Great Escape- July 5th, 2018

From July 5th to July 9th, my Mom and I had visited four amusement parks in the US Northeast, those being Great Escape (Six Flags), Six Flags New England, Six Flags Great Adventure (Day 3 & Day 4), and Knoebels.

Day One- July 5th, 2018:

Our trip began by venturing out early to Great Escape, A Six Flags park in Queensbury, New York. The park had opened in 1954 as Storytown USA. In 1983 it was renamed Great Escape and became a part of the Six Flags family in the late 1990's.

While we were there, it was very hot and humid, making our visit very uncomfortable. I had managed to get on three of the park's five roller coasters, which include the wooden legendary Comet, Canyon Blaster, and the Steamin' Demon. I also rode some of the other rides, including the park's classic log flume.

Below are photos of our visit to the Great Escape. After our time at the Great Escape, we headed off to our first hotel near our seconds park. Stayed tuned for day two of our trip at Six Flags New England!

My first roller coaster ride of the trip was the Canyon Blaster, the Great Escape's mine train coaster.

Here I am on the Canyon Blaster. This mine train coaster was manufactured by Arrow (Arrow Dynamics) and had originally opened at the now defunct Opryland USA in nashville, Tennessee where it had operated there as the "Rock n' Roller Coaster" from 1972 until the park's closure in 1997. After a few years of being in storage at the also now defunct Old Indiana Fun-n-Water Park, it was relocated to the Great Escape where it was set up and has been operating since 2003.

While on the Desperado Plunge, my Mom had captured this photo. Also manufactured by Arrow, this log flume opened at the Great Escape in 1979 and features a couple of drops as the log navigates the winding flume. The Desperado Plunge originally operated at the short-lived Busch Gardens Los Angeles prior to arriving at the Great Escape.

Here is a look at the Steamin' Demon, another Arrow creation. This Loop and Corkscrew model opened at the Great Escape in 1984. 

I am somewhere on that train the moment this photo was taken.

Prior to arriving at the Great Escape, the Steamin' Demon had operated at the defunct Pontchartrain Beach of New Orleans, Louisiana from 1978 to 1983 as the "Ragin' Cajun".

The Great Escape is home to some rare thrill rides, and one of those is the Condor. The Condor, manufactured by Huss, soars nearly 100 feet and was added to the park's ride lineup in 1989. While not the tallest ride in the park these days, due to the addition of "Sasquatch" (192 foot S&S power shot combo tower) in 2009, it still provides a swirling aerial view of the surrounding area.

Here is a look at the closed Alpine Bobsled. Similar to that of an authentic bobsled track, this roller coaster allows individual 8-passenger cars to roll along and down a 1,490 foot trough made of steel. The Alpine Bobsled had previously operated at Six Flags Great Adventure from 1984-1988 and Six Flags Great America from 1989-1995 as "Sarajevo Bobsleds" and "Rolling Thunder", respectively, prior to arriving at the Great Escape in 1998. This is one of the last few remaining Bobsled coasters manufactured by Intamin. The Alpine Bobsled was only one of two coasters to evade me on the whole trip!

After a short and brief thunderstorm, the rides and attractions had reopened. I had ventured over to the far end of the park to get a couple of rides on the Comet.

The Comet is an excellent example of a double out and back wooden coaster, featuring many airtime hills.

Interestingly enough, the Comet's existence dates back to 1927 as the "Cyclone" at Crystal Beach Amusement Park near Fort Erie, Ontario. The Cyclone was a dynamic and thrilling wooden coaster with steep drops and quick turns. The Cyclone would continue to operate until the end of the 1946 season. In 1947, the Cyclone was transformed into the Comet, providing a much more enjoyable ride for visitors of Crystal Beach Amusement Park.

In 1989, Crystal Beach Amusement Park closed forever, potentially leaving the fate of the Comet unknown. Luckily, Charlie Wood, the owner of the Great Escape at the time had successfully bid on the Comet. It sat in storage at Fantasy Island near Buffalo before being constructed at the Great Escape for the 1994 season. Since then, it has continued to deliver an amazing experience to all those who take a ride.

Here is an on-ride photo of me taking my first ride on the Comet, enjoying the airtime filled hills with my hands up the entire ride. It was so great that I rode it twice!

New for 2018 at the Great Escape is Pandemonium. This Freestyle ride, manufactured by Chance Rides has passengers seated in an outward facing position as the ring of seats rotates around, up and down in a wave-like motion.

While the Blizzard looks interesting on the outside, it is a truly unique experience on the inside! Inside the air-conditioned igloo shaped dome is a traditional Scrambler ride paired with a sensational show of light and sound as the ride operates in near darkness. It is a ride no one should miss when visiting the Great Escape! The Blizzard was manufactured by Eli Bridge and opened in 1971 as "Chipper's Magical Mystery Tour". Until the 2005 season it had operated indoors. For the 2013 season it was placed back indoors and re-themed as the Blizzard, which it operates as to this day.

After a hot and somewhat tiring time at the Great Escape, we headed off down towards our hotel near Six Flags New England.

Before we headed down the road, I had captured this photo of the compact looping coaster, Steamin' Demon from the park's parking lot across the street. Stay tuned for day two of our trip, at Six Flags New England!