Photo TR: Road to Silverwood 2010

[Six Flags Enthuseast]

Since 2008, my family has been going to Silverwood Theme Park in Athol, Idaho, about 20-30 mins from Coeur d'Alene. Home to 4 roller coasters, a 140ft Drop Tower, several great family rides, and Boulder Beach, a 16 acre waterpark, Silverwood is "the Northwests Largest Theme Park". It once was a small theme park located in the middle of nowhere, but with the recent additions of Aftershock (SFGAm's Vekoma GIB) and Boulder Beach it's been attracting thrill seekers from all around. Since it's not easy to find a great theme park around here, Silverwood has been the best theme park in the area for a while, and we took the road trip once again to check it out.

"Elissa would be loving all over me right now if she was out here."

"On the road again... Just can't wait to get on the road again..."

After an hour of driving, we stop at an interesting McDonalds (a rare thing).

I didn't get any pictures of the inside, but this is one of few McDonalds that has a double drive-thru. So Larry will get his Iced Tea quicker.

I-90 through the Cascade Mountains. Full of awesome views.

Oh crap...

With all this traffic, thank goodness somebody had a portable kitchen!

Scenic? I'd say so.

After a few hours of driving, we decide to stop at this fruit market.

We stop at the smaller of the 2 first.

I came all the way to Eastern Washington for vitamin water.

They call them cukes here.

We walk across the street and look at the bigger market.

They have all kinds of drinks here... Including a better selection of vitamin water!

Popcorn-on-the-cob.

We continue our drive....

 

I'll post more later. Thanks for reading!

Edited August 17, 2010 by Six Flags Enthuseast

[larrygator]

I never use drive thrus but thanks for the shout out.

[Six Flags Enthuseast]

^Anytime Larry. Just paying you back for yours to me about the Sling Shot.

 

Part 2

We finally cross the Columbia River.

You can see the years of eroded rock.

We've gone from the trees part of the state to the mountains part to the dry part.

Hay Hay Hay!

Nothing....for miles...and miles....and miles....

We soon begin seeing stores that we never really see on our side of the state.

The Canadians were surely enjoying the beautiful day!

The closest thing to an ocean on this side of the state!

Silver Bug! Anyways, we got off the freeway to look for somewhere to eat.

NOTED!

We get lost in the parking garage. So lost that we accidentally head the wrong way! Remember, do NOT park in this garage, you will get screwed up!

The brick streets. It seems everything in the whole town is made out of brick!

We decide to eat at Pita Pit. It's an awesome little sandwich restaurant that serves sandwiches, shakes, chips, and more. It's similar to Subway, but a little more interesting. I really liked it, and I'd recommend it to anybody who wants a hearty yet healthy meal!

It's funny because it says MEAT instead of MEET, and they're all meats. Hahaha. NOT!

Thanks for the great dinner, Pita Pit!

One of many small waterparks along I-90 in this part of the country.

 

The road trip is over, the next update will be at Silverwood! Thanks for reading!

Edited August 17, 2010 by Six Flags Enthuseast

[Six Flags Enthuseast]

Ok, here's Silverwood Day 1:

"Grrrr! Ready to go! Grrr! I have a SFGAm shirt on because Aftershock was once Deja vu! Grr!"

While eating breakfast, I noticed that our milk was on the Highway to the Danger Zone!

We took the highway, unlike last year...

...and we ended up paying for it. Red lights, road construction, and traffic (because of both) really made things slow. I recommend taking the back road to prevent delays from happening.

I'd LOVE to have this!

Yay! I can see the park!

This is the ride that made Silverwood what it is today.

You can see both of the parks major woodies: Tremors and Timber Terror.

Timber Terror and Panic Plunge, both known for their airtime.

2 great coasters, one wood, one steel.

NOTED for all!

This tunnel is here so you don't have to cross the highway.

The park was pretty popular today!

"My appearances are becoming very sparse!"

This brickwork somewhat reminds one of Disneyland... Except there's growth between each brick.

Garfield was at the entrace with his warm smile and a lot of enthusiasm!

This photo showcases just some of the open space Silverwood has.

The nice rockwork on the way into Boulder Beach.

Boulder Beach is Silverwood's waterpark. It's included with admission to the park, and is very good! It has some great slides, 2 wave pools, a Lazy River that beats many others, and concrete paths! (the last helps keep your feet from 1) being heated up and 2) getting scraped. Wild Waves has asphalt that really burns and scrapes up your feet! That's why flip-flops are a necessity at Wild Waves and are not at Boulder Beach.)

The prices here are pretty decent.

