactions. That alone makes this worth marathoning on a busy park day.

Okay! It's time to make our way back to the Movie Town side of the park!

It would be great if they could get the water working on this thing again. It always looked cool in pictures.

Let's ride again while we're here.

It was just as weird the second time.

The cherry on top is exiting the ride and ending up in this bright and lively kiddie area. 

Well…some of it is bright and lively. The LooneyTunes Seaport and Safari Kids area is basically Great Adventure in a nutshell; lots of great rides, tons of space, but more space than rides, and relics of the past are everywhere.

Granny's house is in a particularly rough corner of LooneyTunes Seaport. It had sound effects to the cartoons playing in the background, but no signs of life other than that. It was a bit like a bad dream.

We're about to get up close and personal with you, Bruce. ;}

This bridge was built to connect the various parts of the kiddie areas that were separated by the Super Flume. The flume being gone and the areas around being vacant don't help with the disjointed feel of this area. 

If you're wondering why we've gathered in this borderline-decrepit kiddie area, wonder no more! Our "Nitro and stuff" walk back tour starts now!

First we're brought back behind Looney Tunes Seaport, which is home to Haunt grounds and an employee break area. 

Hi guys! I hope you're having a Six Flags day!

This plot was once home to one of those indoor foam ball play areas. I'm pretty sure Magic Mountain still has theirs. I would guess that this area back here never drew enough guests to keep the play area full.

Found a jack rabbit. :}

Where we stand now was originally developed for the water play area that opened with Adventure Rivers. Now it's just Haunt stuff.

Even in broad daylight, the area is somewhat haunting.

This service road takes us to our first stop on the tour!

We see you, Nitro!

Our first ride stop is Congo Rapids, which is either testing empty boats or has been hurling people into the river. 

Empty boats! LOTS of people getting hurled into the river today!

Hey look! These people survived!

And now they're super wet.

Btw, here's how our ride on Congo Rapids went:

Everyone's dry > Gentle splashing > Nice views > Gentle splashing > Hey look there's some rocks–HALF THE BOAT IS SOAKED WITH MOIST FEROCITY > Ride ends.

Classic Intamin Rapids trolling. :}

Now here's something you don't see every day: the back side of Congo Rapids!

Like all of the original Intamin Rapids Rides, adjustments to the river had to be made to keep boats from getting stuck. The widest stretches were given wooden guard rails near some of the rockier bits so that things would continue to flow smoothly. Aside from these early changes over the first few years (plus the switch to boats with inflatable inner-tubes instead impact padding), these early installations haven't changed much.

However, there's evidence of a small wave-making machine about half way down the ride, which our tour guides said was retired because the small waves weren't particularly noticeable. 

Here on the park's outer edge we find part of the local lake, upon which people frequently fish. :}

CONGO RAPIDS NERD SHOT! 

Here we have Congo's drainage basin and Nitro, lookin' fly.

Guests have been rather confused by our presence around the ride. With three different Coaster Con tours happening five times a day, I'm sure everyone in the park has seen ACErs wandering around restricted areas wearing bright orange vests and taking pictures every three seconds. 

The star of our tour is Nitro! It's the perfect ride to do a walk back for, since getting pictures of the ride from inside the park is challenging to say the least.

And the reason we took the latest possible tour slot is because SUNSET PHOTOS FOR DAAAAAYS!

Heh. Backside of Congo Rapids. ;}

An added benefit of doing the twilight time slot is avoiding the peak heat hours of the day. Even after sundown, we were still burning up!

Nitro! I can see up your backside! ;}

We're gonna get a pretty nice view up under Batman's cape, too!

(Although, if you're at Six Flags Over Georgia, absolutely none of Batman is obscured from view. You can get this shot in Georgia right after you park your car. :}

Sheew. Nitro, you are one sexy thing.

"I know."

Batman! I feel so close to you in ways I've never felt before!!

And to think, you were supposed to be closed for all of Con!

Whaaaat! Batman brake run action WHILE THE RIDE IS OPEN!

THIS IS SO COOL. HI GUYS!

The WOOSH right here is pretty strong from where we're standing!

Smile! You're on Candid Camera!

And the people are like "What even is going on right now!?"

It's amazing how much less bleak Movie Town looks from back here. 

