This Beloved Wonderland Park Ride Has Its Own Fansite
One of the greatest rides at Wonderland Park is the Himalaya.
The Himalaya is a fun-family ride that everyone loves. If you're not careful, you just might get squished as the ride spins around taking you on a journey on a snow-covered mountain. Well, at least that's the feeling you get. According to Wonderland Park, the ride was purchased from France.
According to the history of the Himalaya, The Himalaya ride was first designed by Andre Chereau in France in 1960 and introduced by a gentleman by the name of Edy Mier, who first imported the ride into the United States to different amusement parks and carnivals. The Himalaya was a new and rare piece until it became popular when a French Manufacturer by the name of Reverchon bought the rights in 1970 when they gave the ride a new flashy upgrade.
The ride has been a fan-favorite at Wonderland for decades. In fact, it was there when I was a kid, but we won't tell you how long ago that was, but according to my son, it was back when the dinosaurs roamed the Earth. At that time, the Himalaya went forward and went backward. Nowadays it just spins you around and around like the spin cycle on a washing machine.
OK, but why are we talking about The Himalaya?
That's easy, The Himalaya at Wonderland Park isn't the only Himalaya in the world. There are many, and it is one man's mission to share as much about the Himalaya as he can. His name is Tyrone May, and he is a Himalaya Ride Enthusiast. He even created a Himalaya fan website. He reached out on social media to let us know about his website and that one day he hopes to visit Amarillo and ride the Himalaya at Wonderland Park.
Hopefully one day Tyrone will make it to the Yellow City to ride the Himalaya.
One of the most coveted jobs at Wonderland Park was the ride operator of The Himalaya, if you got the job, you were instantly one of the world's coolest people. Many have held that position since it took its first spin decades ago. From what I hear the job had its perks.
The Himalaya may be most people's favorite ride, but all the rides are great. Check out this video of one man's trip to Wonderland.