Six Flags Enthuseast Posted August 16, 2009 Share Posted August 16, 2009 (edited) Hey everybody! My family and I are going to begin heading toward Mount Rushmore on the 24th of August (this month). We were planning on stopping @ Silverwood and the Amusment Park Drive-In on the way to and from the mountain. However, I was wondering when the Monster Mouse is going to be opening. I know it isn't a big deal, but I'd just like to check the place out and possibly get a credit. If it isn't opening or at least partially up within the next 2 weeks, I won't go, unless you suggest I do go for the heck of it. Thank you, and along the trip I'll post updates when I can. Edited June 13, 2010 by Six Flags Enthuseast Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larrygator Posted August 17, 2009 Share Posted August 17, 2009 Did you try to e-mail the place? Usually if I need info I go straight to the source, but that's just me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coastermoosh Posted August 17, 2009 Share Posted August 17, 2009 From http://www.amusementparkdriveinonline.com/contactus.asp Question or Comments: rlycooke@yahoo.com. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larrygator Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 ^That would be great to see photos from some of those parks. I'll be out in that area in two weeks. While I have never been, and probably will never make it out to the Amusement Drive-In, I applaud their efforts to keep the industry alive and support a coaster to any degree. Drive-ins are the one thing from my childhood that I really miss. Charging money for those that bring in food is necessary for drive-ins. The cost to "rent" the movies is exorbitant and entrance/parking fees usually barely cover that expense and food (or amusements) are the primary source of revenue for drive-in owners. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airtime&Gravity Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 Amusement Drive in is not a theme park. I don't think anyone said it was. I just went there in July (first enthusiasts there) and the management is a pain in the a$$. Let's work through what you said... You have to pay the full $8 to get in to "see the movie" Well, it is a movie theater. then the tickets for the coaster....if they feel like running it that day. You have to pay for an extra offered at the theater? Who knew. Are you going to complain about the popcorn not being free too? The only logical part of the rant I found was if it is true that the staff isn't that good. Of course, the theater could be understaffed with the workers working at the places everyone will use (tickets, concessions, projections, etc.). Also you will have to pay an extra $5 if you have any food in your vehicle. Why would they let you bring food in for free when they want you to buy the food they offer? It is nice to see Amusement Park Drive-In offer new twist on the drive-in theater, and it's nice to see people give the whole concept a new chance since the whole business is fairly new if i remember correctly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larrygator Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 Who said anything about a rant? I was more telling the original poster what to expect if he goes there. Well said. For those of who may be thinking of visiting this just gives one visitor's persepctive, which is always better than hearsay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airtime&Gravity Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 Due to the wording, my interpenetration of the post was that it was a rant. It just seemed like the poster was complaining about stuff that should have been expected. Sorry I will say that the coaster looks fairly ghetto though. MOD EDIT by larrygator: No biggie, words on the internet can easily be misconstrued. As a mod I just don't want a small misinterpretation to grow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Six Flags Enthuseast Posted August 21, 2009 Author Share Posted August 21, 2009 Thank you all for your information and advice. However, I just learned that we won't be able to go to Mount Rushmore or the 'Amusement Park' Drive-In. Due to the Executive Officer on my dad's Navy Ship disapproving his leave chit, we won't be able to go. However, we will still be able to go to Silverwood on the 27th and 28th. So watch for my TR. Once again, thank you everyone for all the info you guys got for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metrock Posted August 23, 2009 Share Posted August 23, 2009 Because it needs to be said - When you go to Silverwood, eating at Lindy's Restaurant is a must. It's the big victorian style building to your left as you enter, just before the train tracks. Some of the best food I have ever had, period, regardless of location. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larrygator Posted August 23, 2009 Share Posted August 23, 2009 ^What type of food do they serve at Lindy's and what do you recommend. I hate when people tell me to try someplace and after I don't like the place they tell me what I should have ordered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sixflagsguy5 Posted August 24, 2009 Share Posted August 24, 2009 (edited) The Monster Mouse was being sandblasted and repainted in July, when Ben and I went there. I think the idea of having a drive in theater with some rides is a really cool concept. For us, we didn't have time to see the movie that we payed for, because we went to Mount Rushmore that morning and we had a 7hr 30min drive to Silverwood that night, which ended up being 10 hours instead. They won't let you in just to ride the coaster. You have to pay for a movie, which is about $7. Edited April 30, 2011 by sixflagsguy5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Six Flags Enthuseast Posted August 24, 2009 Author Share Posted August 24, 2009 Change of plan: We're still going to Rushmore! I'm typing this from Butte, Montana on my PSP. EDIT: Just got back from visiting Rushmore this evening. It is absolutely GORGEOUS at night!! You guys gotta check it out some time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metrock Posted August 28, 2009 Share Posted August 28, 2009 This is where I ate: And this is what I ate: BBQ bacon burger, garlic fries and a salad for the meal and a giant brick of onion rings for an appetizer (about half way eaten when this picture was taken). Everything was so good. Food done right, that's for sure! Not sure exactly what my father was eating. But I think he liked it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Six Flags Enthuseast Posted August 28, 2009 Author Share Posted August 28, 2009 ^DEFINITELY looks good, I'll consider..... Also, I stopped by the Amusement Park Drive-In. Very very very depressing, really not worth visiting unless you want to watch a movie. I couldn't get in, but I got some photos. It's on the outskirts of Laurel and is almost in the middle of nowhere. I wouldn't recommend it. Anyways, I'm in Post Falls now. I'll be going to Silverwood tomorrow and on Sunday. Look for a Photo TR soon! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larrygator Posted August 28, 2009 Share Posted August 28, 2009 Duh! It's a Drive-in Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metrock Posted September 16, 2009 Share Posted September 16, 2009 Look for a Photo TR soon! Waiting... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Six Flags Enthuseast Posted September 19, 2009 Author Share Posted September 19, 2009 ^Our old computer went BOOM and we just got our new one today (Note, first TPR Post on my new computer ). I should be able to have at least a few things on here by either later on tonight (I have to be very diligent), tomorrow, or Sunday. Note, all my school work is pushing it to next weekend. Sorry for making promises I can't keep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Six Flags Enthuseast Posted January 3, 2010 Author Share Posted January 3, 2010 I'm so sorry I kept everybody waiting, but I've finally got my photos ready! We set out for Mount Rushmore, a trip that would take 2 days, 2 nights, and several bags of Funyons to reach. I'd like to throw a shout out to these people we talked with. I completely forgot your names, but I remember you had the same camera as us. Thank's for reading! Can't beat Coke Machines themed to Mount Rushmore! "I was sold to the Carnahan's in 2006 @ the Japaneese store in Epcot. We all know that's in Florida." Mom was born in Iowa. This is where I was born. Because his dad was born in Tennessee? We got a chance to pose in front of state flags and marble things. This one is because... well... we live in Washington. They also got to introduce themselves as apart of the US Navy. My dad got to lend a hand in lowering and folding the Rushmore flag! What an honor! We finally reached Rushmore, just in time for the lighting ceremony. North Dakota has the coolest license plates ever! 