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I took this picture on Saturday. We were hoping for a soft opening later in the day but sadly it never happened. Maybe next weekend…

Day 19: Wednesday, June 21st - Travel day! From Sweden to Finland, were we were gonna spend a couple of days at the Northernmost Theme Park in the world. And have the TPR Grand Prix! it was sad saying goodbye to Stockholm, as I'd really enjoyed our time here, and what I'd seen of the City. (and I LOVED Grona Lund). but it was time to move on. before heading down to the lobby to meet everyone and head to the airport - we were flying today from Sweden to Finland - I finally DID remember to get a pic of the room at the hotel we stayed at. (this is after Hans and I pushed the beds together. .for our stay we had separated them with the little tables in between). not neat, but at least can see the room pretty good size. but with one of those annoying 1/2 showers, that this American always has trouble figuring out, and get a flood in the bathroom. eventually I'll figure out how to use the hand shower without spraying all over everything. waiting for our bus - we were saying goodbye to Didier today too, as he was leaving us at the airport - one final peek into the coffeshop/cafe connected to the hotel & ABBA museum. I recall this being a good size airport (pretty crowded too) with plenty of shops to explore while waiting for our flight to be called. I knew it was gonna be a small plane, as luggage for carry-on was really restricted. but I was surprised. I think this is the first plane I've ever been in with Propellers. Snug fit. . but we all were on the flight - spaced out here and there in seats thruout the plane. I ended up with a window seat, not my usual choice, but I didn't mind as was interested in looking out the window. ok. .that's gonna freak me out a little. not sure if this is leaving Sweden, or going into Finland. . . .but it sure is pretty. landing in Finland. Can you tell??? this was hysterically a big, one room Airport. with the bag claim and arrival on one side, and the "lobby" for departures on the other. I'm in Finland. yay! no worries about which luggage carousel our bags would be on. . .there was only one. and I think we were the only arriving flight anyways. Our new bus driver was waiting for us, and very quickly we were on our way. the country side in Finland looks a lot like many of the other Scandi Countrysides I'd seen. . and very much like mid America as well. for the most part. some houses stood out. many of them were painted Red with Yellow Door. (I did ask about that, and was told that painting your home Red was a sign of Finnish Pride, as it was reflective of the Copper Mining the area was first known for). the many fields of Finland but then, seemingly in the middle of no where, this appeared on the horizon. The Power Park complex (depending which sign you looked at in the park) all owned by the same folks - including that Road House, the complex contains a theme park, a big event center, a big 5D Cinema, a big Race Track - that can be configured for professional racing, as well as for full size go karts, mini-Golf course, and probably more! the owner collects all kinds of stuff (I didn't go into the Road House during our visit, but those that did have pics of some of the James Bond Movie vehicles from in there). like this plane. just displayed there, for some reason. not sure if it's from a film? but I'd assume it IS, and I should know that? yes, one of the configurations of the Track DOES go around one of the coasters. NEVER in America. and look at the size of those grandstands. . they must draw quite the crowd for some races. on the far right in the back, is our hotel (my room would end up at the farthest right, upper corner - overlooking the turns of the track, and what looked like no-longer-used grandstands). Kinda spooky, but all kinds of weird too. the front of the onsite Hotel. There were other guests here, but mostly it was the TPR group. kinda funky design, and the truck in front says "Power Park" so we're in the right spot. one side of the hotel - there are apparently more buldings around the corner too (near the abandoned grandstands), but they weren't in use, I was told. this hotel (called "Park Hotel" based on the name over the door on this side, has two entrances. . but the lobby is only on the other side, and the two sides connect via the Dining Room - which is only open for Breakfast and Dinner. funky, and I liked that it looked like we were gonna be staying inside a Koo Koo Clock. large Pool (but not for swimming.. tho we did see a drunk guy get naked and jump in on the 2nd night), with Stingray sculptures (for some reason), surrounded by that building that was a sauna/bar/ snacks area. it DID get rowdy at night, even with not many folks in the hotel. I remembered to take a pic of our room as soon as we got in it this time. the "info about the hotel" booklet. our room - with Hans enjoying the balcony the view down from said balcony. . . there were folks racing. we were planned to race tomorrow. the TPR Grand Prix. but the weather forecast wasn't looking great. I was looking forward to a nap before dinner, as it had been a really long day and I was exhausted. (I can't remember why I was so tired. .maybe it was an early morning check out after closing out Grona Lund with ERT and so my adrenaline made it hard to sleep? Or it could have just been the travel day - flights always stress me out a bit). . but when the park worked with Robb & Elissa to let us do our races this afternoon instead of possibly being rained out tomorrow? I got perky again and we all headed over to the Race Track area of Power Park. "Pit Lane Cafe" wasn't crowded at all. . .but the had some snacks to purchase if anyone was hungry, while we filled out all the forms and insurance things before we could race. this..did NOT make me want to eat one of the ice creams. . It's the Leif Garrett Smile and the Ascot/Pink Hanky that does it, I think. . . .LOL I was in Group 2 racing, so I stepped out front to get some pics of the park. I actually rode everything here. . including that Orange and Yellow thing that really scared the crap out of me. but I rode it. (I guess that's the same ride as Catwoman's Whip at SFStL ?) the starflyer runs in two modes, slow spinning for "observation" or fast spinning for "thrill". . you can line up for which one you want, and the operator sets the cycle based on which line she's loading from. Rather cool, I thought. (this might be another restaurant on the left, below. . .wasn't open that I saw, but probably most of their business comes during races. stepping out on the other side of the cafe over the track. you can see one of the Grandstands by our room over there in the distance, as well as some of the ones that looked abandoned, and the other hotel buildings on the left back there. as noted, there were other folks there racing, so snapped pics of them while waiting for our turn and the coasters running in the background. as mentioned by (I think) both Chuck and Erik in their reports - that tangled mess of track back there is actually TWO Gerstlauer Eurofighters, that are next to each other (one launch, one vertical lift) that the park painted the exact same color. . so it looks like one giant coaster. HAH! and then it was our time to go down to the lockers and get dressed for the TPR Grand Prix! they are serious.. as these are almost full size carts, with high speeds. Can be dangerous, so you must wear protective suit, and headgear, and glasses, etc. I'm ready to go tho! so is Hans. damn..everyone looks good in their suits. Except me. I look like a potato taking pics of Group 1 racing while waiting for our race. which car is Robb? the one with the Go-pro attached! a pic of Elissa taking pics of the group racing. Each Group got two races. a first race, and then a 2nd race depending on your placement - with the top speeds, or the lower speeds. so here you can see who is who based on the car numbers at the top. all these pics are, I believe, from Elissa, or possibly Chuck. 30: Kristen 3: me 11: dunno who that is. . maybe Hans? 23: Brad 1: Ryan 7: Brayden 9: Big Mike 5: Stephen 3: Me Big Mike & me yeah. . after seeing some of the others "spin out" and realizing these go REALLY fast - and I don't recall there being a great seatbelt! - I decided to just enjoy my driving, and take my time. So I came in last. but I had a great time regardless. Park employees were out on the track too helping with wrecks, as there were a few big ones (but no injuries). after both groups raced, the losers got to race again, with the winner of this group getting to run in the final laps with the winners. as you can see, I still came in last, but at least I had fun! (and Robb, who was filming everyone, had slower average than me. . so yay! I wasn't the slowest!. . LOL). I think this is courtesy of Chuck. it's a picture of Elissa, taking a picture of Robb, while Robb is filming, and I'm just happily puttering along enjoying my ride. Jon in 24, me in 8 oh well! the "safety" signs down in the pit. . . and this wonderful mural they had painted on the wall of one of the garages. Racing done, it was time to eat. (by the way the inside of the Koo Koo Clock hotel facade? the inside was SUPER weird. . designed and themed like a 1940's passenger ship. it was so funky). heading into the dining room (after showering and changing), you can see the breakfast buffet area. Only used in the morning, the rest is table service. a player piano, up on the stage. for some reason. mixed in with the lighting and instruments. . and yes, it was playing while we were there. closer look at the dining room. you can see how "non busy" it was. . . but dinner did still take about 2 hours. That seemed to be the custom, really long waits between courses, and taking the time to enjoy. not really an issue, but once we realized that every meal with a server would be that way, at least knew what to expect. the food was great tho. . . 1st course, Escargot Andrew had this (he was sitting next to me) yeah. . doesn't look appetizing, I know. I mean. .it LOOKS really bad, but it was very, very good. a non-super sweet desert. I think it was a Mousse over a Panna Cotta? I do remember liking it, but noting it wasn't sweet. Cheating a little, as Elissa didn't hand these out until the next night's dinner. but we all got a participation medal! how cool is that? then as I was totally exhausted, and dinner took so long, it was actually pretty late.. like almost 10pm. So I headed up to the room, while others headed over to the bar, or over to the Road House, or just to relax. I was asleep, so I DO believe these next few pics are from Brad or Chuck - who shared to the trip group, so I swiped them and have them on my camera roll. the sun setting. .probably around 1am. as noted, i was already well crashed. . . we had a FULL day tomorrow at Power Park. but the travel day was good, and Grand Prix was a blast. This kind of day is another reason why I love going on TPR trips.

