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ChanceWMitchell · Joined: 23 Jun 2009 Posts: 57 Location: Ames, IA

Wednesday was our day to venture to the elderly haven of Branson, MO to tackle Silver Dollar City, home of Wildfire and Powder Keg. I arrived at the park just before 9 am, half an hour before the park opens. I was among the first in line to run towards Powder Keg. The only people ahead of me were a pair of high school guys who would prove to be my competition. The run began down a steep slope of damp asphalt, which I will admit was a bit nerve racking. After negotiating a few turns near the bottom of the hill I arrived at the entrance to Powder Keg, well ahead of anyone else. I was surprised that some of the first people to arrive in the vicinity were the elderly, but they walked right past me to get in line for SDC's Opera House.

We waited for about 15 minutes while they ran the necessary test runs. I took the front seat on the first run of the day. I had never been on an S&S coaster before, so I was excited to see what it was like. I must admit, I enjoyed the uphill transfer track that brought the train to the launch area. It was simple, yes, but kind of entertaining none the less. The launch itself was mediocre by my standards, but I'm sure most people would find it quite exhilarating. I still loved it, but didn't get too much thrill out of it. The first hill offered a fantastic view of the lush Ozark mountains as well as some fantastic floater air time. The second hill, however, provided even more. The remainder of the ride was fast paced and very fun, with the exception of the mid course lift hill which remains from the former Buzzsaw Falls which was converted into Powder Keg.

I took advantage of the nonexistent line and rode it a second time, in the back, before heading over to Wildfire.

Wildfire is a B&M twister coaster built on the Eastern slope of the park. Its your typical B&M, nothing out of the ordinary. The themeing in the station, however, was fantastic. It was meant to be some sort of weather control machine gone wrong and the queue house was full of technical drawings, other random inventions, and components to the weather control device. Mist is dumped upon the train as it departs the station as red lights flash on. I rode this twice before going back to Powder Keg.

I then rode Fire in the Hole, which is honestly more of a dark ride than a coaster. You follow a powered path throughout a building while watching the 'Baldknobbers' wreak havoc upon a city. Near the end you go through 3 drops in pitch black, which took me completely by surprise. The final dip created a splash which got me pretty wet. All said and done it was a fun ride, not what I was expecting, but entertaining.

I proceeded to ride the Giant Barn Swing and some different water rides while exploring the beautiful park. The atmosphere was top notch as every last detail was themed to the early 1900's. Even the ride operators had clothing from that era including dresses which I could only imagine would become hell during the hotter months.

Eventually I made my way to Thunderation, an old Arrow mine train. 2 of the 5 cars on the train had been reversed so that those riders would travel backwards through the track and I opted for one of these seats. I had never been on the ride so I had no idea what I was in for. The ride was much more entertaining than I had expected. In fact, the whole ride was very enjoyable with the exception of hitting my hand on a support because I was facing backwards. It stung, but not too badly.

Silver Dollar City is a delightful park with a wonderful atmosphere. The park was packed, but primarily with the elderly leaving the lines for the rides nearly empty. I must admit that Wildfire's stock went up quite a bit in my book when I had the privilege of sitting next to a girl who may be close to as coaster crazy as I am! I spent the remainder of the day with her and had a fantastic time.

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71 Days, 43 Parks, 293 Coasters, 1 Epic Summer

Darienlakerules · Joined: 29 Mar 2009 Posts: 186 Location: Rochester, NY

sounds awesome, did you at least get the girl's number?
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ChanceWMitchell · Joined: 23 Jun 2009 Posts: 57 Location: Ames, IA

of course! she may meet me at CP in august
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71 Days, 43 Parks, 293 Coasters, 1 Epic Summer

Darienlakerules · Joined: 29 Mar 2009 Posts: 186 Location: Rochester, NY