It’s half-past the giraffe’s ear

What time is it?

It's time to take a second look at Giraffica (the ride formerly known as Pilgrims Plunge) and realize that, on a sunny day, it looks a whole lot like a giant sundial:

This time of year, Giraffica casts a long, long shadow on the field that is quickly becoming the home of our new Hyena Falls, with its four in-the-dark water slides:

So why did we change this ride's name to Giraffica?

This ride was originally part of our Thanksgiving section.

Pilgrims Plunge opened in 2009 and was then the world's tallest water ride (it's still the tallest in the U.S.).

We placed it on the northeast edge of Thanksgiving and re-worked some pathways so that it could also be accessible from Splashin' Safari, so that families could ride in their swimsuits, if they wished.

While planning to add Hyena Falls to Splashin' Safari for the 2013 season, we decided it was time to move the park boundary so that Pilgrims Plunge would be part of the water park. And so this huge water ride would need a new name to connect it to its safari brethren.

If you look at the shadow of the elevator (on the right side of the photo), you'll probably see how we came up with the name Giraffica. (It sounds best when said with great authority – the way you'd say a superhero's name: Superman, Spider-Man, Wonder Woman, Giraffica!

And no matter what you call it, this is one fun ride! Here's a long, tall look at Giraffica's huge drop in slow motion: