The final stop on my road trip brought me to the Great Smoky Mountains to visit Dollywood. This beautiful park is home to one of the most unique roller coaster collections in the country. Join me for my first time reactions to Lightning Rod, Thunderhead, Wild Eagle, Tennessee Tornado, and more!
Lightning Rod sounds credit: Gotcha Thrills - YouTube
Thunderhead sounds credit: Coaster Thrills - YouTube
If you enjoyed this episode, please help me out by rating, sharing, and subscribing. You can also follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @coasterredux.
The final stop on my road trip brought me to the Great Smoky Mountains to visit Dollywood. This beautiful park is home to one of the most unique roller coaster collections in the country. Join me for my first time reactions to Lightning Rod, Thunderhead, Wild Eagle, Tennessee Tornado, and more!
Lightning Rod sounds credit: Gotcha Thrills - YouTube
Thunderhead sounds credit: Coaster Thrills - YouTube
If you enjoyed this episode, please help me out by rating, sharing, and subscribing. You can also follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @coasterredux.
Welcome to episode 7 of Coaster Redux. My name is Erik and I am a life-long roller coaster enthusiast, but up until lately, I’ve been kind of a lazy one. Through high school and college in the late 90’s and early 2000’s, I was a full on coaster nerd, then I entered the working world, and I went on a lengthy hiatus, only attending parks every few years. During the pandemic, I returned to following the theme park industry again through podcasts and social media. When the parks re-opened, I rode some of the new attractions that debuted in my home state of Florida, and my enthusiast flame is now fully re-ignited.
This motivated me to get outside my bubble and embark on a week-long road trip to see how some of the most elite roller coasters in the country compare to my new top two: Velocicoaster at Islands of Adventure, and Iron Gwazi at Busch Gardens Tampa. I’ve never done anything like this before, but it’s time to get back out there.
This is the story of my revived roller coaster fandom, and I’m loving the road trip life hopping from one stellar park to the next. I spent yesterday afternoon and this morning at Kings Island, a park that quickly won my heart for its picturesque setting and vibe, not to mention an excellent coaster collection. While there is no easy #1 E-ticket attraction here, rides like Mystic Timbers, Diamondback, Orion, and the Beast complete a package making it one of my favorite parks of all time. Wish I could have spent more time at Kings Island, but I had a schedule to keep, which meant leaving the park at 2:00 pm and getting on the road. I had 307 miles and 4.5 hours to reach the Great Smoky Mountains
My next stop would be Dollywood, a park that just might take the place of Busch Gardens Williamsburg, and maybe Kings Island for that matter, for the most beautiful in the country. It’s home to some of the most unique roller coasters on my trip, and a fitting way to conclude this odyssey.
I know as a roller coaster fan that one of my favorite parts of the hobby is getting the reaction of somebody coming off of a ride they’ve never ridden before. That’s what I want to share with you.
And with that, join me for the final stop on my road trip at Dollywood, right here on Coaster Redux.
Fresh off the high of Mystic Timbers and Diamondback, I reluctantly left Kings Island to begin the trek Pigeon Forge, TN. As I plugged my destination into my phone, I got a text from my brother recommending a podcast called Dolly Parton’s America. As I made my way to her park, I enjoyed listening to Dolly’s story. She made a name for herself due to her incredible talent and heart, she broke through barriers, and triumphed over numerous challenges. She brings hope and light to us all through her music and character, and remains a beacon of love and brightness in a turbulent world.
My journey took me across the mighty Ohio River as I passed through Cincinnati on Interstate 71. It wasn’t long before I was climbing the Appalacians again, this time at the southern end of the range. The highway twisted around mountains and the views didn’t provide any real idea as to the destination. I just kept going as I wound up, down, and all around. It felt like a roller coaster.
My mind wandered as the roads meandered. I thought for a few minutes about returning to work in a few days, and what challenges would await me upon re-entry. Then I blocked that out. Not yet. I still have one more park to enjoy, and it’s got some very unique roller coasters. No surprise, the biggest reason for coming to Dollywood is Lightning Rod. It’s the only launched RMC, which is a pretty crazy thought. It’s definitely a favorite among enthusiasts, and I can’t wait to check it out. I just hope it’ll be open, because it’s a notoriously finicky ride known to go down without notice.
