We hadn't planned on doing a Magic Mountain update this week, but I was in the area and figured I'd stop in and take a walk around the park. Unfortunately there really wasn't much change since last Saturday so that's why this is update 6.5. But upon looking at the pictures there were a couple of things that have changed, and we'll share them with you below. Twisted ColossusDoesn't look like much work has been done at the top of the lift, but there has been a LOT of work going on at the lower parts of the coaster. They do have to reinforce the existing lift and probably replace a great deal of wood in the process. The crane was lifting pieces over the brake run and near the lift hill. Not sure why they didn't just get rid of this section of track already. Track and wood More support pieces. These are what have been placed on the lower parts of the structure this week. They are doing some painting as well. Really kind of surprised that Goliath was open today. Inside the park, the bathrooms have a more evident board on them, although I still think there should be a sign directing people to the next closest restroom. Not everybody knows where it is (DC Universe or Fort Le John near Goliath for those of you who aren't sure). =) More trees are gone Not sure what these trees did to deserve this treatment, and really, not sure why they'd need to get removed. The chain has been fixed. Don't break it again!!! =) Obligatory track picture. Once some of these leaves fall (yes, we do have fall in southern California) we should be able to see the pre-lift section a bit better. Most of the visible work this week has been done inside the station At first glance while in the park today I could tell that you could see "more" in this shot from last week, but it didn't quite hit me why. In comparing the above picture to the picture below from last week you can see that not only have all the air gates been removed, but the ride operator booths as well. All of the track on the right side of the station is gone. Will be interesting to see how the station is redesigned. Shouldn't be quite as cramped as before. . Almost looks like some track was removed in this spot, but we can't be sure. ApocalypseThe only other thing from this week is that Apocalypse is back open. It didn't seem to be any better or worse than last time I rode (probably a month ago) but it was only running 1 train. The other was in the transfer track, but I couldn't tell if there was anything wrong with it. No Trucks in the Zombie ApocalypseOne other very quick note, guessing they've had some work trucks heading into Zombie Xing and messing up some Fright Fest decorations? And that's it for today's update. Unless some major construction happens this week, we'll have at least 2 weeks before our next SFMM update.
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Welcome to our sixth Twisted Colossus update. Wow, six updates in just under two months. I can't imagine how many we'll have by the time this ride opens next Spring/Summer. Today we'll look at the track that continues to head up the lift hill, we'll also take a look at Apocalypse which had an incident on Friday. We actually have EXCLUSIVE video to share with you. We'll wrap up the update with a couple of notes about the rest of the park and our thought's on #Peptocopter ... Intrigued, well read on!! =) Twisted ColossusSince our last update, track has continued to move up the lift hill making it's way almost to the top of the post-fire structure. I know a lot of people don't like the Green and Blue track, but it does really look good up against the white. Some more wood or steel or steel that looks like wood has been stacked up. Looks like these pieces have been configured to go on the lift, possibly replacing the parts that burned? Speaking of the fire, does anybody else think it's odd that they haven't cleaned up some of this, painted it or replaced some of it? Maybe that's coming? Moving inside the park, a close up of one of the track supports. As you can see, things have yet to be tightened which will happen once the entire track is complete. A close up of two track pieces. If you can count, you can build a coaster. Ok, it's not quite that simple. =) The chain at the exit was down ... while tempted (because those pictures would be awesome) we resisted going back here. We did let the park know and we assume there is a chain here now. They probably should put more up during construction. A look at the lift from inside the park A close up of the lift ... not sure if this is soot from the fire, but you'd think they'd clean up 36 years of dirt and grime before installing new track. Maybe some rain this offseason will take care of it. We could sure use it here. ApocalypseUnfortunately, Colossus isn't the only wooden coaster we need to talk about in this update. Apocalypse "Valleyed" on Friday afternoon and apparently caused some damage to the track. Reader Antonio sent us the following video and this was a minute or so after the initial incident as the coaster was still coming to it's final resting place. While we don't expect the park to put up a "the ride broke" sign, something other than "Annual Maintenance" would be nice, as it's obviously not that. That said, hopefully this incident will allow them to give the ride a nice rehab because it surely needs it. Once we hear anything about a reopening date for the ride, we'll let you know. Around The ParkA few things going on around the rest of the park, some good, some not so good. But let's start off with some good. We saw this