Photo TR: Canobie Lake Park - 6/20/08

[btp1]

Finally, school is out and theme park season has finally begun (for me, anyway)! In the past several years I have kind of 'drifted' away from theme parks...for example last year, the only park that I made it to was Canobie once, and the next time I got to a park was last week when me and my best friend took a senior graduation trip to Universal Orlando, it was there that I was reminded of how much fun theme parks were.

 

I chose to go back up to Canobie on a Friday kinda at the last minute, so it was just me...everyone else already had plans. I didn't get going until later than I had wanted because I had to help my mom with some things around the house that needed to get done. I left at about 11:45, and got there at about 12:30. That left me about five hours at the most...and rain was threatening for later in the day, so I went in with the mindset that I had to be efficient and choose my rides wisely. This also meant that I wasn't able to spend a ton of time snapping pics, so apologize if they appear rushed and/or sparse.

 

When I got there, the parking lot was pretty crowded (it looked like there were A LOT of school groups there) so that was a little discouraging, but I later figured out that most of these kids had packed themselves into the Castaway Island area of the park, so the rest of the park wasn't packed (there were still a fair amount of people out at the park though). I paid my $30 (a little higher than I remember, but still pretty reasonable) and got in. I really wish Canobie would offer some kind of season pass, I would be able to afford to go many more times a year if I had one.

 

I immediately took a left and headed for the Canobie Village section of the park. I headed to the back and got in line for the Mine of Lost Souls dark ride. This would be my longest wait of the day (about 30 minutes), and part of that was because of the number of empty seats that were on each car when they were dispatched. It was common to see a full bench empty, and when I got on, it was me and three empty seats. It was a little disappointing to see so many empty seats, as it greatly increased the wait times.

 

Anyway, I still enjoyed my ride. It's easy to tell that this is one of the older versions of Sally's dark rides, but it's OK, it's still quirky and fun - the only thing is that I will never understand how the whole mummy scene fits in with the mine/grim reaper theme. Overall though, it's still a fun ride.

 

 

After I got off the Mine Ride (the scariest thing about it was probably the ride attendant who stood there and stared at you awkwardly in the shadows as you emerged from the mine and back to the loading area) I walked next door to the Timber Splash Water Coaster. I checked out the line and, based on what I remember of the ride, it wouldn't be worth waiting. I'm not a huge waterslide guy anyway, but I still snapped a photo for your enjoyment:

 

 

My next ride of the day had to be the Pirata. I really do enjoy these rides...especially if I can get the back rows. I seemed to time it perfectly, as I got in the short line just as the ride before mine was ending, so there really wasn't any wait. I was able to snag the row second to the end, so I was pretty happy. While I enjoyed it, the cycle was pretty short. It seemed like the ride only gave us two or three full swings and then we were done. Even the version at my local July 4th carnival had a better cycle than that one. No big deal though, I still enjoyed it.

 

 

Now besides roller coasters, the thing that like the most at theme parks are the water rides, specifically the log flumes. My next ride of the day was the Policy Pond Log Flume ride. The wait was quick, mostly due to the fact that the ride ops made sure that most every boat was filled to capacity. While not amazing like the ones at Disney and Universal, it is a pretty good one that fits really well with the character of the park. I didn't get too wet, and I still really enjoyed the ride. It was hear that I encountered the nicest staff members of the trip, which is saying something since, for the most part, the ride ops and other staff members are all nice people. Some shots:

 

 

 

 

Next up was the parks' newest addition, the Xtreme Frisbee! While the ride looked pretty tacky and very much like an attraction you'd see at a carnival, it was still very enjoyable due to the awesome program that they were running. It was long featuring many swings and a lot of spinning. It more than made up for the short cycle on Pirata - it may have been the best ride of the day. The line was kinda long, but it was well worth for the very long ride.

 

 

By now I was getting very hungry so I took a break from rides and decided to get some food. I walked through the park and eventually decided to grab a chicken quesadilla at the Poncho Cantina. While it may not have been the best looking food, it was actually pretty good. I'll have to come back next time I am at the park.

 

 

Now back to the rides. It was now time for my first coaster credit of the day, the Canobie Corkscrew. It is a typical Arrow corkscrew coaster, so there really isn't a whole lot to look forward to. I was able to sneak into the back seat. The quick ride boxed my ears around a bit, but hey, it was still a coaster. At least the ride ops seemed to be really cool guys that were fairly enthusiastic. Photos:

 

 

 

 

 

 

With my ears a bit sore, I decided to hit up the Turkish Twist just down the pathway. This is basically a Rotor with a little theming. I enjoyed this ride a fair amount, and it helped that they were playing some pretty good music while on the ride. I can't for the life of me remember the name...but it was a good one.

 

 

After the quick ride (I emphasize quick) I made my way down to the Boston Tea Party section of the park. I was debating whether or not to ride it, and when I got there and it appeared that the ride was closed, it sealed the deal...i was gonna skip it (it did reopen shortly thereafter, however).

 

 

 

It also appeared as if the park had found their replacement for the Ocean Trip ride that is basically right across from the Boston Tea Party. In my opinion, it looks better than the old bright Ocean Trip. The duller colors allow it to fit in more with its surroundings. The sign is pretty tough to look at, however.

