Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Knott's Berry Farm's scary waterfalls

Like Disneyland but not as fancy

We sat in Camp Snoopy eating $8 cheeseburgers.
We sat in Camp Snoopy eating $8 cheeseburgers.

Every time I do something new with my kids, I feel a little older. Last Christmas, Jack’s parents sent us a check for $200 with a note that read, “Please use this gift to do something fun with the kids.” In the rush of holiday activities, I set the check aside and forgot about it. A few weeks before Easter, I sat at the dining room table drinking my morning coffee and contemplating spring break. A brilliant idea popped into my head. I called Jack at work.

“You know that check we got from your parents for Christmas?” I asked.

“Uh-huh,” Jack answered. I could hear the tap-tap-tap of keystrokes as he worked at his computer.

“Why don’t we use it to take the kids to Knott’s Berry Farm over Easter vacation? Your folks said to do something fun. And we’ve never taken the whole family to an amusement park.”

“What about Legoland?”

Jack stopped typing. “That doesn’t count. It’s too close to home, and it’s not really much of an amusement park. Just think about the Knott’s Berry Farm idea.”

“I don’t have to think about it,” Jack said. “It sounds good to me.”

That afternoon when I picked up Rebecca, Angela, Lucy, and Johnny at school, I told them, “Guess what we get to do during Easter vacation?”

“What?” they asked in unison.

Sponsored
Sponsored

“Go to Knott’s Berry Farm,” I answered.

“Really?” Angela sounded incredulous. Three years ago, my sister Anita took Angela and Rebecca to Knott’s for a three-day holiday during the summer. They had happy memories of their trip.

“Yes,” I assured her.

“What’s Knott’s Berry Farm?” Johnny asked.

“It’s an amusement park with rides and fun things to do,” I told him. “Like Legoland, only better.”

“Is it like Disneyland?” Lucy asked. Last summer, Anita took all three girls and me to Disneyland for yet another three-day extravaganza.

“Kind of. It’s not quite as fancy. At least not the way I remember it.”

“You’ve been to Knott’s Berry Farm?” Rebecca asked. Now she sounded incredulous.

“Sure. I went there when I was in junior high.”

“How long ago was that?” Lucy continued the interrogation.

“Not that long ago.” I did the calculations in my head. I was about 12 the last time I went to Knott’s Berry Farm. I turned 42 in March. “It was only 30 YEARS AGO,” I told the kids. It was my turn to sound incredulous.

“Thirty years?” Rebecca asked. “I didn’t know Knott’s Berry Farm was that old.”

“Yep,” I cackled like an old woman. “It was a wagon stop along a dirt road. They had strawberry fields and a lunch room where Mrs. Knott herself would make fried chicken and strawberry jam.”

“Stop it, Mommy,” Ben said from the backseat. Ben doesn’t like it when I don’t sound like myself

“Just kidding. Yes, it’s that old. They even had roller coasters.”

The Thursday after Easter, Jack and I loaded the kids in the van and headed north from our home in San Marcos toward Knott’s Berry Farm. “How long will it take to get there?” Angela asked.

“It depends on the traffic,” I answered. “We should be there by lunchtime.”

When we got to Knott’s, I parked the van and smeared sunscreen on everyone. We hiked to the main entrance and stood in line for 20 minutes to purchase tickets. “I’m hot,” Johnny complained.

“I’m hungry,” Ben added.

“When can we eat lunch?” Lucy asked.

“Soon,” I promised. “Soon.”

An hour later, after waiting in line for a locker to stash our sweatshirts and waiting in line to buy lunch, we sat on the balcony in Camp Snoopy eating $8 cheeseburgers and plotting our plan of attack. I spread the park map in front of me. “I think we should start with the rides we can all go on together,” I told Jack. “That would be the Log Ride and the Calico Railroad.”

“Those are both really fun,” Angela said.

“Are they scary?” Ben asked.

“No,” I assured him. “You get to ride in a log like a boat and go down a waterfall.”

“That sounds scary,” Johnny said.

“It’s not scary,” Rebecca said in her exasperated big-sister voice. “It’s fun.”

After lunch, we headed to the Log Ride. The line moved quickly. As we approached the loading dock, I told Jack, “The girls want me to ride with them. Will you be okay with both boys?”

“I guess so.”

At the ride’s end, I looked back to see Ben’s red, contorted face wet with tears. Johnny looked stoic but scared. “I’m so sorry,” I told Jack.

“When we went down the big waterfall in the dark, I was so scared,” Ben managed to say between sobs.

“Johnny was scared, too,” Jack said. “But he was brave.”

We split up after that. Jack took Ben for a walk. Johnny and the girls rode the Calico Mine Ride with me. Later in the day, I took the boys to the kiddie rides in Camp Snoopy while the girls rode the Ghost Rider roller coaster with Jack. At the end of the day as we piled back into the van for the ride home, Ben said, “I had fun, Mom. But the Log Ride was so scary.”

After an entire day on my feet, I felt more than a little old.

The latest copy of the Reader

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

"Christmas Berry" is decorating our landscape, Longest meteor shower of the year

Full "cold moon," extremely high tides
Next Article

San Diego seawalls depend on Half Moon Bay case

Casa Mira townhomes sued after losing 20 feet of bluffs in storm
We sat in Camp Snoopy eating $8 cheeseburgers.
We sat in Camp Snoopy eating $8 cheeseburgers.

