Depart: Mountain View Inn, Greensburg, Pennsylvania at 10:06 AM.
Arrive: Idlewild Park, Ligonier, Pennsylvania at 10:30 AM. Distance From Hotel: 11.8 miles. Total distance for trip: 558.8 miles.9
I found Idlewild to be a very quaint park. With a rather sprawling
layout, the park is more of a visual park than a ride park. The park
is split up into several themed areas, with the thrill rides being in the
section called Olde Idlewild. Since the weather was a bit rainy in
the morning, I did not take the time to visit the water park area.
The park is themed more for the kids, with a Story Book Forest, and Mister
Roger's Neighborhood of Make Believe. I imagine it would be a good
spot for family reunions, as there are many picnic shelters throughout
the property. The picnic shelters are between the park and the parking
lots. With that layout, it's a bit tricky to figure out the right
direction to go in order to get to the proper parking lot! I had
to make several attempts before finally finding my car! The park's
pathways are gravel instead of being paved. Considering that the
day was a bit wet, those pathways made for a bit of sloppy walking!
On a dry day, however, they would certainly add to the wooded atmosphere
of the park.
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Time to Roll-a-roll-a-Rollo Coaster to your friends. Hmmm, guess
I watched too much TV as a kid. Anyway, the first coaster of the
day was the Rollo Coaster.
While it's not going to win any awards for creative naming, nevertheless the Rollo Coaster is on the American Coaster Enthusiasts list of classic coasters. This one is a mild but fun little coaster that goes weaving through the woods. (Very scenic, but it also makes the coaster very hard to photograph!) Most coaster riders will tell you that the best seats are either in the front or the back of the coaster. Well, that's true for the Rollo Coaster, too. For the first half of the ride, the back seat is more exciting. For the second half of the ride, the front seat is more exciting. To get the full ride experience, try 'em both! Rollo Coaster: Wooden coaster built in 1938. Designed by Herb Schmeck. Built by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company. Height: 27 feet. Drop: 20 feet. Track length: 1400 feet. |
| Eeek! A Mouse! A Wild Mouse, even. And without a
single slice of cheese in sight.
The Wild Mouse is a rather mild coaster, but it has some good lateral G forces while whipping around some of the turns. Also, the ride has some exciting visual effects, being nestled in amongst the trees. On several of the drops, it looks like there's a direct collision course between the rider and various tree limbs! Since I'm still here to talk about the coaster, I guess I didn't hit any of those trees. Wild Mouse: Steel coaster built in 1988, relocated in 1993. Designed by Vekoma. Height: 58 feet. Drop: 25 feet. Track length: 1640 feet. |
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Depart: Idlewild Park, Ligonier, Pennsylvania at 1:30 PM.
Fuel Stop: 1:55 PM. Distance traveled: 14.3 miles. Trip resumed at 2:00 PM.
Rest Stop: On I-76, 3:14 PM. Distance traveled: 79.2 miles since Idlewild Park. Trip resumed at 3:26 PM.
Arrive: Williams Grove, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania at 4:48 PM.
Distance from Idlewild Park: 148.2 miles. Distance traveled
on Day Five: 160.0 miles. Total distance traveled for trip:
707.0 miles.
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Head for the storm shelter, 'cause here comes a Cyclone.
The Cyclone is a very interesting old coaster. After the initial outward trip, the track returns beneath the outgoing track rather than to the side of it. Such a unique sight made this stop worthwhile. Of an historical note, it seems that the trains were purchased from Palisades Park, famed in song and story. Well, song, anyway. While the ride was fun, I only did it once because I was really rather concerned about the maintenance on this ride. Although the track in the station has a fairly good slope to it, the operator had to push the train to get it out of the station. The wheels sounded like they were screaming for someone to put some grease on them! Typically, wooden coasters creak as they zip along. On this one, the wood sounded like it was actually splintering. I don't consider that sound to be a good sign! Ultimately, two things amazed me about the ride. First, I was surprised that the ride had enough momentum to overcome the squeaky wheels and complete the full circuit. Second, I was surprised the track didn't collapse. In spite of it all, I am glad I rode it, as it was a unique experience to add to my coaster riding catalog. If the ride gets an overhaul, it could really be an exciting coaster. Cyclone: Wood coaster built in 1933. Designed by Oscar Bitler. Height: 65 feet. Drop: 60 feet. Track length: 2300 feet. |
Depart: Williams Grove, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania at 5:20 PM.
Arrive: Hershey Lodge, Hershey, Pennsylvania at 6:18 PM. Distance from Williams Grove: 36.2 miles. Distance traveled on Day Five: 196.2 miles. Total distance traveled for trip: 743.2 miles.
By far the most expensive hotel on the trip, the Hershey Lodge was a splendid place to stay, although the roads trying to get there were a bit confusing. Since I arrived rather early, I had dinner at the Hershey Grill, located at the Hershey Lodge. The food was excellent, with a fabulous chocolate dessert. Of course, I wouldn't expect anything less from Hershey! One bonus to staying at the Hershey Lodge was that my park ticket for the next day allowed me to get a "preview" on this evening. So, after dinner, I took the Hershey Shuttle to spend a few hours at the park. Although I got on quite a few of their coasters, I'll save that information for tomorrow, when I "officially" rode those coasters! As it turned out, this night was also July 4th. Hershey put on a rather nice fireworks display which I enjoyed prior to returning to the hotel.