Then, there’s the coaster that first put this park on my radar screen, Tennessee Tornado. It opened back in 1999 when I followed everything in the theme park industry before my hiatus. It’s the most modern Arrow looping coaster, and they say it’s smooth, it’s fun, and it’s intense.
Dollywood is also home to Thunderhead, a massive GCI wood twister. I’ll be interested to compare that to Mystic Timbers. Mystery Mine will be my first Gerstlaur Euro-Fighter, with those two-row trains running a compact layout. Fire Chaser Express looks like a delightful themed family coaster. And I hope Wild Eagle would be a better wing coaster than Gatekeeper at Cedar Point which left me wanting more intensity and less rattle.
I exited the highway descended into the valley home to the tourist town of Pigeon Forge. It was sensory-overload with shopping, hotels, restaurants, and attractions crowding the main parkway. Flashing lights and neon signs reminded me of Las Vegas. I prefer to stay in Marriott hotels to earn points, but they had nothing close to the park at a reasonable price. I ended up at the Super 8 which was right where Dollywood Lane meets the Pigeon Forge Parkway, so my drive to the park would take mere minutes. The bummer was that it was hidden behind an IHOP and a Wendy’s, making it hard to find.
I arrived and checked in just at sunset. I could hear the distant whail of the Dollywood Express steam train resonating off the mountains as I climbed to the third floor. My room was ok, and the price was right.
As I settled in for the night, I pulled up the Facebook group I had been chatting with throughout the week, posted a trip report for Kings Island, and noted that I would be at Dollywood the next day. A regular poster informed me of the single rider line for Lightning Rod, and that you can usually get on within a few minutes even if the main line is long. I was also challenged to keep my hands up all the way through the quad down in the back row. Challenge accepted.
I headed to bed remembering my awesome rides at Carowinds, Cedar Point, and Kings Island and looking forward to my final park day at Dollywood tomorrow. I needed to get some rest so I could make my last day count.
The sun shone clearly again the next morning, and the heat and humidity reminded me that I was heading back south. I ascended Dollywood Lane on my way to the park. A sign is the only thing letting you know you’re leaving the country road and entering one of the best parks in the country. The parking lot sits in a valley, and as I parked my car, a mountain rose to my left. Unlike most parks, I couldn’t see any roller coasters from the parking lot. Dollywood’s skyline is the Smoky Mountains, and the coasters are all built into the terrain. I followed signs to the tram that would bring me uphill to the entrance.
The gate to Dollywood was charming, and absent were massive park logos and flashing LED signs. As I passed through, there was no grand midway suggesting a direction of travel. The narrow path was lined with quaint shops, and there was a simple choice upon entering the gate. Left or right. I knew what my first ride needed to be, so I pulled up the Dollywood app, and yup, Lightning Rod was open. It’s well known that if it’s operating, you need to bolt for it. So I headed right, passing through the Showstreet entry area, and entered Jukebox Junction.
The area is beautifully themed to the 1950’s, and the attention to detail is outstanding. Red’s Drive-In, a classic burger, shake, and fry spot is to the left, and Lightning Rod’s epic non-inverting final reversal is wedged against a ridge to the right. The queue for Lightning Rod begins with a walk through Johnny Rev’s garage. He’s a hot rod tuner, and he’s invited Dollywood guests to check out his latest and greatest creation.
Lightning Rod opened in 2016 as an ambitious project to build the world’s first launched wood coaster. RMC used its topper track, which is an extra wide and heavy steel laminate to cover the wooden rails. The coaster suffered from downtime due to problems with its launch system and the wood trackwork. Between 2020 and 2021, more than half of the ride’s wood track was replaced with RMC’s steel IBOX track, the same type used on Twisted Timbers, Iron Gwazi, and Steel Vengeance, officially making Lightning Rod the first RMC to be RMC’d. It’s now a true hybrid roller coaster, and it’s time for my first test drive.
I entered the single rider line as recommended, and there were probably 15 people ahead of me. There’s a ride host at the bottom of the stairs to the load station and he’s assigning guests to their seats one floor above. Riders with the Time Saver pass get priority, then the regular line fills the remainder of the train with single riders joining any party with an odd number.
I wore my new Maverick shirt that day, and as I approached the front of the single rider line, Ian, the ride host, complimented me on my shirt. “It’s my number one coaster,” he said. I told him it was my favorite at Cedar Point, and we talked for a few minutes.
Ian then sent me upstairs with a party of three headed for the first two rows on the next train. Only one was running, and it seemed to take forever to exit the brake run and gently coast into the station.
