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Cage station? Does that refer to the architecture of the ride station?
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VGplay wrote:

I got some more rides on Bizarro (including one in the front seat) that only reinforced my opinion that the audio and restraints ruin the ride.

I just don't see how that is possible. "Those in the know" have stated quite plainly that there is no possible way the ride could not have improved from when it was Superman. They couldn't possibly be wrong, could they?

Thanks for the TR. I'm hoping to make SFNE the park where I get my 200th coaster credit next season. Sounds like I have something good to look forward to.
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VGplay wrote:

After watching the literal exact same thing happen five weeks in a row on a TV show I'm watching, I take it as a sign that I must continue my trip reports.

Have you been watching the Indians on the regularly scheduled Bullpen Demolition Nights? (For some reason I am hopeful for next year though.)

Great trip report, let us know how that spontaneous return to Lake Compounce went.

CuddyTheFlash wrote:

Cage station? Does that refer to the architecture of the ride station?

The station is "caged" in. Full-height gates on the entrance side and full-height railings around the exit edge. Since I didn't take a picture of it, this is the best I could find: http://rcdb.com/ig629.htm?picture=6

And whoops, I meant Invertigo at Kings Island.

Ray P wrote:

If you don't mind (or even like) the audio and fit the restraints better, you probably would find the ride to be your #1 steel coaster. Unfortunately for me, I couldn't stand the audio and didn't fit the restraints. Those two things added together made for a rather unenjoyable ride. I put Bizarro in the same boat as Maverick and Storm Runner; great rides that I find uncomfortable to ride. But with the latter two I can actively ride to make them better. I don't think there's anything I can do to make Bizarro better.

Skyglider wrote:

Haha, nope. But the Tribe is very up and down by season. Last year was the downswing and this year is the bottom. Next year they return back up. Wink

And I plan to. Let me just say, Lake Compounce is such a great park.

Thanks for the comments everyone!

Thanks for the reports, VG. Sorry to hear that Bizarro was a let down as that ride has consistently been among the top 5 rides out there.

For a short ride, I sort of dig the layout of Batman Dark Knight. Has pretty much all of B&M's inversions in one ride.

By looking at your pictures (too bad it didn't clear up sooner) and viewing other people's photos of the park I sort of feel that SFWoA got jipped. I really do not want to say that but looking at some of the theming and little "extras" SFNE got sort of makes SFO/SFWoA seem cheap.
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It was 4pm. I rode Boulder Dash around 40 times in my two hours at Lake Compounce. As I walked out of the park, I was soaked head to toe (and still downpouring). I also realized I was the last guest in the park. My car was the last in the parking lot. After the school kids left, was the park open for me?

This is the very definition of being an enthusiast, in my opinion. Moments like this, which happen maybe 5 or 10 times, keeps us coming back for more. Thanks for sharing!

So it has been about a month and a half since I even last posted in this thread. I'm really bad with things like this, sorry. But here I am, bringing you another visit to Lake Compounce! And don't worry, I can still pretty much relive both trips, so no details have been compromised!

And for those interested, it wasn't until the eighth week when the endless loop ended.

Lake Compounce 6-19-09

I left Six Flags at about 3pm, figuring to get to the park just after 4. Frustrated with the stop-and-go traffic on the highway, I got off in downtown Hartford and took the back roads to the park. If you're familiar with the Akron area, it was about the equivalent of driving from downtown Akron to Medina (in distance, not time). It was actually a pretty cool drive, seeing all the towns and everything along the way. It was, however, probably longer than just staying on the highway. As I got to Lake Compounce just before 5pm.

Weather: By this point it was only partly cloudy, with the clouds continuing to subside (by the time the park closed, there were barely any clouds in the sky). It started warm, but cooled off as the sun set behind the mountain.

Crowds: Obviously busier than the previous day. Though crowds were still light. There were people on the midways and everything, but Boulder Dash only had a one or two train wait.

Getting to the park at five did have its advantages. Such as paying only $20 for three hours (the park closed at 8pm) as opposed to $35 for two (though I would spend that specific $35 over and over again, if I could). So I had time to both get rides on Boulder Dash and see more of the park.

The choice was easy on what to do first. Did it live up to my experience the day before?

Boulder Dash: Yes it did! Even without it raining all day, it still flew all over the tracks at a relentless pace. Such a fantastic amazingly perfect coaster. And I could keep my eyes open the whole time today! Woo!

With a minimal wait, I got quite a few rides in before heading elsewhere. Where was elsewhere? The park's Rotor! The second (and last) of the trip. It ran at a good speed, not allowing me to slip down the side at full speed. Walking back across the park, I got a ride on the park's dark ride.

Ghost Hunt: I thought this was really cool. Its a modern shooting dark ride, using the same trackless system as Kennywood's Ghostwood Estate, but the scenes and stunts are very much in the same vein as classic dark rides. A few cheap jumps, some rather bizarre sights, with a layer of cheese over it all. As far as shooting dark rides go, it definitely ranks at the top for me.

Continuing through the park, I found myself on a long walkway with the lake and trolley on one side, and Boulder Dash's return leg on the other. From here you can really appreciate how thick the woods the coaster winds its way through really are. It isn't a short walk at all, and I understand why the trolley is there. At the very end of the path is the park's "Mountain Sky Ride" and rapids ride. Although I didn't even take a look at the rapids ride, I took a trip on the sky ride.

