At 8 a.m. on Thursday, August 13, 2020, Sam, Renee, and Greg, jumped in my car and we made our way up north into Pennsylvania. Our plans for the day saw us going to two places, the first of which, I recently wrote about, Camelback Mountain Adventure (CMA). If you want to see how the first part of our day went, riding a mountain coaster, read “Summer of Sam – Camelback Mountain Adventures: Renee’s & Greg’s 1st Mountain Coaster.” This blog will focus on our second destination on the day, Dorney Park.
Just like with CMA, this would be the first time that Sam, Renee, and Greg had been to Dorney Park. The trio was really looking forward to this park, especially Sam who had her eye on the park’s two Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M) offerings – Talon and Hydra: The Revenge. Sam has really become a B&M groupie! She wants to ride all the B&M’s. I don’t blame her.
We Were Inverted on Talon - the Site's Logo Coaster
After arriving for our 1:30 p.m. reservation, we were into the park and we saw immediately that it wasn’t crowded. We made our way right to Talon with it greeting us with its photogenic helix as we walked through the gate. On our way, I told everyone they’re going to be riding the ride that appears in the We Were Inverted logo. Everyone nodded realizing that it was indeed the orange and blue coaster found on all this site’s branding. And now you know, if you couldn’t already tell.
Sam was feeling her normal first coaster of the day jitters as we stood on the stairs before going into the station. By the end of our first ride, however, they were long gone! She had a blast on the ride, saying how much Greg calmed her down with his over-the-top antics during the ride. He gets fired up, to say the least! Here’s what the group thought of our first ride, and their newest credit, at Dorney Park.
“Talon was really amazing because of the inversions. The g-forces were intense and I was pressed against my seat for half the ride,” Sam explained. “Then my butt was out of it for the other half.”
“Talon was the smoothest roller coaster I’ve been on out of all 68 credits I have,” Renee claimed.
“Talon is the smoothest invert and one of the smoothest rides I’ve been on in general, “Greg echoed.
As we made our way down through the ride exit, I stopped several times to get some ride footage. The entire time, Sam, Renee, and Greg was talking about how much they enjoyed Talon. I was so happy for them as Talon is an underrated ride, in my opinion. At the time of this blog, I rank Talon as my number 28 steel coaster and number 43 coaster overall (steel and wood).
B&M inverts are a favorite of mine, hence the title of this site and its choice of coaster for the logo. Throughout my favorites list, you’ll find a few others as well, including: Alpengeist (#9 steel/#14 overall), Afterburn (#18/#24), Raptor (#23/#33), Great Bear (#24/#34), and Banshee (#29/#44). So yes, I put Talon just ahead of Banshee. I really thought Banshee would be one of my favorite inverts, but sadly, my rides on it during my one visit didn’t wow me. It might be the vest restraints, or maybe I just had some so-so rides that day. I hope to get back there to reassess the ride. And don’t even get me started about my one trip to Busch Gardens Tampa (BGT) in 2016 when Montu was down for a power washing! I have a feeling that one will be among my favorites as well.
Time to Get Wild on the Wild Mouse
Sorry about the mini-tirade there. Once I finished getting my footage of Talon, we hit up the Wild Mouse coaster since it was on our way to the second B&M, Hydra. Even though Wild Mouses are found everywhere, if there’s not a long line, I’m always one to jump on them for a fun little ride. The rest of my group was of the same mindset, plus, they were looking for credits. I rode with Greg and Renee and Sam rode together.
We all had some fun with this Wild Mouse to say the least, but I think the most memorable aspect of the ride was hearing Sam say, “the cars have butts on them,” while getting into the line. You see, the trains on the ride are painted to look like cats and mice. Sam saw the cat trains from the back and saw the cat butts. She was still talking about the butts when we were leaving the ride too. Oh Sam…
Hydra - Sam Finds a New Favorite Coaster
Then it was time. Time for a ride my group was most looking forward to – Hydra: The Revenge. We walked from Wild Mouse and through the line queue, which was empty. The ride was a walk on. I stopped at a few points before we getting to the station to shoot some footage of the ride flying by. It wouldn’t be until the exit, however, that I’d be able to film the ride’s signature attraction, the one that the group was most looking forward to. The jojo roll (above).
We boarded the train and were immediately sent. As the ride left the station, and my group laid eyes on that jojo roll, the comments and laughter began. Their banter held steady all the way until we were part way up the lift. They were in awe of the jojo roll element, never having had experienced one to this point. It’s actually the only one that I’ve experienced too.
“The inversions were my favorite part, especially the jojo roll,” Sam said.
“I enjoyed Hydra because of the slow inversion in the beginning. That was really unique,” said Renee.
After we left the ride, the group was talking profusely about how much they just had. This time, however, something different happened. Sam asked if we could ride again while I was filming the jojo roll. Since she began riding coasters more seriously this summer, this is the first time that she wanted to run right back up to get in another ride on anything other than Lightning Racer (to get both sides). That’s exactly what we did too, but first, Sam wanted some photos out in front of the ride sign.
