carolinacaniac Posted June 13, 2007 Share Posted June 13, 2007 Great Pictures and Captions Chuck. Definatly looks like it has been a good trip. All three parks are on my to do list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted June 13, 2007 Author Share Posted June 13, 2007 Great Pictures and Captions Chuck. Definatly looks like it has been a good trip. All three parks are on my to do list. Â And I haven't even got to the third park yet. Look for the awesomeness that is Dutch Wonderland tonight! Same Bat Time! Same Bat Channel! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BamBam36 Posted June 13, 2007 Share Posted June 13, 2007 I think Hydra fights for the worst B&M I have been on. The jo-jo roll was horrible. The rest of the ride was forceless. But Talon was awsome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DerekRx Posted June 13, 2007 Share Posted June 13, 2007 Thunderhawk, like most of the Schmeck designed woodies, is best experienced in the front of the train (specifically 1.3, also known as the "Schmeck Seat"). The ride over the wheels may be a little bumpier, but the airtime is good. Phoenix also comes to mind for this, and Comet at Hershey used to be, until they trimmed it after the 2nd turnaround. If you didn't ride towards the front of T-hawk, Larry is a horrible guide, and I have failed you when I forgot to tell you where to sit. I will make sure I am around when you get up to Knoebels, Chuck. Excellent PTR thus far! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larrygator Posted June 13, 2007 Share Posted June 13, 2007 ^^^^BeemerBoy - It was my first time wearing the shirt in public so I didn't cut the sleeves, I save that for old shirts. My shoulders were also sunburnt so I needed the sleeves that day. Â ^Derek - I've never sat in a good seat on Thunderhawk. I am a horrible guide. But I did get Chuck through HersheyPark with minimal wait times on the low capacity coasters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted June 14, 2007 Author Share Posted June 14, 2007 ^Larry, you did fine! Don't yourself.  And now the park you've all been waiting for . . .  Wandering Dutch Wonderland  When I was a wee lad in the ancient decade of the 1960s (before the Dark Times), there was this little park in Stockton, Calif.--Pixie Woods. (I think it's still in business.) Basically, it was a bunch of fairy-tale-themed areas, some nice gardens, a boat ride, and a carousel. It was a pretty popular spot for birthday parties.  Dutch Wonderland in Lancaster, Pa., is essentially Pixie Woods with coasters and a water park. It's a park for families with kids and has no pretensions to being anything else. Although I wouldn't cough up $28.95 to spend a day there (you can get a double ticket for Hersheypark and DW), it is a pretty good place for kids, with plenty of random, fairy-tale weirdness. It's a classic "roadside attraction" from yesteryear.  Kingdom Coaster (formerly Sky Princess) is a fun family-sized woodie, which actually whips you around pretty good in the back car. Joust is a standard kiddie coaster whose theming consists of a suit of armor standing in middle of it. But the coolest thing there was the Dutch Wonder House, a "wacky shack" that makes you feel as though you're flipping end over end. It was rather noisy, low budget, and homemade, but the illusion worked--fun stuff.  Here are some pics of our wanderings around Dutch Wonderland. Wouldst thou whore me, varlet? More pics to come. Yo-ho, yo-ho, we missed the Lady Gay! Ahoy, Capt. Barry! Hmm--this "pirate" looks suspiciously like a repainted dwarf or gnome. Larry is seriously considering making an offer on the Hobo Shack. Hmm--DW's Popeye bears quite a resemblance to the mongoloid banjo player in "Deliverance." Here're a few of the sights of Dutch Wonderland--contented, grazing cows (which if they had the power to kill you, would probably rather just keep grazing). This newer, "RCT-type" model gives riders a remarkable simulation of bouncing around in a stuffy plastic box while watching TV. Yay for the old-school simulator with no restraints and good air conditioning! Who cares if the "DVD Video" logo was burned into its TV screen? With grim determination, Larry prepares himself for the icy void of infinity in the Astro-liner! Here's a wee bit ot theme-park history--the story of the simulator ride. And I'll perform the cavity search! I'll need to have a look in your bag, sir! And it has a fountain of fruit! This is the only park I know that uses a purple dragon for bag inspection. Here we are at Dutch Wonderland. Naturally, you enter through a gift shop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted June 14, 2007 Author Share Posted June 14, 2007 "Son of 'Wandering Dutch Wonderland.'" Some couple was pushing a baby carriage across this thing! They lost something in the pond, too; fortunately, not the baby. Next, a journey into the Heart of Darkness of DW! There he is, making a new friend. A-w-w-w . . . Ya there! We gotta find Larry! But you told me it was this long! . . . and finally whips through here. (Definitely better than the Ghoster Coaster at KD.) . . . hurls you through a "tunnel" that consists of two garden sheds bolted together . . . . . . tosses you down there . . . First, it drags you up there . . . Our next stop was the Kingdom Coaster--some pretty good wood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted June 14, 2007 Author Share Posted June 14, 2007 "Ghost of the Son of 'Wandering Dutch Wonderland.'" Yes, truly a "Dutch Wonderful Day"--and the end of a great weekend. Thanks for reading. I cain't get enny milk outta her, Luther! Must be the brucellosis er somethin'! I shall go mad, I tell you! Mad! And the world is turned upsidedown! Bring on the wackiness! And now, the highlight of DW--the Dutch Wonder House! What? We came all this way for a freakin' Cadbury egg? But Brave Sir Larry forges ahead, oblivious to the deadly falls that threaten to swamp his boat! Gadzooks and odds my bodkins! 