The only reason – other than curiosity
- I rode this coaster was to prove that I’m not a wimp. I certainly
hadn’t expected to enjoy the ride, as hanging over a precipice 205 feet up in
the air did not strike me as a whole lot of fun. Well, surprise, surprise
– it turned out to be a hell of a good ride. It got off to a great start
with the floor dropping out from under the train and the train rounding a bend
before climbing to the top. The ascent to the top was remarkably fast and
effortless. Once at the top, the fun began in earnest. Being tilted
forward at 205 feet, unable to see the track below me, seemingly suspended in
midair and held there for some seconds before being dropped straight down was
pretty amazing. I was even able to enjoy the scenery. The
205-foot drop at a 90-degree angle comes without any warning – and what a great
drop! The remainder of the ride was pretty cool with another, shorter
suspension over a drop half the size of the first, a couple of inversions and
splashdown (no, you don’t get wet). On the first ride I was in the middle
of the first row and on the second, in the next-to-last seat on the left (see
photograph, taken by Busch Gardens at first drop) and I must say
that sitting near the end of a row is an experience in itself. Near the
end of the row, I was literally riding completely off the track and this felt
very weird, especially when the train was hanging over the first drop, but it
was even more awesome from this perspective than it was from the middle.
Griffon is undoubtedly the most unusual coaster I have ridden thus far. 4
½ out of 5 stars. First photograph courtesy of Coasterimage.com. For more information about rides at BuschGardens,
go to www.buschgardens.com/buschgardens/va/
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