Every time I do something new with my kids, I feel a little older. Last Christmas, Jack’s parents sent us a check for $200 with a note that read, “Please use this gift to do something fun with the kids.” In the rush of holiday activities, I set the check aside and forgot about it. A few weeks before Easter, I sat at the dining room table drinking my morning coffee and contemplating spring break. A brilliant idea popped into my head. I called Jack at work.

“You know that check we got from your parents for Christmas?” I asked.

“Uh-huh,” Jack answered. I could hear the tap-tap-tap of keystrokes as he worked at his computer.

“Why don’t we use it to take the kids to Knott’s Berry Farm over Easter vacation? Your folks said to do something fun. And we’ve never taken the whole family to an amusement park.”

“What about Legoland?”

Jack stopped typing. “That doesn’t count. It’s too close to home, and it’s not really much of an amusement park. Just think about the Knott’s Berry Farm idea.”

“I don’t have to think about it,” Jack said. “It sounds good to me.”

That afternoon when I picked up Rebecca, Angela, Lucy, and Johnny at school, I told them, “Guess what we get to do during Easter vacation?”

“What?” they asked in unison.

Sponsored
Sponsored

“Go to Knott’s Berry Farm,” I answered.

“Really?” Angela sounded incredulous. Three years ago, my sister Anita took Angela and Rebecca to Knott’s for a three-day holiday during the summer. They had happy memories of their trip.

“Yes,” I assured her.

“What’s Knott’s Berry Farm?” Johnny asked.

“It’s an amusement park with rides and fun things to do,” I told him. “Like Legoland, only better.”

“Is it like Disneyland?” Lucy asked. Last summer, Anita took all three girls and me to Disneyland for yet another three-day extravaganza.

“Kind of. It’s not quite as fancy. At least not the way I remember it.”

“You’ve been to Knott’s Berry Farm?” Rebecca asked. Now she sounded incredulous.

“Sure. I went there when I was in junior high.”

“How long ago was that?” Lucy continued the interrogation.

“Not that long ago.” I did the calculations in my head. I was about 12 the last time I went to Knott’s Berry Farm. I turned 42 in March. “It was only 30 YEARS AGO,” I told the kids. It was my turn to sound incredulous.

“Thirty years?” Rebecca asked. “I didn’t know Knott’s Berry Farm was that old.”

“Yep,” I cackled like an old woman. “It was a wagon stop along a dirt road. They had strawberry fields and a lunch room where Mrs. Knott herself would make fried chicken and strawberry jam.”

“Stop it, Mommy,” Ben said from the backseat. Ben doesn’t like it when I don’t sound like myself

“Just kidding. Yes, it’s that old. They even had roller coasters.”

The Thursday after Easter, Jack and I loaded the kids in the van and headed north from our home in San Marcos toward Knott’s Berry Farm. “How long will it take to get there?” Angela asked.

“It depends on the traffic,” I answered. “We should be there by lunchtime.”

When we got to Knott’s, I parked the van and smeared sunscreen on everyone. We hiked to the main entrance and stood in line for 20 minutes to purchase tickets. “I’m hot,” Johnny complained.

“I’m hungry,” Ben added.

“When can we eat lunch?” Lucy asked.

“Soon,” I promised. “Soon.”

An hour later, after waiting in line for a locker to stash our sweatshirts and waiting in line to buy lunch, we sat on the balcony in Camp Snoopy eating $8 cheeseburgers and plotting our plan of attack. I spread the park map in front of me. “I think we should start with the rides we can all go on together,” I told Jack. “That would be the Log Ride and the Calico Railroad.”

“Those are both really fun,” Angela said.

“Are they scary?” Ben asked.

“No,” I assured him. “You get to ride in a log like a boat and go down a waterfall.”

“That sounds scary,” Johnny said.

“It’s not scary,” Rebecca said in her exasperated big-sister voice. “It’s fun.”

After lunch, we headed to the Log Ride. The line moved quickly. As we approached the loading dock, I told Jack, “The girls want me to ride with them. Will you be okay with both boys?”

“I guess so.”

At the ride’s end, I looked back to see Ben’s red, contorted face wet with tears. Johnny looked stoic but scared. “I’m so sorry,” I told Jack.

“When we went down the big waterfall in the dark, I was so scared,” Ben managed to say between sobs.

“Johnny was scared, too,” Jack said. “But he was brave.”

We split up after that. Jack took Ben for a walk. Johnny and the girls rode the Calico Mine Ride with me. Later in the day, I took the boys to the kiddie rides in Camp Snoopy while the girls rode the Ghost Rider roller coaster with Jack. At the end of the day as we piled back into the van for the ride home, Ben said, “I had fun, Mom. But the Log Ride was so scary.”

After an entire day on my feet, I felt more than a little old.

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Live Five: Songwriter Sanctuary, B-Side Players, The Crawdaddys, Saint Luna, Brawley

Reunited, in the round, and onstage in Normal Heights, East Village, Little Italy, Encinitas
Next Article

For nutty pies at Pizza by Aromi in La Mesa

Sicilian cousins add to the Italian goodness they dish out around Lake Murray
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader