Space Spiral tribute video (break out the tissues!)

I wonder how they would of taken it down if Dick was still in charge. I saw an article about how they are advancing it technology. I don't think that would of been on video if Dick was still here.

What are everyone's thoughts on the destruction this year compared to Ouimet's entrance into the company? Just coincidence?

Does anybody have a specific memory of the last time the 2nd deck was used? My last recollection is in the vicinity of 2002, but my memory of that period is clouded with malted hops & bong resin so I can't be certain.

Walt mentioned earlier about a failure in the 80s that required people to be lowered down the inside of the tower via. a harness... was that really the only way to move up and down the inside of the tower? There were some post-demo photos that showed the inside but I assumed the staircase that I was sure was inside was just mangled beyond recognition.

Jacob Ryan Hartman said:
What are everyone's thoughts on the destruction this year compared to Ouimet's entrance into the company? Just coincidence?

I think a little of both. I think WildCat and Disaster Transport were both on the way out in the next year anyway.

There was a ladder on the inside. The harness was likely used for their safety.

Not to steer this thread off course, but I've been realizing how much I miss WC and DT my past several trips. They both really added variety to the day and gave me more to do.

I frequently rode Paddlewheel, Space Spiral, Disaster, and Wildcat on many trips, so I'm completing the park much faster, with a feeling that something is missing. I'm hoping GateKeeper patches up this feeling somewhat next season.

I do think some of the ride removals have plenty to do with Ouimet, whether through him directly or him empowering others to make those decisions. It's important to think forward and keep a park relevant while still honoring the past. Great job on Giant Wheel in this respect, but a question mark for Wildcat and Paddlewheel.

Ensign Smith said:

Walt said:
Eventually, they decided to raise the cabin to the top with counterweights and those inside were brought down with a harness through the inside of the tower.

Ooooh. I would've paid good money for that experience.

You'd pay good money to be stranded for 7 hours with no food or bathroom, then climb down a 200 foot ladder? :)

Well, see, I wasn't thinking about a ladder. I thought Walt meant stranded riders got to rappel down the interior of the tower. That would've been awesome.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=LigxAAAAIBAJ&sjid=1gIEAAAAIBAJ...%2C7872358

Man only $298 for a front-loading VHS Video Recorder, what a steal.

How long has Robin Innes worked at the park?

As an aside, wish they had a 7 day forecast in that thing......

He no longer works there.

Guess I missed that one. When did he leave?

It's a nice video and tribute, but more than a few times, I was reminded of that "Bart's People" episode of The Simpsons.

He's been gone since about this time last year IIRC. It wasn't announced, we all just sorta figured it out. It was about the time Bryan got the promotion. I thought his promotion would be in the news, but I couldn't find it.

The more I think about it, I'm thinking it was this year. I can't remember if Robin spoke at No Coaster in Chicago in January.

Ffej said:
I frequently rode Paddlewheel...

...something is missing.

PWE is, for me, the hardest removal to deal with, in terms of variety of attractions.

WC, while fun, was a coaster, and there are plenty others to choose from. DT was a decent distraction, but I won't miss it. Space Spiral lost its appeal for me in the 80's. Since then, if I want to relax, I just find a nice shady spot to sit and people watch.

According to Robin's LinkedIn page, he still works at CP

He is also listed at the media contact on the Soak City website.

But, based on the thread at Geauga Lake Today, he was probably let go in late January. No Coaster in Chicago, may have been one of his last acts as director of public relations.

As for the second level being open, about 4 or 5 years ago our family was walking near SS and noticed they were loading only the top level. So realizing the novelty of the situation we got in line and rode it. That was the last time I saw it open.

Yeah, I agree that PWE was a big loss. It was a perfect ride to tie CP in with its history, and something everyone could ride together. When it closed for Dinosaurs Alive, I thought DA might last 5 years, and then they'd bring PWE back as an all-new updated attraction with a new name. Now that the boats are sold, I can erase that hope.

I think a Wild Mouse coaster is a staple for most amusement parks, and Wildcat was easily my favorite of the breed. The ride was getting old, yet it tracked so smoothly and delivered a ride so much better than the newer, rough wild mice. I think if they had painted it new attractive colors (white supports and navy blue track), retrofitted it with smooth magnetic brakes, and blinged it out in attractive LED's, it'd see a rebirth in the same realm as Giant Wheel.

While I miss DT, I admittedly enjoy the opened up view and think GateKeeper is going to deliver as a ride and in bringing people back to that midway, so I can accept its loss. But, I think the park needs a dark ride more than ever now.

With Space Spiral, I think replacing the plexiglass with glass, adding AC, giving it a new lighting package, and cutting out the lady-on-crack speech would have worked wonders. But, if the ride really was at the end of its service life, I'll accept it and try to appreciate the new SBNO tower ride nearby.

Why couldn't they just have build a draw bridge over the lagoon so that paddlewheel boats can pass by, and still have Dinosaurs alive, only people going to DA would simply have to wait a whopping 3 minutes for the bridge to lower?

This would have worked wonders.