Well what a weekend. Lisa and I decided to take some time
off from our hectic work around the house; yes the renovation bug has hit us,
and head out to Knoebels amusement park. It was an absolute blast. It was an
adventure getting there worthy of any of my characters. The drive alone,
through some small mining towns, through rolling hills sparked a ton of images
to draw upon for something. There are many lonely, desolate houses along with
battered and dilapidated row homes on the main road, crying out for release
from their earthly bonds.
Other than the modern gas and convenience stores, the
high-powered muscle cars and eco-friendly hybrids sharing the road with us, it
was like a trip through time. Driving through back roads is always a joy, and
something we look forward too.
But I digress, on to the park. It was amazingly clean, no
lines, a great crowd and a slew of really fun wooden roller coasters. Yep, you heard me, wooden. A lot of great
rides, but honestly the best ride of the day, other than the bumper cars, was the
Phoenix. A roller coaster that must be ridden to understand the magnitude of
fun generated by the clackity-clack on those wooden tracks.
We sat in the last car, on the last two seats and I honestly
say that those were probably the best seats on the entire ride. Bear in mind
that the Phoenix is not an overly tall tide, nor an excessively fast one.
However it is tall and fast enough that, at least in the last seats on the last
car, you will catch huge air. My feet and butt were off the seat more times on
that ride than on any other coaster I have been on over the last few years.
We’re already planning a return trip to ride it again, and
while we are “veterans” of the ride, the Halloween night time ride has us
debating on attempting it in the dark. The sudden drops with the sun shining was
harrowing and fun, at night I cannot even imagine the dread. Although I am working
up the courage to do so, because of the experiences I can impart on a character
sometime in the future.
