Call Us Crazy

The thermometer in the car read 92 degrees at 9:00AM this morning. Ugh. Not looking good for spending the day outside at Great America. Traffic was slow on the Edens, so we went local -- quite surreal for me, because that was my route to work for more than 7 years. Instead of going to the park via the tollway, we stayed on Route 41 and used the south entrance off of Washington St. I would highly recommend going this way rather than through the main entrance off of Grand Ave. We zipped right in, driving underneath American Eagle on our way to the parking lot.

All of the warnings about the heat today must have scared away most of the sensible people, because only a manageable number of CRA-ZEE people like us were in the park today. Even though it was H-O-T, there were minimal lines for the rides -- at most, a 15-20 minute wait. R and the boys (including cousin D) were able to go on everything they wanted at least once.  

As we did for Magic Mountain, here is the second installment of the Saiki-delic Awesomeness Review...

X Flight

We arrived just after the gates opened at 10:00AM and made a beeline for Great America's newest ride, X Flight, a wing coaster. J and I opted out, but walked up to the platform with R, M, and D anyway.

(R) Not as scary since the seats don't rotate like X2 (which is a good thing), except for "threading the needle" = 7; (D) Great, short line = 8; (M) Slower than X2, smooth = 7

Overall SA Rating:  7.3


American Eagle

From X Flight, we headed over to the classic wooden coaster, American Eagle. Since it was early, they only had one train running, forwards. I remember riding the Eagle backwards, many moons ago - that was so great!

(M) Rough and rickety, bigger than Colossus, but not better = 5; (D) short line = 6; (R) Bumpy, not as thrilling as I remember it = 6; (J) Too rough = 4; (Me) Yea! Something I can still ride, isn't as jarring as Colossus = 6

Overall SA Rating:  5.4


Revolution

Clearly, J is not a coaster kind of guy. Not a fan of big drops, rough rides, or inversions. As the official bag watcher, prize holder, and wallet with legs, it's nice to have someone to keep me company. But, given the opportunity, this kid could spin all day.

(J)  Fun, we hit a bee during the ride and it got knocked to the floor = 10; (D) Made me dizzy = 7; (M) Better than Wonder Woman because you are spinning and swinging back and forth = 10

Overall SA Rating:  9


Logger's Run / Roaring Rapids / Buccaneer Battle

What else are you going to do when it's 95+ degrees? 'Nuff said.

Vertical Velocity
Nothing like this at Magic Mountain, but I think Cedar Point has a similar coaster. We'll see soon!

(M) So much thrill - you get launched out, then go twisting straight up, back down, through the station, and up the other side - back and forth a couple times, everything's a blur = 10; (D) Super fast, really like the drops = 10; (R) Fast, big drop, but short ride = 8

Overall SA Rating:  9.3


Batman The Ride

(D) Short line, but not enough drops = 8; (M) Rougher than ours, pretty fast though = 7; (R) Not as smooth as Magic Mountain's Batman = 7

Overall SA Rating:  7.3


Ragin' Cajun

Wow! A coaster that J was willing to try, because... *wait for it*... IT SPINS!

(M) Hard turns, not much thrill = 3; (J) Fun, spinny, but too many jerks = 7; (D) J kept crushing me, got a bruise, too jerky = 7

Overall SA Rating:  5.7


Superman: Ultimate Flight

(R) Like Tatsu, but doesn't cover as much of the park, fun = 8; (D) So many flips, short line, fly like Superman = 10; (M) Fast, shorter than Tatsu = 8

Overall SA Rating:  8.7


Orbit

(J) Fun, spinny = 10; (D) Short line, dizzy (bad thing), really fast = 7; (M) Not much thrill = 4

Overall SA Rating:  7


Demon

This used to be one of my favorite coasters! By the time we got around to it, the heat was starting to get to me, so I didn't want to risk riding it. Really sucks to be old.

(R) Not as good as I remember it = 6; (M) Some thrill, but rough = 6; (D) short line, like the tunnel, lots of loops, but not enough drops = 7

Overall SA Rating:  6.3


Raging Bull

(M) Like a combination of Goliath and Scream, lots of thrill, best coaster = 10; (D) So many drops, the first one is huge = 10; (R) Excellent drops, best coaster in this park = 10

Overall SA Rating:  10


Viper

I would have liked to try this one, but at this point in the day, I was parked in front of one of those misting fans...

(D) Didn't like the dumb guy saying stupid stuff ahead of us, short line, drops = 7; (M) Rough, not as fun as Apocalypse = 7

Overall SA Rating:  7


Whizzer

Before we came, R had totally talked this one up to the boys, so they were eager to ride. It was closed the first time we passed by, but had opened back up within an hour.

(R) Fun, classic roller coaster = 9; (J) Fun, fast = 8; (D) Had to sit with M so it was crowded in the car, not enough drops = 6; (M) Smooth, fairly fast, uncomfortable seats = 7

Overall SA Rating:  7.5


Besides the rides, the boys played several skill games, thanks to the spending money they were given by their generous great-aunts. Both won prizes shooting baskets. And thankfully we can deflate them to take them back home!



Good choice, son!

Passed up an Illini water bottle for this - hmmph!

Overall, I'm glad we chose to go today. The heat kept the crowds away and the thunderstorms never came. I think the family prefers the rides at Magic Mountain, but for me, Great America, has a slight edge. More shade and no hills to climb! Another really nice thing about this park was their cooling centers - air conditioned rooms with tables & chairs, plus jugs of ice water. Too bad I didn't find them until late in the afternoon... I would have set up camp!