I was catching up on twitter last night and saw that  niece, Sam, wanted to visit her boyfriend who is currently playing in an amature baseball league just outside Baltimore, Maryland.  For a variety of reasons (including a first time, less then positive rush hour experience on 695) she didn't want to drive down. I, on the other hand, needed to get out of the house for awhile so for the low low price of a tank full of gas and road snacks, I gave her a lift.

We left Delaware County, PA before 9:30pm last night and made great time. There was absolutely no traffic on 476, 95 or 695 and along with the beauty of EZ Pass, the round trip was made in great time! We also had an awesome time catching up, as we hadn't gotten to spend any time together of late. I really enjoy my visits with Sam and her bother, Scott; they are great kids (although I think they are too old for me to call them kids anymore!).

The one item of note on this quickie road trip was the prices for gas! Currently in my part of Delco, gas is about $3.45 a gallon (unlike the $3.39 it is in parts of Berks County) but historically, gas in the State of Delaware is cheaper. Not last night - it was considerably higher! In fact, it wasn't until we were almost in Baltimore that gas was at least as low as at home if not a wee bit lower. Why the focus on gas prices? Well, to those who drive a lot and/or are under strict budgets, gas prices are a major factor in where and how far (or how often) one can take a jaunt anywhere. So we tend to notice these things. For me personally, I am fascinated by the difference in the price of gas just within a 100 mile area of my house - it can be 30 cents less a gallon less near by parent's house then near my house and across the river in New Jersey, it can be even more then 30 cents less AND its full service! The prices fluctuate all the time. Fascinating!

And our road snacks? This trip was a quick stop at Taco Bell where I discovered that the Cool Ranch Dorito taco tastes just like a regular taco.

Oh and since we spent all our time chatting on the drive down, there was no need for a play list - but - I did use the 'Uplifting' one I made and talked about in a previous post but with to notable additions:  'Happy' and 'Just a Cloud Away' both by Pharrell Williams and both from the 'Despicable Me 2' soundtrack. Fantastic movie, by the way - I thought it was better then the first one and I loved the first one!

Overall, while it wasn't an exciting jaunt, I enjoyed it and I was glad to be able to lend Sam a hand.  It is rumored that she and her young man are going to visit Baltimore's Inner Harbor - I hope they bring me a post card for my collection!

    My parents live in western Berks County, almost into Lebanon County. It is 75 miles from my house to their house which can take anywhere from an hour and a half to two hours depending...so I love to leave early in the morning to drive there - its all about the open road, a definite decrease in bad drivers and this feeling of peacefulness I find driving early in the morning.
    So I left about 6:00am and my first stop was in King of Prussia at a local WaWa for coffee and a toasted bagel and then it was the Pennsylvania Turnpike West! The Turnpike is lovely early in the morning - many days you can see deer frolicking along the verge and further out, horses and cows grazing in fields and meadows of the farms that become more frequent then housing developments.  My first turn is at Morgantown, where I take 176 north towards Reading - but I don't go all the way because I just can't stand driving through Reading (and when you don't like driving on a particular road or through a particular area, it doesn't make for a great road trip); from there I weave through beautiful Berks county and pretty little towns like Shillington. Then its 422 and on to Womelsdorf!  
    Usually when I visit my folks, I like to go with my dad to Horning's Market in Bethel, and as I mentioned in my last post - Hornings needs a post of its own! This time, I needed to hit the market before getting to the farm, so I headed to Bethel first and was in line waiting when the store opened. I got my shopping done and headed back to Windy Knolls (my parent's place).  The girls helped my dad fill the bird feeders (dad has a special garden for the birds, bees & butterflies). I printed the directions to the park from the internet and then we packed the cars and headed out for Knoebels!

Side note: my family might argue that my parent's place isn't a farm - but to me - any place with a house, several acres, a barn with a working farm tractor, and plots of growing things (say a garden) makes it a farm. Thus - my use of farm to describe Windy Knolls.

    Now, I had been listening to my mix all the way up to the farm but I really began to appreciate it on the drive to the park.  It was a beautiful day - sun shining, breeze blowing - perfect for a road trip!  And my mix was PERFECT!! 
    My dad was leading and it was great to just follow and not have to navigate or fuss with directions. It was just over 50 miles from the farm to the park and many mountains to cross, so we had some fun driving to do. Now while the mountains may not be as high as the Rockies we crossed on a family trip when I was a kid, they are still high enough to make your ears pop!

    In a little over an hour and a half, we arrived at the park and I have to admit I was shocked at the huge number of acres filled with parked cars!! But the first awesome thing about Knoebels is that you don't pay to park. Not a penny.  There are also stations set up through the parking area and a regularly scheduled tram drives through the parking lot to take people to the park entrance (no cost for that either!).
    As soon as we got to the park entrance, my dad found a ticket booth and purchased tickets for the rides - see, there isn't a fee to get into the park - you just pay for rides and concessions, gift shops, etc.  My dad had a great time going on some of the rides with my nieces (the root cause of this great adventure).  It didn't take us too long to meet up with some of my other siblings and their families who met us there to enjoy the day.  The adults took turns taking the kids to various rides and all my nieces and nephews in attendance had a great time.

    Other tidbits about Knoebels that I found impressive:
    $2 for a 20oz bottle of water
    $3 for a cheeseburger (a DELICIOUS cheeseburger I might add)
    Didn't catch the price for fries, but I had some of my brother David's and 
    they were also delicious!
    CLEAN! The park was really clean!
    Lots of places to sit both in the shade and in the bright sun
    Everyone was treated with respect - be it adults, children, people with 
    disabilities, etc.
    The lines at the rides moved incredibly fast - no agonizing waits
    Dogs on leashes are allowed in the park, but their owners are responsible for 
    cleaning up after them at all times!

    We spent hours in the park and when it was time to go home, we had a pack of exhausted and soaking wet children so again, that tram to the parking lot came in supper handy! 
    The only drawback I could mention about the park is its location - which is way out in the middle of somewhere Pennsylvania (actually between Danville and Bloomsburg) so for folks closer to the Philadelphia area, it will take quite a long time to get there but I cannot stress enough how worthwhile experience it was - for everyone of all ages.  The clincher? I am not fond of amusement parks - but I am very glad I went along on this adventure and I can definitely say I would visit this park again (only this time I want some of that delicious ice cream I saw people eating along with my cheeseburger!)!!

Do yourself a favor and make this road trip and have a great time for yourself!  
http://www.knoebels.com/