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Steel Curtain as I've mentioned is Kennywood's newest and tallest roller coaster (although I think it's only got the second-biggest drop, as Phantom's Revenge takes advantage of the hillside). But it also has a reputation as a hangar queen, often spending days or weeks down. I'm not sure how much of this is exacerbated by the supply chain and staffing issues endemic since we decided to make Covid-19 endemic. So it was not a surprise to others that it wasn't running; I was not aware until maybe earlier that morning that it was still being such a problem.
Kennywood had a backup, of course, and it was a roller coaster not particularly near Steel Curtain. It was Thunderbolt, instead, which was quietly enjoying its 55th anniversary year. This is the big wooden coaster, about half of which was originally built as Pippin in 1924, and which was extensively rebuilt and expanded in 1968. We're always up for riding that and a great many of the other American Coaster Enthusiasts were also, like you'd expect. It hasn't lost any of its greatness.
With an arguably 99-year-old roller coaster ridden we went to the other Exclusive Ride Time event: Ghostwood Estates. And, particularly, a walk through the interactive dark ride. They had the lights turned on and told us to follow the path of the cars. The ride doesn't have an actual track for the cars to follow; they're guided by something underneath the floor. But you can see where the cars have travelled over fifteen years of operation. I'm not sure if they meant we shouldn't go past where the cars were, but most people were taking the chance to explore the sides of the room you can't see.
The biggest surprise to me: the books. Well of course. But many of the rooms you pass through have bookshelves, often with gags and stunts set up based on the books. There's often targets or things popping out of a book. The more distant ones are just painted rectangles of wood. But for stuff that's almost in viewing range, like on tables and dressers and such? You get a sample of what books you could buy at $5 a basket from the used book stores around Pittsburgh in 2008. Reader's Digest Condensed Books, often. Ed McBain's Let's Hear It For The Dead Man. Janet Greeson, PhD's It's Not What You're Eating, It's What's Eating You. I can't swear I saw Chicken Soup For The Steelers Fan's Soul but I would swear it was there.
The other biggest surprise? One of the stunts was still active! As I walked into a room one of the suits of armor, with axe in hand, dropped forward at me. This set off a complex of thoughts in my brain. First: oh, it's something unexpected moving. Second: Yeah, but it's just a prop, it can't get anywhere that would actually hurt you. Third: It can't get anywhere that would hurt you if you were in a ride car, which you are not and so I reasoned my way into being alarmed and jumping out of the way. Later I realized, oh, of course, if they left it on for people walking around it's because it doesn't get where it could hit someone walking around. I share this with you now so you know to properly laugh at my foolishness.
Now back to Gilroy Gardens in my photo roll.
Signs here for some of the kiddie rides, Tubs-O-Fun and Bulgy. I took a lot of pictures of ride signs because they had home-grown signs like these for everything and that's fun to see. You can see also the Not Cedar Fair safety guide signs on either side.
Here's the ride sign for the Timber Twister Coaster, the first roller coaster we tried to ride and that we weren't able to. The sign's got a nice little body-weird theme and the cars are indeed snake-themed.
So here's a charming trivia sign for the park, talking about fossils and then pointing out the footprints in the sidewalk are from the then-owner's dog.
Another reason to photograph the ride signs: who doesn't want proof that they have rides with names like ``Artichoke Dip'' at Gilroy Gardens?
Here's the Artichoke Dip ride. We were lucky to get there before they spoiled.
Finally, I show one of the Circus Trees! This one, Basket, is six sycamores woven together and it's maybe their most signature tree; it's even used in the park logo.
Trivia: On 24 October 1973 the NASA administrator conducted a review of Skylab 3/2 medical data and Skylab 4/3 mission planning. Among the topics: plans for measuring the pre- and postflight cardiac outputs for the Skylab 4/3 crew, eliminating unneeded parts of the deactivation sequence, and accommodating the circadian shift (the jet lag) missions of varying duration would need. Skylab: A Chronology, Roland W Newkirk, Ivan D Ertel, Courtney G Brooks. NASA SP-4011.
Currently Reading: Cuba: An American History, Ada Ferrer.
