Influential Coasters of My Childhood is an ongoing series on We Were Inverted showcasing the rides I grew up enjoying in the 1980’s & 90’s. Some of these rides sadly no longer exist and some are far from what I would deem as a “good” coaster nowadays. Nevertheless, these are the coasters that hold a special place among my memories and helped make me the enthusiast that I am today.
The year was 1991. I just turned 12 and I experienced was set to experience my favorite family vacations of all time – a trip to both Kings Dominion and Busch Gardens Williamsburg (BGW). The stop at Kings Dominion was not my first visit to the park. I had went with my Aunt Cheryl in years prior. Still, it was a so much fun and I rode Anaconda for the first time – its debut year. For those of you who didn’t read the first installment of this series, check out “Influential Coasters of My Childhood – Anaconda.” I absolutely loved that coaster and considered it my favorite at that age. Little did I know, I’d soon experience two other coasters at BGW that would also rank right up there as some of my favorites.
The first of those coaster would be Big Bad Wolf, which I also covered in this series. “Influential Coasters of My Childhood – Big Bad Wolf” shares how I thought about that ride back in 1991. It also features photos of the now defunct coaster from others coaster enthusiasts nice enough to share them with me for use in the entry.
But there was one more… Loch Ness Monster.
The Approach
While riding Big Bad Wolf earlier that day, I found myself intrigued by the theming during the ride – namely the village. Swaying back and forth during our suspended journey and coming close to those buildings really stood out. At my young age, it just seemed so real, like I was in another country. Mission accomplished with the park’s whole premise being just that. I’m glad that held true when we finally made our way to Loch Ness Monster.
Walking up to the ride, my eyes were immediately drawn to all the diving equipment and props. I remember being bummed when an adult was blocking my view of something I wanted to see. For all I knew at the time, these were real submarines and diving helmets that were used while looking for Nessie. I was intrigued.
Boarding Time
In 1991, BGW’s coaster line up was nothing like it is today. As a matter of fact, Big Bad Wolf and Loch Ness were it! Drachen Fire would open in 1992 and all the smaller-sized coasters were either removed in prior years, or came a few years later. Do you know what this meant? It meant long lines for both Big Bad Wolf and Loch Ness Monster. At least I had the props to look at while in line.
Once my family finally took our seats, my anticipation was sky high. The train and track reminded me of Anaconda. I loved Anaconda so I had a good feeling. This was back when I didn’t know what Arrow Dynamics was or really cared. I just saw a coaster that looked cool and wanted to ride it.
Nessie's Unique Elements
As the ride got underway, I readied myself for a ride I knew almost nothing about. My only knowledge was of the interlocking loops. It was kind of hard to avoid that with it on so much of the park’s marketing materials, even 30 years ago. I had also heard all about it from my neighbor, Andrea, who bragged about her trip to BGW and had me wanting to go. I think her family’s experience at the park the year or so prior, plus all the TV commercials I kept seeing for Anaconda is what caused my parents to plan this trip. I’m so glad they did too!
1st Drop
As the coaster approached the first drop, it looked massive! It also looked like it went straight down. I find that to be true of many of my childhood coaster memories – the steepness always seems off. Guess things just felt/appeared more extreme as a kid?
What I loved most about this drop was seeing people down below watching and taking pictures. They looked so close as we hit the bottom and flew past them. That, along with the river a few feet below, was so cool. Big Bad Wolf took its dip over the water and Anaconda, a couple of days before, was almost entirely over water. I’m almost certain I have these three coasters to thank for my fondness of coasters that interact with bodies of water. I’m looking at you Skyrush and Apollo’s Chariot, and Great Bear.
2nd Drop & Lower Loop
While taking that first drop I did notice the interlocking loops on the left, but I barely looked at them with all my focus on the people and river below. Once we came up out of the drop, coasted back up, and turned around, it was time for the second drop – the drop into the first of the two interlocking loops.
Making our wat into the lower loop, it felt so tight and snappy. We were in and out so quick and the train felt like it was hauling. I had hoped another train would be in the second loop with us, but no such luck. Two trains in the loops was showcased either on the park map or an advertisement I saw. It looked so cool.
Cave Helix WITH Effects
When the train made its approach to the cave, I was like, “What?” I didn’t know anything about this. What would happen inside? Well, thankfully more than what happens today, but that will be addressed in the upcoming Modern Take.
What I experienced back in ’91 was perhaps my favorite part of the ride – an image of Nessie, fog, and brief flashes of light. All of this happened while turning to the left in a descending triple helix. Like the loops, this helix felt pretty tight as we circled the cave. It also felt pretty fast. Like the steepness, however, I think that was just it “feeling” faster than it was.
Upper Loop
Once we left the cave, the train hit the second lift hill. Big Bad Wolf also featured two chain lifts, so I got to ride two coasters on the same day with this semi-rare element. It gave me time to think about what I just experienced and guess what was yet to come. I knew we still needed to go through the second loop, but other than that, I had no clue what came next.
A few seconds after leaving the second lift, out train took a small dip and we went right into the second loop. I didn’t expect it so soon and this one also felt tight. Once again, no second train in the loops with us. That’s not something I’ve ever experienced, sadly, and I don’t think I ever will.
Return to the Station
When our train exited the loop we went right into the final brake run. There we sat for a couple of minutes. While reflecting upon the amazing ride I just had, I noticed the station looked like a castle. I didn’t pay attention to that while in line or ascending the initial lift hill. I thought it looked neat.
A couple of minutes later, we were exiting the train. Every ride we took on Nessie that day, our train sat on the brake run for a minute or two. I don’t know if they were running three trains, or had slow ops. I didn’t pay attention to stuff like that as a kid. If three, then maybe two trains hitting the loops wasn’t out of the question. That’s something someone more familiar with BGW and its history could explain. Unless they just did it for their promotional materials?
Nessie at Night
Before the night was over I was able to get in several rides on both Big Bad Wolf and Loch Ness Monster. And speaking of night, both at offered memorable night rides. Dipping down over the water on both was insane. The cooler air hitting your face and the darkness ahead made the experiences vastly different. The only thing visible on Loch Ness was the interlocking loops, being lit from the walkway underneath. That made for a cool visual among all the darkness.
Riding Nessie at night nullified the darkness of the cave, but the elements inside stood out much more since. My eyes didn’t have to adjust from coming in from the bright sunlight. Oh, and it felt chilly in there too. I find that to be the case with a lot of coaster tunnels at night. During the day, they’re cooler, getting you out of the heat. At night though, some caves can be downright cold. I remember that being true about Nessie’s tunnel. It reminded me of the feeling I always got on Sooperdooperlooper at Hersheypark and Twister at Knoebels.
Nessie: A New Favorite
Although my family vacation also had us spending a day touring Colonial Williamsburg and doing other tourist attractions, the days spent at BGW and Kings Dominion reigned supreme in my book. I rode three new coasters in Anaconda, Big Bad Wolf, and Loch Ness Monster that were easily among my favorites. Each was amazing for it’s own reasons. I hope you get a chance to read through their entries in this series to learn what I loved each. And as always, be on the lookout for the upcoming Modern Take follow up for Loch Ness Monster. That’s where I will discuss my feelings for the ride in its present day form. Does this one still hold up? Find out soon!
