Associated parks:
None
Weather: HOT!
After a rather dismal day at the Great Escape on Monday, we decided to skip over SFNE this trip (we had planned on going there on this day) and go directly to Lake Compounce instead. We decided that SFNE would be a two day trip next season.
We did have to wait for a short time for the ticket windows to open (we arrived at 10:30am for an 11am opening) but it was not long until the gates opened and we were heading toward Zoomerang. It was a walk on (had to wait for the last two test runs to be completed) . Found it to be an okay ride, your standard Vekoma Boomerang. Was kind of smooth in the front seat… didn’t choose to go for a second ride to try any other seat.
Next up were the American Flyers. Probably the best flyers that we encountered on our trip, though not as good as the classics at Knoebels. As opposed to Seabreeze and Canobie Lake, the Flyers at Lake Compounce had almost free movement of their sail. There was a stop on the left side of the sail and that along with a slower speed eliminated any snapping, though they did provide a more “thrilling” ride than those at Seabreeze. They are definitely the best looking flyers out there.
Almost next door to the Flyers is the Saw Mill Plunge log Flume. The lift hill looks very tall and very steep as it disappears into the woods on the side of the hill. I told Michele that either there is a drop at the top or a very fast run through the trough. Once at the top we found that there was no drop, but the run was indeed fast. From the top, the drop, like the lift, looked very long and very steep. When we hit the bottom there was an average splash followed by a second little splash that made me think someone threw a bucket of water directly in my face. I asked Michele if she got wet and she said “not that bad. How about you?” I turned around and looked at her and she broke up laughing when she saw how drenched I was.
We continued on to Ghost Hunt. I love dark rides… but after riding this one and the very similar Den of Lost Thieves at Wildwood, I am re-thinking these interactive rides. From a “arcade” point of view they may be fun, but from a dark ride point of view they leave a lot to be desired. The stunts / targets all look like cardboard cutouts that pop up. It all looks very cartoonish. To me.
Nearing noon, we decided we had better get something to eat. Our choice of food was not the most healthy, but what the heck. There was a stand on the otherside of Ghost Hunt that sold Fried Bats (aka Fried Oreos) and we had an order of these along with some of (free) Pepsi. As we sat eating our “Bats”, we were looking across the way at the Lego hockey player standing in front of the one shop. There are several of these people standing around, all built with Legos, and you can take a guess at how many Legos were used in their construction… guess right, you win the figure. Well, we didn’t guess, but being a hockey fan, I hat to get a picture of this one. It looked good, except for one thing… The logo on the jersey was that of the near by Hartford Wolfpack (AHL)… would have looked much better in a Hershey Bears jersey… but oh well… we were in Connecticut and not Pennsylvania.
Not up for a wood coaster, Chele decided to sit Boulder Dash out and waited while I headed toward the station. The line was minimal so I waited for a front seat ride. There were pops of air, but nothing huge. Mainly it is all about speed. From the first drop to the break run at the station, it is an unbreaked run through the woods and over and around hills, boulders and trees. My second ride was in the back seat. Okay, but not as good as the front. Rides 3, 4 and 5 were in seat two (same thrill as seat 1, but less wait). A very good coaster, and well worth the visit to Lake Compounce just for this one.
Finally, after taking a bit of a break, I headed off across the midway to the entrance of Wildcat. Here I encountered my longest wait of the day at around 20 minutes. The “annoying” thing… as I said so many times on this trip… you could select your own seat. Only 18 people were allowed on the platform at a time and it was first come = first choice. Anyway, It was an okay coaster… but possibly the weakest Schmeck design that I have encountered. With the wait line being longer when I exited than when I entered, I decided that I didn’t want to wait 20+ minutes for another ride.
We kicked around the idea of doing the skyride up the mountain side, but with the heat starting to take its toll on us (we were getting kind of wonky by this time), we decided to call it a day at the Lake. Once in the air conditioned comfort of our car, we set our course to the south west to find a place to stay for the night before wrapping up the trip the next day at Playland in Rye NY.
With the exception of the heat, we both enjoyed Lake Compounce and when ever we return to New England for Six Flags New England, we may make a stop here again. Next time we visit, we will make sure it is not during the hottest week of the summer. I definitely want a few more rides on Boulder Dash and Wildcat and I also want to try that mountain sky ride.
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Half of the people surveyed agree, half disagree and another half are unsure.
*** This post was edited by SLFAKE 9/2/2003 3:47:24 PM ***
Nice trip report.
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tambo
And yes, be sure to ride the skyride next time. It is long, steep, and has excellent views.
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Half of the people surveyed agree, half disagree and another half are unsure.
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