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Talon was one of those additions to Dorney Park that you can not question. The ride provides elements of smoothness with tons of intensity. Im glad to have such a great B&M invert in my home park. Not only is the ride top notch, but it has a great setting in the park and looks very sleek. The presentation is excellent in terms of the rides colors and the way Dorney landscaped the area. You truly feel like a bird of prey swooping over the terrain of Pennsylvania with the shrubs and bushes going past you, all planted in quality Pennsylvania dirt and mulch. The ride itself states out with an accent up the lift hill. There are signs going up the hill letting you know what you are in for in terms of the ride, all culminating in a polite "Good Bye" right before the train maneuvers its way over the walkway and heads for the first series of elements. The large vertical loop is very intense. The zero-G roll, when the ride is running well, really gives you that noticeable momentary feeling of weightlessness. Then the great, killer Immelman rounds out the first straight shot of elements, all of the thrown at you relentlessly one after the other. Exiting the Immelman takes you into a high banked 360 degree helix that takes you over the midway between the entrance of the ride and Hang Time. It gives a great view of the park. Coming out of this takes the train into the back end of the ride. This part throws a superb foot chopper at you, which lets you know that you are in for a wild last few seconds. Down you go into a corkscrew and one of the single greatest things on a coaster that I have ever experienced. Anytime that I doubt that this ride belongs above some of the others on my list, I take a drive to the park, ride the ride, and this is the portion that reminds me that this is one of my favorite rides. The final over banked turn is phenomenal. It is so close to the ground and is taken at such speed that there is just nothing that compares, at least to me. Anytime I ride, I always make sure to get a far left seat just for that part because it truly makes the ride that much better. I relax in the seat, hit the turn, my left arm drops nearly grazing the ground beneath me, and it is one of the most rewarding and relaxing elements and experiences for me on a coaster. It is truly pure nirvana that makes me glow inside beyond belief. Talon is a ride that I feel that I can hold onto without being disappointed. It is my favorite ride in the park. I feel that it will never disappoint me. It is the ride that I can grasp onto without being let down. It is one of those sentimental things about the park. Not only is it the park that I am in love with, but it is the park that has been filling me with heartbreak over the years. I have come to grips that there will always be change and I have also come to realize that Thunderhawk and Laser will not be around forever, so Talon is the sure thing, great ride that I can always be able to turn to, at least for a long time. Leave it to Talon to leave me, and hopefully keep me, smiling.
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