Darien Lake

Darien Lake is a park I'd always wanted to visit and I finally got to achieve that on this trip. My reasons weren't particularly ride related, more it being close to Niagra Falls and I could visit both on the same adventure.

We started the day with the park offering us a double ERS on their wooden coaster Predator and their large steel monster Superman Ride of Steel...I mean Ride of Steel, we're not allowed to make reference to the underpant wearing superhero anymore as the park now has new owners who don't own that particular licence.

Being the retard that I am I chose to completely forego Superman, where most of the club had headed and remained on Predator which they'd deserted after a single ride. Yes the ride is rough and has a brutal kicker at the bottom of the second drop but if you learn the ride it becomes a fun experience (well that's what I convinced myself after 16 consecutive laps on it). Supposedly this ride used to be much worse before they swapped the trains with the old Voyage trains from Holiday World. So if you have a bad opinion of it, come back and reride it and see what you think now!

I did join the Ride of Steel ERS, riding the last train only. It's a really nice ride and not much different from the one in Six Flags America. From what others were saying the ride ops here ran the ERS really well, I wonder if they were as good as the crew at SFA.

One of the newest attractions to the park is the motocoaster, formerly licenced to Orange County Choppers but now moving on from that arrangement. The ride is cute and offers a gentler experience than the theming allows . It gives a fun experience for all ages. The astute amongst may be wondering if the ride has a backwards section given the girls hair. Nope, it doesn't; that's just the brakes, which you have now been warned come in hard.

The park has a boomerang coaster too and like much of the others around the world offers the thrill seeker a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity because in most cases you don't want to ride it again.

Locals enjoying the skycoaster attraction. The track in the background belongs to the motocoaster.

A view of the motocoaster taken from the big wheel.

This was the gingerest kid we saw all trip. I'm not quite sure why I chose to share that.

Mind Eraser is the park's SLC and for those naysayers who don't like these rides I'm sure they'll think the name of the ride is appropriate. If I had my way I'd rename this to "pleasant experience".

A gorgeous ride of twisted steel

Misunderstood by most

Let us celebrate your wonderfulness

Raise a cheer as I give this toast

People say you bash their heads

and often squish their ears

I've never had this problem

and I've been riding you for years

I find that using the Harley grip

and keeping your head back

will allow you to ride comfortably

and make it safely round the track.

("ode to SLCs", Malcolm Marr 2010)

It wasn't the hottest day of the trip but still hot enough for some to enjoy the water rides.

The rapids ride was down due to industrial strike action with the rafts complaining about the way they were being treated. It must have been embarrassing for the park to see them out picketing the queue line like this.

The lift hill of Ride of Steel. Clearly the locals don't impose a height restriction at this park!

Those fortunate enough to arrange lunch in the group pavilions get to some wonderful vantage points to take photos of the big red machine.

And if you're very lucky other big red things!

OK, so it's a really good ride and perhaps I should have spent more time on it during the ERS :D

Err, what fence?

The free fall all that was the Viper queue line. Like most rides of this type it was too rough and in a box like this the screaming cacophony of the teenager kids who'd gathered here made it even less pleasant than normal. Just to help assess the quality of the ride, Darren agreed to take the first run.

Would you want to ride it based on this reaction?

The park does have a kids-only kiddy coaster "Brain Teaser" and this park does enforce the rule regardless of us being in an enthusiast group or not. So this was one of a small number of coasters on the trip that we didn't get to ride. Consider us teased.

As part of the initial license deal with the OCC Motocoaster, the OCC guys made 2 amazing looking bikes. One had been recently sold, the other can be found in one of the gift shops.

The two biggest rides in the park, Ride of Steel and Predator. I know which one I liked better!

I really liked Darien Park. A good mix of rides, excellent operations, a very clean park and run by a management team that want this park to shake off any negative images it may have picked up under its previous regime. Definitely recommend this place if you are in the Niagra area.