Look Out Here Comes Tomorrow

This time, we started out at bit later at 9:30...and we made an extra stop before getting on the highway. Lauren promised her guy friend Rico that he could join us at Six Flags Great Escape today. Rico works with Lauren at the bank in Great Barrington. He proved to be a lot of fun, chatting and making jokes as Lauren drove through Stockbridge and Lee and got on the MassPike.

We first ended up at a rest stop about a half-hour or so outside of Lake George to use the bathroom. Lauren and I were delighted to find sodas we didn't often run into at home in their vending machines. I got a Dr. Pepper Zero Sugar. She found a Wild Cherry Pepsi Zero Sugar. Rico got an Arizona iced tea and an energy drink.

Parking has been greatly simplified since we started coming to Great Escape together. Lauren only had to show the kid a voucher she printed online to get us in. She drove around back, parking us in the Three Musketeers lot near the edge of the woods. (All lots at Great Escape are named for Mars candies.) We followed the crowds over the bridge to the entrance.

Great Escape is a charming cross between Storybook Land in Mays Landing and the New Jersey Six Flags Great Adventure. It was originally a family park in the 50's called Storybook Town USA, but it added coasters and other rides over the years along with the original little fairy tale cottages and western ghost town buildings. We came in time for their Fright Fest. Kids dressed as witches, ghouls, Cinderella, and Mario streamed into haunted "house" rides and mazes. Alas, the spooky mazes and Trick or Treat cost extra, so we stuck to the regular rides.

We walked around first, taking in the lay of the land. Fabric spider's webs covered every single stationary object and ride and food booth that wasn't in use. Foul-smelling smoke drifted from vents and a huge spooky jack-'o-lantern near the Cinderella's Castle. Water in the fountains, including around Cinderella's Castle, was colored red to resemble blood. (Though it really more closely resembled cherry Kool Aid.)

Ended up at the Ghost Town. Lauren showed Rico how she's short enough to easily fit in one of the little houses before we stopped at a building housing games and cranes. These cranes contained stuffed toys that were far nicer and better made than the stuffies one usually found in them. One crane had nothing but Gund toys. Gund is a very good stuffed animal brand, not cheap at all. To my surprise, I got a soft, floppy white and gray cat on my second try! I named her Queensbury, after the town where Great Escape is, Queenie for short.

Our first actual ride took us over a steep bridge and into Hot Rod USA. Thunder Alley lets guests drive over a track decorated with vintage Storybook Town signs in 50's-style cars. It was also the only ride open in Hot Rod USA. Most of the others were down for the season or in the midst of being refurbished, which may account for the very long line. It was fun when we finally got in the cars, though. I rode a police car and giggled at the bright signs describing a ghost family on a Halloween picnic outing. The real-life 50's architecture across the street, including a fried chicken stand with a huge neon chicken sign, added to the ambiance. 

Made our way through the crowds and past many scary statues and busts of jokers, ghouls, and the Phantom of the Opera to the Fest Area. More rides were open here, including the brand-new wooden roller coaster the Bobcat. Lauren and Rico wanted to continue on and ride another wooden coaster, the Comet, but I was hungry and hate coasters. 

They ended up heading to the back of the park while I stepped into the Alpine Haus cafeteria for lunch. It was a dark, simple room that was just benches and a counter. The grilled chicken sandwich was a little dry but not bad. The fries were delicious, perfectly cooked with their skins on. I ate them outside at one of the yellow picnic tables and watched the crowds stroll by. 

Since they still hadn't arrived after I finished eating, I strolled around the area for a bit. There's several smaller carnival-style rides in the Fest Area, including the Cannonball Express. This is another name for the Music Express, which goes around and around on an up and down track and features brightly painted artwork of famous singers. The Music Express was one of my favorite rides in Wildwood, and I missed it. Unlike Thunder Alley, the line here wasn't long at all. I got on right away and even had a seat to myself. I screamed and clutched the bar as the music blared and the seats rocked and rolled over the track.

I met Rico and Lauren outside the Alpine Haus, where they enjoyed burgers and those yummy fries. After they finished, we doubled back to Hot Rod USA after I picked up a soda. We were originally going to ride the Storybook Town Train, but the line was prohibitively long. I talked them into the Grand Carousel instead, since that barely had any line at all. (They later said the Comet didn't, either.) 

The Grand Carousel is unique in one respect. Many of the horses are replaced by beautifully painted and detailed animals. I spotted an orange jack rabbit, a purple dragon, a camel, a black and white cat, and a lion. I ended up on a handsome pale blue horse with a cobalt mane and lovely flowers painted on his bridle. The little kids and their parents all around me rode their fanciful equines in happy awe, and I was delighted with their sweet reactions. 

