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[DOWNLOAD AVAILABLE]The Northwestern Adventure

GuyWithAStick

Captain Basic
So I've been working on an RCT3 timeline park for the past year and a half now, so I thought it was time to finally post it here!

Well, I'm too lazy(and I'd probably get banned for spamming) to post everything here, so here's the link to the original thread on RCTLounge:

http://rctlounge.com/forums/showthread.php?t=14510

Go check that out first to catch up on what's happening. Also note that this update was a huge quality update(in some areas), so don't be too distracted at the semi-low quality product in places. Enjoy! :)
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May 2nd, 1985. Gary Baker, Ex-Employee. 1985 Opening day!
Hey everyone! It's me, Gary once again. Today was the day of The Northwestern Adventure's 1985 opening day!

Before I begin, I should say that Michelle Smith was able to allow me into the park an hour early to document everything that's new! She's such a nice person. I wish more people were like her...

Anyways, on to the TR! I can tell you that a LOT has changed, and I mean a LOT! Take a look at the entrance road:

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New tree-lined roads, and a brand new parking lot!

Parked my car up front...
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...And headed to the brand new entrance!
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This thing looks really nice! Fountains, flags, and new ticket booths!
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They also had a nice little Guest Services center.
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Here's what the new ticket booths look like(this is inside the new entrance building, by the way):
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They also got a new Ticket Prices sign.
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(Sorry about the visual glitch. The CS glass is also apparently Looking Glass :p )

They also have a new entrance plaza in the park, which looks very nice.
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...And nothing else really changed from this view.
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Except for the new Exit sign(it says "See You Soon!" ), which again looks really nice.
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Right Side Down has a much nicer looking sign above the entrance.
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And the moment you've all been waiting for...
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STALLION!

Going up the lift!
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Looks like that terraforming is some sort of thematic element. Just a few more seconds and I'll find out!
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A double-down drop that provides airtime that competes with Lumberjack's bunny hills. Fantastic first drop.
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So it turns out that the rockwork was a special effect! When the train goes through the MCBR, rocks fall, and narrowly miss the coaster! It's a great element that legitimately scared me!
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The last few hills on this are quite strange; they offer airtime too weak to be ejector, but it's too strong for floater. It's right in the middle, and I love it!
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Finally, you skid into the station.
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This has got to be one of the best additions the park ever made. It's very well themed, has fantastic airtime, and was quite cheap(only $2.5 million(in 1985 money) I think). It will be a huge hit for everyone!

8.5/10

The Stallion Plaza offers a great view of the ride!
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Using my handy zooming camera, it appears that there is some sort of terraforming over by the MCBR. I can't wait to see what it is!
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The plaza itself looks pretty nice. It's a lot more open now, allowing for a lot more elbow room. Also, the fountains are back! Yay!
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As are the ones in front of the newly redone American Thunder!
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The new update included a repaint(which looks very nice), new trains from PTC, re-profiling, and a complete retrack!
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The first new thing I noticed was that the first turnaround was re-profiled to be flat. Quite an odd choice, considering that lateral G forces are stronger than when it was banked. But I'm no engineer, the park and PTC have it all figured out.
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Something else new is that the 2 hills after the second turnaround have been lowered, giving it much better(and more) airtime.
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Another new thing was the double down was tweaked; the big hill was lowered, the second down is now banked, and taller. It's also much smoother of a transition into the (new) twister section.
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Speaking of which, is now just a turn into the helix, instead of a hill/bank.
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After the helix, you get a nice pop of airtime with a dip...
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...And you turn into the brake run.
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Overall, it's a much better ride. Is it a new credit? No, I'd say it's kind of like what happened with the Demons/Turn of the Centuries at the 2 Great America parks back in 1980.

One downside is that they removed the ORP, and replaced the building with lockers. Thankfully, they're optional(there are bins on the ride platform).
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The other new attraction was the 3D OmniSphere Theater that featured IMAX technology.
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I must say, this looks really nice.
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Even the exit path was lined with bushes.
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The movie itself was great! It was a tour(with both ground and flying scenes) of the Appalachian Mountain area. It really felt like you were there. Another great way to enjoy yourself at the park if it ever rains(or snows. It's happened before! :p )

Another new thing is an updated Food Court cooking area.
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It's much more open, and you can actually see your food being processed.

Though I'd hate to be working there in the hot sun...
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Something that really caught my eye was a very tacky "No Entry" sign in front of the exit of House of Horrors.

And then I saw why...
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Looks like it'll be down for a while, knowing that red X all too well.

Even the big sign was removed(thankfully it was replaced by a wider path)
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Nothing too much different in the back or Kiddie Kingdom.

Ok, as the creator(Guy_With_A_Stick), I'd like to show you all this picture of the American Thunder/House of Horrors valley:
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As you can see, it looks 1000x better than before. Told you it'd be a big quality update.