Time to go into the sunset and walk along all of Nitro's sexiness!

We love you, Batman!

Now that I've ridden this one, the only one I'm missing in the U.S. is at Six Flags Over Texas! Some day. <3

*__________________________________*

You guys. This. Is. AMAZING.

Wow!

I fell over after taking this picture because I'd lost my balance but was too busy looking at the ride to catch myself. Yeah.

Next we get to see the park's workshops! This is a very important part of every amusement park!

There's lots of interesting Great Adventure tidbits all over the place back here! There's some rapids and log boats over on the left.

This view reminds me so much of some of the promotional stuff from when Batman opened at Magic Mountain. There was a time you could get this view of Batman from the midway at Magic Mountain! 

Remember the "Déjà Vu" Scrambler we looked at on the first day? Here are some extra cars! These are probably from the Scrambler at Magic Mountain that was accidentally ruined when the park uprooted a nearby tree (lol oops). Six Flags Over Texas gave Magic Mountain their Scrambler, while ruined one became a parts Scrambler for all of the other installations in the chain. 

Damn, Nitro! I love a guy who knows his way around a workshop. ;}

LOOK! Exciting new hotness! On your left is a car from the third Skull Mountain train, but on your right...

…it's the Batman: Backwards train! Isn't it glorious and beautiful??!! :}

Here we have one of the administration buildings. Thanks for the shout-out, Great Adventure! 

And here's where all of the employees clock in and clock out!

"Pay attention to MEEEEEE" says Nitro!

We're coming! We're coming!

Additional benefit to doing the "Nitro and stuff" tour: It was a safe bet that all of our subjects would be operating consistently for the duration of the day! Ka was broken for a few of its walkbacks, sadly. 

I feel like the walk to Zumanjaro is kind of a walkback tour in its own right. You don't get to see the infield, but you do get to be right up under Kingda Ka. 

The only way to get up under Nitro is on THIS TOUR! :D

The third tour was a Green Lantern / Superman / Houdini tour, which I heard was awesome.

Basically it was a win regardless of which tour you took. Thank you Six Flags for giving us so many options! 

Walking Nitro end to end will really make you appreciate what a giant it is. There is just so much of it!

Once again, the guest reactions to our presence was priceless.

It's hard to tell from pictures, but I got some of the people to wave at us!

Making our way to the hammerhead!

Look at what a sexy, curvy thing you are! Damn!

INCOMING!

Thanks to Nitro's swift 3-train operation, a train full of guests to photograph was never far off!

I can cross "Laying under Nitro's hammerhead to get the shot" off my bucket list now.

It's basically what I had to do to get that shot of Bizarro, except we weren't in a midway and no one was judging me. :P

Off it goes!

BIG THANK YOU to our incredible tour guides for taking this awesome group photo for us!

Here are our awesome tour guides! They were AMAZING AND SO FUN!

Best walk-back ever!

Bye-bye Nitro! We'll be back for more rides soon!

Gingerbread Fancy is extra fancy at night!

Now it's time for a twinkling nighttime ride on the Skyway over to ERT!

I really love this park. That walkback was just over-the-top awesome. Despite the park's flaws, there's no doubt in my mind that Great Adventure has a winning team at the helm.

*swoon*

Time for nighttime ERT on the Log Flume!

Why did Great Adventure give us nighttime ERT on the Log Flume?

 Because Great Adventure understands our wants and needs! :}

Oh! And there's a snack. Just wait til you see the snack.

SNACK!

Churro, fried Oreos, and pretzel! :D

For some reason when I look at this picture, all I can think is

"Bambi! The forest is on fire!"

Awful, I know. 

A fellow Coaster Enthusiasts group from Belgium called "Coaster Friends" joined us for our ERT. They were amazing to share the park with and all of them were nauseatingly beautiful, as is customary for European men. 

NO SLEEP!  BAM!  MIDWAY OLYMPICS!  MARTY!  NOW! 

Whack-A-Mole is first!

Steve and I beat the hell out of those moles!

Next is one of my favorites, Roll-A-Ball!

Sort of like Fascination, but with racing instead of bingo.

We were pretty good at this one, too! Won all three of our races!

…and then we started to suck. No bottles knocked over.

No baskets.

