RIP #3: Astroworld Traditional Cache
Prime Reviewer: No response from owner. If you wish to repair/replace the cache sometime in the future, just contact us (by email), and assuming it meets the current guidelines, we'll be happy to unarchive it.
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(regular)
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The closing of Astroworld was a heartbreaker for me. It opened while I was in middle school and I was thrilled by the rides. During high school, I took dates to Astroworld. Years later, I brought my own children here.
AstroWorld was originally the brainchild of local philanthropist and former Houston mayor Judge Roy Hofheinz, who intended it to complement The Astrodome. The bridge that crosses Loop 610 that connects AstroWorld to its parking lot is the only privately-owned bridge accessible to the public in Harris County, Texas.
It was named AstroWorld, A Six Flags Theme Park" as to not confuse patrons with the Dallas-based original park Six Flags Over Texas.
Six Flags WaterWorld was built adjacent to AstroWorld and opened in 1983. Admission to the water park was separate for almost 20 years, when in 2002 it was decided to allow admission to both parks with one paid ticket.
AstroWorld was home to what once was the only pipe-line barrel roll roller coaster in North America, (Ultra Twister), planned and designed with Intamin AG, the world's first river rapids ride (Thunder River), and the world's first successful suspended coaster (XLR-8). It was also home to Batman The Escape, once was the only stand-up roller coaster in the state of Texas. AstroWorld was also the park to debut the S&S Power "Sky Swatter" ride, dubbed Swat. Diablo Falls was the world's tallest spinning water ride.
Six Flags AstroWorld's major claims to fame were the Texas Cyclone, which, when built, was one of the largest wooden roller coasters in the United States; the Ultra Twister, which was widely regarded as one of the most unique rides in the United States. The park was also famous for Greezed Lightnin, a roller coaster that accelerated from 0 - 60 mph in roughly 4 seconds. Also unique is that the ride is a shuttle loop type coaster, meaning riders traveled both forwards and backwards during the course of the ride. Greezed Lightnin's 1 millionth ride occurred on October 15, 2005.
During construction of the Texas Cyclone, a tropical storm destroyed the entire north end turnaround section (as seen in the film Brewster McCloud) causing it to have to be rebuilt and the opening pushed back to June 12, 1976. More than 25,000 gallons of paint were used on the Texas Cyclone. The coaster was constructed of Douglas Fir lumber. It had over a dozen drops and was one of the few full sized roller coasters in the world to operate without a mid-course brake run. In 2001 it was determined that modifications made to the ride deemed the head-rests unnecessary and they were removed enabling riders a greater view during the course of the ride. The Texas Cyclone was demolished in March of 2006.
The park was closed on October 30, 2005.
The cache is a regular size, but it holds a lot of swag. This includes a red ball, a glow-in-the-dark rocket stencil, a toy bazooka soldier, two mini dinosaurs, Mardi Gras beads, a bug ring, a small baseball card, a Chinese coin and a polished piece of petrified wood.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Gur srapr.
Treasures
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