Mountain Sky Ride: When I walked up to the station the operator warned me it was about a 25 minute round-trip, and what you could see was not the top. Being just after 6pm, that would work out quite nicely. So I hopped onto my seat and enjoyed the ride.

The ride takes you over rocks, streams, old paths, and more, straight up the side of the mountain, which was impossibly steep (and I have climbed some steep faces backpacking). The higher and higher I went, the more the sounds from Boulder Dash and the rest of the park faded. By the "false peak" the only sounds were from the nature around me, the rollers on the supports, and the random people who asked, "Why are you alone?" "Because my friends didn't want to come." Which was completely true, they were just over 500 miles away and didn't want to spend $1,300 going to amusement parks.

Also of note at this point there is a solar panel, guarded by a fence and a sign that read, "Property of Homeland Security - This area is monitored by local police and the federal government." These folks mean business...on a mountain owned by an amusement park.

Taking a peek behind me, the view was awesome. You can see for miles, where you realize that the park is kind of in the middle of nowhere (as much as you can be in Connecticut). But still heading up, it was tough to really get a good look. From the flat spot the mountain continues uphill. But this time steeper and for longer than the first half. I'd have to look up the elevation, but the ride gets really close to the treeline, as when you finally reach the top, the "trees" are barely 10 feet tall.

At the top there is a booth with an attendant, I presume to keep unruly riders in check. But they were more focused on the book they were reading. I imagine people who ride this know what they're getting themselves into, and trouble is rarely made. I don't know if it would be the wanted or unwanted part of the rotation, but you do need to be able to entertain yourself.

I passed the booth and wrapped around the turnaround, to be greeted by a spectacular view. I could see downtown Hartford, Bristol, and all the way south to where a ridge disrupts the horizon. Closer and closer I got to the bottom, past the top secret solar panel, and finally to the station. It was wonderfully relaxing, and I have to call it a must-do at Lake Compounce. A highlight of the trip (but what did I do that wasn't a highlight?).

It was just after 6:30pm and now my mission was to get years worth of rides on Boulder Dash (didn't I do that yesterday?) as it may be years before I can return again.

Here's a breakdown of the seats: The front gives the best sensation of speed, its a treat to have an undisrupted view as the ride flies through the woods the way it does. The middle, believe it or not, gives the best balance of floater and ejector airtime. And the back, as expected, gives a crazy out-of-control ride. Which did I like best? Since they all had their positives, I cannot pick one.

The operator at the booth was particularly fun. Since the park was only running one train, he entertained and talked with everyone as we waited. "I like to ask people where they're from. So, where are you from," he asked. "Akron, Ohio," I answered. Ooos were heard from people and the operator replied, "Wow, so you've been to Cedar Point?". "Yeah, but they don't have anything this good." He seemed to like that answer.

Towards the end of the evening, I had met up with a group of enthusiasts who recognized my Geauga Lake shirt. I had a nice time talking with them between rides, which sometimes the gap wasn't big. The crowd that was there was thinning and sometimes there would be only a few people in the station, and we went round without getting out.

Then came the final ride. I was in the back seat when the operator alerted us that we wold be the final train. A collective "Aww..." was spout. So around we went and I was truly sad as we entered the station.

"How was everyone's experience?" the operator asked.

*everyone cheers*

"How would you lie to experience it again?"

Really!? I can get one more ride? Everyone cheers except for two people near the front. "Party poopers," he calls them with a smile and he asks if they want off, they do not. And I get one final ride on Boulder Dash.

After that ride I parted ways with the enthusiasts. I think the decision to leave Six Flags to return to Lake Compounce will not only go down as one of the best decisions of the trip, but as one of my best decisions this year. I had a great visit and I was glad to have one more evening at the park.

As for the number of rides on Boulder Dash, I remember counting to 20, so in two evenings (five hours total) I got over 60 rides in. That's a few years worth, I'd say.

Pictures and More: http://picasaweb.google.com/vgplay/LakeCompounce61909# (still a work-in-progress, but I didn't want to wait on the pictures to post)

VGplay wrote:

...the operator replied, "Wow, so you've been to Cedar Point?". "Yeah, but they don't have anything this good." He seemed to like that answer.

First off vgplay, thanks for posting these TR’s. You do an outstanding job of giving readers the feeling that they were right there with you. Very well done. I need to get to LC one day as Boulder Dash sounds like my kind of ride. I believe LC has one of the few remaining Chance Rotor’s out there as well. Haven’t been on one of those since 1999.

Secondly, I wanted to make sure that quote I highlighted above was seen. That is SO awesome when that happens. Obviously many folks have heard of The Flagship™ through the biased Travel Channel specials and the rigged Golden Ticket Awards. I’ve been to several parks where ride ops or guests have asked where I was from as solo travelers are such an odd sight. Wink

I always answer “Cleveland” and more often than not, I hear “Oh, so you live by The Flagship?” I always want to lecture them on how The Flagship is actually 60 miles from Cleveland, but instead I just nod my head and say “Yes”. The usual follow-up question is “Why did you come all the way here then if you live so close to The Flagship?” And with a smile, I always say “Because this park is better.” The response is typically a flabbergasted “Really?” Folks just love to hear that their park is better than the overhyped and over-rated Flagship. Smile

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