We failed miserably at the blindfolded water gun challenge because I don't know how to give good direction. lol

We slayed at this really delightful wrecking ball game, which required no skill whatsoever. lol

Our Midway Olympics concluded with us failing hard at this interesting basketball / Plinko hybrid. 

Oh, and btw, we still haven't ridden Superman yet. You'll notice that the train in this picture is empty. Both attempts that have been made to ride so far have ended at the ride entrance.

But, in a miraculous turn of events, Ka is open for ERT! :}

Here's what the line for the world's tallest roller coaster looks like when you #ridewithACE!

And look who's in the lead car! It's Thrillorgaphy's AMAZING Editor Liz Werth and her husband Bill, with Rus and Ann right behind them! :}

One of the last things we haven't done yet is actually one of Great Adventure's most famous, popular, and beloved attractions! It's the Drive-Thru Safari!

NERD SHOT! The way to the Safari is both beneath and above the log flume simultaneously. lol

Thanks to our head-start access to the Safari right after the Midway Olympics, none of us had to wait in a long line. :}

#safariselfie

For the first 40 years, Great Adventure's Drive-Thru Safari involved driving your own car through the exhibits, often subjecting it to the mercy of the animals. Using a huge military-grade Humvees is cooler, safer, easier, and all-around more interesting. Way to go, Six Flags!

First animals! Looks like we have some gazelle-type-things.

And some moose-type-things over here.

All of these animals have cool and unique names and I of course forgot them all. lol

I know this one! It's a bison! And a calf!

Here's a cluster of Bambis. 

They're so cute and sweet and their little tails swish every couple of seconds. :}

Here's some more bison, grazing away!

The geese are not part of the Safari, but the park can't seem to get rid of them. lol

Here's a large bird thing with little tiny baby bird things.

And here's a GIANT fluffy bird / t-rex thing. 

RHINOS!!

So cute. I can't.

Here's where we are in reference to the park.

Ooh! What do I see off in the distance?!

IT'S DUMBOS!!! :D :D :D

OH MY GOD YOU GUYS LOOK HOW HAPPY THIS ONE IS ON THE LEFT!

Hey look! They have Zebras here, too!

Zebras and t-rex birds just chillin together. Cohabitin'

Ostriches and Zebras may hang out in the wild normally (I haven't a clue), but Great Adventure says that the giant birds are so fast that there's no catching them once they've escaped to a different part of the enclosure. Ostriches everywhere. :}

What a beautiful peacock! I feel like I'm back in Long Beach! 

Here are some grazing…things… 

Wildebeests! This one I know! 

Half way through our safari we disembark at the Camp Aventura Outpost!

MAP!

Here there are more critters to visit, like this beautiful albino Burmese Python!

Hello! ^_^

Here's a super-sized iguana! 

And here's another adorable snake babe!

Aaah! There's more! :D

And here's a big, giant boa! 

Hello! ^_^

Camp Aventura also has some mischievous bear cubs!

And a chilled-out lion.

And an indifferent alpaca

and a big, beautiful macaw!

AND a pair of cockatiels!

And at least one giraffe with questionable hygienic practices. 

"SQUAK! Don't associate us with him! SQUAK! He's gross!"

There's also a very friendly anteater around.

"I have a box. I am so happy!" says the anteater!

Did I mention he was friendly? He may just give your shoes a sniff! 

Next we got to feed an adorable giraffe babe!

It was awesome.

Thank you for the pictures, kind Great Adventure associate!

After we ran out of waffle cone, the giraffe was ready to nibble on Ray's shirt!

Alright! Back on Safari!

Whatever these things are, they're in the way!

Here's a black bear just chillin. They like to play hide n' seek!

These guys know where the cool place to chill is!

Great Adventure says that brown bear cubs are the most destructive things ever. Just look what they did to the trees!

Hey look! Kangaroos! I guess we're in Australia now.

Here are some dark fuzzy things surrounding the enclosure of white fuzzy things.

Hey! He looks just like my Great Adventure Christmas ornament. :}

Here we see a fence separating two different worlds!

"Whateva! I do what I want!"

Great Adventure also has a lot of fish on display, but none of them seem to be alive anymore.

I've got to commend Great Adventure for having such exotic food options!