'Discover the Spirit' Hmm.... At this point, we had no idea how far Rushmore was from here. "Oh God, it was a really big bump! I caution drivers that take this route through the very northeastern tip of Wyoming, don't approach South Dakota at speed!" "..for only 15 minutes. Hey, what does that sign say? Bump ahead...." "And we're going into Wyoming..." "Finally, after 2 days, 1 night, several bags of chips, several traffic jams, and 2,000,000 bugs killed, we're leaving Montana!" Montana is also home to gigantic dragonflies! As I said earlier, there are a lot of bugs in Montana that are perfectly happy to hit your car and dirty it up. We knew we were slowly getting closer when we saw this sign. Lot's of cattle and horses here. Our GPS told us that this was a faster way than taking the freeway. We figured out, by this closed KFC, that we were in the Crow Indian Reservation. "We just passed a sign that said 'Welcome to Crow Country'. Are we in Wyoming yet?" The speed limit, the sky, the road work projects, and most everything else is bigger in Montana, except for the trains! This is the 'not-as-exiting-as-the-western-part' part of Montana. More roadwork halts us, and several hundred other cars too. Another Cabela's! Another small waterpark. I'm not sure why, but I swear somebody told me that this was going to be an S&S El Locco. Nope, it's an old Mad Mouse coaster that came from New Mexico. The coaster still wasn't set up... You thought the RCT ferris wheel was small, this is like it's Japaneese cousin! Ok, I wasn't expecting much, but this is just sad. I'm one of the first TPR members to check this place out! You drive by a smelly...sulfur? public sewer? something plant before reaching the Drive-In. This park can literally be defined as 'in the middle of nowhere'. As we headed through Laurel, we tried to get to the Amusment Park Drive-In. But a lot of roadwork made our trip quite a bit longer. If you've ever been to Montana, you'll know that the clouds feel very low. And, in reality, they are. It really does feel we've been driving this long.... Even the natural beauty of the whole place can't make up for the straightness of some of the roads. More amazing mountains, trees, and views would await us today. This part of the road was so hilly our cruise control began acting up. As you would probably expect there were a lot of trucks in Montana. We also woke up to more roadwork, which would end up delaying us almost the whole trip through the state. We wake up finally able to see the beautiful mountains surrounding the town we slept in. We finish our dinner to this. We still have a LONG way to go to get to Butte, our sort of planned stopping place for the night. Notice the many bugs on our winshield. Montana is not the place to live if you want to keep your car clean! Somewhere about 2 hours into Montana, we stop at Cracker Barrel to get something to eat. "In Montana, you're allowed to go 80 mph on the freeways.... THIS is why." Montana radio is awesome! Classic rock rules here, especially Pat Benatar. Literally, I heard 'Hit Me With Your Best Shot' at least 3 or 4 times while I was here! "Welcome to Montana.... AKA the state with absolutely everything but theme parks!" Yet another small waterpark, this one being indoor, possibly apart of a hotel/resort. Scenic driving. "And the second we get into Idaho, we see a sign for Silverwood!" On our last trip here, we stopped at Cabela's. We'll stop later if we have time. We were slowly approaching the Idaho border. This one even has a bowl slide! This is the first of many small water parks we'd pass along the way. Zip's is pretty good, but it isn't in WW. =( Spokane>Seattle Gas is pretty expensive in EW. Then again, this is Shell, one of the more expensive stations. In Eastern Washington, we noticed several of these little dust cyclones that appeared on farm fields. Interesting, eh? ...and hit the road. We loaded up on snacks.... We also notice seels. Waiting for my dad to get off his ship, we notice very unusual seagulls... We find an Arco gas station conveniently located in the middle of the Puget Sound! "Ready for another Silverwood road trip!" (Note my mom's cleaning service number; if you live in Western Washington and you need a house cleaning person, call my mom! She does a wonderful job cleaning!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SharkTums Posted January 3, 2010 Share Posted January 3, 2010 This explains soooo much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebl Posted January 3, 2010 Share Posted January 3, 2010 Did you notice what they sold at the Phillips 66 station...wedding cakes. Isn't that romantic...you got your wedding cake at a gas station! Seriously, this looks like a nice part of the country. I have family in Spokane, and my grandpa was from Montana, so I really ought to get up that way and see some of that country. Eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metrock Posted January 3, 2010 Share Posted January 3, 2010 Hey, you finally posted some pictures! Heh. Gosh, sure reminds me a lot of my drive through those parts of the country. But I do have to wonder- where are the Silverwood pics? