Scott And Carol Present - Copperhead Strike Pt 2

Copperhead Strike, Part II 

The queue appears to have no organization as you walk through the area, but when you consider it in its entirety, it all clicks, and the development team did a magnificent job of tieing it all together.

Steve was tasked with bringing it all together, and he graciously shared his take on the process of bringing this new attraction to life. He also revealed the reason there are no snakes throughout the queue.

The nice thing about this type of theming is that as it ages, guests will never know whether it started off that way, or just deteriorated to its present state over time. I'm sure some locals will be keeping a close eye on the decorations.

Having never seen a real still, this seems to be relatively accurate. It must have been really fun going out to get all the props for the extensive theming for Copperhead Strike. The one question Scott forgot to ask Steve was did they just do a highway cleanup or were various suppliers involved to help source all the items.

The end result is so much fun, and much of it can be experienced without waiting in line for the ride, so other family members have something else to do while they wait if they are not riding. Major props for all the creativity displayed in the area.

Scott doesn't like to watch much coaster previews before he gets to ride, so the pre-show in the shed caught him totally by surprise. You can't see it from outside, so you need to go to Carowinds to check it out.

So that was our day at Carowinds, by now there are lots of opinions everywhere about Copperhead Strike.  Ours is, we can't wait to get back to Carowinds and ride it again, and again, then we will ride Fury 325, and go back and ride it again. It was just that much fun.

Our thanks to all of the Carowinds team for their assistance in putting this together. You have a winner to kick off your season this year. See you soon!

Scott And Carol Present - Carowinds' Copperhead Strike! Part I

Copperhead Strike is the centerpiece for the new Blue Ridge Junction area of Carowinds. The seven acres of fun for the entire family also includes the Mountain Gliders and the Country Kitchen restaurant.

Vice President & General Manager Pat Jones welcomes one & all

A fireplace with rocking chairs helps bring out the "backwoods" theming of the new area. I wonder if a rocking chair will be a Fast Lane option on busy days when you just need to chill out for a time. The heat will be popular during cooler weather during shoulder seasons celebrations.

This was the dawn of a new era for roller coasters at Carowinds, one of the most exciting sunrises in recent memory. When you look at it, it just doesn't seem possible for there to be so much action in such a small area. 

MACK Rides is justifiably proud of their latest project. Thorsten had not even ridden it yet but he was smiling from the moment he walked into the park after he saw the finished project.

Here you can see a rollover transition coming out of a quick turn. Imagine riding it in the dark as the park is shrouded in Haunt fog!.

Of course, a project this big has to include fireworks for the first public riders, a fitting tribute to the explosive end of Granny's still operations. After the ceremony, we had a few moments with Pat from Carowinds.

Stay tuned for Part II, with more details behind Copperhead Strike.

Scott And Carol Present - Construction Photos of Kentucky Kingdom's Kentucky Flyer

     

We met up with Sam, who arranged for the rain to pause, so we didn't get soaking wet during our tour. He has a long history with the park as a Louisville native and regaled us with park stories during our tour.     

      

From high above on a water slide, you can see the construction crew tracking the first drop. Just beyond the canopy over the station, you can see the transfer track. Kentucky Flyer will have two (2) trains.

      

Even the crossover section has lots of airtime to thrill you and not-so-young alike. This gives a great view of some of the twelve moments of airtime on the ride.

     

The turnaround will obviously generate some strong laterals, hence the extra support. By using a steel support structure, the park can save money on maintenance and lots of space.

It might not be the tallest drop, but since Kentucky Kingdom wanted a bluegrass version of Wooden Warrior, you know this is just the beginning of a ride with loads of airtime.

The outbound leg rise high above the return track. Notice how instead of going just up and down, there will be changes of direction mixed in with the airtime. Our thanks to Sam, and Kentucky Kingdom for whetting our appetites on this dreary day. We can hardly wait for 4/28/2019 for the park to open.