Knoebels (5/3/03)
Associated parks:
None
I left Beaver at 2:30PM on Friday and didn’t arrive at State College until around 7:00PM because I decided to take a few side roads (PA 68 and US 322). After a semi-sleepless night, we left State College around 10AM and arrived in Elysburg shortly before noon.
As soon as we entered the park, we went to get our pay-one-price hand stamps, which were $18 (including coasters) and valid between 12PM and 6PM. Much to our dismay, there was a huge crowd surrounding the ticket booth, so I decided we’d take a lap around the park while some of the chaos died down (the scouts were there this weekend I believe). I took a few pictures on the way, something I haven’t done much since I first visited the park back in 2001. By the time we returned to the ticket booth, it was still rather crowded, but things appeared a little more in order. After about a 10-minute wait, we had received our hand stamps, and I led Ed towards the Flyers with an evil grin. When I first told him about snapping, he didn’t really understand what I meant, but he soon found out. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to snap that much until the end, but I did get a few good ones in. It makes me wish I hadn’t gotten sick at PKI a few weeks ago so I could have tried theirs.
We went back to Phoenix next, which had a line out to the ticket booth, but it went by quick thanks to Knoebels’ speedy ride ops. We got a seat in the middle of the train and received one hell of a ride. I had told Ed beforehand that this was my favorite wood coaster and now I think he understood why. :)
We decided to swing over and grab a quick lap on Twister. There was almost no line when we got there, so we waited one train for the front seat. This ride never ceases to amaze me, if I still bothered ranking my coasters, this one would hold an interesting place on the list. By the way, the new logos on the front of the trains look great.
We took a relaxing ride on the Pioneer Train before going over to the carousel for some ring grabbing action. Afterwards I played a few games of skee ball (nowhere near the number I played at KW last weekend) and swung by Totem Treats for some cheese-on-a-stick. As we were walking along, we came across the Haunted Mansion, which I somehow managed to completely forget about! Needless to say I was excited, so we purchased our tickets right away and got in line. As always, the horn and lights at the end of the ride scared the crap out of me, but it was a good kind of scared of course! :)
We got another lap on Phoenix in 1.3, one of my favorite seats, and I was completely blown away. I was slammed into the lap bar so many times throughout the ride I couldn’t believe it.
By this point my camera battery had died, so I browsed through a few gift shops looking for one, but to no avail. We found ourselves at the front of the park, so we took a spin on the Ferris Wheel. From the top you get a great view of the sky ride they’re building up the side of the mountain. Speaking of which, does the sky ride go all the way over the top of the mountain to the other side? Or does it only go up the one side and then come back?
After the Ferris Wheel, Ed mentioned riding the pirate ship (Galleon it’s called), so we got in line and after a three-cycle wait we were on. The cycles were as long as I had remembered, but unfortunately we had about three rows of girls with us screaming their heads off, which honestly left my ears ringing. Ed felt a little nauseated afterward, so we rested for a while before hitting the Skooters, which was a smashing time as always. :)
It was after 5PM, so we took another ride on Twister, played a round of miniature golf and some Fascination, then left the park at almost exactly 6PM. For such a short day, I was pretty exhausted, so I had Ed drive back to State College. We made a stop at the Sheetz at the corner of PA 487 and PA 54, which had a great selection of Jones Sodas, so I picked up four for the trip back.
Overall it was a great day, the weather turned out much better than I had originally expected and the crowds were entirely manageable. I can’t say how long it’ll be until I visit Knoebels again, but a mid-summer trip is almost a certainty, and I’ll be at Phoenix Phall Phunfest without a doubt, because nothing beats Knoebels in the fall.
Next stop, Kennywood!
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Joe Cernelli
Webmaster, Kennywood Boulevard
Phantom's Revenge Count: 106
*** This post was edited by cernelli 5/3/2003 10:19:30 PM ***
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-Sean Newman
Man, I have to get up to Knoebels during the normal season. I only time I have gone is during PPP (since 1998)
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www.alexsplace.com
We actually did take a spin on Whirlwind, but the experience was so forgettable that I actually forgot it. :)
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Joe Cernelli
Webmaster, Kennywood Boulevard
Phantom's Revenge Count: 106
As hard as I try I can't get that torture chamber erased from my memory.
What, no slide?
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If a double-decker bus crashes in to us... to die by your side, the pleasure the privlege is mine. -- The Smiths
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A day is a drop of water in the ocean of eternity. A week is seven drops.
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Joe Cernelli
Webmaster, Kennywood Boulevard
Phantom's Revenge Count: 106
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