The annual kickoff event for the Western New York Coaster Club, Coasterfest™, was held this year at two popular Pennsylvania parks, Hersheypark and our first stop, Dutch Wonderland in Lancaster. Ironically, Karen and I were at those two parks with our family last year. But we really enjoy both of them, so I wasn't all that upset with having to return. However, our schedules were a bit tight this year so it wasn't exactly a leisurely visit. We left our home Friday morning, traveling down I-87 and over onto I-76. Along the way, we stopped at the newly renovated rest stops, now called Applegreen. Last year most of the rest stops were under construction. A year later, a few had been completed. The one we visited was absurdly tall with a 30-foot gabled ceiling that created an echo chamber (and probably made it hard to heat in the winter). The rest rooms were more spacious than the smaller version we had visited the previous year, but half the rest rooms were closed for maintenance and there was a long line waiting to get in. The building seemed cold, impersonal and not very inviting. I still preferred the previous versions that looked like rustic wood cabins. We arrived at our destination at about 4:30. We stayed at the Spruce Lane Lodge & Cottages, where we had stayed a few years previously. The establishment was under new ownership and all of the cabins had been drastically remodeled. The exterior was still charming (and still abutting a busy airport). But the interior was completely different. It had been made into an open floorplan, rather than a couple of smaller rooms, and it sported a new faux wood floor. It was pleasant and quiet, if a bit spartan. Karen wanted to stock up on some groceries, so we paid a visit to a nearby Wegmans. While there, I noticed a rather extensive ceiling railway at the back of the store. I had no idea why it was there, but it was fun to watch. After that excursion, we went back to the cottage and collapsed for the night. The next morning we had breakfast at the Route 30 Diner down the street. It too appeared to be under new management. The head waiter was very friendly and talkative. Karen ordered scrambled eggs and toast. I ordered a short stack of blueberry pancakes and some home fries. My pancakes turned out to be huge, filling the entire plate. They were also really thick. They were delicious, but it was way too much for me to eat. It appeared the cooking staff had changed as well, because I ordered the same thing the previous year and the pancakes were much smaller. After that filling meal, we headed down the street to Dutch Wonderland. It was about 9:30, and check-in time was scheduled for 10:30. There weren't many cars in the parking lot, and we got a space right in front of the "general" parking area. Bob and Yvonne Wheeler from the WNYCC parked right alongside us. The weather was beautiful, sunny and in the 70s. We gathered in front of one of the administration buildings and gradually club members began arriving. Since we didn't have a formal schedule for this event, I suggested we all meet at noon at the Mill Stream Eatery for lunch. At 11:00, we queued up in front of the park's iconic white castle entrance and went our separate ways onto the midway. The queue for the park's train was packed, so instead Karen and I took a left out of the entrance and headed for the leisurely Sky Ride over the park, giving us great views of the Merlin's Mayhem coaster. We disembarked at the other end of the park and wandered the peaceful grounds. As always, there was lovely landscaping everywhere. We walked over to the nearby station for the Monorail. I was surprised that they were running two trains on it. One approached the station but seemed to get stuck. It turned out that its brakes malfunctioned, so the operator had to drive it over to the maintenance station near the front of the park. We caught the next train and were able to sit at the front with the engineer. The ride was enjoyable as usual. The PA system in the train identified park landmarks (which was helpful for newcomers) and also featured testimonials from children. We arrived back at the station to find that the other train had already been fixed and was back in service. By that point it was almost noon, so we headed over to the Mill Stream Eatery. A few other club members were already there. We had our meal vouchers and got in line. Karen and I went to the window near the end of the line and ordered two veggie burger baskets. The workers behind the window seemed a bit confused by that and had to confer with the cooks. But they were set straight and we were told that our burgers would be out in a few minutes. Other people approached and also ordered veggie burgers. After about ten minutes, they brought one out and gave it to me. I offered it to Karen, but she decided to wait (switching places with me, since last year I waited nearly a half hour for one). So I sat down with the other club members after getting my lemonade. Karen watched as the two people who came after us got their veggie burgers first. It took about 20 minutes before Karen got hers. By that time I was finished with mine. I don't know what it is about Dutch Wonderland and veggie burgers; they just can't seem to get their act together. At any rate, Karen finally sat down with us and was able to eat. We paused for a group photo. It was good to see the other members again, since we usually get together only twice a