A Walk Down Coaster Alley

An intigrated photo report can be found here:
http://tinyurl.com/7h2jd

Complete galleries can be found here:
http://cyclonic.smugmug.com/gallery/776797
http://cyclonic.smugmug.com/gallery/771300

Ah, the final day of the trip, and the one I think all of us had been waiting for, Silverwood. Silverwood was one of those places I didn't think I would ever get to visit. It is just so far out of the way, but its duo of CCI wooden coasters has become legendary, a fantastic one two punch that rivals that of Holiday World or Knoebels, and the day would prove that they live up to that reputation.

The day, like most others, started early, we were on the bus by 6:15 in the morning. It was a long ride to Silverwood, but one that would prove rewarding, with a surprise stop at Remlinger Farms.

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This small little nursery was home to a few rides and a kiddie coaster, the Mine Twister. A quick early morning ERT session was scheduled for us, and we all got a credit on this fun little Miler coaster.

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Back on the road, we finally arrived at Silverwood.

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Included in the trip was admission, a wristband for drinks, lunch, and an hour ERT on Timber Terror and Tremors. We all ended up with three wristbands for the various things, but I figured out which one I needed for the drinks and put just that one on, and then headed into the park.

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When you enter the park, there is a nice little plaza with a very nice Herschell aluminum carousel off to one side, and then leads to the main street type area.

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Main street is a bit crowded, as the train runs right down the middle of it, with narrow walk ways on either side. I walked through a few of the stores there before hopping on the train sitting there.

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Silverwood's train is a real running steam locomotive that runs over a very long line of track out away from the park. It is one of those rare rides that you can't pass up. It runs out into the woods and prairie, a very scenic ride, until it gets to a little shack in the woods. There, they put on a little show starring a bear and a pair of prairie dogs. It was pretty bad, and I think the ride would have been fine without the corny show, but the kids seemed entertained, and I guess that is what really matters.

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Once beck in the park, I headed into the main part of the park. I was hungry, so I grabbed some pizza and breadsticks. There were fair, nothing great though. I was going to check out the log flume, but it had just broken down, so I instead headed down Coaster Alley, where Timber Terror and Tremors make their home.

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Timber Terror was up first. It is an out and back coaster with a nice swooping turnaround and a helix ending. The hills offer some really nice floater air, and the helix is powerful, with a nice flat entry that throws you to the side of the seat. I really liked the ride, not very long, but it offered a solid ride. The wait was also nonexistent, always a pleaser for me.

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Across the way is Tremors, the bigger, badder coaster at the park. It is a twister type layout with some nice air filled hills thrown in for good measure. There was about a ten minute wait to get on the coaster. The first drop is awesome, right into a tunnel, one of four on the ride. It hops out of this tunnel though the gift shop, over a path, and right into the next tunnel. It then enters the twister part, a couple of long helixes that bounce up and down, with some cross overs. One cross over is really impressive, and takes you by surprise, as it basically hops up and then dives down under the track, seemingly just in time. A couple more hops and tunnels, and you are returned to the station. The wait over here was about ten minutes, give or take. I found it surprising that for such a large coaster, it runs just one train, and has no transfer track for a second. Maybe in the coming years that will change as the park continues to grow.

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After a few rides, I made my way around the back half of the park. I passed the rapids ride, which looked plenty busy, but I was in no mode to get that wet. I also passed up a Super Round-up and a Scrambler, which was nicely situated in the turnaround of the Corkscrew, which I did get in line for.

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The line was painfully slow, when I got in line, I was at the bottom of the stairs, and it was still a half hour wait. Corkscrew seems to be the forgotten coaster in the park, which is a shame considering its history. It was the first modern inverting coaster, originally located at Knott's Berry Farm. Now, it looks pretty beat up. The last car on the train was not operating at all, it was in bad need of a paint job, and the station was falling apart. Making things worse were the operations, they had just one person running the ride. The girl running it had to let just enough people into the station to fill what seats were working, then go over and check everyone's restraints (taking her time while she was at it), and then finally head back to the operator's booth to dispatch the train. Well, I finally got on the coaster, and the ride was not as bad as I had expected, some head banging, but not any more then I have come to expect from an Arrow.

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At 6:00 was the picnic dinner, and it was excellent. We were treated not only to the standard fair of hamburgers and hot dogs, but also to some excellent barbecue ribs, cooked to perfection. The staff in the picnic area was excellent, reminding us that we could have as much as we would like, but I was not too tempted and did not over indulge. After all, there was an ERT coming up in a few hours :)

I basically wandered the park for the next few hours, getting some nice pictures and taking in the sites. The flats all had massive lines, and there was nothing really appealing, so I ended up not getting a ride on any. I did get a ride on the kiddie coaster, Tiny Toot, a Zamperla powered coaster. It was interesting in that is had a very simple oval track, with just a slight dip. It ran pretty fast though, and was a fun little ride.

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I finally made my way back to Coaster Alley just before the start of ERT, where I first got a pair of rides on Timber Terror, and then headed over to Tremors. WOW, this thing is a totally different beast at night. during the day I thought it was a fun, wild ride, but at night, it is simply insane. The second drop into the second tunnel really got me, totally dark, the train seemed to just float down the drop, and just as you noticed it was into the tunnel, bang!, it slapped you hard back into the seat, and you flew back out. It was like a totally different ride at night, utterly amazing and about as intense as you can get. It took my breath away. ERT was great, I would rotate between the two coasters, and by halfway through, they were running double rides on Timber Terror. Even later, the employees getting off their shifts asked if they could ride, no problem here, there were plenty of open seats, and they had a blast as well.

Speaking of which, the employees at the park were very good. While that poor girl running the Corkscrew alone looked tired and was dragging, she still had a smile on her face. Everyone was very friendly, and during the ERT they were having as much fun as we were.

And so, the trip ended on a very up note. We stayed the night in Idaho, and the next morning headed back to Seattle where we said our good-byes and farewells. Some of us would stay a few extra days, catching the Mariners game that night, and doing touristy things the next day (I went and toured the Seattle Underground, very cool thing), but many made their way to the airport. The tour went fantastically well. The bus rides were long, the parks small, but they all had their own special charms, and I am very glad I did it.

I hope you enjoyed the reports, sorry to keep you waiting for this last one, I hope it was worth it.

It's always great to have a good coaster surprise the heck out of you. It wasn't till my second visit to MIA and even at that. Till that night that Shivering Timbers showed me it's true colors.

Also Raven and Legend can lead you down the path of, Im a good coaster but not whats hyped if you don't ride em at night.

I gotta get out there!
Thanks again for the TR
Chuck