Starting this past week through the next couple weeks, I've been and will be riding a great deal of new-to me rides over the course of a few trips, so naturally I'm going to try and get all my thoughts here as they come in! Starting off with last week's one-off weekend trip, I decided to tag along with some friends and hit Valleyfair! and Nickelodeon Universe at Mall of America. This trip is the start of a big summer for me, so expect quite a few more posts in here!
We started off by taking the (impressively nimble) light rail train straight from the airport to Mall of America. The first order of business after getting our wristbands was #421 SpongeBob SquarePants Rock Bottom Plunge. By and large, I was not a fan. It did have some good moments, such as the visual spectacle at the crest of the lift or the airtime pop out of the loop, but the awful tracking, cramped and uninspired layout, and crushing restraints kept me from exiting it with a positive impression. 5/10, #240
To cleanse our collective palate, we headed over to a ride I knew I'd at least like, #422 Avatar Airbender. I like both installations of these that I've done (the other being at the other Nickelodeon Universe location) though this one considerably less so due to the unfortunate presence of those Cheetah Hunt-style OTSRs. 6/10, #199
The next ride, #423 Fairly Odd Coaster was one I was pretty interested in, as it was in the somewhat unique position of being custom-designed for the space it inhabits while also being the original of a wildly popular cloned layout. And, for most of the ride, Fairly Odd Coaster delivered! It's cool to see the layout I recognize fit so well into the mall park's space. I say "for most of the ride" because just after the wild mouse section, during one of the curves, I experienced what might be the most shocking pothole I've ever felt, to the point where I (someone who at this point in my life never gets headaches from coasters) got off the ride with a headache forming. I ended up ranking this coaster a whole point lower than I think I would have had it not had that jolt, at 6/10, #208.
Unwittingly we'd saved the unlikely star of the show for last. #424 Pepsi Orange Streak was so pleasant! It's smooth, long, and has scenic views over the (actually very nice) indoor amusement park, and an awesome interaction with their stellar log flume, Log Chute. I'd been told this ride was a fun time, but I secretly held my doubts before coming here. It's safe to say I was proven wrong, as Orange Streak ended up being my favorite coaster at the mall, slotting in at 7/10, #152.
After saying our goodbyes to the good vibes, air conditioning, and wonderful kinetic energy of Nickelodeon Universe, our party began the second half of our Minneapolis coaster day by making a beeline for the freshly up-from-a-downtime #425 Steel Venom. Now, I had wanted to experience an Impulse Coaster with a functioning holding brake since learning of their existence, and had for a long time felt a sense of lingering dread that Steel Venom, the last remaining example, would permanently close or sunset its holding brake before I got to it. Finally getting on the ride was thus a real moment of catharsis for me, and to my delight the holding brake itself was every bit as goofy of an element as I'd hoped. Getting snatched out of zero-g by the vertical LIMs and putting your full trust in the OTSR is such a viscerally frightening sensation, and perfectly emblematic of the "why did they build that" energy of early Intamin. The first of quite a few rides to be checked off my bucket list this summer, I imagine I have Steel Venom higher than most at 7/10, #109.
The executive decision was made to embark on the arduous journey from Steel Venom all the way to #426 Excalibur in order to ensure we got on it early, lest we forget about it until after its whole area closed for the day. Well, get on it we did, and let me just say, WOW. Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow. Excalibur is crazy! From a crazy I305-esque ground-hugging turn to an ejector s-hill that felt like it was profiled this decade, this is squarely in the running for my favorite Arrow, alongside the likes of Magnum XL-200 and Dragon Mountain. The drop has a weird multi-phase airtime thing going on, the sense of speed throughout the layout is on point, and the high turn even has some wild throw-you-around laterals! I'd confidently say that not an inch of track on Excalibur was wasted. What I really want to know is: how did they get that airtime hill so perfect in 1989? 8/10, #56
After a few more rides on Excalibur, those of us who had never been to the park before had to get back to credit hunting. Since the park had so kindly made it the closest coaster to that area, we headed over to #427 Renegade. This was a ride that I warmed up to a lot over multiple rides. It was clear from the start that it's the most aggressive GCI I've done, but it had a distractingly prominent rattle that I was really only properly able to tune out on later rides. But, speaking from now, Renegade is kind of bonkers. The drop is far and away my favorite GCI drop, with its crazy side to side action. What follows is one of the all time great opening sequences on a coaster, with aggressive airtime moment after airtime moment, and element shaping that I didn't know GCI allowed themselves to design. My only criticisms are a slight loss of steam at the very end and its tracking issues, which reminded me of some of its manufacturer's worst stinkers. Even with these flaws, Renegade is my favorite in the park, eking out its victory over Excalibur at 8/10, #51.
#428 Mad Mouse doesn't call for quite as much prose from me, but there were a couple things I wanted to mention. First, you can't talk about these Arrow mice without mentioning how seemingly intentionally low their capacity is. The operating procedure makes them so frustrating to wait in line for. Second, everything about Mad Mouse feels quality, like it was built to last. The sound and mechanical feeling of the lap bars is lovely, and the ride is smooth throughout. 6/10, #164
I had been prepped in advance for how lame #429 Wild Thing would be, so I wouldn't say I came off disappointed. However, the amazing drop and wonderfully sustained and floaty first hill promise so much more than the rest of the ride delivers. The fact that what feels like 75% of the mile-long layout is spent larping as a monorail drags the ride so far down that one wouldn't know how high its highs are from looking at its placement in my list. But again, the first ten seconds of the ride are absolutely beautiful, which makes the rest of the ride incredibly perplexing. The only other element of note that I enjoyed was the hill in the tunnel, for the sheer goofiness of how the park chose to build that tunnel. This ride is a lot lower than it could be at 6/10, #160.
The other two credits are the definite lowlights of the state's coaster collection, and I don't really have much to say about them beyond "they were kinda bad". But, for a park with 7 coasters, Valleyfair's top 5 is shockingly solid, and Excalibur and Renegade make up one of the best top twos in the country. The park itself also impressed me. I was preparing for Cedar Fair hell, but while the layout is baffling and the midways felt a bit plain, it was well kept and clean with hard-working operators and friendly staff all around. If Valleyfair ever gives me a reason to go back, I'll be back in a heartbeat.
....but at least I'll get to see my mom and dad while in Boston