Two guests in my party of three wanted to ride together and chose the second row, so my first ride on Lightning Rod would be in the front! We boarded the train, buckled the seatbelt, and lowered the lapbar. The operators did give them a little push down, but whatever.
Lightning Rod departed the station, turned right, and the sound of a souped up V-8 revving to redline exploded through the speakers as we accelerated up the lift hill. It kinda felt like Hulk, but as we approached the top, it slowed a bit before cresting that first hill.
Over the top we went, and it was a shallow dip before rising up again and plunging down Lightning Rod’s true first drop. It was long, steep, and the airtime was amazing. The ride then pitches up into a wave turn on the back side of the ridge we just crossed. The airtime on this element is prolonged, sideways, ejector, and sensational! We then careened down an impossible plunge into a ravine, and turned right into another outerbanked moment that RMC calls a twist and shout, and it’s heavenly. There are two more airtime hits, then it’s back up that first ridge and into Lightning Rod’s signature element, the quad down.
Now I know, I wasn’t the biggest fan of Twisted Timbers’ and Steel Vengeance’s quick airtime pops, but this is different. Here, these hits happen with purpose. The ride closely follows the terrain as your thighs come into contact with the lap bar four times in rapid succession. The finale is a magical and whippy ascent into an overbank close to the top of that ridge before a quick snap back to level as we hit the brakes.
Lightning Rod is now the second roller coaster I have ridden that finishes stronger than it started. That increasing intensity throughout the course makes it something truly special. I walked back into the queue to ride again, only to find that Lightning Rod was down. I left the queue happy that I at least got on this potentially elusive credit, and hoped to be able to ride again later in the day.
I stepped back onto the midway and continued around the park’s main loop to the right. I hadn’t studied the park map before coming in, so I just wandered freely taking it all in. As I approached the railroad trestle, the Dollywood Express thundered overhead, and I was mesmerized by the large coal burning steam engine leading the train. This isn’t one of those mock-up theme park locomotives, it’s the real deal. I was train obsessed as a kid, and that coal smoke aroma transported me back to childhood visits to Edaville Railroad south of Boston.
I then started the climb upward into Craftsman’s Valley. The shaded pathway has a small river running down its center, and artisans are hand-making crafts in their workshops on either side. There’s a blacksmith, a candlemaker, and a woodcarver, among others. To say it’s a step back in time would be an understatement. It looks like it’s been here for centuries.
I approached Tennessee Tornado, and entered the dark wooden queue building. This ride has a very unique place in roller coaster history. Dollywood’s first major thrill coaster was also the first looper designed by Alan Shilke, the visionary who eventually led Rocky Mountain Construction to build some of the finest roller coasters operating today. It was also the last conventional looping coaster built by Arrow Dynamics, yet Shilke used modern computer-aided design.
I traversed the station’s switchbacks, and emerged onto the load platform. There was no wait, and I opted for the back row. The trains have the same shape as Arrow’s earlier rides, yet Dollywood has them themed to look like they’re made of wood. Looks like an Arrow. I climbed into the car, sat in the fiberglass un-padded bucket and lowered the traditional horse collar restraint. Feels like an Arrow. We left the station, passed through the storage shed where the second train sat, and engaged the lift. Sounds like an Arrow.
At the top of the lift hill, there’s a short pre-drop akin to period B&M’s. Then the train banks right and turns around before plummeting 128 feet through a tunnel blasted through the mountain. It’s an astounding first drop, and it took me by surprise. We then head skyward into a vertical loop with a bit of twist to it, exit below the brake run with a gnarly head chopper, and reverse course. The Tornado then enters the sidewinder which is another vertical loop followed by an Immelman pull out. We then make a hard bank and rise to the right and enter the brakes.
Well, Tennessee Tornado sure doesn’t ride like an Arrow. It’s got a great first drop followed by three impressive inversions with seamless transitions. None of it is cookie cutter like their older models. Yeah, it’s short. Only 2700 feet of track, but this roller coaster is a blast! It’s a shame that Arrow never built more rides of this caliber, but that begs the question: If Arrow had soldiered on, would RMC as we know it today have come to exist? Everything happens for a reason, and I’m just fine with how it all turned out.
