Knoebels (7/19/2002)
Associated parks:
None
Another of my long winded TRs follows...
Background: After a two hour drive (that actually took 3 hours thanks to traffic, back ups from accidents and very slow traffic on I-81… for no apparent reason…) we arrived at the park around 3:30pm. The weather was hot and muggy. It was sunny on our drive there, but once we arrived the skies began to look threatening.
Buying Tickets: There are several admission plans (ride all day, ride all day + wood coasters, pay per ride, evening rate, bonus night rate). Since it was before 5pm, the evening plan was not yet available. I chose the Ride all Day + Wood Coaster option. My wife got the Ride all Day and planned on buying tickets if she wanted to ride one of the coasters.
Grand Carrousel: 1 ride. One of the very few carrousel’s left where you can actually try for the Brass Ring. We each jumped on an outside horse to give it a try. No brass rings, although my wife managed to snag 8 rings to my 3… “Mr. Hand / Eye Coordination” I aint.
Galleon: 1 ride. A swinging ship type of ride… always good for that flip of the stomach at the high point of the swing. Little kids on it kept yelling “Higher! Higher!” The operator responded over the speaker “It only goes so high!”
Whipper: 1 ride. Standard “oldfashioned” whip
High Speed Thrill Coaster: 1 ride (just me). I had heard good things about this coaster. Seeing that it was a "jerky looking ride" my wife decided to sit this one out. I climbed aboard in the next to last seat (last seat was taken). I knew about the variable speed lift etc, but I was not expecting a little pop of air when the train cleared the lift! Anyway, a fun little coaster, but only did one ride.
Scooters: 1 ride. Some of the most fun bumper cars out there. Old and heavy Lusse scooters + fair speed equal some rather jarring collisions. My wife got lost in a big traffic jam while I was doing my normal sniping… circling around, avoiding collisions, spotting someone not getting hit much (or getting rather beat up badly) and then zooming in for the kill and slamming into them.
Haunted Mansion: 1 ride. Still the best traditional dark ride out there! Long, Dark, Stunts that work and look good. It has quite a few parts that make you scream (not that they are that horrifying, but they catch you by surprise). My wife really let out a scream at the point where… well, I won’t give it away for anyone. She later admitted that she ride through with one eye closed and the other one not always open.
Phoenix: 5 rides (me only and not all in a row). Three years and 70 coasters did not diminish my love for this coaster. Not the tallest, not the longest, this is certainly the most fun coaster out there. It never lets up after the first drop. Not a break until you hit the break run, and even then it screams into the station. Air time on the top of every hill, especially those bunny hops on the return to the station. And just when I thought it couldn’t get any better… it did. Two rides in the rain! The wet tracks after a long hot day made this ride scream through its course even faster… and the rain hitting your face made it even seem faster than that!
Log Flume: 1 ride. After my first ride of the day on Phoenix, we tried the log flume. A fun flume with two good drops and an interesting course.
Whirlwind: 1 ride. Okay, so it’s a lack luster coaster. However we rode it because a) no line and b) “it was there”. Bad news, my wife thinks this threw her equilibrium off (more on that to follow).
Flyers: 2 rides (not in a row). Very fun! Try as I did, I could only get these things to snap twice (well, one mediocre one, one fairly decent one). On our second ride my wife managed to snap them a few times.
Twister: 5 rides (me only and not in a row): My front ride seemed a little rough. The back of the train on the second ride was better. A fun ride, but it just left me so so. Later in the day we returned and I told my wife I wanted to get at least one more ride… maybe two if there was not a long line. Well, it was raining and it was a walk on for the next to last seat. WHAT A RIDE! The heat and wet tracks made this thing roar… fast and furious! Two more walk-on’s followed. Twister had redeemed itself.
Gasoline Alley - Antique Cars: 1 ride: A fun and relaxing little car ride. The main reason why we rode this was for its close encounter with Phoenix… actually shares part of Phoenix’s structure under the first (and 3rd) turn.
Down Draft: 1 ride (me only): Not sure the production name of this… it’s a ride that spins you around really fast in a big circle. You ride in a 5 person cars on the end of arms that are all connected to a central position. The arms then swing high in the air, and then start going up and down really fast. This ride is the true definition of “Spin-and-Puke”. I very seldom get dizzy… but I was after this one. And the G’s… wow… they pull you, strongly, laterally to the right, and then up and down as the arms start to move.
