CREATING MEMORIES
TEXAS NEW YEAR
What is open in the winter? Texas parks are open in the winter! But of course things spiraled out of control! Welcome to the Texas and California Blog with little bit of Vegas sprinkled in the middle!
Day 1 – Travel & Fiesta Texas
The first day started together from December 27, but individual travel was separate. The plan was to keep costs as low as possible and so Gabby only flew in Business Class to Mexico for Christmas day and her first park, Six Flags Mexico. I on the other hand flew with the rest of the common people in economy class on Boxing Day and headed over to our first place of stay, Motel 6.
Thanks to jet lag, I was awake watching a film at 5am as Gabby arrived early by her Mexican Bus and was now heading in an Uber to IHop. A fast walk through some dodgy roads in the dark, hoping not to get murdered and I was there. We are finally reunited after our crazy alcohol and coaster fueled trip to Port Aventura in November.
Gabby’s excitement for Pancakes and French Toast in IHop matched my excitement for the free coffee refills. A post breakfast photoshoot outside IHop waiting for our Uber before showcasing our base of operations for the first time. I was trying to contain my anticipation for our first park and we started our walk, under a shitty bridge, equally smelling as shitty. Across the car park and there she is, it’s Six Flags Fiesta Texas!
2 Milestones to hit this day, one for myself and the other for Gabby. But first we walked through the park, and we hit the 5 minute queue for Wonder Woman which only took 20 minutes to complete, that’s Six Flags timing for you. It didn’t feel as I thought it would considering I have done the near clone in California’s Great America. It felt slower and slightly rougher which was very strange. Next, we spin on Pandemonium and back down to Batman the ride. Actually fuck Batman, he broke! To Superman instead. Krypton Coaster was pretty cool, Best Floorless coaster I have done! Back to Batman before it’s time… Iron Rattler! RMC number 10 for me and Coaster Credit 200 for Gabby! A special coaster with an awesome milestone for the both of us.
The evening consisted of us eating at Gabby’s favourite, Chopsix for the awesome orange chicken and getting a few more rides in, including the new Dr Diabolical Cliff-hanger which Gabby was coordinating clothing with. This created the new saying for the trip “Scream, I can’t Hear You!”. Next was my 69th Vekoma coaster which of course was a boomerang and then finally the B&M Batman clone called Goliath.
Time to run! Final ride of the day already! Back to the fucking cool Iron Rattler. As we get the second to last train back into the station, we both knew what we were about to do. Fight! If there is an empty seat available you may re-ride. As I push a man’s partner out the way so that Gabby and I could get that re-ride, I am sure they will be arguing about this the whole journey home, but fuck them, we got the re-ride on Iron Rattler baby!
From waking up to pancakes and French toast to listening to Gabby try and pronounce Iron Rattler, we have almost survived the first day. But before calling it quits, we take an exhausting visit to the not so cheap Target for a couple not so great supplies.
Day 2 – Fiesta Texas… Again!
Poltergeist has opened today after being down previously, so with a quick breakfast containing Biscoff Spread brought over from Europe and we’re ready to go to the shit smelling bridge and day two at Fiesta Texas. Pre park photos outside the front roadside sign and then straight to the Premier Rides Spaghetti Bowl coaster for back to back rides. Having been used to the Vekoma models, either the rock ‘n’ rollercoasters or Platform 13 at Walibi Holland, it was great to try another manufactures take on this style ride, and a lot better take it was in every way.
Queues have caught up with us and now we had a very long line for Wonder Woman, it wasn’t meant to be that long, luckily Superman was a decent wait.
Chopstx again for dinner with another beer and a ride on Dare Devil Dive. It is a great addition to the park and hypnotizing to watch. We Finished the day with a double on Iron Rattler, far too easy as we didn’t even leave our seats to get sent back round again.
We are both exhausted and so it was time to go back to the Motel 6 after a quick walk around the other end of the park checking out some singing Christmas trees.