 

 

My next ride of the day was also one that is relatively new to Canobie. The Skater ride (which has taken the place of the old Paratroopers ride) looks pretty good. I have never ridden this, or any ride like it for that matter. On the whole, I thought it was pretty good. I still wish that they had found some way to keep the Paratroopers, however.

 

 

Next up was Psycho Drome, located at the very back of the park. Before I go on, one thing that I noticed about this area was that it is pretty dull. There really is no draw. The old spaceship simulator thing (which is closed), the Canobie Mall, and Psycho Drome are all back there, none of which really excite many people. I would really like to see them add there next big attraction back in that area of the park - just to liven it up a bit.

 

Back to Psycho Drome, I was pretty disappointed this time around. I remember getting a pretty good ride on it a couple years ago. This time around, the lights were on inside the dome, and the ride cycle was pretty short. No matter what kind of music or what type of strobe lights you have, if the lights are still on, it kind of ruins the atmosphere of the ride. I wonder why they would leave it on, since it was a good ride before the park decided to do this.

 

 

I then made my way over to the Starblaster S&S tower ride. It is a small tower that packs a punch. What's great about it is that it is a double shot tower, rather than a simple single launch or a single drop. For that reason, I actually like this one a lot more than some of the other ones around that, while significantly taller, run the simpler single shot programs. Just my opinion.

 

 

Now it was time for the main attraction the park has to offer: The Yankee Cannonball. I wanted to ride it earlier, but the ride was very long so I elected to pass and come back later. By this time, the line had shortened somewhat, so I think that it was a good move.

 

It was about a 25 minute wait, so it wasn't too bad. When I got into the station, there was only one seat left in the front row...damn. This was my first ride in the very front row for the Cannonball, so I was actually pretty excited. I had a pretty good ride, it was smooth, and there was some pretty good floating air throughout the dogleg out-and-back layout. There were a couple moments of more drastic air as well, which was really fun. The only downside was that next to me was a girl who seemed to get really mad at me when I tried to put my hands up. That was a bit of a buzzkill.

 

 

 

 

After a good ride on the Cannonball, I headed over to Zero Gravity. This newer Round-Up ride replaced the older one that they had there last season. Overall, the area actually looks really good I was only able to get an overall shot of the ride (rain clouds were starting to roll in) but the landscaping and some of the minor theming was actually pretty good. As for the actual ride, I didn't really sense a huge difference, which is good, because I like the Round-Up that was there before.

 

 

At this point, it was drizzling. My last ride of the day was Wipeout. As soon as the ride started, it began to rain pretty hard. While the ride itself was actually really fun, it wasn't great having rain drops smack you in the face. However, that didn't spoil the ride. I don't have a photo of it because I didn't feel like standing out in what was now pouring rain to get my camera out and take a shot. I was going to try and wait it out and maybe squeeze in a couple more rides (particularly on the Cannonball), but then the lightning started to roll in, so I decided it was about time to leave (it was 4:30 and I had to leave at 5:15 anyway).

 

Other than the weather that spoiled the final 45 minutes of my trip, this was a pretty good experience. I really had a great time. Lines were for the most part very manageable, the staff was nice, and the park was well maintained. Canobie was just as good as I remembered it, and I hope to return several times throughout the summer!

[ebl]

That looks like a nice park and the woodie looks like fun. But that's one ghetto-looking log flume, though.

 

Eric

[btp1]

I hear you. All they did was dig a ditch in the ground and fill it with cement. Very little theming was put into this ride.

 

Still pretty fun though.

[burningstroller]

What are you guys talking about? That log ride is great. It fits in perfectly with its surroundings. You don't think that a log ride that sits flush with the ground, with a natural looking flow of water is better? I think its a great improvement over the bright aqua colored elevated tubs, which most log rides are.

 

Also, the ride station building was built using wood from the trees cleared to build the ride.

[Jayjay719]

I went to Canobie for the first time last weel and I had a blast. The only problem I had was at Yankee Cannonnball. Line cutters galore, and no security. The park was very crowded. I also didn't like how they had one train going on such a busy day. They can run both train correct? But anyway, I did have a blast and I would love to make a return trip in the future.

[btp1]

They actually can't. Don't ask me to explain it though...there was an "accident" several years ago when two trains bumped into each other. Since then, the park completely overhauled the whole thing and the ride has never had two train operation since. The confusing part is that they ADDED a computerized system, common knowledge says that a computerized system should allow them to run two trains.

[Jayjay719]

Well, other than that, I really enjoyed Canobie. I just wish they would run two trains.

[andy_e219]

Great TR, and great park. I'd like to visit there someday.

[coasterfreaky]

Looks like a nice little park.

 

So, what ride is inside the Psycho Drome? Scrambler?

[btp1]

Yeah it's a scrambler. As I said in my report, it used to be such a good one, now it seems to be so much tamer.

[DCody]

Canobie Corkscrew, w00t! I wanna ride that so bad because it used to be at Old Chicago. Dorky, I know.