I love rollercoasters, but my experiences have been limited to the coasters of Busch Gardens, King’s Dominion and Disney World. In other words, the tame roller coasters rather than the monster coasters of amusement parks like Cedar Point. I’ve never experienced anything quite like Griffon and after standing in line for an hour and a half, I managed to work myself into a nice little panic over the experience. Why? Check out the drop. The picture doesn’t do it justice. From that drop, riders go immediately into a loop and spiral combination. I only know this because the line queues up directly under the drop. My eyes were closed for most of the ride, so I can’t give details on the rest of the twists and turns except to say there is a water feature, but you don’t get wet. 
Worse than that 90 degree drop is the hang time at the top. The designers of this rollercoaster know something about psychology. The only thing worse than dropping straight down is waiting to drop straight down. The car consists of three rows of ten seats. The entire car is suspended at the top for a full ten seconds, with the first row facing downward like skydivers in a jump. The second row is also tilted forward, but not as far, and the third row is even less angled, nor can they see the bottom for the two rows of people in front of them. Believe me, despite being in the third row and unable to see my impending fate, those ten seconds were very, very long.Just about the time that I began to get comfortable suspended at the top, there was a loud noise as the car was released. The plummet to the bottom also seemed to take forever, as it felt like my lungs were going to explode from screaming. Did I mention I scream on rollercoasters? I scream like a banshee. This ride was no different, though I simply didn’t have the lung capacity to scream as much as I needed to. Yes, needed to.
Jay called this rollercoaster “scream-worthy,” but please note which of us is screaming in the picture. I’m surprised I didn’t swallow a bug. Then again, I might have. I couldn’t have told you one way or the other. This one was scary mother of a rollercoaster. I’m not in a hurry to ride it again (though I’m sure I will), but if rollercoasters are your thing, then Griffon is your ride. There is a ride simulator on Griffon's website which does a pretty good job of showing you what you’re in for (or in my case, what I missed with my eyes closed). The scary music doesn’t come with the real ride, though. I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have been able to hear it over my screaming, anyway. 
I survived the experience and went on to ride Apollo’s Chariot, which was probably the most intense rollercoaster at Busch Gardens prior to the new addition. After riding Griffon, Apollo’s Chariot felt like a Sunday drive in grandpa’s Oldsmobile. That was enough rollercoaster riding for one day, so we stopped for ice cream cones at my favorite ice cream shop in the park, La Grande Glace (that’s it in the background) and called it a day. I’m just happy I didn’t puke.
Do It Yourself
If you’ve never ridden a rollercoaster before, or are attempting Griffon for the first time…
--Get to the amusement park early. The lines for the big rides can be ridiculously long and the longer you wait, the worse the anticipation. Ride early. If you like it, you can ride it again.
--Don’t eat before you ride. Trust me on this. You will want to stay hydrated, especially if it’s summertime.
--Don’t bother buying the over-priced photo of your experience. Take a picture of the display with your digital camera. The quality won’t be as good, but you’ll still have a memento of the experience (and you can crop out the strangers).--Remember: No matter how scary it seems, it’ll all be over in a few minutes!
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