HersheyPark

Visited: September 23, 2023

Attending: Brian, Buzzed Bars

This was the main event of the Sooper Dooper Stumble, two days at Hershey with a picnic and ERT. Unfortunately, it rained. A lot. The forecast that morning called for heavy rain stopping around noon, which was ideal for our purposes, but…the stopping never happened. It lightened up a bit, but not enough that I’d really want to ride. And the rides were going down seemingly at random, for a variety of reasons, some weather-related; others not.

Reese’s CupFusion

This isn’t a coaster; it’s a shooting dark ride. But I ended up leading a small group of members on the “hidden Skyrush trail” from the entrance, so they got distracted by Comet and wanted to ride. I thought it was a bit too rainy for that, so I went to CupFusion and ended up in the back of the group. The line moved steadily, but was very slow. Fortunately, it was covered, if not indoors. The ride itself was kind of fun; I especially appreciated that there were guide lasers on the light guns. As a result, I ended up in second place for my car. However, by the time we got out, everybody else had moved on.

Laff Trak

I figured the group might have headed for Wildcat’s Revenge. I think I was correct, but again, I thought it was raining a bit too hard for those speeds. I saw a few folks getting off, and thought to follow them; as it turned out, I followed one member over to Laff Trak. That was fine with me, as it was indoors. I’d ridden this just a few weeks before and enjoyed it. I didn’t realize that for Halloween, they were running it with all the lights out. In complete darkness, even with some vague memory of the layout, it was completely disorienting. Not nauseating (although some other members found it so), but confusing enough that I was slightly dizzy when I got off. I don’t think that’s how I’d prefer to do this ride, but I’m glad I took advantage of the lack of line.

After that, things got a little sour. I found myself alone, without any group to latch onto, and that made the rain even more miserable. I spent a while trying to find a restaurant with indoor seating, and ended up going to the Overlook, where I had a terrible grilled cheese, but at least I didn’t have to pay much for it, thanks to my season pass. I decided over lunch that I’d had enough, and made my way toward the exit. I bumped into Tom, also by himself, and explained my decision. He didn’t object, although he was sorry about the circumstances. I was happy to get home and warm. Judging by the group’s discord, the rest of the afternoon was pretty miserable, and they ended up going out to the parking lot to drink, although tailgates are specifically forbidden by the park. It looks like things picked up in the evening, and they got some nice ERT on Wildcat. That’s my only regret for the day; I still have only one ride on Wildcat’s Revenge. I doubt I would have stuck it out for several hours, even if I hadn’t been local. I’m not sure I would have thought it worth it, had I stayed.