Rigel (![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} rigelkitty) wrote,@ 2008-05-04 14:27:00 |
|
Wisp Mountain alpine coaster and Adventure Park, USA
Continuing in the theme of desiring to get out more, we participated in two ACE (American Coaster Enthusiast) events on Saturday. We would've invited others since we could bring guests, but X didn't know what the job situation was until the end of last week, the day before the deadline for registrations.
We woke up at 6am and made sure we were out the door by 7am since it was a three hour trip to Wisp Mountain at the western edge of the Maryland panhandle and the meetup was at 10:15am. I-68 is a rollercoaster in itself, going up and down mountains of increasing size, from 900' to 3000', as we entered the eastern continental divide. Close to our destination, we passed through the ironically named Accident, MD, outside of which was a recently overturned car being attended to by the local constabulary.
We arrived earlier than expected and bought the ACE-discounted tickets. Normally it's an exorbitantly-priced $10/ride which I wouldn't say is worth it, but the event gave us half-off, so each ride was only $5. We bought four tickets which gave us enough rides to fill our 30-minute ERT (exclusive ride time) and get a good overall experience.
During the summer, Wisp sets up a series of track down the mountain and through the woods on which ride elaborate plastic sleds. The sleds descend completely via gravity, controlled only by the rider's application of brake handles. It ends up being a combination of an alpine slide and a rollercoaster, aptly called an alpine coaster. The trip up the mountain is very simple: sit in your sled and a pulley system hauls you to the top in a peaceful, relaxing manner. The descent is mostly quiet woodland and takes about 90 seconds, a bit short compared to some alpine coasters in Europe from what I understand.
Here's a video of the descent. (not ours)
The best experience is with the brakes completely off all the way down. Signs and signals say that going too fast is dangerous blah blah blah. The sleds can only reach a maximum velocity of 20-25mph, you're belted in, and the sled is attached to the track which can handle even the biggest rider at full tilt - a fact that was quietly impressed upon me by one of the staff. The ride becomes a drag when non-enthusiasts fearfully putter down the length of the ride with their brakes on, maintaining a top speed of about a fast walk, which results in a dozen cars piling up behind them. Luckily, with our ERT, few ACE participants shied from the full thrill.
It's no serious rollercoaster by any means and the absence of risk that comes with a true alpine slide and the brevity sucks a lot of the adrenaline out of it, but it's definitely an experience I'd recommend trying once (with the brakes off!). We got a bonus trip because, towards the end, regular visitors started filtering in and a pileup occured behind one frightened rider - the attendants generously said we could ride again free because the experience was ruined. When we left, the queue was filled with little old ladies, so we were getting out while the getting was good.
On our way back to I-68, we stopped at Annie's Kitchen Country Restaurant which was pretty close to the epitome of rustic diner. Tables and chairs seemed scavenged from the local flea market and the dining area was little bigger than a decent-sized living room. The food was merely adequate, tho.
Next stop was a 2.5 hour drive back the way we came to Adventure Park, USA, a large entertainment center about 5-10 miles east of Frederick, MD on I-70. They'd recently installed a Schwarzkopf Wild Cat that had been previously located at other parks. Schwarzkopf is a famous coaster builder and their Wild Cat style is a wild mouse with elements that make it more standard coaster-like.
Adventure Park is a large, themed warehouse building that contains an arcade, fast food, climbing wall, laser tag, and party rooms for kids. Otuside are the coaster, two kiddie rides, two go-kart tracks, two minigolf courses, and a few other small kids games. We met at the front at 3:30pm and were given a tour of the coaster's restoration project by the owner. He showed us the rare, original cars he's rebuilding as well as letting us inside the coaster fence to view the old 70's chain house - something you're never allowed to do at other parks due to the risks involved of being right next to an operating coaster. It was very interesting and informative, tho I didn't really understand half of it. The owner was very friendly and has a broad vision for the ride and the park.
The group took a picture in front of the Wild Cat and then each ascending the hill on the ride. The 30-second coaster itself is really no big deal, but it's historically significant which is neat. During the day, we rode the so-so go-karts twice, played both of the mini-golf courses, and had dinner. We received giveaways in the form of two coaster-themed shooter glasses (Top Gun & Volcano), a Volcano snow globe, an Adventure Park hat, and an Adventure Park stuffed bear.
The location itself is really not an amusement park destination. It's primarily geared towards kids and families, although the minigolf is pretty good. In that capacity, it works out well. One major drawback is a constant reminder that the ownership is deeply christian. At the front door is a plaque declaring glory to god. The first game you see is the "holey roller". And the music piped into the bathrooms and onto the golf course is unashamedly blatant religious pop music. It's a little subsversive and inappropriate.
We met a lot of nice people during the trips and discovered that, just as obsessive as we are about some things, other people are equally obsessive about other things. Some people's homes are loaded up with all sorts of coaster memorabilia. Others spent every single weekend visiting amusement parks repeatedly, both days. Still others belonged to every possible coaster organization imagineable (winner: six) and some others on top of that, like DAFE (Darkride and Funhouse Enthusiasts).
