Allentown, Pennsylvania – Sunday, July 15th, 2012
It was Dorney Park, not B&M, that originated the idea of the Jojo roll. I can guess B&M's feelings for this maneuver based on how many times they've included it on other designs of their since then.
After the roll Hydra glides around a small curve to approach the lift hill. By this point I've already nearly forgotten about the roll. Strange as it is, it's even more strangely unmemorable.
Hydra climbing the 95 foot tall lift. I believe this is the second shortest B&M floorless coaster in the world, after Tivoli Garden's Daemonen.
105 foot drop down the other side of the hill.
Hydra was the first B&M looping coaster to feature a straight first drop sans predrop. Although personally I much preferred the Madrid Superman's funky (and larger) double-dip first drop.
Hydra's first element after the big drop is this inclined helix masquerading as a dive loop.
Although it claims to be an inversion, it barely gets past 90 degrees. Heck, Talon's helix after the Immelmann is nearly as qualified.
Surging up into the zero-G roll.
Hydra is also unique in that it doesn't feature a vertical loop, and in fact the element sequence is quite different from the standard B&M multi-looper.
Hydra twisting in silhouette.
This maneuver is probably Hydra's most photogenic element, located right next to the ride's entrance as it is.
It's a fairly gentle element to ride, but it's incredibly fun to watch the cars dance in-line with the oddly shaped rail contours.
This big corkscrew element, thrown in the middle just because. Dynamically uneventful, but the slower pace gives it the best sense of completely inverting on the entire layout.
Low-exposure shot of the corkscrew framing the cobra roll.
The off-kilter shaping of the cobra roll (notice how the track sort of weaves to the side on the approach, among other eccentricities) flows perfectly smoothly while riding it, suggesting that B&M developed a new mathematical formula for this maneuver to make their rides even smoother than before. Older (and, oddly, newer) cobra rolls from the company typically feature more of a 'snap' at the top points.
Cobra roll, pt. 1
Cobra roll, pt. 2
One thing, when it was announced Hydra was supposed to have something like eight tunnels for the way it was built into the terrain, which would have been awesome. Instead we got a ride with no tunnels and a few stony trenches over mostly naked, graded terrain.
Cobra roll profile shot.
The cobra roll marks the climax of the first half (it's the ride's most complex maneuver), so in the second half it begins the wind-down with some non-inverting elements, starting with this s-bend hill.
A small straight bunny hop beneath the lift, producing a faint aroma of weightlessness from the furthest front and back rows of seats.
The end of Hydra is kind of hard to photograph as it's hidden behind track, supports, and the hillside. It's basically the cold corkscrew and helix leftovers reheated from Talon, and much less effective here.
And that's the end of Hydra.
As always, exit through the gift shop. The wait was frequently two cycles to walk-on (being a single rider helped), so I came around this way a lot during the day.
While it's undoubtedly Dorney Park's most unique major coaster (which isn't saying much given the competition), it's also probably their gentlest and most unfocused. The varied element line-up doesn't quite make up for its shortcomings, and on an absolute enjoyment scale I would probably rate it lower than Talon and Steel Force. However the fact that there are fewer comparable rides means I'm willing to spend a bit more time with it when I'm at Dorney Park.
Thunder Creek Mountain is Dorney Park's log flume.
While log flumes are a dime a dozen at regional amusement parks, Dorney's is slightly special in that it's nearly all built at ground level.
The flume uses the park's natural topography to generate downhill rapids sections and the big drop at the end.
Despite looks, you can get surprisingly wet on the Thunder Creek Mountain log flume.
It has a very attractive setting relative to most other regional park log flumes, however the short length and simple progression (lift to the upper level, wander around, drop to the lower level) keeps it from bettering some of Pennsylvania's longer, more varied log flumes.
Yeah, that’s pretty much all the highlights there. I love the log flume there and am a huge fan of the Zeyphr, but Thunderhawk is a shell of itself circa 10 years ago before the trims were really turned up. Once upon a time, the opening 2/3 of the ride was all standup air with a trim killing the run to the station. Then they installed one after the first drop and, well, that was that.
Demon Drop is Awesome! It’s the clanking at the top and the release. Great review!
I have a strategy I’d like them to try, it’s called building better rides.
What happened to these 2012 photo galleries?
Looks like the app I was using for a few updates back in 2012 to connect to Flickr is no longer supported and I’ll have to import them manually. Not at the top of my priority list but thanks for bringing it to my attention. This was the gallery it pulled from: https://www.flickr.com/photos/rollercoasterphilosophy/albums/72157635051168226