TR: Canobie Lake Park 4/30/06 with a couple photos

[Rob562]

Well, my friend Erik was in-town visiting, so we (me, Brian and Erik) decided to head to Canobie Lake Park on Sunday. Just a quick TR (more just highlights and observations) with a few pics at the end. I took more video than photos this time, and it'll take me a bit to grab frames off of the videos.

 

We got a much later start than we meant to (the park was open 11A-6P). We didn't get there until just after 1PM, and stayed until closing.

 

First off, the park was EMPTY! At 1:00 there were maybe 100 cars in the parking lot. We entered the park to find noone in the park and very few lines anywhere. They were only running one train on Yankee Cannonball, and our longest wait was about 4 trains. The only other wait we encountered all day was at the Mine of Lost Souls, and that was less than a 10-minute wait. Everything else was walk-on or a one-cycle wait.

 

I don't know what's really new, or what was just new-to-me because I didn't make it to Canobie last year.

 

A few points:

 

-Rides closed today: Matterhorn, USA Missile (though does anyone really think it will ever reopen?). When we walked by the Psycho-Drome noone was in line outside and none of us felt like riding, so we never saw whether it was open or not.

 

-Rode Wipeout for the first time ever, and probably the last. While the three of us couldnt' stop laughing, it was PAINFUL! I think it was mostly because of the speed. The worst was at the very end where it spins relatively flat to the ground.

They've re-themed the adjacent mirror maze. What used to be the Crystal Orbiter (or was it Crystal Maze?), is now the Tiki Maze, with some tacked-on Tiki and Easter Island statues.

 

-They've built a wheelchair access ramp onto the Yankee Cannonball station. Looks very nice, though all day people were trying to use it as an exit from the platform.

 

-The Galaxi is gone, and in its place is what I assume is a Zamperla Rockin' Tug with a skateboard theming. But it's a trailer-mounted portable version and a very temporary queue setup, so it's not clear how long it'll be staying.

 

-At the adjacent Tilt-a-Whirl, they totally re-did the queue and operator's platform. Not sure I like the style of the re-do. I'll miss the old wooden ramps. This is also another location they've added a wheelchair ramp.

 

-Mine of Lost Souls had the usual off-season tune-up. Still a couple things not working properly, and the sound can't be heard in places, but it's doing OK.

 

-We actually went into the Vertigo Theater. We've been in here before, but it was fun. We have decided to refer to it as "Soarin' 1.0".

 

-What is it with STUPID people and trains?!?!??? We saw FOUR people get on the moving train and two people get off! First, just after we pulled out of the station at the center of the park, a family of three adults and a young kid is standing watching us go by. I can see them itching to jump on, looking for a place with open seating. Sure enough, the guy lifts his kid up and into the moving train and then hops on himself. The employee that sits at the back of the last car wasn't on-board yet, as he was closing a gate we'd just gone through.

Later on as we got to the north end of the park, a supervisor was walking by just as two teen girls hopped OFF the back car. When I turned around and looked, the guy and his kid were no longer back there, so they obviously hopped off at some point. (I just hope it was into the lake).

Lastly, as we completed the loop by the boat dock this couple that was blocked by the train from exiting the dock decides to hop on. Of course they only travelled about 50 feet, as the train was coming into the station and stopping...

Where do these idiots come from???

 

That's about it. Nothing majorly exciting to report, no major goofy photos. That'll have to wait until we go to a park with my friend Scott. He always brings the oddness and silliness to the group.

 

-Rob

And just for Erik....

Am I the only one who thinks twice about why an amusement park has sharps containers in the bathrooms? Does Salem have a worse drug problem than I thought?

Side Boob!

The new Tilt-A-Whirl queue and platform. Though I like the new color schemes on the ride tubs.

Backside of the "Skater"

The (new?) Zamperla Rockin' Tug

Driving Miss Brian

While I found this Creepy Space Dude to get a picture with.

(The sign with him said to come ride the "KosmoJets". Ahhh, memories...)

"We come in peace"...

Erik tries to fly with the birds

The usual stockade type pic. (Though I think we left Brian out in the sun too long)

Erik under glass, stuck somewhere within the Maze.

The new "Tiki Maze"

It was quite dead in the park today...

Dear God! Erik, NOOOOO!!!!!!!!

[Canobie Fan]

wooo! Canobie Lake!

A few things - Skater opened last july as a replacement for rockin rider. The park is keeping it but it is going to be moved to a new spot in the park. Where skater now is will be a HUSS Frisbee.

 

USA Missle has been down for years. It doesnt even have exit or enter ramps anymore. The park is just keeping it for looks.

 

The maze got rethemed and renamed last year to the tiki theme to fit in better with wipeout.

 

[Rob562]

Now, if only they could bring back the rotation of the mirror maze it'd REALLY go well with the adjacent Wipeout.

 

A Huss Frisbee would be a great addition to the park. That area is really barren-looking without the Galaxi being there. (And the plopped-down look of the Skater doesn't help) Any word on whether they're buying it new or used? (Am I mixing things up in my head, or didn't SFGAdv recently get rid of theirs?)

 

-Rob

[Canobie Fan]

Canobies is used but its from Germany.

The one SFGAdv had ended up at SFGAm.

 

And the maze wont spin anytime soon. Someone on my site who worked at the park said what was wrong with it and why it cant be fix'd/