Day 1- Leaving my house, driving to Arnolds Park, Iowa then driving to South Dakota.
Here are the sleeping arrangements for the night before we leave.
Driving from my house through Wisconsin. Wisconsin has a lot of interesting formations and interesting terrain.
Snickers
here we are at Arnolds Park.
The park is off of lake Okobogi.
The entrance made like a real coaster
.
Fun in the Tipsy House
The coaster goes through the tipsy house
"Legend" coaster
Fun little ride, 80 years old, and in fairly good condition
Here I am on the Rock-O=Plane. A fast moving ferris wheel with cages where you can rock to spin the car and brake the cage at any time to hold it in a position.
They also have a Roll-O-Plane
The Tipsy House really looks...just awkward
The lake front is VERY nice. I would love to come here again.
Were in Tornado Ally and there were some severe thunderstorms. The scary thing is...around here, a funnel cloud is normal
The next stretch of driving...
Louisiana River
The car got attacked by bugs, at one point I seriously thought it was snowing.
There are 2 funny words in this sign
South Dakota had the nicest rest areas I have ever seen. Nice bathrooms, vending machines, computers, TVs, museams, ect.
Last edited by coaster_dot on Sun Dec 27, 2009 11:15 pm, edited 8 times in total.
Guy_Fawkes
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Posts: 5321
Posted: Wed Jul 15, 2009 1:18 pm
How were the coasters, they didnt look too impressive.
coaster_dot
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Posts: 5368
Posted: Wed Jul 15, 2009 1:21 pm
The coaster was fun. It is very historical and I consider it a hidden gem. It cruises around the park and has many moments of airtime.
And its not the size of the coaster that makes it fun, its the overall experience.
Guy_Fawkes
CKA Super Elite
Posts: 5321
Posted: Wed Jul 15, 2009 2:04 pm
I guess one of the best coasters I have been on was set up at Klondike Days in Edmonton, It wasnt all that big but it was just a wicked part of my visit to the fair that day.
coaster_dot
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Posts: 5368
Posted: Wed Jul 15, 2009 2:48 pm
DAY 2- Mt Rushmore, Amusement Drive Inn, Mountains
Driving through the plains is actually really fun
Theres Mt Rushmore!
I normally don't wear polo shirts but I wanted to look nice for a picture.
It is pretty impressive
I found Wisconsin!
Oh yeah, here are our sleeping arrangements
Got to Boondocks park for there coaster
Hey, haven't we been on about 20 other ones just like this around the country?
Literally a backyard coaster.
The owner said "its nice having the only park in South Dakota because there are no safety inspections". Later on he said "I set up all these ride by myself".
Hey they have a rock-o-plane...so I rode it. Owner then said "yeah, they stopped making these because sometimes the whole ride will just collapse".
Driving through Deadwood
Drove through Wyoming and then got into Montana and found this.
So after driving a total of 15 hours the first day, then 7 hours so far today...we made it to Amusement Drive In.
Oh...coaster
Its is for kids however
It goes around the movie screen
There other coaster...wont be opening for a while.
The owner is a major junk collector
After all that driving today, we still have another 10 hours (more like 13) to go before we make it to our next park in Idaho.
Awesome
While driving through the mountain, it was clear, full moon, and really looks beautiful. It was one of my favorite parts of the drive.
At the rest area
-We ended up driving until 6am through the 3rd day so we could get to the park on time. Day 3 coming up!
Last edited by coaster_dot on Wed Jul 15, 2009 5:06 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Regina
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Posts: 32460
Posted: Wed Jul 15, 2009 3:19 pm
You rock dude.
Choban
CKA Elite
Posts: 3598
Posted: Wed Jul 15, 2009 3:45 pm
Yes, some nice shots CD, though those aren'6t mountains, wait till you see the rockeys. My fav coaster (so far) is Dragon Mountain in Niagara Falls Ontario, we were there in May and it was deserted (pretty much) rode it 7 times.
coaster_dot
CKA Super Elite
Posts: 5368
Posted: Wed Jul 15, 2009 3:53 pm
Choban Choban:
Yes, some nice shots CD, though those aren'6t mountains, wait till you see the rockeys. My fav coaster (so far) is Dragon Mountain in Niagara Falls Ontario, we were there in May and it was deserted (pretty much) rode it 7 times.
