Leviathan Construction Progess December 3, 2011..............

As I posted on my Facebook today, I was headed up north to visit my parents.  On the way, I decided to stop by Canada's Wonderland to shoot some coaster porn......

Now, on my last update there was one piece that had yet to be put in place on Leviathan's drop.  Apparently, not too long after I was there that day, they put that piece in place.  And, let me tell you, seeing the hill in its' complete form was awe inspiring!

Click on the photos for larger view.....

Thats not water on the ground.  Thats the collective drool from all the coaster enthusiasts who have come to gawk at Leviathan.

As you can see, the overbanked turn is coming along quite well:

Over near the front gate, track was going in place for the turnaround :

Meanwhile, back at the overbanked turn, workers were preparing to put the next piece in place:

Five months from now, I will be speeding down this drop:

I mean, like, seriously, why can't it be May now?  Look at this! :

Just imagine a train cresting over the top of this hill........

.....and zipping down........

 

.......and zipping through this overbanked turn.  From this angle... it almost seems you go upside down!

 

At this point in time, I could not take the teasing anymore, and headed up north.  Until next time........

Yet Another Leviathan Update.....

I had some free time yesterday, so I took a drive to Vaughan to see how construction on Leviathan is doing.

As I got off the highway, I was greeted with this view.  The drop is almost complete!

With the park being closed for the year, I decided to try taking photos from the hill that separates the park from Major Mackenzie Drive.  One thing I noted from the hill was that there was nothing stopping me from going  into the parking lot and into the area right under the drop.  Fencing was around the bottom of the drop, but everything else was wide open.  This all said, I decided to behave and stay on top of the hill, and kept back of the property line (marked with stakes in the ground).

Here is another view of the first drop (and, once again, click on the photo for a larger view):

And here you can see the rise out of the trench, with the track starting tobank towards the front gate:

I decided to play with my zoom lens and I got this shot of the top of the lift.  Looks like there is only one piece to go!

Here is a shot of the drop and rise out :

This shot shows how Leviathan towers over Dragon Fire.....

There is still a lot of coaster to be built.  Nothing is in place yet for the run to the front gate and back.  All that track lies in wait......

I made the mistake of heading towards Canada's Wonderland in the middle of the afternoon, totally forgetting that the sun starts to set at about 4 PM this time of year.  So, I had to be quick in taking my shots.  While many did not come out well due to the setting sun, I did manage a few good shots of Leviathan with the sun going down behind it.

Now you just know that ACErs from all over will be taking shots from the same angle when they come to town next year, be it in their own, or when ACE holds their annual event there next September!

Hersheypark 2012

I have been on vacation for the past week..... sadly, it ended tonight.  My travels took me to Montreal, New York, Maryland....and, for the purposes of this blog.... Hershey, PA.

Chocolate World, as always (this was my third trip there), was fun.  We did the free ten-minute Disney-esque ride through a simulated chocolate factory, and then loaded up on chocolate:

It might not be the best chocolate... but its good stuff and my nieces really appreciated the Cookies N Creme bars.

Well... what else could I do while I was there?  Time was limited, as I still had to make the trek back to Toronto that day.  Outlet shopping was essential (no sales tax on clothes in PA)..... and also a trip to visit the local amusement park.... Hersheypark!

But.. you say... is it not November?  Well... yes.  So, the park is closed.  That did not stop me from taking pictures around the outside of the park, which is what I wanted to do.  For, you see, I wanted to get a sneak peek of next year's new roller coaster...... SkyRush!


On to the photos... click for a larger view........

First, I took a look at the front entrance.   Everything is getting spruced up for their Christmas event:

The view in the last picture surprised me.... the front gates were completely open.  And, while it was tempting... I did not enter.  Trespassing is a no-no, no matter how inviting.

So, I walked around the exterior...... and saw the SkyRush construction:

This coaster is going to interact well with the others in the area, especially Comet.

After the walk, we went back to the car and drove out front to where the track is being stored across the street  in a field:

I am told that vertical construction will begin within the week.

I wanted to spend more time photographing the outside of the park, but the rain started kicking up, so I managed a couple of Lightning Racer shots before I took off.

Another Leviathan Update

I made my way back to Canada's Wonderland today for my final visit of the season there.  Got a bunch of rides on my beloved Behemoth... and also took some more pictures of next year's new ride... Leviathan!

Click on the pictures for a larger view.

This was my view as I drove in today :

Before heading into the park, I took a few pictures... here is some track:

...and here are some supports!

I walked around the corner, and what did I see?  The bottom of the main drop!

I walked around for some different views......

I then walked around to the front gate.  I noticed that the footers had come along quite well.  Here is a view in the turnaround area:

I went in through the front gates and noticed this sign.  I really hope it is not a sign of things to come next year.....

I then walked over towards Leviathan......

I went up to ride Dragon Fire.  Was very interesting, as Dragon Fire is literally in the middle of Leviathan's construction.  Track pieces and supports everywhere.  Here you can see the crown of Leviathan's lift hill:

 I did not spend too much more time taking photos, as I wanted to get my rides in... but here is a couple more :

At this point, I went around riding.  The park was dead today.  Every ride was a walk-on, except Behemoth, and that was maybe a 2-3 train wait.  I did a lap of the park, hitting my favourites, and then spent my final half hour camped out on Behemoth, finishing off my coaster season.

Now that the off season is upon us, I will still attempt to document Leviathan's progress whenever I pass by.  Should make for an interesting off season!

Leviathan Progress

I took a few hours out of my day yesterday to go to Canada's Wonderland.  As I told someone.... soon enough I will be bitching about the long offseason.

Got a few rides in on some favourites like Behemoth, Windseeker, Vortex, and so on. The park actually had some decent lines (yet still manageable) for such a cool day.  Somehow I think Sundays are a lot quieter this time of year.  I remember going in previous years on October Sundays and enjoying the park to myself.

Anyways, I took some time to check out construction on Leviathan.   Here are some photos.... click for a larger view:

This was my view from my parking spot.  As you can see, with the lift hill not even half done, it is towering over Dragon Fire.

I took the time to walk around the outside of the park, and snapped a few more pictures.

You can see in this next picture how the coaster will go right outside the park towards the main gate.

Here is where the turnaround will be, right in front of the entry plaza.  I hope that they can minimize the removal of the trees, as they have been there since the park opened in 1981.

Here is the view as you approach the ride from within the park.

The ride will certainly look imposing as you approach it!

Here is a view of the station area:

And now looking up the lift hill:

In my mind, I am already dreaming of making the ascent up this hill!  Anyways, work on this coaster is progressing along, and it won't be long before the coaster below is the second tallest in the park.