The Lazy River, which, as I said before, is awesome!

One of many cool things about this LR is that it is large enough to be able to let people ride with or without a tube.

Velocity Peak (speedslides) and Rumble Falls (tube slides).

I thought my camera had run out of battery, but it didn't.

 

While waiting in line for Tremors, I got this picture of somebody who wasn't feeling so well when she got off Tremors. She was pointing to her chest and they stopped the ride for a few minutes to help her out.

'Tremors gift shop ZOOM!' shot FAIL. I never really could get it just right.

Panic Plunge, before....

Panic Plunge, after.

Here's what it would look like if 1) you were on crack, or 2) if you looked through the mesh netting covering the queue.

Meet James. He pulls Panic Plunge to the top, drops it, and then slowly crawls back down. It's a boring job, but he always gets a great view, and he's very well thanked!

James doin' his work.

Me talking with a lady in line (no, not about the manufacturer ). It was her 1st time riding and she wanted to know how it was. I told her she'd love it, and she did!

"Please, just get me on this ARM/Larson drop tower ASAP!"

Mom didn't time this picture well.

We watched the Ice Show, which, even though filled with Michael Jackson music and colorful butterflies, was just ok.

Let the speculation begin!

Sorry for all the sun, but still, it'll make some New Yorker somewhere happy.

Slow ascent, quick drop, smooth brakes.

Timber Terror; it has a short line now, but it's still very busy for a reason! (that reason being the fact that it only has 1 train)

Ladies and gentlemen, it's time for the main event!...

....Let's get ready to rummmmmbbbblllleeee! (literally)

These towers have stood 191 ft high in 2 states.

You go upside down 3 times forward.... and 3 times backward.

Thanks to Silverwood, this view is possible!

It still has that annoying horn, though.

This is one of the best parts of its positioning! You can catch the facial expressions of people in the front seat!

Huuuummmmmmmmm.....Pfffftttt......Whooossshhh!

Whooooossshhhh...... CLUNK!....Huuummmmmmmmmmmmm......Pfffssstttt.....Whoooosssshhhh!

Whooossshhhhhh....CLUNK!...Mummummummum....Huummmmmmmmmm.....

As you can see, I love the way GIBs sound.... and look.

Just like Deja vu at SFMM, Aftershock is placed within close proximity to a woodie.

Like this shot? Want a better quality shot of it? PM me if you want any pictures in their original size and quality!

This sign is still awesome!

As is the ride.

Take your socks off if you're sure.

Tired of Aftershock? Take a quick Tremors break!

Take the Tunnel!

Theming!

Twisted Sister:"I wanna Rock!"

Me:"Here you go!"

"In 0.2 miles, keep left, then, prepare for gutbusting airtime, then, turn left, then, bear right, then prepare for more airtime, then turn right, then turn left, then, arrive at destination, on left."

 

This is EXACTLY what my Garmin Nuvi 200 would be saying if I was riding Timber Terror.

'Nother face shot.

I can still hear it in my head... No, not those strange voices, I can't turn them off. I mean the sound of the cable lift.

NOTED!

Employee parking + original airstrip + Train = Silverwood!

Looking through the trees, you can see this ride. What is the name of this ride?

If you answered Thunder Canyon, you're right!

Does anybody know what this was?

This is awesome!

You pay to either get a bucket of rubber balls to shot into the water, or step into a submarine and shoot rubber balls while driving a semi-submarine. Totally epic and fun!

Thunder Canyon, Silverwood's raft ride.

SKLOOOSSSHHH!

Built in 1990, Thunder Canyon is one of Silverwood's most popular rides. It has several rapids, meandering sections, and small drops. It's popular, so expect lockers (which, I might add, are terrible) to be full.

Super Round Up. Fun, but not exactly my favorite ride at Silverwood.

Ready to get 'Screwed?

Apparently, Wild Waves has one of these, although I barely remember seeing it.

Corkscrew was once at Knotts Berry Farm in California. It was the 1st roller coaster to ever go upside down.... and the 1st to go upside down twice!

La Classico.

NOTED!

Sign shot...

This used to sit ontop of a really pretty pond. Has anybody seen a picture of it when it was at Knotts?

Lift Hill!

Transfer track! (cool, I might add)

It's got lots of chain lag, but don't most Arrow coasters?

Perfection!

ZOOM!

The brakes are rough, but not too sudden, like Wild Thing's (WW) brakes.

Station shot!

For all you nerds out there, I give you a shot of Corkscrew's brake fins. Enjoy!

There's something with Silverwood and transfered steel coasters.