Though the line at the train was still long when we got there, we figured it was one of the few rides all three of us could do together. In fact, it was so long, we didn't get on the first train that came around and had to wait for the second, and then the girl in charge took another 10 minutes making us wait while she called someone on her walkie-talkie. It was lovely when we finally got on. The Storybook Town Train takes you through the woods, past Popo the Purple Cow (who is really more of a friendly dragon), Hickory Dickory Dock, and slightly dilapidated jungle animal statues taken from the overgrown remains of the Jungleland rope walk-through. 

I spied giant Technicolor flowers from the train that were part of the Alice In Wonderland walk-through, so we headed there next. After getting turned around in the kiddie ride section Timbertown, we finally ducked into the low, narrow cave that took you into a black-light Wonderland. Rico chattered and joked about Alice stuck in the White Rabbit's house, the Mad Tea Party, and the Queen of Hearts looking slightly murderous among her card guards. 

It was past 4 when we got out of Wonderland. Time to head back to the International Village entryway and buy souvenirs. I didn't get anything. Not only am I running out of room, but I already won Queenie. Rico picked up a cool pair of yellow vinyl clogs with rainbows, unicorns, and Captain America shield buttons on them. Lauren bought a Great Escape t-shirt at the main gift shop you pass through on the way out.

The Pirate Adventure Golf Course isn't more than three minutes from Great Escape, so we went there next. This beautifully landscaped mini-golf course lets you choose two different courses, one harder than the other. We went with the tougher Blackbeard course. We all had a great time hitting our balls, chasing them when they bounced off-course, or trying to keep them from rolling into the many gurgling streams and waterfalls. They even had blurbs about the real Blackbeard on wooden signs posted at the start of each course. (I think Rico won this one.)

I hadn't eaten at Golden Corral since ours closed over a decade ago, and Rico called it "my mecca" and was delighted to eat anywhere that would fill his endless appetite. They turned out to be another short five-minute drive. They were also busy as heck, and not just because it's Sunday. We arrived just ahead of two buses filled with elderly tourists.

I'm glad we did end up there. I missed the one that used to be behind the Pep Boys/America's Best building at Audubon Crossings. They had tons of everything, from their amazing sweet potato casserole to what I believe was real whole berry cranberry sauce. I started with the cranberry sauce, cubed tropical fruit, and a greens salad with blue cheese and dried cranberries. My main protein was delicious steak tips straight off the grill. We all tried their yummy creamed spinach and cheese pizza. I had this pasta smothered in mozzarella, provolone, and herbs that was amazing, too. 

By the time we got to dessert, I was too full for more than a slim slice of chocolate cake with a curl of vanilla ice cream, a spoonful of banana pudding, and a brownie square I didn't finish. Lauren had blueberry pie and a watermelon Icee. Rico grabbed cookies and cake. I had a cherry ice with strawberry sauce (and a rogue berry gummy bear) for a chaser.

After that, we practically rolled back to Lauren's car to head home. This time, we went straight back to the Berkshires on the highway, no stopping anywhere besides Rico's house to drop him off. After he gave us big hugs for a great afternoon, we finished our ride through Lee and Lennox to Pittsfield, singing along with the Monkees.

I finished the night with the second of half of today's Match Game marathon. Debralee Scott started off in the ingenue seat in mid-1976. The flirtatious young sitcom star may be best-remembered by game show fans today for joining Richard Dawson in instigating the infamous "school riot" in 1977. She and Rich argued when judge Ira Skutch wouldn't accept their "finishing school" or poor scared Patti Deusch's "night school" as answers to a question about where Dumb Dora takes her cultured pearls to. Gene tried to calm them down, but he couldn't keep order. Charles and Brett jokingly had Charles sprawled on Gene's entrance steps as the victim of the "school riot," but the damage was done. The lower tier kept their responses up in protest for what little remained of the episode.

Debralee's other great early moment was when Bill Anderson performed a song just for her at the end of a 1976 episode. Brett and Charles, dressed as cowpokes, sang along. Deb was flattered that someone came up with a song for her on the spot and gave Bill a very sweet kiss.

Deb did most of her best work in syndication, when she generally sat in the sixth seat. She happily flirted with contestants and panelists alike. Bart Braverman thought she was cute and kept throwing papers at her. She did not think he was cute. She pounded on him until he grabbed her for a kiss! She did better with the Head-to-Head, winning contestants big money at least twice in the nighttime episodes.

Watch Debralee as she flirts and fights with panelists and contestants alike in this very funny marathon!

