The James show. PT.8

Yup.... The Saint Louis Zoological Park

My day at the St. Louis Zoo should have been the last in my adventure... but things didn't end up that way... I only had enough time at the zoo to see the major areas and sadly, not enough time to ride the train... Or explore the rest of the massive Forest Park area (in the end, I had a huge delay at the airport and could have spent hours more at the zoo and forest park.......)  The zoo opened in 1904 and was part of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition (1904 World's Fair) and the 1904 Summer Olympics as well. Forest Park is also home to the Saint Louis Art Museum, the Missouri History Museum, and the St. Louis Science Center, as well as large areas of park land. From 1896 to 1963 there was even an amusement park located within Forest Park with a pretty fun looking coaster.

Anyways.... uh, photos from the Saint Louis Zoological Park.

 Woo, not only is the zoo AZA accredited... its FREE!

And incredibly classy.

The zoo is very large and split into six sections. 

    River's Edge, The Wild, Discovery Corner, Historic Hill, Red Rocks, and Lakeside Crossing

It also has a large Chance C. P. Huntington train with four stations... and it runs multiple trains! But due to time issues, I was unable to ride it :( (next time for sure!)

As soon as I entered the park and checked the massive map.. I made my way to the left

(hippo...hippo...hippo!)

Passing a rather large under construction area... That once open will feature bears!

(Guess I was too early, booo)

But that's ok, because just past it was....

The Hungry, Hungry Hippos!!!

(hippo hippo...hippo!)

Oh, and this terrible women... Who while standing NEXT TO the sign saying "Welcome to the Anheuser-Busch Hippo Harbor" kept telling her child "LOOK AT THE RHINO! DO YOU SEE THE RHINO?! LOOK! THE RHINO IS SWIMMING!!!" I was ready to slap her... but I just walked away.

Walking down to the Elephant area you walk along side this neat little stream.

The zoo has lots of water features... Ponds, fountains, waterfalls. Its very impressive. 

At the bottom of the hill is the Elephant Overlook... And yeah, you can see Elephants there. 

Who knew?

I made a quick pass by the Butterfly Pavilion. Yup.

and... I was able to get to the outdoor viewing area 

for the penguins.

They also have an indoor penguin viewing area with puffins as well but it wasn't open during my visit, I believe an entire section of this area in the zoo was under refurbishment at the time.

((Polar Bears were listed as "coming soon"... but I was sooner than them :( ))

Most zoo's seem to be getting in on this Carousel trend. More than half of the zoo's I've visited in the past few years seem to have them. This is the Mary Ann Lee Conservation Carousel. Although unlike most zoo's their carousel represents animals found within the zoo itself.

Oh!

And its across the patchway from the duck pond!!

QUACK QUACK!

Fragile Forest features orangutans, chimpanzees and gorillas. The area is split half indoors half outdoors and the areas open and close with the seasons.

In the 'back' (or, I guess.. far right side) are the Red Rock Territories and Historic Hill areas of the zoo, Historic Hill being the oldest area, dating back to 1904. Sadly, these were the areas I was only able to spend minimal time at :(

But I did happen upon this sleepy Hyena.

I was unable to spot any of the big cats in the zoo :(

No Lions, Leopards, Tigers, or Jaguars for me....

But I did get to see Mr. Ring-Tailed Lemur!!!

I almost missed the lemur house all together... 

in my race to the exit.

After leaving the zoo I made my way back to the airport with a stop for a quick lunch... Knowing Jeff gets mad at me for eating at chains when I'm in new cities... I found a place on my GPS down the road from the zoo called My Daddy's Cheesecake Bakery & Cafe... and I checked it out. I ended up getting a super yummy veggie wrap.. and well, cheesecake. Tragically, I was unable to pick just one kind to try and ended up getting two <3 :D

Once full of yummy cakes.. I continued onto the airport where I found my flight was to be delayed by hours... So I walked by some trendy camp store filled with custom and wonderful looking rubber ducks, fearing I'd be walking out with 15 of them... I just got myself a panda bear suction-cup and quickly exited... While sitting at the gate waiting to fly from STL to ATL to MCO we were informed our flight was going to be delayed more and that you could call Delta for more info or rebookings... I jumped at the chance to book a later flight out of Atlanta.. I sent Deka a whole bunch of texts and booked myself a flight out of Atlanta the next night. Woo, Six Flags Over Georgia.... here I come!

At some point the flight did leave St. Louis, getting me into Atlanta around 10pm. Deka picked me up at the airport and we headed off to her place but stopping at a Waffle House along the way for some numnums.