Wait for it.....

Upside dooowwwwnnnn!

 

I'll continue..... ummm.... technically, later on today. Thanks for reading!

[Six Flags Enthuseast]

Day 1 Part 2

Arrow has 2 classics at this park.

Trabant: Gambler but with the stock name.

One of the very few 'fairish' rides in my cool club, along with Sky Diver, Inverter, and Chairswing.

Dunk Tank!

Rock Wall!

Krazy Kars.

They're the older style bumper cars. These one shake way too much for me; my hands were nearly numb after riding 2 years ago!

We walk back toward the Victorian Main Street area.

Yeah, what IS an aquifer?

We stop inside the little Victorian coffee house. Mom looks at the candles that have coffee beans in them.

Sitting on this chair makes one think of lockers...

This is the place to relax after you've been walking around all day...

A tribute to Silverwood's past.

Rail! Rail! Rail!

Huckleberry chocolate bar! It sounds good, if you ask me.

Ahh... The cool vent.

More assorted huckleberry stuff.

Sophie wanted to get this teapot/cup for her mother. It looks like a tea pot and can serve as one, but you can take the bottom out and it becomes a teacup.

Pepsi. Robb is to Vault as I am to Cherry Pepsi.

Garfield Cookie Jar.

Silverwood brand Beer Batter. Complete with a moose, a commom thing in Idaho.

The train was pretty popular today.

We see you, Thunder Canyon raft!

Train crossing gate.

Ferris Wheel.

It's pretty popular, as you can see by the line.

Helicopters. Silverwood has a LOT of KidTums friendly rides.

The Coaster Alley Sign.

Panic Plunge Sign.

This awesome view is exclusive to the Tremors station!

If only Panic Plunge was in this shot...

They changed the signs so that they were less confusing.

They still have this one, though!

Whooosshhh!

Tremors enters the station at 1,000,000 MPH!

Looking to your right as you exit the Tremors Gift Shop.

Bye bye, Afteshock. We'll ride you tomorrow!

Sky Diver. It has its lights on, but it's still not open. =(

What's better than Panic Plunge during the day? Panic Plunge durin the night!

Paratrooper....AT NIGHT!

The magic show isn't bad.

I heard that Lindy's was a good restaurant, but sadly mom thought it was too expensive, so we didn't try it out. =(

They woke up, so now they're worth less. If you want a fluffy, fluffy bear filled with medicine and goo, come to Silverwood.

Fridge magnets. We have an Aftershock one and a Boulder Beach one.

"Almost at cute as me.", he says.

I didn't know people knew about seels here!

"How do you 2 mate?"

KidTums question to Shouka and Foghorn Leghorn at SFDK

 

Seriously, I just saw this sitting here!

Adjusted for inflation?

Oh, ok. That makes sense.

Wow, Garfield is 32!

Cool frame.

Bye bye, Silverwood!

We decide to eat at Mackenzie River Pizza Company. This is the only one in Idaho, the rest are in Montana.

You walk in and smell the awesomeness right away!

I recommend a stop if you're in the area and you love pizza!

 

Thanks for reading!

[Midgetman82]

I saw that same mug in Dubai, except it said "Things were so expensive in Dubai, I could only afford half a mug!"

Nice pictures, I wouldn't really expect a Deja Vu type ride in that kind of park, but that is what makes it worth visiting if I went with my family.

[FeelTheFORCE]

^ There were TONS of them in the shops in Virginia Beach when I was there this past week. I guess they're the hot new knickknack.

 

 

Great pictures!

[mightbeawannabe]

Wow. Lots of great pictures! Lots.

 

By the way...In your first post you said that double lane drive throughs were rare...I've only been to one that wasn't! Strange, huh?

[Sidra]

Nice report.

 

Here's an old picture of corkscrew at Knotts. (not mine).

 

[ebl]

^ I rode Corkscrew at Knott's when it looked like that. Just a note, the track was originally all white.

 

In the pictures, I noticed that apparently, Silverwood didn't set up the evac platform under Aftershock's cobra roll (seen in this picture from Roller Coaster Database). Unless I missed it somehow...

 

Eric

[FeelTheFORCE]

^ You are correct. Aftershock does not have an evac platform on the cobra roll. In fact it never has had one at Silverwood, only at SFGAm. I wonder why? It hasn't stalled there in 2 years yet, that I know of, so I guess it's alright.

[Sidra]

Yeah, but I liked the blue and white better. Lived by Knotts growing up, we'd go a lot, miss this ride there.

[Six Flags Enthuseast]

I saw that same mug in Dubai, except it said "Things were so expensive in Dubai, I could only afford half a mug!"

