The magnificent view atop Mauch Chunk's Mt. Pisgah Plane

Dear Diary, Coaster Con moves to Dorney Park today. ERT was scheduled for 8:30 a.m., and as much as I want to ride Talon, I don't want to get up at 6:00 a.m. to do it. So Cindy and I opted to skip morning ERT, get a good night's sleep and start our day with a side trip to Mauch Chunk. Most people have no concept of just how cool this experience really is. It sounds like a nice little exploratory side trip where you look around for a bit and maybe come across an occasional track tie, but really, how fun can it be? Mauch Chunk is one of the most fascinating, exciting, thrilling things I've ever done. It is an extremely challenging hike up to the summit of Mt. Pisgah - we hiked 2,330 ft. at a 29% grade over loose gravel. The road we took is called Wagon Road - it is the road that was used to take passengers by mule to the top of Mt. Pisgah where they would board the Switchback Railway and begin the 18 mile adventure. It is a very treacherous hike, and our reward was more than we ever expected. Once we reached the top we immediately saw at least twenty supports for a trestle that spanned the gap between the highest point where the train leaves the station and the west ridge of Mt. Pisgah. We also saw the foundations of both the engine house and the station. You could easily tell where the train left the station and immediately crossed the trestle. Both Cindy and I took our pictures sitting on the edge of the station, our arms raised high! We walked a little further along the Mt. Pisgah plane and came across a very famous sight in Robert Cartmell's book. The photo shows a group of two women and four men, all dressed in their Sunday finery, sitting precariously on the edge of boulders at the summit of Mt. Pisgah. I immediately recognized the boulders, and once we reached them we were treated to the most magnificent view anyone could ever imagine. Pennsylvania is full of stunning vistas but this was something truly extraordinary, so beautiful that no camera, no words could possibly capture. We climbed atop the boulders and sat on them for the longest time, taking in the view and feeling the history of this sight. Of course we took some funny photos as well - Cindy made a welcoming gesture while I prepared to do a back dive off the edge of the boulders. We climbed down and walked across the path of the trestle until we reached the beginning of the actual Switchback Railway trail, which starts out at a very gradual decline. We walked at least a mile of the track, and yes, track ties are still embedded within the ground. The track is very narrow and precariously perched along the ridge of Mt. Pisgah, at least for the initial part of the ride. Sitting on the left side of the train and seeing how steep the drop off was would surely have been frightening at times! This had to have been a wonderful, unforgettable ride! The hike was so pleasant and so special that all it did was make us want to walk the entire eighteen miles. I also made the comment that I thought Shawn Mamros should have been here to experience this with us. The hike back down was even more treacherous than going up. Imagine descending loose rock and gravel at a 29% grade for the entire distance. There is *nothing* here to aid the traveller, and it occured to us that it would be nice if the Jim Thorpe community would install markers along the way and include bits of historical information, or at least let people know where they are and what purpose each area served. On the other hand, it's nice to see an historical place untouched by development. Hiking along the Mauch Chunk Switchback Railway is one of the best things I've ever done. And yet people have no idea just how special this experience really is. When I told several people at the Con what we'd done, they looked at us with either halfhearted interest or mild bemusement. And yet if any one of them had done this, they would be raving about the experience for weeks. It is unforgettable, a lifetime memory maker, and a journey I would encourage every coaster enthusiast to take. Because we spent so much time at Mauch Chunk, our trip to Bushkill had to be dropped. And because we were so hungry after our hike, we decided to drive to Allentown and see if the Tom Sawyer Diner was still standing and open for lunch. The Tom Sawyer Diner is my 4th favorite diner, and it is the best example of exaagerated modern diner architecture that I know of. Unfortunately a bypass is scheduled to go right through the Tom Sawyer's property and when I last ate there over Labor Day I had no idea if the diner would still be in business when I returned. We got onto Rt. 222 in Allentown, drove a couple of blocks and..... is it there?.....YES!!!....but is it open?......YES!!! We had a *fantastic* dinner at the Tom Sawyer - pepperpot soup, chicken croquettes (a Pennsylvania dutch dish) with homefries, and coconut cream pie for dessert. The waitress even let me keep one of their regular menus for my diner booth at home! The people here are so friendly, the food is so good, and the architecture so classic that I can't bear to see this place close down. I asked her about the future of the diner and she said they expected to be in business for at least another three to five years because of all the litigation. So you see, lawyers *do* serve a good purpose! Photo courtesy of RideZone We then drove to Dorney Park to enjoy the park for a few hours before nighttime ERT. Immediately we ran into Adam Revesz, Tim Melago and Lee Schultz. Our first ride was on Talon. Wow, this was *such* a huge surprise! Talon is like a cross between Great Bear at Hersheypark and Fire Dragon at Islands of Adventure. I absolutely love it, and so did everyone else I was with. Later we ran into Sean, Chris and company, who had an unpleasant day at Six Flags Great Adventure, but one ride on Talon brought immediate smiles to their faces. Talon is awesome - I love the colors, the layout, the airtime, the pacing, the close to the ground flyby, everything. It's a little freaky to hear silence from a B&M inverted, but I admire the setting, landscaping and well, just about everything on this coaster! I'm starting to become a bit indifferent to inverted coasters, but Talon is different - it's a coaster I looked forward to riding again and again on this trip. It's a winner! The remainder of our night was spent taking in the rest of the park. The Wild Mouse is actually a bit on the mild side, especially after coming from Hersheypark. The Krazy Kars are wacky fun and Dorney's best flat ride. Their monster actually delivered a surprisingly good ride, unusual for this style of monster with four cars per sweep. We also came upon a band organ playing at the kiddie carousel near the ferris wheel. This wasn't like any band organ I have ever heard. It sounded like a junior high band organ! It was THE WORST sounding band organ I have ever heard! They couldn't hit a proper note if their lives depended on it! Today was Jon Smith's birthday and I bought him three things: a ruler, because I admire his dedication to school; a Talon hat, since he loved the ride, and a pair of sunglasses, since I've always admired the ones he wears (and let me wear) while riding coasters at night. These sunglasses, however, were a bit unorthodox. They were ladies sunglasses, turquoise blue, with little silver stars dangling from each corner. They were lovely, and quite fetching on those who wore them while riding that night. Jon also got his first Skycoaster ride, a birthday present from Sean Flaharty. Jon is a nice guy I have a lot of respect for, and I hope he had a happy birthday! ERT that night was limited to Thunderhawk, Laser and Steel Force. I love Steel Force and every year for the past few years I have come away from my time at Dorney feeling I never got enought rides on this coaster. So I spent nearly the entire hour and a half ERT on it, riding with lots of different people. Cindy isn't as big a fan of it as I am, so she went off to Thunderhawk to finish up the night. Dorney has applied the mid-course brake a bit harder this year, and even though the second half of the ride still delivers great airtime over every hill, it isn't as extreme as it used to be. Therefore I'm going to have to put it below Magnum XL-200 in my top ten steel. The park gave us treats during the ERT session - filled pretzels and soda. I had an apple filled pretzel and it was delicious! Cindy's cream cheese pretzel continued her food ordering losing streak. This was more than a great day. It was one of those unforgettable days that time will never diminish. Years from now, long after coaster events have blended into one satisfying memory, I'll have no trouble reaching back to the day I climbed the summit of Mt. Pisgah and hiked the Mauch Chunk Switchback Railway. I will never forget what I saw, I'll never forget the view, and I'll never forget the thrill.