Here's the old Rotor site, which is completely gone. It looks like nothing was ever here.
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Although, there is a valley down there that must be accessed somehow... ;)
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Great to see both trains back on Rocky Mountain Railroad.
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It was also repainted over the offseason:
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As was Lumberjack.
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After I got back to the entrance, I helped open the gates to the park, and had a chat with Michelle Smith for a bit. I told her how great Stallion was. She said it's expected that this might be one of the best years in park history. That was great news to hear! I'm so glad to be friends with an executive. After a while, I decided to head back out to see how the public reacted to everything.

The park was packed!
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You get real up close and personal with the first drop on Stallion in the queue line.
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I had the annual Ride Op chat with the girl running Stallion. She said that the woodies tend to do worse in today's world of steel coasters. However, this disagrees.
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The Lumberjack line was HUGE! I think it said 3 hours! With 2 trains!
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Luckily, I rode it before the public did. :D

Sky Rider also had a lengthy line. It reminds me of the long lines that Apple Tree used to get(which is still in storage, I believe).
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Stallion was, as expected, a huge hit! It said a 2 hour wait when I last checked. Insane!
(Sorry no picture, computer hates me. :( )

R.M.R. also sustained a long line. 1 hour I think.
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Right Side Down was, as usual, a decent length. 30 minutes.
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Something odd I noticed was how vacant Grestel was. Usually, it's a madhouse in there. Thankfully, the food quality hasn't gone down. The Cinnamon Pretzels are still fantastic.
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Something else that was quite vacant was Log Run. It was probably the only walk-on of the day. Maybe it was the cool 76*, or maybe because it was such an uneventful ride, nobody was interested.
Again, sorry for no pics.

That just about does it! See you soon, with more updates on House of Horrors and Stallion! Bye!
-Gary Baker
 

Hixee

Flojector
Staff member
Administrator
Moderator
Social Media Team
Re: The Northwestern Adventure: 1985 Opening day!

Haha, I love the trip report! A nice and unique way of showing off a park!

Good work!
 

Pink Cadillac

Giga Poster
Re: The Northwestern Adventure: 1985 Opening day!

Nice. I love the way that the park reflects the time period. I assume as this park develops and the years pass by, additions will reflect the trends of that particular era.
 

tomahawk

Strata Poster
Re: The Northwestern Adventure: 1985 Opening day!

I read through the entire topic on the other site, so just a few comments.

Historically, some things are off, but just slightly. One post mentioned a fast pass system, and those weren't available really until this century.

That's my biggest gripe, but I like it so far.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Tapatalk
 

GuyWithAStick

Captain Basic
The Northwestern Adventure: 1985 ERT!

scw55 said:
Very nice!
Thank you!

Hixee said:
Haha, I love the trip report! A nice and unique way of showing off a park!

Good work!
Thanks! It's how a lot of people on RCTLounge show off their parks.

Pink Panther said:
Nice. I love the way that the park reflects the time period. I assume as this park develops and the years pass by, additions will reflect the trends of that particular era.
Thanks! That's kind of right. I'm not too well associated with trends of the 80s, but I try to keep it historically accurate(ex. You won't see any Arrows past 2002, or any B&Ms before 1990).

tomahawk said:
I read through the entire topic on the other site, so just a few comments.

Historically, some things are off, but just slightly. One post mentioned a fast pass system, and those weren't available really until this century.

That's my biggest gripe, but I like it so far.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Tapatalk
Thanks! Yeah, I wasn't too keen with the idea of the Fast Pass either, hence why I put it as a (failed) test.
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May 31st, 1985. Danny Frankston, Park Guest. 1985 ERT!
Um... Hi. I'm Danny Frankston, a Missoulian 'native' and regular park-goer. I do know a bit more on the park than a normal guest, which will make it a bit easier for both of us to understand what's going on.

So the park had a special ERT(Extra Ride Time), which included a special discounted ticket for those who come after 7:30 PM, which was really helpful for students taking Summer Classes like me. I got to the park around twilight. I haven't been since the opening of House of Horrors in '83. So I haven't been able to ride Skyrider, Stallion, or experience the OmniSphere Theater yet. They also apparently redid the entrance area, parking lot, and American Thunder, as well as repaint all of the coasters.
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The parking lot was quite full when I got there, but I managed to find a decent spot.

Here's a view of the new parking lot from the entrance plaza:
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The new entrance plaza is really nice. Fountains, a reflection pond, a new Guest Services building, and concrete paving!
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I had to wait a bit for the discounted tickets to begin, so I had a quick chat with the people working in Guest Relations(who were very nice, I must add). They said Stallion was a big success, so I'm really excited.

