Zero Gravity Thrill Park /// Sorry Mom

Dreams Come True....

In Dallas, Texas... there's a magical amusement park.. of sorts by the name of Zero Gravity. Basically, its one of each standard 'Up-Charge' attraction all placed next to each other... with one other that's pretty rare (the reason we came here!), as its own amusement park. Admission is free and each ride is the same price with the price decreasing with the more you ride. A combo ticket is available that will give you one ride on all five rides... But due to Zero Gravity also operating rides on the midway at the State Fair of Texas (also in Dallas, and the other reason we were even in town!) one of the rides, the parks Sky Scraper / Booster ride was unavailable, because during the fair its moved over to Fair Park. We were told our ticket would be good at the fair or for 1 year after purchase. Well, since we had gone to the fair the day before... and didn't see ourselves being back in Dallas within a year I asked if we could just do something a second time, since we had 5 tickets for 4 rides. The staff seemed pretty ok with the idea.. so away Deka and I went.. Doing a bunch of things that look pretty dangerous but are safe, no matter how many times you try to explain it to your mom.
(and I don't think I would intentionally put my life in danger.)

Zero Gravity Thrill Park!
The things nightmares, uh, dreams are made of.
The worlds most extreme 'amusement park'

<3

Woo! Lets get things started!

First up was The Texas Blast Off!
I've ridden 7 other Sling Shot rides elsewhere, 3 of them being +300 foot models so this 150 footer was just a check on my 'ridden it' list. Deka and I had also ridden the one at Kings Island together some 10 years prior, her first time on one. But this was our first time riding the more primitive, bungee style Sling Shots.

It also uses Nylon Straps and is extremely exposed feeling...
:D

The ride is very intense. More so than the smoother launched 'Spring' Shot rides more commonly found.

I think I'd still take the spring version over this.. But I'm glad to have tried the original style... But its a bit much on the head banging, even when trying to not slam around.. haha.

Ride #2 was my beloved SkyCoaster.

A lovely 110 foot model. While I may have both a 250ft and 300ft (worlds tallest) pretty much in my backyard.. I still enjoy the little ones. :D
Uh, and it's the first one I've ridden that's painted yellow annnddd orange! 
And it was also the third one I've ridden with Deka (having been on the 300 footer and the one at Six Flags Over Georgia, when it was her first time.. Guess I'm a bad influence on her?)

Woo woo! Uh, my first TEXAS SkyCoaster!
(My 19th different one?)
two down, two to go!

#3... Uh, Bungee Jump.

a 70 foot Air Boingo tower, and the original attraction at Zero Gravity opening in 1992 as the Dallas Bungee Tower.
This would be my second time bungee jumping, having done it a few years ago in Pigeon Forge, TN.

It was also Deka's first time!
She was alllllllll talk while we got harnessed up and made the seven story climb up the tower.. How it was gonna be nothing and how its so short and she went on and on.. As I laughed and said...you say that now, but once you're standing on the edge.. and have to step off.
(and I was right... She got to the edge and suddenly its... Oh wow..Uh...)
((but she did it, and I made fun of her :P ))

And.. she took this lovely photo of me..
graceful bouncing around.
woo!
After getting something to drink.. and trying to calm my endorphin rush / high, it was time....

#4. 
Ooooooh maannn! Nothin' But Net!
SCAD!!! Suspended Catch Air Device
Now, the only permanent SCAD tower in the US
(and I'm pretty sure all of North America)

This... this was it. Something I'd been wanting to do for years and years. I had seen it on Real TV back around 1997-1998 or so, and from that point on, wanted to try it. I'm not sure why... Just looking at it, I can't see why it would really have appealed to me, at least.. back then? But much like getting my tongue pierced, I guess what you want when you're little... sticks with you. ha
In 2003, I saw a mini-sized SCAD Tower demo setup at IAAPA.. but it was non-operational. In 2005 I saw the SCAD Tower at Extreme World in the Wisconsin Dells but due to thunder storms in the area, it was closed. In 2006 I saw the SCAD Tower at South Pier in Blackpool England.. but again, it wasn't operating. In 2012 I made it back to the Dells.. Where I once again saw the Extreme World SCAD Tower, not operating (and I believe its since been removed, as Extreme World itself closed after an accident on the tower due to operator error and poor operations from leadership) but after some 20 years or so...I found myself next to an operating SCAD Tower :D

The ride is by far one of the most intimidating, at least by looks, and notorious, due to a couple of incidents related to operator error and not the ride itself (and none have occurred at Zero Gravity or have been fatal)
Pretty much... They take you to the top of a 160 foot tower, hang you under a platform.. and just drop you into a net hanging 130 feet below.... No cable, no cord, nothing. Pure, unattached free fall.

Deka was some what apprehensive about trying it... But in the end did ride it. It was just the fourth attraction we did at the park, sorta working our way up to it.
(baby steps?)

Me on the other hand.... I was nervous.. but excited.. and a little anxious too. Yet incredibly ready to do it.
The two of us went up together, with 2 other people. Deka was the third to go, I was fourth. So by the time it was my turn, I had already watched 3 others go (and been raised and lowered so they could exit the net) I also had lots of time to enjoy the view, and lovely sunset. The experience itself is rather unique.. but not really scary. It was actually enjoyable. Even hanging under the cage.. just waiting for the drop, the wind was blowing and my body did an entire 360* rotation before dropping. The drop itself is.. odd. It doesn't feel like a drop ride.. or like free fall when on a coaster or something.. It just feels fast, an increasing of acceleration. And then... SLAM... you hit the net. It doesn't hurt or anything but the sound of the back pad hitting the net makes a sound and suddenly you realize what just happened. I think my words were 'OH MY GOD', after hitting the net... followed by a whole bunch of laughing. It's also kinda weird as you enter the net... since you see it first, before you hit it, or even start to slow down.
(I'd still say bungee is worse. With SCAD you don't have to physically do anything. You just hang there and someone else releases you... You aren't in control. With bungee, you still have to make yourself step over the edge, so to me that's still a bigger mindʞɔnɟ.)

