First I have to say, that when I took the camera w/ to GA I had thought it was in proper working order...even being a hand-me-down and our spare...so thought DH too. But to my dismay it was not, I have a few pic's but bad quality...I'm truly disappointed as is DH. I guess serves me right to not have properly tested it before taking!
I’m just posting the sorta best ones.
(and I borrowed some images from online to show you a few of the rides)
As well one funny note, DH says so are you going to do a report about GA on your Disney thing too? He's getting to know me now
So GA is in Gurnee IL about 1 hr or more North of us, not quite to WI. We opted to try and leave around 8:30 am from my house and pick up my Dad on the way. We left just a little late and got to my Dad's about 9:15am.
We headed up (me driving) and yuck it was slow moving and icky construction. And I especially hate driving next to those construction walls. Despite the undesirable road conditions we made good time and were there about 10:20 ish.
We turned in w/ the 100's of other cars to pay for parking which has gone up and in 2 categories...$25 for front, $15 for back. My Dad and my brother's girlfriend's friend Jen (got that) paid together and we took the front lot, since we packed a lunch in coolers (shorter walk back out and in).
this is what you first see when you walk in
We parked and headed on in with a watchful eye on the cloud cover. (it never did rain! despite forcast calling for it) We headed over to the smaller of the 2 wooden coasters called the Viper to ride 1st. We had a very minimal wait, which was nice. This was Aldine's 1st time on this coaster and I thought she'd be ok. It has a similar feel to Disney's BTMR, but faster and a couple bigger drops. Unfortunately she freaked
and didn't like it. I felt bad.
The next ride, my Dad and Aldine stayed behind for and she kept hold of my WDW backsack. So my Brother Dan, his girlfriend Angie, and her friend Jen and I headed to Raging Bull. This has about a 100 ft first drop at a 65 degree angle and going about 70 miles per hour at top speed....
(the track behind the car is actually the 1st drop)
we of course chose to wait for the front row, Dan & I have done this row but not the others, once on the train, they were a bit nervous. It was beyond super awesome with a bit of this thrown in
and then we said why didn't we take any pictures!?
Here's my Dad and Aldine w/ Porky Pig
We next headed over to the other big wooden coaster after a quick drive on the cars a ride that's been there 32 years, which may get torn down to accommodate a new water ride.
This wooden coaster is a racing one, called the Great American Eagle and is one of the best IMHO! We are about to all enter the line when a very rude worker starts barking at us, we can’t take our bags on we need to store them in lockers for a $1.00. What!? But we just got off RB and Angie and Jen both had their bags no issues. I then explain that Aldine is not riding she can hold our bags up top while we go and he barely audible is like she is too tall…blah, blah and something this and something that…we were getting a bit mad and highly confused. My Dad then is like I’ll wait with her and the bags you go and we’ll figure this out later. So reluctantly we do that. Despite the ugh at the line we had a great ride, we each took 1 train side in pairs and it worked out perfectly that we were both in the front car on the same 2 trains. We had a good race!
When we got off, there was a different person standing at the front of the line and I told her what happened w/ the other worker, and she was surprised by it and said there is no problem w/ our bags and Aldine could hold them just not in the boarding area (which I knew anyways). So we quickly went thru the line again after Aldine went on a few kiddie rides in the Wiggles World area, that unfortunately several she was too tall for this year.
And then we stopped for her to play a basketball game! She won a nice Tweety bird ball!
We then headed out for lunch, you get a hand-return stamp. Angie and Jen ditched their bags, but I kept mine before going back in the park.
We rode a smaller spin style ride in the air, another 1st for Aldine, which she got a bit scared on too….oh no! I was feeling bad. But she was a trooper and hung in there.
We next went to go on the new ride, which none of really knew about, Aldine was indecisive about riding or not…and again I encountered the same difficulty with bringing my bag in even if Aldine didn’t ride and held it. Another worker thru the line said it was not a problem. I was getting annoyed. And it happened on the next ride too. It was like she was tall enough to ride, but because she didn’t want to, she couldn’t wait in line w/ us and then at the exit while we rode the ride….I mean she is too young to wait alone outside for 20+ minutes and she doesn’t mind waiting w/ us and I see no difference than if it’s someone who waits in line and chickens out at the last minute. UGH!
We stopped in a few other kid areas around the park too for Aldine her are a couple pic’s:
her and my Dad are in the 2nd car to the back
Oh and here is Aldine & Angie on the Bumper Cars, another fav of Aldine's
We also went on a boat water ride. Here is us before getting wet (sorry the “after” pic is even worse)
I'm next to Angie my brother's girlfriend
it's hard to tell but some of us were actually pretty wet...
After an ice cream stop for most we split up for Aldine to ride the swings, which she loves with my Dad, while the rest of us went on this crazy ride called Vertical Velocity. It is a single track that goes zipping forward and backward up a spiral and a straight track, straight up in the air. On one pass when you go backwards up the straight track you are literally hanging down looking down at the ground/water...thinking “Don’t Break! Safety Harness!”
We then took the train ½ way around the park back to the front and decided to get something to eat. On our way to the mini food court area, Aldine asked to buy this:
GO WONDER WOMAN! Or girl! (it was only $5.00 what a steal! I later bought a Super “girl” cape for Mae and a Batman one for Michael)
And then we rode the small coaster called the Whizzer, which Aldine did enjoy Hooray!!!!
After eating, it was now dark and getting late, we split up with the intention of Dan, Angie, Jen, and I riding Raging Bull one more time, while my Dad took Aldine to the gift shop w/ $ my Mom sent and on the Carrousel then meet up for one final ride.
Unfortunately the line for RB was too long and we only had an hour till the park closed, we didn’t think we could do both. So we caught up with my Dad and headed over to Superman: Ultimate Flight. As I was worried even w/ this line there’d be no time for Aldine to ride the Carrousel when we got off, I was going to skip it, when my Dad said no you stay I’ll take her….Thanks! Dad
Here’s a look at the Superman ride:
You actually ride under the track in real flying formation! We waited through the line all the while getting deeper into mosquitoes, my poor brother was getting eaten alive, he almost jumped line for safety. Toward the end everyone around us looked like they were convulsing at swatting at all the bugs! But we made it through and waited once again for front car, which is too cool! Cause after you leave the loading station and head up the track there is nothing in front of you….and then you dive into this inverted loop. Totally crazy!
So all in all it was a good trip and day, and Aldine did say she did have a good time, which I was glad for. But I tell you with all the extra charges for this and that, and not the nicest service to accommodate Aldine waiting in line w/ us…I do want to go again, because the rides are great! But it makes me miss Disney!!!!
Even DH said that before me!
Coming up next: Back to Disney and more AK FUN…or not?
J-
what have you done to me sister? 
myrsfamly. That is the exact thought going thru my mind while we were there...I know I went thru the same thing too.
It was very bad! Now I had wish we stodd by the exit and asked people about it....I tried looking it up online and coulnd't really figure much out about it, we were all guessing it was like a virtual ride maybe....oh well, now we know.
It was so colorful and very well done.
) as we headed over to the Camp MM area for the FoLK show.
She was ok at first, but she has a lot of fears..darkness, loud noises(we had to bring noise reducing ear muffs for her too) and especially fire. And the part with the stage being on fire just about put her over the edge 