So after a while, I finally bought the ticket(which was had a $10 discount), and headed in. The new entrance plaza in the park was also looking snazzy! I love the modern architecture they chose with the fountain(I'm fairly certain that a student at UM designed it, as many of the art pieces here are).
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The light packages were really nice:
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The gift shop was quite packed, as it was closing soon.
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Right Side Down had a really short line, which really surprised me.
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It also has a neat lighting package.
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Finally, I made it to Stallion, the park's new wooden coaster(I think it was made by the same people who made The Beast at Kings Island, so yay!)
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They had some sort of rock effect back by the Mid Course Brake Run, which was pretty scary!
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One of the cool things about the queue was that it offered a view of the train when in/leaving the station. There weren't too many people riding things at this hour, so shorter lines for everyone! :D
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Wow! This was a great ride! Tons of airtime of all types, great theming, quite intense, and had a very cool rock slide effect. I'd rate it a solid 8.5/10. It's still a family coaster, but it's a very good one! Never judge a coaster by it's size!

Next, I saw the movie at the OmniSphere Theater.
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It was a nature-based film set in the Appalachian Mountains, and it was super realistic. You could almost reach out and touch the leafs on the trees. I loved it! 7/10

The new American Thunder was also really cool. They lowered the 3 main hills, giving it much better airtime. I think they also redid the twister section? I's been a while, and I couldn't really tell. Not to mention it was pitch black. :p I'd give it a new rating from 7/10 to 8/10. Not as good as Stallion, but still a really good ride.
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I then got a scoop of Ice Cream from the Food Court. The ice cream was good, but the cone was a tad stale. Can't really argue, though. It's been sitting out since this morning(they make home made waffle cones every morning)!
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I wanted to ride House of Horrors, and surprised I was- in the wrong kind of way.
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They turned the plaza into a Smoking Area!

I can't believe that they closed a brand new ride! Although I can agree it broke down quite a bit, and the scenes were quite cheesy, I don't think they had to close it completely!
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You can still see the place where the exit path was behind the benches.
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I then took Skyrider back to the front. Nothing looked too interesting by Kiddie Kingdom anyways. And having the fear of dropping my camera whilst being 50-ish feet in the air meant no pictures from there this time.

When I got to the front, I decided to ride Traffic Jam. The thing looked crazy cool at night! It had lights, fog, and even music!
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I then decided to ride Lumberjack. Again, no line! :D
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Also, the new lights on the train were really nice.
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Next, I rode Fireball with another neat color package. It was intense! And riding it at night only added to the experience.
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I probably wasn't thinking right, or I was just really hot, but I thought it was a good idea to end the day with a ride on Log Run. It was really cool at night! You could barely see a thing!
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That's all I have. In summary, lights are cool, a bunch of updated stuff, House of Horrors closed, and rave party bumper cars are cool. Bye!
-Danny Frankston
 

nealbie

CF Legend
Re: The Northwestern Adventure: 1985 ERT!

Nice! I really like the look of the theatre especially. :)
 

GuyWithAStick

Captain Basic
The Northwestern Adventure: House of Horrors starts to come

nealbie said:
Nice! I really like the look of the theatre especially. :)

Thanks! I do too, it's one of my favorite looking attractions there(next to Stallion and Fireball).
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July 24th, 1985. Gary Baker, Park Legend. House of Horrors starts to come down!

Hey everyone! It's been a while, I know(I was on an awesome Midwest-East Coast Road trip to nab the new stuff at SFGAm, CP, and Knoebels). I remember last time that HoH had one of those infamous red X's on its entrance. I also read the last post, showing that everything is closed off, and a new smoking area was put in. So today, I came to the park to check if anything new happened. Everything's still the same except for...
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That looks to be a bulldozer(taken from SkyRider exit)!

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Moving along, it looked like another piece of equipment was there too.

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When I got to the top of Ye Greate Race, I saw the whole thing! It looks like the park is officially removing House of Horrors! The announcement shouldn't be too far away. Hopefully with the announcement comes some more deconstruction pics.

I know this was a bit of a shorter update, but nothing else really is happening. Stallion is still as popular as when it opened, the entrance looks great, and the OmniSphere is still showing the fantastic Appalachian movie. I guess I'll see you around closing. See you all later!

-Gary Baker
 

GuyWithAStick

Captain Basic
The Northwestern Adventure: House of Horrors update

No comments? Oh well...
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August 14th, 1985. Michelle Smith, CFO. House of Horrors update

Hey everyone! It's Michelle, here to give you guys an update on House of Horrors, which we unofficially closed.


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Here I am at the (de)construction site, where a lot has happened!


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Our crews are working hard to tear the building down. They're brought with a pretty hard task of avoiding the support column for SkyRider, but they can manage it. Oh, by the way, all of the ride systems, cars, theming, etc. were removed before demolition began.


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Here's a flatbed ready to ship some pieces of the building to the scrap yard. We sold the ride back to MACK rides to be used as a parts donor. The theming will be used elsewhere in the park... ;)


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Here is where the old station was. You can still even see some of the queue!


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Our bulldozer here helps knock down some of the lower pieces, where the digger tears down the roof and higher pieces.


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Here's the site atop the cliff.


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From a closer angle, you can see how much progress was made! I can't release anything yet, but a future addition will really open up the area.


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Because of the (de)construction, SkyRider is temporarily closed for the safety of our guests.


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From the West station.


That's about it for now. I guess I'll see you all next time an update occurs!

-Michelle S.
 

GuyWithAStick

Captain Basic
The Northwestern Adventure: 1986 plans revealed!

September 16th, 1985. Michelle Smith, CFO. 1986 plans revealed!

Hey guys, it's me, Michelle again. Today is a very special day, as we have revealed what will come in 1986! First, let's take a look at the old House of Horrors site.

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As you can see, the entire site has been cleared. But the crews won't be gone for long, as they'll need to build...

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Swinging Swashbuckler!

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This might pirate ship stands a whopping 88 feet tall, towering over the pathway! It will be able to hold a total of 50 people per cycle, giving this a massive capacity of 1500 people per hour!

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Designed and manufactured by the Swiss company Intamin, this will be sure to thrill guests of all ages! They even designed it to include its own pond!

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If you ask me, it compliments American Thunder very well.

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You'll be able to relax around the entrance sign, if you don't feel brave enough to challenge Swinging Swashbuckler.

Another new- wait, not new, but rather the return of Northwest Horror Fest!
[SIZE="Small"]Yes, the name was changed, but it's still the same concept.[/SIZE]

Be sure to check The Northwestern Adventure when we reopen in 1986 on May 17th! See you there!
-Michelle S.
 

GuyWithAStick

Captain Basic
The Northwestern Adventure: 1986 Opening Day!

May 17th, 1986. Gary Baker, Park Legend. 1986 Opening Day!

Hello everyone! It's that time of year again! It's opening day for The Northwest Adventure. I've seen the concept work for the new ride, Swinging Swashbuckler, and it looks pretty neat. So let's take a look!

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Man, this thing is huge! The theming around the ride looks pretty nice. Nothing too much, but just enough to set the stage.

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Here's some of that theming I was talking about. Now to see if it rides as good as it looks...

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And boy, it does just that! Because this is such a large attraction, the ship moves great distances. The airtime in the back seats is just bonkers. And to think the lap bar is 6 inches above your lap! I can't wait to ride this with friends to see their reactions. :D

8/10

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Something new to the park, is that they have turnstyles at the ride exit. I wouldn't be surprised to see these on the major, if not all attractions in the park.

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The queue line provides some nice action shot moments with American Thunder.

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The OmniSphere Theater was showing a new movie, this time with an actual story, about the Wild West, with a group of cowboys going on a neat adventure in a desert. Wasn't as immersive as the Appalachian Mountain one, but still was pretty good.

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Stallion was riding as good as it did last season.

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Right-Side Down was still fairly popular. It had about a 15 minute wait when I passed.

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Something new the park didn't announce was this Forest Walk. I was very intrigued, so I decided to look into it.

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You go down this path that brings you down into the valley between Lumberjack and American Thunder.

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And then it quite literally is a walk through a forest. I was quite confused on why they added this at first, but then I remembered that they are bringing back the Northwest Horror Fest this year. Last time was just a bunch of cheap-ish Halloween decorations thrown around the park. This seems like something that can turn into a haunted walk-through. I hope it's good(if they're doing it).

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It was quite a serene walk. Very secluded, the path followed the terrain very nicely, and wasn't too loud.

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But it was pretty close to American Thunder.

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I mean really close.

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But it does give some very cool shots of the back half of the ride.

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You also get a good view of Lumberjack's loop. Nothing much else can be seen, however.

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As always, the upper part of Dizzy Land gave a great shot of Lumberjack.

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Last thing, the park repainted The Quest so now it has a shiny new coat of yellow track, and a new silver support/base structure. The railings stayed blue, which slightly annoyed me.

That's all for this time! Unless if something major happens, I don't think I'll be posting many updates here until Northwest Horror Fest rolls around. I'm going to be going on a road trip to Canada! I'll try to hit up Canada's Wonderland, West Edmonton Mall, and a few other Canadian parks. Can't wait! Anyways, see you all later!

-Gary Baker
 

GuyWithAStick

Captain Basic
The Northwestern Adventure: Park lookback and stuff

I have some unfortunate news. The original thread can no longer be viewed, as the site it was on (RCTLounge) has closed for good. I'm deeply saddened, but hope to make the best of the future! But if you wanted a lookback on what the history of the park was like, here you go:

