One thing I have always had a knack for is planning out multi-day trips with numerous amusement park destinations. So a few months ago when Sam and I began talking about our next trip, I got to work on some possibilities. But there was one that kept standing out among the rest. That was a trip to Northern California.
While this trip would include California’s Great America (CGA), Gilroy Gardens, Six Flags Discovery Kingdom (SFDK), and the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk (SCBB), there were several other tourist destinations close by that interested the both of us. They included Alcatraz, the Golden Gate Bridge, Chinatown, the Winchester Mystery House, and the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum. It would be a lot to do but the idea of combining the parks with these places was too much to pass up.
Whatever We Got, We Got
Truth be told, I didn’t have us doing anything the day we landed in San Francisco. Our hotel was going to be in San Jose so we could be closer to the majority of our destinations. Our plan was to check in after landing, eat, relax, and let the change in time zones settle in. We’d start visiting parks the following day, starting with Gilroy Gardens.
That was the plan. So what did we do? We found ourselves 10 minutes away from CGA with a few hours before the park closed, so we went. Sure, we had a full day at the park planned in a few days, but why not?
It turned out to be a great idea too. Not only did we almost complete the park’s coaster line up that evening, but we even managed to ride a few of the park’s best coasters multiple times.
Gold Striker
Walking into the park we were greeted by Gold Striker on our right. There wasn’t much of a line, so in we went. I had heard good things about this coaster. Little did I know just how much I was going to fall in love with this GCI woodie.
Holy shit! This ride was intense from start to finish. It does have a little bit of a bite to it, but I wouldn’t call it rough. From the first drop inside the tunnel to the final brake run, Gold Striker doesn’t let up. Both Sam and I got off knowing we just rode something special and we made sure to ride it a few more times.
This ride alone already made coming to the park for a sneak peak worth it. I knew we’d be riding it again and again when we came back for our full day. This ride rocks!
Railblazer
Until this visit to CGA my only RMC Raptor experience was with Jersey Devil Coaster at Six Flags Great Adventure (SFGAdv). While I do enjoy that ride, I’ve always heard how much better the original, more compact layouts are. I didn’t know if I’d ride Railblazer or Wonder Woman Golden Lasso Coaster at Six Flags Fiesta Texas (SFFT) first, but I’ve been itching to see the difference for myself. So it looks like Railblazer would be the one I’d get to compare to Jersey Devil.
So what did I think? Honestly, I wasn’t overly in love with it after the first ride. While I didn’t dislike it, I just expected something different. Some of my dislikes from Jersey Devil are also present on Railblazer with the trains and restraints. I also don’t love how you can feel every tiny bump in the track joints throughout the ride. While none of these complaints will stop me from riding a Raptor, they’re just things that hold me back from loving them as much as their RMC I-Box brethren.
I will say the airtime is much stronger on this model than Jersey Devil, but there are things I do like about the Devil more. The stall, for example. Each layout has its strengths and weaknesses. I’m going to need some more rides on it to say for certain which one I like better.
Oh, and for some reason I really found the plastic around the over the shoulder straps to dig into my collarbone on this ride. Not sure if there is something different about this ride’s restraints to that of Jersey Devil’s?
Demon
When I visited Six Flags Great America (SFGAm) with Jen last year I found myself enjoying their Arrow Looper, Demon. Once I knew we were going to visit CGA, riding this park’s Demon was of high interest to me. I wanted to see the differences. I wanted to see if CGA’s was as enjoyable as SFGAm’s. I wanted to ride it a few times. And with no one in line this visit, we walked right in and found out.
After one ride I already knew that I also enjoy this Demon. So did Sam. She was shocked at just how much she liked it too. She’s been getting in some memorable Arrow rides these last few years so we can add this one to her list of good ones as well as mine.
What I don’t know yet is if I like it more than the Demon at SFGAm. I plan to ride it again when we come back for a full day, maybe even a few times if we have the time.
Final Ride Counts
Bezerker (1)
Demon (1)
Gold Striker (3)
Grizzly (1)
Patriot (1)
Psycho Mouse (1)
Railblazer (2)
Woodstock Express (1: Sam)
We Rode a Lot More Than Expected
I honestly thought we’d be lucky to ride just a couple of rides at most this visit. We didn’t get to the park until the evening and it was a Friday. I guess luck was on our side. We managed to ride every major coaster except for Flight Deck. That went down shortly after we arrived. When it reopened the wait time on the app was said 60 minutes every time we looked. It appeared to be running with just one train, so we decided to save that for when we came back.
Overall, this was a good start to our trip, minus an issue we had with someone filming in front of us with their cellphone on Grizzly. Why won’t people learn? I honestly thought we might get into a physical altercation after the words we exchanged during the ride. It actually made me pay little attention to our ride, so that is one I want to make sure we ride again when we come back too.
Those assholes aside, we’ll get to enjoy more of this park in a few days, unless we find ourselves with some extra time before then once again. Hmm…
California's Great America Photo Gallery - May 29, 2026
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CREW MANIFEST
The following flight crew members attended this park, & earned the respective credits below:
Patrick
CAG
New Credit(s): Gold Striker, Patriot, Demon, Psycho Mouse, Railblazer, Grizzly
Sam
Admiral
New Credit(s): Gold Striker, Patriot, Demon, Psycho Mouse, Woodstock Express, Railblazer, Grizzly