Last month Sam and I visited Kennywood on Opening Day. We had been invited out to attend a pre-opening ceremony and some exclusive ride time (ERT) on Jack Rabbit since I was one of the 100 winners of the Jack Rabbit: 100 Years, 100 Memories Contest. Be sure to check out the blog, “Kennywood – 100 Years of Jack Rabbit,” for a rundown on that day’s events. As amazing as that day was, however, there was one major drawback – one with nine inversions. Steel Curtain.
We were far from the only enthusiasts to visit since the ride’s debut in 2019 to find it closed. With the temperatures between the mid-40’s and low-50’s that day, it never opened. We would have to wait, but that wait ended up being less than a month.
On Thursday, June 3, Sam and I made our way back to the park, this time with Greg and Kaylee. We were slated to meet up with Chance, the Cheapthusiast, and Aaron – hence the 6 pack in the title. And yes Aaron, I’m talking about your abs, not the fact that there were six of us.
An Early Start... A Way Early Start!
Coming from Baltimore and wanting to be at the park at exactly 10:30 a.m., I ended up getting up at 4:45 a.m. At 5:30 a.m. I was picking up Sam, and by 6 a.m., we were at Greg’s to pick up both him and Kaylee. After a Dunkin Donuts stop, we were on the road and made wonderful time. We were out in front of the gates before 10:30 and just waiting for Chance and Aaron to arrive.
If you care to know why it was so important for us to be at the park by 10:30 instead of 11 a.m. when the rides begin, we wanted to be one of the first ones in line for Steel Curtain. The forecast was calling for rain and possible storms throughout the day. If Steel Curtain was going to run, which it had been in the days prior, we wanted to make sure we got in the credit. I didn’t want to risk it closing mid-day due to weather. Luckily for us, things worked out even better than we could have hoped, even though we did experience some rain.
Rides and Re-Rides... Lots of Them!
Not only did we luck out, getting on the Steel Curtain first thing, we rode every single coaster in the park and most of them, numerous times. We also squeezed in a few flat/dark rides and ate at a few of the different locations throughout the park. Talk about a complete day. Heck, Greg even dropped $10 on a game trying to win a huge avacado toast stuffed animal. He wasn’t successful. But let’s talk about the rides, especially the one I’m sure everyone wants to know about. It’s up first.
Steel Curtain
We managed to be the first train of the day for Steel Curtain. Chance joined us, arriving a few minutes after the gates opened. Aaron was on a work call, so it was just the five us to kick things off. We took our seats and while the ride ops were checking the restraints, the skies began to let loose. The rain was coming down hard. I was so worried they were going to have us get up and get back in line until it passed. All I could think was that the ride was going to close and I was going to be denied the credit! Everyone began looking at each other and wondering if we’d be allow to go. Then they sent us!
Everyone on that first train got totally drenched. Sam and I were in the back row and by time that slow lift hill had finished, we were soaked. The funny thing is, when we pulled back into the station, the rain literally stopped. The same thing happened to us on Racer, which was our second ride of the day too. It rained leaving the station and stopped when we returned. Strange, but at least we got the highly sought after credit.
We managed to get in several more rides before the park closed for the day. Greg, Kaylee, and myself were able to run up before the gate was roped off and ended up being the last train of the day. Talk about a way to bookend the day. First and last!
Lil Phantom
I was going to place the photo I have of Chance riding Lil Phantom front and center in this trip report. Since he was so pouty during his ride, however, I left it in the gallery instead. You see, Chance has been clowning on my all week, Photoshopping me eating pizza and drinking a Pepsi into different roller coaster trains. He even got me banned from Facebook for 24 hours on my birthday too. Facebook didn’t like me telling another Coaster Appreciation Society (CAS) member to playfully kick his ass for saying that Twister at Knoebels is trashy. Context Facebook bots, context!
Anyhow, Lil Phantom almost ended up evading us and I’m sure Chance wishes it had. During our first two passes through Kiddieland, Lil Phantom was down. On our third pass, however, Kaylee noticed it was open. We ran over to get the credit, but Chance tried to skip out. He sat on the bench, refusing to ride, until he finally got tired of hearing us call him out for being a grump. He gave into the peer pressure and got in line. Funny thing was, the train only has five carts. He had to wait and ride the next one without us. Had you only got in line sooner my friend.
Phantom's Revenge
Of course one of the star attractions of the day ended up being Phantom’s Revenge. We had three rides on this Morgan hyper and all three of them were walk-ons. Most of the rides came in the back few rows, so the airtime was insane. Just like Tuesday’s visit to Knoebels when Phoenix was hitting strong, so was Phantom’s Revenge on Thursday. Sam noticed it how much stronger it was compared to last month. Chance also asked me if I felt the ejector going over the second hill. I did and I wasn’t feeling that on May 8.
Phantom’s Revenge has always been a ride that I really liked, but never loved like other enthusiasts. Maybe their rides have been like Thursday’s this whole time. I tell you what, if it’s running like that again the next time I go, it will probably be moving up my list of favorites without a doubt.
Final Ride Counts
Aero 360 (1: Patrick, Greg, Kaylee)
Exterminator (1)
Ghostwood Estate (1: Patrick, Sam, Greg, Kaylee, Chance)
Jack Rabbit (2: Patrick, Sam, Greg, Kaylee, Chance, 1: Aaron)
Lil Phantom (1)
Old Mill (1)
Phantom’s Revenge (3)
Racer (3: Patrick, Sam, Greg, Kaylee, 2: Chance, 1: Aaron)
Sky Rocket (3: Patrick, Sam, Greg, Kaylee, 2: Chance, Aaron)
Steel Curtain (4: Patrick, Greg, Kaylee, 3: Sam, Chance, 2: Aaron)
Thunderbolt (2)
Good Times with Great Friends
Greg… Kaylee… Chance… Aaron… I knew none of you at this time last year. Then there is Sam, who had yet to visit an amusement park with me in attempts to overcome her fear of coasters. What a difference a year makes. Thursday was one of the most memorable days I’ve had at a park with friends I would have never met if it hadn’t been for this hobby. If Thursday’s trip to Kennywood was any indication of things to come, then we have plenty of fun times on the horizon. I’m glad I have all of you in my life. Thanks for coming out, even with all the memes and old man jokes tossed my way.
Kennywood Photo Gallery - June 3, 2021
If you would like to use any of the images in the gallery above for your non-commercial projects, feel free to do so. I ask that you credit We Were Inverted whenever they’re used. I also ask that you do not alter the image or remove the watermarks. If you need any images/video resized or without the watermarks, please contact me directly.
CREW MANIFEST
The following flight crew members attended this park, & earned the respective credits below:
Patrick
CAG
New Credit(s): Steel Curtain
Sam
Captain
New Credit(s): Lil Phantom, Steel Curtain
Greg
Commander
New Credit(s): Jack Rabbit, Lil Phantom, Phantom's Revenge, Racer, Sky Rocket, Steel Curtain, Thunderbolt
Kaylee
Ensign
New Credit(s): Jack Rabbit, Lil Phantom, Phantom's Revenge, Racer, Sky Rocket, Steel Curtain, Thunderbolt