1977: The Northwestern Adventure opens to the public in Missoula, Montana.
1978: HUSS Troika 'Fun-o-Matic' and Wild west Stunt Show added
1979: PTC Woodie 'American Thunder' added as a park staple
1980: Tea Cup ride 'Tea Party' and Northwestern Food Court added to the park; Northwest Terror Fest runs it's first year(no more of this until 1986).
1981: Arrow Log Flume 'Log Run' added as the park's only water-based attraction
1982: Kid area 'Kiddie Kingdom' added, featuring a wacky worm, a slide, a restaurant, a tugboat ride, and a medieval theme.
1983: MACK Dark Ride 'House of Horrors' added as the park's first Dark Ride.
1984: Von Roll Skyride. Financial trouble, Executive reorganization, and 3 rides permanently close, including a Schwarzkopf Kiddie coaster, Candy Express(POV HERE), a Chance Rides Rotor attraction 'Rotor', and a Hrubetz Paratrooper 'Apple Tree'. Path connects the two branches of the park. Premier Parks invests in and buys out park.
1985: Dinn Corp. Family Woodie 'Stallion' added, 3D IMAX theater 'OmniSphere Theater' replaces Stunt Show. New park entrance and parking lot, park cleanup(at least for the creator, me :p )
1986: Intamin Pirate Ship, 'Swinging Swashbuckler' replaces House of Horrors dark ride. Return of Northwest Horror Fest(yes, a name change as well)
1987 and beyond: Follow the story! :wink:

So, yeah. I will be continuing the park once summer comes along. For now, you can look as far back as 1985. Until next time,
-Guy_With_A_Stick
 

GuyWithAStick

Captain Basic
The Northwestern Adventure: NWHF Opening Day Review!

October 4th, 1986. Danny Frankston, Local Enthusiast. Northwest Horror Fest Opening Day Review!

Hey, it's me, Danny again. I've been to the park quite a few times this year, but nothing really changed all season, hence the lack of updates. I heard that the park is bringing back their Halloween event they did 6 years ago, so I'm going to be doing a photo trip report! The other guy, Gary Baker, couldn't do it as he was injured on a roller coaster in Canada. Thankfully, he wasn't one of the 3(?) that got killed. Condolences to the families of those who perished. Anyway, enough with death, and let's get to the festival celebrating death! :p

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Coming up to the gate, I noticed that they changed the name to "The Northwest Horror Fest", they added fog to the now drained pool, and there's a crane in the background. Uh oh.

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Doesn't look like anything changed apart from the fallen leaves here.

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That crane doesn't please me at all.

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Looks like they kept the names from the 1980 event. I do wish they changed this one, especially.

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Table umbrellas removed for the season.

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Wicked Woods is still the same name from 1980 as well.

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Unfortunately, they didn't bring back the fog. :(

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The paths look a bit bare without the lush trees and flowers.

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The park's sitdown restaurant, Grestel got a new sign and an American Flag atop the roof. Food quality is still great! :up:

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Still the same name, but it's a really good one imo.

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They were only running one train, as they did the few weeks before the end of the normal season, but now the one train sports a neat Blood Red engine. I really hope they do the same to the other train!

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So that new Forest Walk turned into a Candy Trail for the little kids(in the day, at least. ;) ). I gotta say, the candy they gave out was pretty sweet(pun intended). They gave out those new Airheads, Hubba Bubba, Skittles, Gummi Bears, Cow Tales, Sour Patch, all the good stuff.

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Fire Hazard, another returning name. I must say, there isn't too much Halloween stuff here besides the trees, music, and some scare actors(they avoid kids).

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Now for Log Run! They say it's returning next year, so that's good.

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It appears that they're removing the large section of flume where nothing happens. Guess it's too much maintenance for nothing.

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I think it's going to turn into the drop now, instead of meandering around.

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A new name here, they changed Tea Party into Tea Parting. Very subtle change, but hey, it's Halloween. Also, no fog here either.

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What's this?!? Construction? It doesn't look like they're touching American Thunder, so that's good. Also, if I'm not mistaken, that looks like a concrete truck. Huh.

The back path of the park was supposed to be a huge 'scare zone' with quite a few scare actors roaming around.

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Ooh! So scary! :roll:

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Here's where it started to get interesting. Since Sky Rider is closed for the season, the park decided to turn the stations into 2 different haunted houses/walkthroughs. This one here was themed to an abandoned Hospital. It was pretty scary, not gonna lie. They had a lot of scary actors in hidden places, it was quite dark, and the actors got quite close to you. I'd rate it 7/10.

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They expanded the building a bit to fully enclose it.

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HELLO! This literally scared me for a bit! The park actually built a castle! There's no way I couldn't check it out!

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It was another haunted house. This time with a real story- Dracula. They grouped you together with a few other people, and was given a tour guide. As the guide took you through the castle, scary effects went off, and a few actors came out. At the end, Dracula bit the tour guide, and turned into a vampire! The now-vampie guide then chased us all out of the castle. It was quite fun! It was a lot more compelling than the other one, with a lot more effects. 8.5/10

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The exit comes into the little plaza for Swinging Swashbuckler.

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Speaking of which, was decked out in fog! The music also set the mood for an abandoned harbor with a very faint and distant fog horn once in a while. The fog really upped the cool quality.

