Kennywood 5-20 (day 3 of 3 in Pa)
Associated parks:
None
I still managed to arrive before the rides were open and queue'd up for Phantom's Revenge. It took me a while to find the entrance, and there was already a pretty nice sized line. I decided to wait for the front row. HOLY SMOKES!! This ride absolutely blew me away! Fabulous first drop, brain-warping ravine drop through Thunderbolt. But the best part is the INSANE ejector airtime after the tunnel. You cannot stay in your seat even if you really really tried. This may be a "short" ride on paper, but it really feels complete. It also replaced Goliath/Titan as my personal favorite Hyper. 5 laps (average 20-30 minute wait on the one train operation) 10 out of 10!!!
After being dumbfounded by Phantom's Revenge it was on to the very high rated (according to a few coaster shows) Thunderbolt. This is a really good ride with a really good layout, but I fail to see how it gets so many "#1's" and "top 10's." I liked the ravine drops and the twisted section was more powerful than expected, but it didn't blow me away. Also the "no single rider" rule slowed down my loading time, why does this rule exist on Thunderbolt but not Jackrabbit? 3 laps, 8 out of 10.
Exterminator was the ride I was dreading the most. I do not do well on Spin-&-Pukes and generally avoid most flat-rides that feature spinning as the primary mode of travel. That being said, I LOVED EXTERMINATOR!! Did it make me dizzy? Yes. Too dizzy? No! This thing really keeps you guessing, and I love the queue decorations. This is BY FAR the wildest Wild Mouse in existance. Way to go Kennywood, this ride smokes! 9 out of 10, and my favorite mouse coaster. Sadly I only got one lap as the entire inside & outside queue was full when I went back for another spin.
Racer. 2 laps, one on each side, so is that actually only one "full circut" ride on this coaster? Either way, this is a fair racing ride, even if I did lose both times I rode it. (for those who are keeping count, that is 4 losses out of 5 races on racing coasters on my Pa trip, not a good record at all) The layout other than the continuous circut track is rather uninspired for my taste. 6 out of 10.
Jackrabbit. 1 lap, back seat. What is up with the restraints on this ride? I guess what was good enough for people in 1921 is good enough for us now. The air on the double dip was crazy, lots of back-seat air all over this ride. I almost lost my very expensive sunglasses, but recovered them. 8 out of 10.
I also took in some other small rides, the Whip, Gold Rusher, and The Old Mill. What is up with the themeing on the Old Mill? Strange to say the least. Almost went on Aero 360, but a long line prevented me from doing that.
Kennywood was a great park, but I got the feeling that many of the employees were ready to end the Summer season rather than just starting it. Most seemed lethargic and not very friendly. One girl on PR looked like she would rather be having a root canal. Despite this fact, I really look forward to a time when I can return to the park for more of my new favorite Hyper, Phantom's Revenge!!!
Another odd thing I noticed... some shops were still selling Steel Phantom merchandise! I picked up a few shot glasses, even though I never rode SP, I thought it would make a nice addition to my collection.
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Nothing... NOTHING... can prepare you for... the Fourth Dimension!
*** This post was edited by Soggy on 5/30/2002. ***
I already plan to take a California trip next summer. But my plans for 2004 are still up in the air. Thanks to your report I'm now torn between PA and Florida.
Decisions, decisions.....
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TITAN RULES!
Great report, Soggy! Actually, all three reports were outstanding and you were able to meet the famous Coasterpunk while floating around PA. C-Punk is a great tour guide, isn't he?
I loved your view on Exterminator. I rode this for my first time 2 years ago, now I'm praying the CP builds a mouse.....it's the greatest surprise in the park!
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There's nothing like a woodie...
Thanks for the kind words Woody. :)
I'm glad you had a good day at Kennywood. i really need to get out there this summer and ride PR. I was mad at them last summer because of the removal of my favorite Arrow. I'm over it now and I heard only good about PR.
I hope you rode the Kangaroo it looks pretty lame but it's loads of fun. Why doesn't some ride manufacturer start making these again?
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Knoebels visits in 2002. 3
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