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Six Flags Enthuseast Posted January 4, 2010 Author Share Posted January 4, 2010 ^We visited Silverwood after we toured South Dakota. Part 2 of our Mount Rushmore trip. "And we're off into the sunset..." Thank's for reading! Silverwood coming very soon! Funny enough, I found a Sun chip shaped exactly like Idaho, our next destination. More awesome Montana radio! We have a LONG way ahead of us before we reach Silverwood, but we'll be there soon enough... "On to Silverwood!" We arrive back in Montana, only having a few hours of daylight for decent driving. We talked a little with some of the people walking along the trail with us. On this particular day, there were several people trying to climb the Tower. NOTED! Devil's Tower is the partially eroded core of an inactive volcano. It was the first US National Monument, as announced by Teddy Roosevelt. Notice the golden eagles flying around it's top. Our next stop would be Devil's Tower in Wyoming. Shortly before leaving, I got a burger and a Coke. Amazingly, the burger was decent, a rare thing at an animal park. I'm totally a Canadian driving my little cart through the park waving to everybody I pass. Oh crap! Meh, it's just ok. They had lots of stuffed bears in the gift shop. NOTED! All the bear cubs were laying in the shade. TPR would be totally hogging this if they visited! I wonder what happened here.... They're even more lazy than my cat at home! We get plenty of these guys where we live. NOTED! NOTED! This place also had a lot of quote benches. Here's one of them. After the drive-thru part, you have the option to visit a smaller, walk-thru park with baby animals (as well as some awesome cart thingies). That is one fat a$$! Albino buffalo! More of the same. More like Sleepy Hallow USA. This one decided to join the other one in the pond. (Hmm, Arkansas plate...) This bear decided to cool off by jumping into this pond. Pretty kitty! These...umm.....'wild cats' were laying by their house in the shade. We have these in Washington. This one seemed to know that I was taking pictures, and posed very quickly. The bighorn sheep seemed to be quite content relaxing in the shade. The reindeer were pretty shy today. "So far, nobody has gotten their head ripped off by angry elk." Although these elk seemed to be pretty docile, we were told not to roll down our car window when one was near because of it was mating season for them. We'd finally arrived at Bear Country USA. We weren't able to check this place out, but I hear it's a top attraction. Christmas Village is yet another cool attraction you should check out if you ever visit the South Dakota area. "I'd put this helmet on if only it weren't bolted to this platform. Besides, why would I be wearing the helmet of a team that sucks so bad?" We stopped at a Christmas/Halloween store on our way to Bear Country USA. You should definitely check this out if you want to have a little bit of fun. Come when you're hungry, a nice little resturant awaits you at the top. Also, they take a picture of you shortly before arriving at the top, so make sure you can afford a cute souvenir. Finally, watch out for snakes on the track, I ran over one while I was riding. Thankfully, it went right between the wheels of the bobsled, so I didn't end up getting snake guts all over my shirt. There's a helicopter from the Helicopter Tour place I saw earlier. We decided to pass, only expecting a powered coaster at best. The resturaunt we ate at for breakfast had a cool waterfall pool in it. Apparently, kids at the local school only have to go to school 4 days a week! Cute and soft doggie! We could see Crazy Horse from the road we were driving. Artsy shot of Washington's head from behind the mountain. Once again, more Rushmore. 3 white Toyotas in a row, and we own 2 of the 3 shown! (we own a Tundra, but we left it at home) The next morning we wake up and decide to go to breakfast at a place a few miles from where we stayed. Mount Rushmore is a bit smaller than you'd imagine... Lucario Approved US National Monument. We noticed some people walking up the trails in front of the monument. Here's that flag thing I was talking about. PLENTY of Rushmore photos to come.... Hmm..... (Somewhere between here and the next photo, I lot my camera. Since I don't have my dad's camera right now, I can't show any of the photos I took of the Badlands) My dad, being the offroad car type of person, wanted a picture on this thing. Our hotel was conveniently located near the Rushmore chairlift/alpine sled course. A lot of fun, as we'd find out in the next few days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebl Posted January 4, 2010 Share Posted January 4, 2010 In the upper right...another face in process on Mt. Rushmore? This has been an excellent trip report and I look forward to the next installment. Eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metrock Posted January 4, 2010 Share Posted January 4, 2010 ^ Yeah Eric, I think so. Good eye! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dandaman Posted January 4, 2010 Share Posted January 4, 2010 "And I shall hold TPR ransom for... one MILLION dollars!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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