In the end, the St. Louis Zoo is pretty amazing. I'd put it in my top 5 zoo's for sure. Not really sure where at but after Omaha (my #1)...  and maybe before the National Zoo (unless they bring their hippos back)

Bonus photos via twitter -
https://twitter.com/CanobieFan/status/363733758727319552
https://twitter.com/CanobieFan/status/363842265430515712

Bonus random tweets -
https://twitter.com/CanobieFan/status/363693300382834689

https://twitter.com/CanobieFan/status/363726941695647744
https://twitter.com/CanobieFan/status/363731719003709440
https://twitter.com/CanobieFan/status/363733151597596672
https://twitter.com/CanobieFan/status/363771188851380224

And that's it for part 8... Here's where the story ends... well, should have ended. Just one update left now.

The James show. PT.7

Umm... Six Flags St. Louis?

One of the worst park experiences of my life happened here back in 2005, as well as one of the, if not THE biggest coaster disappointment I've had to date...there was a long while where I just wanted nothing to do with this park at all. 8 years later, it was almost an entirely new park for me. Since my last visit the park has added three new coasters, a drop tower, and a Star Flyer as well as turned Mr.Freeze around backwards, I ended up missing this ride back in 05 due to thunder storms, bad planning, and traffic in the St. Louis metro. They've also reopened their Falling Star and expanded their water park. I was slightly nervous pulling up to the park based on my previous visit.... but did my best to be optimistic while watching the rain clouds rolling in, Déjà Vu? At least this time it wasn't gonna be 100*s out 

Well.....here goes nothing.

Yup.... Six Flags Road...Eureka, Missouri

Home to Six Flags St. Louis... uh, the third and final park built by Six Flags.

And one of my most hated parks

Apparently the park was now Missouri's Coaster Capital

Too bad only two (maybe 3?) of their coasters are worth riding.

Thanks to my Gold Pass, I was able to enter the park 15 minutes before non-passholders and ran to be first in line for Mr. Freeze : Reverse Blast, the only adult coaster I was unable to ride my first trip here....and the only one I really wanted to ride today.

Ah, first to make it to the queue entrance! But wait...

ZzZzz

At least it could be heard testing... so they were actively trying to get the ride open.

After hanging around around maybe 30 minutes the ride opened... and I raced to get my front (back?) seat ride.

Ah, that moment when you're the only one in the station for a ride and its open!

Quickly taking my front seat ride... I was locked and loaded.. and slid over to the launch tunnel.

This ride is super fun, absolutely loved it!

Being launched out of the station backwards.... climbing the 200+ foot spike.. facing downward the whole time, and the fantastic free fall on the return run! Over the day I rode it some six times and would have ridden it more had it not closed during the heavier rain...

After a couple rides on Freeze, I made my way up the hill to Pandemonium, ugh

Taking advantage of my single-riderness I jumped in the first seat I saw, got my one ride in, CREDIT! +1 and walked away not caring to ever ride it again. Why couldn't Six Flags have invested in some good spinning coasters?

I'm not really sure what happened next... But I ended up bringing myself to get in line "line" for Boss.

Boss..... its so terrible no one wants to ride it.

Back in 2005 this was one of the biggest, if not the biggest roller coaster disappointments of my life. The ride is just so massive and one of the few rides I'd go as far to call beautiful.. sadly its 100% CRAP. Its mega slow and ultra rough and it runs G-Trains to boot! I absolutely hated this ride the one and only time I rode it before.... Part of me wanted to make sure it was as bad as I remembered, I guess that's why I got in the nonexistent line. Anyways, it was still terrible but I was able to see the ride has potential to me amazing. If it only got some (good) retracking and maybe new rolling-stock... But for now, I'll be just fine never going back on it.

While exciting Boss, I saw the parks enterprise running.

"Highland Fling", it was closed my last time here.. So I took the opportunity to ride it this time.

I also rode Xcalibur, although this was the only non-coaster I got to ride in 2005. Its not run the way it should be, but its still fun for what it is.... although the loading process takes forever... and I was the *only* rider on it!

I made my way over to Superman: Tower Of Power, the parks Intamin Giant Drop.. but things weren't looking to good.

 The employee at the ride entrance kept telling everyone to check back later in the day and that it would be opening at some point....

It never did.

But the parks new (used) Boomerang had opened for the day, 2 hours after park opening!

