DJSkyFoxx

Although that aerial shot is not a good representation of current day in any way shape or form. it sure does make me nostalgic for that period of time. This ( for me anyway ) was peak KI. Yeah, there was no DB (under construction here I see ), Banshee, Orion or Mystic, but I fondly remember having the time of my life still back then. The late 2000's/early 2010's are some of my most favorite times at KI. Maybe because I was younger and the world was a much different place. No cell phones to the degree that we have them now-if I wanted to take good pictures I had to carry my Sony Cybershot around with me ( and I did! ). And we actually socialized in line with our friends and family. The park had a magic to it that felt as alive as the deep woods that surround it. Not saying I don't love the park now, but I think I loved it a little more back then. Vortex, Firehawk and dare I say-Son of Beast-really added something special to the atmosphere back then. Three very distinct experiences from flying on your stomach, to classic multi-looper and a larger than life insanely jarring wooden coaster than took every ounce of stamina and toughness to ride. Yeah, being a patron of KI during those times was really special. I miss that.

On one hand, I want to be excited about this coaster since it really is a pretty unhinged concept. But honestly it just feels like another gimmick-y shuttle coaster. It's a good looking gimmick-y shuttle coaster and one I would ride when given the chance. I guess I am just in a state of fatigue over parks either 1) building family coasters or 2) building something gimick-y. I'm ready to see a park install a good ol' decently long, super thrilling traditional looping coaster (lift hill or launch, don't care ) or a high intensity-airtime filled wooden coaster. And I'm good with being in this camp by myself. I appreciate innovation and parks/manufacturers trying different things, but I feel like we are in that strange era of the coaster timeline where everyone is either doing family coasters or these mind-bending over-the-top crazy designs. I hope someone evens the playing field soon and installs something awesome but feels more like a roller coaster in the semi-traditional sense.

A sad but realistic possibility is that AF could end up dismantled and sitting in a warehouse or a parking lot for the foreseeable future until someone either decides to invest in it or it just gets forgotten and scrapped. We really won't know anything until we do. The rumor mill and chain of possibilities is endless, but I think people also forget that even if a ride doesn't get demolished, storage until further notice is also very possible.

I just chalk it up to the usual formula of when companies expand and get too large too quickly there are so many details that get minced along the way. And while this merger is still in its infancy and still trying to figure out what it wants to be when it grows up, this feels significantly more painful to witness and experience than the before times when CF acquired the Paramount chain. Things just feel so disjointed in a way that continues to confuse and dilute whatever image this mess is trying to cultivate. I realize there is a lot to do here and I want to believe that the end goal will be a more cohesive, polished product. But the lack of clear communication, the constant switching up on the guest and the lack of passionate and excited announcements just gives way to a very corporate focused mindset vs. a clear focus on the guest experience/satisfaction. Who knows what any of this will look like in the next 5 years. Who knows if this merger will even last that long. I just hope that whatever happens, things tighten up and improve with far less confusion/switching-up and a lot more clear communication and consistency.

In case anyone wants a ride down memory lane. This made me smile. Like many of you, I saw this one dozens of times and I can still remember how the seats felt when they moved.

I don't think we will ever see anything like SoB again. At least not a fully wooden roller coaster of that magnitude. It feels like a fever dream looking back at it now.

Coming to a gift shop near you-pieces of the station for $1400 to mark 14 years since SoB was demo'd!

With BG parks having demolished and rehabbed coasters over the years, it will be fun to see what path they choose to take with Kumba. Will it get demolished and a new coaster be put up in it's place or will it get a complete overhaul of the tracks/new trains sort of like what they did for Nessie ( minus new trains on that one )? A third option of course could be that they keep the existing structure and modify it to be taller/longer/etc. I just hope whatever is coming preserves the legacy of this coaster.

I often wonder what the end game was in mind with keeping the station. I can't imagine it was kept up for the sole purpose of Wolf Pack/any other possible Haunt attraction. But then again, I guess anything is possible. I just often wonder if there was ever a plan to reuse it for another coaster or even a flat ride. One tends to ponder seeing as most coaster stations get leveled long with the ride itself and those stations that are kept intact are often reused for another attraction. Also those photos on Reddit are cool. Brought back a lot of memories from my teens/early 20's riding SoB with my cousins and friends. It's almost eerie how that station just seems like it's waiting for a train to come back from running the course but never will arrive. Glad someone was able to get some photos in before the station is either gone completely or altered.

Patronizing folks is gross. Drop your superiority complex.

You got jokes. I never admitted to anything, actually. I just don't care to debate this with you any longer. This ain't a ****ing match so let it go.

That statement is really gross. Disability is a broad term and plenty of folks who have what would medically be considered a disability have insanely amazing creative outlets. If anything, the same people stanning such an absurd statement should realize that AI is stealing from the very people they think they are defending 🙃

Cool. Let it go and move on. K thx.

Its sloppy and really just absolutely sick of AI being used everywhere. There is literally nothing good about AI that I can think of. I just want clean air, water, land and for people to use the thing between their ears.

I'm not here to split hairs over this. I realize there are plenty of situations where a kid may have had good parents and upbringing and still have behavior issues. That's just how it is sometimes. However, I will stand on business. Have you worked in a school recently? Because I have. I have worked as an SRO and I have worked for juvenile court. I've seen some of the worst child/parent situations. Not to mention we live in the age where the bullying/constant flow of being on the internet/information overload and dopamine hits for likes is through the roof. And this is what we see in real life every day in public places-the park being no different. Twice already, myself and my fiancé' have had a group of underage teens asking if we were of age and if they could come in with us. My response every single time is "absolutely not. I'm not liable for you". Moving on.