Richard Bannister

Knuckleheads was a last minute addition to my trip plan, added when I saw that it was less than two miles off my route to Little Amerricka. The Six Flags chain may be known for building coasters in car parks, but Knuckleheads have outdone them by building their ride on a former staircase (seriously). The terrain made the Minor Mike (#1379) a worthwhile credit whore; I'm not aware of any other coaster this small with two different lift hills!

On my last visit to Little Amerricka the footers had been laid for a PTC wood coaster bought at the auction of the now defunct Hillcrest Park. That ride, now called the Meteor (#1380), has been rebuilt to a superb standard, tracking as well as the best wooden coasters out there. The park is to be commended for preserving a piece of history like this, especially when its mirror image is expected to close at the end of this year.

It started to rain about thirty minutes after leaving Little Amerricka, and the driving conditions were sufficiently bad for me to contemplate heading straight for my hotel; it seemed improbable that the rides at Indiana Beach would be running due to weather conditions. In the end I decided to visit anyway as it was only a thirty minute diversion, and to my delight Steel Hawg (#1381) was open. I decided not to buy a wristband due to fatigue, choosing instead a single ride ticket. Enthusiasts should be aware that these cost an absolutely outrageous nine dollars, three times the price of a pay per ride ticket at Knoebels. In fact I'm not sure I've ever paid more than five dollars for a single coaster before except where I've had to pay full price park admission.

Moaning aside, however, the ride itself was really cool, though it'd want to be at twenty cents per second! The car negotiated the circuit with barely a jolt, and the outward banking worked very well, unlike the competition. A coaster of this nature would fit really well into a lot of smaller parks. Flamingo Land has already bought one; hopefully more will follow.