Match Game Sunday Night Classics - Tribute to Debralee Scott

Oh, and it's a good thing I wasn't down in Philadelphia today. The Eagles got their rears handed to them by the Buccaneers 33-16. 

Beer Barrel Polka

We started out again into New York state, this time under cloudy slate gray skies. This time, Lauren continued past the Albany suburbs, about a half-hour further down the highway to Queensbury. Our first stop of the day was the Aviation Mall. This mid-70's mall is the smallest we visit during this trip, and the one in the worst shape. Target was well-lit and busy, but the inside of the mall was dead. It was pin-drop quiet, with few stores.

One of the open stores was for used CDs and disc media. Too bad most of his wares were overpriced. I saw a few things that were tempting, but I didn't get anything. The paranormal show on ghostly activities just added to the seriously creepy atmosphere in the store and the mall. 

Ironically, their Pier Arcade was slightly larger than the one at Colonie, and in much better shape. Every game worked. While I didn't get much out of it, I did roll my first 10,000 slot on skee ball. 

After we left the Aviation Mall, we headed down the road to Six Flags Great Escape. They've considerably simplified parking in the sixteen years since we first started going here. Lauren just showed them a voucher she printed offline, and we went on our way. She parked in the Twix 3 lot (all parking lots at Great Escape are named for Mars candies), and we headed over the bridge to Great Escape.

Great Escape began in 1954 as Storybook USA. My older friend Linda Young attended it in is original form. Lauren says she's been coming here for as long as she can remember. It's pretty much what you would get if you crossed Storybook Land in Mays Landing with the New Jersey Six Flags, Great Adventure. The first thing we did when we arrived was explore the tiny Ghost Town western buildings. Lauren is five feet and can walk in easily. I'm 5'4 and mostly poked my head in to see the interior of a little hotel, school, church, county hall with a judge's desk, and boating office. 

Headed over the Skittles bridge and into Hot Rod USA. This is the home of the "ring of fire" coaster Greased Lightin', the drop ride Sasquatch, and Flashback, a roller coaster that runs backwards. Our main interest in this area is Thunder Alley. Families drive small 50's-style cars around a fixed track. Boards telling the story of a ghost family going on a picnic in a graveyard joined the usual giant Technicolor tulips and vintage billboards for Storybook USA in its original heyday. 

In fact, Great Escape was downright spooky. In addition to Oktoberfest, they'll be beginning their Fright Fest next week. Cheesecloth spider webs covered houses and entrance queues. The Ghost Town buildings were decorated with corn stalks and Indian corn. Scary statues of ghouls, ghosts, and gruesome horror icons were set up throughout the park. We ducked around them as we headed to the Fest Area for lunch.

The reason we came is for their Oktoberfest. The Festival Marketplace restaurant sold kielbasa, apple chicken sausage, pirogis, cole slaw, strudels, German chocolate cake, and Bavarian pretzel sticks. Lauren  had the kielbasa and apple strudel. I had apple chicken sausage, apple strudel, cole slaw with raisins and walnuts, and Bavarian pretzels. We listened to a polka band in traditional German dress play polka versions of "Country Roads" and "Sweet Caroline," even bringing the kids in the audience play along at one point.

We had no intention of playing games after everything we did at the Big E, but we did try some cranes. I struck out here. Lauren won a cute printed jack-o-lantern wearing a witch's hat. 

Lauren suggested our next ride. The Balloon Ride floated over the Fest Area, its colorful gondolas easily seen from the dining patio. It looked like fun...until we got on it! The around and around and up and down motion made me feel a little queasy. Lauren, who gets motion sickness, got a bit greener. 

Headed to the Sky Ride to get the lay of the land and let our brains settle after the around and around. This ski lift lazily circles the area over Hot Rod USA and the lower part of the Fest Area. We admired empty stages, ponds, and Fest Area houses under us.

The Storytown Train is barely a two-minute walk from the Sky Ride. The train takes a long route past the River Dee, which seemed quiet and empty with the Swan Boats being refurbished. We passed Popo the Purple Cow (who seemed more like a friendly dragon) and a turquoise clock that was probably supposed to be Hickory Dickory Dock. The train turned through the woods, giving us glimpses of wrecked Ghost Town vehicles and the remains of the abandoned Jungleland rope bridges and animals.

Despite it being cloudy and barely in the 60's, Lauren wanted to ride the Raging River rapids. It's her favorite ride in the whole park. I wasn't sure that was a great idea. I had the chance to consider it. It was briefly closed when we went over there, but it reopened around 3:30. We finally ended up doing it together. Yeah, we got wet and cold, but it was still fun splashing around corners and under sprayers and mini waterfalls. If nothing else, the chilly day and this being the only ride currently operating in its area scared off other customers. This is the first time we went on the Raging River and didn't have to wait a half-hour or more for the ride. We didn't have to wait at all. We got on right away, with no one joining us.