Nice pictures, I wouldn't really expect a Deja Vu type ride in that kind of park, but that is what makes it worth visiting if I went with my family.

I agree, it is a little bit weird, but it actually fits in surprisingly well. And it's a great ride (much better then when it was at SFGAm), so I think it's a good fit for Silverwood.

^ There were TONS of them in the shops in Virginia Beach when I was there this past week. I guess they're the hot new knickknack.

 

Great pictures!

I've never seen them before. Then again, I don't go to souvenir shops that much, so I can't say I'd be surprised if they were popular. Thank you!

Wow. Lots of great pictures! Lots.

 

By the way...In your first post you said that double lane drive throughs were rare...I've only been to one that wasn't! Strange, huh?

Yeah, I guess I went a little overboard. Which state do you live in? They must be pretty popular where you live; this is probably the 3rd I've ever seen in all of Washington.

Nice report.

 

Here's an old picture of corkscrew at Knotts. (not mine).

That's a great picture, thanks for sharing. I saw another one that showed the water that was below the corkscrews, and it was a beautiful picture. I wish Silverwood could've done a similar theming job to Corkscrew when they moved it.

^ I rode Corkscrew at Knott's when it looked like that. Just a note, the track was originally all white.

 

In the pictures, I noticed that apparently, Silverwood didn't set up the evac platform under Aftershock's cobra roll (seen in this picture from Roller Coaster Database). Unless I missed it somehow...

 

Eric

I wish I could've ridden it as the original. It looked like it fit in well at Knott's back then. They don't have an evac platform.

^ You are correct. Aftershock does not have an evac platform on the cobra roll. In fact it never has had one at Silverwood, only at SFGAm. I wonder why? It hasn't stalled there in 2 years yet, that I know of, so I guess it's alright.

They don't have the evac platform because Silverwood prefers to use a cherrypicker to lower people down in the case of an accident. It hasn't stalled in 2 years because Silverwood apparently fixed the bug in the cable lift system that caused its constant downtime. I learned from a ride-op that its downtime at SFGAm was about 80%. Silverwood has reduced that to 3% downtime.

Yeah, but I liked the blue and white better. Lived by Knotts growing up, we'd go a lot, miss this ride there.

I agree. The black and yellow is still good, but I like the original look a LOT more.

 

Thank you everybody for your comments! I really appreciate the feedback, and I'll get the next update started soon.

[deathbydinn]

Silverwood looks like a great park, but next time, I would just post the park pics, not all the ones from the way there...

[mightbeawannabe]

^^Missouri. I know, right?

[Six Flags Enthuseast]

^^I deleted a few of the unnecessary ones.

 

^On the e-mail I got responding to the topic, "In a town of 75,000 odd people, there are 4

doubles, and one single not including the one it the middle of the mall (it

can't count)." was included. Weird that it's not included on your post, but anyways, Bremerton is has a population very close to that, but we don't have a double drive-thru, and we only have 2 McDonalds. This state is pretty weird; it hasn't completely

 

 

Day 2

Patrick approves of this vending machine, because it has as much Cherry Pepsi as it does Pepsi!

Ready for another few rides!

This sign welcomes you as you approach the park from Sandpoint.

3 coasters, 1 shot! (all have 1 train, too. Yes, even the woodies.)

The bag check was kinda weird. They'd search everybody with a bag randomly.

Lindy's again. Still don't have time or money to stop. =(

'Themed' restroom, like Shadyrest Room at SFMM.

Tilt-A-Whirl. We finally decide to ride.

The Antique Cars are built very close to many of the rides in this section of the park.

I spy the manufacturer!

Trabant. A pretty good ride, even though it makes squeeky noises when it begins to stop.

Slow moving and jarring? That's a pretty weird combo...

Sure, I'm from Washington, but I'm not a tree hugger... I'm a support hugger! Save the coasters!

If you're wondering which ride I'm hugging, this is it!

Peek over the fence, and you get a good view of Corkey's transfer track!

Walk beneth this sign if you want to get (Cork)screwed really bad!

"A Huss U.F.O. was featured in the 1st episode of Futurama in 1999! So this ride has some TV time."

This ride helps you with your fear of round objects, gravity, and the #3.

ClunkclunkclunkclunkclunkClunkCLUNKCLUNK! Whooaaaaaaa

Corkscrew: The coaster that turned people upside down.... twice!

Facing Corkscrew while in SR-U, you get a good view of it.

Exited look or 'Oh crap' look? You decide!

Everybody looks pretty relaxed, right?

