Knoebel's is kneato!

Yes, a weak headline, but it beats the alternative that I was tossing around as I watched an old episode of MST3K on tape and heard the following line: "Finally, an opportunity to drink my own urine."

Do two posts about camping constitute a theme? I haven't actually camped since being a boy scout, and then it was mostly an exercise in trying to keep from sleeping in a puddle. Bloody leaky tents.

But this weekend I spent two days at Knoebel's, an "amusement resort" in central PA. Just north of Pottsville, home of Yeungling lager! (WooHoo!) Ah to commune with nature three hundred yards from a giant wooden rollercoaster. And let's be fair, the closest we came to "roughing it" was when we cleared away the cobwebs around the electrical hookup on each campsite. Your humble narrator, with my patient nine year old in tow, managed to assemble the brand spanking new tent in mere minutes (although not in the ambitious "just five minutes!" they excitedly claimed on the box). And having the car a few feet away certainly helped to simplify things. Not to mention the cooler of beer.

We were a party of about twenty people, couples, kids, assorted scooters, toys, coolers and campers and lanterns, oh my! The rest of the crew is still there today; the trick is to set up a campsite and then stay for three days (which I will be doing next year). The park opens at 11:00, and the rides are just too much fun for words. Not too stylized, no goofy characters dressed in moldy fur harrassing the kiddies. Short lines, cheap prices (and pay one price options, which are the best deal), and two rollercoasters that kicked my ass, I have to say. I'm happy to give these folks a free commercial. The only disadvantage is the 3-hour drive from the Philly area. And it's worth it once you arrive.

Since I can't have a vacation day without turning it into a learning opportunity, the only thing I noted, which I knew already, was the fearlessness with which the kids attacked the rides. Nothing intimidating, as long as a trustworthy adult was nearby, doling out the tickets and free advice ("Hold on to your glasses; take your hat off"). As the attachment theorists would predict. It was a good clothmotherly couple of days.


posted by MT at 8:02 AM |