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Coaster Photos | Coaster Videos | Coaster Links
Coaster Photos
I have photos posted of my Summer 2003 trip to Cedar Point, and 2005 trip to Six Flags Great Adventure/Kingda Ka in the Photo Gallery.
Photos of my recent trip to Knotts Berry Farm and Six Flags Magic Mountain are coming soon.
Check out the video of my first ride on "X"
Coaster Videos
I finally have the video links corrected. You can ride some of my favorite coasters in the area
by clicking on the hover buttons below. For best results, view from a high-speed
connection (cable or DSL), and allow the file to download fully before viewing.
The video clip will stream, but you may want to consider allowing one-half of
the file to download, and then rewind and watch from the beginning. This proves
to bring better results. NOTE: Never carry a camera while riding a
roller coaster! Unfortunately, I do not yet have personal videos for
Millennium Force (my #1 favorite anywhere!), or any other Cedar Point coaster.
But, check out Robb & Elissa's great Cedar Point music video (below).
If you really want to see some great videos, check out
ATLCoasterMan on
YouTube. He has amazing videos.
| The fellow beside me shot a video with his digital camera during the ride at Six Flags Magic Mountain. I convinced him to mail me the resulting video. There are still shots at the beginning, and the video is mostly focused on him, and yes -- the background music and captions are in Portuguese. BUT, on the way up the lift hill you get a terrific view of all of SFMM, including the new Tatsu (orange/red, slightly left of center). But watch the whole thing to see a terrific POV video of the coaster. You can hear me screaming "OH MY GOD!" on the first drop! And watch the ending to see my reaction -- he pointed the camera at me twice! | |
| I recently visited Kansas City for the first time and visited Cedar Fair's Worlds of Fun. I had a great time riding this steelie (very similar to Steel Force & Magnum XL200), whose second hill is probably the best anywhere. The helix at the midpoint is incredible, because the supports create a terrific head-chop effect on the lower lever. Also of note at WOF: the new Spinning Dragons coaster! | Finally, I got a video onboard the Great Bear at Hershey. This B&M installation is my #2 favorite suspended coaster, behind Busch Garden[s Alpengeist. The surprise helix at the top of the lift hill precedes a 124 foot drop into the dell. Hersheypark now has 10 coasters, but I have yet to visit on a day when Storm Runner was actually running! |
| Cedar Point has installed the world's first Stratacoaster. !It's called the Top Thrill Dragster, and it launches you from 0 to 120 mph in 4 seconds, 90 degrees up a 420 foot tower! This video came from Theme Park Review - visit their site to see what Alyssa & Rob are up to! | The ACE classic coaster is 75 years old! The steel structure and wooden track make for an excellent ride. Don't forget to eat at Nathan's Famous after you ride! The spirit of Coney Island is still All-American at Astroland. |
| This high speed steel coaster at Dorney Park in Allentown, PA has a 205-foot drop on the first hill, and a 510 degree helix with incredible G-forces. It's a very smooth ride, with great bunny hills at the end. Add two tunnels, and you've got a great mega-coaster! This was my first 200+ foot steel coaster. See Steel Force for more details. | This dual racing coaster at Hersheypark in Hershey, PA is an incredible wooden dual coaster that actually races and duels! The two sides split, and race toward each other, then overlap back and forth before the finish line. See Lightning Racer for more details. |
| Also at Hersheypark, and also built by Great Coasters International, this wooden coaster has an very unusual layout. The ride is smoothing out with age, and it's a lot of fun. See Wildcat for more details. | At Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, NJ you can ride this "floorless" steel coaster. It combines the best of two genres: your feet dangle (like a suspended coaster) but you ride on top of the track. And it is a long ride! See Medusa for more details. |
| This is the "standard" for suspended coasters. It's convoluted and compact design is a real thrill. (I could not wait for the front seat, unfortunately. Still, this video is pretty good.) See Batman for more details. | If you go to Busch Gardens-Williamsburg, ride this awesome smooth steel coaster. They even have a "singles" lane which gets you on the coaster much faster. Similar to Nitro at Six Flags Great Adventure and Raging Bull at Six Flags Great America. See Apollo's Chariot for more details. |
| At Lake Compounce in Connecticut, this incredible woodie sends you flying through the woods. You ascend the lift hill, actually staying on the ground of the mountain, then turn to descend and follow the curvature of the terrain. A must see! | An early century classic in Rye, New York at Playland, this wooden gem may seem tame compared to other coasters, but it is a real treasure. The Aeroplane, which was built later, looked like a more thrilling ride, but it was dismantled. |
| In Saco, Maine at Funtown/Splashtown USA, is a beautiful woodie built by CCI. The drops and G-forces are spectacular on this coaster. Be sure to check out the Camelot-themed station as well. | At King's Dominion in Doswell, Virginia, there are four woodies. The Rebel Yell is a racing out and back coaster which runs one train forward and one backward. This coaster was featured in the 1977 movie, "Rollercoaster." |
| There are three Superman: Ride of Steel mega-coasters built by Intamin on the east coast. This one is located at Six Flags America in Largo, Maryland (15 minutes from Washington, DC) Over 200 feet high, and smooth as glass. We rode this in the rain -- you'll hear us yell as the rain hits our faces at 70+ mph. They recently adjusted the restraints on all the Intamin Superman installations, because of the death at SFNE in early 2004. | This is my #1 choice mega-coaster - Superman: Ride of Steel at Six Flags New England, in Agawam, Massachusetts. It has an initial 217 foot drop from a 205 foot lift hill (How did they do that? A tunnel at the bottom!), great air time, overbanked turns, several helixes, and great bunny hills. You gotta ride this one! Just be aware that security in queues is poor here, and most likely people will cut in line ahead of you. |
Coaster Links
- American Coaster Enthusiasts - I belong! You should too! This organization not only provides information, but also supports a lot of restoration and archive services.
- Gunther Hall, Ltd. - Want to buy a coaster book, video, poster, calendar, mouse pad, or Christmas ornament? This is the place! Great resource!
- Roller Coaster Database - Incredible resource of information and photos. Every time you refresh the home page, you get a new photo/info of a different random coaster from its worldwide collection.
- Theme Park Review - OK, these guys are really certifiably nuts. Robb & Elissa have videos (most of them MTV-like music videos, very cool!), news, reviews and more. You can even see their Disney wedding video!
- Bob's Coaster Pages - This guy has a huge array of photos and information. I suggest you turn "off" the music -- it's distracting.
- Great Coasters International - This company builds the greatest woodies!
- Ultimate Rollerscoaster.com - News, forums, etc. It's more corporate than Theme Park Review, but still has some interesting info.
