1/2 day May 17th

My first official trip to the park was on opening day, but by the time we got there it was a bust. Pretty much nothing was open, so my mom and I decided to head out after school yesterday (Friday May17th). The entire way there I kept checking the webcams on my phone to make sure GK and many of the other rides were running since Mother Nature hasn't been very nice to the park this past week. I saw GK running even though the big flag at the front of the park was straight out. However, it was flying in the opposite direction as it had been opening day when all the rides were shut, so maybe the wind direction was all that mattered.

So we pulled into the parking lot at 4pm, and were glad to see the parking lot wasn't too full. It was a good sign already. Plus we saw GK running, and there were people on it. Good sign #2. Lastly we say Millennium running, our favorite ride, so good sign #3. Being passholder appreciation weekend we first picked up our VIP jackets. I've read on here that some people don't like them and think they're really cheap. So my mom and I were pleasantly surprised when we got them. There was no hood and no pockets, but they were nicer than we expected and came in handy since it was pretty chilly and windy. Also, another thing I noticed is that you didn't even have to show your pass in order to get a jacket. Anybody could have just gone up to the table and asked for one.

Still haven't been on GK before, so that was where we went first. It was only a 1/2 hour wait. Didn't even have to think twice about getting in line. I like how the line is set up and it's cool standing right below the lift hill. My only complaint, and I've seen this one before, is that it seems as if the queue could get very hot in the summer since there's hardly any shade. Hopefully mister fans and more canopies are added eventually.

The employees in the station for the most part were assigning seats to people. However, we managed to convince them to let us sit where we wanted to. First ride was the back right. Having never been on a wing rider I had no clue what to expect. Both my mom and I loved it! It was fast, intense, and the way we were pulled through the elements was really cool. Then we got back in line and this time went on the back left. And let me just say WOW. My mom sat in the outer seat, and an employee even said that is the best seat. The back left is awesome, and it's my favorite place to sit. Going over the first drop in that spot is an amazing experience.

For lap #3 we sat in the front right. My favorite part was the wing over drop, since for the longest time you are just hanging under the track, and you can feel yourself being pulled straight out of the seat. Sitting hear also enhanced the head and foot choppers. Then for lap #4 we sat in the front left. Another cool experience, and I liked the wing over drop even better sitting here. I can't even describe what it feels like, only that it's unlike anything I've ever experience before.

We decided to marathon it one more time, so for lap #5 we sat in the back left again, except this time I sat on the outside. After riding it 5 times in a row with only a 1/2 hour wait, I couldn't believe how much I loved this ride. It exceeded my expectations. I really didn't think it would live up to the hype, but in my opinion, it did. I even rank it as my #2 favorite coaster in the park, only next to Millennium. It's very fun, intense, reridable, and being outside the track and not over it created unique experiences when going through all the turns and inversions.

Following this we were getting pretty chilly, especially being right by the lake for GK, so we went back to our car for a little bit to warm up and put on another layer of clothes. After a while, we went back in the park and headed for Millennium. Like GK, it was a 1/2 hour wait. Not too bad. So we waited for the back of the line and had an awesome ride as usual. After this we got back in line. We talked to some nice people in front of us. The guy said he works as a police officer during the day, so he was having fun riding in the evening. It was fun discussing various park related things. When we got in the station, a train stopped on the lift hill. Probably a seat belt issue, since this is usually the case. Luckily it wasn't too far up the hill. From standing in the station we could even see the very back of the train through the opening out of the station. The back car had barely even left the station when it stopped. Thankfully the issue was resolved within about 15 minutes, and we waited in line for the front car. At least there are no bugs yet. We ended up being the 2nd to last train of the night.

After this we went over to GK for ERT. There were less people than we expected. We only waited about 10/15 minutes. The ride is a lot more disorienting at night. During the day after riding it 5 times in a row I felt fine, but one ride at night made me pretty dizzy.

It was a great day in the park, and I loved GK. It's a great addition to the park, and will please people for a long time. When riding it, I held out the vest like I saw people talking about on here, and I had no issues, but if I wouldn't have done that I can tell it would've bruised my collarbone and caused some discomfort. But my mom and I had a fun half day at the park, and are glad we finally got to ride GK.