Alaska Trip, Part Too

Here is part two of my trip to Alaska.  Fasten your safety belt, as we travel through three states in this installment.  Four if you count my mental state...

We woke up bright and early and indulged in a breakfast of whatever we could find in the hotel lobby.  I was lucky, I found a sandwich in someone else's suitcase.  We then began the long drive along the Oregon / Washington border.   We crossed into Washington at Kennewick, drove up into Spokane, crossed over into Idaho, entered Coeur d'Alene, and finally made it to Silverwood Theme Park.

Silverwood opened in 1998 and is Idaho's only amusement park.  It started as an airfield and air museum and slowly transformed into a full-fledged amusement park and water park.   It currently operates four roller coaster, including the original Corkscrew from Knott's Berry Farm, which was the first modern-day roller coaster to turn people upside down.   It was great to see this piece of coaster history in action.  It even still carried the scent of boysenberries.

The park contains two wooden coasters, which was the big reason I wanted to stop.   I had ridden them both several years earlier and remember them as world-class coasters.  First stop was Timber Terror, an out-and-back coaster built in 1996.  I strapped myself into the front seat (my personal favorite), the operator released the brake, and I began my ride. 

Approximately two minutes later, I dragged myself from the front seat and crawled to the exit.   It seems that they have not put much maintenance into the ride since 1996.  This resulted in a very rough ride.  Through the second half of the ride I had lifted myself from the seat to avoid the punishment to my spinal column.   Once I exited, I straightened my back and headed for the larger of the two coasters, Tremors.   Apparently I am either a glutton for punishment or a slow learner.

Tremors was built in 1999 and quickly jumped onto many coaster enthusiasts' top ten list.  I rode it when it first opened and loved it.   The coaster was fast and unrelenting and passed through four tunnels along the way, including one that is visible through the gift store's glass floor.   This time, I approached with some trepidation.   Would I be spending the rest of my trip in a neck brace?   Hopefully they had spent some money on maintenance.  Here's a video of the ride in motion, including a point-of-view shot of the entire ride.



I am happy to report that the ride was rideable.   Not as smooth as I remembered, but definitely less rough than the previous coaster.  The rest of the Park was very enjoyable, though unmemorable...  Except for the ice cream.   They have an ice cream place called the Creamery that makes HUGE ice cream cones...  and the ice cream is delicious.   A double scoop weighed in at over a pound.   I had Huckleberry Heaven and Maui Wowee.   The Maui Wowee was a blend of tropical flavors that was perfect on a warm day.   I still dream about that place. 

We soon left Idaho and had dinner in Spokane, in a historic diner called Frank's.   In 1931 Frank Knight bought an old observation railcar that had been used as a Presidential railcar in its last years.   he converted it to a diner and opened it in Seattle.  When he lost their lease, he moved the whole works to Spokane, and continued to operate in the same railcar.   While the railcar was beautiful, the food was rather ordinary.   Not highly recommended by Joefood.  However, they have been voted the #1 breakfast in Spokane for the last 14 years, so you may want to try them if you are in Spokane for breakfast someday. 

We ended up spending the night in Ritzville, Washington, in one of the top-rated Best Western hotels in the country.   Ritzville is a town well-known for its great Best Western's.  Besides that, there is nothing to see in Ritzville.

Stay tuned for part three.   I know I am in suspense...