copyright Jay Ducharme 2008

The persistent rains finally let up in New England, and we celebrated the mild sunny weather by using our season passes for Lake Compounce in Bristol, Connecticut. We didn't expect anything new, since we had gone only two months before. But we always had a good time at the park, and we needed a breather from the work week. We arrived about 11:30, and the parking lot was already half filled. There were also a half-dozen buses there. There were new signs on the lightposts in the parking area. Each sign had a number plus the name of a ride, similar to what Kennywood did. We parked at #4 Boulder Dash and hiked the long distance down the walkway to the big tunnel. There was a sign out front saying that one of our favorite rides, the Sky Ride, wasn't operating. There were several tables at the tunnel funneling guests past security guards who were checking bags. We walked right on past. Every ticket gate had a long line. We continued through to the season passholder entrance and emerged on the colorful midway. The first thing we did, as usual, was stop for some delicious Potato Patch french fries. Then we wandered through the kiddieland section. A musical show was in progress at the stage there and it was playing to a full house. It was sort of a country western safari done karaoke-style. The crowd seemed to be enjoying it. The park was busy, but it wasn't overly crowded. We left the kiddie area. The bright purple Zoomerang was racing through its course. Next to it was the fun car ride Zoomer's. It didn't have too long a line, so Karen and I queued up and within a few minutes were rolling along the winding track behind the Zoomerang. The ride was short but lots of fun with plenty of interesting scenery and a 1950's soundtrack playing. Next we walked up the slope to the Saw Mill Plunge flume ride. The queue was less than half filled, so we got in line. The guests moved along very slowly. Normally the ride queued quickly. When we looked across the holding pond, we realized what the holdup was: six of the flume boats were lying on their sides, out of commission. There were only three boats running on the course. We idly stood around, watching the nearby Thunder and Lightning swing ride. After a half hour, we hadn't even made it halfway through the line that was there. So we abandoned that and headed back down the midway. Boulder Dash, amazingly, had very few people in line. Both trains were running smoothly. After about fifteen minutes Karen and I were seated in the front. Two kids behind us were on for their first time. We left the station, glided up the lift, turned the corner slowly -- and then blasted down the first drop. I had never experienced such speed on this ride. We were tossed to the left, curving next to the station, and then were thrown to the right as we crested the second hill. We couldn't even tell we had gone up a hill; the train didn't lose any momentum. The entire course was taken at breathtaking speed without any letup. The new triple-up section flung us up into our lap bars with incredible force. We hit the brakes completely exhilarated. People on the train where whooping and clapping. Boulder Dash was without a doubt one of the greatest wooden rollercoasters ever built. Not only was it a marvel of engineering -- embedded into the side of a mountain -- but it was also incredibly fun without being too extreme or punishing. We left the ride with big smiles. Walking south down the midway, the band organ could be heard filling the air with happy melodies. Two of the game booths had signs protruding from them, signs of the times: "Win a $50 gas card." We curved around past the waterpark, which was packed, and headed for the train. Unfortunately, the train was also packed and ready to leave the station. So we headed back south toward the Crok Pot restaurant and walked across its veranda. The lazy river ride was filled with guests. We strolled down the long path toward the back of the park. Boulder Dash roared by on our right. I found it strange that the beautiful swan boats once gracing the lake were gone. There was still a pier, but nothing was docked. As we reached the far end, we were surprised to find that the Sky Ride was indeed running. We didn't feel like getting drenched, so we passed on the wonderful Thunder Rapids ride and instead hopped on the Sky Ride for a leisurely trip up and down the side of the mountain. I still find that ride unnerving at times, hanging 700 feet above the rocks below. On our return trip, we could see that the parking lot was completely filled. Walking further south, the path toward the picnic groves was mobbed with people. We arrived at the south train station just as the train was letting off another load of passengers. While the train wasn't as quaint as Canobie Lake's steam engine nor as big as Busch Gardens' locomotives, the Lake Compounce train did have a beautiful setting alongside the lake, sandwiched next to a hillside blooming with mountain laurel. Along the way, we spotted a catamaran, much like the one at Canobie, taking guests out on the lake. While I was glad to see that the park had resumed boat trips, it was sad that their venerable Mark Twain paddlewheeler evidently had been retired. After the train ride, we decided to split a slice of pizza. We couldn't go to The Lake without eating their pizza; it was just too delicious. By that point the park was getting so crowded that we couldn't even find a place to sit down. So we just ate the slice standing up in the lobby of the Crok Pot. We hadn't ridden Ghost Hunt, the park's dark ride shooting gallery, in a while. So we walked over to it. On the way, we paused to get some drinks, which the park was still offering for free. Ghost Hunt usually had the longest wait in the park, and the queue was full. But at least it was out of the sun. We got in line and were surprised to find that it moved quicker than usual. As we approached the loading area, we discovered why: the ride's original two-seater cars had been replaced by trackless four-seaters, similar to what Kennywood had just installed on their new Ghostwood Estates. In a short time we were seated, with a couple behind us. The guns were a bit larger than the original pistols. One welcomed added feature was that the guns fired a red laser beam, and that made it easier to strike the targets. But with four of us firing simultaneously, it became difficult to tell whose beam was hitting which target. Perhaps if the beams were filtered to create different colors, it would make the "game" less confusing. Outside of a few new stunts, the interior of the ride was the same as it had always been. I loved the bouncy oompah-style music that played throughout. The route the cars followed was still the same, but there were areas where the cars would stop to give the riders more time to shoot the targets. There was one markedly different area. Originally, the cars ventured outside above the games next to the Wave Swinger at the back of the Ghost Hunt building. That exterior corridor was filled with mist, but lacked anything to shoot at. The park modified that section into a stunning mirrored corridor filled with twinkling lights. It was both beautiful and disorienting. The ride ended with a flashier explosion of the "Boo Bomb" and we emerged back at the loading area. Karen had handily beaten me, 840 to 460. We walked back over to Boulder Dash, but the line was then stretching out toward the ride's entrance. So instead we walked over to the Carousel Cafe. I got a veggie burger and Karen got a yogurt parfait. We found an open cafe table in the shade. The burger was really tasty, and the whole meal was reasonably priced. After that, we decided to call it a day. Even though Lake Compounce didn't get crowded the same way Six Flags would (with multi-hour waits for rides) it was starting to feel claustrophobic. So I stopped off at the Main Gate Snacks for a Pistachio ice cream cone. I'd forgotten how deliciously creamy their ice cream was. We then walked through the gift shop to get to the exit. Karen noticed some new items: Boulder Dash drink coasters. The idea of coaster coasters amused me, so I bought a set. We left about four hours after we arrived, happy and relaxed. I was glad the park was only an hour's drive for us. We felt no pressure to make a whole day of our excursion. With our season passes, Lake Compounce made a perfect respite from a busy week. And judging by the big crowds, a lot of other people thought so too.

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