PhantomNick Posted April 13, 2010 Posted April 13, 2010 (edited) Well, if there's one thing I've learned here at TPR since joining in 2008, it's that one of the coolest parts are the copious photo trip reports that our many gracious users post for our viewing pleasure. I thought that it would be neat to do a sort of retrospective photo report for parks I visited from 2005 through 2008 (most of which before I joined here), which were some of my busier years traveling to parks. I'm not looking to post every photo I took here, just some of my favorites. I will break it down into parts, and each part will have a brief overview of the park with some of my thoughts before gettin' to the good stuff! With that all said, let's begin our journey, shall we? Part 1 - Kennywood (the home park) Ah, Kennywood. The park I've grown up with, visiting every year for as long as I can remember. Nestled in a suburb of Pittsburgh, Kennywood to me is one of the finest amusement parks in the country. They have an eclectic and wonderful assortment of rides and coasters, seamlessly blending the best thrills of yesterday with the newest ones of today. The park is home to some truly unique rides that you will not find in many parks anymore, such as Noah's Ark, Turtle, Auto Race, and the beloved Kangaroo. As for the coasters, while they do not boast double-digit numbers like some of the giants in the industry, they have a solid assortment including 3 great older woodies, a themed spinning mouse, and in my view one of the most underrated hypercoasters in the country. The woodies (Racer, Jack Rabbit, and Thunderbolt) are loads of fun and impeccably maintained, as they continue to dish out smooth rides after decades of operation. The Exterminator is a quirky and fun take on a rather common coaster. Then there is Phantom's Revenge, the park's centerpiece and star attraction. This steel hypercoaster boasts a swooping first drop followed by a mammoth 228-foot plunge into a ravine while knifing through another coaster! Add to that some blistering speed and massive airtime, and you have yourself a real winner. This year, Sky Rocket joins the mix, and it looks like it follows the Kennywood tradition to a tee - blending fun and thrills together in a unique ride experience. If you have the chance to visit Kennywood, I would highly recommend it! The park has a nice mix of attractions, some lush landscaping, and some great food (at an affordable price!). Not to mention, with it being more of a mid-sized park, lines are usually very reasonable. Take a visit, and I'm fairly sure you won't be disappointed. Now, onward to the pictures! Uh...wait a minute, where the heck are we again?!? Wave Swinger....through the trees! Kennywood has a gorgeous carousel Is that an Intamin drop tower in your picture, or are you just happy to see me? For some reason, I find this sign to be pretty cool Swing Shot - a swing set on crack! One, two, three....kick! Kersploosh! Where's Don Quixote? Hmmm, mounting this carousel horse could prove to be a bit more challenging! Arrrrr!! Me thinks this ride's fun matey! A themed Enterprise?!? Is that one of the signs of the apocalypse?!? I wish more parks had this flat Kangaroo = unique flat awesomeness! *Boing!* Nighttime park beauty Blurry Jack Rabbit train goodness! Givin' the Racer some love Thunderbolt sneakin' around Phantom Ok, show of hands, who besides me thinks TPR is awesome? Score! A totally unique Kennywood picture I'm sure nobody has ever seen before!! Phantom's Revenge keeping an eye on Lost Kennywood Taking the tunnel.....err, I mean, plunge! Them's some sexy Phantom curves! Double-down airtime bliss, with some front seat hairtime to boot! My favorite coaster drop anywhere Phantom's first drop is....well....TWISTY!! That's all for now. Hope you enjoyed reading! Part 2 coming soon..... Edited May 12, 2010 by PhantomNick
eddie200330 Posted April 13, 2010 Posted April 13, 2010 Definitely agree about Kennywood, we try to go there every summer at least once. It is a place you can just wander around and kinda lose yourself in the history. At the same time get your rocks off on some of the coolest modern and old school rides that are a rarity these days.
