silver2005 Posted October 3, 2015 Share Posted October 3, 2015 This trip wasn't quite as epic as last year's Haunt meet-up, mainly due to the heavier rain and colder temperatures, but it all worked out pretty well despite the weather. It kept the crowds away at the very least. My goal was simple, get some last rides before taking a year off from the park. As much as I could use a change of scenery when it comes to amusement parks, there are still things at KI I will sorely miss. I do appreciate those who hung out with me who let me do my thing. It was nice with the company. A few interesting things happened during this trip. Firstly was right after the gates opened on the first few ventures on Banshee. The wind was pretty gusty at opening, and it affected Banshee quite a bit. It was a bit sluggish through the course. It was going over the first few elements a bit slower than usual, but it really slackened at the roll and the final helix. It also felt like it barely got back to the final brakes at the end. Later on though, it would go back to its fast paced ways. It was also odd the lighting package wasn't on all night. I kind of liked it. The added darkness was a nice touch. The first half of the visit had heavier rain, so it made a lot of rides uncomfortable for me. It was mostly to burn time until it got darker as it wasn't quite sunset yet during opening. Most rides I could at least tolerate, save for Diamondback and Delirium. Those were bad ideas being 2 of the fastest rides in the park. It actually made me a bit disoriented on Diamondback as I had my arms in front of my face blocking the 80 mph water bullets, so I couldn't anticipate or brace for anything. It was also quite brisk as well even with the layers I had on. After taking a break at RHoFG, we went out for round 2, and luckily the rain was dying down so I could enjoy the rides more. I did go through a few mazes, though reluctantly. The group wanted to see Gator at Slaughterhouse, so I sucked it up and went through. Not a fan through. The one themed to game boards was alright I suppose. I pretty much rode every coaster except Invertigo, and of course, due to weather, Drop Tower and WindSeeker were closed. A lot of the more intense rides like Firehawk and Vortex felt more comfortable in the cooler weather which was a nice surprise. The cooler weather also prevented me from graying out on Backlot's helix. I guess heat plays a factor in those things. Beast and Racer in the rain were great of course. Got another ride on Diamondback in the front when it stopped raining. To finish, I got 2 rides in 1-1 on Beast. Luckly I didn't have a long wait, just 3 trains of waiting each for the front. I'm glad I did because the weather made the ride awesome. I imagine the type of setting that was there is something RL Stine had in mind when he wrote his Beast book. My only complaint is the lights were on in the helix which I'm not a fan of. I also let myself not brace for things as much and let the laterals do their thing. Had a great night, and I will surely miss the park in taking a break from it. I'm heavily leaning to a 2 day Holiday World visit to fill the void, possibly KK or Kennywood as well. I also doubt I will be at closing day. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcgoble3 Posted October 3, 2015 Share Posted October 3, 2015 Glad I could see you, and thanks for meeting me for an early dinner, even if you were late. (Yeah, I know, traffic can be a *****.) I'm a bit disappointed that the weather was what it was, given that this will likely be my last visit until 2017 as well. But at least I got a few final rides in with friends. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malem Posted October 4, 2015 Share Posted October 4, 2015 I definitely had a great time; thanks for meeting up & for joining the group at a few mazes. We still need to figure out who it was that greeted us at Bored to Death. That first ride on Banshee reminded me a lot of Gatekeeper, with the train creeping through the elements. I prefer Banshee at full speed, of course, but it was interesting to get a different sort of ride. The helix tunnel lights on Beast were also interesting the first time around, but they got old quickly. Beast at night should be dark. I second you on cold temperatures somehow making Backlot and Vortex more comfortable. Multiple Vortex rides have been bothering me slightly since overdoing it on thrill rides in July/August, but I had no problems at all last night. No hint of a grayout on Backlot's helix either, which happens to me about half the time. (A few degrees warmer would have been much nicer though. According to a KIC member who's on Diamondback's crew via Twitter, AccuWeather's "Real-Feel" temperature was 39° last night when KI closed.) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silver2005 Posted October 4, 2015 Author Share Posted October 4, 2015 ^The best part about Banshee's slowed pace is it had some better weightless moments and/or hang time on the inversions. I can't say I disliked it. The ride was nice none-the-less. It didn't have as much of a rattle when it was slower. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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