Phantom's Revenge - Kennywood (PA)

Date Ridden: Summer of 2007. Times Ridden - 1 in the second seat from the front.

Wow....it's been a while since I've posted an update. I have been out of town the past two weekends with a surprise trip to Dollywood (trip report and some great pics forthcoming) and a trek down to Miami to ride the Dania Beach Hurricane. It's been tough going online during the week with school and laundry to do, so I find myself without an update for well over a week. As punishment, I decided on a review that I have postponed for a long time.

To begin with, I really do not like to review coasters that I have only ridden one time. It is very difficult to get the feel for a good coaster without multiple rides. In this case, I feel that this is justified since I really was not all that excited over a coaster that receives raves through the enthusiast community. Phantom's Revenge was originally called the Steel Phantom and was the world's first hyper-looping coaster. With a drop of over 200 feet (its actually the 2nd drop and not the first) and a number of inversions, the ride itself was a landmark ride. However, the general public decided that speeds of over 80MPH and corkscrews should not go together so the inversions were scrapped and changed into airtime hills at the end of the course. The ride went from an ear-baning torture device to one of the top ten steel coasters in the world.

During the Top Ten Trek of 2007, this was actually the ride I was looking forward to the most. We arrived at Kennywood early on a Saturday in June to what we thought were sparse crowds. We went straight to the ride and had only a station wait. What I though would be less than 10 minutes turned into a 30 minute ordeal because only 1 train was being used and the ride ops were among the slowest I have ever seen, particularly the one sitting in a folding chair and eating popcorn. We were looking at multiple rides but with only a couple of hours to spend at the park and 4 other coasters to ride, one ride was we were able to get in. The ride itself was fun but did not offer the insane airtime I had been reading about. Again, that could be because we were close to the front since the 2nd seat had the shortest wait. Most reviews I have read state that the back of the train is preferable. However, I can only rate my experience and while it was good, it was not great either.

Positives include the bright green track, the large 2nd drop down through the structure of the wooden coaster, Thunderbolt (maybe this is where the popcorn lady was....I don;t remember) and the unique trains and restraints. As you can see form the picture, the sign itself is also very cool.

So anyway, one of the greatest coasters in the world gets only an 8 from me. I do hope to return to Kennywood this summer to put in some more laps on this well-respected ride. As a side note, a lot of the track is being replaced this winter by the park so Phantom's Revenge could offer a different ride next year.

Overall Rating - 8

Ride Phantom's Revenge below.

The Cannon Ball - Lake Winnepesaukah - (GA)

Date Ridden: Numerous times with the last being in August of 2008. Times Ridden: Well over 100.

For my 100th post, I was looking for a special review and there is not a more special coaster on my ride list than the Cannon Ball at Lake Winnie.

To begin with, I am certain that this was my first ever roller coaster. I can remember growing up and visiting Lake Winnie right at the end of each summer with our church. We would spend the entire day there with great fellowship, great food, and a gazilion laps on the Cannon Ball. The trips were always a highlight of every summer I had while growing up here in the mountains of northwest Georgia.

Last year, I visited the park again for the first time in many years and was proud of the condition of the park in general and there star attraction. Many wooden coaster which are painted white suffer from neglest which leads to a run-down looking ride. The Cannon Ball is kept meticulously clean and aparkling. The trains are like new and the ride itself is as smooth as any modern wooden coaster. The track is short both in height at a little over 70 feet and in ride length which is probably not much over a minute, but it is still a fun little out-and-back woodie with surprising pops of airtime.

When I was younger, I did not have a clue about airtime, but I knew that the last hop going into the brake run would seriously toss you out of your seat if you didn't hold on tight. I am proud to say that that moment is still there and thanks to the simply buzzbar restraints, you still get some pretty good ejector at the end.

I visited again in August this year and put in four more laps on it. I had a blast riding alone and enjoying a fun element from my past vringing back memories which were always pleasant. I loved the Cannon Ball when I was smaller and still love it today despite it not being overly large or fast. I think that it is obvious by now what types of rides I prefer. I do not care about inversions, intensity, or records. I care about the visual aspect of the ride and the experience it gives me. I enjoy some rides with inversions (Montu, Volcano, Kraken, etc.), some with intensity (Voyage, Magnum, and Boulder Dash) and even some record holders (Dragster, Millennium Force, and El Toro) but I still like simple little coasters the Starliner at Cypress Gardens, the Swamp Fox in Myrtle Beach, and the king of them all, the Phoenix at Knoebels. The Canon Ball fits into that latter category of visually appealing rides that offer a superb experience. It will always hold a special place in my heart.

