Knotts on 7/26/02 - or Fort Knotts succumbs!!

Yeah, they were wearing collared shirts. They were much more than supervisors. Knotts seems to have some pretty good executives, they wear name tags, check restraints, pick up trash, and you can actually talk to them (and they'll ask you how the ride was when you return into the station. I haven't noticed this at Six Flags and definately not Disneyland (Eisners too precious to enter the parks). Knotts has excellent Guest Relations too, exemplified in coastingohio's TR. Every time I go to Knotts I see Jack Falas walking around or sitting in a bench.

Speedy said:
Well, mammosh, on a ride like Xcelerator with big airtime, I would consider stapling what they did on opening day. I mean if people left their bars open 4 inches the ride would be unsafe. I hear you and feel similarly. I have ridden it on 2 seperate days and know how it has changed. It has gone from sharp pains in your bladder to just touching your thighs. Anyone expecting 3 inches of room should come to reality. I think you totally misread me.

One click on Xceleraotr would be more than "unsafe" it would probably land you on the Boulevard!!!

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Lake Compounce-So Fresh and So Clean Clean

Well....to start this off, I must first say that you should never try to do the laundry when you write a trip report, or you will bear the brunt of idiocy that I just did when I came back to find the entire report gone due to being kicked offline. That said....on with my thoughts on Matthew's awesome TR!

My day at Knotts was unlike any I had ever had before. Never have I been so thoroughly satisfied from a day at the park. Regardless of the recent problems at Knotts, I (and obviously, we) had a wonderful time.:):):)

I got there a few hours before the guys... I wanted to make sure I hit some of the big rides (while saving Xcelerator for later due to promises to Mike) to break myself in.... I caught a quickie (45 minute wait) on Ghostie, and another on Montie before I hit Supreme Scream for a solo ride on the 2 seat side (God, I hate sitting alone on that ride!!!!)

Matthew arrived right on time. I failed to wear the shirt I promised I would wear to identify myself, but it was stained by food from eating in the car on my trip (I am not a pig, but it was a weird day), so I changed. I bought a hotdog just in time to see Matthew standing patiently at the fountain. We noticed each other at the same time, which leads me to believe that I look like my name, or it was just luck. Do I look like a "Rob?" Hmmmm.....;) Tony arrived soon after, and off we went to waste time until Mike made an appearance.

Supreme Scream ~ I love this ride. That wonderful ascent to the top with nothing under you but death. Ahhhh.... You know when you are with enthusiasts when they throw their arms up at the top for the drop. What else can you do but the same? If you don't, you are a weakling.... AND I AM NOT A WEAKLING!!!!

*Mike calls....finally!*

Xcelerator ~ This ride has it all, and a great queue to boot. You have your choice...front row, or the rest. We chose the rest for our first jaunt. Last car, right side for me, and off to the races. God, this thing hauls, and so smooth. What really takes your breath away is the intensity, and the length of it. You really do get the thrust all the way to the hill. Then up and over, with a big emphasis on OVER! Yes....:):):) I don't know what people are talking about, but I got plenty of air. A couple of overbanked turns (inversions:)) and bam, a quick stop and drift into the station. Very, very nice. We rode it 4 times total, and every seat was glorious. My fave has to be the front, where I got 1-1, and I was in heaven. I figured a way to get the ops to not staple me in. I sat a bit slouched with my gut forward, and after the ops checked the lapbar, as the lights turned yellow, I sat full upright, where I found to my delight a good 4" of space. Funny thing is, the front gets most of the intensity of the pace, therefore you get pushed over that tophat, and I must say its difficult not to want to grab the lapbar for security. What still amazes me to this day is the fact that I didn't hold on once. I usually take a test ride for "safety...," but not Friday. The guys turned me into an animal!!! Again, a great ride over and over. It never got old...ever. My one qualm? I didn't like the display that some folks get put into (Mike) when you might be a little larger than what they would call ideal. What caught me offguard is the fact that I have the EXACT same build as Mike, yet they didn't have me sit in the test seat. What is up with that? Subjectivity? Tell that to the dead lady from Perilous Plunge.....

Montezooma's Revenge ~ Still a classic, from the front or back. We hit it in the tail for this lone ride of the night, and it was sweet as well. It now officially lacks in the launch department (thanks to Xcelerator), but it is still an intense ride on the back spike. Good Eatin'...............

Ghostrider ~ Ghostie rotates back and forth as my number 1, and now I know why. What a fickle coaster. My afternoon ride was great, albeit a tad rougher than I remembered, but things were about to change. I had never ridden her after dark, but Mike was in a mood...;)I was really looking forward to it as well:) Again, last car, second row, left side. I was sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo NOT stapled, I couldn't believe it. Up the lift, and yes....I had to brag. "Hey look, 6 inches of space...hahahahah" *CLICK* In my desire to brag about the amazing amount of space I had, I wiggled the bar down into a nice tight little version I like to call STAPLED, and there you go. So much for showing off. At the top, we got the big tug and over we went. It was like descending into Hell. Darkness, violence, unmatched speed (or at least the sensation of it), and fear I had never felt on a coaster. I still don't know how Mike and Tony kept their hands up. I mean it. In fact, the onride photo of all four of us showed Matt smiling heartily, Mike with a goofy smile, Tony with the same smile, and my shoulders. (with my head behind Tony's, buried in his shoulder.) I was terrified. Never have I felt this way on a coaster, and I kid you not. I was scared to the bone. Still, I walked off the ride, and I am here to type this addition to Matt's TR. Yes, there is a God!

Perilous Plunge ~ We thought about it, and thought about it, and decided that a perfect capper on this sweet day would be a ride on PP. What a great choice. Who wouldn't want to go home, after dark, sticky, wet, and confused....:) It was everything I wanted it to be. Matt promised me it would deliver, and it did. We were forced to ride in the front of the boat for our first trip (we did go once more), and yes Nancy, that hill is steep. As we slammed into the water, I felt like I wasn't too wet, but upon opening my eyes, I can say I was indeed wrong. So why not make a second trip to completely destroy my watch (which wasn't waterproof, and died yesterday...:()? Last row, outside seat....awe-inspiring, scary, and wetter than Vietnam in the jungle. My lord...

So, what can I say about the guys? There is no particular order here, so don't give me any guff about it............:) Matthew is a true gentleman. He is incredibly knowledgable, and did teach me a few things I really didn't know about coasters (without geeking me out!). A great guy, and a great new friend. He is really that special. Tony is just what I like in a coaster enthusiast. Fearless. He is nutso. I mean NUTSO. I don't know where he gets it, but he can have his drop rides, and skycoasters....:):) He was a great riding partner all night! Mike is one of the funniest guys I have ever met. A wonderful sense of humor, and the only guy I have ever seen ride a coaster with his arms out on the side, actually daring the coaster to bite them off. Another freak.

I loved it. I love Knotts even more. Forget all the crud you have heard lately. This was a great night. Maybe we were in our little world, but it was a wonderful place to be. Too bad more of you couldn't have been there. Maybe next time?
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Come see what all the fuss is about

Good TR's

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Im the #1 Canobie Lake Park Fan!!!These are my top 3 coasters:
1. S:RoS @ SFNE 2. Yankee Cannonball 3. Cyclone/B:TDK

Gawd Rob...you're SUCH a geek ;-)

*wink*

Moosh

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"Outside of a dog, a man's best friend is a book. Inside of a dog its too dark to read." - Groucho Marx

Why, yes I am, suh!:):):)