On Tuesday, Mercer, Mom, and Dad went to the always-great Knoebels Amusement Park. The last time we were there, Mercer stuck strictly to kiddie rides. This time, he was a little more ambitious, even going on a bunch of upside-down attractions.
We started out with these rockets. They look tame, but we hit some decent speeds.
The tilt-a-whirl was fantastic and turned Dad's stomach for the rest of the day. Sometimes the best rides are the old and rusty ones.
The spinning teacups didn't help our stomachs.
Mercer went on this, the Frog Hopper, about 20 times. Good thing we got the unlimited daily pass.
After lunch, Mercer enjoyed a strawberry ice cream-waffle sandwich.
We thought these boats were going to be easy, but it handled like a pig.
At this point, the sky clouded over and thunder rumbled in the distance. What better ride to go on than this thing - a giant iron lightning rod that spun around in circles? I'm amazed that Mercer wanted to go on this and he really enjoyed himself. Our ride was cut short, though, because as soon as we went around a few times, lightning struck within a mile of the park.
There we are. Mercer and Dad were holding each other for various reasons.
Mercer and the gang headed northeast for an afternoon at Lake Compounce, apparently the oldest continuously-run amusement park in the country. It was about an hour and a half trip to Bristol, CT, which is also the home of ESPN, a cable television channel that used to show sporting events.
We were hoping Mercer would take a nap on the drive up, but it didn't happen. We knew it was a only matter of time before he cranked himself out, so we had to hit the children's rides as soon as possible. Luckily, the park was empty and rides were virtually wait-free.
We weren't sure how Mercer would do with the rides. We went to Rye Playland (a theme park near us in NY that also, I think, claims to be the oldest amusement park in the country) last year and Mercer was so-so with the rides. He didn't really care either way. Yesterday, Mercer was a bit nervous, hanging on as tightly as possible, trying to figure the whole deal out. Mercer refused to go on some rides (mini-roller coaster, a rotating drum thing), but loved others. We tried to get him to go on a train ride, but he was more interested in the giant bug and apple props all around the tracks.
He did manage to go on a bike ride.... a balloon ride that went way up high (you can see Mom and Mercer in the orange car in the bottom-center of the photo)... the kiddie swings... a swinging pirate ship... and lastly, a 50's-themed car ride, which he screamed and screamed about while waiting on line because it was his first experience with waiting on line for a ride. It was brutal. He was in bad shape at this point and sorely needed a nap. He loved it once he was in the ride, though. After a hot dog and Doritos, you could tell by the look on Mercer's face that he was done. He promptly fell asleep in his stroller, something he never does. Daddy went on one last roller coaster (Lake Compounce has 2 great wooden coasters, one of which - Boulder Dash - is highly rated by coaster enthusiasts and built into the side of a mountain!) and we headed for home. We'll be back, though. The water rides for kids look amazing and it will surely be an all-day activity to beat the heat.
We started out with these rockets. They look tame, but we hit some decent speeds.
The tilt-a-whirl was fantastic and turned Dad's stomach for the rest of the day. Sometimes the best rides are the old and rusty ones.
The spinning teacups didn't help our stomachs.
Mercer went on this, the Frog Hopper, about 20 times. Good thing we got the unlimited daily pass.
After lunch, Mercer enjoyed a strawberry ice cream-waffle sandwich.
We thought these boats were going to be easy, but it handled like a pig.
At this point, the sky clouded over and thunder rumbled in the distance. What better ride to go on than this thing - a giant iron lightning rod that spun around in circles? I'm amazed that Mercer wanted to go on this and he really enjoyed himself. Our ride was cut short, though, because as soon as we went around a few times, lightning struck within a mile of the park.
There we are. Mercer and Dad were holding each other for various reasons.