Once Sam was finished modeling, we were back through the line and right up onto the ride platform again. Another walk on. We took our seats and were taking our slow jojo, with us all laughing the entire time, once more. We then made our turn into the lift hill before traversing the rest of the 3,198 feet of track. Two great rides back-to-back.
“Hydra was one of the first roller coasters I was excited to put my hands up on when we went upside down,” Sam explained. “It was probably courage I got from Greg!”
When we pulled back into the station, that’s when Sam said to me that she thinks that she has a new favorite ride. The second ride all but confirmed it to her. I was stunned because she’s made her love of Hersheypark’s Great Bear well known to that point. I had to ask her if she was sure. She said she was and that’s when I asked her if she wanted me to replace her Great Bear photo on her wingman page with one of Hydra. She quickly said yes. That meant Greg could have Great Bear, which he wanted when I asked him what ride he wanted for his page.
“Hydra was my first B&M floorless and I’m glad it was. It was amazing from start to finish,” Sam said.
“Hydra is my favorite floorless coaster,” Greg said. “It’ll be one of yours too.”
When we exited the ride for the second time, I stopped to take some more close up style photos of the jojo roll. I wanted to be sure that I had a few good options for Sam’s new header photo. She was very happy with what I took, so we were good to go to our next ride. Well, as soon as Greg picked up his first Dorney Park ride photo of the day. Sadly, Talon’s wasn’t running earlier.
Demon Drop - Coaster or Not?
The ride we headed to next, is or isn’t a coaster, depending on which site and counting application you use. That ride was Demon Drop. Many sites, like Roller Coaster Database (RCDB) do not list it on their site, so many wouldn’t classify it as a coaster. At one point, however, the Devil’s Den dark ride at Conneaut Lake was listed as a coaster on there, but has since been pulled. So who knows? I use Coaster-Count and its listed there. The rest of my group uses LogRide and they have it as a non-coaster too.
So, what is it? I kind of look at it as this. The term “roller coaster” involves rolling and coasting. So in this case, Demon Drop rolls down the track on its wheels to the stopping mechanism, coasting along the way. So I count it. Yeah, it’s as simple as that for me.
This was the only ride where Sam did not take part. She went off to go get a drink of water while I stood with Renee and Greg in line. Greg was really wanting to ride this ride, especially with previously being a Cedar Point attraction. That and there aren’t a lot of these left out there, so that also played into his desire to ride.
This turned out to be one of the slower-loading rides on the day. With the Covid-19 pandemic present, they were cleaning the carts thoroughly before the next guests took their turns. Eventually it came time for us to take our “express elevator to hell,” as Hudson from the movie “Aliens” would have said had he been on it with us. Rest in peace Bill Paxton.
I think both Greg and Renee would have agreed with Paxton’s probable assessment of Demon Drop. Greg said how the drop was one of the stronger ones he’s experienced, even in comparison to the much larger drop towers found in parks today. This ride truly is a classic and I’m glad there’s still one around to experience.
After we departed Demon Drop, it was onto our next ride – one that you can’t argue if it’s a coaster. After all, from 1924-88, it was actually called “Coaster.” Since 1989 though, it’s been known as Thunderhawk, a Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters (PTC) classic and an American Coaster Enthusiast (ACE) landmark.
Remembering My 1st Thunderhawk Rides in the 80's
As we approached Thunderhawk, I shared stories of how my Aunt Cheryl and I rode this during Hercules’ opening year. I remember the ride station being totally different and the start of the ride going into its tunnel underneath. You can still see where the tunnel used to be as it rounds the track out of the station. The walls are still painted black, which you can see in the photo above. I seriously hope that one day Dorney Park will restore the tunnel at least. I love a good tunnel, even one to kick things off. Coasters like Phoenix at Knoebels, Blue Streak at Conneaut Lake Park (CLP), and Great White at Morey’s Pier all come to mind for other credits I have which feature a starting tunnel.
Riding Thunderhawk in 2020
As a member of ACE (I really need to join), Greg was looking forward to this credit. I saw him taking a few photos of some of the ACE signage around the ride. We rode together on this one and the girls jumped in a few rows behind us.
The ride itself, I’ve had a love/hate relationship with over the years. In years past, it’s rode well. In other years, not so much. I have to say, on this day, it’s probably the best I remember it running. I’m not sure if they’ve done work to the track, trains, or operations, but it was much more pleasant that I recall. The only bad thing that really stood out to me, however, was some of the trim brakes on the ride. They literally brought the train to a crawl twice. I don’t remember that being the case in the past, but I might be remembering things incorrectly. If someone frequents this park, perhaps they can shed some light on Thunderhawk’s trims.
With Thunderhawk finished, I grabbed some footage and walked us through the pathway between the two portions of Thunderhawk’s course, leading to Steel Force. I knew that would be the most scenic route for us coaster nerds. Plus, I sure wanted some footage of the trains buzzing by, as seen above.