Day 3 – SeaWorld San Antonio
New Park Day! But first we are back in Fiesta Texas for a couple credits and the meal plan. Straight to Road Runner, it’s broke, next the Joker Carnival of Chaos, the world’s tallest pendulum ride. Pre-Show, ok here we go… BANG the floor jumps but not nearly as much as Gabby! Haha! Second cycle of the day, I may have been slightly more nervous than I made out on this one, but I was always going to do it! I don’t know why but I am always paranoid these giant arms are going to snap, luckily for us, none of these rides at a Six Flags park has! New credit time and it’s a Kiddie Coaster! The Streamliner coaster was merely just a plus one and now we need to get a move on, Chop six and SeaWorld time.
We are on our way. It may be a busy one today, so I am getting concerned. I have told Gabby if we can get 2 on Steel Eel and 2 on Texas Stingray, I would be happy. But first, we must go straight to Wave Breaker. This thing gets a huge queue all the time. Gabby was surprisingly quiet in the Uber over and I am getting a little concerned. We get in the park, it’s a little confusing but we pick our side to walk around and head past Steel Eel and to Wave Breaker. I go to walk in the queue but Gabby goes the other direction. Where are you going? Fucking Fast Pass!
Today is the test for the GoPro on the wrist, but not on Wave Breaker. You need an extra strap on your hand, whatever that means? Yea, this coaster was… a coaster, I guess. Nothing more, good for the family. Steel Eel was hilarious, That thing slapped and banged the fuck out of your back. The most random part being a speaker screaming something on the mid-course breaks… making Gabby jump again! Steel Eel was very strange, I think I liked it??!
Another Batman Clone called Great White themed to sharks followed by the rapids. and it was a fucking wet rapids! The seat belt on board pinned me down as we head under a waterfall that didn’t stop. I was so Jealous of the coat Gabby was wearing and it took so long for me to dry out.
Now we are ready for the main event, it’s Texas Stingray time. A HUGE Queue was bypassed as we walked past everyone. A very different layout for a GCI but still good. Not my favourite of our trip but that one wasn’t even planned in at this point yet. Time to lap, we need the front and the back, it’s game time. We got it. That was easy, fuck it keep going!
Worlds Largest Screaming Swing next and it was… Amazing! Tidal Surge! Loved this ride as I knew I would as we have a smaller version in the UK at Thorpe Park. Kiddie credit, Pretzel and Steel Eel. Wave Breaker again, why not. One of my most favourite photos of the week as we almost had an accident tripping over rocks, but the capture was so natural! Posing is a dangerous game!
We finished lapping for the remainder of the day on Texas Stingray. Saw some Orcas, went to Walmart and back at Motel 6.
Day 4 – Final Visit to Fiesta Texas
We need Road Runner Express and we’re ready for rope drop to get the first train of the day on the classic Arrow mine train. Fiesta Texas credits complete and now 3 back-to-back rides on Dr Diabolical. The audio blaring out Scream, I can’t Hear You! Louder! Scream!
Time to head over to the other side of the park. Multiple Superman Rides and Wonder Woman. Another on Poltergeist and Pizza for lunch as part of our meal plan!
We need an Iron Rattler day-ride, it is always dusk or dark when we get on it. 2 hours for the queue as it remains on single train ops, we better get in line now. Since our visit, a third Iron Rattler train has arrived and so the park will always be able to keep it on 2 trains going forward which is a fantastic investment for guest satisfaction.
So of course…Queue Beer! . No, we cannot accept English driving licenses. Umm, you did earlier in the week. To another kiosk then, no, we cannot accept English driving licenses, would you like to speak to the manager. Fuck Yes I do! No we cannot due to Six Flags policy. To whichever underage American getting an English Driving license, putting on a fake English accent and claiming to be almost 15 years past the age of alcohol sale… I salute you!
Two choices, I am angry and could suck it up and go in the queue or… complain and try and get fast passes! So we got 6 fast passes and I am sure they have never dealt with a complaint like that before! Iron Rattler x3 followed by a Night Ride on Poltergeist for a great way to end our visit to Fiesta Texas!
To the Yard House for boneless wings and beer. I thought I was getting a stein, but no I got a Yard which kind of makes sense because of the name of the place and was much needed after a dry day at the park.
