You never know when you'll find a podcast guest in the wild. During a visit to Deno's Wonder Wheel earlier this summer, Andrew was riding their new roller coaster, Phoenix when he struck up a conversation with a ride operator. As it turned out, that "ride operator" was Deno "DJ" Vourderis, third-generation co-owner and operator of Deno's Wonder Wheel amusement park.

DJ was kind enough to join Andrew again on the Coaster101 podcast, talking all things Deno's Wonder Wheel (and its 103-year-old custom-milled steel wheels), Coney Island, Phoenix, Roller Coaster Maintenance, and more. If you listen closely, you might just hear a bit of unreleased information about the Phoenix, and how its cycles might be a little longer by the end of the season.

Be sure to check out Andrew's rankings of Coney Island's Roller Coasters by clicking HERE.

You can connect with the show by hitting us up on social media @Coaster101: Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Instagram. We also have a website, if you're into that sort of thing: www.coaster101.com

Also, be sure to subscribe to the podcast so you don't miss an episode! And please give us a rating and review wherever you listen, it helps new listeners find us!

Find the latest and greatest Coaster101 and theme park-inspired merch at c101.co/teepublic!

Thanks to JM Music Design for providing our theme song. For more on them, check out jmmusicdesign.com.