Giant Wheel: 1 ride: Great way to end the night on the way to the parking lot… seeing the park and all of its lights from 100+ feet in the air. The tracer lights of Twister and Phoenix looked very inviting… but alas we had to go (our dog was waiting at home, so we didn’t want to press our luck… or that of our carpets… and leave him for too much longer). Next trip we will get those at nights.
Tempted, but passed on: Skloosh and Power Surge: Skloosh is a very short shoot-the-chutes style ride with a very large wave. We pondered this before we did the Giant Wheel, but we saw the soaked riders and didn’t feel like spending two hours driving home in wet clothes.
I rode a Power Surge ride at the York Fair (York PA) last year. I don’t mind being turned upside down, but I do not like the sensation of being held in only by your OTSR. Tempted for a moment, but then thought “been there, done that, lived to tell about it” so I didn’t want to press my luck. Great look though with all of its lights on.
Food: Grabbed “dinner” at the restaurant/food area near Phoenix and the Log Flume… $17.50 for two Pepsi’s, Shrimp and Fries (for my wife) and a Prime Rib Sandwich (for me). Not a bad price if the food id good. It was. The Shrimp looked very golden (she said they were) and the Prime Rib Sandwich was very good… I’m talking real meat… not that thin papery minute stake type stuff. They certainly did not skimp on the portion. The girl who took our order asked if I wanted Lettuce and Tomato on it… Certainly NOT… you don’t ruin prime rib by putting all of that stuff on it. Just mustard and a little salt.
My wife had a bit of a problem with her order… they put cole slaw on it (though she requested none) but she is VERY allergic to cabbage. So, they replaced it with no problem. It took a while for the new order (long enough for me to eat my sandwich). Good news is, while she was eating that, I managed to walk across the midway and get my last two rain soaked rides on the out of control Phoenix. Also got a bag of freshly roasted peanuts… they even give you a little paper bag for your shells.
Merchandise: Two T-Shirts and 2 rain ponchos (don’t mind getting wet on rides, but don’t want to get soaked walking between rides) for $27.
Other odds and ends: The required photo shot with the life size wood carving of Kozmo near the entrance and the required photo shot of each of us putting our hands on the North Pole.
Wrap up: All in all, a very good trip. It was my second trip there, and after 3 years and many other parks, it still did not lose any of its charm. As a matter of fact, after several corporate “Theme park” experiences, I even appreciated the old time, laid back feel even more. My wife was very impressed of how quaint it was. We figured out later that actually had she bought tickets as she rode, she would have made out better, but oh well… we will know that next time.
As a matter of fact, one of these days I hope to leave work around 4pm and make a drive up there on some Tues or Wed night and ride Phoenix, Twister, and the Flyers (along with a spin on the Scooters and another trip through the Haunted Mansion) till 10pm closing. For that matter… even the Prime Rib sandwich would be worth the 2 hr drive.
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Face it, call ourselves what we want, but to the parks we are all "GP".
*** This post was edited by SLFAKE on 7/22/2002. ***
*** This post was edited by SLFAKE on 7/22/2002. ***
SLFAKE said:
Whipper: 1 ride. Standard “oldfashioned” whip
For some reason, I thought this Whip was much more "violent" than the ones at Kennywood and Idlewild as the cars tended to "bang" into the conveyor after a whip. It was still a very fun ride, though.
Haunted Mansion: 1 ride. Still the best traditional dark ride out there! Long, Dark, Stunts that work and look good. It has quite a few parts that make you scream (not that they are that horrifying, but they catch you by surprise). My wife really let out a scream at the point where… well, I won’t give it away for anyone. She later admitted that she ride through with one eye closed and the other one not always open.
This ride scared the bejeebers out of me on my first visit, and this year, just when I thought I had it all figured out, I still jumped out of my seat! The Mansion really is a great dark ride and the staff at Knoebels should be commended for its upkeep.
Flyers: 2 rides (not in a row). Very fun! Try as I did, I could only get these things to snap twice (well, one mediocre one, one fairly decent one). On our second ride my wife managed to snap them a few times.
