Saturday 9/1/2012
We arrived in Pigeon Forge, TN on Saturday, September 1st
in the early afternoon along with everyone else and their mother. After exiting the interstate from the north,
the 20 mile trip through Sevierville and into Pigeon Forge took just shy of two
hours. I was anxious to see if the
crowded roadways would translate to a crowded park, but it turned out to be a
non-issue.
After checking into our rental condo and unpacking our bags,
we headed off to the park for a couple of hours. We parked our car for free at nearby Patriot
Park and then took the trolley to Dollywood.
The trolley is $0.50 per person each way and departs at regular intervals
throughout the day. If you’re looking to
save a few bucks on parking, this is a good way to go. (Note: They will not give you change, so it might be helpful to have a few quarters on hand.)
We finally entered the park at around 5:30 p.m. After experiencing the massive crowds on the
highway, we were pleasantly surprised to find minimal lines for
everything. We passed through to main
gates, grabbed a rather large park map, and headed left towards Thunderhead. Our plan for the day was to walk our way
through the park to get a feel for everything, and also to get a lap on the
major rides in case the crowds were heavier the next day.
As someone who isn’t big into country music or southern
charm, I was apprehensive as to how much I would actually enjoy the park. Although the park is separated into separate
areas, for the most part, the overall theme has an old south, handmade crafts,
lots of wood everywhere type of a vibe that just seems to work in the Smoky
Mountain setting.
Our first ride was Thunderhead. With no wait at all, we walked on to the last
row and I opted for the right side of the train. This was my first GCI coaster and first
experience with the Millennium Flyer trains, and I was not disappointed. While not terribly tall, this twister keeps
its pacing really well and throws in a few pops of airtime just to keep you on
your toes. The station flyby was a nice touch even though it has more of an
effect on those waiting in line.
The Millennium Flyers were absolutely excellent. They looked great and the padding was
extremely comfortable. The lap bar had a
bit of play to it, which was much more enjoyable than being stapled in. I can imagine that bit of play would be a perfect
fit on an airtime filled out-and-back.
Next up was Mystery Mine.
After taking a couple of minutes to listening to the Eddie Murphy-esque
vulture outside the queue tell a few jokes, we headed up the stairs and into
the station. After a 10 minute wait, I
grabbed a seat in the front row. The
vertical lifts were fun and I enjoyed some of the effects, but those are the
only positives I could take away from that ride. The over the shoulder restraints resulted in
unwanted head banging, and the layout did not help the situation. It seemed as though Gerstlauer threw in
sudden turns with tight radii just because the Eurofighter trains were capable
of them. I don’t know if a lap bar
conversion would be possible with these, but it would help tremendously.
We then snaked our way around towards Wild Eagle. The massive eagle statue sitting outside the
entrance is impressive, and the artistry and craftsmanship it took to create it
is quite prevalent. We boarded the left
side of the train and we were off on our flight. The coaster was smooth as glass and I really
enjoyed the wing rider concept. Having
nothing above or below you was a unique feeling that helped to give the
sensation of flying. The only complaint
I had was that the restraints seemed to tightened down around your torso
throughout the course, causing a bit of discomfort as you wait to exit the
trains.
Tennessee Tornado would have been next, but it was down for
either a maintenance issue or a cleanup.
They were cycling empty trains so I knew it would open up soon, but
decided to move on to Blazing Fury until it did. Blazing fury was unique to say the least. While more of a dark ride than a coaster, the
cheesy sets and awful animatronics were more laughable than thrilling. The three small drops were fun, but the water
splashdown would have been welcomed instead of the train coming to a screeching
halt. It was an entertaining ride nonetheless.
We backtracked towards Tennessee Tornado when we saw that it
was back up and running. I was expecting
a lot of head banging like I had experienced on other Arrow loopers, but I was
pleasantly surprised. There were some
great positive G’s heading into the first loop, and all of the transitions were
relatively smooth. With this being that
last traditional looping coaster they built, I got off the ride wondering what
could have become of Arrow Dynamics.
It was now closing time so we made our way back towards the
front of the park and exited through the gift shop. We boarded the trolley back to Patriot Park,
picked up our car, and headed back to a condo to get ready for the full day
that was ahead of us.
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