new food offering near Full Throttle. Looks like it's just around for Fright Fest. I would have tried it, but I was solo and since I'm starting my training for the LA Marathon, I'm not sure eating this all by myself would have been the best idea. =) Some readers on our Facebook page were VERY quick to point out the Pepto Bismol ad at the bottom of the sign, which is probably needed after eating this. Which made this sign near Jet Stream very funny. While we get the need to do ads in the park, having people think of getting sick in an amusement park is probably not the best idea. It's not quite as bad as this ad from 2012 for Payday/Car Title loans though. Speaking of Jet Stream, we have to give some kudos to the park as they actually have been doing flume work on Jet Stream during the week over the past month or so. While it's not all done yet, you can certainly tell the difference while riding, and see the difference in that there aren't as many leaks in the flume these days. Now they just need to systematically take the boats for a complete refurb as they are still VERY bumpy, and kind of ugly. The wheel's are in desperate need of replacing on all of the boats. Too bad we can't just get a new fleet of boats. Lastly a couple of pet peeve's ... first, this is how the trash cans in the parking lot looked upon our arrival at about 2:30pm on Saturday. Obviously this isn't all from Saturday and probably isn't even all from Friday (which wasn't very busy). Which probably means the trash, at least some of it, had been sitting out since last weekend. Sadly this isn't the first time we've seen this, and with the bee problem they have in both parks you'd think they'd address this. That said, we did see the trash crew coming and emptying the trash cans ... although isn't that something that should be done after the park closes or before the park opens rather than at 2:30pm on a busy Saturday? We'd like to do our part to keep the park clean, but if there is nowhere to put it, it's kind of hard. Lastly, the drink stand between Tatsu and Roaring Rapids. This is probably the most narrow portion of the "main" walkway around the park, and probably one of the busiest, especially on hot days. A) Would it hurt the park to actually think ahead and put up a queue for the drink stand? This happens pretty much every weekend. They've got plenty of temporary queue fences as they use them for Fright Fest. Although this particular location could use a permanent one. B) Would it hurt these guests to think "Hey, I'm blocking up the main walkway, maybe we should take it upon ourselves to move out of the way". Either way, it needs to be fixed. That's going to wrap it up for this update, I know we keep saying we don't know when our next update will be, but I really don't know when it's going to be. I've been at SFMM each of the last 4 or 5 weekends, so I'm thinking a break may be in order next weekend. Of course, if there are major changes on Colossus that could change those plans. =) Be sure to check back tomorrow as we'll have a full update from Universal Studios Hollywood including Wizarding World, Springfield and Fast and Furious. We'll also have our look at the LA Haunted Hayride on Wednesday. Thanks for reading ... Gregg Trip Report and Haunt Review This past Sunday we had the opportunity to experience GADV's annual fright fest as a family for the first time. We wanted to find out if there was truly something for every age and fright tolerance and we came off seriously impressed. Lets take a journey into the park. Sadly there were only mums and 0.0 mummies in this pyramid. The fountain featured festive fall flowers. Declining by Degrees- We were last here in August and this statue was completely clean of cobwebs. Mr. Six must be turning in his grave. This is what happens to you if you try to drink from the delicious Hawaiian Punch fountain. Awww.. CJ (who wants everyone to know he is a big boy now that he just turned 3) loved the Trick or Treat Trail. As parents we loved the way GADV handled it. You get in line, walk 10 feet, and they hand you a delicious bag of quality candy that is filled to the top. You don't have to make multiple stops at different stations while your child runs around in a sugar induced stupor. Thank you Six Flags from the bottom of my heart. They also had four characters with no lines for some great photo opportunities. CJ approves this message. If you squint long enough this naturally occurring rock formation somewhat resembles a skull. There were a number of temporary food locations featuring seasonal delights setup. Here you could just swing on over for some Kettle Korn. The Boardwalk is transformed into the Psycho Circus scare zone at night. If you aren't afraid of clowns eating you it's a great place to hangout and check out the side show acts that are exclusive to Fright Fest. In an effort to be more environmentally sensitive, Great Adventure has replaced their LED lighting with the eternal flames of unfortunate souls. Cucurbita pepo; Howden Pumpkin -Rich orange color with deep ridges and good, sturdy handles. Weighs 25 lbs on average. Sizes up reliably and is tolerant to Black Rot. Developed in the Berkshires of Massachusetts in the late 60's by JohnHowden, it remains the most popular pumpkin in its class among both commercial growers and home gardeners. *The More You Know Nothing to see here, just corn having sex with a tree. Nobody told them you are supposed to be SCARED at Fright Fest.Of note: Lisa thinks she is a rebel because she is wearing a Disney shirt. She also