Day 5 – Happy New Year
Yay, we can sleep for longer today! This was much needed for the both of us. We have been so exhausted with the travel and this morning felt like a great reset which was perfect ahead of the road trip. First stop to the airport to pick up the car. I have been warned, “Do Not Beep Your Horn In Texas! Everyone Has A Gun!” Three different people told me this!
ZDTs – The World’s Only Wooden Shuttle Coaster!
This very unique coaster is in the middle of no where in Texas, it just kind of popped out and then we were here. You can purchase yourself a Switchback only wristband for unlimited rides on just the main attraction which we did and then we got 13 rides before we moved on. It is great to support smaller parks, you will hear me say this a lot but we had a long day with two other locations to visit and the next leg of the trip involved a 3 hour drive. Switchback was a cool coaster and a great idea, something I hope to see the Gravity Group really improve on as they evolve.
Galveston Pier
As we drive past the Texas Killing Fields, the most notorious place for women to go missing in the USA, bad jokes from Marcus and to the Mexican Gulf for a quick credit at Galveston. Was not too impressed with this pier as they were charging to step on, this was before any rides! Then separate charges per ride. There was not much on the pier, especially for a charge to enter but at least we got our credit, a clone of Tantrum at Darien Lake which I experienced earlier in 2022. It was just a classic Gerstlauer. The Pier could have been more if they did not charge and so the atmosphere felt low. Galveston was just the cheeky bonus of the road trip and most important… we got a plus one!
Kemah Boardwalk
The main highlight of the night. Our hotel is only a 15-minute walk but what a shit 15-minute walk it was. We didn’t think we would miss the hike from Motel 6 to Fiesta Texas but here we are. As we trench through a building site for a new road and muddy footprints, we head into a dark neighbourhood. Is this really the location for a thriving night scene in Texas?
We made it and it is a busy one! Working out the price of the wrist band, 4 rides on the Boardwalk Bullet will make it even, 5 rides make it worthwhile… let’s go! We get in the queue, 45 minutes later. Wait what the fuck, single train ops, station staff have no idea. Filled with queue jumpers. This really is a rodeo of a coaster station! Visual Check, the most over the top acting to see what ever they are looking for. I think the man at the back is checking to see if any pieces of wood has fallen off the structure. This is, fucking stupid. The coaster is good though, a few very crazy moments, the turn just after the first drop was amazing but there were a couple dead spots on the ride. This has the record for the most amount of cross overs on a wooden coaster and it is great to see this fit in such a small plot of land.
After exiting, the ride host was vaping in the station. Yes, instead of loading the next train! We got our 5 rides making this worthwhile. There was one part on our 5th queue when the main ride host, left the station to go to the toilet. Like what the fuck. No one else came and supported her?
Highlights of the coaster included a front row ride during the fireworks celebrations, truly feeling special. Happy New Year! Next the sea mist came in and created a very spooky 1940s boardwalk theme. We had a little walk around the park, taking in the atmosphere before realising, the fucking coaster is still open! Let’s go again!
After ride number 6, we decided to either find a bar or head back to the hotel. The problem with Kemah boardwalk, it was not designed for a late night and shutting the site down at 11:30pm, only 30 minutes before the new year kicked in made things very difficult. The hotel won and the walk was something out of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre with mist filling the spooky streets and neighbourhoods. We didn’t make it back to our room before new year kicked in but we did get to a gas station to pick up some supplies for breakfast.
But now the worst part, we need to get back through this construction site and with the sea mist, it is wetter to trek through. This entailed a night in the bathroom scraping off the mud and stones from our shoes, we made a bit of a mess! America, build some paths (Sidewalks) Also, we took shit photos of Kemah Boardwalk… I noticed this while trying to upload them on here. Happy New Year!
Day 6 – It’s a long drive to Dallas
New Year, New Day, New Park. But first we start with a very disappointing breakfast. Having had breakfast being cancelled at the hotel due to “Safety Concerns” which we translated to budget cuts, I head down with the drinks order. Coffee for me, orange for Gabby. I am not surprised she refused to drink this as the orange resembled the same colour as the coffee, only from the difference in temperature could you tell the drinks apart! Oh well, at least we have croissant and egg muffins but… they were mouldy! Bastards! So, on the road we go. It is 4 hours until we get to the original Six Flags!
