Summer Trip #1: Knoebels Park, Elysburg

Five families converged on Knoebels Grove last Sunday and it was fantastic.

Upon riding my old favorite coaster, The Phoenix.

Knoebels was an annual destination for my family when I was younger. It was the site of my grandfather's company picnic, and aside from my fondness for the park's first coaster, I also warmly remember it as the park Mom and Dad would trust my brother, cousin, and I to roam as we wished on those July afternoons.

In a somewhat bittersweet development, I found that Twister is a better roller coaster than The Phoenix. I timed it: Twister takes you on a 2-and-a-half minute ride, which is ridiculously long by coaster standards.

The kids' favorite ride was the Flume, which actually is a pretty decent ride. 

I cannot help but put on my economics teacher cap when I go to amusement parks. I find the pay-as-you ride system at Knoebels counter-intuitively effective. I think the system rations people's riding habits and therefore lines aren't as long. One actually makes decisions about whether or not a particular ride warrants surrendering the necessary tickets. In the end, it makes for a more enjoyable day.

Knoebels' setting also makes it possible to imagine, just briefly, that you're simply in the woods at a park, not necessarily an amusement park.

Oh, and the food isn't outrageously expensive.

A bit overpriced, but not egregious.

I spent most of the day with Sam. Sherry was most often with Caroline. Sometimes we were with friends on our rides, but sometimes we had to split in acknowledgment of the different levels of risk aversion our kids were experiencing. Good way to begin the summer.