Not to poop on the parade or anything, but back when I worked for Carnival Cruise Lines, the Carnival Destiny was known amongst the crew as The Death Star. It was plagued with problems, constant leaks, etc. There's a reason they gave it a massive overhaul and renamed it to Sunshine. The name is cursed. I wish better luck for Disney.

So I made it to the Metrolink to Knott's on Tuesday. The ride was nice but I felt like I was riding in a one-third full 1980s Southwest Flight with no cabin service because of turbulence. The bathrooms were decent. The sign states drinkable water but I didn't test it, as I didn't believe it. I brought my own bottle of water. The train arrived a few minutes late but we arrived approximately on time due to 30-second station stops. I ended up walking to and from the Buena Park station to Knotts's so no added bus or Under fares on that end of the trip. I ended up with 25,000 steps and was buzzed enough to take Uber home from Riverside and I walked back the 3 miles today to pick up my car today to pick up my car from the station. A few notes: Camp Snoopy and Coasters Diner restaurants have re-opened There are new Fastlane scanners at all of the Fastlane attractions where you scan your one-time pass or bracelet and can't proceed unless you get a green light. If you get a red light, you can't go through. Single Prestige Pass Fastland passes still need to be redeemed in one of three stores and you can't just scan your pass at the ride and need to pick up a daily one-time use ticket from a store. There are no more ribs on the meal plan at either Ghosttown BBQ or Boardwalk BBQ. Pulled pork is also gone from Boardwalk BBQ Ghoasttown BBQ now gives two sides with entries where Boardwalk is still one side plus corn bread but Ghosttown has no boysenberry BBQ sauce still. The small railroad around the lake has a lot of rotted railroad ties being replaced I can's find Beatboxes at the park any longer Metrolink train Room for bikes or scooters Bathroom in each car plus drinkable water? The bathroom is larger than a plane bathroom. A total breakfast of champions, and only champions if you thought Maddog 20-20 or Boones Farm were also breakfast of champions. If Big Macs are $18, you can always get a Coke and hotdog for $1.50 from Costco or 2 roast beef sandwiches from Arby's for $6. There are new Fastlane scanners at the entrance to Fastlanes rides, this is La Revolution, so you need to scan your single-use pass or wrist band and you get either a green or red light letting them know for you to advance. This is pizza and a side salad from the pizza place by the Charles Shultz Theater. Ribs are off the meal plan for Ghost Town BBQ and ribs and pulled pork are completely gone from Boardwalk BBQ. It must have not been a price issue on the pulled pork as you can still get it as a sandwich at Ghosttown and tri-tip at Boardwalk. New camp Snoopy coaster. The lounge has 12 different free snacks for Prestige Pass members, free water, drink plan beverages, and a limited supply of alcohol that is not free or discounted from the normal park. I believe I had a white wine and some free Grandma's cookies. They had no Knott's snacks though. My local Winco had racks of Boysebenberry Knott's cookies for 28 cents. They could easily stock up before Beatriz discontinues the line! I asked maintenance if the log ride was close to being completed but no one had a date, but one told me there was still some work to be done and possibly not for a month or two but he wasn't sure. I guess all the log ride boats are hanging in line for Xcelerator? Knott's log ride door is open, so what's inside? I took all of the pictures from the doorway without stepping inside but this is the backside of fun. A spacious train ride home.

Sooooo, has any construction actually begun?

We'll see as you said. The lady that runs the DOJ is power crazy! She stopped the Microsoft / Activision merger. Microsoft had enough money to fight it in court and won. I honestly don't see a conflict myself. I'm really not sure how I feels about this merger. I think it will save me money possibly. I pay for: CF prestige and SF Diamond membership. I guess we'll find out in a few months.

Can't wait for the summer. It looks like the park is reaching its former glory (well, minus the still-vacant El Diablo space. I hope they put a nice Zamperla family/thrill flat in that pad next season.) Also, from an employee who works in Guest Relations, not only are they bringing back several of the other Looney Tunes (Coyote apparently met today in a rare non-HITP move), but they're also hiring actors for the DC superheroes! Only Batman, Wonder Woman, and Superman have been confirmed right now. Wonder if WB became lax on the actors or something.

I agree with what you say but how much would you spend to make a the mine train, Ninja. Superman, X2, or Riddler's Revenge reliable or rideable? Ninja is a long ride with not enough trains to keep the minimal line moving. The mine train is old and not as fun as Big Thunder Mountain so when that track wears out, it is probably gone. Superman already barely runs but could make a great makeover with new LSMs or a complete circuit coaster with a top hat. X2 has had way too much money spent on it so far and Sansei is about as reliable as S&S was. Riddler's Revenge would just be another stand up to floorless conversion that would duplicate Scream. And much of any infrastructure improvments will be immediately vandalized by our local LA crowd of upstanding citizens. They might be better off with the park of 15 good / running coasters and add something air conditioned for the family to enjoy or perhaps another water ride.

Seems like the first "teaser" for whatever they are building for 2025 is up

It's hard work, though. But, I'm sure you remember when small things like this brought a lot of excitement. We live four hours away and I told my wife about it. It's pretty likely it will draw us in all the way from St. Louis for an easy weekend trip. Eve will be four, so we're right in the wheelhouse.

I'm satisfied that one day I will have lower my expectations for the ride experience instead of lowering my expectations for being able to ride it at all.

Wow, PLOT TWIST. I was so certain this project was dead. Good for Knott's.

Great news, IMO. I had written this project off a few months ago but I'm glad to hear it is coming back.

So Monte is now coming back in 2025? Sigh, so many games with this one but it is some good news.