Sam Goes Hyper for the 3rd Time
Steel Force appeared to have quite the line when we approached. It was deceiving, however, because people, like on all the other rides of the day, were actually adhering to the signs on the ground to keep six feet apart. They were riding two trains on this day, but only one row per car (as was Thunderhawk). The ride operators were doing regular cleaning on the trains, so I think that’s why things seemed longer than what they truly were. It wasn’t a big deal for our group as we looked to ride our last big coaster of our vist. Sadly, Possessed was down for the day.
Sam and I rode this one, securing her third hyper coaster credit this summer, all of which I’ve ridden with her. The previous two came at Six Flags America (SFA) when she rode Superman: Ride of Steel and then Candymonium at Hersheypark a month later. If you haven’t read those blogs, be sure to do so: “Summer of Sam – Six Flags America” and “Summer of Sam – Hersheypark Work Trip.” Overcoming the biggest rides has been nice to see. She’s even been saying how our next trip to Hershey, she thinks she wants to try Skyrush. She also wants to go to Carowinds one day for Fury 325. Impressive!
Renee and Greg decided to wait for a front seat ride, so they were on the next train out of the station after us. Sam and I waved to them on our way by and made our ascent up the slow lift. I made sure to keep telling Sam we were only half way up, even when we were about to crest the top. She was looking into her lap most of the lift hill telling me to shut up and that she hates me. I get that a lot.
I’ve always felt like this ride gets a bad rap, but my airtime on this trip was very limited. I didn’t really feel much of it at all until the final few bunny hills. Even the helix felt very forceless. Renee and Greg said they didn’t have a bad ride, so maybe it was where Sam and I sat? Not really sure. We only had the one ride on the day, so I couldn’t compare.
Sam and I waited for Renee and Greg to get done their ride and for Greg to pick up his second ride key chain of the day. I’m glad Steel Force was running their photos for him. With the pandemic in swing, I’m sure it’s the reason some parks aren’t manning all those booths.
Filming Possessed & Grabbing Merch
Even though Possessed was closed, I still wanted to get some footage of the track and station, so that’s where we went once Greg’s key chain was done. Plus, I’m thinking that this ride isn’t going to be around too much longer, sadly. I enjoy it and wanted to make sure I got some kind of footage of it while I can.
While over that way filming, we also stopped at a gift shop and we all grabbed some of the park’s merchandise. Dorney had some great shirts and magnets for sale and the prices were actually pretty good. Sam made sure to grab herself a Hydra shirt and they had a good number of them to chose from.
Woodstock Express - Hey, It's a Credit!
Looking at the clock, we didn’t have a ton of time left before the park closed at 7 p.m. I asked the group if they wanted to go for all the available credits that day, which meant a stop in Planet Snoopy to nab Woodstock Express. They all said yes.
Thankfully the ride was a walk on and all four of us took a place on the ride. I always find it so fun to have a kids coaster full of nothing but adults, looking like fools. Sadly for Greg, the ride photos on Woodstock Express were also down. He said he would have totally bought one had it been running.
A Few Re-rides & Getting Some Tendies
With our kids credit in the books, we had to figure out what we wanted to do with the little bit of time that we had left. We still had food vouchers to cash in too, but we wanted to hit a ride or two first and get the food right before the park was set to close. So what did we decide? Another ride on Hydra, followed by another ride on Talon.
Naturally, the group loved both rides so much, so it felt like a perfect conclusion to the day. Well, before we all stopped by Johnny Rockets to get our chicken tender meals. This was probably my least favorite thing about the Dorney. Everyone else said their tenders were fine. Mine just tasted so dry and flavorless. Oh well, thankfully I had some BBQ sauce.
Checking for Pins One Last Time
On our way out, we hit the main gift shop to see if they sold pins as there is more of a collection in this gift shop compared to the other. I currently own only two Dorney Park pins and I had to buy both from eBay. The first one is a Steel Force logo pin. The second one, however, is some kind of special edition Hydra pin, which I’ve featured above. It’s massive, measuring just under 3-inches square, and came with a certificate of authenticity. I won a bid on this enormous pin for less than $5, costing more to ship it as it came from Australia, of all places. Sadly, however, the park didn’t have a single pin for sale. Not even a general park-themed one either. I cry!
All in all, it was a great day at Dorney. The only thing that made me a little sad was not being able to get my three wingmen a Possessed credit. Hopefully they’ll be able to experience it one day. We’ll have to go back for sure if they don’t remove it. And if you’re in the area…
You can be my wingman anytime! (Top Gun, 1986)
Patrick
CREW MANIFEST
The following flight crew members attended this park, & earned the respective credits below:
Patrick
CAG
New Credit(s): n/a
Sam
Commander
New Credit(s): Talon, Wild Mouse, Hydra: The Revenge, Thunderhawk, Steel Force, & Woodstock Express
Renee
Lieutenant
New Credit(s): Talon, Wild Mouse, Hydra: The Revenge, Demon Drop, Thunderhawk, Steel Force, & Woodstock Express
Greg
Ensign
New Credit(s): Talon, Wild Mouse, Hydra: The Revenge, Demon Drop, Thunderhawk, Steel Force, & Woodstock Express
