One of the most important holidays and summer fun times is coming up this weekend. This year, however, it’ll be a dud…
My family really likes amusement parks and theme parks.
We pretty much go to one at least once per year, and we have done so for many years.
Last year, something happened with regards to the cost of attending an amusement park: high inflation.
That is to say, for a day trip to the amusement park, which involves getting up at the crack of dawn, driving to said park before it even opens to be part of the very first people to go inside, staying until the park closes, and then driving home the same evening, last year the cost for this day trip for my family of four was $1,000!
I wrote all about it in this article here:
And to think, I can barely even ride any of the rides anymore!
Now, this weekend is Fourth of July Weekend, and many people would be planning some sort of vacation, day trip, or otherwise fun-filled activity, but in the Summer of 2020?
My town is not having the fireworks display, and I’m sure such is the case in many towns across the USA.
So scratch that event from this weekend’s activities.
And so we thought, why not go to Cedar Point to see what it’s like to go to an amusement park again?
Well, the first problem is it’s not even opening until July 9th.
Who in the heck passes up on one of the most important holidays of the year, which, if your business is based on tourism in general, and the summer spending season specifically, is what Cedar Point is exactly doing by not opening until the weekend after the Fourth of July?
But I digress.
We couldn’t go even if we wanted to because it’s still not open, but here’s the problem: We absolutely WILL NOT go under the new set of rules and regulations that are imposed.
Let me explain a just few things of what I mean from what I can gather from the information on Cedar Point’s website.
But before I do, recall that last week, we reported on Disneyland cancelling its re-opening:
That said, what I’m about to say is probably representative of all of the amusement parks and theme parks out there when it comes to the re-opening.
ARRIVAL/PARKING
Apparently now, you must have a reservation time to arrive, and, it says on Cedar Point’s website that if you arrive ahead of your scheduled time, you’re supposed to wait in your car!
Huh?
Wow.
But wait, there’s more!
Because the second you step outside of your car, you’d better don thy mask!
But if you’re one of those evil people like the smokers out there, don’t worry, because you’ll get your designated “mask free” area just like the smokers get their designated “smoking area”.
What if they’re both the same area?
Meh.
ENTERING THE PARK
Temperature checks to get in the park?
Check.
Additionally, from the looks of it, if one person in the party or family has a temperature of over 100.4, if I recall correctly, nobody in the party or family can enter the park!
Why does this suck?
Because temperatures happen.
That’s why.
One year, when living in Texas and taking one of our trips to the People’s Republik of California, we were visiting Legoland, my wife literally came down with a fever while in the park.
She was shivering cold, and the next day, she just stayed in the hotel while the kids and I went out and had fun.
My point?
Sickness happens, and now, while it’s a risk we all have to accept in life, it’s a very problematic risk in the world of the summer vacation!
THE RIDES/ATTRACTIONS
One of the reasons it costs a family of four a thousand bucks to take a day trip to the regional amusement park is because if you really want to have fun, and can afford it, upgrading to the “fast pass”, or whatever it’s called in your area, is an essential purchase.
That said, under the new rules and regulations, social distancing WILL BE enforced, and required, and the rides where this is not possible will not be operating.
One time we were at Cedar Point and it started raining, and I’d estimate that over half of the rides shut down.
So imagine this: A not insignificant number of rides and attractions are shutdown because social distancing can’t be enforced, and then it starts raining, closing down most of the rides that were functional!
Here’s the question: Who is going to risk going to an amusement park and having access to less than 1/4 of the rides if it rains?
Am I being hyperbolic?
I don’t think so.
Furthermore, all of the “indoor entertainment” will be closed, and there are some people, like myself, who enjoy the indoor entertainment because I can’t ride the rides, so it gives me some stuff to do as my family is riding the rollercoasters.
And speaking of “indoor entertainment” in regards to the weather, if it does start raining, indoor entertainment fills up fast, but if it starts raining while attending an amusement park in 2020, I guess you’re just supposed to go home?
FOOD/DRINKS
That cup you buy for twelve bucks that gets refilled for free all day long?
Forget about it!
That water fountain you drink from to not buy four dollar bottles of water (as of 2019 pricing)?
Forget about it!
Packed like sardines waiting for 20 minutes in a roped off line to buy a crappy burger and fries?
Forget about it!
Finding a table to eat said crappy burger and fries when it was nearly impossible to do before, and now, half of the tables are going to be removed?
Forget about it!
I could go on.
And on.
And on.
But you get my point: Who in the heck is going to take any of this risk at all to do something that might only might not be fun, but may actually be filled with a whole lotta stress and anxiety?
Recovery in Q3?
Well, if by recovery that means the process of semi-dying where one turns from human into zombie after the dreaded bite, then I suppose.
In any real sense of recovery?
Forget about it!
For now.
Now.
If one beLIEves the stock market isn’t rigged, it sure is a nailbiter:
I keep seeing headlines about Americans running out of cash or on the verge of running out of cash, so Robinhood traders needing to sell to raise cash does fit nicely into the MSM narrative, does it not?
If so, get ready for a spike in the VIX:
That’ll be followed by the “get to work Powell” and “make the call Steve” comments all over the “alternative” media.
Which means we could be looking a melt-down in yield as people rush into the “safety” of the US Bond Market:
Would that be the meltdown that leads to the bond market blowing-up?
Crude oil is nearly back to a 40-handle:
Of course, rig count in the US has dropped over 70%, so we’re still in the re-balancing of supply and storage.
Copper looks like it could break-out above $2.70:
Copper’s got to crack $2.80 to get positive, year-to-date.
Palladium has been treading water year-to-date:
Barely.
Platinum is still down over 15%, year-to-date:
I think that this all changes very soon, however, and possibly even this very week, if not the second week in July.
That is to say, not only would a 15% move in platinum not be surprising, but I’m expecting that and more very, very soon.
I’m also expecting a big move in silver to the upside:
Starting the week above $18 is nice and bullish!
If we get a big move up in the price of silver, we should see a big move down in the gold-to-silver ratio:
You see, the cartel is terrified of $1800 gold, so they may let silver run to take the eyeballs off of the yellow metal.
Although the cartel’s having the darnedest time with gold looking like it’s ready to break-out at any moment:
Will a turbo charger kick-in once gold finally cracks the psychologically important level?
The bottom line as we find ourselves here this beautiful Monday in late June?
People keep talking about a “recovery”, just as we get a surge in cases.
Even if we don’t have a Shutdown 2.0, there is no recovery, yet.
I mean, going to the amusement park’s supposed to be fun.
But wearing a mask while riding a rollercoaster?
There goes the job of the kid selling the pics.
You know the ones I’m talking about.
The ones of people screaming.
Coming down the big drop.
Or of that guy puking.
Speaking of which.
If that happens.
Then what?
Doesn’t.
Work.
No.
Stack accordingly…
– Half Dollar
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About the Author U.S. Army Iraq War Combat Veteran Paul “Half Dollar” Eberhart has an AS in Information Systems and Security from Western Technical College and a BA in Spanish from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Paul dived into gold & silver in 2009 as a natural progression from the prepper community. He is self-studied in the field of economics, an active amateur trader, and a Silver Bug at heart. Paul’s free book Gold & Silver 2.0: Tales from the Crypto can be found in the usual places like Amazon, Apple iBooks & Google Play, or online at PaulEberhart.com. Paul’s Twitter is @Paul_Eberhart. |
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