Depart: Holiday Inn, Braddock Hills, Pennsylvania at 9:50 AM.
Arrive: Kennywood, West Mifflin, Pennsylvania at 10:06 AM. Distance From Hotel: 5.4 miles. Total distance for trip: 510.4 miles.
I had heard many good things about Kennywood, but had never been to the park. Some people called it the Roller Coaster Capital of the World. Considering that Cedar Point has many more coasters, I found that claim hard to swallow, and I still do. However, I will state that Kennywood has some wonderful old coasters. But, I'm getting ahead of myself.
As I understand it, Kennywood started out as a "trolley park." These parks were once quite common, as trolley companies tried to convince people to take the trolleys all the way to the end of the line. Not many of this type of park remain in existence. Fortunately, Kennywood has remained.
The park is crammed into a fairly small space, with no room for expansion. For the space they have, they've done a great job at creating a wonderful old amusement park. Wandering into this park felt almost like wandering back in time to a day when roller coasters were more of an art than a science. Kennywood has successfully maintained much of the look and feel of early amusement parks, while also providing some modern thrills.
It was a rather rainy day, but I found this park was easy to enjoy in spite of the rain. I was a bit confused, however, about the choice of when to close various rides. A freefall ride called Pitt Fall was running during a deluge. I happened to be on the ride when the skies opened up. All I could think about was, "Gee, I sure hope the brakes work in the rain!" Meanwhile, in a lighter rain, the water flume ride was closed. I guess they don't want people to get wet while they're getting wet.
The park has lots of older rides, such as a spin-n-go-puker called Kangaroo. This ride "hops" over a ledge as it spins around. Apparently, this Kangaroo ride is the only remaining one in the world. Too bad -- this ride was lots of fun! Another fascinating attraction was Noah's Ark. As might be expected, this attraction is shaped like a big boat with a bunch of animal heads sticking out of it. This is a walk-through attraction which keeps on rocking! As is appropriate, I experienced Noah's Ark during a period when the rain was coming down quite hard!
Since the park is quite small, it is possible to experience it in less
than a day. With the "rain delays," I finished all the rides
(plus some repeats) by 5 PM. Had it not been for the rain, I expect
I could have finished everything in about 4 hours. Despite the relatively
small size, I felt this park was really fun. I was also impressed
by the cleanliness, and by the friendly staff. The only down side?
Their coasters are remarkably difficult to photograph! Oh well, here's
what was visible to the camera's eye...
| Now wait a minute, I must be losing my mind. Let me retrace my
steps. I walked in, sat down in the train on the right. It
moved, racing along with the train on the left. It went winding through
some hills, then came into the station. I exited the train, and was
now on the left side. Am I going insane? Oh, wait! It's
two trains racing side by side, but they're actually on only one track!
How neat!
I actually didn't think that the Racer was a particularly exciting coaster, but it definitely fell into the realm of the unique. Unlike many racing coasters, where there are two tracks, the Racer actually has one track that enters the station at two times, with the trains swapping sides during the run. As a result, the trains ALWAYS have to race -- no closing off one track due to short lines on this one! Racer: Wooden racing coaster built in 1927. Designed by John A. Miller. Built by Charlie Mack - Andrew Brown/Kennywood. Height: 72 feet 6 inches. Track length: 2250 feet. |
 |
 |
This little bunny really goes hop, hop, hoppin' like the dickens!
Jack Rabbit is a really old coaster with some really good air time. Really! On a double-dipping drop, it felt like I was out of my seat for at least 3 seconds! To make the ride even more exciting, the trains have fixed bars that do not close down onto the lap, thereby enhancing the air-time experience. Jack Rabbit: Wooden coaster built in 1921. Designed by John A. Miller. Built by Charlie Mack/Kennywood. Height: 70 feet. Track length: 2132 feet. |
| Aw, rats. Rats. And big rats, too. Big enough to
make your head spin. Big enough, even, to make the entire car spin.
I guess it's time to call in The Exterminator.
In this picture, there isn't any sign of a track. That's because the coaster is indoors, and my x-ray camera was in the shop after I got smacked for, uh, "sight-seeing" at the beach! This exciting ride is rather like an indoor Wild Mouse-type coaster, but with a twist. Or, should I say, with a spin. At a certain point in the ride, the coaster car starts freely spinning. As a result, the ride is never the same twice! Finally, a ride that combines a coaster with a spin-n-go-puke ride! The Exterminator: Indoor steel coaster built in 1999. Designed by Reverchon Industries. Height: 50 feet. Track length: 1378 feet. |
 |
 |
There seems to be a ghostly chill in the air. The hair on the
back of the neck stands on end. A low groaning is heard in the distance.
Here is the haunt of the Steel Phantom.
The now-extinct Steel Phantom was a wild steel looping roller coaster which dominated the Kennywood skyline. I was glad I reached Kennywood in 2000, as it was the last year for this coaster. While it was not my favorite coaster in the park, it still ranked as a remarkable ride, running through the track of Thunderbolt, spinning through multiple inversions, and reaching thrilling speeds, all with a pleasant view of the mountains and the river. What made it even more exciting was that the first drop wasn't the biggest. The second drop plunged into a ravine, making for a 225 foot drop. Steel Phantom: Steel looping coaster built in 1991. Razed in 2000. Built by Arrow Dynamics. Height: 160 feet. Track length: 3000 feet. Speed: 80 MPH. Ride duration: 1 minute 45 seconds. |
| When there's rain, it's fitting that the air should be shattered from
the sounds of the occasional Thunderbolt!
In my humble opinion, Thunderbolt is the best coaster at Kennywood. However, this coaster is not to be taken lightly. The ride regulations require that all seats must have two passengers. After riding, I can see why. This coaster has some vicious lateral G-forces, throwing the riders into each other. If the seat had only one rider, that poor soul would be bouncing HARD off the sides of the car! My memories of this coaster were sustained by a bruise to the arm that remained for the rest of the trip! Ah, but it was worth a bit of bruising, as this coaster was a really fun ride, making excellent use of the same ravine that was also inhabited by Steel Phantom. Upon leaving the station, the train drops straight into that ravine, without wasting any time with a lift hill. The lift comes in the middle of the ride, leading into a great finale. Thunderbolt: Wooden coaster built in 1968. Designed by Andy Vettel. Built by Andy Vettel/Kennywood. Height: 95 feet. Track length: 2887 feet. Speed: 53 MPH. The first half of the coaster was originally from The Pippin, built in 1924 by John Miller. |
 |
Depart: Kennywood, West Mifflin, Pennsylvania at 6:41 PM.
Arrive: Mountain View Inn, Greensburg, Pennsylvania at 7:48 PM. Distance from Kennywood: 36.6 miles. Distance traveled on Day Four: 42.0 miles. Total distance traveled for trip: 547.0 miles.
Mountain View Inn was a wonderfully unique and attractive hotel. I'm glad I made the decision to stay here. The original part of the hotel has hardwood floors, Oriental rugs, and antique furniture. After stepping back in time at Kennywood, the trip into the past continued at the Mountain View Inn. In addition to the wonderful setting, the hotel was clean and the room had an excellent shower.