Kingsislandfreak Posted April 14, 2010 Posted April 14, 2010 Phantoms Revenge looks like an awesome coaster
PhantomNick Posted May 12, 2010 Author Posted May 12, 2010 Part 2 - Dorney Park (2006) Well, the pictures are from a 2006 trip (when I was loving my new camera), but I have been to Dorney Park several times over the years. And to me anyway, Dorney Park is a great "upper mid-sized" amusement park that has plenty to offer. Not once have I had anything less than a fantastic time there during my 4 or so visits. Nestled in Allentown, PA, Dorney has a nice location and the park itself has a good atmosphere. It is, of course, a "corporate" park owned by Cedar Fair, but I honestly don't think it feels like it....well, other than having the customary trash cans lining the midways every 5 feet or so! Some have called Dorney a "concrete wasteland", but quite frankly, I just don't see it. Several areas are bustling with trees and very nicely landscaped. Dorney's biggest asset though is having a rich assortment of rides - including several "big park" coasters - without having "big park" lines. From a coaster standpoint, Dorney's got all the essentials for a well-rounded mix. There are a couple kiddie ones, along with a decent wild mouse. Their woodie, Thunderhawk (the oldest in the park), is solid with some surprising moments of airtime. They have a great hypercoaster in Steel Force, which has always given me some fantastic rides. It has great speed and some good airtime, along with a powerful mid-corse helix turnaround. I've heard this coaster referred to as "forceless", but based on my rides I would have to disagree. It may not be a Top 10 ride for me or anything, but it is a still a winner of a ride! If anything, I think Steel Force gets far less credit than it deserves. The same could also be said for the park's floorless coaster, Hydra: The Revenge. I feel Hydra is another solid coaster in Dorney's lineup, with a nice mixture of elements and forces in its punchy little layout. For me though, the park's highlight sits right up at the front of the park, greeting guests as they enter the gates. I'm talking about Talon, the park's B&M inverted coaster that, as of today, is the best inverted coaster I have ridden. Talon is wonderful non-stop action from start to finish! Dorney also used to have a terrific Schwarzkopf model in Laser (which you will see below), but sadly it was removed to make way for a Geauga Lake "hand-me-down" named Possessed, an impulse coaster that seems to be more closed and enduring problems than it is open and thrilling guests. Overall though, a trip to Dorney should be on your list if you're swinging through the area. It's a great park with a variety of rides and coasters to please everyone, along with a sizeable-looking waterpark that's included with admission. And although it may be overshadowed at times by a bigger Six Flags park not too far away, when it comes to a complete park experience, Dorney Park delivers the goods! Ok, enough talking, let's get to what everyone really wants to see in these things.....the pictures! What is that coaster geek oasis I see from a rest stop in PA?? As Dominator confirms for us, it's Dorney Park! I LOVE these things....although Dorney's is an upcharge (boooo) Is this an acceptable amount of wetness? I like me some Wave Swinger action! *Whistles* My, those are some nice legs! Spinny, spinny BAD Sea Dragon!! Do NOT try to eat Dominator!!! Thunderhawk's "I think I just crapped myself" airtime hill. It may look unassuming, but the top of this hill launches you from your seat! Thunderhawk, with its big brother Steel Force towering over Steel Force's great first drop, with Thunderhawk's lift hill below 2nd hill yumminess! Nice picture, dummy, but why wouldn't you get a train in it?? There!! Are you people happy NOW? Token Wild Mouse pic This one's for Larry Gone, but not forgotten Loop da LOOP! Although smaller, Hydra's first drop is awesome! Oooooo, look at that zero-g spot! There's some great hangtime in this corkscrew Hydra's funky cobra roll Purty cobra Pervert!! Quit looking up my lift! I dunno who the hell "Jojo" is, but he/she/it makes one great start to a coaster! Hydra's track snakes around....oh....wait.....NOW I get it!! Cobra roll....snakes....I smart now! T is for Talon, that's good enough for me! Ready to be "Gripped with Fear".....or something like that? Um, I believe the word you were looking for was....wheee I heart zero-g rolls on inverts! Now show me your profile! Oooo, nice! Insert witty comment here Ground-hugging goodness! And now for something we hope you really like! First drop action! And again.... And one last time....incidentally, I love how the imposing storm clouds cast the shadow on this pic Immelmimmelman! Did I mention that Talon is my favorite ride here? I'm sure you couldn't tell.... Do you prefer red? Or perhaps white? ZOMG!!1!1! A Meteor in Dorney Park?!?! Everybody ruuuuuun! The stuff nightmares are made of You spin me right round, baby, right round I really like this particular flat (called Apollo here), which isn't found in too many parks anymore Lift hill chaser lights for the win! Their ferris wheel looks gorgeous at night They also have a nice carrousel And here you were thinking I was done with Talon pictures! Haha!! I showed you! I dig Hydra's sign, especially at night Ooooo....Ahhhhhh.....Ohhhhh And I leave you with this pretty cool blurred train pic of Hydra's Jojo Well, that wraps up Part 2 with a pretty little bow! Hope you guys enjoyed it! More to come soon.....
YoshiFan Posted May 12, 2010 Posted May 12, 2010 I agree about Dorney, I really think it is an under rated park. The lack of lines for the coasters is always nice and there are so many non coaster rides to choose from plus WWK is really nice for an included with admission water park. I wish they would have kept Laser since it did operate with Voodoo operating for most of 2008 and Voodoo has been nothing but trouble for the park. It still hasn't operated this season.
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