I was snapping away and didn't even know how I was doing it. At one point I hit the tree branches and saw leaves go flying off. I was actually scared!
Twister: . WHAT A RIDE!
Nothing more needs to be said. This is my #1 coaster and it just blew me away (no pun intended!)
Down Draft: 1 ride (me only): Not sure the production name of this… This ride is the true definition of “Spin-and-Puke”.
Ironically, the ride is a "Downdraft" by Dartron Rides (they also make the Cliff Hanger). It's an updated version of the old Hurricane ride... just with floorless cars. This is one ride I simply cannot stomach... but I'll ride Power Surge all day!
Merchandise: Two T-Shirts and 2 rain ponchos (don’t mind getting wet on rides, but don’t want to get soaked walking between rides) for $27.
Knoebels has an EXCELLENT selection of t-shirts for a park of its size. Their souvenir selection is also quite varied, ranging from Knoebels Christmas ornaments to Knoebels Beanie Babies. They are priced very reasonably as well.
Other odds and ends: The required photo shot with the life size wood carving of Kozmo near the entrance and the required photo shot of each of us putting our hands on the North Pole.
The North Pole was a big highlight of the trip for my parents. I told them to touch the North Pole and they looked at me like I was crazy, but then they got a big kick out of it. If you've never been to Knoebels and end up visiting, try it yourself... it's very "cool" indeed! ;)
Glad you had a great time. I have only recently discovered Knoebels (it's 6 hours away), but it is now on my annual must-visit list. The atmosphere, employee efficiency, and the overall package of rides and attractions make this one of the best parks in the country. Pennsylvanians are VERY lucky to have so many great parks.
ray p.
SLFAKE said:
Tempted, but passed on: Skloosh and Power Surge: Skloosh is a very short shoot-the-chutes style ride with a very large wave. We pondered this before we did the Giant Wheel, but we saw the soaked riders and didn’t feel like spending two hours driving home in wet clothes.
I rode a Power Surge ride at the York Fair (York PA) last year. I don’t mind being turned upside down, but I do not like the sensation of being held in only by your OTSR. Tempted for a moment, but then thought “been there, done that, lived to tell about it” so I didn’t want to press my luck. Great look though with all of its lights on.
You should have ridden there Power Surge. It is intense. Nice TR! I love knoebels.
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Sean
SLFLAKE drop me an email next time you plan on going to Knoebels. I live a short 20 minutes away!
I like going on Wendsday evenings for the bargain night. $6.50 to ride everything from 6 till 10. It doesn't include the Woodies, Flume, Haunted Mansion or Skloosh so I usually grab a book of tickets for them. The bargain nights are when I do my Flyer and Skooters marathons.
No trip to Knoebels is complete without getting their fresh cut fries and ride on the Pioneer Train. Although it sounds like you had a good day. Another great TR for Knoebels.
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Knoebels visits in 2002. 6
I love the carousel at the SCBB where you can grab the rings. It makes it much more fun. Sounds like you had a very fun day. Good TR.
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Steel: 1)MF, 2)Goliath, 3)Magnum
Wood: 1)Villain, 2)Beast, 3)Roar(SFMW)
Also, if you want to see some serious hand-eye coordination, watch coasterpunk grab TWO RINGS on each pass by the ring dispensor on the carosel. I saw it with my own eyes, and I still don't believe it!
You didn't ride High Speed Thrill Coaster?!?
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Nothing... NOTHING... can prepare you for... the Fourth Dimension!
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Face it, call ourselves what we want, but to the parks we are all "GP".
Downdraft, I do believe is made by Zamperla, along with the ride nearly ajacent with that, the Power Surge.
I personally enjoy the Power Surge more than the Downdraft, but that's my personal opinion.
One more thing, next trip, don't miss out on the Pioneer train, as coasterpunk pointed out. If you liked going through the structure of the Phoenix, the Pioneer train takes you through the Twister's structure.
We had thought about Pioneer Train. However it was getting late and we had a golden retriever at home who was going to going pretty long between "potty breaks" so we chose not to ride it.
I rode it in 1999 during my first trip to Knoebels.
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Face it, call ourselves what we want, but to the parks we are all "GP".
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Knoebels visits in 2002. 6
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