Sushi and kiwi smoothie! The sushi was ok but the smoothing was great!

Ok. We finally get to ride Superman: Ultimate Plight on this trip. It's taken us over two full days!

I mean, none of us would've been heartbroken if we'd missed it, but a credit's a credit. :}

This will sound weird at first, but thank God for one train operation on this ride. Unlike Six Flags Over Georgia, the Superman here doesn't seem to have much of a line, so a one train wait wasn't an issue. What's GREAT about one train on this ride is not having to wait in the brake run doggy-style while the ride ops scramble to cram everyone into their seats!

The two stations of the Georgia ride was supposed to prevent that kind of waiting, but they gave up that ghost pretty quick. The ride hadn't been open more than a couple months when the Great Adventure and Great America rides were announced, and the double station was already eschewed from the plans!

Speaking of eschewed, this old man right here is gonna knick-knack with the wrecking ball at the end of the year!

The boys and I investigated the surrounding area for pavement markers, of which there were many! They were all around the area framed by the stadium, Blackbeard, the Flash Pass Center, and the picnic area. What could this mean? :}

After all these years, the park's Round-Up, Swashbuckler, is still going strong, as is the one at Magic Mountain. :}

Cha-ching! Great Adventure credits: Complete!

Six Flags Over Georgia needs one of these so badly. Our kiddie coaster is constantly overwhelmed with little coaster enthusiasts! It's better than not having one, like we did for 11 years. When Great Adventure closed their Li'l Thunder coaster in 1983, the park went over 15 years before they got Roadrunner and Blackbeard.

I call this

"Michael reflecting upon pirates and the 80s"

More Intamin greatness! Like the Parachutes and the Rapids Rides, the first swinging ships were Intamin installations at Six Flags parks! Every Six Flags park at the time got one (except for Astroworld), and all except the Spanish-themed "Conquistador" at Six Flags Over Texas and the "Flying Dutchman" at Six Flags Over Georgia were called "Buccaneer."

With the Buccaneer installations came small pirate-themed areas for the various parks. Both Six Flags St. Louis and Over Georgia's pirate areas eventually became Batman areas, with the latter losing their ship to Batman construction. Six Flags St. Louis's ship received a Joker theme while the others still retain their original namesakes.

Both of the pirate areas at Magic Mountain and Great Adventure are still intact, and while Great Adventure's has more rides, they both feature a ride called "Swashbuckler" (Magic Mountain's is a Chance Yo-Yo).

Great Adventure could use some change in a lot of areas, but I hope this part of the park stays just the way it is!

Well, actually, this can go away. No problem.

It's finally time for our Giant Wheel ride!

Sky Screamer looks cool up here. I guess it can stay.

Ah yes, that classic shot of Batman and Nitro! Now with more tree action than ever before!

All of you people on SkyScreamer right now are crazy!

What a copious spread of great attractions (and Sky Screamer).

I'm so glad we did the Nitro tour. Otherwise, this would be as good as it gets for Nitro pictures!

Looking down Dream Street!

El Toro must be giving great rides today! Everyone flew right out!

When Great Adventure first expanded in 1975, this straight across here was one of the new walkways. To the right was the park's Pinfari Zyklon, Big Fury, which operated from 1974-77, and then a Schwarzkopf Wild Cat, Wild Rider, from 1978-80. There was also a Schwarzkopf Alpenblitz and Jumbo Jet along with all of the other various rented rides back here, but they were all gone by the 80s. The Jumbo Jet was built for the 1976 season but never opened and was taken down mid-season, while the Alpenblitz ran from 1976-78.

May this Giant Wheel forever remain unshaken. :}

Inside Great Adventure's main gift shop, there's a very cool photo timeline. 

It starts at 1974 and ends at El Toro, which I assume opened at around the time this timeline was put together.

No Lightning Loops pictures, oddly. Everyone who grew up here would remember that one! It was one of only three interlocking vertical loop coasters ever built, after all. :}

That cool-looking thing above the Freefall pictures is Joust-A-Bout, a super cool and rare ride that was basically Schwarzkopf's answer to the Falling Star-type-ride. It was replaced by Twister in 1999 and still resides in the park's boneyard.