We opted to dry off in the Alice In Wonderland walk-through. It was very dark and spooky inside. Once you get outside, you can see some of the nifty figures, like Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum and Alice caught in the White Rabbit's house. I thought the Queen of Hearts looked much too pretty to be ordering anyone's head to be chopped off!

I got the last ride of the day. The merry-go-round is too much around for Lauren, but I love carousels. This one is really neat, too. I rode a handsome orange jack rabbit with long ears. I also saw a dragon, a cat, a lion, a zebra, and a camel, along with horses with beautifully decorated saddles. I just wish two teenage boys hadn't spent the ride jumping off horses and climbing onto others, standing on the horses, and otherwise doing things they shouldn't have been.

By 4 PM, we were wet, cold, and tired, and the clouds were getting darker. It was time to pack it in and buy our souvenirs. She bought an Oktoberfest shirt that said "I'm at my Wurst" and a cute rolly-poly lavender walrus at the candy store. I found a chocolate brown Japanese-style kitty named Kona Coffee in the candy shop. Orange Thai Tea had her eyes closed, and yellow Coconut looked a bit grumpy, but Kona was adorable. 

We had dinner back at Aviation Mall. They have a Friendly's on a separate outparcel overlooking the mall. Lauren had broccoli and cheese soup, a grilled cheese, fries, and a black raspberry sundae with peanut butter sauce. I had a chicken quesadilla, clam chowder, and a scoop of Viennese Mocha Chunk. 

It finally started to rain as we turned onto the highway and headed home. The showers continued through most of the drive across New York. They slowed down as we neared the Massachusetts border and ended all together by the time Lauren pulled into their garage. It was rather cozy as Lauren turned up the heat and we sang Monkees and Weird Al Yankovitz songs all the way home, with Kona on my knee.

Finished the night on YouTube with the Sunday Match Game Classics marathon. Blonde beauty Elaine Joyce appeared frequently from early '73 through the very end of the syndicated run. Elaine could be annoyingly ditzy in some of her earlier appearances, including with her husband Bobby Van. She did help out with poor, shy Evie, the show's most nervous contestant, in early 1975, and appeared on the hilarious week with Bill Macy later that year. She and Bobby also got one of the funniest - and most controversial - answers as to what Batman and Robin did together. 

Elaine did her best work during the early 80's syndicated run, after motherhood mellowed her out and calmed her goofier tendencies. Gene took advantage of her fondness for tight pants and blouses by letting her show off her looks to the audience frequently. In one of her last appearances, she brought her daughter Taylor Van to the panel to show off her too cute Polish dancing outfit. 

Strut your stuff with the blond bombshell of game shows in this wild marathon!

Match Game Sunday Night Classics - The Best of Elaine Joyce 

Nothin' But a Good Time

We got a slightly earlier start out around 9 this morning. Mr. and Mrs. Miller had a doctor's appointment and were awake to see us off this time. We had our Cheerios (mine with blueberries), gathered our purses and water bottles, and headed off for Lake George.

I love the ride through northern Massachusetts and upstate New York! It's like a painting of the country, with wildflower-dotted fields, weathered barns, cozy villages, and historic farmhouses. It was cloudy off and on as we made it onto the highway, going over a bridge with a fabulous view of downtown Albany. We encountered no traffic on the road and had no problems getting to Lake George.

We pulled into Six Flags Great Escape around 11. As she did last year, Lauren bought our tickets and parking vouchers in advance. She parked us in the Three Musketeers lot (all the parking lots at Great Escape are named after Mars candies), which at that point, wasn't even half-full. I made sure to leave the jewelry at home this time so there would be fewer things to take off and put through the metal detectors going into the park.

Great Escape is an expansion of an older park, Storytown USA. (Linda Young, who used to go on vacation to Lake George with her parents in the 60's, has mentioned attending the park in its early years.) The park's original attractions were miniature houses for kids to roam around in, with kid-sized furniture and entrances representing a wild west town and the homes of famous fairy tale characters. Lauren, who is a little over five feet, had an easier time getting in the houses to take pictures than I did. (I'm 5'4.) We waved to Cinderella in a sparkly turquoise gown by the bright yellow boot-shaped home of The Old Woman Who Lived In a Shoe. She spun and twirled, flaring out her fancy skirt, to the delight of little girls passing by.

