West Coast Goes Southeast Trip Report!

Hello, world! This is Thrillography speaking, comin' at you from beautiful Lake Winnepesaukah. 

Has everyone recovered from that enormous Europe trip? I'm still tired. 

Everyone say hey to the reasons for the season! It's Derek and Jackie!

You guys remember Derek from previous updates in May and June, right? Jackie is one of his best friends, and this is her first roller coaster trip east of the Mississippi!

I have no idea what's going on here. I think we tried to stage a "natural action shot" and it backfired. x}

Wild Lightnin' time!

Derek and I are ready to roll, but Jackie looks a bit apprehensive about this fussy Zamperla mouse. 

Fortunately we survived. 

Now for the star of Lake Winnie! It's Cannonball! 

Cannonball is running so well! It's a great example of a coaster that hasn't changed much in 50 years. 

Something else that's remained virtually the same is Lake Winnie's Fly-O-Plane!

This flying steel deathtrap is the last of its kind. A typical ride on Fly-O-Plane can end with some pretty serious bruising and/or a minor concussion. They just don't make 'em like they used to. :}

A ride on Fly-O-Plane is one of the best ways to get great shots of Cannonball. 

Cannonball is just your friendly neighborhood wooden coaster. Lake Winnie is immediately surrounded by houses on all sides; some just a few paces from Cannonball. :}

If you're a fan of Cedar Point's Blue Streak, you'll love Cannonball. The coasters are mid-1960s products of the Philadelphia Toboggan Company that feature very similar overall dimensions; the biggest difference is that Cannonball turns right, while Blue Streak turns left. :}

Gotta get the Wacky Worm credit for the tourists. 

Jackie and Derek are true whores! They're so excited to ride the Wacky Worm!

Boat Chute time!

Derek and Jackie are impressed with Lake Winnie's one-of-a-kind Tunnel of Love / Shoot-the-Chute ride. :}

Across the lake. :}

Oddball dark ride credit! It's the Wacky Factory!

It's been six years since my last visit to Lake Winnie, and the park seems to be doing great!

The park's entrance area has been remodeled and looks lovely. It now features a Ring of Fire just before you cross the train tracks. :}

Also the Schwarzkopf Polyp from Chicago's Kiddieland (a.k.a. "Sea Warrior") now greets you on your way in and out of Lake Winnie. :}

Lake Winnie = Complete

Just a two hour drive brings us to our next stop! It's Six Flags Over Georgia!

Mindbender has gotten a haircut since our visit this spring! The hillside now sports a startling lack of trees. 

Although I must admit it makes taking pictures of Mindbender much easier. :}

In addition to a naked Mindbender, bright colors and big, fluffy clouds greet us at Six Flags Over Georgia. 

SO FLUFFY AND BRIGHT!

Look, there is a person in every seat of this train. What are the odds of that? :}

A stop at the toilets under Goliath always provides a nice view. :}

Hey look! It's Batman! :}

We tried to ride DareDevil Dive, but suddenly all of the steel coasters had to be shut down due to a threat of lightning in the area.

(yeah, we're just as confused as you are)

That means it's time for a ride on the best non-steel ride in the park!

(well, actually, I think it's the best ride in the park, period)

As expected, Georgia Cyclone gave an A+ ride that wooed Jackie and Derek!

And by the time we finished our ride and headed back over to the U.S.A. area, all of the steel rides had re-opened and everyone got their DareDevil Dive credit. :}

What have we over here? Under this patch of fluffy clouds?

It's the new Joker's Chaos "Coaster," one of Six Flags' many Larson's 22M Giant Loop "coaster." 

The squad and I are much more interested in Gotham's original giant loop coaster, however. :}

…who is TOTALLY NAKED AND EXPOSED!

Methinks this has something to do with the slumping trees at Six Flags Magic Mountain that lead to the Ninja accident. 

However, Ninja's tree slumps were triggered by a small earthquake earlier that day. Perhaps Six Flags has just decided not to take any chances?

It's amazing what a difference a few trees make!

*NOSE DIVE*

Yes. This vantage point pleases me. 

This may be a glorified carnival ride, but at least this area is themed to a carnival.

It's a shame that Six Flags' relationship with Gerstlauer effectively ended following the New Texas Giant incident. The chain's first Eurofighter turned out to be their last.  

