Returning To Knoebels

Ever since I introduced my wife to Knoebels last summer we have been talking about going back. In fact, it was the one place that my wife insisted on us going this summer. Once I found out that my parents had never been there, I knew that the three of us needed to go back at some point. Today I was able to introduce my parents to some place that they had only heard of… today we made the long drive north and spent the entire afternoon at Knoebels.

We left my parent’s house at about nine in the morning with wary of the 80% chance of rain in the forecast and a slight detour on our schedule. Centralia, Pennsylvania is a rather infamous location and we thought that we would drive through the abandoned town on our way to some family fun. Well, after 50 years of natural reclamation of the smoldering streets, there isn’t much to see from the car. It was a much quicker stop than expected as there was nothing to see from the few passable roads remaining. Not wanting to explore by foot, we resumed our drive to the amusement park.

We arrived at the main entrance just after noon and were slowly directed into the busy parking lot where we were guided into a space some distance from the entrance. By the time we entered the park it was time for us to buy some tickets before making our way to the international food pavilion on the other side of the grounds. A ten minute walk and twenty minute meal later it was time to explore.

 

Tickets in hand we made our way to some of the more relaxing rides with the first stop being at the small train that winds its way under the roller coaster and into the woods.

 

From the train we walked over to the chair lift as I knew this would be a view of the park that my parents wouldn’t expect but would appreciate. From the top you can see the park in its entirety including the roller coasters and the water park.

 

And as you make your way down you can see the Ferris wheel…

 

…the wood of the roller coaster tracks intertwined with the trees…

 

…and many of the other rides that we really had no interest in going on today.

 

After a couple of rides and a lot of walking crisscrossing the park trying to see every aspect, we decided to stop by for a small taste of a midafternoon treat at the Fudge shop (and some shared ice cream at another concession stand). It is quite the interesting little building that seems to just invite you to come inside and enjoy the decadent aroma of fudge flooding the entire building.

 

After a few raindrops passed through the park, things got a little interesting as, for the first time that I can remember, my mom began seeking out a roller coaster on which to ride. We walked over to the new one (under construction the last time we were there) by the line seemed to always be 50-60 minutes long no matter what time we stopped. Similarly, the old roller coaster at the end of the park had a line extending beyond the gate and into the promenade. With a single afternoon at the park those were not viable options.

However, the Twister, another wooden roller coaster with a lot more turns, didn’t have a line visible from the entrance. We walked in, handed over our tickets, and almost immediately stepped into the next car. Riding that coaster with my mom was probably the highlight of the day. The picture taken on the ride was, surprise, not very flattering so there is no picture that I can share.
 

With that checked off our list it was time to wind down the trip with a few more tickets and a ride together on the Ferris wheel. Again, this ride offered some nice views of the park one of which was watching packed cars drop down the log flume creating an inordinately large splash. While the timing in the wheel was never quite right to get a picture, it was easy enough to walk over there and watch as children and adults alike got soaked both on the ride and standing on the soaked sidelines.

While my parents and my wife sat further away to rest and watch, I walked up to the railing in an attempt to catch a few of the cars as they parted the water. I watched a few go down, zoomed in the camera, and focused on a spot where I knew the car would be passing. Here is the first car I caught with the camera…

For the next car I took a few steps back and widened out the field of view on the camera…

Finally, I found the right spot against the wall. I knew where the car would be and how long it would take to fall. This is when I got the best sequence…

At this point we were nearly done. We had gotten lucky with the weather and we had seen the entire park. It was time to head back to the car and drive to the hotel (the same Holiday Inn Express we stayed at last summer) for a night away from the ordinary Sunday evening. After dinner, before heading up to the room, we sat out front solving the problems of the world and relaxing… these are the moments I really enjoy spending with my dad no matter where we are. A quick shower passed through and not long after we notice the rain we saw a double rainbow over the busy road. It might have been a perfect ending to what was an amusing, entertaining, enjoyable, and overall about as perfect as you can get, day.

The K Is Not Silent

The danger in visiting your childhood is that you can very easily get lost. Things change over time which can leave you confused when memory isn’t in sync with your present reality. Fortunately, my recollections were not met with such challenges this past weekend when I returned to Knoebels for the first time in about 15 years.

Early Friday afternoon my wife and I packed the car, stopped by the front desk (more on that in a later post), and started off on our 3 hour tour. After stopping by the Holiday Inn Express in Selinsgrove (highly recommended by the way) to check in and unload the car, we punched in the directions in the GPS and made our way to the tourism oasis in Elysburg. It didn’t take long before we pulled into the parking lot (free parking) and strolled through the main entrance (free admission) and headed straight to the ticket booth.

While the insistent drizzle kept some away that evening, I didn’t let it stop me from walking throughout the park recalling my skinnier care free teenage days. Whereas this trip was a completely new experience for my wife, this was a two day tournament of match game for me where I was doing my best to flip the memory cards and match them with reality. The Phoenix roller coaster and Gasoline Alley were my initial attempts. The experience on both rides was also how I remembered them.

Being that the park is heavily wooded, it didn’t take much to stay out of the rain. However, there were other ways people were getting wet and some of them didn’t even ride a log.

Mostly our initial evening at the park was a time to walk around and explore what was either new or nearly forgotten. We walked past the children’s stage…

…over the canal numerous times…

…and over to the haunted house were we couldn’t resist the old school cheesiness.

As it approached closing time we turned in the direction of the parking lot, passed the Ferris wheel, and headed to the hotel.

Day two was one of observation and finding new ways to look at the park. By spending some relaxation time together on the Ski Lift and the train, we were able to capture many images unseen from the usual pedestrian pathways.

In comparison to the picture of the Phoenix above, here is the view from the ski lift…

However, this is best demonstrated by sharing the perspectives we saw throughout the trip of the Twister roller coasters. First, from out front you can see into some of the tracks as you walk up to the line.

As we approached the roller coaster on the train you get a much better appreciation of the wooden construction and supports.

And as you pass through the roller coaster, you can feel free to wave to the riders (although I’m pretty sure they’re not going to wave back).

While on the ski lift you get a completely different view from above…

…much like the view an eagle would have (which we saw in the park later that day).

Of course, you get a complete view of the park from the ski lift, more so than the train, which allows you to see everything…

…including the classic pendulum pirate ship…

…the swings…

…and, from the train, you can get a peek at the water park in the middle of all the amusements.

Once we finished riding the train and the ski lift twice (it was a nice respite in the middle of the day) we explored another part of the park where wood and metal artists were creating unique (and very affordable) souvenirs. The first store or booth, whatever you would like to call it, was full of interesting signs, planters, and other items created with a chainsaw.

Across the walkway, the fire drew us in…

…and the rhythm of metal hitting metal was surprisingly pleasant on the ears.

Whether a fire poker is being hammered out or a horseshoe is being stamped with your name…

…it is something that adds to the personal and individuality of this rural island of entertainment.

With our time coming to an end and a long drive ahead of us, we dodged between the multitudes of families making their way to the balloons…

…passed the Iwo Jima memorial replica…

…got in the car, and headed home.

It is an amazing place to visit and allows for the transportation to a different world with just a few hours in the car. The prices can’t be beat (you can even find nice items in the gift shops for 50% off), the location provided for both amusements and natural beauty, the park is kept very clean (to the point that someone in the maintenance staff or management must have OCD), and all the rides are fat man friendly (when the lap bar starts clicking as soon as you start pulling it down you know it can accommodate the fluffy crowd). I don’t know when we will be back but we will definitely be returning in the future and I look forward to nothing changing.