Hersheypark Trip Report 3

After a ride on Trailblazer, we went on to the Minetown section of the park. So, to do so, we needed to climb the big, steep ascent right below SR's Zero-G and Flying Snake Dive. Climbing these large, steep hills can take a lot out of you, and the "older" part of Hersheypark has a lot of them. However, the rides in the "older" sections of the park (Comet Hollow and Minetown, mainly) use this special terrain to their advantage, which really adds more to the attraction. Anyway, I power-walked up the large hill as I looked up at SR, seeing trains whiz by overhead as I made my way to the top. Once we all got to the top of the large hill, we decided to spend some time in this section of the park, that being Minetown. We passed the Flying Falcon, which had just gone under a large rehab. The ride wasn't open yet, but it would later on in the day. I heard some rumors that the Falcon was on its way out, but I think those rumors have been put to rest now that the ride is back open. We passed the Falcon and made our way to the little section of the park that holds the Kissing Tower and the Antique Cars. Both of these attractions are great classics, and both would end up being next on our hit list. We soon came into a nice, shady plaza at the top of Minetown. This section of the park is a great area to relax. The area is basically covered in trees, and there are many tables around for sitting opportunities. We made our way over to the Kissing Tower first to see if we could grab a quick ride. When we encountered the entrance, there was no one in line, but we just missed the ride going up, which was only a few feet off the ground. Oh well, we would be first on the next ride. I love this old classic ride. It is gives an excellent view of not only the park, but the entire town. While we waited for the other guests to complete their ride, I looked around the queue line. As I said before, I love this section of the park because it is FULL of trees and shrubbery. Also, they have the classic signs hanging up in the station, saying "No eating, drinking, or smoking...only smooching!" or something along those lines. Anyway, we waited less than 5 minutes for the cabin to return to the station. Those few minutes went by in no time, and now it was our time to ride. The ride operator lifted the chain and I was the first one to go into the A/C blasted Kissing Tower :P. Ah, it felt so amazing and refreshing just to be in the air conditioning on such a hot day. I followed the operator's instructions and walked all the way around the ride capsule, finally ending up basically where I entered. Since there weren't many people waiting in line, and on the ride in general, we had lots of room to enjoy the sights through the unique Kiss-shaped windows. Once all of the other guests took their seat, it was time to enjoy our ride on the Kissing Tower. Once we started to lift off the ground, we started to rotate and the classic recording started to play. Once we reached the tops of all the trees, we received an amazing view of the park. As we rotated around, we could see the park from Founder's Circle all the way back to Midway America and everything in-between. It really is spectacular how great the views are from the tower. Anyway, we rotated around and found ourselves now looking at the town of Hershey, PA. We received a great view of the town, including the factory, and I even spotted the classic Kiss shaped lamp posts. It really is remarkable how far you are able to see from this classic tower. In no time, we found ourselves at the top of tower, looking down at the central area of town of Hershey. Once you're finally at the top of the tower, you rotate quite a few times, giving some amazing views of the entire area. I really think that if you're in Hershey, you shouldn't miss this attraction. The views are simply stunning, plus there really isn't much of a wait for the ride. I'd say it's worth a cycle or two to enjoy the views of Hershey, PA. Anyway, we enjoyed the excellent views some more as we rotated at the top of the tower. After taking in the excellent views, it was time to make our way back down again unfortunately. However, it was an excellent break and offered an excellent experience, especially with the air conditioning! Definitely a great way to take a break from the other bigger rides. Anyway, we enjoyed the last few moment we had inside the amazing air conditioned cabin before finally coming to a complete halt back on the ground. Ah, what a relaxing ride the Kissing Tower was. However, it was time to get off now, and head to our next attraction. We slowly exited and headed back into the extreme heat, which was much different from what we just experienced on the Kissing Tower.

