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^ I hope you're right.  T-N-T was one of our favorites until it got too rough to ride.  A new track and trains would be great!

It's been a few years since we've been, but we've gone a couple of times this year.  I found both T-N-T and Outlaw Run too rough to ride again.  The rest were fine.

Good to know I'm not the only one!  I've always associated that smell as well with SDC.

I'm sure you all remember when they had some of the backwards cars.   I said "never again" the last time I rode it that way.  That one really killed my back.   I'd try it again facing forward for sure.

I don't have a BAF ticket in front of me but my guess is they're barcoded and rendered useless once scanned.

On the basketball game, it's $5 if you want to play for a small ball and $10 if you do a regular sized ball.

Powder keg?

Saturday March 15 - Not our day for coasters

Things started off pretty good.   I told my wife the park opened at 9:00 so we were for sure there by the time it actually opened at 9:30.  (anyone else ever do that?)   Me and the three boys went straight for Outlaw Run just a few minutes after rope drop.  Saw several groups of people climb over the rope drops before hand.  Something told me they shouldn't have been doing that but no one was around to stop them. 

It was the first time on the Outlaw Run for all of us but my youngest (13) who actually got to do it last year.  They sent about 5 or 6 loads through before it was our turn.  I'd heard all the talk about the restraints and such but was still a little surprised at how many times they were checking everything.  Started making me a little nervous actually.  But we got the thumbs up and started rollin' ...  The excitement builds as we are going up the incline.   Then, about 2/3 of the way up it just stopped.

I think we waited about 25 minutes before they got us out.  Somebody said something about sensors.  They did give us "front-of-the-line" passes for later at least.

Then there was the Powder Keg experience.  Pretty good line was already there when we walked up.  But we weren't really in any big hurry so it didn't bother us.  At about the 30 minute mark we were at the top of those stairs inside the loading area when some poor young girl got sick on the ride.  That took about 30 more minutes before things started moving again.     So we get past that and me and the youngest finally get sat down and he says "Dad I just lost my phone".  I was like "Well hurry up and pick it up and put it in your pocket".  He said: "No it fell out all the way to the bottom".  Then I saw it down below.  Oh great.  My first thought was oh my gosh, they're gonna have to stop the entire ride because of this or something and I'll have a hundred people mad at us.  So I told the cast member and she just said they can't do anything about it right now but to write down our name/number and we can probably get it later at lost & found.

Now just to clarify my son had it in his pocket.  It's just he had on those slippery-type sweat pants and when he sat down at that angle it just fell right out.  We were reunited with it at closing time at the lost and found and won't make that mistake again.

We did end up riding the Outlaw Run later in the afternoon.  Boy I do feel kinda bad just walking up and getting in front of others that were standing in line.  But we got over that after the ride took off.  It was great!

In the end we got to do all of the rides we wanted to do.  The kids even got wet on the log ride.  We took in the magic show with a couple of mountain cookies (no visit is complete without that for us) and much to our surprise it was the same guy that we saw the night before at the Pierce Arrow show.  It was still funny again though.

The weather was great and it didn't seem all that terribly busy.  My wife and mother-in-law were a little disappointed that all the stores weren't open.   We'll probably head back mid-April for the next visit.

We usually just walk to the gates too.  Then on the way back it's usually a race to the car.  Too much competition in my family lol.  Of course if we have grandparents with us we will do the tram thing.

There are always exceptions - and for some, the few feet closer to the gate is worth the extra $25.  For me and my group, we are all young and fit.  We plan on doing a lot of uphill and downhill walking during the day in the park (so what is a few extra miles going to hurt) and quite honestly we do not have a legit excuse to not use the free parking lots that are farther away from the main lot.   FWIW, we always walk to the main gate as well, I don't think we ever rode the tram last year.

In Wichita, we've got our first snow day this year. My teenage son had to work 7 am-9 am so I drove him, waited at Starbucks, then drove him home. I'm a teacher and was sort of looking forward to being lazy, but he had an accident last year on snow on the way to work, so he didn't want to drive especially. It took us twice as long as normal to get home, but we made it safely. Idiots out there, though. Someone passed us with only their front windshield cleared -- and then only where the wipers hit. Side windows, rear window were all covered. Happy to be home and safe with lots of food in the house.  I'm betting we'll be cancelled again tomorrow. The news is reporting the city only has enough salt/sand to treat the roads once and that's only the emergency routes. I don't know how buses would get around in this and we have thousands of kids on buses.

I'm in Wichita too and just got the call from school they are cancelling again tomorrow.   My teenage boys are really happy.  We'll see how happy they are in a few minutes when I make them go out and shovel the driveway : )

Did anyone else find riding backwards to be uncomfortable?  It kind of hurt my back the last time I remember riding it that way. 

We've done the Lantern tour and enjoyed it.  It was in 2011.  The guide was really good and had lots of great stories to share.

Royals are my team too Okie.  I was an exciting year for a change.  Going to have to root for the Tigers now since I work with the mom of one of their players (Dirks)

I think this year we are planning to get season tickets.  There's five in our family, plus one for my MIL.  We haven't been since 2011 (season tickets then too), so thanks to all of you for the reviews/updates on the park in the meantime.  Makes me feel still connected.

So when do the 2014 ones go on sale?

I'll throw my hat into the computer techie group as well.  I've been doing computer programming/consulting since 1991.  I actually went to school to be a CPA.  Passed all of the tests and everything but just found computer work to be more exciting.

I don't post much here either but sure do enjoy hearing what's going on every day.  Thanks for the site Shave...  and thanks to all you folks that know so much about the history of the place.