Obsession? Addiction? Ocean City.

Three parks, one city, one day. 

Oh wait, did I mention that it was actually 4 parks.... And I had driven non-stop from Orlando?

Because it seemed like a really good idea to go from my house in Orlando... to Busch Gardens Williamsburg to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge–Tunnel system (bucket list!)... to Jolly Roger Amusement Park to Jolly Roger at the Pier to Trimper's Rides and finishing the day in Hyattsville, MD. (and I might as well mention the stop at South of the Border too!) You know, your typical 1,100 mile / 17 hour drive... With a sunburn so bad that rides were ripping your skin off.... But it was worth it. I guess? maybe?? 

And this is supposed to be a vacation.

Stop 1 - Jolly Roger Amusement Park
I had been to all 3 of these parks once before, back in 2008 on a crazy road trip I did with friends. While not really out of the way, I never really saw myself coming back here... But with a few new-for-me coasters to pick up, here I was.

A rare Watkins Heart Flip.
I've only ever seen it once before, at Lakeside in Denver.

Flying Dutchman

Spyder

One of my favorite flat rides.

New-for-me Credit #1
Sea Serpent

Opened here in 2015

And featuring this terrifying first drop.

But uh, credit? right? that's a thing people care about it?

The Ferris Wheel looked like a Barbieri model, I don't remember it being here my last visit.
 I couldn't ride it. #SingleRider

New-for-me Credit #2
Wildcat 

This coaster actually had a no-singles rule as well and I ended up having to wait around for a few minutes for some other riders to show up so I could go. The park wasn't very busy in the afternoon since most people were still at the beach itself.

Some of the rides at the park are concessions owned by different traveling showmen, so the ride lineup is constantly changing and rides sometimes end up being replaced with identical models...

Example:
This wonderful Schwarzkopf Wildcat, Wildcat operated here from 1999 to 2001 before going into storage for 14 years. In 2008, the park opened Avalanche, a different Schwarzkopf Wildcat that operated here until 2014 (I rode that one back in 08), and then in 2015 the park brought back the 1999-2001 model Wildcat, sending the 2008-2014 coaster to Peru.

This particular model dates back to at least 1970 and was located at 2 other amusement parks, as well as the two different rounds here.
Not a bad ride for a steel coaster nearing 50!
(the removed model dates to at least 74' and at least one other park location.)

This European style Swinger ride seemed new since my last visit as well.

Oh, and the parks other coaster, Wacky Worm
(skipped, already ridden)

Stop 2 - Jolly Roger at the Pier
I didn't ride anything here this time.. Although I was tempted to spend a few dollars on the Drop Tower... my shoulders said no.

Hurricane, looking nice and semi-flashy.

Looping Star.
SKIPPED.
Thanks to the worst sunburn I'd ever had... I didn't feel the need to give it the pity/courtesy ride

Although it was sporting a new paint job since I was here last.

Ouch.

Had never seen this 'Sky Race' ride before.

This Zamp Power Surge was new since my last visit.

And the large Ferris Wheel had also been repainted.
Couldn't ride, #SingleRider
(but I have ridden this one before.)

Annddd.... Stop 3 - Trimper's Rides
Only stopped here for the SBF Spinning Coaster but made a quick photo-lap and came across a flat ride I had to try.

Tidal Wave, the parks Vekoma Boomerang

While plentiful now, especially on the east coast... It was the second one in the country, when it opened.

Sooper Jet

Chance Zipper. Rare to see in a park
("park")

Woo. The SBF Spinning Coaster.
New-for-me Credit #3

Because... +1

But at least its fun?

1 of 56 (known) SBF Spinners to have popped up since 2014
(and that's not counting the 15 larger models!... or the few traveling ones)
 ((I've racked up 11 so far))

KMG Freak Out

Wacky Worm, already ridden.

Zamp Balloon Flight Ferris wheel. I had seen the 'debut' of it at IAAPA and rode one at the Florida State Fair... just for the because.

The only other ride I rode here was Endeavor, a ride that had debuted in 2016.

(I had seen parts for the one going in at Scream Zone / Coney Island in 2015. Despite the fact my visit there was in august... all that had arrived at that point were the seats.)

Here at Trimper's it replaced a Chance Wipeout and was pretty much shoehorned in between the cobra roll of Tidal Wave, leading to some wonderful visuals both on and off the ride. 

It's Zamperla take on the classic Enterprise ride.

Despite it having OTSR's it runs pretty good and looks nice too, a flaw in some Zamp rides.

When both Endeavor and Tidal Wave run at the same time it looks pretty cool.

Trimper's model features single seat rows with 2 seats per 'car' although Zamp is now selling a 2 seat per row / 4 seat per car model now popping up at some Six Flags parks.

I was also lucky enough to have Tidal Wave fly past while riding Endeavor <3
Pretty awesome foot chopper effect and surprisingly good ride overall.

(Hmm, I didn't realize Vine was still live.... So here's something.. extra)

https://vine.co/v/5WEJBhEnpH3

I also drove past Baja Amusements on my way to Yatpay's house ...but didn't stop since I already had the kiddie credit, nothing was new there, and I was sleepy/hungry and still had another 150 mile drive to Hyattsville. <3
Worth it?

