40 x 40 - 38. Ride on a Ferris Wheel

It's not that I have never been on a ferris wheel.  Heck, I've lost count of how many times I went to the State fair when I was growing up.  But there is something more exhilarating about riding something a little larger than the snap together death trap that Davis Carnivals set up every summer in the local Albertson's parking lot.

Scott's niece Jenny got married at the end of July in Woodinville, Washington. Our plan was to make this trip into our summer vacation.  (You see more of this trip in later posts).  But for now, back to the ferris wheel idea.  This was a prime opportunity to ride the "Seattle Great Wheel".  Now we're talking big time.  

Here is what their web site says about this marvel:

About the Seattle Great Wheel

The Seattle Great Wheel was built in the last year, but its story goes back much further than that. Seattle businessman Hal Griffith had envisioned a Ferris wheel in the city for nearly 30 years, but it wasn't until he realized he could build one on his own pier that his dream became a reality.

The Seattle Great Wheel opened to the public on June 29, 2012. Since then, it has become an icon of the city and a destination for tourists and locals alike.

Here are some fun facts about the Seattle Great Wheel:

• The Seattle Great Wheel is the largest observation wheel on the west coast, standing 175 feet tall.
• The wheel has 42 fully-enclosed gondolas.  Each gondola seats up to eight people, meaning the wheel can hold over 300 passengers at any given time.
• The wheel was manufactured in various parts of Europe and the United States, and assembled right at the end of the pier.
• The wheel extends nearly 40 feet beyond the end of the pier, over Elliott Bay.
• The Seattle Great Wheel is open year round. With fully-enclosed gondolas and a covered waiting area, the rain can't stop the wheel from spinning!
• The Wheel weighs 280,300 pounds.
• 550 tons of concrete were poured to create the foundation for the wheel.

I knew that if I was going to ride a ferris wheel before I turned 40, this was the one to ride.  

 I quickly got in line.  Lucky for us, it was not very busy on this day.  We did go on a Thursday thinking that there would be less people.  

So you get your ticket, then go through a little booth where they take your picture with a green-screen background (so that you can purchase a souvenir copy after the ride), and then finally go get in the actual line to board a gondola.  They load each car and then the wheel goes around three full times before they unload everyone.  The first go around was a little sketchy with all the starting and stopping. There were a lot of rules posted inside your gondola, like don't open the doors (duh!), don't switch seats while the ride is moving, don't rock the gondola, etc.  There was even a very large red button that was clearly labeled "push if you need to get off this ride".  It's a good thing I sat on the opposite side of the car and was too afraid to move. I didn't particularly like being stopped at the absolute top of the wheel!  But once we got going, it was a lot of fun!

The views of Seattle, and the entire waterfront, were amazing.  I would highly recommend this to anyone who has an hour or two to kill in Seattle.