Coaster Community

On our way up to Minneapolis for the ACE Preservation Conference we decided to drop in on the unsuspecting inhabitants of Altoona, IA.  This was a quick trip and we only at the park for about 3 hours.  Since it was a weekday we didn’t think that crowds would be much of an issue and we were right.  The park was much nicer than we remembered it being.  The rides were still what we remembered though and the park is still lacking a top notch ride that will bring people like us back every year.  The $29 that it costs to get in seemed a little steep as well.

We started at the River Rapids Log Ride and after waiting for 30 minutes we thought that it was going to be a long day.  This was by far the longest wait of the day.  Jenni was pretty upset with the amount of water that was delivered to her lap.  Nobody recalled getting soaked the last time we rode it so we were surprised when we crest the first hill and dove into an oncoming wave.  Since Jenni was in the front of the boat it landed right on her and she was wet for the rest of the day.   If you know Jenni then you know that she hates being wet all day.  Upon pulling into the station a rogue wave whacked Art in the back and left him wet for a large part of the day.

Tornado was only a 5 minute wait and that was with one train.  The ride was remarkable smooth even with the strange vibration that lasted through most of the course.  I still feel that this is the best ride in the park.

Skyride was another 5 minute ride.  Going through the trees and over the log ride drop makes this one of the best skyrides around.  For added enjoyment I try to get Jenni to pretend like she knows people going the other way. 

The Tea Cups were a walk-on.  The ride went on a little long and since our car didn’t allow us to control the amount of spin we crossed over into boredom.  3 adults are a tight fit and when one of them is wet and mad it gets a little awkward.  The ride operator was named Elmo though and we all enjoyed that.

G-Force was also a walk-on.  It delivered a lot of sharp and forceful turns but didn’t induce dizziness.

Side Winder had a 5 minute wait and wasn’t as fun as it looked.  The spinning was a bit much for the stomach and we were even loaded with anti-motion sickness supplements.

Dragon was a 10 minute wait and like always it was rough and short.

Sawmill Splash had a surprising 20 minute wait but it was worth it.  This is especially fun when you’re with a group.  You don’t get very wet but the trade off is that the ride is a little short.  Either way it’s one of the most enjoyable water rides around.

Outlaw didn’t have a line so we rode near the front and found the ride to be a step or two above where it was several years ago.  I’m not sure if it’s broken in now or if something has been done to it but it’s better and that’s all that matters.

Check out our ride ratings here http://www.coastercommunity.com/content/view/89/39/