Magic Mountain, Valencia, CA

When I was a kid, say from age 7 to about 14, I went NUTS for Magic Mountain.  It was the coolest place I could be.  I even stood in line for three hours to ride Colossus the month it opened.  During the summer of '81, my friends and I used to hitch a ride with our friend Joe's sister (who worked a summer as a PSA) and be there to open the park at least twice a week.  Sometimes we would just ride the monorail around the park for hours.  It was great. The employees even let us read the spiel and (gasp!) even press the dispatch button and open and close the doors ("Please stand clear of the closing doors.") 

Unfortunately, little did we know that these times would end.  Six Flags was the new owner, and slowly they implemented changes that would obliterate all traces of many of my favorite rides.  El Bumpo, Eagle's Flight, Galaxy, The Magic Pagoda, The Grand Centennial Excursion Train, The Train to Trollywood, Enterprise.  All gone.  In place of lovely fountains and landscaping there is now dirt and the steel girders of extreme coasters.  The park looks rough and unpolished.  

Below is my photo odyssey which includes some pictures and postcards from my own collection as well as some more recent pics to show a kind of "then and now" view.

Outside/Miscellaneous | Southeast | East | Northeast | Northwest | West | Southwest | Mountain Top