I left Tennessee Tornado and continued to the right in the very back of the park. I entered Wildreness Pass. Fire Chaser Express comes into view as trains run frontwards and back through its tangled forest green track. Then, Wild Eagle dominates the landscape with its 210 foot lift hill, and straight first drop perched atop the mountain at the park’s center. Its entrance is flanked by a commanding eagle statue with a 42 foot wingspan and gaping talons in strike position. It’s a bold first impression.
The station is a dark wooden structure like Tennessee Tornado, and you have your choice on which side to ride. I went right for my first ride which positioned me on the left side of the train. I encountered no line until I entered the station, and I hopped in line for the back row. I had only a handful of riders in front of me, and I soon boarded the outside seat, and lowered the now familiar B&M vest restraint. The trains on Wild Eagle have incredible detail, and they fit the theme perfectly. We’re literally flying on eagles’ wings. With the all clear, we glide out of the station and turn 180 degrees to the left and engage the lift.
Wild Eagle was the first B&M wing coaster built in the United States back in 2012. It features four inversions and a mere 3,127 feet of track. The steep lift hill is hyper sized, yet the first drop is only 135 feet because the ride’s layout is placed on the mountain peak above the station building.
At the top of the lift, Wild Eagle dives straight down as if to snatch up some prey. The drop is steep and is profiled more like a B&M hyper, so there’s a great stomach in your throat moment in the back. Talons closed with captured prey, Wild Eagle rises into a vertical loop, and majestically soars through a zero-G roll. It then reverses course in an Immelman before an elongated corkscrew with some great hangtime. Next is a quick camelback that doesn’t provide any airtime, followed by two sharp helixes and a descending brake run back into the station.
Wild Eagle gave me the sensation that Gatekeeper was lacking, and takes full advantage of this design. This roller coaster’s compact layout featured more whip and hangtime than its larger cousin, and there wasn’t even a hint of a rattle. I hopped back in line and rode again on the right side, and this was even better. There’s a great near miss with the exit from the Immelman as the ride leaves the zero-G roll. Wild Eagle doesn’t have the length of Gatekeeper, but I found the mountaintop setting, the rattle-free ride, and the straight first drop combined for a stronger experience that I was happy to re-ride all day.
I walked across Wilderness Pass to find Fire Chaser Express had an hour wait. I decided to skip that for the time being. If you haven’t noticed by now, I hate long lines, and tend to procrastinate waiting in them until I’ve ridden everything else I want to. Sometimes this strategy pays off and I come back to find a much shorter wait, but then sometimes I end up missing out on riding a coaster because of it. Anyway, I continued my loop around Dollywood’s Glacier Ridge Pathway and approached Mystery Mine. 45 minutes. I continued onward towards Thunderhead and it was a walk on. That’s more like it.
Thunderhead opened in 2004 as the park’s second major roller coaster. It’s a GCI wood twister with a 100 foot first drop and 3200 feet of track. Statistically, it’s almost identical to Mystic Timbers, but the layouts couldn’t be more different. The queue and station for Thunderhead was absolutely deserted. I walked straight into the boarding area as the second train roared through the station fly-by. Hearing that Millennium Flyer train clatter through the station building at full speed definitely amped up my anticipation. I walked straight into the back row with zero wait, and quickly left the station.
The train turns around and engages the lift. When it was built, Thunderhead’s layout was surrounded by forest, but the 2019 addition of the Wildwood Grove family area saw the removal of most of the trees around the ride. Now, the Dragon Flyer family inverted coaster dominates the view as Thunderhead approaches its pinnacle. Once the train crests the lift, you won’t notice the lack of trees because the ride navigates a sublimely convoluted layout crossing over and under itself. The first half is filled with high fan turns and riders are treated to a pop of airtime on every change of direction.
Then you haul through the station, and from there, the track gets lower and the turns become tighter. Light colored lumber is evident where recent trackwork has been completed, and Thunderhead is running perfectly. It’s got that outta control feeling without any jarring moments. As I left the back row I had a sneaking suspicion that the front would be better, so with no line, I walked back around and sat in front for my second ride.
I should have known to go for the front row first after my experience on Mystic Timbers. The airtime up there is so much stronger, and the trains run even smoother. Note to self. Thunderhead is an absolute delight of a wooden roller coaster. It’s got phenomenal pacing, and perfectly blends airtime and laterals with near miss visuals. So how does it compare to Mystic Timbers? If they were both placed in a parking lot, I think Thunderhead would have the better layout, but I give Mystic Timbers the slight edge because of its location in the woods.