Good for them not being able to open a 24 year old ride on time

Even worse, the ride seems extremely popular 

(guess that's a good thing for the park)

Not only did it turn out being the longest line all day for me, it might have even been the second longest line I've ever waited in... for a Boomerang. :/

While working my way up to the top of the park... I found they've moved the entrance for Screamin' Eagle. Now you're forced to walk past a bunch of crappy midway games I wasn't gonna play anyways.. and it made it slightly awkward to find the coasters entrance... ZzZzz

While the line was only a two train wait for the back car, it started pouring... not being known to me, until the train exited the station. I'm not sure how I feel about this ride... Its not bad... but I don't find it that great either. I guess its kinda like Scream Machine at SFOG, where it looks like an airtime machine... but it just turns out... not to be.

While still at the parks top (hill top) I made my way over to SkyScreamer.

This was the first Funtime Star Flyer to be built in a Six Flags park 

(their up to 8 now)

I guess its OK, it runs an extremely short cycle. This was my fifth true Star Flyer (up to 6 now) and for sure had the quickest cycle.

Heading back down the hill I walked over to the parks giant Ferris wheel, Colossus.

And much like my 2005 trip, it was closed.

(all day, no signs of work being done)

But oddly enough while exiting other rides in the park the employees will "suggest" that you "go check out _____" and more than once Colossus came up.

Uh, the Six Flags Railroad was one of those rides telling you to ride the closed Colossus. I rode the train a full lap for photo ops...but due to poor weather and lighting.... it didn't turn out to well for me. Oh well.

Heading back down the hill to make my way over to the final new-for-me coaster in the park I stopped over at the parks duel log flume... I think just called... Log Flume?

I only planned to ride one side but due to lack of any sort of line for the ride ended up riding both sides. Both were rather fun but I think the "left" station was the better of the two and I'm kinda surprised the park still has them. 

(seeing how SF has been removing flumes chain wide)

I also grabbed myself a quick lunch...

$14 later.....

I walked over to American Thunder

I wasn't sure what to think walking up to the ride. When it first opened, people who made their way out to the park for it seemed to love it but then nothing was ever heard of it ever again.

It was rather good! But Six Flags' lack of maintenance for it is slowly showing. The trains pretty much shuffle the whole ride... but its not rough, yet.

I was making my way back up the hill to see if River King had any sort of line... but at this point the sky opened worse than before and most rides closed. I ended up leaving the park myself and just kind... chilled in my car, seeing if the weather would let up or not. After maybe an hour the rain was slowly letting up (although not stopping) I made my way back into the park... I was about ready to just leave... but I hadn't ridden Batman yet and I kinda wanted to before leaving.

Not really sure what I was thinking here.. but....

I made my way over to Ninja, with a lovely sign stating it would only have one train running (ahahahahah, if this was SFNE, every coaster would need this!)

One train ops, or not, there was no line.. even for row one.

After quickly regretting getting in line for it at all, I was off... and making my way over to Batman.

Pretty surprised to find it a walk-on as well. But I guess at this point there were only like 1000 people in the park.... I also rode the parks swinging ship, located next to Batman before heading back uphill.

Uh.... River King Mine Train

Back in 2005 I rode this ride, I only knew I had ridden it because I had taken an on-ride photo. If not for that photo I wouldn't have even known I had ridden it at all! (shows how...good.. the ride is)

So I hopped on, just to see if it would jog my memory... nope! Magic Springs definitely got the better of the two sides (if you can call theirs... better)

After a few more rides on Freeze, and an attempted second ride on a now closed SkyScreamer, I headed over to Thunder River.

I mean at this point... I was already completely soaked and it was raining.... so there wasn't much more damage to be had... The ride turned out to be pretty good, although on the shorter side for a raft ride. After exiting, I rode the parks Scooby-Doo dark ride shooter and a final two more rides on Mr. Freeze before heading out to my new luxurious hotel and a num-nums stop at a Denny's on the way.

uugghhhhh...... at least it didn't say YOLO.

So um, that's it. Six Flags St. Louis was better this time around than my last time... although still pretty craptastic. Maybe the third time will be the charm... Once they get their long awaited hyper (aaahhhhahahaha) and maybe if the sun could stay out when I'm here for once.. that would be nice too (maybe I could even try the water park..) I don't know.. Freeze is great, so is America Thunder. Batman and Eagle are good and so are SkyScreamer and Xcalibur (although both not run as they could be) I guess I *would* visit the park again... I just don't see myself going out of my way for it. And if I do come back... that damn Ferris Wheel better be open!

Uh, yeah.