After we waved to Scooby Doo, who was greeting kids between storybook houses, we found ourselves back in the Carousel Plaza. I love merry-go-rounds. They're so elegant and romantic. They remind me of my childhood, when they were often the first thing we'd ride after we got to the Wildwood boardwalk parks. I ended up riding the Grand Carousel solo. Lauren says the around and around makes her stomach queasy. I had no such problems as I managed to scramble onto a pretty white mare with an orange saddle painted with daisies. Some of the ride-on animals were really unique and detailed. I saw a lion, a rabbit, a cat, a camel, and even a dragon!

We strolled over the "wooden" bridge and into the 50's-themed Hot Rod USA. We were going to check out Thunder Alley, their car ride, but the line was ridiculous. We ended up waiting for the Swan Boats instead. They also had a fairly long line, but we were able to get on after 10 minutes because the large family in front of us wanted to stay together. We were greeted by a cheerful brunette Alice at the Alice In Wonderland Walk-Through and giggled at the real Canadian geese and ducks looking for a snack under the reeds of the River Dee. (The driver claimed there were baby marmots by the Jungle Rope Walk-Through. If there were, we didn't see them.)

Stopped for a quick lunch at the pizza booth across from the train station. We both got slices of pepperoni and small Cherry Cokes. As the train started its course around the park, the two of us settled down with our lunch and watched it leave.

Since we were there, we thought we'd hop on the train on its return to Hot Rod USA. The Storytown Train runs a similar route to the Swan Boats, going through a tunnel by Thunder Alley and around the river, past Humpty Dumpty, Popo the Purple Cow (who looks more like a friendly dragon), and Hickory Dickory Dock. Unlike the boats, it takes you through the spooky woods, giving you a glimpse of "abandoned" Ghost Town vehicles and Jungle Rope Bridge elephants and hippos.

Lauren's favorite ride at Great Escape is the Raging Rapids in the Alpine-themed Fest Area. She's not the only one who enjoys it. It's one of the most popular rides at the park...with one of the longest lines. By this point, the sun was in and out, making it the perfect time to get wet. The first time around, we shared our vehicle with three enthusiastic and funny teen sisters. They enjoyed the ride as much as we did! The poor youngest girl got soaked the worst, to her noisy dismay. On the second time around, we ended up between families who wanted to stay together and got a vehicle to ourselves. They added a few more bumps and waterfalls to the last lap, including a sprayer. Both times, we ended up pleasantly damp, but not soaked.

Normally, we love playing the boardwalk-style games around the corner from the Rapids, but they've gotten awfully expensive over the years. We did find an air hockey game outside and played a rematch; Lauren won again, 5-3. The crane games were a tad less pricey. I didn't win anything, but Lauren, after many tries, got a cute stuffed emoji star with heart eyes.

Since it's on the way back from the Fest Area, our next stop (after a break to use the bathroom and buy soda) was the Alice In Wonderland Walk-Through. Alice herself was gone by then, but I did get some shots of the massive fiberglass Cheshire Cat, the Caterpillar on his mushroom, Tweedledee and Tweedledum, and the Queen of Hearts and her court.

The line for Thunder Alley wasn't quite as daunting later in the afternoon as it had been around lunchtime. You ride 50's-style coupes with different paint jobs around a small track decorated with towering Technicolor tulips and billboards representing Storytown USA when it opened. The actual buildings from the 50's across the street added greatly to the atmosphere, including the red and blue neon sign with the giant chicken in the middle.

By this point, we were tired and dry, and the clouds were getting darker by the minute. It was time to buy souvenirs and head home. We explored a few stores at the International Village, but finally opted to buy stuffed animals from the gift shop that doubles as the park exit. She picked up a two-foot, electric blue bear with Six Flags' logo embroidered on his paw. I couldn't fit a stuffed animal that size in my luggage! I settled for a small stuffed tiger who bore something of a resemblance to Hobbes from the Calvin & Hobbes comics.

It sprinkled a bit as we made our way back to the car. Thankfully, the rain was long gone by the time we hit the highway. We had other problems. Traffic on 1-87 was backed up for miles, thanks to an accident. This part of the trip should have taken less than an hour. It was over an hour and a half later before the traffic finally broke up and we were back in business, as Lauren put it.

(I'm so glad she's good at dealing with traffic. The last time I was in a car that was stuck in traffic that badly was when Rose graduated American University in Washington DC in 2002. Mom drove Anny, Keefe, and me to her sister Terri's house in the DC suburbs in Virginia for the ceremony. The traffic around DC was a nightmare, even heavier than what we got stuck in today. Mom freaked out, screaming and crying. Anny cranked up the hard rock and flirted with truckers out the window. I think she was 16 or so at the time. I still don't know how 6-year-old Keefe slept through the entire incident. I was very close to jumping out a window and walking to Aunt Terri's, traffic be damned.)