Splashwater Falls! Like Lightning Loops, the Intamin Shoot-the-Chute met its demise for a Batman-themed roller coaster.

I wonder what people thought when Scream Machine and Shockwave opened back-to-back, only to loose Shockwave and Lightning Loops in 1992!

"Hey, we just got TWO awesome new roller coasters!"

"Wait, just kidding, we're down three coasters now. lol"

"Wait, just kidding again. Batman is here to save the day!"

If I'm not mistaken, the big yellow slides (Asian Rivers) found their way to Astroworld for a few years. Did that happen or did I dream that?

Woohoo! Who needs a 2nd hand stand-up and some old shuttle loops when you can have THE COOLEST AND MOST 90s ROLLER COASTER EVER, BATMAN: THE RIDE!

Also: Batman is now the 2nd oldest coaster at Great Adventure, behind the Mine Train. The 80s were just a rough time for roller coaster innovation in general.

Heh. The good times just kept on rolling with Viper and Chiller, huh? Did I happen to mention at any point during this trip report that Great Adventure has retired fourteen roller coasters? That's more than the park currently has! 

Finally the park again started building coasters that could survive  their first 10 years. These guys all seem pretty safe to me. 

Found: this amazing relic of a tome listing all of Six Flags roller coasters, circa 2004 if memory serves. #shouldveboughtit

This view has changed a lot, but I think things have settled with these B&Ms for now. I hated to miss Great American Scream Machine, but I did get my Sarajevo Bobsled credit at the Great Escape two years ago!

Our time at Great Adventure is coming to an end soon. It's not a trip to this great park without a visit to the Yum Yum Palace, right? 

We took a breather on the patio.

I call this

"Michael: Portrait of an ACEr"

We see you, Giant Wheel. :}

Not a lot of people in the park today.

Outside the Movie Town store, you'll notice Hollywood Walk-of-Fame stars for what were the biggest attractions in the park at the time.

Adventure Rivers was only two years old when the star was cast, but it only lasted another six after the fact.

In fact, of the four stars, only one attraction is left:

<3

We were treated to an Italian pasta dinner, but I ate it up so quick that I didn't have time for a picture. It's like the steak quesadillas all over again!

 Here's dessert: cannoli and pistachio ice cream!

Ooh! Time to sign the sign!

:}

Tonight we dedicated Great Adventure for being awesome hosts. 

Amazing 70's style paper flowers, which were once commonplace at Six Flags parks, were exchanged. It was awesome. :}

Alright. Let's finish off this party right.

Just kidding! El Toro is closed! Maybe it'll open soon?

I guess I'll ride this while we're here.

It wasn't bad. It's definitely a Ring-of-Fire, but it wasn't bad. 

Did I mention there was a major thunderstorm durning dinner?

Mother nature did all of the photographers a solid tonight!

El Toro's breakdown isn't weather related, apparently. Something to do with the power?

I never got to ride Ultra Twister (or Viper, for that matter) but if I had to guess, I'd say El Toro is probably the best ride to ever grace this piece of earth. It's certainly the most popular. :}

Okay, no Toro for now. Let's do Bizarro and try again later.

Tonight's snack is Rita's! It was a fantastic snack. Everyone ate everything and it was good. 

Many of us dedicated our nighttime Nitro ERT to dear ACE family members Tanya Regan and Martha Andrews. You are loved and missed by so many!

Let's try El Toro again, shall we?

We got to the ride 20 minutes before ERT ended. The ride ops said it was not going to re-open. We were the last ACErs to start to leave the area. Just before we were out of earshot of the ride, were heard those successive FFFRRRRRMP noises and ran back to the ride, just to see. 

EL TORO "ZEN" RIDE WITH MICHAEL. THE WHOLE TRAIN TO OURSELVES. YES!

Ride op of the year! Right here!

Great Adventure, you have stolen my heart. Thank you for some of the best ERT, walk-backs, and park employee interactions ACE has ever had! 

So, how was the Great Great Adventure Adventure for you? 

Big enough? :}

The sun may have set on this Great Great Adventure Adventure, but Coaster Con XXXVIII is far from over! Tomorrow we set off for our second and third official host parks, Storyland and Morey's Piers! 

Be warned: Once the Jersey Shore has a hold of you, there's no letting go.

;}