An American Lion

A Wooden Roller Coaster

Silly me, I thought there were no more wooden roller coasters. It would appear that I am wrong about that:

Wooden roller coasters rock.

This was the verdict from my crew of four after a visit to Lake Compounce Family Theme Park in Bristol, Connecticut.

My kids are no strangers to amusement parks. In the last three years, they’ve been to Hershey Park and Walt Disney World. But despite the fact that Lake Compounce is far smaller than either of those places, my kids dubbed its famous wooden roller coaster, Boulder Dash, quite possibly the best ride among the three parks.

Boulder Dash at Lake Compounce

“I feel like I’ve been spun around in a washing machine,” my youngest daughter said.

I could tell what she meant. I was literally vibrating after getting off the ride.

We’re not the only ones who love it. Boulder Dash was named the world’s number one wooden roller coaster in 2001 and 2004 by the National Amusement Park Historic Association. It has 4,672 feet of track, features an initial drop of 115 feet, and goes over 60 miles an hour.

I’d thought the wooden coasters at Hershey Park were fast and fun but Boulder Dash exceeded all of them.

Boulder Dash is one of three roller coasters at Lake Compounce, which has been in operation since 1846. The name comes from Chief Compound, who transferred the deed from “Compound’s Lake” to white settlers in 1684. Legend has it that he’s buried in the lake.

Sounds like a blast to me. I don't recall the last time I was on a roller coaster. I think I got on one when I was in my teens, but that would have been during the late 1950s and virtually all of the roller coasters in operation at that time were death traps. I may have ridden a log ride once, but it's all a blur to me. I have always had hilarious screaming fun, but usually in sports cars that I didn't have to pay for.