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Got a picture of the construction. Looks mostly like land clearing.

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The food court didn't change

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American Thunder had a red X on it. Probably due to the construction. I hope the park tells us what the plans are!

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Omnisphere was showing a scary show on the Legend of Sleepy Hollow. It was alright. Not the best, but certainly not as bad as Halloween 3. I give it a 6.5/10

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Speaking of Sleepy Hollow, they renamed Stallion to The Headless Horseman.

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Still running smoothly, though. :up:

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Executor was a really cool name last time.

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It looks like they expanded this station quite a bit.

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Waiting in line for it, you can see where the temporary wall starts.

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And how far it goes.

The maze itself was alright. The setting was a metropolitan zombie apocalypse. It had a cool set with some nice lighting, but the actors were a bit bland. They weren't scary, and stayed in open sight. One cool thing was that it had a bit where you jumped down from a balcony. It was only like a 3 foot drop, but the perspective they used make it look like 20. I guess they did this because they also enclosed the start of the actual chairlift, which goes up. Anyway, I rate this a 6/10. Meh actors, cool jump and lighting. If it weren't for those, it'd easily be a 4/10.

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As the day went on, Grestel got busier.

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In fact, the entire park got busier! I think the park nearly hit gridlock.

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However, it seemed that everyone went to the Haunted Houses, as the rides were dead! Wicked Woods was 10 minutes!

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Train of Terror was nearly a walk-on.

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As night fell, the Candy Trail turned into the Death Trail. Oh boy, was I excited.

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I waited a bit for it to become fully night time, then I went into the walk through. It was entirely in fog, by the way.

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It starts with some pumpkins of a hill.

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More pumpkins. (Sorry about the floating bit. The game doesn't like me.)

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Soon, you came upon a graveyard.

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Then a hill of gravestones and a creepy windmill came upon you.

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There were a few actors that came out of the woods to scare you. They didn't have time for posed pictures, so I got this one on a walk to scare a few guests.

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There were a few animated things. These arms actually tried to grab your leg! Scary!

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A trail of skulls lead to an area of death.

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This is what happens when you try to bring Communism to the US! :p

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The French Revolution was not a fun topic for me in school. This Guillotine actually dropped once in a while.

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A few more animatronic hands

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Then came a line of animatronic trees!

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The path then leads back to the entrance area.

Wow! That was really good. The use of animatronics was really well done, the actors really caught me off guard, and was legitimately scary. 9/10 for sure!

That's just about it! Thanks for reading this! See you all next time!
-Danny F.
 

Sandman

Giga Poster
Re: The Northwestern Adventure: NWHF Opening Day Review!

Great stuff!

I admire the effort gone into redeveloping your park slightly for Halloween. That's dedication :p

The misty walkways work really well with additional theming. One thing you could expand on with that however is useful lighting. Would really tie it all together. Hope to see more soon!
 

GuyWithAStick

Captain Basic
The Northwestern Adventure: NWHF in the snow!

Sandman said:
Great stuff!

I admire the effort gone into redeveloping your park slightly for Halloween. That's dedication :p

The misty walkways work really well with additional theming. One thing you could expand on with that however is useful lighting. Would really tie it all together. Hope to see more soon!
Thanks! It was hell to replace every single tree and shrub with a dead one, though. As for the lighting, there's not much lighting in the game, and the forest setting is supposed to be dark. You don't find red lights in a forest, now do you? ;)
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October 21st, 1986. Danny Frankston, Local Enthusiast. Northwest Horror Fest in the snow!
Hey everyone, it's me once again. Today, I went to the park again to check up on everything. Something interesting to note before I begin is that it began to snow this past week, which means that the park is now covered in snow! Unfortunately that also means a few rides are closed/broken.

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A picture from the parking lot to prove that it snowed.

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One downside to it snowing is that the concrete bits of path kind of blend in with the snow, making it somewhat of a surprise to step in a bit of snow.

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Grestel was especially packed today as it had heating.

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I went down the Candy Trail again just for the sake of candy, and noticed that the construction from last update extended to here with some landscaping. Hmmm...

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I rode Fire Hazard next, and looked over to see if anything happened with Log Run. There was still a crane, but all of the detached structure has been removed, and it looks like a replacement turn is hiding in the trees.

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Closer shot of the area.

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The Quest wasn't running due to the cold temperatures.

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IT'S A COASTER! Don't know what type yet, but it looks like it'll wrap around American Thunder. Let the speculation begin!

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The Headless Horseman/Stallion was also down for the cold. Bummer. :glare:

That's pretty much it. Can't wait to find out what the new coaster will be! :D

-Danny F.
 

GuyWithAStick

Captain Basic
The Northwestern Adventure: 1987 Announcement!

Pink Panther said:
Coolio! I didn't know the park and a Big Apple! :p
Yeah, it was added in 1982 along with the rest of Kiddie Kingdom, the medieval-themed kid's area. ;)
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October 29th, 1986. Michelle Smith, Chairman/CFO. 1987 Announcement!

Hello all! It's me, Michelle once again. Today is the day we announce what is going to happen for the 1987 season! Let's get started!

First, we would like to announce a renovation of Log Run! This Arrow Dynamics log flume opened in 1981 as the park's only water-based attraction. However, due to the lack of logs(we are only able to have 4) and long ride time, we had an hourly capacity of 200 people per hour. But now, the park and Arrow Dynamics have teamed up to redesign the ride and improve the capacity from 200 to 650 people per hour!

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One of the changes includes state of the art logs that include lapbars, better guide wheels, and 2-person rows! This will already double the current capacity.

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Probably the largest change is a layout modification. Instead of meandering around the top of the ride for 2 minutes, the log turns straight into the drop! This will not only shorten the ride time and increase capacity, but it will also decrease the maintenance needed to keep the ride running and decrease the amount of water needed to run the ride smoothly.

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In addition to the ride modifications, we are adding water jets to the section right after the first drop and before the main lift hill. Guests waiting in line will be able to squirt those on the ride with water jets designed to soak those who go through it.

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The other water jet location.

And now, the biggest addition to The Northwestern Adventure in 1987 is....

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NOVA

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NOVA is a trackless roller coaster with bobsled-like cars designed by MACK Rides. Astronaut recruits will board specially-designed Space Shuttles, and embark on a one-of-a-kind voyage through the cosmos.

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Featuring two different launch sequences(sorry, not actual launches), astronauts will cross over American Thunder, race through intense low-ground turns, and will sway and turn with no specific path.

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The voyage will also include near misses with itself throughout the trip, including one with other astronauts!

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Recruits will board via Space Station, and will be able to get a view of the Solar System before their trek.

This, along with many other minor improvements will be ready for all guests May 9th, 1987! See you all then!

-Michelle S.
 

Jarrett

Most Obnoxious Member 2016
Re: The Northwestern Adventure: 1987 Announcement!

OMG Nova looks awesome! Such an original yet awesome theme for a bob! Love how it careens around the woodie too, keep it up!
 

GuyWithAStick

Captain Basic
The Northwestern Adventure: Opening Day 1987 + POVs!

Jarrett said:
OMG Nova looks awesome! Such an original yet awesome theme for a bob! Love how it careens around the woodie too, keep it up!
Thank you! I like the interaction with American Thunder as well. Stay tuned! I have a special surprise for you all. ;)
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May 9th, 1987. Alex Nelson, Photographer and Enthusiast. Opening Day 1987 + POVs!
Hello everyone, my name is Alex Nelson. I'm a coaster enthusiast from Helena, and I also like to photograph pretty much anything. So I combined my two interests, and here I am! I came to opening day to be one of the first people to experience the brand new Nova bobsled coaster! Despite me living only 2 hours away, I have yet to visit this park, which is quite sad considering I'm a coaster enthusiast. Whatever, let's get to the trip report! It is a long one, so stay with me.

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Upon arrival, I noticed how good the entrance looks! Even though it is the 10th anniversary of the park, the place looks brand new! Yes, I know the entrance and lot are 2 years old, I just wanted to point it out.

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Along with my picture camera, I also brought my video recorder! Before I go record stuff, let me give a bit of backstory. I've known Gary Baker, the uber enthusiast of the park, since Middle School. We've been friends through College. I had to move to Helena for my Photographer job, but stayed in touch. When I told him about my visit and my desire to record on the rides, he said he knew a few people that could get me a Media pass, which allowed professionals to mount cameras onto rides and such. Gary himself couldn't make it, he's still in rehab from that accident he got in, but was still excited to see Nova. So here I am, going to pick up my Media Pass from Guest Relations.

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Because I decided not to stay at a hotel, and that I had to get my Media Pass, I got in the park a few hours after the gates opened. This fountain at the front was really nice and modern!

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I decided to ride Traffic Jam first, as it was right there. Also, if I'm not mistaken, these signs are new!

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Holy crap this had a long wait. 30 minutes for some bumper cars? I still pushed through(no pun intended), and managed to ride it. It was pretty fun. The fog and lights made it a lot cooler. I wouldn't wait 30 minutes for it again, though.

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This is a pretty iconic, generic image, but I wanted to have one for my scrapbook. It is nice, though.

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The Ferris Wheel, SkyView had a fairly long line. Forgot to take pictures on it, though. :(

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Next, I rode Lumberjack, the park's Arrow Looper. Thankfully, the Media Pass allows for me to go through the exit, so I avoided a 2 hour line. No thanks. Anyway, here's the POV of the ride:

[youtubevid]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbVhu8a9Rlw&feature=youtu.be[/youtubevid]

My thoughts? It's very fun and intense. The turnaround after the loop is a head jerker, but everything else is pretty average for an Arrow of this age. Also, those final 2 bunny hops are insane ejector.

