WILD EAGLE

Wild Eagle, Dollywood

America’s first wing coaster, Wild Eagle is a groundbreaker and a must-ride.  I had ridden in wing seats (Skyrush) and other off-the-track seats (Griffon) but a coaster on which all of the seats are off the track was a novelty.   Even the loading area was different, as this is the first coaster I’ve ridden on which the train is loaded from opposite sites of the platform.  (As you enter the station, a park employee directs you to go up the steps either right or left.)

 Because of the coaster’s design, I expected to feel a heightened sense of vulnerability and did.   The 210-foot lift hill was somewhat daunting, giving rise to anticipation of what would happen on the other side.   What happens on the other side is a 135-foot drop remarkable for the sense it gives of free-floating, with nothing but air beneath the rider.  The train then goes into a 110-foot vertical loop.  If I felt a heightened sense of vulnerability, I also felt a heightened sense of freedom.  There are four inversions in all, including the vertical loop, zero g-roll, Immelmann loop and corkscrew – and all of them were awesome.  Travelling through these inversions on a wing coaster was like soaring through the air.   Wild indeed!   I also thought that the airtime was good, especially toward the end of the ride.  Unfortunately, it was difficult to get a good photograph of Wild Eagle, as it’s built on a mountain or hill or whatever they call it, and the track in its entirety is not visible from the ground.  Anyway, Wild Eagle proved to be quite a treat.  4  out of 5 stars.  For more information about rides at Dollywood, visit www.dollywood.com/

THUNDERHEAD

Thunderhead, Dollywood

This coaster with a twister layout has been repeatedly ranked among the top ten and in comparing it with the other 6 coasters I’ve ridden on the top ten list, I can appreciate why.   It has all the elements of a world class woodie, and then some.    The first drop of 100 feet at a sharp right angle was delicious and the rest of the ride was super.   Thunderhead is full of steeply banked turns – see the overbanked turn in two of the photographs -  and feels faster than the actual speed of 53mph, thundering into the loading station mid-ride, above the loading platform.  The station fly-through is a distinctive and fun element for both riders and spectators.   (I would have waved to those in line but wasn’t sure there was enough clearance to do so without losing an arm!)    Thunderhead provides a very good ride experience and constitutes an example of a woodie which isn’t unduly rough or in any way punishing.  4 out of 5 stars.   For more information about rides at Dollywood, visit www.dollywood.com/  First two photographs courtesy of Coasterimage.com

MYSTERY MINE

Mystery Mine, Dollywood

This coaster is very aptly named because part of the ride is indoors and what happens inside the mine is indeed a mystery to the uninitiated.  Some interesting things happen inside the mine, such as the train stopping in total darkness.  There are odd shapes, eyes seemingly looking at you and cackles.  It's pretty weird and eerie but in a fun way.  Upon exiting the mine the first time, the train goes up a lift hill at a 95-degree angle; it really does feel as if you’re going straight up.  Inside the mine for the second time, riders are treated to another steep ascent and spectacular effects with flames bursting forth and a sensation of intense heat. The two inversions -  heartline roll and dive loop - take place outside the mine and are pretty entertaining, especially the last one.  However, the ride on the whole tends to be a bit on the rough side.   A ride operator suggested holding onto the harness to avoid banging my head, and this was good advice.  One thing which struck me as unusual about this coaster was the configuration of the train, which consists of only two rows seating four across.   Mystery Mine is a fun and fairly original ride.  3 ½ out of 5 stars.  For more information about rides at Dollywood, visit www.dollywood.com/

TENNESSEE TORNADO

Tennessee Tornado, Dollywood

Because this coaster is pretty much obscured from view except for the lift hill and a large vertical loop, and I hadn’t researched it beforehand, I had no idea what I was letting myself in for.  I just hoped that it wasn’t anything too extreme, and it wasn’t.    After the train is dispatched, it goes around a bend, turns right and proceeds up the lift hill.   It then drops 128 feet,  banking right, on what proved to be a very good airtime hill, before entering a tunnel.   The ride features two overbanked turns and 3 inversions – 2 loops and a sidewinder.  The 110-foot loop  is purportedly the tallest one on an Arrow Dynamics coaster.   I thought that Tennessee Tornado was a pretty good coaster and a really fun ride, smoother than anticipated.    I'm not certain whether the on-ride cameras are still in  place (didn't notice) but as of 2008, Dollywood added video cameras to the first three rows,  enabling riders to record their rides and upload them onto YouTube.  3 1/2 out of 5 stars.  First photograph courtesy of Coasterimage.com.   (Unfortunately, my photographs are overexposed because I had to shoot into the sun through the trees.) For more information about rides at Dollywood, visit www.dollywood.com/