Silver Dollar City, Outlaw Run
it was my first coaster experience for 2013, and I couldn't have asked
for a better day for it, the sun was shining and the cold winter chill
was replaced with an awesome 71 degrees. it was to be expected that the
crowds would be in full swing at the park and I wasn't wrong on my
assumption by a long shot.
we arrived down in Branson around 11
am, and upon immediately exiting the highway, there was a line of cars
all with the same destination as us, an surprisingly enough it didn't
take us long to park, we paid the 12 dollars and parked in the preferred
parking and it was a short walk to the ticket window.
The
ticket window area was a flooded mess of people, and after about 50
minutes and patiently waiting for the senior citizen working the ticket
window to type the required information in, I received my season pass
and entered the park.
I made a b line to the back area of the
park where the Outlaw run was located at, and when I arrived I found the
queue entrance and got in line. We waited for a little under 2 hours,
the coaster was having some operational problems, which they did
eventually get worked out and the coaster was back to being fully
operational.
They were running 2 trains and unfortunately, the
loading times needed a bit of work, however it is a new coaster, and new
employees and a new season, so things like that are also expected. The
station is themed nicely, and the outdoor sections of the queue are
mulched instead of black top, which I see as a plus especially during
the summers here in the Midwest.
after our approximate 2 hours
of waiting, it was time to board the train. they give you the freedom to
choose where you want to sit, so we sat in the middle but situated a
little closer to the back. We left the station and you make a quick jog
to the right and after catching the chain you are on your way up. its
not a very long ride to the top at all, just a matter of seconds. The
car is released at the top, you make a quick jog to the left, then up
and over you go. The hop produces a nice jolt of floaty airtime that
continues as you drop down the first hill..
Let me tell you about
this coaster and its first drop, Once you crest that hill, gravity
takes over in a big way, and this is where you become aware of exactly
what the coaster can do, and what kind of power it generates. The folks
over at Rocky Mountain sure as hell know what they are doing when it
comes to building a coaster from the ground up, This is their first one,
and this one is a sure fire winner!
This coaster twists and
turns and flips and careens over the track at what seems like break neck
speeds, it delivers several quick bouts of airtime and it does flips
and dives unlike any other wooden coaster I have ridden. There is a
banked turn that drops down a hill giving you an incredible experience
before throwing you over a perfect air time hill then right into the
barrel rolls. They put turns, drops and banks all with perfect
placement to deliver a high charged experience.
This Coaster is
beyond incredible! and the pictures really don't do the ride justice.
its situated in the woods so pictures are not easy things to get of the
coaster that's for sure, other than the lift and barrel roll at the end
the rest of the track is down in the terrain. Unlike your traditional
wood coaster, there are no cat walks or railings other than on the lift
hill, and those stop right at the top of the first drop. There is but
one strap on the side of the lap bar for those that aren't brave enough
to go free handed with your hands and arms waving in the air like you
just don't care. The cars are comfortable, and the lap bar has an extra
bar that goes across your shins keeping you very snug in the train.
After
we rode Outlaw run we headed right next door to the Giant Barn swing,
another thrilling and exciting ride at SDC! this one goes a lot higher
than the one at Dollywood and the ride time seems a little better. after
the swing we headed right to the pizza parlor for a very disappointing
meal, this was the first time in the history of my going to this park
(since 72) I did not have a meal at "the Mine" restaurant, and it won't
happen again.
after lunch we headed up to Powder Keg, and had a
wait of about 25 minutes for this one, and as always it was worth it. I
really do like Powder Keg, and have since it was changed to that after
the demise of "Buzz saw falls". after our ride on that we headed right
down the hill to Wildfire, a classic B&M twister that is most
definitely a hidden gem of a coaster.
we ended our day with a
front row ride on the parks classic dark ride "Fire in the hole", I hope
they never change this ride, its cheesy, run down, and cheap but man it
holds some awesome memories for me. after our ride on that it was
sadly time to leave, we headed out of the park, and stopped in the
hospitality house to do a little bit of gift shopping, and then it was
down the parking lot to the car, we had a 4 hour drive back to St. Louis
to get started on, and thankfully the parking lot was very thinned out,
and we didn't get into any traffic leaving the park.
5 of the
people in our group upgraded their tickets to season passes, nice to
know I will have others to come with me when I make return visits this
summer.