Moving into the back of the park now, Derek is having a photo sesh with Ninja!

Ninja is wearing his royal blue Takis for the occasion; a bold choice. 

These kids are looking a bit shellshocked. 

Great American Scream Machine continues to satisfy. Basically just a big version of Lake Winnie's Cannonball. :}

If this pond could talk, it would probably be speechless from all the **** its seen. 

Ninja! Your fraternal French twin Goudurix says "bonjour!" 

This picture was supposed to be about Jackie and Derek, but this kid's face is giving me life. 

We skipped Superman due to time constraints. This photograph represents his anguish in the wake of rejection. 

These Sky Coaster flyers look like they could catch the moon!

"You butterfingers! The moon is still up there!"

I guess this is just a moon-clouds-sunset-all-at-once kind of day. 

We of course had to take a ride on the park's original "roller coaster-type-ride."

We also made time for Monster Mansion and Acrophobia. Jackie just loves drop rides, and this one is a must for all drop ride enthusiasts. :}

We've got time for one more ride! Quick! Jackie needs her Georgia Scorcher credit! 

Here's Jackie and Derek sitting in the brake run of Georgia Scorcher, which they broke. All in all it was a pretty successful day! We also decided to skip Batman this trip (since Jackie and Derek have one just like it at home), but all of the park's unique credits were achieved! 

Day 2 of our adventure brings us to the main event of this trip! It's Fury 325! 

I'm delighted to be back at Carowinds this season, not just for Fury 325, but because I didn't get to see much of the park on Fury 325 Media Day. :}

Woohoo! America's top steel coaster is ours for the taking! 

Fury makes quick work of crowds! They are small snacks for this hungry, crowd-eating beast!

Okay, so this isn't really Derek's 500th coaster, but he wanted to stage it like it was anyway. He still has a few more credits to go. :}

Scream Weaver would like to remind everyone that it exists and still has the most 80s name ever. 

Drop Tower would like to remind everyone that, despite its generic name, it's still the most 90s attraction around.  

Okay, my west coast lovelies! Time to get your Stealth credit! 

Yes, Paramount's Great America may have had some early onset issues with Stealth, but since its move to Carowinds in2004, BORG Assimilator/Nighthawk has been operating smoothly. It's also running smoother than my 2012 rides. 

As we were walking to Afterburn, the sky ripped open and rain poured down in profusion! 

We took shelter in the Dinosaurs Alive! shop and enjoyed views of people scrambling around the midway and getting soaked.

Since there was no threat of thunder, a lot of the rides stayed open in the rain. You could hear the squeals of guests as the rain pelted them in the face at 70+ mph. 

Who's up for some whoring?

Behold! THIS is Derek's actual 500th credit! 

It's Lucy's Crabbie Cabbie! A picture perfect 500th credit! 

This would have made a nice 500 too, but we were too excited and rode it earlier. :}

"AND THE NUMBER 3 DALE EARNHARDT IS COMING AROUND THE BEND; HE'S FISHTAILING AROUND THE CORNER! IN RETROSPECT WE PROBABLY SHOULD'VE DRIED OFF THE TRACK BEFORE RACING, Y'ALL!"

I love this picture so much. I could've told him that his sign is upside-down, but I liked this too much to say anything! x}

Lunchtime!

Harmony Hall has great food. I had the BBQ and it was gone before I remembered to take a picture of it. 

More rain! 

The puddle by Vortex got so deep that children were actually swimming in it. 

Fury closed briefly during the second bout of rain. It's almost time to reopen! 

Hurler's open! Let's see how it's holding up. 

Who here knows what these little holes in the sheet metal are from? :D

Hurler was outfitted with a trim brake at the bottom of the first drop to cut down on first-turn maintenance. This pretty much kills the momentum for the whole ride. 

…unless it's just rained and Hurler BLASTS THROUGH THE TRIM BRAKE AND GIVES AN AWESOME RIDE FULL OF AIRTIME! 

No amount of rain can improve a ride on Vortex, however. 

At least it looks nice. :}

Carolina Goldrusher runs great no matter what the weather. :}

Same story with Carolina Cyclone, which continues to age wonderfully. 

After my visit to Las Vegas last summer, it occurred to me that Canyon Blaster and Carolina Cyclone are almost identical. 

