Let me take you back to July 2020. Sam and I were meeting Chris D. and Carrie at Six Flags America (SFA). It was the second trip of the Summer of Sam and Sam had some major nerves going into the park. She didn’t want to ride anything at first, but we finally made her go all out and ride Superman Ride of Steel. I know, the hyper first. Crazy, right?
After Superman, I figured the rest would come easy. That turned out not to be the case. Joker’s Jinx was up next and although Sam went into the station and sat down, she ultimately got up and walked off. She just couldn’t bring herself to ride it. If you want to read more about that day, read the blog, “Summer of Sam – Six Flags America Meet Up w/ Chris & Carrie.”
Moving forward, Mother Nature made sure Sam didn’t ride Joker’s Jinx for the rest of 2020. It wasn’t for a lack of trying, but rides being down for rain and other planned trips being canceled for various reasons, left Joker’s Jinx as Sam’s “unicorn” credit.
Preparing for the Worst
Now let’s “launch” forward to today, where Mother Nature was still ready to put up a fight. Sam and I decided to go to SFA on a whim the day before so she could get her “unicorn” credit. We booked our reservations and then saw it was calling for a 100 percent chance of rain about five minutes later. Of course it was. We were going to try to make it happen nonetheless.
During the drive to the park, I told Sam we should attempt to film the first-ever VLOG for the We Were Inverted YouTube channel. She liked the idea so we passed the camera back and forth throughout the day and filmed the video you see above.
Please don’t knock my video editing skills too much. I’m self-taught and looking to learn more as I go along. Up to now, my focus has always been on graphic design, advertising, web design, and some promotional materials. Video is my “unicorn,” but I’m sure I’ll figure it out.
Anyhow, this VLOG was either going to end up as a victory story, letting Sam tell us about her first ride on Joker’s Jinx, or be one where she vented how much she regrets walking off the ride last July.
Joker's Jinx - Scared No More
Well, if you went ahead and watched the VLOG, you know (SPOILERS) that Sam achieved her Joker’s Jinx credit. Although it began raining harder as we pulled into the park, we were happy to see that the ride was open after a brief delay. We took the time to film part of the clip on the way back to it and then out in front of the station. We made sure to get Sam’s reactions once we finished up two rides – one in the front row and one in the back. I won’t go into too much detail here as I’d like to ask everyone to watch the VLOG.
Superman Ride of Steel - Better than Fury?
When we walked up to Superman Ride of Steel we were told the ride was down. We decided to check out the ride’s gift shop for a bit to see if they were going to open it up. They did.
Just like our final ride on Joker’s Jinx, we grabbed a back row seat. Two guys sat right in front of us and then we were off. This was one of the most painful rain rides I have ever had. It felt like a million little needles were poking me in the face. I had my eyes closed pretty much the entire ride. What was more painful than that, however, was hearing the guy in front of me tell his friend that the ride was better than Fury 325 at Carowinds on the brake run. His friend kept shaking his head, telling his friend, “No it’s not.” Wow…
Batwing - The Downpour
We had little hope that Batwing was going to be running. I mean, we never have high hopes for it on the best of days. Oddly enough, it was up and running. We made our way back and got into the front row. It took a group of four guys a good five minutes to figure out how to walk through the train and put their loose items in the cubby. It then took them another five minutes to figure out the restraints. Meanwhile, the rain was coming down harder and harder. I had a funny feeling they were going to say, “Nope!” and we wouldn’t get to ride. Alas, the trains tilted backward and away we went.
Obviously, going up the lift hill flat on our backs caused us to get soaked beyond belief. The rest of the ride, however, saved us from a lot of that rain. Hanging underneath the track and trains, we were well-shielded. Not on the brake run, though. We got soaked again, but that wasn’t even the worst of it. Leaving the station, a massive puddle of standing water, about 3 inches deep, and I’d say, about 12 feet wide, had collected between the two staircases. R.I.P. shoes and socks!
Hey, I saw y'all on Penguin. I was at the top!
Penguin's Blizzard River - We Were Already Soaked
Since we were already soaked, we decided to go ahead and ride Penguin’s Blizzard River. Now, I have not rode this since about 2004. It’s not always up and I’m not a big water ride fan. Since we were drenched beyond belief at this point, we figured, “Why not?”
