Following my visit to Beech Bend in Bowling Green, KY, I made the decision to stop at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom before heading back home to Cincinnati, though knowing what very limited time I had - especiall since Bowling Green was in Central time zone, and Louisville is in the Eastern. This meant I had to head up I-65 in only two hours, then get to the Expo Center, home of the Six Flags park, which was scheduled to close in only 20 minutes from arriving at the main parking entry.
To my surprise, the toll booths were not staffed, so I avoided paying $5 to get in. The next surprise was even better: The park was closing at 8 pm, not 7! Very shocking, since there was hardly anyone in the park - if this were Kings Island, they would have closed at 7 pm, or worse, 6 pm! But Six Flags is being nice this year, so I made may way to my favorite coasters, like Greezed Lightnin', which had been rehabbed with a new* train and loop.
Next up was Chang, where the yellow and blue paint job is now complete, giving a smoother ride. It looks great, with real yellow - bit I personally wisk they kept the rails gray/silver than yellow, as the yellow has already been torn away through wheel wear. T2 was waiting for me, and it might have been due to two riders (me included), it was rough as hell. Next time I ride that thing, I'll go with a full train of riders!
Thunder Run is usually a pain to go through because of its low capacity and slow loading procedure, but because there were few people in the park, the load was sped up. I got two consecutive rides, front and back. The airtime was still great, but the train did a lot of shuffling - maybe I was spoiled by the new wood at HW and BB!
Twisted Twins, unlike my last visit, was running both sides. I got 2 on the pink side, one on the teal train. Still a good ride, but not as good as the other wood I've been on the past two days. Before leaving for the 8 pm close, I did the Roller Skater, another round on Greezed Lightnin' and closed with Roadrunner Express. Upon leaving the park, there were the Looney Tunes characters on the front gate plaza dancing and entertaining the departing guests. Again, Six Flags is emphasizing family entertainment - doing stuff I wish the 'Hollywood' park near me would do.
Walking out of the front gate, I noted that lately that the surrounding Kentucky Exposition Center, next to the park, has been undergoing a transformation. The new South Wing C was completed in October 2005, and now, the old East Wing is being demolished. Built in 1956, along with Freedom Hall and the West Wing, it was outdated because of its low roof and many columns, and will be replaced with a new hall similar to the newer South Wings.
Likewise, the days of the old Cardinal Stadium are probably numbered. Its tenants, minor league baseball, and University of Louisville Cardinals football, have moved to newer facilities, and its older 1956 design with columns are also a downside, and is only really used during the State Fair. It may be torn down to make way for a new indoor arena - Louisville has made bids for an NBA franchise, and of couse Freedom Hall, is aging. This also leaves the future of Freedom Hall and the West Wing in the air...
Surronding the KEC, area hotels were packed and stacked, as were some of the roads and retailers, the night before the Derby. Macy's at Oxmoo(r) Center was open late, past its usual 9pm closing. By 11:30, I made it back home, just as the Late Show with Dave was on. It was a memorable couple of days of coasters, driving, eating and more.
By the way, Kobe Bryant made a silly poop joke. More later.
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