They're both very photogenic. :}

The old sky ride building has turned into a Chickie's & Pete's. We'll have to come back another time for some crab fries! 

This postcard makes me wish Carowinds actually had a zephyr train.

A tractor ride would be cool too.

They had one years ago, actually. :}

Nighthawk is still nighthawking.

This Thrillography update is brought to you by the color red. :}

Let's not forget about North America's friendliest Vekoma Boomerang!

The squishy vests of Carolina Cobra were a big hit with Jackie and Derek! 

I love a good Boomerang. :}

(too bad most of them are bad)

Derek and I were scared to ride Windseeker, but we rode together and held hands. Which helped a lot. Jackie stayed on terra firma and called her boyfriend. <3

Nearby Peanuts comics also help with Windseeker-induced anxiety. 

We wanted to ride Southern Star, but it was closed and testing. 

Thunder Road was also closed.

And it was not testing. 

Rita's is open, however, and it's WAY better than Thunder Road!

So is Afterburn! 

Look! There's a wily Intimidatosaurus on the prowl! 

Like for Intimidator! Share for Afterburn!

(that was a lame joke. Don't like or share this photo)

Derek and Jackie are quite impressed with Afterburn. Better than Batman, they say!

Okay guys! Say hello to our friends Edgar (from California's Great America) and Katie (from Kings Island), who are here on business! Thanks for meeting up with us, guys! 

Who's ready for a ride on the Sky Tower?

Hello Fury. :}

The new Slingshot looks great. :}

This view's a little off without Thunder Road, but tbh I don't miss it much.

Time to fly!

There's still a nice patch next to Harmony Hall for a new flat ride. :}

Fury is merry and bright!

I has a feeling that things might be changing in this particular spot in the next few years.

We had so much fun on Peanuts Pirates (a Mack Sea Storm ride from Canada's Wonderland). It's a giggly little ride. :}

During one of our numerous re-rides on Fury 325, I took particular notice of all of the handrail paint that's been picked off. This is why we can't have nice things, America!

Before the current Harmony Hall opened, a smaller Harmony Hall opened with Carowinds before being turned into Scooby Doo / Boo Blasters. 

Hello Kings Island's flyers!

Things came full circle at Kings Island this year with the addition of their new Larson Flyers, but this older set is bigger and cooler!

1960s-era Flyers for the win!

We finished our day with a spectacular backseat marathon on Fury! Kudos to the incredible Fury 325 crew!

For anyone going through Thunder Road withdrawals, you can now assemble a tiny Thunder Road of your own.

Coaster Dynamix also makes a Nanocoaster of Fury, which I bought. It was super fun to assemble and looks great. :}

Goodnight, Carowinds! It's amazing how much you've changed in 3 years. It's a real zero-to-hero situation! 

BAM! Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg is now!

And we've picked up two more West Coast friends: John and Lisa!

Who's ready for a fabulous mountain coaster ride??

Roll call, y'all! 

Jackie loved her first mountain coaster!

So did Lisa!

So did John!

And so did Derek! I think...

There we go. That smile's more convincing. :}

Of course we went next door to Goats on the Roof!

Here Jackie comes face to face with her greatest weakness! Homemade fudge!

The goats are out and about. 

This one is with child(s). :}

Guess where we are, guys??? :D

We're at Dolly's DreamMore Resort! 

It's beautiful!

This is every bit as nice as a nice Disney hotel. I'm so impressed. 

There are several lounges in the main lobby for families to relax after a day of adventures!

Country comfort never looked so good! 

Check-in has this amazing LCD living window. It has sunrise, sunset, and various weather phenomena. :}

The pool is glorious. Ample foliage, ample seating, fire pits, and more! There's a giant jacuzzi behind the central waterfall. 

We stayed in one of the smaller room, but it's perfectly spacious for our needs!

This big bed is California king. The bunk beds are doubles with really cool sleeping-bag-style zipper sheets. :} 

DreamMore Resort is Derek approved! 

Now that we're all checked in, it's time to head back into town. Derek's got some credit whoring to do!

Fun Stop! 

