![]() Somehow this SBF Visa figure-eight spinning coaster situated in the shadow of New Mexico Rattler’s first turnaround garnered a much longer wait than the wooden coaster ever saw throughout the day. A worthy destination coaster for those contemplating a visit to New Mexico, and if I had the time I would have been quite happy to ride it all day long. But for being only 80′ tall and 2,750′ long, it certainly exceeds virtually any newer wooden coaster of similarly proportioned specifications, and is eclipsed only by the buzzbar insanity of Cornball Express among CCI’s steel-supported creations. Ultimately, New Mexico Rattler is still too limited by its footprint and lacking in any truly stunning “wow” factors to make a play for the title of the very best wooden coasters of its generation. ![]() ![]() Adding to the unpredictability is a surprisingly deep curving tunnel drop in the second half of the layout, with the entire coaster seemingly maintaining its speed and sense of scale until right up to the end. The result is a ride that retains the trademark CCI “bite,” but takes on a more slithering, serpentine style for added sophistication. Unlike most earlier CCI layouts, which tended to economize their designs by layering straight and curved segments to efficiently share superstructure (resulting in a fairly predictable if not still aggressive rhythm between dips and laterals), New Mexico Rattler features a more fluid layout filled with subtle S-bends and relatively complex curve geometries that would become more common features in wood coasters from later that decade. Yet its 2002 vintage as the final CCI makes it both something of the missing link between CCI and the Gravity Group, and not even entirely a CCI creation, owing to more than half the coaster made by Cliff’s themselves after the design company went under midway through construction. At a glance, it appears to be another example of the typical mid-sized CCI wooden coaster. About the only thing missing is a compact dark ride situated on the upper level of some forgotten arcade or snack bar, although the attraction mix that is here is surprisingly robust given the park’s scant 9 acre size, much of which is dominated by its starring attraction. ![]() And Indiana Beach, with its layered collection of rides mostly spanning from the 70’s to the 2000’s, including a Galaxi and an aggressive late-period CCI steel-structured wooden coaster that are the main draw for most out-of-state visitors. Castle Park, as a compact locals’ park amidst medium-density urban sprawl that nevertheless has managed to cultivate plenty of mature greenery. Knott’s Berry Farm, with its strong emphasis on southwestern cultural identity, particularly through the very 1970’s-90’s themed style of fake adobe. To the degree that travel in the time of COVID requires taking some risks, it was outweighed by the risk of potentially forever missing the parks that had any chance of permanent closure in the virus’ wake (which as of this writing there seem to have been surprisingly few).ĭespite being my first time to Albuquerque, a feeling of familiarity washed over Cliff’s Amusement Park as soon as I arrived that I eventually traced back to its similarity to three other parks. Nevertheless, as soon as the park reopened and it seemed reasonably safe to travel again, Cliff’s Amusement Park jumped towards the top of my travel wish list. ![]() The park’s owners even hinted to as much to the local news, although such statements should obviously be viewed in their political context. Albuquerque, New Mexico – Saturday, August 21st, 2021Īs an independent family-run park situated on a reasonably valuable plot of land in the middle of a mid-sized metro, Cliff’s Amusement Park seemed to rate as one of those parks more at risk of endangerment of permanently closing during the prolonged pandemic shutdowns. ![]()
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