Click on any photo to see a larger version of it.



The Dragon was designed by O. D. Hopkins.  That company primarily builds log flumes and rapids rides but for a few years in the late 1980's and early 1990's they decided to branch out into coasters.



I have no problem with companies branching out but there is way more finesse and skill needed to make a good roller coaster and they weren't quite there in 1990 when the Dragon was added to Adventureland. 



Transitions are rough, the track has several sections where you can see where they had to weld additional material to make the parts fit because of a huge margin of error in the design/manufacturing process and trains that have no ergonomics that mixed with the Dragon's other problems makes for what I consider a painful ride.  As a result I don't ride it and Bond has decided to forego the pain as well.



While Bond and I don't care for the discomfort of the Dragon John absolutely loved it.  Of course he enjoys martial arts which includes being kicked, hit, thrown and a few joint locks so a little abuse from the Dragon is right up his alley.



We had so much fun on Splash that I forgot to take more photos of it.  Splash is a large water slide that you ride down in these rafts.  The first half of the ride is a giant helix that has rough pads placed on the inside of the turn that are intended to spin the raft.  We went with an adults only boat and with all of the weight we ended up spinning like a record.  We spun so much I had to take a break and sit down for a few before riding anything again.



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Paul B. Drabek