After the Kissing Tower, since we were literally right there, we decide to do the driving cars. Since I wanted to drive my own car, we decided to do the Sport Cars instead of the Antique Cars. If we wanted to do the Antique Cars after the Sport Cars, that would be possible, considering there was no line for either of the attractions. We walked straight through the switchback, which was empty, and up on to the bridge. There was just a bit of a line on the stairs leading down to the loading section. It would only be about a 5 minute wait or most likely less. As we waited, I looked down from above at the cars below. I thought to myself that I would be starting driving in only a few months, and this would be at least some sort of practice for that occasion coming up :lol: We quickly made our way down the stairs in about 5 minutes, which wasn't a bad waiting time, mainly because the lines for the Cars can be HUGE at times. Anyway, I finally stepped on to the yellow "A" and waited for my car to arrive. Sure enough, it did within a matter of moments. Once my car came to a halt, I quickly hopped in and buckled the seat belt. The ride operator finally told me to go, and I was on my way. I hit the gas hard and pulled away from the station on my short little excursion through Pennsylvania, as the signs indicate. I hit the gas and first encountered a nice short straightaway before the first big turn. I noticed a small replica of a Sunoco station to the right-side of me, which is actually very nice looking and realistic. However, I didn't have much time to look around. I had to keep my eyes on the road! I soon encountered the first turn, it being a long U-turn to the right. I tried my best for my car not to hit the railing in the middle, and actually did very well as I rounded the bend. About half-way through, I encountered the almost pointless on-ride photo. I'm not exactly sure why they have an on-ride photo for this ride, but hey, it's one ride of few where you can basically control the expression on your face. So, I guess it really could add some more fun to the ride. I really wasn't even paying attention to it as I completed the turn and saw the flash. When I rode, and really forgot all about the camera being there. Oh well, I needed to keep my eyes on the road! After the nice U-turn, I went straight into a nice, long straightaway. I kept my car nice and straight, not touching the railing in the middle of the track. I kept my foot steady on the gas as I quickly went down the straightaway. I noticed the small green signs by the track noting all of the different towns inside Pennsylvania, which are a nice small touch to the ride. Anyway, I completed the very long straightaway and went right into a small left-hand turn. I perfectly kept my car in line with the railing in the middle of the track as I successfully completed the turn. Now it was time for yet again another straightaway. This one was shorter, but during it, I noticed the cramping of my foot/leg from keeping my foot on the petal. Since the car is pretty small, I had to bend my knee just to get my foot under the "hood" and on to the petal. Since my leg was really getting cramped up as I made my way down the straightaway, I took my foot off the petal and rested for a few seconds. I stretched out my leg and then finally get my foot back on the gas. Ah, that felt better. However, I knew that pain would be back. After completing this straightaway, I again headed into a small left-hand turn. I successfully completed it, and headed down a very short straightaway. It was time for the sharp U-turn to return back to the station. I tried my hardest to successfully complete the turn as best as I could. However, the pain was soon back. I went through about have of the turn and then lost control. I tried to straighten out my leg, which didn't work at all. So, I switched to my other leg just to complete the very sharp turn. By doing this, I couldn't keep my car in line, thus slamming it into the railing in the middle. However, I kept going, until the turn finally ended and I encountered one final straightaway before arriving back at the station. I did my best to keep my car in line with the track, which I now did. After a small turn to the right, I crawled up a small hill and saw the traffic light sign telling me to "slow down". I came down off of the small hill and returned to the station area. I slowly crawled up to the ride operator, who finally told me to stop. Since the pain was starting to come back yet again, I quickly hopped out of the car and proceeded to the steps so I could exit. I climbed the stairs and proceeded to exit. Overall, the Sports Cars are very relaxing, except for the leg cramps. The ride itself is very nice and is right in the trees, creating an excellent atmosphere. And, as I said before, it would have even been better if my leg kept cramping up. At the top of the bridge, I waited for everyone else to finish, who weren't that far behind me. Once they all came up, we headed down to the photo booth to check out our pictures. Since I didn't have my glasses, I really couldn't see my picture :rolleyes: Oh well, I didn't even know they were taking it! After everyone looked at their pictures, we proceeded through the exit and back into the nice little plaza.

After the Cars, I was really craving to get on a coaster again, and you all know what coaster is right in that area. Yes, it was time to conquer the unique B&M invert, Great Bear!