Six Flags’ Texas Giant to reopen after a $10 million upgrade

by Joel Bullock on

One of largest wooden roller coasters in the U.S. is getting a massive $10 million dollar makeover. Aging wooden roller coasters often undergo rehab projects where the ride’s rickety, old track is replaced with new lumber to create a more comfortable and enjoyable experience. Texas Giant’s transformation goes way beyond a standard rehab project. It will be reborn as the first wooden roller coaster to have its wooden rails completely replaced with steel rails.

When Texas Giant reopens during Six Flags Over Texas‘ 50th season next year, it will be as a steel coaster with a wooden support structure. It should offer a pretty unique experience thanks to a transformation almost akin to switching genders. While there have been steel roller coasters built with wooden supports, to my knowledge there haven’t been any that were first built as wooden coasters.


Texas Giant will return in 2011 with some exciting new elements. The first drop has been extended 10 feet higher and its angle of descent will set a record. The 79-degree drop will be the steepest of any wooden coaster in the World. The ride’s layout will also include a record-breaking bank of 95-degrees. The other most notable upgrade will be the new trains themed after 1961 Cadillac Devilles. To top off the ride with some Texas flavor, the trains will be adorned with custom made cattle horns.

Hopefully, Texas Giant’s “Six Million Dollar Man”-like renovation pays off for Six Flags. The company has transitioned from building lots of big new rides to renovating and updating older rides with new themes and special effects. If Texas Giant’s upgrade proves successful, I’d hope to see other aging, rough wooden roller coasters get a steel track overhaul as well. I’m looking forward to getting down to Arlington, Texas next year and taking the all new Texas Giant for a spin. It looks to be one of the most exciting stories in the theme park industry in 2011.%Poll-56849%

Bonus daily gear deal: Toshiba Portege R705 – $140 off + free camcorder

by Scott Carmichael on

Looking to treat yourself to a nice Christmas present? The recently reviewed Toshiba Portege R705 just dropped $140 and even includes a free Toshiba camcorder. To refresh your memory – this is an Intel i5 powered computer, with 4GB of memory and a 500GB hard drive. But the best part is that inside this 3.2lbs computer is a DVD drive – which is quite amazing for a machine this light.

The normal price is $939, which is not even that bad – so $799 is a really good bargain, and the free HD camcorder only helps make this even better. Click here to learn more about the machine and how to add the free camcorder to your cart.

Massive floods close Panama Canal but end of world not near

by Chris Owen on

Ship transit through the Panama Canal was suspended Wednesday as flood waters, the worst ever recorded, made transit impossible.

17 hours of prolonged heavy rain forced the closing, only the third time since the canal opened 96 years ago and the first time because of flooding. Panama’s civil protection system declared Eastern Panama on high alert and issued evacuation orders for over 1000 people in dozens of flooded neighborhoods.

Reopening on Thursday, operations are back to normal at this time and no cruise ship itineraries were affected reports CruiseCritic.com

The Canal also closed in 1989 when the United States invaded Panama to depose bad guy Manuel Noreiga. In 1915 and into 1916 landslides closed the Canal, only months after it opened.

In case you missed it in history class, the Panama Canal was built by the United States between 1904 and 1914. It serves as a link between the Atlantic and Pacific ocean and handles more than 200 million metric tons of cargo every year.

Flickr photo by galif548

Daily gear deals: $60 iPad battery case, $30 4GB MP3 player and more

by Scott Carmichael on

Here are the hottest daily gear deals for today, Saturday December 11, 2010. Remember, these deals are often valid for just one day, so act fast before they are gone.

Today’s first deal is for the Sandisk Sansa Clip+ MP3 player. This compact 4GB player features an FM radio, MicroSD memory expansion slot and support for many popular music formats. On sale for $29.99 – which is normally the price of the 2GB version. Click here for this deal.

Next up is a budget friendly GPS unit with traffic information. The Garmin 265WT has been refurbished, but at $84.99, that also makes it one of the cheapest traffic enabled GPS units on the market right now. Click here for this deal.

Today’s third deal is a fun stocking stuffer – inside this $12.99 pen, you’ll find an 8GB USB flash drive, laser pointer and LED light. On sale at Tanga.com, click here for this deal.

And finally in today’s lineup is a great deal on the Kensington PowerBack case for the iPad. This case/stand features a built in battery pack that doubles the capacity of your iPad, along with amplified speakers. Normal price is $129.99, but it is now on sale for $89.99 PLUS you can take advantage of a $30 mail in rebate, bringing the price down to just $59.99. The rebate form is listed under the “recent rebates” link. Click here for this deal.

Mickey’s Toontown Fair to close at Disney World

by Leigh Caldwell on

When you travel to visit Mickey this spring, you won’t find him in his house. Walt Disney World has announced that the Mickey’s Toontown Fair area of the park will close after Feb. 11, 2011.

The area features the side-by-side houses of Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse, Goofy’s Barnstormer – a kiddie coaster, Donald’s Boat – a playground for toddlers, and a large character greeting area where guests can meet Mickey and Minnie, Tinker Bell and her fairy friends, and several Disney princesses.

Mickey’s Toontown Fair is being closed as part of Disney’s grand plans for the largest Walt Disney World expansion ever. Princess castles, restaurants, and a new ride based on The Little Mermaid are being added to Fantasyland.

The construction is set to be completed in 2013.

Mickey’s Toontown Fair opened as a new “land” at Walt Disney World in 1988, when it was called Mickey’s Birthdayland in celebration of the Mouse’s 60th birthday.

Many Disney enthusiasts dislike the cartoon theming of the area and say that it doesn’t fit in with the rest of Walt Disney World. But the land in the northeast corner of the Magic Kingdom has proven popular with families.

The Disney Parks Blog says that Disney World guests will still be able to meet their favorite characters after Toontown Fair closes. Mickey, Minnie and the Disney Princesses will greet guests in a building in the Magic Kingdom’s Town Square. Tinker Bell will move to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and her fairy friends will flutter over to Epcot.