During last week’s trip to Dutch Wonderland, Sam and I decided we were going to head down to Carowinds the following week to meet up with Greg and his family on Wednesday, August 11. We booked a hotel for a couple of nights just outside the park, but I had an idea for Sam and I – visit Myrtle Beach and stop at Pavilion Park, Funplex, and Family Kingdom as well. Each of the entries in this blog series will cover those stops, with the final two both covering different days at Carowinds.
When I was planning our three day trip through the Carolinas, I told Sam that we should hit Carowinds again for a few hours before our long drive home on Thursday. It would give us time for re-rides or to catch up on any rides we were unable to ride on Wednesday. This idea turned out to be a good one because Sam was unable to ride Ricochet and Carolina Cyclone the day before. Ultimately, we spent half the day at Carowinds, which was my first time visiting the same park on back-to-back days since my 2018 visit to Cedar Point with James for Steel Vengeance.
The Ones We Missed
Both Ricochet and Carolina Cyclone were open on Wednesday, but Ricochet had a long line and Cyclone didn’t open until the evening. Knowing we’d be back on Thursday, we weren’t pressed to squeeze them in, although we could have managed had the storm not shut everything down for the last hour of operations. That means Greg still doesn’t have the credit, sadly.
Ricochet
Hey, it’s a Wild Mouse – Sam’s favorite. Not much to say about this one, although do I think the landscaping and station look great for a coaster of this scale. I really like the old school lettering seen in the photo above. At night time, it really pops. Check out the photo gallery in Part 4 of this series to see it illuminated during the storm.
Carolina Cyclone
I haven’t ridden this coaster since a 2013 road trip with James. My brother and I didn’t ride it in 2018 during our visit, so I was eager to give it a go again. I didn’t expect much, but I did want to see what Sam thought. She only has a few Arrow credits to her name, especially if you take away the mine trains.
Well, Sam thought the same that I did. Ouch! We banged our heads hard going into both loops. I began holding my head forward after coming out of the second one and moving into the corkscrews. Those were more tolerable, but I did smash it into the restraints going into the helix finale. One ride on this was certainly enough! I just wish some of these older Arrow coasters could get trains like the Vekoma Boomerangs.
Much Wanted Re-Rides
Copperhead Strike
Walking back to Copperhead Strike, our plan was to ride two or three times before moving onto Intimidator and Fury 325. The line wasn’t long, so we thought we were in luck. Due to a steady stream of Fast Pass riders coming up, however, it slowed things down to the point where we just decided to keep it to two rides.
Copperhead’s have eight rows and during our two days at the park, we got to know the back of the train very well. Thursday’s visit has us in Rows 8 and 5, with Wednesday’s landing us in Rows 7 and 8. We were one couple away from riding in the front on this day, but they elected to take it. We took the back when we saw them go to the front. Oh well, this ride is amazing in the back and I had no complaints being in Row 8 again.
For those of you who read Part 4 of this series, I said that I’d let everyone know which ride, Copperhead Strike or Fury 325, is my favorite at Carowinds. Drum roll please….
It’s Copperhead Strike!
After four rides in two days, I can say that this coaster is just pure fun. That’s how Greg described it on Wednesday and he’s totally right. From start to finish, this ride has something going on with theming, airtime, hangtime, and even a few laterals. This isn’t to say that I dislike Fury. Not at all. I just can’t remember a time I had this much fun getting to ride a coaster for the first time.
Intimidator
Intimidator was a station wait on Thursday. We walked up the first time and were assigned a seat in the middle of the train. Sam and I were in the back row of our cart, which means we were separated. I don’t like this staggered seating at all since you have to sit so far away from your friend. Or, if you’re in a group of three or four, you’re split off from them. I much prefer the four across seating.
Thankfully our second ride was in the train’s front row. There was only a couple of people waiting for it when we walked back up to the station the second time. We couldn’t pass that up.
Getting in three rides over our two days, I will say, we were either lucky or everyone is exaggerating about that “Intrimidator” nickname. It wasn’t hitting much, if at all. We heard the brakes, but didn’t really feel them. For those who say it kills the ride, I implore you to go ride Candymonium at Hersheypark. It’s much worse, especially the second one heading into the Kiss Fountain helix.
Fury 325
Fury was set to be our final rides of Day 2. We walked over and saw the line was only to the bottom of the steps. I’m glad that was the case because the overhead sun was cooking the both of us and there was no breeze at all. It made short waits feel a little bit longer all day.
We grabbed two rides on Fury – a back row and a front row ride. I enjoyed both, but I will say that I preferred the front considerably. The back didn’t feel much more intense, but the vibrations were a bit much. I’m sure it wouldn’t have been as bad if I wasn’t exhausted from the heat. Usually B&M rattle doesn’t bother me.
Thankfully the ride in the front was much smoother and enjoyable. The airtime wasn’t killed at all and I really liked being the first train riding into that hand chopper. I swear, it feels like you can slap that support pole even though I know it’s impossible.
Final Ride Counts
Carolina Cyclone (1)
Copperhead Strike (2)
Fury 325 (2)
Intimidator (2)
Ricochet (1)
An Amazing 3 Days
I couldn’t have asked for a better three days. Sure, all the new credits were nice, but getting to spend time with friends and visiting places we don’t normally get to visit made it all the more memorable. This trip put me six coasters shy of my 400th credit, and I am excited to hopefully get that before the end of 2021. If I’m being honest though, seeing Sam and Greg grow their own credit counts is always something I really enjoy about these trips. Seeing their reactions to coasters I’ve ridden and know they’ll like is great. And hey, when I can ride one for the first time with them, like we did on Copperhead Strike, it’s even better!
Carowinds Photo Gallery - August 12, 2021
If you would like to use any of the images in the gallery above for your commercial and/or non-commercial projects, feel free to do so. I ask that you credit We Were Inverted whenever they’re used. I also ask that you do not alter the image or remove the watermarks. If you need any images/video resized or without the watermarks, please contact me directly.
CREW MANIFEST
The following flight crew members attended this park, & earned the respective credits below:
Patrick
CAG
New Credit(s): n/a
Sam
Admiral
New Credit(s): Carolina Cyclone, Ricochet