Compared to the rest of the day, we didn’t get too wet on this ride. We did, however, get noticed by a park employee named Kaylee, who follows the site’s Instagram (@WeWereInverted_IG). When we were leaving the park, we saw the message above under one of our photos. That was the first time we’ve ever been noticed, or at least told, while at an amusement park. I’ve had people ask me about the site seeing my mask, but someone already knowledgeable about We Were Inverted sure made me feel good. Thanks for saying Kaylee. Maybe one day we’ll be able to catch up and ride some rides when you’re not busy working them.
Wild One - Row 2, Non-Wheel Seat
Aside from wanting to ride Joker’s Jinx this visit, Sam wanted at least one ride on Wild One. During our last visit a raccoon ran into the station and hid under the tracks. The ride was shut down immediately. This was also the same trip where we ventured to the park to secure her Joker’s Jinx credit, but the rain made sure that didn’t happen. Thankfully, the raccoon was nowhere to be found on this day and the rain was light enough to be able to ride Jinx.
Since the park isn’t skipping the middle rows of the carts on Wild One’s trains this season, Sam and I decided to get in Row 2, a non-wheel seat. I have to say, between the non-wheel aspect and the wood being saturated from all the rain, this was one of the better rides I’ve had on Wild One the last two years. We could feel the train hopping up numerous times, giving us some great airtime.
Mind Eraser - Like Dating an Ex
With Ragin’ Cajun closed, our next stop was Mind Eraser. This coaster is becoming a guilty pleasure ride that I’ve gone back to after all these years. For the lonest time, I had sworn it off. Then a few years ago I gave it a chance and had a good ride. I got back in line and had another. Since then, I’ve decided to take her back.
Mind Eraser is like an old girlfriend. I know she’s no good for me, but no one else knows her like I do. Apparently she’s abusive to everyone else, but she clearly loves me. Sure, she shakes me down from time to time, but it’s never overly abusive. Now if she ever gets those new trains…
No baby… I like you the way you are, don’t ever change. (But yes SFA, please do.)
If you didn’t see the photo Sam took of me by the Mind Eraser sign on Instagram, give it a look. I had to make sure you all know I am not playing. She’s my girl, no matter how violent she may be. Plus, she kinda checks my Instagram account and if I don’t post a picture of her and tell everyone how much I love her, I’m scared of what might happen.
Roar - Then, No More
Well, we saved the worst two for last, but decided to just totally skip out on the one – that one was Firebird. We gave Roar a try, hoping the wet wood might give us a more comfortable ride. It was not the case, even though we rode in the front row. The more and more I ride this coaster, the more and more I want Great Coasters International (GCI) or Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC) to do something with it. I’d much rather ride Wildcat at Hersheypark. That coaster gets a lot of hate, but I enjoy it much more than Roar.
When Chris Insists...
A few weeks ago I ventured out to SFA to meet up with Chance from the YouTube channel, Cheapthusiast. Before I left I asked Chris if he wanted me to pick him up a Firebird pin. I was mostly joking since I know his disdain… I mean, love of the ride. I guess the guilt kicked in and he realized that his life would not be complete without a Firebird pin in his collection. He asked me to get him two of them on this visit. One for him, and one for Carrie. Honestly, I think he wants to put one on his pin board and one on his pillow. I’m not kidding either.
Credit Where Credit is Due
Back in February, I wrote the blog, “Six Flags America Wish List – One Local Enthusiast’s Hopes.” In it I was a little harsh on SFA for their lacking park and ride themed merchandise. While the ride merch is still overly lacking, I want to say that I’ve seen quite a few SFA branded shirts, hoodies, and other collectibles in my two visits so far this season. Since I said in the wish list that I’d love to buy merch from the park itself, I did just that very thing today. On our way out I grabbed a t-shirt that says Six Flags America big and bold. It has various coaster track on it and just by looking at it, you know it’s an amusement park shirt. The shirt was labeled $15, but at check out I was only charged $8.78. I’m so glad I grabbed it.
Right now this shirt is still out in the car, but tomorrow I will take a photo of it and add it to the Instagram page. I hope to see more of this SFA. I love supporting the parks, especially ones I grew up visiting like yours. We’ll be back again soon.
CREW MANIFEST
The following flight crew members attended this park, & earned the respective credits below:
Patrick
CAG
New Credit(s): n/a
Sam
Captain
New Credit(s): Joker's Jinx
