Day 7: Interstate Tour 2018
The insanity of Goliath at Six Flags Great America - Gurnee, Illinois
If my tour route takes me past a theme park, and I've got some open space in the schedule, I'll usually indulge in a day of roller coasters and spin-and-barfs before continuing onward. Now, with a full production schedule of video segments that I've been producing for my Patreon Channel, a park visit is not only an opportunity to have a little turbulent fun, but also a chance to slip into director mode (not related to Edna) and create some thrilling content.
The American Eagle
The first park visit this tour was Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Illinois. I'd been to the park twice, once when I was 13 and again about two years ago when Goliath opened. It's a decent day, on the Six Flags scale, with some great coasters and I gave the Gogloo video glasses their first hardcore workout while riding every set of rails in the park except Little Dipper (ran out of time) and The Dark Knight (too dark, indoor rollercoaster.)
The glasses won't compare to a gimbal-mounted camera, but for hands-free capturing of POV footage, I'm fairly impressed with the image and audio (as impressed as you can be when the sound is wind whistling past the microphones and the thunderous clatter of wheels on tracks is your source) so there will be a new Patreon Moments segment in the near future featuring rides on ten classic and world class roller coasters!
Gogloo video glasses. Aside from looking like something Bono would wear, they're a good functional pair.
Several brief rain showers ceased operations throughout the day, at which point I'd head back to Imua, eat something, process media and recharge devices before heading back once the rain had passed. One of the rides, on the B&M monster Raging Bull, took place in full-on rain. Fun to look at, painful to experience (and somehow, still fun.)
This maniacal marathon wouldn't have been possible without the Platinum Flash Pass, which I never get when going to these parks, but it might become a new tradition. You carry this little tamagochi-looking device with you and make reservations for the attraction that you want to ride. Gold and silver levels may have you waiting for a little bit, but the platinum level made rides available immediately, so I just walked on the most popular rides in the park, sometimes multiple times. I chalked it up to a business expense because the added time bought allowed me to grab front seat on all but two of the rides. Usually, there's a bit of an extra wait for that coveted seat.
The Platinum Flash Pass. I kept waiting for it to say "FEED ME."
I hit the last coaster at 8 pm as the park closed and returned to Imua, downloaded the footage and reviewed what I'd shot while the illuminated parade of departing guests lit up the exits. Around 9 pm, I rolled out and drove to Joliet, Illinois, found a Walmart resort and made camp. 21,000 steps, the Fitbit says. That and getting jostled, jolted, slung, spun, thrown and slammed around all day came together in a flurry of "bed sounds nice" and a nightcap.
Tomorrow brings another "free" day, though I've got some prep for Gebhard Woods Dulcimer Festival to do, some administrative follow-up, as usual, and a bunch of music patiently waiting to be released. Thanks for following along!