Waldameer June 25, 2008

Made a quick stop by Waldameer park on 6/25 in the evening as I went from Pittsburgh to Cleveland on business. My goal was one thing only: ride Ravine Flyer II. Beyond that, my plan was just to see if anything else spiked my fancy, as being at the park by one's self is not always the most exciting thing in the world. Got to the park around 7:00 PM. Parked just outside of the train station near the Comet, and went straight for Ravine Flyer II. Picked up some tickets on the way (not worth the wrist band for my short visit.) RF II had one train running, but even still, the wait was only about 15 minutes. The view on the lift is tremendous. I can not think of a park with such a neat lift hill view, as it's even better than Magnum. Sitting mid train, the airtime on the first hill was good, but the air on the bridge was phenomenal. I'm still puzzled by the pretzel that is the end of this ride, but wow, what a great little coaster they have. Second ride was just as strong. Debated about riding again or riding the spinning coaster, but since I've done them before and I faced a drive in rain to Cleveland, I passed and headed out.

Overall, this is a great move for Waldameer. With Geauga Lake effectively closing, I can see a lot of church picnics and small company picnics moving to Waldameer. In fact, on my second ride, the teenagers all around me were on a church outing from Cleveland to the amusement park. Waldameer took a lot of time to build RF II, but it certainly paid off as one of the best new wooden coasters of recent times.

That spinning coaster is called Flying Dragon or something like that, correct? Is Waldameer in PA? I've heard Raving Flyer II AND the spinning coaster are both excellent, and I debated heading out there...

Waldameer is in Erie, PA at the entrance to Presque Isle. It is about 100 miles east of Cleveland and about 130 miles north of Pittsburgh.

The name of the spinning coaster is Steel Dragon.

"Raving" Flyer might be one of the more accurate typos I've seen in quite awhile...

GG = Gravy-ty Group = Giggity Giggity... :)

Reviews like this make me want to go there that much more. I am really hoping to get to Waldameer later on this summer. Sounds like another great ride.

It is a really great ride and I really hope they can maintain it and keep it as smooth and fast as it is now. One could make a day out of Waldameer/Presque Isle if you are into the outdoors. Presque Isle is at least worth a drive around. *** Edited 7/2/2008 8:30:15 PM UTC by eightdotthree***