I started to get hungry and wandered around towards the front of the park looking for something different to eat. I found it at one of the pop up seasonal booths where I had a fried bologna sandwich that was uniquely southern, and delicious. Lightning Rod was still down, so I returned to the back of the park to find Mystery Mine was down to a 15 minute wait.
This highly themed, partially enclosed Gerstlaur Euro Fighter is squeezed into a tiny plot of land butting up against Wild Eagle’s mountain. You’re essentially entering an old mine shaft as you climb the stairs into the station. The trains are two-row minecarts seating four riders across. I climbed aboard and lowered the shoulder restraint.
We left the station and the ride performed a few turns and dips in the dark before arriving at the base of its first vertical lift hill. At the top of the mine shaft, you emerge into daylight, and the train crosses over the main pathway and kinda meanders around some uninspiring turns and drops. It’s worth noting that the original design featured a short yet steep drop into a weird overbanked turn which was removed in 2021 because of roughness. While this part of the ride is still a bit jerky, there’s nothing unpleasant about it.
You then re-enter the mine and climb a second vertical lift. At the top, there’s a bunch of dynamite that explodes with a fire effect before the train drops and enters one and a half heartline rolls. The track then tucks under itself in a half loop and enters the brakes.
So I liked Mystery Mine. It’s a quirky ride, and the first half is pretty uneventful, but the theming is great, and the second section is a blast. There’s some ferocious hangtime as the train exits the in-line twist before the half loop. I’m always a fan of roller coasters that are different, and this one certainly checks that box.
I then decided to wait in my longest line of the day for Fire Chaser Express. This Gerstlaur family coaster is themed to Volunteer Fire Company #7 whose mission is to protect the Great Smoky Mountains. There’s this guy Crazy Charlie who owns a gas station and fireworks store who calls the department every time he sees a hint of smoke. Riders are enlisted as volunteers to go check on Charlie, and after about 45 minutes in line, I boarded the fire engine.
The train is propelled out of the station with a tire launch into a gentle figure 8 before climbing the chain lift. Then it’s into more swooping turns along the hillside on the way to Charlie’s fireworks emporium. You enter the store and oh no, the fireworks are on fire! Then the biggest firecracker of them all falls towards the train and you escape going backwards on the return run to the station. It’s a fun family coaster for sure, and the kids definitely love this, as it had a long wait all day.
I walked back over to Thunderhead and got two more rides, one time I was literally one of two people on the train. I then made my way into the new Wildwood Grove area, which is nice to look at, but is completely devoid of trees. This will definitely be nicer once the foliage fills back in. The Dragon Flyer family inverted coaster had a super long line, and with only one available train, I decided to skip this.
My final credit for the day was the strange indoor roller coaster Blazing Fury. It’s really more of a dark ride, but it does have some roller coaster segments, and it was fun.
I then returned to Jukebox Junction, and I saw test trains running on Lightning Rod. I got back into the single rider line, and was on one of the first trains out since reopening. This time I was on a wheel seat, and I noticed a nasty pothole in the valley between the wave turn and twist and shout. I hadn’t felt it on my first ride, probably because the front row is not over a wheel. Small bummer there, but I’m sure it’s something the park will address. I still absolutely love this coaster.
I got to chatting with Ian, the ride host again, and he told me Lightning Rod was his #16, or something like that. Maybe it’s low for him because he works on it every day? I’m quite sure it’s in my top ten, I’m just not exactly sure where. There was no line for Lightning Rod, and I marathoned it with four rides in a row. I thought back to how my thighs hurt after three non consecutive rides on Steel Vengeance, and I did not have that same issue here despite so many back-to-back rides. I think Lightning Rod is just such a well balanced ride. The first drop and the two prolonged airtime moments in the first half are amazing, then it switches things up with more snappy elements in the quad down and the final turnaround. It’s a short roller coaster, but I couldn’t get enough of it.
For my last ride, I gotta thank Ian, because he hooked me up with a seat in the back row, and it was serendipity! Yes, I kept my hands up for the whole ride, including the quad down. I couldn’t ask for a better way to close out my day at Dollywood, and I ended my road trip on a killer high note.
