Since Cedar Fair L.P. took the reins of Knott's Berry Farm, the skyline has shot heaven-ward considerably. From my post-high-school tenure there as a ride operator, I remember the entertainment techs being squeamish about getting carried away with the pyro during Knott's Incredible Fireworks Machine because Buena Park had some sort of code that demanded a low ceiling for local theme park obtrusions. Maybe they passed a new law. 'Cause man, when you come around the corner at La Palma and Knott, that corner of the park seems to look down on you all the way over yonder. The Supreme Scream, Perilous Plunge and the once mighty Sky Tower all anchor the property like huge tent pegs. As a novice R.O., I had trained on the Parachute Sky Jump and later "graduated" to The Haunted Shack before going on to work the remainder of my stint in Ghost Town. But Sky Jump was always my favorite, it made 'em scream every time. The parachutes have been stripped from the attraction as Knott's continues to re-work this area once known as The Roaring 20's. Perilous Plunge stands on land that once was the Starlight Pavilion and later, "Splashdance '86" and "Snoopy's Diving Doggies." There was plenty of time to sit and think back on olden days because the ride wasn't open yet. Some engineers gathered on the radius curve with a crane and a handful worked in the station house. Water lapped gently in the splashdown lagoon, soon to be a rare sight. I was already planning a trip back to the west coast in the fall and would try to catch this new beast when it opened. As usual, we enjoyed the rest of the park and as we were pushed for time with a date in San Francisco, we opted to return to Knott's before leaving for home; a Chicken Dinner would be in order. As it turns out, this was would be fortuitous since we returned days later to see them cycling boats. The flume was completely dry as the first craft slowly climbed the lift and then bumped its way around to that mammoth drop. With a huge ga-gonk, the boat tipped forward, fell like a rock and rumbled its way into the splashdown pond, sending a modest wave of water. The state-of-the-art ride has a magnetic braking system to control the impact of splashdown, which would explain the dry run and little water spray, I suppose.It was just pretty amazing to look at. We were due in Houston soon though, and not only was the tentative opening of Perilous Plunge scheduled quickly for the day of our departure but Sparks was to play in Anaheim the very next day. Two knife wounds. It's alright though, Breakfast Jacks plugged them right up. We'll Breakfast Jack again soon when we return to Knott's and experience the wildest water ride in the wilderness.

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