En route we stop off for fuel and food, breakfast of champions - it’s hot dogs. A much needed sleep for Gabby in the drive as I wake her up when slowly starting to spot the roller coasters… it’s Six Flags Over Texas time.
It’s a busy one again but there is a special milestone to hit today. All these kiddie coasters and shit rides I have done has led to this special moment, my 400th coaster! To La Vibora, no it is shut, shit. Fuck it, Titan. Luckily the biggest coaster in Texas was open as we knew the older sister was shut in Magic Mountain where we would be visiting in a few days. This is a very intense coaster with positive Gs and a very strong mid course break run, we practically stopped before continuing.
We have no idea where we are going, this park is all over the place! We hit up the classic Schwarzkopf double looper Shockwave which felt more intense on those loops than Titan before heading to the Over Texas version of Pandemonium. This was the only coaster all week that Gabby and I did separately as we opted for the single rider queue.
There were a lot of shut coasters but Mini Mine Train saves the day as now it is time! New Texas Giant. The 20-minute queue took closer to 1 hour to complete but we made it, credit number 400 with a front row ride for the first time. The New Texas Giant is the world’s first Rocky Mountain Construction Coaster and changed the way companies started to look at designing rides. The coaster will have a special place in my heart and I will always remember the ride Gabby and I had on this historical attraction. This will not crack anywhere near my top 25, but it doesn’t have too.
Over Texas Day one was completed with the next new credit, Runaway Mountain, a surprisingly good indoor coaster, a jacket potato with bacon and cheese for dinner and of course, Night Ride on New Texas Giant. Next we drive to what we thought was going to be our motel for the next few days. We arrive at the Rodeway Inn, and they could not find our reservation. We contact hotels .com and they could not either. Perhaps you should cancel, and rebook was the suggestion. So we did, but at a different and better hotel. Just a short walk opposite Over Texas with views of the shut Judge Roy Scream. This was better and worked out amazingly. We settle in and everything was far better than we have planned.
Day 7 – Six Flags are you open?
We start the day with a visit to the Airport. We are not flying but merely saying goodbye to our trusty little vehicle. As I get in the car, Six Flags looks to be a better day as Judge Roy Scream is testing. Hopefully this will be another credit for later. I drop off the car along with my coat, fucking idiot! The man at Avis just kept saying oh no that’s not good. Fuck you, give me back my coat. 15 minutes later and I have been reunited and return to the Sleep Inn.
Go time, Kiddie Coaster, Flat Rides and Batman to start our day. Of course, we went straight to Judge Roy Scream but it was shut… Due to Wind? What fucking wind? We get our flat rides in and the next Batman clone before disappointingly staring at Mr Freeze, still shut. Let us in!!! We spent the next five minutes posing outside the front with our many different emotions for the ride to be shut.
Mine train, still shut. This time we film ourselves giving that sign the middle finger. Next on the list. Superman Power Tower, Closed for Wind again? That video was us getting blown all over the place. This became the theme of the day. We stopped riding coasters as we went crazy in the park creating all these different videos of emotions. We both agreed this was a highlight of the trip and was needed for ourselves just to have fun for the day without worrying about getting on any coasters. The Pirates dark ride we were reading the map looking for treasure but my favourite was when I somehow convince Gabby I was going to flick water at her outside the rapids… I may have gone for the whole bottle… She may have poured the rest over me!
Then we did some coasters, 5 multiple rides back to back on Titan before finishing again with New Texas Giant and a back row ride. We headed back to the Sleep Inn, got refreshed and spent the evening in the Hooters of Texas drinking beer. Change the owls to war and guns and now you have Bombshells. Our new local in Texas!
End of Part One
With a crazy first week to our first mega adventure, things only got worse in part two! From Vegas to LA and back to Texas, continue with our adventure by clicking the link below!