I left the park that day with a total of 19 rides. 5 on Lightning Rod, 4 each on Wild Eagle and Thunderhead, 2 each on Mystery Mine and Tennessee Tornado, and 1 each on Fire Chaser Express and Blazing Fury. Dollywood also took the crown for the most beautiful park I’ve been to. It’s another park where I wish I had a second day. I didn’t ride the train, or any of the water rides, and I didn’t get to have their famous cinnamon bread, but I definitely got my fill of coasters. I love that every roller coaster at this park is a terrain coaster. They kinda have to be, because there’s no level ground here, and that gives Dollywood one of the most unique roller coaster collections of any park I’ve been to.
I made my way back to the Pigeon Forge Parkway, and had a phenomenal barbeque sampler platter for dinner at Calhoun’s. I retired to the Super 8 and posted my Dollywood trip report on the Facebook group. I had a long drive ahead of me to get home, and I was exhausted after another amazing day in the park.
The next morning, it hit me. For the first time in a week, I didn’t have a new park to look forward to. I only had 853 miles to drive to get back home. I didn’t need to do it all in one day. I gave myself two days to get home. As I got on the road to begin this long haul, I reflected on my week. My day at Carowinds seemed to be forever ago. Time definitely slowed down on this trip, but at the same time, it all seemed to pass by in a blur. I had such a great time, just being on the road, completely on my own time, and rediscovering a passion that I’d neglected for so many years.
I racked up a total of 2,733 miles. I visited four parks, rode 28 new roller coasters, and got a total of 71 rides in. My track record now stands at 121. The next step was to start writing this podcast, and start learning audio production from scratch. It’s been a challenging yet fulfilling journey, and it’s only just beginning.
I didn’t have to wait long before my next park visit. Only one week later, my family held a reunion in Orlando, and I returned to Islands of Adventure with my brother, father, and uncle. This was so perfect because I got back on Velocicoaster hot off the heels of my road trip, so I could compare it to the other coasters I had recently ridden
A couple of quick notes. Word had been circulating around the internet that Velocicoaster had developed a rattle. It’s true. Supposedly it absolutely eats through wheels because of the Florida heat and the number of daily cycles. It didn’t bother me that much, but it was there. We rode twice. Once in the back, and once more in the front, and this is 1000% a front row roller coaster. Every element is 10 times more powerful in front. I was speechless after that front row ride. My brother loved it too, but El Toro is still his #1. Fair enough.
My second vacation week for the year took place in November, when I drove up to North Carolina for my brother’s wedding. I spent four days up there, but I wanted to squeeze some parks into the trip as well, and unfortunately, I got almost completely skunked.
On my way north, I stopped at Busch Gardens Tampa because I’d only ridden Iron Gwazi twice back in April, and of course I wanted more. November is supposed to be one of the best months to visit Florida parks because outside Thanksgiving week, the parks are empty. I did my due diligence. I checked the park’s website daily as it approached time to leave. Everything was open. I arrived at Busch Gardens and was pleasantly surprised to receive a complimentary upgrade to preferred parking. I pulled up the app before I got out of my car to decide where to go first, and my heart sank. Iron Gwazi was closed. No sideways airtime for me today. I had no choice but to party like it’s 2021 and ride all the other coasters while the park’s E-ticket attraction lay dormant.
After the wedding, I planned a stop at Carowinds on my way home. Nighthawk had recently opened for the season, and I really wanted to ride Fury again. I left the wedding venue on Sunday morning and drove to the park. The skies grew darker as I approached. As I exited the highway onto Carowinds Blvd, the landscape was soaked in a torrential downpour. I pulled into the Moe’s Southwest Grill right across the street from the park. I stared out the window eating my burrito bowl while I waited for the rain to pass.
After lunch, I figured I’d check into my hotel, the Marriott Spring Hill Suites located on the park property. I made a wrong turn trying to get to the hotel, and ended up in the lanes leading to the parking lot. No biggie. My season pass is still valid, so I’ll go into the parking lot, then circle back out and go to the hotel. It was 1:30 pm. The parking attendant told me that the park was closing at 2:00 due to weather. The rain had slowed to a drizzle, and I said screw it. I parked my car and resolved to ride Fury 325 as many times as I could within 30 minutes to hopefully salvage the day.
I booked it for Fury and remembered to bring my sunglass strap so I could wear them as protective goggles on the ride. One train was running. There was only a station wait. Seats were being assigned, and I didn’t care. Can I get one ride in, maybe two? I ended up getting four, and they were some of the best roller coaster rides I’ve ever had. The rattle from June was gone, and this thing was hauling tail. What a difference. There was whip in the first half that I didn’t feel on my first visit. Now I get it. Fury 325 is elite among the elite. I’m so glad I made that wrong turn and got into Carowinds for those 30 minutes, because despite the rain, they were epic.
