muchachitos y muchachitas, este toro tiene cajones grande! i say this both literally and figuratively. the literal version of that phrase refers to senor bulls "huevos", which are in plain view for everyone to see on the bovine statue when they enter the queue. this well endowed bovine also asserts his "sabor picante" by being flanked by hundreds of beautiful little live chile pepper plants kneeling down in the fresh mulch along the gigantic wooden structure. the figurative version of the phrase refers to my impression that el toro the ride himself had some big ones too, and he showed some steam-snorting, nimble, wild-bucking and ingenious character for a brand spanky new ride, and i cant recall anytime in my life when a spanky new ride made such a hit with me. this big honkin timber sonovabi*ch is ready to kick up some dirt, jump the fence and charge at you in order to blow (or gore) your mind. its amazing that the mega-corporation that owns this park actually OKed opening an all wood roller coaster that genuinely kicks mean snarling ass instead of one of those "family-friendly" steel coasters ive heard about popping up around the country over the last season or two. imagine, if you will, a ride on a classic roadhouse mechanical bull set to "high speed" (i.e. "urban cowboy" ,only in this case you are stapled onto it with a u-bar, thus glued down while moving through one convulsion after the next. thats pretty much what it feels like on el toro, the only differences being youre screaming at 70mph and occasionally shoved face first down into a maze of precarious, twisting planks. many reviews have given the blow by blow of the breathless economics of the brief layout, so instead id like to delve deeper into the overall experience and philosophical ramifications of this fascinating ride. first, im going to borrow an idea from michael moore of all people. there was a chapter title in one of his books - something like, "bill clinton, the best republican president of the last quarter century". so MY version of that idea is - "el toro, the best steel coaster in america." yes, it is entirely constructed from gorgeous timbers. yes indeed its track, though prefabricated overseas, is entirely wooden. but when you put poly-urethane wheels instead of metal ones down onto that funky extra wide steel top-rail, you basically get the same wheel/track marriage as a steelie. its smooth and buttery like a steelie. but the fact that el toro glides like a steelie isnt the big issue in my mind. the big issue is this - where are the steel coasters that have the ridiculous ejection moments, violent banking, and punishing positive g-forces of el toro? why did intamin make their most extreme "hypercoaster" to date out of timber? im not entirely sure, and im certainly not complaining, but i think im beginning to get some interesting ideas about it. i think the wood track and structure threaded with the fancy new train concept and rubber wheels open a new and exciting dimension. its like a new improved "warmer" version of the steel hypercoaster. the wooden structure and track are naturally going to breathe and sway with the wailing trains and changing atmospheres in a way steel doesnt. thus the softer more "organic" qualities that myself and so many others love about wooden coasters are not undermined on el toro, in spite of the obvious technology involved in creating, building and running the ride. the death rattles and herky-jerks of classic wood rides are not present, that is certain, but this new style is bringing the wood genre up-to date with the size, speed and smoothness expecations required for mass-consumption nowadays. i personally like the warmer "feel" of el toro much more than the other very large "airtime" oriented coaster in the park, which happens to be made of steel, and its fantastic to think that el toro is in the same speed and height class as that other one, yet its<
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