Ground, trees, sky, trees, repeat.

You can see Aftershock from nearly anywhere in the park!

They don't call it a rapids ride for nothin'!

The lines were long... but we decided to ride anyways.

Silverwood did a great job with planting the flowers, and they make the park look great, but did they have to put them directly in front of this ride sign?!?

Here comes a boat of already somewhat wet riders getting ready to get drenched!

Italy could use a rapids ride this wet!

The terrible lockers provided. Make sure that you tell Silverwood to get new ones soon in a survey or comments/suggestions e-mail! In fact, write them one right now! comments@silverwoodthempark.com

Drenched, we walk off and attempt to dry off.

Typical stall prizes. Cool, but NOT worth the money paid to get them.

Did you know that most of the water in Eastern Washington and North Idaho comes from an underground river?

They turned old logs into large planters! A very original idea!

Ahh.... Arrow Log Flume. A fun yet refreshing ride.

Plenty of 'Through the Trees' moments here.

Ferris Wheel!

 

I'll continue Day 2 tomorrow. Thanks for reading!

[Six Flags Enthuseast]

Day 2 Part 2

The line for Roaring Creek extends into the station house. Even so, the line doesn't take too long.

Panel shot, for my nerdy friends!

2 boats were hiding, too shy to be out on the course today.

NOTED!

If this ride was in Italy, it would likely be called Colorado River. It should be in Italy, too, because it doesn't get you very wet.

Unlike Log Jammer at SFMM, this Arrow Log Flume uses its dual loading station.

The operating staff are also pretty effecient, so it serves its purpose well.

Panel shot.

I remember a few years ago that this water was once really dirty. Now it's clean. Yay!

This thing flips from one side to the other to direct the log flumes into the correct station.

I wish I could've gotten one of these, even though they cost a lot of $$$.

Panic Plunge, Aftershock, and Tremors... a park this size doesn't need much more that those.

We're all trying to pose, but we're not doing an exactly 'great' job at it. I think Jessica did the best of us 3.

I decide to get one more ride in.

The Aftershock plaza is a nice one. It has plenty of places to sit, and has a very rocky feeling to it.

But of course, the focal point is the 191 ft tall Vekoma GIB standing there.

I still can't get over just how many bolts it takes to hold this ride up, and how big they are!

You can tell that the paint is fading and chipping.

What is it with this park and hearing aids? Are that many people wearing them?

It's a disappering act! Now, you see it...

Now... you don't!

A train hides somewhere in this mass of supports.

Another sign of paint fading/chipping.

UPSIDE DOOOWWWNNNN!

Is this the only evac platform that remains from SFGAm?

ZOOM!

My chariot awaits me...

It appears to head towards the fence.

ZOMG NO LINES!

The horn sounds, the floor drops...

they pull out backwards...

and they speed through the station with fury!

Raise your bar if you agree.

However, I do agree that this is the best coaster in the Pacific Northwest!

Towah of Powah!

Loopy loopy loop!

If you like inverstions, here's 3 of 'em!

Hahaha, it's funny because this park has a roller coaster that's called Aftershock, and it's green too.... NOT!

I'd need Hannos camera in order to ever get this shot...

What would people at Silverwood know about dolphins? It's a landlocked state!

Aftershock "Through the Tremors gift shop window" shot.

We decide to get one final ride in.

The ride operator has his own lines to say during ride operation!

The Vekoma seal-of-quality. Actually, with this ride, there's no sarcasim in that statement!

I don't remember the orange seat belt from when it was at SFGAm...

I'd stand here to get the shot... but that'd be another 4 or 5 minutes.

The twistyest part of the track.

Face shot!

Sophie and Jessica want to ride Tremors one more time, so we ride too.

We also decide to get one more ride in on Panic Plunge before leaving...

For some reason, Panic Plunge delivered a LOT more airtime than it ever did before.

 

My camera died after taking this photo, but (thanks to convincing by Jessica and Sophie) I rode the Elephant Ride once and Tiny Toot Coaster once before the park closed. Once again, our 2 days at Silverwood were awesome, and I'd recommend this park to anybody who hasn't gone or has second thoughts about visiting! It's a lot of fun, has great value, and is very clean. I hope that, if you visit Silverwood in the near future, you have as much fun as I did.

 

Thanks for reading!

[BaMiTsPaT]

DANG that was alot of pictures for such a small park, but thank you for sharing! I was supposed to go out there when they opened Aftershock as one of the finalists in the naming contest, but I didn't win and couldn't afford it at the time. I'd love to head out there some time and ride those great coasters