Blue Streak

Today Jill and I started off with a drive to Canfield, Ohio, near Youngstown, to visit the Idora Park Experience, a small museum dedicated to Youngstown's amusement park that operated from 1899-1984 (photos in extras). A family has gathered signs, ride parts and other items from the park for decades and opens this museum every Fourth of July weekend. It was wonderful to see. We met with my friend Vince and got lunch after.

Then we drove an hour to Conneaut Lake Park, a small resort amusement park in Pennsylvania. It opened in 1892. It has three roller coasters, though we only rode the classic wooden coaster, Blue Streak (pictured), and Devil's Den. Blue Streak opened in 1938 and is one of only two coasters left by designer Ed Vettel. The other is in Denver, and I rode it in 2006. Devil's Den also is one of only two left. It's by a company called Pretzel. The other Pretzel coaster is in West Virginia. We plan on going there this summer.

We also ride the Tumble Bug, one of, you guessed it, only two left. The other is at Kennywood near Pittsburgh. It's really fun to say we've ridden such rare rides. Tumble Bug has a long ride cycle. We had a great time.

Blue Streak has a few rough spots, though it was still pretty fun. We got two rides: first in the front, then in the third row. The third row is significantly rougher than the front. I slammed my arm into the side of the seat in a turn, and it left a mark. Ouch! But it's nice to have a classic still operating. I hope they can get the funds to get the track redone.