.....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

Great Escape Lodge and White Water Bay!

Filling in with some backlogged photos from last year......

This time around its from my first time staying at the Six Flags Great Escape Lodge and White Water Bay indoor water park in Queensbury, New York (Lake George)

Great Escape used to be a yearly pilgrimage for me up until 2009 when I moved to Orlando and I'd been itching to get back ever since... Even getting almost annoyed when the rest of my family had gone back in the years since.... So my dad and I came up with a plan that would allow me to visit the park again, have family time, spend the day at the water park and surprise my mom all at the same time. I got my dad to book the hotel for a weekend trip at the end of September knowing my mom would sort-of boast to me about how they/she was gonna be going to the park and staying at the hotel and that I was gonna be "stuck" in Orlando and such having no idea I was flying up and meeting them. Ok, blah blah blah onto the photos and stuff.

Woo, so after leaving Melrose at 5am and driving out to Lake George we arrived at the lodge.

The Six Flags Great Escape Lodge opened in 2006 and while we had all walked around inside, this would be our first time staying here (we used to stay elsewhere in the area when visiting.) The lodge was Six Flags' first and only water park resort built to date and now the only hotel owned by the chain (having sold off Darien Lake)

The lobby was all set for Halloween and Fright Fest.

 A bear!!!

And... a big spider.

The room was surprisingly large with two queens and pull-out sofa (where of course, I ended up...)

The room was nice but felt a bit dated for something not even 10 years old. It wasn't bad but it could use a refresh.
Although the main reason for booking the hotel is for the indoor water park.

White Water Bay

er..... Fright Water Bay

White Water Bay features a nice sized lazy river, 3 major water slides, a splash fort, kid area, and a Flow Rider within the 38,000-square-foot building.

Tak-it-Eesi-Creek, the best of the four indoor lazy rivers I've experienced.

 Water jets near one of the rivers entrance.

One of the pool areas that branch off the river itself with some jets and waterfalls, Lott-A-Watta-Bay.

Another bear! In the kiddie area, Tip-A-Kanu-Beach.

Due to limited space within the water park there are at least three different levels and all three major water slides take place outside of the building itself.

Tall Timbers Treehouse is on the third level and mostly built over Lott-A-Watta-Bay and the lazy river.

It also featured some theming for Halloween

At the top of the stairs is where the three major slides start. Avalanche, Glacier Run, and Snow Shoe Falls. On the far left you can see what used to be the lift for the massive tubes used on Avalanche. When it first opened the slide used the standard circle raft used on most family slide but at some point the park switched over to using the ProSlide Cloverleaf tube that doesn't seem to fit and now guest have to drag the massive tube up stairs on their own (as seen on the right)

Avalanche as seen from outside.

The exit for Glacier Run and Snow Shoe Falls and a little more Halloween theming.

And.... the same slides as seen from outside.

And lastly, Boogie Bear! Bear themed Flow Rider? 

I just couldn't bring myself to try it front of my family

(I've already embarrassed myself on one in Destin, FL)

yaayyy! Six Flags Great Escape Lodge and White Water Bay, a great way to spend a few hours on a chilly fall morning after driving some 5 hours to upstate New York from Boston and waiting for Great Escape (park) to open at noon so I can ride COMET! <3

woo