Part 3
The following day, Thusday, we rented a car, and drove the 7 miles to Knotts Berry Farm. We made this choice as this venue was in a location which made less sense to take the bust service we used for Universal, and also allowed us to do some shopping along the way.
Knott's Berry Farm is the first amusement park in the USA. It started as a Ghost Town adventure as an attraction to draw folks to the fruit farm. It has since grown to a facility known mostly for the roller coaster type rides, and has rides for all ages. Its other claim to fame is that every Boysenberry plant in existence can't trace its lineage back to this farm.
Just outside the park was a number of stores, where we purchased some fresh baking to munch on while we walked to purchase our tickets.
We arrived to a very quiet park. Except for a few school tours, there were few patrons walking the grounds. This meant no lineups for most of the rides, and the few others, we only had a one ride wait to board. Our first ride was the big shaky wooden coaster Ghost Rider. This was so shaky I had to grab my glasses for fear of losing them! From there, we wandered about the park a bit, and were fortunate to learn the show Native American Dancers was about to begin. Our host showed us a hoop dance and explained the imagery, and how it ties to the American Indian sacred beliefs. He described his heritage, a bit about the Indian Act, and how it applies to his life. The school children surrounding the stage asked a number of questions about the dance, and the hoops, but I felt the best was about body paint. It was explained that paint was a special part of ceremonies, and that when the ceremony was over, part of the closure was the removal of the paint, and a return to the everyday world from the special place created by the particular ceremony. By comparison tattoos cannot be removed, and would have no place in a Native American ceremony.
From there we went on a number of rides before lunch: Silver Bullet, Timber Mountain Log Ride, Calico Mountain Mine Ride, Calico Railroad. The railroad was interesting, as instead of a locomotive, the ride was on a mine personnel transporter - effectively a converted diesel bus pulling a narrow gauge rail car. An interesting piece of western American history.
After a lacklustre lunch at Johnny Rockets, we toured more of the park, including the Camp Snoopy kids area. Here we took ride on Jaguar, before returning to Mystery Lodge at Thunder Falls for another Native American storytelling experience. Though not as interactive as the Hoop Dance, it told a story of Native history in the USA, and should not be missed. These two low key attractions were the most profound of all those we viewed. We returned for another ride on Silver Bullet before heading out for the day, stopping for a few minutes at the on-site shopping.
The difference in attendance was interesting, as both Disney and Universal Studios were busy, but not crowded. My observation was that the broader experience of those two venues attracted a greater number of people, whereas Knott's Berry farm is mostly about the thrill rides.
To be continued.....