A friend of mine records that he has ridden over 816 different rollercoasters. I wasn't sure what my coaster count would be, but since I just added nine new ones to the list, I thought it might be interesting to try to figure it out. I'm not a part of the American Coaster Enthusiasts, but I do like a smooth and exciting ride. I can name and count at least 50 rollercoasters that I have experienced over the course of a lifetime so far, including the first indoor coaster, the fastest wooden coaster, the first inverted wooden coaster, the most expensive coaster, and more. Interestingly, our of the parks listed below are now closed and the rides have been relocated or scrapped altogether.
Springlake
For many years, I would not ride any rollercoasters. I blame my mother for that: she was adamant about hating coasters, and I automatically adopted her opinion without doing my own research. Strangely, she would ride Fire in the Hole at Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri, but she insisted it being in the dark changed everything.
There are many rumors of people flying off of the Big Dipper rollercoaster at the defunct Springlake Amusement Park, but my dad got me to ride the Wilde Maus with him at this long-closed amusement park in Oklahoma City. It was the 1970s, and coasters were far from the safe attraction they have become. . The Wilde Maus, like all Wild Mouse rides, was a single car attraction with lots of sharp turns. I remember that we should have sat on the opposite sides of the vehicle as Dad tended to be pressed against me on most of the turns, smashing me into the side of the car. Anyway, it mostly alleviated my fear of trying newer coasters through the years.
Incidentally, Springlake was the site of a major race riot during those days, and rumors surround those events, as well. Racism in this part of Oklahoma City's history can be an interesting thing to study, but at the time, I was too young to have any clue about those types of things.
Opryland
I loved Opryland when I visited twice in the 1980s. This park had a different vibe to it, as it was themed to music. Different areas of the park focused on different types of music, with country music in the forefront (since it was in downtown Nashville, Tennessee, after all). The main coaster at the time was called the Wabash Cannonball after the classic song by the same name. It was the first time I experienced an inversion, with the ride traveling through a corkscrew. On a trip with my family, my dad, brother, and I were able to circle around and re-ride the thing several times without waiting in a long line.
Two other coasters, the Screamin' Delta Demon and the Timber Topper were also there. One of these is a free-wheeling coaster on wheels that runs along a channel that seems more like a water slide. There was no track, and the coaster was smooth-running like a bobsled of sorts. It's the only coaster like it that I've ever seen in person.
Sadly, the powers-that-be made some horrible choices shortly after and closed the entire park in exchange for erecting a shopping mall. With the Grand Ole Opry as an anchor property, this should never have happened. I found the video below that seems to document the rise and fall of Opryland: although it is not high-quality, it kept my attention as I tried to remember my own experiences there.
Six Flags Over Texas
The biggest wooden coaster in my area was the Texas Giant at Six Flags Over Texas. We ended up at Six Flags a few times when I was in school and at least once during my days as a single rider. I remember waiting in line for the Texas Giant with a fun group of people from church, when I started singing the "Where, Oh Where Are You Tonight?" song from Hee Haw, getting the rest of the queue to join in with us. It was all fun and games until we boarded the train for the roughest coaster ride of my lifetime, after which I dealt with a big headache for a while.
It must have been on another trip to Texas that I rode my first coaster in reverse. Flashback was a ride that went through the short track forwards before reversing through the same track. At the time, I thought it was pretty innovative.
For many years, I would not ride any rollercoasters. I blame my mother for that: she was adamant about hating coasters, and I automatically adopted her opinion without doing my own research. Strangely, she would ride Fire in the Hole at Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri, but she insisted it being in the dark changed everything.
There are many rumors of people flying off of the Big Dipper rollercoaster at the defunct Springlake Amusement Park, but my dad got me to ride the Wilde Maus with him at this long-closed amusement park in Oklahoma City. It was the 1970s, and coasters were far from the safe attraction they have become. . The Wilde Maus, like all Wild Mouse rides, was a single car attraction with lots of sharp turns. I remember that we should have sat on the opposite sides of the vehicle as Dad tended to be pressed against me on most of the turns, smashing me into the side of the car. Anyway, it mostly alleviated my fear of trying newer coasters through the years.