.....If it wasn't for Wild One

Oh... Six Flags America.
Once a major up and coming park in the Six Flags chain.. Now a forgotten wasteland of hand-me-down rides from other Six Flags parks that didn't want them anymore. At one point in time the park was adding one or more new coaster every single year... but come 2001 it suddenly stopped and Six Flags started ripping out rides (and coaster) across the park (Six Flags parks as a whole did this.. And it really ruined a lot of awesome parks) While in the last few years most of the investments here have gone to the ever growing Hurricane Harbor water park.. most of the rides in the dry park have been relocation's from elsewhere or  kiddie/family rides in nature and this also left more than a few battle scars around the property. Maybe one day Six Flags can turn things around here and bring it back to the so-called Glory Days of 99-00 when the park was so promising and had a lot of unique, one of a kind, cutting edge rides.
(While I know it'll never happen.. I can still dream) 
Yeah, somehow… Outside of Six Flags New England… it's probably my visited Six Flags park with some 20 visits racked up... and now over at least three different seasons… I’ve made multiple visits here within the same year!

Maannn…. If it wasn't for Wild One

(or having a season pass)

The drive from Frederick to the park was just over an hour

Woo, uh, Six Flags America.

Getting to the park later in the afternoon, most of the crowds had already arrived and since it was super hot out.. Most everyone was in the water park.

Walking down the end of the ‘Main Street’ area I passed the Zamp Flying Carousel.

(In all my visits here, I think I’ve only ridden it once or twice)
((Jeff would shame me for riding it anyways))

Since my last trip here the park rethemed the area around Wild One with a ‘New Orleans’ overlay… Including the addition of Ragin' Cajun. A hand-me-down Zamp Mouse from Six Flags Great America.

It's actually the second coaster in the park to come from the park

(And yeah, I rode both there.. And here.. as well)

Opened with the New Orleans expansion was this set of Larson flyers, French Quarter Flyers

And the parks Falling Star was renamed and themed into the Zydeco Zinger

Added in 2015, Bourbon Street Fireball became the park's
”10th roller coaster”
lololololol

(I skipped it.. This time around)

Yeah… These Larson Super Loops… aren't coasters.

But hey, Wild One is!

One of my favorite wood coasters… and a transplant from Massachusetts

So.. I had to take it for a lap

Making my way out of the area I took a quick ride on Tower of Doom… Uh, make that Voodoo Drop.

Working my way to the far end of the park I passed Penguin's Blizzard River…
closed, despite being like 100*s out.

This poor looking Smoking Section once housed the parks Avalanche/Flying Bobs (after it was moved from next to Joker’s exit) but before that.. Held one of the extremely few ‘custom’ themed Chance Chaos rides... themed here as Krypton Comet. What a shame :(
(One of my favorite flat rides)

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL

What.A.JOKE.

Six Flags + VR on popular coasters.

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!

New for this year, all the Six Flags parks added a 'VR Coaster' using Samsung Gear VR.. and in doing such made rides with rather good put-through come to a virtual stand still. (and in some cases made rides do as little as 5 dispatches in an HOUR!) What should have been a line of maybe 15 minutes for superman stretched well over an hour. I saw a train cycle... from the ride entrance... Walked all the way back to Batwing, rode it, walked back.. and that same train was still waiting on the final block to reenter the station (because the other was still loading.......)
So.. I skipped it.
Yeah, I'm so glad Kraken at SeaWorld is gonna start this next year..........

Oh hey, and the train is now an all the time attraction... Rather than just for guests using the private function grounds.

Woo, Batwing... Still in time-out at Six Flags America... but I try my best to give it the courtesy ride each time I visit.

Also took Jokers Jinx for a ride. The coaster was a walk on.. yet the dispatch times were pretty horrible. You can see here the train is basically empty and yet the staff have failed to lower the lap bars despite the second train having already completed its run and is now just baking in the summer sun.
(meaning, they'd probably be better off just running one train)
Typical Six Flags.

Bitching aside... I like the ride and its always a fun coaster.

Still surprised the park has hung onto its Round-Up

The remains of Typhoon Sea Coaster... The park couldn't even bother to remove the entire thing when they put in Apocalypse a few summers ago.

<3 Intamin Flying Dutchman <3

Apocalypse, the first coaster B&M ever built
(Although not at this park but rather Six Flags Great America)
I walked up to take a ride but it went down.. So I walked away and headed over to Roar.

But once I got there.. decided I was too lazy to wait in line for it.. So I just kinda... walked away from it.
Ehh

Shipwreck Falls... Had I not been flying out a few hours later.. I might have taken it for a lap.. Since it was so GD hot out.

Rodeo, with its awesome Cow Cars

And Renegade Rapids, the parks raft ride... That I hadn't ridden in some +10 years.
(And while today would be no different.. I actually would end up riding it twice, about a month after this photo was taken.. ha)

Lastly.... 
Did...not...ride
(Oh hey, Mind Eraser)

Uh.. yeah. It really is a shame a park that could be rather amazing is left to just rely on locals using the water park. Six Flags even put the park up for sale a few years back... Maybe had someone else stepped in.. The park could shine... but that doesn't mean it cant under Six Flags rule... It just wont.
After leaving the park and getting a few drinks and snacks from a gas station near the park I headed back to DC to drop off my rental and get myself to the airport for my early evening flight back to Orlando. The drive back to Reagan from Six Flags is just under an hour.. but I also gave myself some extra time to check out some of the overlook stops on the George Washington Memorial Parkway I passed earlier in the week. (and also built in time for DC rush hour traffic.. haha)

Bonus Vine: Rides at Six Flags