5/17/19

[Yoshi]

I like to try to get to the park on a Friday in May since crowds are usually low even with all the school groups there. This past Friday was no exception and I got to the park at around 2:15 planning to stay until at least 8 or later.

 

Justice League was first with no line at all using the single rider line. The fog projection before the falling barrels was working again which was nice to see. This was also the first trip to the park where I saw what happens if the car spends too long in front of 1 screen because of delays in loading the other cars. The targets go away so you can't increase your score. I guess that's so the scoring chances are equal if you get a delay or not.

 

Nitro had broken down but was reopened with a station wait. The past couple of years the C train was the smoothest of the 3 trains. It was a little worse this year but not too bad. I also have to say it was nice to see 3 trains running with such low crowds and extremely fast dispatches.  I was got back in line for another lap but it broke down again.

 

After riding The Dark Knight, Batman, Skull Mountain, Nitro again and Sky Screamer, I walked over to Saw Mill Log Flume. All of the sudden the turntable and lift conveyor belts stopped moving. I thought the ride had broken down until going back to the walkway in Frontier Adventures and seeing Runaway Mine Train stuck on the brake run, one of Bizarro's trains on the mid course brake run and El Toro stopped on the lift hill. The only ride in the area still running was the balloons in Bugs Bunny National Park. I walked around for a while and saw the rides being evacuated. I'd hate to be on Superman stuck on the lift hill or brake run more than any other coaster.

 

Going back to the other side of the park I saw Cyborg Cyber Spin testing but nothing was open except Sky Screamer and maybe the Big Wheel. I saw the Skyway was open and with both sides running and went back to Frontier Adventures to ride the Saw Mill Log Flume which had reopened. Most of the rides were closed for around an hour. I haven't had the chance to ride the log flume much once in the last 3 seasons so it was good to be at the park when it's open. With no one at the water sprayers, it was just enough of a splash to cool off and not get soaked.

 

The sky was starting to get dark and I thought it could start raining soon. I had been checking the forecast all week and even before I left to go to the park and it kept changing from no rain, to rain later at night and then after I got to the park, a forecast of heavy rain at 7 p.m. I went right over to Zumanjaro because of that. I have had horrible luck with Zumanjaro being open the past year. I visited the park 5 times last season, 3 of trips that were not during HITP. 2 of those 3 visits the ride was closed. Last month I was in the station and about to be on the next cycle and it broke down for the rest of the night so I hadn't ridden Zumanjaro in over a year. It is still my favorite drop tower. Right when the ride dispatched, the rain started. Kingda Ka was of course closed and it looked like it was going to rain the rest of the night so I went back to Justice League for 3 more rides all with no wait using the single rider line (the regular line was probably around 10 minutes). I probably could have gone to The Dark Knight and Skull Mountain but didn't feel like walking around in the rain. Many outdoor coasters will still running but it's uncomfortable to ride in the rain.

 

Even though I missed Green Lantern, El Toro, Kingda Ka, Runaway Mine Train and Bizarro it still was a fun trip since I was able to get multiple Nitro and Justice League rides in during the visit to the park.

 

Ride Count:

Nitro, 2x

Justice League, 4x

Sky Screamer, 1x

Skull Mountain, 1x

The Dark Knight, 1x

Batman, 1x

Saw Mill Log Flume, 1x

Skyway, 1x

Zumanjaro, 1x

 

Only 1 picture, I was planning on taking more pictures on my way out of the park and the rain messed up those plans.

 

El Toro being evacuated