As luck would have it, the rain stopped and the skies cleared for the rest of the day. It was too late for management to reverse the weather call, and I get that it probably would have been mostly passholders visiting that day anyway. Regardless, I’m so glad I didn’t go to my hotel first, because I never would have gotten those four rides.
My disappointing day at Carowinds would be my last in a park for 2022, but it was still my best year ever as a coaster enthusiast. All told, I rode 43 different roller coasters, with 28 new to me. Over 8 days at 6 different parks, I got a total of 103 rides in. I’m happy with that, and I know 2023 will be a whole lot better.
As I close out this first season of Coaster Redux, I want to finish with my updated top ten list. Obviously, I rode so many new coasters that my rankings have been shaken up quite a bit since Episode 3.
Number 10 is Mystic Timbers at Kings Island. GCI builds a great wooden roller coaster, and they have a formula that I can’t get enough of. It’s the way they transition between elements and throw in a combination of airtime and laterals simultaneously combined with their perfectly designed trains. Mystic Timbers just slightly edges out Thunderhead because of its location and use of terrain.
Number nine is Intimidator 305 at Kings Dominion. The intensity of this roller coaster is unmatched. It’s got fire transitions that try to kill you. The first drop is outta control, and I love it.
Number eight is Millennium Force at Cedar Point. There’s just a certain magic about this ride. The trains, the setting, and the feel of raw speed combine for an incredible experience. I overheard another guest describe it perfectly, it’s two minutes of pure bliss.
Number seven is Steel Vengeance at Cedar Point. It’s a relentless assault on your thighs as you spend 30 seconds pinned against the RMC lap bar. It’s a long ride with incredible visuals, near misses, and a disorienting feeling. It’s an enthusiast’s dream, but for me it lacks the variety and rerideability to be placed higher.
Number six is Lightning Rod at Dollywood. It’s a downtime-prone prototype roller coaster, but its layout is sheer perfection. It starts off strong and finishes stronger. It’s intense, and it’s got airtime in every conceivable way. The use of terrain is this coaster’s best element.
Number five is Maverick at Cedar Point. It’s got a little bit of everything. Launches, airtime, whip, inversions, and tunnels mix with views of Lake Erie for an unforgettable experience.
Number four is El Toro at SIx Flags Great Adventure. No roller coaster has airtime like this one. Full stop. Unfortunately, it’s caused some injuries to guests over the last few years, and while Six Flags seems committed to reopening it, I hope they invest the dollars needed to make it not only safe, but worthy of its reputation.
Number three is Fury 325 at Carowinds. When I first rode this in June, the rattle apparently slowed the trains so I didn’t get the full experience. My rides in November cemented Fury as not only the best giga coaster I’ve ridden, but a top three roller coaster overall. It’s got amazing whip, speed, and airtime, and I can’t get enough.
Number two is Iron Gwazi at Busch Gardens Tampa. It may have the best first drop of any roller coaster I’ve ridden. Its elements flow perfectly from one to the next. The death roll is an incredible moment, but it’s eclipsed by the wave turn above the station. Iron Gwazi is a mature RMC where every element is perfectly placed, and the experience is flawlessly executed.
And after all these new rides, Velocicoaster at Islands of Adventure remains my number one. It’s a perfect roller coaster for me. It’s got theming, airtime, and launches, and every possible sensation is present in spades on this ride. Its elements grow stronger as the ride progresses, and that Mosasaurus roll is my favorite inversion of all time. I haven’t ridden anything yet that can top it.
So, this is the final episode of this first season of Coaster Redux. I hope you’ve enjoyed this journey as much as I have, but as I close out this first chapter, I want you to know that I’m only just getting started. I’m hoping to shed this moniker of a lazy coaster enthusiast in the year to come. In fact, as I record this episode, I’ve already been to two new parks, and they certainly won’t be the last for 2023.
From here, I’m going to roll right through the mid course, and straight into season 2.The first weekend in January, I headed to San Antonio, Texas to visit two new parks for some great off-season coaster riding. Join me for my first visit to SeaWorld San Antonio, and Six Flags Fiesta Texas. That’s coming soon on Coaster Redux.