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| 2015 |
Of course, the radar showed a bright band of yellow and green heading our way and once we were pulling out of the gas station it began to drizzle. As tradition continues, we would have to setup in the rain. In fact, once I checked in at the campground the main rain valve must have been opened and the downpour began. Before backing into the site we actually waited it out a little for the rain to calm down. Becky then got out in the rain and helped to guide me in as I was pulling in on the blind side. Once we were in position, then I got out and it was my turn to get wet, prepping the stabilizers and getting things level. It didn't take to long, and then we went inside the camper, leaving the beds closed and enjoying the space inside. One thing we noticed immediately was how much quieter the new camper is in the rain. The popup sounded like someone was dropping golf balls on the roof!
Rain stopped, and then setup continued inside and out. We opened the beds and finished our hookup. The weather was now looking great for the rest of our stay and our camping friends were on there way as well.
Friday morning we awoke to have a good breakfast to start the day and to get ready for a full day at the park. All-day ride plans are available so we take advantage of those and let the kids ride as much as they can / want throughout the day. If Becky or I want to ride, we just share a booklet of tickets for the few that we may go on.
To start it off, the lines were short and Ally and I finally were going to try and ride Flying Turns, a roller coaster that doesn't have a track but is more like a bobsled run. The line we were in stated 45 minutes, but it wasn't much more than 20 and we were able to jump up to fill a car since we were not part of a larger group that was trying to ride together. Ally and I were in the front car, which was really cool for this ride. We both thought it was great and had a different coaster vibe and a rather smooth experience too.
As we got off, we were walking down the ramp and saw Bella on one of the craziest spinning rides in the park. I couldn't believe it..... and after a second or two the ride was in motion and there was no turning back. This ride goes around in a circle, but the cars that the kids are in are like little wheels which rock back and forth,... given enough motion and time, and then they can go all the way up and over,... rolling the kids around the track. She and the girl she was riding with got off with a smile, which surprised us. But,... it wasn't meant to be... and after a trip on the Cosmotron (indoor music type ride with ups and downs) she was spent! Motion sickness had set in, and while fortunate enough to not lose her breakfast,,.. she was really messed up and needed to chill out for a while. Unfortunately, when you have a motion sickness it can be re-triggered so easily even hours later,... so she was very timid on rides the rest of the day and didn't get to go on a lot.
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| Bella, Upside down in the Blue Car |
Saturday morning we awoke and got setup for a breakfast smorgasbord. Bacon, Maple Sausage, Sausage Patties, Pancakes, Eggs, Muffins, Coffee, OJ,..... if you left for the park hungry today it was your own fault! Today we had one book of tickets for each of the kids, when they are gone, that's it. Immediately upon arrival you could tell it was mayhem,.. yes, like the AllState Commercial. There were so many people in the park already and the lines were long. I guess the last weekend before college and schools for kids combined with the great weather brought out everyone. Bella was trying to catch up on some of the rides she missed yesterday, and the rest of the kids were doing well too. We also had family and friends at the park today with us to share the Knoebels experience. By 4pm, we were ready to head back to the campground and warm up the fire and grill to get some good food going. BBQ Chicken, Hot Dogs, Fire grilled burgers, and lots of sides to be had.
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| Love this shot of Madie |
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| Selfie on the Big Wheel |
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| Selfie on the Big Wheel |
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| Ally and Madie on the Carousel |
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| Ally getting a ring on the Carousel |
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| Always a fun ride, the Italian Trapeze |
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| Merry Mixer FuN! |
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| Bella on the Flyers! |
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| Kozmo and Dexter Family Portrait! |
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| Madie's Little Campsite,... roasting marshmallows! |
Sunday is packup day,... and every year it comes so fast. The good news is that this year the checkout hours have changed from 11am for campsites to 2pm! This was great! We weren't feeling rushed to get all our things together but rather sitting around a fire burning the last of our firewood and having a relaxing time till almost lunchtime. If you are in a cabin, those checkout times are still 11am for the cleaning crews to have enough time to do everything before the next check-in.
In summary, the weekend was a great success for our first trip out with the new truck and camper combination. Here are a few highlights of the favorites:
Ally's Favorite Ride: Phoenix Roller Coaster
Bella's Favorite Ride: Paratroopers
Madie's Favorite Ride: Merry Mixers
New Camper Performance:
Ally's Favorite: In Camper Toilet,... and yes,.. she was first for #2
Bella's Favorite: Her own Bed!!!
Madie's Favortite: Her own bed space in the back with Ally
Becky and I really love the layout and we are glad we researched and reviewed. Very few squawks (as noted in other post) and we are glad we made the transition even in the middle of the camping season here in PA. All goes well, we will get a bunch more camping nights in the logbook yet this fall.
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| 2015 Trip 1 with the Passport! |
Knoebels is the first and only place where I've ever had motion sickness from amusement rides - but I still love that place and look forward to taking the boys there sometime in the future on a vacation out east. Looked like a great trip!
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