Oh.. and because I had the extra ticket to use... You damn-well better believe I used it for a second ride!
(up I go!)

And... down I come!
For my second ride, I went up with a lady who was rather nervous and wanted me to go 'first' until I explained it would better for her to go, since she wouldn't have to ride up and down a second time for me to exit... and it would give her less time to think about it.

Ah, look at me! I'm in a giant net!

Oh.... and because Deka didn't wanna do anything a second time... I used her ticket and rode it a third time! The operator made some comment to me how he had been working at Zero Gravity for a couple of years now and had only done the SCAD maybe 10 times, where I had just done it three times back to back.

Hell, I would have kept going on it if I had the money!

(and if we weren't heading over to Six Flags Over Texas!!!)

And... a little vine of the SCAD in action <3 Vine

I've also added the parks 'promo' reel from YouTube, woo.

 You know, for fun. 

 

<3 <3 <3

Woo, Wild Adventures!

Woo, back in May when Mark was down here... We went up to Wild Adventures for the day. Yaayyy!

Mark had never been to the park before and Jeff and I hadn't been yet this year.. So we made the uneventful 3 hour or so drive to Valdosta, woo.

(annddd I think we stopped at Waffle House on the way!)

Sweet, the third best park in Georgia, Wild Adventures!

Mark, having never been needed all the credits and we had originally planned on spending time at the water park but due to it being colder than we hoped.. we skipped the slides.

 Right inside the park is their Roller Skater, Ant Farm Express... After being line jumped by awful little kids without shoes on (who were then turned away...) we got our ride and moved on...

 And quickly ticked off Go Bananas or Bug Out... or whatever the park is calling their Wild Mouse today as well.

 After that we walked right onto the parks Boomerang... named.. uh.. Boomerang.

This is still by far the smoothest Boomerang around, sadly the same cant be said for their SLC....

It may have been too chilly for the water park but we did take a ride on the raft ride, Tasmanian River Rapids 

(its waterfalls were off)

 I also went for a ride on the parks Chance Aviator.

Even with its OTSRs and being way shorter than the Star Flyers popping up everywhere now, I still like the ride (I think I made Jeff ride it 5 times when we came here for Halloween in 2011)

 Umm.. we rode the parks Chance train too, one of the few places in the park you can still see animals.

 Yup, animals.

 Making our way around the back side of the park.. We walked up and onto Cheetah. yaayyy

CCI Goodness and the best of the three coasters I've ridden named Cheetah.

 Even with its G-Trains.. its still a fun ride and worth a few rerides :)

 Not worth a reride is Twisted Typhoon / Hangman

I don't know what happened here but this SLC used to be *the* best SLC... Now its just kinda.. average. 

 But it looks nice with its new paint job and colors.

 We walked over to ride Viking Voyage.... 

But found this sign.

And also this....Oh well, I've got the credit (in two states)

 YUP

 I.... had to ride the Sky Coaster.... But to be fair, I hadn't been on this one yet.

 

 Tail Spin is the parks new for 2013 Zamp Disk'o.

I just don't find them fun (ZzZzz) I rode it.

But I was extremely amused that a park that already has a Moser Sidewinder... got a Disk'o.

I guess you need two rides that rock/swing back and forth while spinning riders who face outward, in the same park.. pretty much next to each other. 

 Yeah............

 Also, what the hell happened to the parks double shot?!

 Now renamed Firecracker and no longer shooting riders to the top twice. Jeff and Mark sat it out after seeing it cycle.. I had to try it myself so I could fully complain about how awful its being run now :P

Oh hey Mr. Random Snake, on the midway not part of any exhibit.

Oh, and the Yo-Yo was ridden too... yup

I also rode Blackfoot Falls, alone. It was a bit too chilly for me to want to ride it.. but having been here now like five times and having never seen it run... I couldn't pass it up. :\

Random photo of Swamp Thing... None of us rode it today.. but umm.. 

It has little CrocaGators that live under it!

(yes, I know the difference.....)

Wild Adventures used to be pretty half and half when it came to rides vs. animals.. But it seems over the years (and with its newest owners) more and more of the animal aspect is being removed... that being said, they still had some animals out on the Savannah (seen only by the train really) as well as the nature walk trail on the left side of the park, and a petting zoo now found where some kiddie rides used to be.

I made nice with this little cow.

I wanted to make nice with this duck... but she was giving me evil-eye... so I let her be.

Uugghhhhh..... Jeff and Mark wanted to feed the birds... I wanted nothing to do with them.

BUT I DID WANNA SEE THE BEARS!!!

And was devastated when they weren't out

:'(

Who would think this photo is from inside an amusement park with seven coasters and a bunch of flats?

I don't know how I feel about Wild Adventures... On one hand you can see the park is trying to clean up and is adding trees (much needed!) on the main midways... but there is still an extreme lack of food options and the bathroom situation is pretty horrific (although a work in progress) The park still has way to many battle scars from rides past and the layout could use some work. The new owners also seemed to have dropped any sort of theme to the areas within the park and are renaming/theming things without consistency. It's just kinda... unfortunate that a park being run by the same people who are running DOLLYWOOD and SILVER DOLLAR CITY just are not putting enough effort into bringing Wild Adventures up to those standards. (But I know it'll never be that way... Its just not the same kind of market... nor park... but still, work needs to be done here!) Yup, that being said... I'll still try and make my yearly visit to the closest out-of-state park I have and I'll still have a fun time doing it.