Only a coaster enthusiast would wake up to heavy rains and think, “Today might be the perfect day to go to the amusement park.” From countless experiences, I know that rain keeps the crowds away and I was just feeling that itch – that itch to go ride some coasters. I checked out the area forecast and saw the majority of the rain would be moving out of the area in a couple of hours. I hopped in the shower and then hopped in my car, so I could hop onto some rides at Six Flags America (SFA).
The park was open until 7 p.m. and I was set to arrive around 3 p.m. That would be plenty of time to ride a few coasters and say hello to Kaylee, who was working Penguin Blizzard River. Although I had brought a change of clothes and shoes with me in case of rain, I wasn’t planning on riding any water rides. I did want to say hello to Kaylee, however, so I was going to suck it up on Penguin at least. More on that in a bit.
My Mind-Numbing Decision
When I arrived at the park I decided to do a coaster round before heading over to see Kaylee. I didn’t know where to go first, but the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to ride Mind Eraser. No, I’m not kidding!
Mind Eraser
Walking up to Mind Eraser I saw it was operating with two trains. I cannot remember the last time I’ve seen that. Running with two trains meant the ride was a walk on. It probably still would have been with just one train, but kudos to SFA for running both on this and every other coaster yesterday.
I made my way to the back row for the first ride and then walked back around immediately after to ride the front. Both rides were enjoyable. Sure, there were a couple minor bounces of my head on the padding, but they were not at all rough or painful. This ride used to be one I skipped, but in recent years, it hasn’t been beating me up. That was true for everyone on my trains, however. Between these two rides and the two I got to finish the day, another back and front row, here are just some of the fun quotes I heard from kids and adults alike:
- “My headddddd!”
- “Never again. Seriously… Never again!”
- “My brain hurts pretty bad now.”
- “Yo! F**k this ride!”
- “I feel like I got punched in the jaw.”
Firebird
Coming later this week will be Part 1 of a two part interview with Mike of the YouTube channel, Canobie Coaster. In the past we have shared some opinions on Firebird. I told him that the coaster beats my head way more than Mind Eraser. I shared that I always sit in the front seats whenever I go, thinking that the back seats would be even worse. According to Mike, however, it’s better in the back. So yesterday, guess what I did? Rode in the back.
Mike… Umm… It was the same for me, with the only difference being some extra yank through the first inversion. My head hit the restraints hard a few times early on and by the end, it was rattling like it always does. I wish I could love this ride, I really do.
Superman Ride of Steel
I only managed one ride on SFA’s hyper, Superman Ride of Steel. It too was a walk on, but this was the one coaster where the operations were a little slow. It might have been due to some riders toward the front tying up the the staff member on the left side. The member on the right was quick and ready to go.
Had the train departed quickly, I was going to run back up for a second ride. Instead I rode it just once because I wanted to see if I could squeeze in Batwing in my last hour at the park. Sadly there was about a 40 minute wait for that coaster, so I elected to do some other rides instead.
As for my ride, I enjoy this coaster for what it is. It’s certainly not up to par with more modern hyper coasters in the industry, but it still provides some intense moments and ejector airtime.
Some Nostalgia & Newness Too
For the most part, whenever I visit SFA I go coaster to coaster. It’s been ages since I’ve ridden some of the flats and water rides, but not yesterday. Between some oldies I’ve long neglected to 2021’s new addition, Harley Quin Spinsanity, yesterday allowed me to be not just a coaster enthusiast, but an amusement park enthusiast.
The Water Rides
Okay, like I said up above, I didn’t plan on riding the water rides. Kaylee was working Penguin Blizzard River and I wanted to say hello. I also know that I can get on this ride without really getting wet. Well, that’s usually the case. Not yesterday’s ride though.
My raft was backed up behind a few others, just about where the red one is in the photo above. Of course, I was spun perfectly to allow the penguin to squirt all over me for a good two minutes! Meanwhile, these ladies are standing there pointing at me in line saying how that’s horrible that I’m just stuck there getting soaked. Kaylee swears some guests were holding up the ride, but I think she left me parked out there on purpose!
Since I was soaked, I decided I should go ahead and ride Shipwreck Falls and Renegade Rapids before leaving. It’s been about 20 years since my last ride on the rapids. As for Shipwreck Falls, I honestly can’t remember if I’ve ever been on the ride prior to yesterday. Nothing about the ride from lift to drop rang a bell with me.
The Trains
It’s been ages since I’ve ridden Capital Railways. With it being a Sunday, I hopped on with the intent of taking some photos in areas I can’t get to on foot. While I did just that, the ride itself had me checking out parts of the park I’ve long forgotten. Seeing old trains from Apocalypse and Wild one peeking out from behind fencing and trees was neat too. I really wish SFA would preserve some of these things better, even have them on display. Those Wild One trains would look great in the gardens around the ride, or maybe even set up so people could sit in them for photo opportunities like at Six Flags Great Adventure (SFGAdv) and Knoebels. Just a thought!
After seeing the line for Batwing, I walked through Whistlestop Park on my way to Shipwreck Falls. I the Whistlestop Train pulling into the station with no one in the queue. I’ve never ridden this small train before, but thought I might be able to get some good photos from it as well. No one else boarded making this one of my three Zen rides of the day, with the other two being Penguin and Shipwreck Falls. I almost had one on Mind Eraser too, but several people ran back up the ramp last second and were able to board.
The Flats
Yesterday’s visit was my first seeing Harley Quinn Spinsanity, a Zamperela pendulum, in operation. It occupies the former sky coaster plot of land and has been something I’ve wanted to try being a fan of Wonder Woman Lasso of Truth, at SFGAdv. I waited about 20 minutes, but it was well worth it! I was assigned seat four and on practically every high point, my seat was being rotated over the edge.
Harley wasn’t my only flat ride, however. Another ride I rode for the first time in about 20 years, was Voodoo Drop. I saw it was a walk on while over taking some photos of Wild One, which was sadly closed. I decided to jump on real quick before working my way back to Gotham City.
Final Ride Counts
Capital Railways (1)
Firebird (1)
Harley Quinn Spinsanity (1)
Jokers Jinx (1)
Mind Eraser (4)
Penguin Blizzard River (1)
Renegade Rapids (1)
Roar (1)
Shipwreck Falls (1)
Superman Ride of Steel (1)
Whistlestop Train (1)
A Change of Pace
Over the last few months I’ve been enjoying a bit of a break from non-stop coaster riding. This has allowed me to enjoy other rides and attractions at some of the parks I’ve visited. I honestly think the Jersey Days stops kicked that into gear. Since then, stops at Dorney Park, Hersheypark, and now, SFA, have included all kinds of water rides, flat rides, and a few dark rides. If you’re like me and love coasters, do yourself a favor. Every once in a while, force yourself to go ride some non-coasters too. It’ll make you realize just how much you love amusement parks overall. I’ll be doing a bit of this tomorrow as well when Sam, Greg, and I head to Dutch Wonderland. We can’t wait.
Six Flags America Photo Gallery - August 1, 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