The final rating is difficult to give. The coaster itself probably scores in the 7 range but my experiences have been 9's and 10's. For that matter, I will go with a solid 8.

Ride the Cannon Ball below. The video does not do this little ride justice

Toboggan - Lakemont Park in PA and Trimper's Rides in NJ

Date Ridden: Both in the summer of 2008. Times Ridden: 1 each.

Torture devices!! Some rides are simply rough. Others are intense. Some are downright painful but the two installations of the Toboggan at these separate parks are beyond all of those things.

The cars are very cramped and uncomfortable to simply sit in much less move through a course. However, add in the fact of a 90 degree vertical lift that feels as if it will tear itself apart at any time, a sickening circular downward spiral and two or three "bunny-hops" at the end and you have the recipe for an entire bottle of Excedrin.

In all seriousness, while one of my riding partners calls these things "The Great-Grandaddy of Fahrenheit", I tend to agree with the other riding partner. Break out the dynamite, a short fuse, and a box of matches. Implode these things for goodness sakes.

Overall Rating - 2 (only because I have a special coaster that ranks as a 1)

The Georgia Scorcher - Six Flags Over Georgia (GA)

Date Ridden: Numerous times in the past three years. Times Ridden: Around 10 or so.

Have I mentioned that I really don;t like stand-up or flying coasters? Cause I don't.

The Scorcher is probably my favorite of all stand-up coasters simply because it is the shortest. I did discuss in my Mantis review

about the "Turtle Method" of riding which cuts down on ear bashing a great deal. However, the simple fact of the matter is that these things are just not comfortable. The elements of this specific ride are unique as the coaster at one point flies through the vertical loop but overall it seems to be lacking in fun. In addition, the location at the very front of the park makes this ride one of the longest waits at the entire park as most people enter the gates in jump

straight in line. One good tip is to avoid this at all costs until the afternoon when the lines are much shorter and spend your early hours riding Goliath, Superman, and Batman. That is if you even really want to ride this. Coaster Reviews give this ride a 7 since it is not too uncomfortable. However, this is far from a world class ride despite the unique standing position.

Raven and Legend Picture Updates.

Anyone who has been consistently reading our blog knows about our wonderful trip Holiday World back in September. We had a great 4 hours with walk-on rides on all three of their world class woodies. The key for me personally was my three front seat rides on the Legend which I feel is among the most underrated coasters in existence. When ridden on the front it is a perfect 10 with high 9's on every other seat. Within the next few days, I have been forced to adjust my Top 20 thanks to outstanding rides on The Beast in Ohio and these rides on The Legend. The Legend itself offers a fast ride (it feels as fast as any woodie I have ever ridden) and some insane ejector air in the middle of the course. The only thing I have missed out on is a night ride of which are supposed to be totally insane.

As far as The Raven, it is still a short piece of coaster perfection. Great views on the front, ejector air on the back, and a smooth and fast ride through the woods keeps the coaster ranked highly. It is simply amazing that a small park like Holiday World has these three amazing coasters that are so meticulously kept. If one only rides each coaster once, the $35.00 spent would still be a bargain. There are enthusiasts who might argue for the woodies of Knoebels or maybe Kennywood, but in my humble opinion, Holiday World rules them all. Enjoy the pics.

Superman-Ultimate Flight - Six Flags Over Georgia (GA)

Date Ridden: Numerous times since its creation with the last time earlier this year (2008). Times Ridden: Many

When it was first built by roller coaster designers Bolliger and Mabillard, SUF was the newest of the new. I think the original design for this was ride was, and still is, located in Chicago. There is also another version in New Jersey but all three rides feature identical lay-outs. The unique feature each coaster has is that they offer riders the flying position in which to ride. When I first rode Superman before my OCD coaster days, I thought it was great since it was something new. However, I have since discovered that riding a coaster in the flying position is uncomfortable and really not all that much fun. I would personally rather sit down and enjoy my coasters, not hang in them facing the ground.

Superman is very short with really only two notable elements: an insane feeling pretzel loop which is very early in the ride and a zero-g roll which comes right at the end. Both of these version feel very strange from the riding position and the pretzel loop offer very strong forces pinning the riders into their seats.

However, to me these coasters are simply gimmicks. There are no world-class flying or standing coasters (some people would argue about Tatsu out in California...that review will be later). The lines are normally horrid with slow load times due to the large amount of machinery necessary for these contraptions. Even a station wait is going to be around 20-30 minutes at SFOG. Overall, the Superman ride is well-themed and scores in the 8 range. It is a unique experiences if you have never ridden a flyer before but once should be enough.

Check out the offride footage below of this version of the ride in Georgia.