I woke up at 7:30 to the sound of thunder and almost constant flashes of lightning. All day about 3 different weather systems dumped rain on the entire area. Looked like there wouldn't be KI today after all. But around 6, the rain stopped and there was nothing else coming. Knowing KI would be a mostly a ghost town, I decided to go, despite going alone (my sister didn't want to).
I arrive at KI at around 6:45 and head straight over to Invertigo. I sat at the end of the train that goes backwards the first time through. It was a pretty good ride, not much headbanging, and actually my first ride on the end. 8/10
Next up in the circle around the park was Drop Zone. Still a great thrill after so many years. 8.5/10
Top Gun (Flight Deck) was down due to technical issues due to the large amount or rain, and Son of Beast was still closed, so Delirium it was. Unfortunately, 1/3rd of the way through the ride, there was a jolt at the bottom of the swing, and they e-stopped the ride. The motor was disengaged and the frisbee went into free swing. Once it stopped, they turned the disk to the original position, raised the floor, and got everyone unloaded. Very interesting.
Next was Adventure Express. Waited one train load and off I went. Still the best mine train I've ridden. 7.5/10
I headed over to Racer. They were running one side with one train operation (sound familiar Marc?) and there was a short wait for this one. 2 train wait for the back, and it was worth it. There was a decent amount of airtime and it was a really fun ride. This is one coaster I think is always under-rated. 8.5/10
Flight of Fear was a walk-on. Still a good ride with a fast pace, except the full stop on the MCBR. 8/10
Both Firehawk and Vortex had one train operation and with an unworthy line was forming up, I skipped them. Backlot also had a line.
Time for Diamondback! By this point is was a little after 8, so I had 2 hours for this and the Beast. They were running 2 trains, and operation felt a little slow, but they still got trains out on time and quickly. My first ride was a back seat ride in the evening sun, and it was a beautiful ride all the way through. The airtime from getting yanked over every hill is blissfully amazing and every drop gets great airtime. For the first time, I decided to stick my arm back into the water splash. It wasn't drenched, but it was pretty wet. Very cool thing to try in the back seat. Next ride was in Car 2, Row 2 and it was still an excellent ride. After a 15 minute wait, it was dark and I was in the front row. Not as much airtime as the back, but still a lot and the unobstructed view. Got back in line again and went to the back again. Night rides in the back for the win on Diamondback! Everything seemed faster in the dark and the lights around the splashdown just made it look gorgious. Diamondback - as expected, 10/10
With about 40 minutes left, I head over to the best night coaster ever, The Beast. Surprisingly, the line never was longer than 3 train waits, thanks to its usual superb 3 train operation. Went to the back first. Again, pretty sick airtime getting yanked down the first 2 drops, and the speed of the ride just added on as it goes down into the valley, more than normal with everything wet and damp. The double helix is just a monster like always. Night ride on the Beast - 10/10
At that point, its about 9:40 and I get back in line, this time for the front. I was hoping to get out of there and make a run for a third ride, or if time permitted Diamondback. However, they said the ride would close at 9:45 to get the rest of the riders off before the fireworks start. Still, I was at the front of the line for the front seat. I got into a nice conversation with a ride attendent and then the people around me, so the fireworks finished in what seemed a short amount of time. However, the ride never got the okay signal from the management because of a problem with a set of un-launched fireworks. Around 10:30, the Beast was given the okay.
After letting 2 girls go in front of me to stay with their brothers in the second row, I was surprised to find that I was in the front seat of the last ride of the night. It was even better than the back, and the last ride of the night is always something very special! 10+/10
At 10:45, I was one of the last guests to leave the park. It was an amazing 4 hours and a lot of that was because I was by myself. Fully satisfied, it was a great way to end the day.
I arrive at KI at around 6:45 and head straight over to Invertigo. I sat at the end of the train that goes backwards the first time through. It was a pretty good ride, not much headbanging, and actually my first ride on the end. 8/10
Next up in the circle around the park was Drop Zone. Still a great thrill after so many years. 8.5/10
Top Gun (Flight Deck) was down due to technical issues due to the large amount or rain, and Son of Beast was still closed, so Delirium it was. Unfortunately, 1/3rd of the way through the ride, there was a jolt at the bottom of the swing, and they e-stopped the ride. The motor was disengaged and the frisbee went into free swing. Once it stopped, they turned the disk to the original position, raised the floor, and got everyone unloaded. Very interesting.
Next was Adventure Express. Waited one train load and off I went. Still the best mine train I've ridden. 7.5/10
I headed over to Racer. They were running one side with one train operation (sound familiar Marc?) and there was a short wait for this one. 2 train wait for the back, and it was worth it. There was a decent amount of airtime and it was a really fun ride. This is one coaster I think is always under-rated. 8.5/10
Flight of Fear was a walk-on. Still a good ride with a fast pace, except the full stop on the MCBR. 8/10
Both Firehawk and Vortex had one train operation and with an unworthy line was forming up, I skipped them. Backlot also had a line.
Time for Diamondback! By this point is was a little after 8, so I had 2 hours for this and the Beast. They were running 2 trains, and operation felt a little slow, but they still got trains out on time and quickly. My first ride was a back seat ride in the evening sun, and it was a beautiful ride all the way through. The airtime from getting yanked over every hill is blissfully amazing and every drop gets great airtime. For the first time, I decided to stick my arm back into the water splash. It wasn't drenched, but it was pretty wet. Very cool thing to try in the back seat. Next ride was in Car 2, Row 2 and it was still an excellent ride. After a 15 minute wait, it was dark and I was in the front row. Not as much airtime as the back, but still a lot and the unobstructed view. Got back in line again and went to the back again. Night rides in the back for the win on Diamondback! Everything seemed faster in the dark and the lights around the splashdown just made it look gorgious. Diamondback - as expected, 10/10
With about 40 minutes left, I head over to the best night coaster ever, The Beast. Surprisingly, the line never was longer than 3 train waits, thanks to its usual superb 3 train operation. Went to the back first. Again, pretty sick airtime getting yanked down the first 2 drops, and the speed of the ride just added on as it goes down into the valley, more than normal with everything wet and damp. The double helix is just a monster like always. Night ride on the Beast - 10/10
At that point, its about 9:40 and I get back in line, this time for the front. I was hoping to get out of there and make a run for a third ride, or if time permitted Diamondback. However, they said the ride would close at 9:45 to get the rest of the riders off before the fireworks start. Still, I was at the front of the line for the front seat. I got into a nice conversation with a ride attendent and then the people around me, so the fireworks finished in what seemed a short amount of time. However, the ride never got the okay signal from the management because of a problem with a set of un-launched fireworks. Around 10:30, the Beast was given the okay.
After letting 2 girls go in front of me to stay with their brothers in the second row, I was surprised to find that I was in the front seat of the last ride of the night. It was even better than the back, and the last ride of the night is always something very special! 10+/10
At 10:45, I was one of the last guests to leave the park. It was an amazing 4 hours and a lot of that was because I was by myself. Fully satisfied, it was a great way to end the day.
