Coaster Alley Convergence at Silverwood returns

So THAT'S what all those anagrams were about... ;)

Yes, Idaho is "convenient to nowhere"....but the Silverwoodies are WORTH the hassle. :)

FYI, the Puyallup Fair is also open that same weekend so people heading to the Pac NW to hit CAC can also get a credit on a VERY elusive woodie ;)

Screw the Coaster at Puyallup. I still need my Kersplash credit!;) Seriously, I can't wait for this event. I can't think of a better way to get aquainted with a couple of new woodies than 2 hour of nighttime ERT on them.

Pale Rider - just to clarify: its "evening" ERT. The park closes at 7pm, our ERT begins at 7:30pm to ensure all/most of the GP have ridden. According to the almanac sunset is at approximately 6:30...we hope it'll be dark by the last 30-45 mins of ERT, which ends at 9:30.

No other group -- not ACE, not the Zombies -- are getting 2 hrs of ERT after park closing.

A few more notes: the last CAC was $40 w/o park admission so we feel this is a great deal! $48.95 minus the $30 park admission means for $18 you get a meal, all the Pepsi you can drink, a group photo, and 2 hrs ERT.

Deadline for registration is Aug 31. NO walk-ups.

mOOSH [thanks for posting this, Jeff!]

*** This post was edited by Mamoosh 6/22/2005 3:07:54 PM ***

Heh, dusk is a nice time to ride as well. As long as some of the rides are at night, I'll be a happy campy.:) BTW, that is a very good deal for the event. Especially when compared to the last one.

I'm a woodie lover who is seriously considering this trip (probably solo). Are these 2 woodies worth a flight/rental car trip from Vegas? How far away is the Puyallup Fair? For reference, I like all the standard woodies that most seem to talk about (Avalanche, Raven, Legend, Phoenix, etc)!

Is this event for me? Give me the pros and cons...
*** This post was edited by Jeffrey R Smith 6/22/2005 4:04:21 PM ***

While I haven't been there yet, I have yet to hear anyone say a negative thing about either coaster. As a matter of fact, many consider them both to be some of the top woodies in the world and night rides are considered a must. We're going to be traveling from PA and aren't even giving it a second thought.;)As for the pros of the event, I think that Moosh pretty much summed it up. A decent price that includes all day admission, a meal, free drinks, and 2 hours of ERT.

If you can make it, I would also consider hitting the Puyallup Fair (which is very large and very fun). Usually when the fair is going on (in April and September) the others parks in the Northwest are on weekend only operations, making it difficult to make the fair part of an extended trip up there. Here's a great chance to combo it along with a great coaster event. I believe the two are about a 5 hour drive. What we are probably going to do is fly into Seattle that Thursday night, do the Puyallup Friday, then drive to Silverwood. Saturday is the event and then Sun is get up early, drive back to Seattle, and catch a flight home.

Jeffrey,

GO FOR IT. Silverwood is an awesome park with great food and employees set in a beautiful location. I flew out there last year for the ACE event from Indianapolis and was so impressed. Timber Terror is my #3 woodie and Tremors is #5 and that is just from riding during the day. The saying "good things come in small packages" fits Silverwood to a T.

I have never been to the Payallup Fair so I can't comment on it, but everyone seems to love that place too due to it's limited operation.

I hope this helps.

Waterboy

Jeffrey - you should read what others have said about the park and especially the event. Go to Google and search for CAC trip reports from 2002 and 2003, or try here on CBuzz, too.

Tremors is currently my #1 woodie tied w/Phoenix, although having just ridden Thunderhead, Hades, and Avalanche this month that may change. But given the coasters you mention as ones you enjoy I have no doubt you'll love Tremors and Timber Terror.

Puyallup, which is near Seattle, is about a 5 hr drive from Silverwood. You can also fly pretty cheaply from Spokane to Seattle on Southwest or Alaska Airlines.

Jeffrey -- do it. Tremors is far and away my #1 woodie. I'm seriously considering CAC myself, and I'm going to be fresh back from my Japan trip (not the ACE trip, a roll-our-own 2 week excursion) at the time...

I just have to convince the wife that a long weekend without her is in store. I might end up taking her and my son, but he will only be 18 months old and all the flying/driving with him might be enough to cause divorce...

Thank you for the advice. I like the coasters I always see you guys talking about, so I trust I'll have a good time.

Ok---I've got permission from the wife! Now I'll play the cheapo plane ticket game. It is $230 on Southwest from Vegas to Seattle leaving Thur. and returning Sunday. I'll check frequently for a few weeks and see if I can beat it.

How far is it to drive up to Canada and do that coaster in the mall? This would be my first time in Washington, so I plan on going crazy when I get up there and hitting all the coasters I can...

Are you talking about the West Edmonton Mall? That's like a 10-11 hour drive from Idaho. I was once thinking about driving up there from Silverwood (and hitting Calaway Park in Calgary as well) but it's not going to happen this time.

Silverwood is at least a 5 hour drive from any other park. Calaway Park (Calgary) is over 8 hours away (and West Ed. Mall is about 2 after that). There's really nothing coaster related a decent drive away from Athol.

Jeffrey - instead of Mindbender in Edmonton consider getting another woodie that may very well be endangered: Coaster @ Playland in Vancouver. Its about a 3 hr drive north of Seattle. And of course if you have a SF pass you can use it at Wild Waves & Enchanted Village ;)

10-11 is a bit much...but the 3 hours to Vancouver is playing on my mind. I'm going to try and talk a friend of mind into making this trip with me so we can split some serious drive time in a power 3-4 days. It will be like I'm back in college! Again, thanks for the advice. I love midsize woodies, so this is something I should have done a long time ago.

CAC '03 was an incredible event. The two woodies fly through their respective courses at breakneck speeds. The airtime on each is startling! According to Roller Coaster Alley, both are trimless. I believe it. If there is any breaking, it is extremely minimal and certainly unnoticeable. For history, the world's first modern-age coaster to invert riders, Corkscrew (yes, the one from Knott's) resides there as well.

Well worth whatever it takes to get there. :)

PNE's Coaster is a fabulous addition to the trip if you can make it.

Quoth GregLeg: "Tremors is far and away my #1 woodie." Mine too, and #2 is just a *cluster* of ALOT of those tremendous wooden coasters that everyone talks about...;)

CAC '03 remains my favorite ERT session EVER...the company certainly played a part in that, but those coasters (yes, BOTH of them), are, well....*AI*...absolutely INSANE. :)

Been waiting six years to get home and ride at night!!

The anticipation is going to kill me.

See you guys there!