threatened to cut us. Artsy shot of Road Runner pecking the moon. After a day of family fun which included marathoning a frog hopper, it was time for some scares. Being the amazing mother and wife that she is, Kristin took CJ to a "scare free zone" at the front of the park while Lisa and I headed to the haunts. The evening begins with The Awakening which is a pseudo parade where all the ghouls and zombies come out and walk to their respective house or maze. It's a cool way to see the costumes and makeup in good lighting. Wasteland We weren't allowed to take photos inside Wasteland, a trail located adjacent toNitro and themed to mutant botanists and SWAT teams (yeah we didn't get it either) So what follows are some photos of the scare actors taken during The Awakening. This trail has potential, but lacked in many areas. During our visit they were letting large groups in quickly which also diffused the scare factor. 3 out of 5 stars We then headed over to the Movietown section of the park to check out Dead Man's Party. This is a high energy song and dance show featuring every single Halloween song ever recorded. In the history of time. Ever. I'm not really a show person, but it drew a huge crowd. A few clever guests parked their cars on the lawn to get a better view of the show. This photo actually scares me. On May 11, 1984 eight teenagers were trapped and killed in a terrible fire inside the Haunted Castle at Great Adventure. Some people claim they haunt the park. I took this photo with my DSLR aiming at location where the Haunted Castle once stood. This was the result. Asylum Our first trail of the evening was Asylum. This is staged behind the former site of The Chiller and uses the old queue. Crazed mental patients have taken over the asylum and are torturing guards, doctors, and anyone else brave enough to make their way through the doors. The maze featured great fog effects, a few good jump out surprises and some of the most dedicated scare actors. We would give this trail 4 out of 5 stars. The queue an hour before the trail opened. The lines can get 2 hours long very quickly (and this was a cold Sunday night). Our biggest tip of Fright Fest is to pay extra for the front of the line scare pass. It's worth the small upcharge and will allow you to experience everything in one evening. I'm also not sure what I'm looking at. Tons of hot chicks were out at the park this weekend. Crop Circles New for 2014 was Crop Circles - This trail is located in front of the former water ski stadium area. This is a great spot for a trail as it is dark and tree covered. With an intergalactic theme mixed with traditional ghouls, we thought the maze was out of this world (I really need a better writing team). It begins with what seems like you are walking in a giant spiral of corn which is really disorientating. You are then led out into a few more open areas featuring UFOs and close encounters. 5 out of 5 stars The last few mazes and trails all prohibited any photography at all (rules were different all across the park) So we'll just give you a quick rundown. Voodoo Island Located adjacent to the log flume, this trail was themed to voodoo and the sacrificing of children. Of course on paper, this sounds like a great idea.I mean who wouldn't want to be cursed for eternity while watching innocent children be killed? But it's execution (see what I did there?), left us wishing we hadn't sacrificed our time to walk the trail. We aren't sure what happened here. Our working lead is that half of the scare actors were out sick with Ebola that evening, but there were huge parts of this trail with no scare actors, or effects, or really anything at all. Maybe we just caught them on a bad night. 1 out of 5 stars Total Darkness If you aren't familiar with this indoor maze, it's held in near total darkness where groups of 5 hold onto a rope containing a glow stick and are supposed to use that light to find their way through the maze. The scare actors all dress in black and most screams are of the jump out variety. Many people love this maze, but I like my steak rare and marinated for at least 24 hours in theming so Total Darkness is totally lame to me. ? out of 5 stars The Manor The other indoor maze is The Manor. While the theme here is basically generic haunted house, each room is different with its own set of scares and characters. The Manor also features the best effects and highest production value of any of the mazes or trails. Pro tip: You can do either of the indoor mazes starting at 2:00pm. Check them out early to avoid long lines later at night. You might even want to walk through The Manor twice. 5 out of 5 Stars We had an amazing day (and night) at Six Flags and found that going as a family with a young child totally works (as long as your significant other doesn't mind hanging out in a scare free zone once the zombies attack). There was truly something for everyone to do throughout the day and all parties involved left our park journey smiling with a great set of memories and probably a new cavity or two. There are also a number of open scare zones I didn't cover this report so I'll leave you with my favorite; The fountain area at night. P.S. Great Adventure is now offering one of the best deals it offers all year on Season Passes: $61.99 gets you in for the rest of Fright Fest 2014 plus all of 2015. You also get upgraded to a Gold Pass which allows for free parking and admission to all Six Flags theme parks (normally $94.99). That's a killer deal. |
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