Bonus photos via twitter -
https://twitter.com/CanobieFan/status/363349872356769792
https://twitter.com/CanobieFan/status/363374771498528769

Bonus random tweets -
https://twitter.com/CanobieFan/status/363304629196427265
https://twitter.com/CanobieFan/status/363333277236465664
https://twitter.com/CanobieFan/status/363342395800170496

https://twitter.com/CanobieFan/status/363450414475124737

Woo, part seven? ... Just two more to go!

The James show. PT.6

 The Rob and James show. PT.6!

Er, I guess its just The James show now! 

 This update is gonna be pretty straightforward. After my initial plans were set for my summer trip... I decided I did wanna add a side-trip to St. Louis, Missouri because it was in the area. Too bad from Oklahoma City I couldn't fly direct and had to layover in Atlanta... After an assumed and present delay at both OKC, due to fire alarms going off.... and in ATL because, well, its Atlanta.... I made it to St. Louis, picked up my new rental and headed downtown to the Gateway Arch.  I'd passed the Arch back in 2005 as part of a whirlwind Midwest trip but this would be my first time really getting to see it, as well as go to the top! After being annoyed at how to find the parking lot and driving around the block a few times... I made it to the Arch.

 Woo, the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial 

Home to the Gateway Arch, Old Courthouse, and the Museum of Westward Expansion.

 The 630 foot Arch and the flags of..uh.. 

St. Louis... Missouri.. and America?

 It's pretty massive, and also just kinda pretty.

The lame amusement park fan in me tried to imagine it as a 600 foot SkyCoaster... Lame, I know.

Yup, the Gateway Arch.

 Once inside the base of the Arch you can buy tickets to visit the observation deck at the top as well as access to the 

Museum of Westward Expansion.

 This.... is a model of the terrible car that brings you to the top. Each one sits five people and they make sure to fully load them. On the ride up, I was awkwardly placed with a mom, dad, and two very small girls.... so it was pretty uncomfortable for me (I'm pretty sure the dad wasn't to thrilled I got placed with his family either but neither of us had a choice...)
 Coming back down I was placed with two sets of couples so it wasn't as bad.... although one was freaking out about A. being inside the little car.. B. the height of the Arch.

 At 630 feet its the tallest building uh, thing, in the state of Missouri

 Looking to the west, you can see all of St. Louis

 As well as the Old Courthouse, part of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial

 Looking east isn't as impressive.

 You can see the Mississippi River, as well as the Illinois countryside.

(and in the late afternoon, the shadow of the Arch?) 

 They try and cram as many people as they can up in the observation area.. Its not too hard to get a window spot but that doesn't mean awful children wont push you aide to look. Also, you can feel the whole thing kinda... sway.

 Back down in the basement is the Museum of Westward Expansion. Its not very big but its nice for what it is. Mostly photos/paintings/diagrams of what it was like at the time of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

 Uh, map of the Louisiana Purchase and a line showing the route of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

yaayyy history!

apparently there were Grizzly Bears along the way

 And Texas Longhorns!

(Mooooooo)

Also on the grounds are a few reflection ponds, a fountain, great lawn, and access down to the Mississippi River itself.

 One of the ponds on the parks grounds... Seems like a good place to find a duck or two.

Yup, quack.

After hanging around and just kinda... taking it all in, I headed off to my hotel. Someplace midway between the city of St. Louis and Six Flags (Eureka) but closer to the St. Louis side. I was shocked and horrified to find my hotel was straight up in the hood. Ready to cry, I went over to the Pizza Hut next door, was informed they were running behind and that it would be nearly an hour for food... placed my order and walked across the street to a gas station for for some SoBe Lifewater's and a candy bar to hold off my hunger. I ended up spending the night at the hotel er motel...er craphole (hellhole?), anyways... (hoping my rental would still be there in the morning!) and while I had originally booked this as a double stay I quickly checked OUT in the morning and booked myself into a classy hotel for the next night. I didn't even care about the money at that point.

Also, I had planned to go to the St. Louis City Museum (home to an Eli Wheel!) but because of delays in my flights I only had enough time for the Gateway Arch and that was more important to me anyways. I'm sure if I had rushed at both places I could have managed... but I enjoyed just sitting out by the Arch and along side the stinky river, just relaxing...... And because I never made it out to Grant's Farm... I can always just do both  

next time.

Bonus photos via twitter -
https://twitter.com/CanobieFan/status/363047329613373440
https://twitter.com/CanobieFan/status/363072891060899840

Bonus random tweets -
https://twitter.com/CanobieFan/status/362941165512822784
https://twitter.com/CanobieFan/status/363004685479059456
https://twitter.com/CanobieFan/status/363085056077611008

Woo, part six was a small update... Part seven will be longer.