year. After we finished lunch, we decided to have an "informal takeover time" on the Kingdom Coaster, the park's wood coaster formerly known as Sky Princess. Karen and I of course waited for the front seat. The rest of the members hopped into any available seat. The coaster was a perfect fit for the park, a wonderful family ride that's fun for adults and a thrill for children. After that the group split up. Karen and I headed back for the front of the park to ride Dragon's Lair, the relaxing boat ride around the small pond abutting the Lincoln Highway. After that we queued up for the nearby Wonderland Special, the park's train. It was another great way for newcomers to get a feel for where things were located in the park. After the enjoyable ride on the rails, we took a stroll along the grounds. Karen spotted a little gingerbread house and took a look inside. As with other similar displays in the park, there was a scene of Amish life. This one featured a bakery with various animated characters performing their duties, accompanied by recorded dialogue. It seemed to be really popular with children, who would just stand there and stare at it while their parents tried to pull them away. We continued walking, following a shady path along the banks of the Mill Stream where views of distant farmlands could be glimpsed. Karen spotted a small stage that advertised "Bubba Bear and the Badlands Band" . The curtain opened and revealed a set of animatronic animals (including a banjo-playing cow) that performed standard country tunes. And after that, we bid an early fairwell to Dutch Wonderland. There was something nearby that I had heard about and wanted to see it before it closed. We drove for about 20 minutes along winding road, past a half-dozen Amish buggies, past vast open farmlands, until we arrived in Strasburg. On a hill along an otherwise nondescript country road was a large modern building. Next to it was what looked like a trailer park filled with colorful cabooses. We had arrived at the National Toy Train Museum, a creation of the Train Collectors Association in Pennsylvania. It opened way back in 1977, but I hadn't heard of it until a few weeks previous. When we arrived there were a surprising number of cars in the parking lot. There was a large glass atrium at the center, with rustic wooden wings off of either side. The entry hall was spacious. Off to the left was an old-style train ticket counter where you purchased museum tickets. The cost was quite reasonable: $8 for seniors. On two folding tables off to the right was a display of model railroad rolling stock for sale. I'm not sure if it was a collection the museum had that was no longer needed, or whether it was donated by rail enthusiasts. I looked it over, but there was nothing that caught my eye. The prices were really good though, with many cars selling for less than $10. The museum entrance was off to the left. We walked through the doorway. The floor was covered with green carpet that had a track pattern in the middle to help show visitors the direction of travel. There really weren't a lot of rooms, but the rooms that were there along with the hallways had an overwhelming amount of memorabilia. There were examples of model railroad equipment dating back to the 1800s. There were lots of Lionel trains represented. But also a lot of American Flyer and Marklin. One Marklin exhibit in particular was stunning: a metal Wonder Wheel about 3 feet in diameter that was powered by a small Marklin train at the wheel's bottom center. The hallway from there led to a large central room in which were about a dozen different large-scale railroad layouts, each with a different theme. One of the most impressive was Melodywood, an amusement park with working rides including a functioning rollercoaster, Tumble Bug and miniature train similar to the ones made by the famous Miniature Train Company. There was an impressive winter scene, complete with skiers gliding down a slope. Many of the displays would change from day to night and looked magical. All of them had red buttons on the display cases that would cause different actions, from trains moving to lights flashing to accessories activating. The children who were visiting seemed to love it. There was also an impressive Civil War recreation, with the north on one side and the south on the other, encircled by a model of the General steam train. By pressing a button, their tiny guns would flash as the armies faced each other. Most of the displays also had a glassed-in cabinet underneath that showed the transformers and switches that were used to control the trains. We spent close to an hour perusing the museum. Then I created a walk-thru video. After that we walked across the parking lot to the Red Caboose Motel, a unique collection of brightly-colored cabooses that can be rented like motel rooms. I was surprised how many of them were occupied. Next to them was the Casey Jones restaurant, which also seemed to be popular. Looking off into the distance from there, all that was visible was farmland for miles around. It's interesting how this complex is doing well so far off of the beaten path. Maybe that was one of its attractions. By then it was about 4:30, so we decided to call it a day and head back to our cottage. We needed to rest up for the following day, which would prove to be longer and more challenging than we expected.

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