Photo TR: SFMM (And a review of Tatsu)

[sir clinksalot]

I posted this over at TPR but I thought I'd share it with you guys too. Enjoy.

Kristi and I made our 2nd visit to SFMM last saturday for the TPR meet and BBQ. It was also the first time we were going to go on Tatsu. I will review the ride in a minute.

For some screwed up reason we woke up at 5:30am. So we decided to get an early start. We went to breakfast at 6:30am, Kristi had a nail appt at 7:30am and then we left home at 8:30am to get to the park by 9:30am.

Driving through the canyon it was a bit foggy:



But once we got on the 126 it cleared up:



Arriving at the park and it was clear as a bell:



So you know those guys that ask you to take a picture and you can win a contest??? Well, I've been going to SFMM for about 25 years (at least 5 times a year) and I have NEVER won the contest. So this time I thought I would turn the tables.

So I say to this guy ... "Can I take your picture, it's for a contest" ... so he let me take his picture:


(And then of course to be nice, I let him take ours)

Got to the entrance at 9:30, it wasn't too bad yet.



They make the front gate employees do some stupid little dance:



First stop of the day, Tatsu:



We only waited about 5 minutes for it. By the time we got off it was AT least a 45 minute wait.

Next stop was Deja Vu. Somehow I lost my seat (no biggie) but Kristi said it was the smoothest ride of the day. Seriously.



From there it was off to Riddlers:



I had an okay ride, but for some reason this one always makes me sick to my stomach. I still like Georgia Scorcher better.

After Superman we headed up the Sky Tower. For all of the visits I've had to this park, I'm sad to say this was my first trip up here. And I hate to say it, but it's probably my last.

I'm not afraid of heights in the least, but something about being in an enclosed space, with no apparent exit (when the Elevator isn't there) and the fact that it sways in the wind ... no thanks.

But you do get some awesome pics from up there.

X (which was closed) and Viper



Tatsu and Revolution:





Superman, Colossus, Scream, Goliath and the parking lot. Oh wait, that's still Scream. 



Batman, Riddlers and Tidal Wave (doesn't the park look nice from up here?)



Deja Vu and Psyclone:



Hurricane Harbor and the worlds largest paper-weight (Flashback)



How many Coaster Enthusiasts can you fit in an elevator?



Gregg and Kristi on Ninja:



Okay, so that concludes the pics from Saturday. The pics from today will be in the next post.

Gregg's review of Tatsu:

I thought the ride was fun. Is it the best ride at Magic Mountain ... well yes, but that's not saying a lot these days. Is it my favorite flyer??? I'm not sure. I want to get some more rides on it before I make my final verdict.

The thing I DID NOT like about it is that it is almost TOO HIGH. I like the flying effect, I like the inversions, etc. But the thing I like about the Superman: Ultimate Flight coasters at Six Flags Over Georgia and Six Flags Great Adventure is that they have some time close to the ground. Like the swooping effect.

Tatsu is at least 50 feet in the air at all times except the pretzel loop. I honestly thought it would be more among the trees and the terrain like Revolution and Ninja are. I think this is a ride that can be put anywhere, it just so happens it's on the hill at Magic Mountain. This is also why I think the ride can be moved if/when Magic Mountain closes.

We left the park at 1pm and headed for Hurricane Harbor. I was feeling very ill, like I was going to be sick. This NEVER happens to me. We have been to parks all over the country, and I've ridden more coasters in a day and in less time than we did at SFMM. I'm drawn to the conclusion that the roughness of the rides at SFMM is the main reason I felt bad.

And therefore since I wasn't myself at the BBQ (not even the beer helped) I didn't get any pictures at the party. Sorry.

You can see more pictures from Saturday here: http://greggandkristi.smugmug.com/gallery/1796109
Posted on: August 23, 2006, 10:11:59 amOkay, so yesterday the kids and I went to SFMM for my birthday. Unfortunately Kristi had to work.