It was almost 8 before we finally made it into the garage. We showed Mr. and Mrs. Miller our stuffed animals and heard about their day, gave them the mail, and ate turkey bacon sandwiches for a quick dinner. After Lauren looked up an old friend on Facebook, we played a couple of rounds of Yoshi's Woolly World. Finished up World 4 with a crazy ride on curtains, trying to direct arrow balls to treasures (and around Skyguys), and dodging a giant Audrey II-like piranha plant.

Tomorrow's my last full day here. At press time, we're planning on returning to Albany to browse through two major malls in he area.

Down at Great Escape Park

We pulled out of the garage around 9:30 again, this time headed to Six Flags Great Escape in Lake George, New York. After a stop for gas, we made our way back into the upstate New York countryside...but this time, we went beyond Albany and Troy, mostly along the Interstate. While the clouds were in and out, there was a nice, cool wind, and it wasn't nearly as hot as it was yesterday or as it's been in South Jersey.

Finally made it to Six Flags around 11:30-noon. Getting into the parking lot was easy, much easier than it was the last time we went in 2009. They just needed to ring the bar on the parking voucher Lauren got online. We left the car in the half-full Dove parking lot (all the parking lots in Great Escape are named for Mars candies) and strolled across the pedestrian bridge to the main entrance.

Getting in the park was a LOT more complicated. They now have metal detectors in front of the main entrance. I know it's necessary these days, but it was a pain. I had to take off my gold necklace, and it got tangled in the cup. Good thing Lauren's more patient with this sort of thing than I am.

Once we made it in the park (and hit the bathroom), our first stop was the Magic Carpet Sky Ride in the Storybook Town area. It's your basic Sky Ride that glides over the Storybook Town and Hot Rod USA areas, but it did give us an idea of what rides were there now. We noticed Thunder Alley, Great Escape's 50's-themed version of Disneyland's Tomorrowland Raceway, was now hidden behind the brand-new Greezed Lightnin' "Fireball" endless loop coaster and seemed to have been spruced up sometime in the last few years. We'd take in that one later. The Swan Boats and park railroad (now the Storybook Town Railroad) were still there, too.

We wandered through Storybook Town and Timbertown Station (the more generic North-Woods-themed replacement for the Looney Tunes kids area) to take in two walk-through rides. The Alice In Wonderand walk-through started in a black-lit, green striped tunnel and went past a shrinking Alice drinking her "drink me" bottle into the Tulgey Wood. This seemed to consist mostly of bright-colored, gigantic snails and huge polka-dot mushrooms. We past the Caterpillar and his hookah, a wooden house featuring Mad Tea Party figurines, and the Queen of Hearts and her court. (The Queen was much too pretty to be screaming at anybody.)

Alice and the Jungle Rope Bridge Walk-Through date back to when the park was entirely called Storybook Town in the 50's and 60's. The small Bugs-and-Daffy figures we saw on the walk-through in 2009 had been replaced by nifty fiberglass jungle animals, including a huge hippo, an elephant, a tiger family, and a very realistic snake that bares his fangs in greeting you as you enter. The rope bridges remain the same - wobbly! We were still wobbling when we bounced off.

(My friend Linda Young, who went to Storybook Town in the 60's and 70's, will be happy to know the rope bridge walk through is still very popular. The mom in front of us mentioned her two toddlers had tugged her onto the walk-through at least 10 times this summer.)

It must have taken a half-hour to find the Comet, Great Escape's popular wooden coaster. It's got some interesting history, too. It was built in 1927 and spent 40 years in a park in Ontario before it shut down in 1989. It was moved to Great Escape in 1994. Lauren wanted to try at least one roller coaster and thought this wouldn't be so bad. I hadn't ridden a wooden coaster since Keefe talked me into going on The Great White in Wildwood in 2002. I hadn't been thrilled at the time, but I survived. How bad could it be?

I don't know. I kept my eyes closed most of the ride. The moment it went up and over that first steep hill, it was too much for me. I screamed at Lauren twice before I settled for clenching my teeth and holding on for dear life. It went around corners like a wild horse, bucking and rattling on the track. I swear I felt myself fly up in the seat at several points. I read online that this is considered to be one of the best wooden coasters in the world. Maybe some coaster fans wouldn't have a problem with it, but it was too crazy for us! We were wobbling more than on the rope bridges when we stumbled down the exit queue.

Lauren stopped to check our photos on the ride at the kiosk to one side of the queue. I didn't join her. I knew what I looked like on that ride - terrified! After she changed her mind about the photos, we decided we needed something a tad more grounded and easier on our stomachs. We strolled past Splashwater Kingdom, Great Escape's outdoor water park, and the wacky-colored Dr. Seuss-esque kiddie area Kidzopolis to the Fest Area.