At 8pm it started to rain and the park shut down, so we said our goodbyes and headed home.
Continuing in the theme of desiring to get out more, we participated in two ACE (American Coaster Enthusiast) events on Saturday. We would've invited others since we could bring guests, but X didn't know what the job situation was until the end of last week, the day before the deadline for registrations.
We woke up at 6am and made sure we were out the door by 7am since it was a three hour trip to Wisp Mountain at the western edge of the Maryland panhandle and the meetup was at 10:15am. I-68 is a rollercoaster in itself, going up and down mountains of increasing size, from 900' to 3000', as we entered the eastern continental divide. Close to our destination, we passed through the ironically named Accident, MD, outside of which was a recently overturned car being attended to by the local constabulary.
We arrived earlier than expected and bought the ACE-discounted tickets. Normally it's an exorbitantly-priced $10/ride which I wouldn't say is worth it, but the event gave us half-off, so each ride was only $5. We bought four tickets which gave us enough rides to fill our 30-minute ERT (exclusive ride time) and get a good overall experience.
During the summer, Wisp sets up a series of track down the mountain and through the woods on which ride elaborate plastic sleds. The sleds descend completely via gravity, controlled only by the rider's application of brake handles. It ends up being a combination of an alpine slide and a rollercoaster, aptly called an alpine coaster. The trip up the mountain is very simple: sit in your sled and a pulley system hauls you to the top in a peaceful, relaxing manner. The descent is mostly quiet woodland and takes about 90 seconds, a bit short compared to some alpine coasters in Europe from what I understand.
Here's a video of the descent. (not ours)
The best experience is with the brakes completely off all the way down. Signs and signals say that going too fast is dangerous blah blah blah. The sleds can only reach a maximum velocity of 20-25mph, you're belted in, and the sled is attached to the track which can handle even the biggest rider at full tilt - a fact that was quietly impressed upon me by one of the staff. The ride becomes a drag when non-enthusiasts fearfully putter down the length of the ride with their brakes on, maintaining a top speed of about a fast walk, which results in a dozen cars piling up behind them. Luckily, with our ERT, few ACE participants shied from the full thrill.
It's no serious rollercoaster by any means and the absence of risk that comes with a true alpine slide and the brevity sucks a lot of the adrenaline out of it, but it's definitely an experience I'd recommend trying once (with the brakes off!). We got a bonus trip because, towards the end, regular visitors started filtering in and a pileup occured behind one frightened rider - the attendants generously said we could ride again free because the experience was ruined. When we left, the queue was filled with little old ladies, so we were getting out while the getting was good.
On our way back to I-68, we stopped at Annie's Kitchen Country Restaurant which was pretty close to the epitome of rustic diner. Tables and chairs seemed scavenged from the local flea market and the dining area was little bigger than a decent-sized living room. The food was merely adequate, tho.
Next stop was a 2.5 hour drive back the way we came to Adventure Park, USA, a large entertainment center about 5-10 miles east of Frederick, MD on I-70. They'd recently installed a Schwarzkopf Wild Cat that had been previously located at other parks. Schwarzkopf is a famous coaster builder and their Wild Cat style is a wild mouse with elements that make it more standard coaster-like.
Adventure Park is a large, themed warehouse building that contains an arcade, fast food, climbing wall, laser tag, and party rooms for kids. Otuside are the coaster, two kiddie rides, two go-kart tracks, two minigolf courses, and a few other small kids games. We met at the front at 3:30pm and were given a tour of the coaster's restoration project by the owner. He showed us the rare, original cars he's rebuilding as well as letting us inside the coaster fence to view the old 70's chain house - something you're never allowed to do at other parks due to the risks involved of being right next to an operating coaster. It was very interesting and informative, tho I didn't really understand half of it. The owner was very friendly and has a broad vision for the ride and the park.
The group took a picture in front of the Wild Cat and then each ascending the hill on the ride. The 30-second coaster itself is really no big deal, but it's historically significant which is neat. During the day, we rode the so-so go-karts twice, played both of the mini-golf courses, and had dinner. We received giveaways in the form of two coaster-themed shooter glasses (Top Gun & Volcano), a Volcano snow globe, an Adventure Park hat, and an Adventure Park stuffed bear.
The location itself is really not an amusement park destination. It's primarily geared towards kids and families, although the minigolf is pretty good. In that capacity, it works out well. One major drawback is a constant reminder that the ownership is deeply christian. At the front door is a plaque declaring glory to god. The first game you see is the "holey roller". And the music piped into the bathrooms and onto the golf course is unashamedly blatant religious pop music. It's a little subsversive and inappropriate.
We met a lot of nice people during the trips and discovered that, just as obsessive as we are about some things, other people are equally obsessive about other things. Some people's homes are loaded up with all sorts of coaster memorabilia. Others spent every single weekend visiting amusement parks repeatedly, both days. Still others belonged to every possible coaster organization imagineable (winner: six) and some others on top of that, like DAFE (Darkride and Funhouse Enthusiasts).
At 8pm it started to rain and the park shut down, so we said our goodbyes and headed home.
