Depart: Red Roof Inn, Erie, Pennsylvania at 9:46 AM.
Fuel Stop: BP on Route 832: 10:06 AM. Distance traveled: 13.7 miles. Trip resumed at 10:10 AM.
Arrive: Waldameer Park, Erie, Pennsylvania at 10:21 AM.
Distance From Hotel: 17.0 miles. Total distance for trip:
350.0 miles.
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Upon entering the third park of the trip, I was finally entering unfamiliar territory. Waldameer Park in Erie, Pennsylvania, is a clean, well maintained park. I was impressed that the people were attentive in their jobs, thereby giving me the impression that the park is operated in a safe and efficient manner. Although it is easily possible to complete all of the park's activities in about 4 hours, it is also possible to spend a relaxing day at this small park.
As might be guessed, Water World is the water park portion of Waldameer. The water park opened at 11 AM, while the other rides did not open until 1 PM, so I was able to enjoy the water activities. While certainly not the largest water park I have ever experienced, Water World had some enjoyable slides and a very pleasant lazy river.
Waldameer Park only has one roller coaster, but it also has some other rides of distinction. I found Wacky Shack to be a very cute dark ride. This ride is similar in concept to Cedar Point's Pirate Ride and Earthquake Ride, both of which no longer exist. Pirate's Cove is a walk through attraction, similar to various haunted houses. There is also a log flume ride called Thunder River, which I found to be a lot of fun.
Don't arrive too early to attend this park -- with the park opening
at 11 AM, the parking lot did not open until 10:30 AM. There were
quite a few cars parked on the shoulder while waiting for the parking lot
gates to open.
| Roaring through the heavens, streaking across the sky, it's... The
Comet.
The Comet is a relatively old coaster. While not rating as one of the greatest thrill rides on the trip, it still qualifies as a fun old ride. Looking at the upper left portion of the picture, one rather unique feature is visible. The track runs right over the top of the Comet's curved loading platform. While standing in line waiting to ride, the rumbling of the train passing directly overhead leads to quite a sense of anticipation. The ride is nestled amongst many older trees, making it difficult to photograph, but adding pleasant scenery to the journey. The Comet: Wooden coaster built in 1951. Designed by Herbert Schmeck of the Philadelphia Toboggan Company. Height: 45 feet. Track length: 1400 feet. Ride duration: 1 minute 15 seconds. |
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Depart: Waldameer Park, Erie, Pennsylvania at 2:57 PM.
Rest Stop: I-79 Mile 164 Welcome Center, 3:30 PM. Distance traveled: 21.7 miles. Trip resumed at 3:38 PM.
Arrive: Conneaut Lake Park, Conneaut Lake, Pennsylvania at 4:09 PM. Distance from Waldameer Park: 47.8 miles. Distance traveled on Day Three: 64.8 miles. Total distance traveled for trip: 397.8 miles.
Conneaut Lake Park was the fourth park of the trip, and the second park of the day. I never did actually learn the correct pronunciation of the name, but it is a park with a beautiful wooded lakefront setting. Being so far from any major cities apparently causes some problems for Conneaut Lake Park. There was insufficient staff to operate all of the rides, so operators would run multiple rides. A ride would be shut down temporarily while the operator was busy running a different attraction. Additionally, the whole park looks like it could use a coat of paint. The sign pictured above appeared to have been two-thirds painted when I took the photo -- some of the coloring has been digitally enhanced to "complete" the paint job. Staffing issues may have led to one other noticable problem... the bathroom had a horrible smell, and the fixtures were terribly discolored. The water park appeared to be quite small, and the time was getting a bit late, so I did not experience it.
As for rides, the park offers quite a bit of fun. While not a
coaster, Dr. Moriarty's Wild Ride seems a bit like an indoor Wild Mouse
ride, with lots of quick turns. Twister is a spin-n-go-puke ride
in every sense of the term. The car I was in got to spinning so rapidly,
even I came close to losing my lunch! While the ride was once rather
abundant, due to it now being rather scarce, I had never experienced a
Tumble Bug ride before. However, Conneaut Lake Park has one, and
I found it to be quite enjoyable. The park states that there are
only four Tumble Bugs remaining in the world, three in the U.S., with this
one being the oldest. The Tumble Bug runs in a circle on a small
rail, with several ups and downs. Although this Tumble Bug was the
first time I've experienced such a ride, I found several others within
Pennsylvania.
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Conneaut Lake Park only has one roller coaster, but it is a winner!
The Blue Streak is a wonderful old coaster.
Looking for the best ride? Look to the back of the train. There is some remarkable air time to be had in the back, making it far more enjoyable than the front of the train. Upon leaving the station, the train starts out in a tunnel before getting to the first lift. Later in the trip, I stumbled upon some information indicating that this tunnel is known as the "Skunk Tunnel." Apparently, skunks have had a tendency to give riders an extra surprise to begin the ride! Fortunately, I did not experience that surprise first-hand! Being an excellent old woodie, The Blue Streak makes Conneaut Lake Park an important stop for any true coaster enthusiast. The Blue Streak: Wooden coaster built in 1937. Designed by Ed Vettel. Height: 78 feet. Track length: 2900 feet. Ride duration: 2 minutes 15 seconds. |
Depart: Conneaut Lake Park, Conneaut Lake, Pennsylvania at 7:08 PM.
Arrive: Holiday Inn, Braddock Hills, Pennsylvania at 9:14 PM. Distance from Conneaut Lake Park: 107.2 miles. Distance traveled on Day Three: 172.0 miles. Total distance traveled for trip: 505.0 miles.
The Holiday Inn was OK, but it wasn't great. Considering that the hotel is in a suburb of Pittsburgh, I felt it was odd that the pool and restaurant were already closed upon my arrival. Since dinner was still missing, I settled for some snacks from the vending machines. This gourmet meal was also a bit difficult to come by, as the machines were poorly stocked. For the four items I did manage to coax out of two separate machines, all four of them proved to be stale. The room's decor was pleasant, although the couch had a big stain on it. Considering that the hotel is bordered by a freeway, the walls were much too thin -- even on the 8th floor, I was able to easily hear the sounds of the road. The elevator was clearly in need of service, as the doors simply did not want to close. Either that, or the invisible man couldn't decide if he wanted to get on or off. All was not lost, however. The hotel staff was exceptionally friendly, and, although quite small, the breakfast buffet provided good food.