The Fest Area is the home of Lauren's favorite ride, the Raging River. You ride in a large tube with five other people, passing under and through waterfalls, sprays, and jets of water (often shot by people on the path going by the rapids). We did it twice, once before lunch, and once afterwards, and had a lot of fun. The first time, we rode with three young-teen girls who giggled and laughed and screamed and compared one of their teachers to a chicken leg. The second time, we went with a mom, a grandmom, and a younger girl.

We had lunch between rides. The Alpine Fest Haus was a fast-food style eatery just a little down the road from the Raging River. We settled for simple chicken salads. Lauren bought a souvenir refillable cup. I thought they were way too much and went with a 12-oz Poweraide.

The second go-around on the Raging River left us both thoroughly drenched. We played games in the Fest Area while we were dripping. Alas, I just could not win. Lauren beat me at Whac-a-Mole and got a rather odd hat shaped like a purple and yellow squid. She won the skee ball horse race game and got a ladybug to give to her mom, who collects ladybug items.

We took in some less wild rides while we dried off. The Storybook Town Train took us past fiberglass versions of Hickory Dickory Dock and Humpty Dumpty, as well as "Popo the Purple Cow" (who looked far more like a friendly dragon or dinosaur) and ruined carriages and antique cars that represented Ghost Town. (And scared the dickens out of the two toddlers sitting in front of us, who squeals that they kept seeing ghosts around every corner.) The Swan Boats took a similar route on the River Dee, passing Popo and Humpty as well as several flocks of very real ducks looking for a snack.

Thunder Alley is my favorite ride at Great Escape. It had been cleaned up considerably since we were last there. In fact, the whole area had been themed around it, now made to look like a small town in the 50's and now called Hot Rod USA. The little cars sported bright new paint jobs. I rode in a black hod rod with "flames" on the front. The Technicolor tulips in the landscaping had been joined by vintage "billboards" for Storybook Town and Coca Cola. The genuine 50's and 60's building on the street across from Great Escape added to the atmosphere, including a neon sign with a giant chicken perched on the top. (Also, unless they're riding with a little kid, people can only ride one at a time in a car now.)

Had a small dinner at a pizza booth near Thunder Alley. I had cheesebread - cheese covered flat bread - and Lauren had a slice of pepperoni. After that, we returned to the International Village to go shopping. She bought a giant yellow neon bear with Six Flags Great Escape embroidered on its paws. I found the most adorable fuzzy pink hedgehog with a heart-shaped gemstone collar and embroidered heart cheeks. Her name is Miss Hedgie, and she's a sweet southern belle. I also grabbed a metal Six Flags key chain.

We were both worn out, and I pulled a muscle in my right leg climbing out of the Swan Boats and was sore as heck. It was time to go home. We headed out around 6, stopping briefly at Rite Aid for Lauren to try to find what her dad asked her to get yesterday. (She didn't.)

Finally got in around 8:30-ish. I showed Mr. and Mrs. Miller my hedgehog, then hit the shower. We're now finishing up tonight's chat session. Tomorrow, we're going to take in another mall, this one in the opposite direction in Eastern Massachusetts.

Definitely a Six Flags Day

We were up early this morning, around 7AM, and out of the house by 9. We made a couple of stops in Pittsfield that turned out to be big helps later. Our first stop was Price Chopper, her local supermarket, for sandwiches and snack food. She got ham and cheese and low-salt Kettle Chips. I went with roast beef on wheat and Honey Nut Chex Mix. We stopped for gas at Sunoco after leaving Price Chopper, then hit the road.

It was cloudy as we drove to Six Flags Great Escape in Lake George, NY, but by the time we were on the Interstate, the sun was starting to peep through big, fat clouds. The clouds were almost gone as we drove around, looking for a parking lot. Lauren had "preferred" parking, but even by quarter of 11, the "preferred" parking was full. We ended up in an ordinary parking lot that wasn't too far from the pedestrian bridge leading to the main gate.

(We were parked in the Lot 4, the Starburst lot. The parking lots were all named after candies. I also saw Skittles, Snickers, and M&Ms.)

Much had changed in Great Escape since July 2007, the last time we were there. Several new rides had been added and a couple removed, the big Arcade rotunda was closed, and a new area for the littlest guests, Wiggles World, had opened near the Fest Area. To be honest, few of these newcomers interested us. The big new ride in Great Escape is the Sasquatch, which lifts you at least 60 feet in the air before dropping you several times. Uh, not for us, sorry. We're not roller coaster/drop rides types of girls. Lauren gets motion sickness pretty bad, too.

