Sunset On The Wonder Wheel

I had hoped to share a photo or two with you – but the fact is, technology fails. My camera started reading “write to card cannot be completed” while filming a short video of my last ride on the Wonder Wheel. I have been trying to find a good recovery programme since I got back from Coney Island and discovered the card was somehow corrupted!

I had hoped to get a ride on the Cyclone, but it was not running for some reason. But even so, the Wonder Wheel was worth the trip! A picture is worth a thousand words – and I do not have the energy for the thousand words at this hour. But I do want to let you know that travelling over to Brooklyn was DEFINITELY worth it! I found a good short film on YouTube that shows the Wonder Wheel in action.

For those of you not familiar with it, the Wonder Wheel is a curious cross between Roller Coaster and Ferris Wheel. The Ride consists of a basic Ferris Wheel that is about ten-stories tall with a difference. One-third of the cars on the wheel are traditional cars; they’re permanently affixed to the edge of the wheel. The rest are mounted on a carriage that rolls along a pair of roughly oval-shaped eccentrics that cause the car to roll in toward the center of the wheel as it spins toward the top and then again out toward the edge on the way down. The car swings as it rolls due to the bumps and dips of the eccentric and it appears as if the cars are bound for a collision at certain points in their paths.

I got a single ride on it, and liked it so much that I went back and bought a four-ride pass. I tried all three of the cars and liked the blue one best. The guy running the ride (I remember seeing him in a documentary on the ride – I think he is the owner) noticed me getting on the ride for the fifth time and asked me if I liked the ride. “Yeah!” I replied. “I love this ride! It is so cool!” I guess he recognised a kindred spirit because he told me to keep seated as the ride came to an end and he let me go around again!

It was a long day! But it was worth it! If only I had some of the pictures I took.

Wherever you are today, I hope that your day was as fun!

Don Bergquist – August 23, 2014 – Piscataway, New Jersey, USA