|
Lake Compounce Bristol, Connecticut Weather: Mostly Sunny, Mild Crowds: Moderate We headed out of upstate New York around 9:30am. The park opens (for some strange reason) at 11am on weekdays during the summer. We were in no particular rush, knowing the size of the park, as well as Boulder Dash’s improving quality throughout the day. We made it into the lot right around 12:30, with the crowd looking light, but not small. It’s about what we expected for a weekday crowd at a park like Compounce. We cruised through the gates with our reasonably priced admissions tickets and took a right around Wildcat to head right to Boulder Dash. Now I must say, we had very high expectations of the ride. There have been no delusions of a new Number 1, but we hoped all the good reviews this ride gets would mirror our experience. The line came just out of the station, just beyond where the front/back station split is. Apparently one train operation is standard on non-special event weekdays, and while I bitched and moaned about it, the 10-15 minute wait was certainly bearable. Our first run would be in the 4th row from the back. We hoped standard back seat out and back coaster rules would apply, but there was an open row, and we figured we could work our way back. The train was off, and we were getting our first taste of Boulder Dash. The scenery on the lift is great; I can only imagine what a sight it will be when the leaves start to turn. After the peak of the lift, there was a right onto a flat stretch, and then we were off. The pace was fantastic, the first few maneuvers were a quick serious of twisting drops and ascents, as intense as any coaster out there. Then things start to straighten out. I have to admit, the subtle airtime left a little to be desired, but we knew that, as well as the whole ride experience, would pick up as the day went on. We whipped around the entrance and got another run before moving on. The Enterprise was about to run a cycle, so we hopped on just in time. They were only loading every other car, so you get an idea of the thrill seeking population of the visitors. I like the ride cycle very much, it’s not just up then down, and they probably give 10 vertical flips before they brought the ride down. Down the hill was Zoomerang, a standard Vekoma Boomerang. There was about a 2 cycle wait, around 5 minutes. Back up the hill was Log Flume, a good terrain track, lifting to up into the woods, not too far from the peak of Boulder Dash. The wait for this one was about 45 minutes, thanks to a 20 minute delay, a plethora of kids, and the strange procedure of only running 6 boats, (despite the fact that they were still using two stations!) Lunch was at a rock-and-roll themed restaurant, next to the Log Flume. They had good sandwiches, either ham or turkey either on a croissant or in a wrap. In addition to having Bud and Bud Light on tap, they also had Sam Adams, and Barcardi Silver. We have a great appreciation for a park that serves beer, and they are very lenient about it here. They don’t check IDs, we were allowed to leave the restaurant with them, and even wait in queues with them. Just make sure to have one person per beer. David went in to buy a round, but called me over to prove he wasn’t buying two for himself. And they still didn’t check our ID’s. Strange policies. After the brews, we thought we’d dizzy it up with a couple flat rides, both a well landscaped Pirate, and Twister, a Wisdom Tornado. To relax, Ghost Hunt was up next, a Sally Interactive Dark Ride. They were only using about 4 two-person cars, so the crowd of probably 80 people took about 30 minutes to get out of our way. I enjoy these kind of rides, but I always lose. (Maybe not enough Duck Hunt while growing up.) We had spent most of the day on the right side of the park, so we worked our way back across, strolling around towards the sky ride. Downtime was on the way, a fun S&S Turbo Drop new for this season. The wait was about 15 minutes, and worth it for the great airtime pop at the top. (That apparently was able to partially separate my shoulder as I slammed into the harness awkwardly.) Onto something tamer, the round trip on the sky ride is quite enjoyable, it’s a great view, though I found it very strange to be on a ski lift with no skis. Having to head out in a few hours, we skipped the rapids ride, though it looked fun from the lift. The trolley was our transportation back to the main section of the park, followed by a stop for some more beer. Bumper cars had about a 15 minute wait, just enough time to finish my beverage, and we were off. Wildcat, an ancient Herb Schmeck, was nearby and grabbed a pair of rides. I was very impressed by this one. There is a fair amount of jostling, but it packs a mighty intense ride for its size and age. The end of the day was in sight, so we were sure to close things out on Boulder Dash. It went down for about 30 minutes, enough time for one last dehydrating drink, and a couple other rides. With beers in hand we climbed into the queue for the Rotor. The Ride Op mentioned the park policy of not letting people who have had any drinks on the Rotor. We handed them off to my father, and said we didn’t know what he was talking about. After assuring him that we could hold our liquor, he let us on. Boomerang was walk-on, so we got another token ride. We got 4 more rides on Boulder Dash before the shut it down for the night. As a warning, they closed the queue early, about 8 minutes before the close, so be sure to time it right, as it may happen to you. The evening rides on Boulder Dash picked up significantly. We got a couple front seat rides (no extra queuing, so no extra wait) and found this baby to be a front seat ride. Those last few rides really gave it some credit, and it managed to jump a few spots. It is a world class ride, not to be missed, and worth the trip just for it from anywhere in the northeast. I can’t say it was the best I’ve been on, as the airtime elements never quite got as out-of-control as I had expected. It was, without question, a top ten woodie, and settled in at number 6, just behind Rampage (Visionland) and just ahead of Tonnerre de Zeus (Parc Asterix). It was a very enjoyable day. It was certainly worth the 2 hour trip from eastern New York. Lake Compounce does have whispers of the traditional park charm, even though most of its rides are new. The staff is very young, but very friendly. They seemed to be enjoying their jobs, even if they weren’t the most efficient staff I’ve seen. I look forward to see what they do at the Lake in the future. It’s obviously got a lot of potential, and if they had the vision to add a ride like Boulder Dash, I have high hopes for them. Back to Trip Reports
|