Derek wanted to buy me a ride on the Dragon Wagon so he wouldn't have to ride alone, but I told him I had to take pictures. ;}

And I'm glad I did! I am so happy with this Derek credit whore photo shoot. Isn't he just precious? x}

Here's the face he made for making him ride by himself. x} xD

The ride operator was very supportive of this venture and gave Derek 8 laps!

Quit yer pouting, Mister! I've got another shameless credit for you!

It was certainly a busy day over at the always-lovely Nascar Speed Park. 

Speedway Drift! 

Not the cheapest credit ever (Nascar Speed Park is now P.O.P. instead of a la carte), but Derek just couldn't resist an oddball kiddie credit that's this far from home!

Once again I supervised and documented the act. :}

Don't give me that look, Mister! Twenty bucks would be a lot for me to shell out for a credit I already have! ;}

I encouraged Derek to do some karting since he'd already paid admission. 

This is Nascar Speed Park's large drift track. It's a good one!

Derek did a great job of not crashing! Driving around in LA traffic has taught him well. 

The only patron in the park (besides us) who wasn't currently driving a go kart was kind enough to take our picture with Sparky the Spark Plug!

Derek says it's time for Mountain Coaster #3!

(he is such a good sport about all of the pictures, ins't he?)

Gatlinburg Squad: Assemble!

Gatlinburg Mountain Coaster is all lit up!

I think we have some newly-converted Mountain Coaster enthusiasts in our midst!

Of course we went moonshining. 

New from Old Smoky: Moonshine Peaches!

Also we rode this. Which is amazing. 

The next morning, the five of us piled into the Dolly Trolley and headed off to Dollywood!

There's a brand new mini entrance to Dollywood just for DreamMore guests!

Hello Lightning Rod. :}

As of this captioning, you've only got a few more weeks of construction left!

Naturally we started our day with Blazing Fury,

and followed up with Tennessee Tornado!

Then we had a front seat ride on Wild Eagle,

AND FireChaser Express!

Naturally the squad is quite impressed with Dollywood's coaster collection!

John loved soaking unsuspecting children in River Battle!

Meanwhile Lisa got in touch with her inner owlet. 

Eagle is spry as ever.

River Battle is more spray than spry. :}

You know what this shot means! It means we're about to enter the misty Mystery Mine!

We completed Dollywood's coaster circuit with the park's biggest ACE-pleaser, Thunderhead!

Derek loved Thunderhead so much that he died on the spot.

August means its time to start Smoky Mountain Christmas prep!

Obligatory shot of bakes.

John is one of the biggest Dolly Parton fans I've ever met. He loved Chasing Rainbows!

I love the smell of construction at Dollywood. :}

By now this corridor of dirt is full of brand new RMC topper track!

The only casualty of Lightning Rod is Cas Walkers, a small filling station-themed store. A Lightning Rod shop will take its place!

Good  work, boys!

Careening down this mountain will just feel so right!

Rockin' Roadway is right next to all the action!

Had a Dollywood first on this trip! Finally saw Heartsong! Such a cute and charmingly dated little show. x}

Klondike Katie time!

Someday this will look so different! It's only a matter of time. :}

When we disembarked from the train, we saw that Lightning Rod had been topped off!

In fact, this is the day that we realized that there's going to be a tunnel at the top of the first hill! What a nice surprise. :}

I am so happy that Rockin' Roadway was spared. For a while there it was looking like the new coaster would replace it!

I would've missed this ride a lot. You don't see a lot of two-lane car rides these days!

There in the station frame is the very first installed piece of Lightning Rod!

My wonderful chauffeur for this trip. 8}

Derek and Lightning Rod!

Looking good in that roadster, sir!

Derek and I enjoyed a ride on River Rampage. :}

Credit whore time!

Another first for me! The "My People" show! Half of my visits to Dollywood seem to be during the Festival of Nations, during which they have a special limited run of shows. I always miss the regular-season shows. 

Had to visit the Glory Hole. ;}

Here's Derek's favorite ride at Dollywood!

We love Barnstormer!

Nothing beats a day at Dollywood. <3

Time to take the Dolly Trolly back to the hotel!

Dolly delivers as usual! Can't wait to come back to the DreamMore!

That's a wrap! Thank you to all of the wonderful people who appeared in this report! It's so fun to show my home parks to friends from out of town. Missing you all so much now! 

Until next time, Thrillographers. ;}