Incidentally, Springlake was the site of a major race riot during those days, and rumors surround those events, as well. Racism in this part of Oklahoma City's history can be an interesting thing to study, but at the time, I was too young to have any clue about those types of things.
Opryland
I loved Opryland when I visited twice in the 1980s. This park had a different vibe to it, as it was themed to music. Different areas of the park focused on different types of music, with country music in the forefront (since it was in downtown Nashville, Tennessee, after all). The main coaster at the time was called the Wabash Cannonball after the classic song by the same name. It was the first time I experienced an inversion, with the ride traveling through a corkscrew. On a trip with my family, my dad, brother, and I were able to circle around and re-ride the thing several times without waiting in a long line.
Two other coasters, the Screamin' Delta Demon and the Timber Topper were also there. One of these is a free-wheeling coaster on wheels that runs along a channel that seems more like a water slide. There was no track, and the coaster was smooth-running like a bobsled of sorts. It's the only coaster like it that I've ever seen in person.
Sadly, the powers-that-be made some horrible choices shortly after and closed the entire park in exchange for erecting a shopping mall. With the Grand Ole Opry as an anchor property, this should never have happened. I found the video below that seems to document the rise and fall of Opryland: although it is not high-quality, it kept my attention as I tried to remember my own experiences there.
Six Flags Over Texas
The biggest wooden coaster in my area was the Texas Giant at Six Flags Over Texas. We ended up at Six Flags a few times when I was in school and at least once during my days as a single rider. I remember waiting in line for the Texas Giant with a fun group of people from church, when I started singing the "Where, Oh Where Are You Tonight?" song from Hee Haw, getting the rest of the queue to join in with us. It was all fun and games until we boarded the train for the roughest coaster ride of my lifetime, after which I dealt with a big headache for a while.
It must have been on another trip to Texas that I rode my first coaster in reverse. Flashback was a ride that went through the short track forwards before reversing through the same track. At the time, I thought it was pretty innovative.
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Disneyland
My parents insist that I had been to Disneyland in California when I was three years old, but I have no recollection of it. On the same trip, they took me across the border into Tijuana, Mexico, and at some point, they say we even passed a movie crew filming on the side of the highway.
It was much later, in 1984, that we returned. While many people were in town for the Olympic games, we were more interested in Universal Studios, which at the time was nothing like it has become today, and Disneyland. By now, I was ready to ride more extreme rides (without Mom, of course), so the old Matterhorn Bobsleds, Space Mountain, and Big Thunder Mountain were calling my name. Being me, I was more interested in the former and the latter, not being impressed by Space Mountain in the least. While many people still had not experienced an indoor coaster in those days, I had - Silver Dollar City's Fire-in-the-Hole, which set a high bar for theming. In my opinion, Space Mountain is still just a coaster in a dark room.
Disney does better with dark rides, but in recent years has attacked the coaster world with some really well-themed attractions. Once again, though, it is the theming that sets them apart as they are more than just a name that is in theme. From the title to the queue to the disembarking, Disney coasters seek to immerse the rider in an experience that extends beyond just the thrill of speed, g-forces, and inversions.
My parents insist that I had been to Disneyland in California when I was three years old, but I have no recollection of it. On the same trip, they took me across the border into Tijuana, Mexico, and at some point, they say we even passed a movie crew filming on the side of the highway.
It was much later, in 1984, that we returned. While many people were in town for the Olympic games, we were more interested in Universal Studios, which at the time was nothing like it has become today, and Disneyland. By now, I was ready to ride more extreme rides (without Mom, of course), so the old Matterhorn Bobsleds, Space Mountain, and Big Thunder Mountain were calling my name. Being me, I was more interested in the former and the latter, not being impressed by Space Mountain in the least. While many people still had not experienced an indoor coaster in those days, I had - Silver Dollar City's Fire-in-the-Hole, which set a high bar for theming. In my opinion, Space Mountain is still just a coaster in a dark room.
Disney does better with dark rides, but in recent years has attacked the coaster world with some really well-themed attractions. Once again, though, it is the theming that sets them apart as they are more than just a name that is in theme. From the title to the queue to the disembarking, Disney coasters seek to immerse the rider in an experience that extends beyond just the thrill of speed, g-forces, and inversions.
We're just getting started with my roller coaster record. We'll stop here for now and save the rest for later posts.
