When we were planning our trip for the first URC gathering at Knoebels we decided to make it complete by adding an other park for Saturday. I got out my Rand Mcnally Trip Maker and starter looking. My first thought was Hershey Park since we would not be able to go on Tuesday. I then though of Kennywood and really had no clue where it was in PA. I wanted something that I could drive to from Toronto after work on Friday and still not be to far from Knoebels. We picked Kennywood because it was cheaper and my sons had seen a lot of coaster shows were Kennywood was featured and they had expressed a desire to go.

So the boys and I pickup mom at work at 5:00PM and the URC venture begins. Toronto traffic at rush hour can be brutal to say the least. No traffic heading across the border into the US but, sure was a long line of cars heading into Canada. This was the first time I drove this way and did not turn east at I-90 to go towards SFDL. The boys were able to keep themselves busy by playing Gameboy and watching Coaster Videos on the TV attached to the middle seat in the van. The only trouble I ran into was trying to get onto I-76 from I-79 the construction fooled me. I had to do a very unmanly thing, oh! the horror, and stop and ask for direction to the I-76. We got to the Holiday Inn in Wilkinsburg around Midnight but, had to ask to be moved to back of the hotel because of the noise from the I-376. Which turned out for the better because it was a much nicer room at the same price. The hotel provided very easy directions to follow for Kennywood about a 10 minute drive.

Kennywood gates open at 10:30AM and the rides at 11:00AM. We get to parking lot around 10:00AM and got a primo FREE parking spot. We like getting early to a park to be able to check it out first. We paid about $80 for admission and the famous RIDE handstamp. We didn’t even notice the metal detectors when we first entered if had not been for a re-enter later in the day when the person in front of us had to check his KNIFE. The first thing we notice when we came in was the Famous Jack Rabbit and the next was the Racer. We had seen this picture of the Racer Entrance so many times on TV before it was cool to finally see it for real. With hardly any crowds in the park we posed for a few shot in front of the Racer. Next we walk towards Thunderbolt and on the way see the most amazing kid’s ride I had ever seen, Auto Racer designed by the evil mind of Harry Travers. At this point Thunderbolt was only testing and none of the rides were operating yet. The weather which was sunny when we got there had turned to misty rain. No problem maybe the light rains will keep some of the crowds away. Looks like Thunderbolt is about to open so we head over and at the same time the Mist turns into a torrential down pour. We try to seek cover under the Thunderbolt Entrance but, the rain was winning. We run to The Potato Patch for cover not fries. The Rain lets up in a few minutes and did not rain for the rest of the day. We all got soaked but were dry in a hour or so. Thunderbolt was going to be our first ride but the rain delayed it opening so we head over to Jack Rabbit.

What can you say about Jack Rabbit that pays this working museum justice? We wait about 20 minutes for our first ride. It is a treat to be able to be so close to it and watch it from the queue. You keep on thinking about the many decades that had pasted and of the thousands and thousands of people before you who had ridden. How many senior citizens at the park today had their first date/kiss on Jack Rabbit? Now our turn to ride this beautiful coaster. Nolan and I get in and snap our leather seat belt. "I bet you don’t even need this silly belt", I said to myself. hehe. Out of the station no lift chain but a drop into the ravine this wasn’t so bad so Nolan and I decide to put our hands up. Big mistake! we didn’t realize what was in store for us. So three quarters of the way through the ride this chain lift appears and brings you around the curve for biggest surprise I ever experienced on a coaster. That drop of the lift hill with that leap was the greatest unexpected airtime ever. Poor Nolan and Dad were almost ejected into the seat behind us. Now we know what those silly leather belts were for.

Next over to the Racer and only our second Racing Coaster, PKI was the first. So we leave one museum and enter an other. The station for Racer is absolutely beautiful and like a piece of artwork. You feel like you should not be able to walk on it in case you damage it. So in the queue I check out the trains and think there are two trains running because I did not see the same people returning in the train. Then a little farther in the Line Donna says, "that train came back to the other side". How could that be? So the Reid’s Racer Mission is to find out were the trains crossover. Guess What? We didn’t find it. It is still a mystery to us. I knew Shaggy was hitting Kennywood before Knoebels on Sunday and that he would solve the mystery for me. Wrong! He didn’t get on. I asked Patripman at Knoebels and he tried his best to explain but, I didn’t get it. "The Racer is only one track and not two", I heard you say this but I need it drawn on paper to see it. The Racer turned out to be a Reid favourite especially since we were able to get on separate trains and try the Kennywood tradition of slapping hands.

Next stop Thunderbolt about a 30 minute wait. Nolan was about 2 inches too short to ride so I was one of those single Thunderbolt riders. I rode with an acer on the second seat first car. To be quite honest I though, IMO, that Thunderbolt was an okay coaster but not as great as the Racer or Jack Rabbit. It was quite neat to see Steel Phantom going between it. Adam wanted to ride Thunderbolt later that evening but, the line up was too long. I wished I could have ridden a few more times because I am sure my opinion of Thunderbolt would have changed.

We did a lot of the flat rides offered at Kennywood including the oldest standing Whip. This was my first time seeing and riding a Whip. I had heard my mother talking about a whip but had never seen one before. We also had a go on the Turtles an other classic ride created by Travers. Noah’s Ark is another don’t miss ride we didn’t realize how old that attraction was until we viewed the Kennywood tape we purchased. I would have to say my favourite non-coaster ride there would be the Auto Racer. We waited about 30 minute but was able to chat with a person who grew up in Montreal. Auto Racers are in excellent shape and running condition and we had seen from the tape that the hills had been removed from the track.

It was time to do Steel Phantom and I was left to do it by myself. Waited about 35 minutes for a non front seat ride. This is only my second hyper coaster, S:ROS being the first. I know understand the argument that hypers should not have inversions. The second drop of 225 ft was extremely fast and you are flying when you head into the inversions then the fins come on. Maybe Arrow was trying to out due Magnum by adding the inversions. But, after riding S:ROS speed is what it is all about. After my first ride I went back for a front seat ride and only had to wait about 10 minutes.

It was getting late and we still had our URC gathering for tomorrow. We said one more ride on Jack Rabbit. It turned out to be one Jack Rabbit and a few more Racer rides. The boys were happy because they were able to reach out on the Racer and touch hands. We loved Kennywood and it did not fail to meet our expectations. It was an honor to be able to partake in this living breathing collection of museum pieces. The Reids loved the Racer but, I also personally fell in love with Jack Rabbit. WOW! and we still have two days at Knoebels to come.