Located conveniently on the way to the back of the park from the Gotham City area, and unfortunately located near the fresh lemonade stand, the Wheelie gets serious consideration every time I hit the park. If not for the habitually long lines which move at an excruciating pace in a tight, steamy queue house, it would be a must-do. The ride is a Schwarzkopf Enterprise, and for those who have not ridden a genuine enterprise, you are missing a truly fantastic experience. The ride is a wheel with 16 cars attached to the outside, and the carts can hold two people (unless you are my size, then one). The ride begins by cranking up, spinning around the center pivot, when upon reaching the critical velocity, the ride is tilted up on an “arm”, which the pivot is attached to. The sucker pulls off some nauseating G’s (hence the lemonade comment, the take sugar, add water a squirt of juice lemonade doesn’t hold well) while spinning seemingly out of control, and at the climax of the ride, the arm is at about 80 degrees, which anyone who has been on Millennium Force knows you can’t tell it’s no 90. The ride is incredibly fun to ride, especially at night when the lights are on and you are flying through the pitch black air, not knowing where you are due to the extreme disillusionment. The ride is also set well, between the lake and the river view hill, coming within feet of contact with the giant oaks and pines, yet all within the safety of your cart. This ride makes you feel like you are not only flying, but as if you are about to be launched into the stratosphere, and anyone who visits the park should take at least one spin.
The wheelie is, without a doubt, my favorite flat ride this side of I-10, and it has excited my adrenal gland along with my intestines, yet I find myself being brought back time after time. On the scale against other flats, I’ll give this bad ass a 9 (as I did before), still reserving my 10’s.
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