'Tis a fierce croc-or-gator! What ho, Sir Larry? Some devilish work ahead, you say? Ramming speed! I follow, deftly steering my sturdy craft with my right foot. Brave Sir Larry sallies forth first! (Or was he the first to go forth?) And now, we must undertake a dangerous quest into the Dragon's Lair! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ECZenith Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 Nice TR! I really like that aerial shot of Storm Runner where the train is on the top hat, good stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DerekRx Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 Great stuff, Chuck. LOVE the captions! Glad you finally got up to Penn's Woods, as elusive as this state is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reon Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 So I'm guessing that Dragon's Lair is some sort of log flume? Â Anyways, YAY HP!! Honestly my favorite park aswell. I love how one side has a valley of coastergasmic goodness, and the other has 2 of my all time favorite coasters (StormRunner and Wildcat). I want to go back some time to see how the new trains compare to when I rode the old version...Also, to check out the boardwalk I guess. Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Wildcat>Lightning Racer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted June 14, 2007 Author Share Posted June 14, 2007 ^^Yep--it was about freakin' time, wasn't it? Stuff just kept coming up in April when I was making my original trip plans, but it worked out well. My next PA goal is Phall Phunfest at Knoebel's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larrygator Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 So I'm guessing that Dragon's Lair is some sort of log flume? Â Nope, just a dopey track guided boat ride Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted June 14, 2007 Author Share Posted June 14, 2007 ^Yeah--what you see in the photos is pretty much all it is, although the park Web site hints that it's a dark ride of some kind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carolinacaniac Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 Thanks Chuck, now everytime I see smokey the bear I am gonna think he is saying "Only You Can Prevent Drug Trafficing!" Â Great Report as I said before. Would you say that Kingdom Coaster was like a more intense Scooby Doo then a slightly smaller mid-size coaster? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted June 14, 2007 Author Share Posted June 14, 2007 ^I'd say that it's a midsize coaster that isn't too rough for kids. There's a wee bit of air on it, and it does whip you around the turns a bit. Â Nice color scheme, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ccron10 Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 Man, I remember riding that Dutch Wonder House ride nearly 10 years ago and it was a one-of-a-kind ride. I might be driving by the park on Monday, so I might see about bringing my camera. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redfoot12 Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 Hershey is definitely on my to-do list this summer. How "fat friendly" are the coasters there? I guess at least one of the rides is fat friendly if they give you candy bars afterwards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted June 14, 2007 Author Share Posted June 14, 2007 ^My guess is that Storm Runner might give you the most trouble. Great Bear, as is typical of B&M inverts, does have "big boy" seats in the middle cars of each train. The trains on Wildcat and Lightning Racer might be a tight squeeze, too. But I don't know how big you are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redfoot12 Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 Thanks--just have to continue shedding poundage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coastercrazed49 Posted June 15, 2007 Share Posted June 15, 2007 Wow that looks like a great time! Wierd I had a dream about Hershey Park last night  I going down to PENN this summer so maybe I can stop by Hershey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louise Posted June 15, 2007 Share Posted June 15, 2007 AWESOME captions, and pics, Chuck!! Really enjoyed this. I like that you describe and rate the rides in order in your reports, gives me a better idea of things. Â The anti-drug-trafficking bear looks like the creepiest effing thing I've ever seen in that picture. Â What? TPR didn't offer the Larry Special Edition sleeveless UK Trip T-shirt? Â Made me laugh to see you say that, Scott, I was looking at the Hershey pics thinking "What's different about Larry... Wait, I've never seen him with sleeves!!!" Â Glad all your trip plans came together and you got everything done guys, looks like a fun couple of days! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted June 15, 2007 Author Share Posted June 15, 2007 ^That it was, Lou--lots of fun (even Dutch Wonderland has its charms). Thanks for all the kind words, folks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larrygator Posted June 15, 2007 Share Posted June 15, 2007 ^^I wore sleeves (and jeans) at Southport for extra protection. The only time I ever wore jeans to an amusement park . The shirts I wore at the bars after the parks generally had sleeves also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louise Posted June 15, 2007 Share Posted June 15, 2007 ^ Ssshhhh, Larry, you're ruining my exaggeration!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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