Wait till you see my photos in the next couple of updates
Yeah, we weren't in the mountains yet during those photos. But trust me, we did drive through the rockies From Montana to Washington, and then from B.C to Alberta.
Those pics should be coming up in a bit
BTW- Dragon Mt is a REALLY great coaster. The pacing is great and the scenery really makes the ride unique.
kitty
CKA Uber
Posts: 19377
Posted: Wed Jul 15, 2009 7:14 pm
Thank you so much for sharing these pics!
Mt. Rushmore is really impressive but my fav pic is the "up" roller coater picture at the top POINT OF NO RETURN. That's classic!
Good Job
TattoodGirl
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Posts: 13928
Posted: Wed Jul 15, 2009 7:19 pm
These are awesome shots Coaster...cant wait to see the rest...thanks for sharing
coaster_dot
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Posts: 5368
Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 12:06 am
Day 3- Silverwood in Athol, Idaho
So after driving all the way through the night, sleeping for 2 hours in the car we finally made it to Silverwood.
To get to the park, you have to walk under the highway
One of the main reasons why we were here.
Heres the kiddie that we got on earlier.
They had a nice flume ride here that get you wet at the end.
This is a very old "Corkscrew" that was designed by ARROW DYNAMICS in 1975.
"Skydiver" one of the last ones standing.
A great drop tower
Here is Dejavu..err I mean Aftershock.
This EXACT coaster was at Six Flags Great America in Chicago. They took down the ride in 2007 sold it, then Silverwood bought it dirt cheap.
It brought back MANY memories from when it operated from 2001-2007.
This is Tremors, a GREAT coaster!
Ah yes...so many memories came back to me.
200ft up down, then up again.
I loved the sounding landscape of the park.
Tremors is full or quick twists, sudden drops, and 4 tunnels.
indeed
Its good but not that good
Aftershock DOMINATES the skyline...just like it did at Six Flags Great America.
This is "Timber Terror". A fun ride and lots of airtime hills. As you can see, the two girls in the back did not read the "do not stand" sign
More of the Corkscrew
Just...dominates
First drop of Timber Terror
Took about 12 rides on Aftershock
Our last ride on Tremors
Timber Terror at night
This park of the park even reminds of Six Flags Great America.
Got some dinner outside of the park...my favorite western food chain.
Started out 6 hour drive to Seattle through the night again.
A semi kind of ruined this shot
Next update Day 4 (Seattle/Vancouver)
TattoodGirl
CKA Uber
Posts: 13928
Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2009 8:14 pm
OMFG!!! You went to Athol Idaho!!! I thought I was the only person, besides some friends I dragged along for the roadtrip, that had ever been there. I found it on a map when I was looking for a cool place to go...we decided hey what the fuck lets go see if they have potatoes....So we went and were told they said all Idaho potatoes out of state...bummer!! So I asked if they had a shirt that said " I was an asshole in Athol Idaho"....I was told to go back to Canada...another total bummer. Thanks for the stirring up of memories CD....Great pics btw!!!
TattoodGirl
CKA Uber
Posts: 13928
Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2009 9:25 pm
WDHIII WDHIII:
TattoodGirl TattoodGirl:
So we went and were told they said all Idaho potatoes out of state...bummer!!
Ya they ship them out...but they sold Washington...how messed up is that...if I wanted authentic freaking washington potatoes I would have gone to Superstore
raydan
CKA Uber
Posts: 35256
Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2009 9:29 pm
WDHIII WDHIII:
TattoodGirl TattoodGirl:
So we went and were told they said all Idaho potatoes out of state...bummer!!
I think she meant "sold".
So you can't find Idaho potatoes in Idaho. That's would be like not being able to find maple sirop in Quebec.
raydan
CKA Uber
Posts: 35256
Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2009 9:33 pm
I haven't had poutine in years. I don't think that my digestive system could handle it anymore.