California Dreamin’

Travel is always a bit of a whirlwind, especially travel across time zones. There is something about a messed up sleep pattern that really prevents you from settling in to a new destination. I’ve been combating my malaise by keeping myself too busy to notice the jet lag. I’m sure it will come back to bite me when I return from this vacation broke and in need of another vacation, but it’s been an amazing trip thus far.

I’ll space out my vacation blog as I would have if I had given myself the time to write at the end of the day rather than at the end of the week. I am well aware of my tendency to ramble on and I promise to make a conscious effort to remain concise.

The first California attraction I visited (not counting driving from LAX to North Hollywood which was an adventure of its own) was Six Flags Magic Mountain.

For those that don’t know me I am a HUGE roller coaster buff. I’ll never forget my visit to Cedar Point with my family when I was in high school, but that’s a story for another day. The point is, I have yet to encounter a coaster that was too big, too fast, or too frightening, and I was ready to tackle my first 3D coaster in X2.

The coasters at Magic Mountain certainly lived up to my expectations. X2 was unique and very exciting, yet it wasn’t my favorite of the day. Perhaps I’m a bit old fashioned, but the action packed X2 doesn’t allow the rider enough time to take in the thrill of the situation. Without anticipation, the sensation was similar to a motion simulator traveling at 50mph on a steel track.

Tatsu was probably my favorite of the day with Goliath coming in a close second. Tatsu is a flying coaster, the kind that straps you in and has you look down for the duration of the ride. I waited to sit in the front row for this one so that it would feel as close to flying as possible. The sensation was extraordinary. Watching the horizon twist, turn, and flip with your arms out was like becoming superman for a minute and a half. The “dive bomb loop” (1:20 to 1:30 in the video) was one of the most intense moments of the day.

All tolled I went on 7 coasters on Sunday (X2, Viper, Tatsu, Apocalypse, Goliath, Colossus, and Batman). I could have gone on more, but the mismanagement of the park coupled with dehydration caused me to leave early.

Any despairing remarks about a theme park from a former Disney cast member need to be taken with a grain of salt, but trust me when I say that there is no magic at Six Flags Magic Mountain. The load process on every line was inefficient, the queue areas were blaring VH1 and commercials, and it was clear that every ounce of energy is put into getting as much money out of the guests as physically possible. Treating guests like cattle is not the way to get them to come back again.

I get the feeling that Magic Mountain has seen better days, maybe under new management it could once again become a world class attraction. The compelling rides may be enough for them to continue to operate, but by continuing to put profit miles ahead of the guest experience I don’t know for how much longer.