We grabbed some Jack in the Box before we got to the park, and ate it while waiting for the gates to open:



Once the park opened we stopped and took pictures with some characters since we didn't need to run to Tatsu like everybody else (Josh isn't tall enough)

Amanda, Josh and Wile E. Coyote



Amanda, Josh and Taz:



Amanda, Josh and Daffy:



I got in the picture with Bugs:



Thought this was a nice picture:



First stop was the Log Jammer:



Next was Goliath, which we rode twice:



Josh going up the lift:



Amanda going up the lift:



Twisty stuff:



Next up was Colossus. Josh was excited until we rode. (it was VERY rough, we only rode once)



After this we went on Gold Rusher, Jet Stream and took a water break.

When we were walking by we saw that Superman had opened. Since Josh had never been on it we headed over there.




Superman (not as scary as it looks): The Ride



So this one actually took some convincing for Josh to ride. We kept telling him he'd been on MUCH scarier rides (which is true). IMO Goliath is scarier, Montezooma's Revenge at Knott's is scarier. Heck, I even think that CA Screamin' and Tower of Terror are WAY scarier than Superman. It just 'looks' scary. But it's not.

Josh's first ride (look at that smile)



So of course we had to ride again. Luckily there was no wait. (Did we REALLY wait 3 hours for this when it first opened??? Answer: Yes we did)



Josh still isn't sure, Amanda's all "Been there, done that"



We actually got pretty high up the tower:



And of course now Josh's new favorite ride at the park is Superman.



After that we headed over and got 2 quick rides on Ninja and then another on Jet Stream. By this time it was about 12:00 and we wanted to do Revolution, Log Jammer then call it a day.

Headed to the front of the park, took a frozen lemonade break and took some pics of Tatsu.



Longest line in the park, by far:







And some from the entrance area:







Honestly, I would have taken more pictures but the crew on Tatsu is TERRIBLE. They were taking between 7 and 10 minutes to dispatch 1 train. IMO this is TOTALLY unacceptable. This ride has been open for 3 months now, it should not be taking that long. That's pathetic and really shows why SFMM is one of the parks up for sale.

They make the crew of Jaguar at Knott's look like the crew of the Phoenix at Knoebels. They are THAT bad.

And I leave you with one more picture ... could this be the last picture I ever take from SFMM???



You can see more pictures from today here: http://greggandkristi.smugmug.com/gallery/1804731

[ChuckR]

Nice TR Gregg! I wouldn't mind to get back to SFMM to get some missed credits and to try out Tatsu!

[Brandilicious]

Hey excellent TR! I loved the pics being that I never been to the park. Hopefully I will be able to visit before it closes. But on a brighter note I must say you have the most adorable children ever.

[OrlandoRocks]

I was waiting for trip report. I saw your picture at the Theme Park Review party at Rob's house in one of the members photo trip report. They sure have some crazy and wierd members on that site. 

Thanks for sharing the West coast with us.

[WadeJ]

Great TR Gregg.  I really appreciate you sharing the west coast with us.  You guys are brave though for venturing out with that group LOL.

I'm seriously considering venturing out there this fall for a quick trip just in case something does happen with the sale of the park.  However, I'm nervous about spending that kind of money with the knowledge that a major coaster could be down on any given day lol.

[matt]

My first and only trip (so far) was horiible. I got on 4 coasters and I was there from 11-12!! I went on X, Riddler, Scream, and Goliath! Everything had a long line or was broken. I really want to go back to get my 12 other credits, but I am also scared that major coasters will be down. 

[overlord]

I thought that was the same day as Rob's party. Looks like you had a great time out there. How come Wade doesnt throw party for all of his members?

[ChuckR]

Man, when I went to SFMM I didn't get to ride Flashback(obviously), Collossos:Right side, Ninja, Deja Vu, Superman(left), and Revolution. I didn't count Tatsu because it still was being built at the time.

[sir clinksalot]

Honestly, with SFMM it's pretty much the luck of the day you go. We got really lucky on the Saturday we were there. Now with Tatsu the crowds are pretty light everywhere else until about 12:00. So if you can either skip Tatsu, or get on it quick you should be able to get on most everything by 1pm.