Lauren's favorite ride at Great Escape is the Raging Rapids. It was the only ride we rode twice. The Raging Rapids is your basic rapids ride. You climb in, you click your belt over you and anyone sitting next to you, and you hang on as the ride bangs across foaming waters. They've added more sprays and fountains and one last shower spray before you go back to the turning dock at the entrance/exit. Helped that we rode with fun groups. Two college-age boys joined us on our late morning ride. A trio of late-teen girls got wet with us in the afternoon. They were all hilarious and surprisingly well-behaved for their ages (no hands out of the car or trying to lean out).

Most of the other rides we hit were smaller, more kids-oriented. We rode the bumper cars (the longest line we hit today). That may have been the worst ride of the day. The college-age boy in charge of the ride kept letting kids that were probably too young to be riding on their own in single cars, and they held up everyone else while they went in circles, trying to figure out how to get moving.

Having lunch at the car was a really smart idea. Lauren parked right next to a grassy area. I sat in the back of her parents' van and had my (gristly) roast beef sandwich, an apple, my Chex Mix, and a blueberry muffin from yesterday. She sat in a camp chair she'd had in her car while enjoying her ham and cheese, chips, and Vitamin Water. We had a relaxing, inexpensive meal with a great view of the surrounding mountains and the Great Escape Lodge and Indoor Water Park and no need for standing in line for food that wasn't all that great anyway.

(We did end up buying drinks in the park later in the afternoon, but we never bought food.)

Our other excursions were more relaxing. We took in three rides meant strictly for observation in the late morning and right after lunch in the mid-afternoon. We admired the park by air on the "Magic Carpet Ride" sky ride. (Daffy Duck waved to me at the Looney Tunes meet and greet under us!) The Swan Boats took us around the Storybook and Looney Tunes areas by water, and the Great Escape Railroad took a similar route by land.

Thunder Alley was noisier and a bit more exciting. It's Great Escape's version of Disney's Tomorrowland Raceway in a smaller, 50s-themed form. I got some pictures of Lauren driving our little pale-blue coupe - my favorite was the one with her against the backdrop of the huge Technicolor tulips.

One "ride" wasn't even a real ride in the traditional sense. The Looney Tunes National Park kids section has a "Rabbit Season Walk Through" that's apparently Great Escape's adaptation of an older jungle-themed walk-through attraction that had been in the park since it was known as Storybook USA in the 50s. The walk-through is mostly resin Looney Tunes figures interspersed amid trees and greenery. You walk across wobbly "rope bridges." The last one's so wobbly, I was still wobbling when we finally left the ride!

We were both getting pretty tired by around 4PM, so we decided to hit the games and win us some stuffed animals. The games at the Fest Area were a bit too busy, so we hiked past cute little fairy tale character houses and the western "Ghost Town" (both holdovers from the 50s Storyland USA) to the Ghost Town Games. Lauren hit the jackpot at a ball toss game. They had a buy one game, get a second free sale, so Lauren got two baskets of balls for $10. She won two big tigers in sunglasses (one orange, one bright neon yellow), two neon fish with teeth, and a pig in a shirt that says "Sweet and Sour." I didn't have nearly the luck she did. I played the ball toss, the ring toss, and the skee ball, and all I won was a big green fish.

We briefly stopped in the small gift shops around the International Village. Lauren found three more big stuffed animals, Marvin the Martian, his green dog friend K-9, and Gossamer, the red monster in the sneakers. I just bought two much smaller versions of Foghorn Leghorn and Pepe Le Pew.

We were dead tired and hauling a bag of huge stuffed animals. Time to find somewhere to eat. Unlike previous years, when we ate at an expensive Uno about five minutes from Great Escape, we wanted to eat somewhere small, cheap, and well away from the Lake George area.

We found a nice truck stop about a half-hour from Lake George, just off the I-87 ramps in Wilton, NY. Scotty's Restaurant was really a diner with a fancy name. It was a great place. It was big, clean, the waitresses were really nice, and the place is open 24/7. My pancakes were huge, and the sliced tomatoes and green lettuce I had was fresh and probably local. Lauren said her fried clam strips were really good, and the French fries were home-made and fried.

We went straight home after that, driving past Albany and Troy and into Massachusetts as the sun went down, looking like purple-peach fire in the summer evening sky. I jumped in a much-needed shower as soon as we'd shown our purchases and the menu for Scotty's to Lauren's folks.

We're now sitting in her room, watching Good Eats episodes and chatting with each other, on and offline. Tomorrow, we're going to relax in the morning, then pick up a co-worker of Lauren and head to Connecticut for the Jeff Dunham show at Mohegan Sun.