"A Good Old-Fashioned Thrill Ride"

Cindy Price of the New York Times wrote an article, published July 11, about her wooden coaster tour across Pennsylvania. The Ravine Flyer II, a "big boy" coaster, was her last stop. Here is an excerpt from the article:

"The coaster was a 15-year labor of love for Mr. Nelson, who, operating under an “if you build it, they will come” kind of theory, spent years cutting through red tape before finally getting the go-ahead to build in 2006.

It was worth the wait. The Ravine Flyer II is a slick and beautiful, fast and furious wooden coaster that begins with a deceptive 85-foot lift hill that crests high above Lake Erie (is that Canada?) before blasting you down a 118-foot ravine (surprise!), into a pitch-black tunnel, up and out into the light, over a four-lane highway, curving onto a second 86-foot hill, back over the highway, around some crazy bends banking up to 90 degrees (sideways) followed by some other indescribable funny business (total chaos) and ends only when you are near hysterical, winded and happy, wondering who you are, how you got there — and when you can ride it again.

And absolutely none of it compares to this: the Ravine Flyer II — the wooden coaster that Derek Shaw claims “could be the best new ride this year in the world,” that thecoastercritic.com is picking for “sleeper hit of 2008,” and has been the talk of coaster forums all year long — costs exactly $4.50 to ride. "

I encourage you to read the article and watch the tour footage which includes the Ravine Flyer II from start to finish as if you were riding it.

Thanks to the New York Times and especially Cindy Price for a wonderful article!