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Went on Rocky Mountain Railroad next, the park's Arrow Mine Train. It had a 45 minute wait. Media Pass away!

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I must say, the way it's right up against the path makes it look a LOT larger than what it actually is. POV:

[youtubevid]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hl6WUNCwBgY&feature=youtu.be[/youtubevid]

This is by FAR the most intense Mine Train I've done. I've been on Carolina Goldrusher, both Big Thunder Mountains, and Cedar Creek Mine Train. None of them come close to this. Sure, it doesn't have the length other mine trains have, but it makes it up with the speed, intensity, and consistency. Or at least for a Mine Train.

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Boy, is this photogenic!

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The way the path comes so close to the track makes for some nice shots!

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Here we are! The moment everyone's been waiting for, Nova! Thank god for the Media Pass. This had a 3.5 hour line! I can see why, but holy crap!

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Peeked my head down the queue to see the length of this. From my understanding, the queue goes under the station, has quite a few switchbacks, and comes up and around. Anyway, POV time! :D

[youtubevid]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEsInqQGaMM&feature=youtu.be[/youtubevid]

I've done a fair few of the Intamin Bobsleds, but this was MACK Rides' first in the US. And I must say, this is a hell of a lot better than the crappy Intamin ones. The consistency seriously makes up for the choppiness the Intamin ones have with their never ending MCBRs. This only has one(two if you count the pre-lift one), and it's a lot better than two. Also, when I rode another time, I got some really neat American Thunder action around me, which really added to it. Not to mention that the station is amazing.

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They had a stall here that sells both Soft Serve Ice Cream, and that weird freeze-dried "Astronaut Ice Cream" stuff I find repulsive. The kids who bought it seem to enjoy it, though.

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Did Fireball next. Average fairground flat, nothing special.

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I skipped Spiral Slide as it had too long a wait for what it was.

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Decided to try the apparently 'New and improved' Log Run next. It didn't have too long of a line, hence why I decided not to skip the line.

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They had these 'Pay-to-Spray' things in the queue. You insert a quarter, get the people riding wet! It didn't have buttons, which was odd, but then I realized that they automated it when the car comes past. Very cool!

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It was a massive flume, though.

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Even though it was 80 degrees out, not many people were riding. Not too sure why.

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Even though the splash barely touches the bridge, they have chain fencing here to get people in line wet. I guess the original version had a larger splashdown.

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This was apparently the old area part of the ride went through. Hopefully they add something here. Here's the POV:

[youtubevid]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5M2bT7BTBxw&feature=youtu.be[/youtubevid]

It was a nice little flume. Even though it had little theming, it certainly did it's job of getting you wet! I said the splashdown doesn't reach the bridge, but it certainly reaches the boat! I was soaked!

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They had a Troika called the Fun-o-Matic. Didn't ride because I didn't feel like it.

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I did ride the nicely themed Tea Party though. It sort-of dried me off. If you pass it, and it has no line, I'd say ride it.

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Time to cred whore!

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Generic Wacky Worm with a neat station/theme. Nothing much else. I had to film a POV, though:

[youtubevid]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmujkcnXgZM&feature=youtu.be[/youtubevid]

See above for my thoughts.

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They had an in-house slide here. It had a nice view over the valley.

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Like I said, it had a nice view of American Thunder and Nova.

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I rode the absolutely MASSIVE Pirate Ship ride. This thing provides LOADS of air. Definitely ride!

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Had food at the Food Court. I had Italian Beef, Fries, Root Beer, and a Cinnamon Pretzel for dessert. I liked dessert a lot.

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There was a neat sculpture in the center!

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Rode American Thunder next, because it was there. It was a walk on, too! *Score*

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Snapped this in the line. Nice Photo Op.

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You get a nice view of Nova in line.

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It's even better in the station!

POV:

[youtubevid]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIvmxdsKqVM&feature=youtu.be[/youtubevid]

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This thing was a great woodie! Nice and long, nice laterals, some great airtime. That banked double down was the strangest element I've seen, but in a good way. It had airtime that pushed you up and to the side. Very strange, but I love it.

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Saw the really neat 3D space film in this really neat theater. I guess the space film has to do with Nova's debut. I really recommend it!

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Skipped the Chairswing, but I had a good reason to...

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This baby right here.

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Stallion was a ride where I followed it's construction, so it was surreal to finally ride it.

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The double down drop looked mental.

Uhh, POV....

[youtubevid]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJ0Wi7BQhhg&feature=youtu.be[/youtubevid]

This thing was fantastic! The drop was to die for, the airtime was great, and that rockfall really made the midcourse a lot better! Definitely a must ride here! Something to note was that on another ride of this, the train stalled on the lift for a good 20 minutes. We were all given Line Skip passes(not that I needed it), but I used it on Nova. Not waiting 3.5 hours!

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Rode the enterprise, as I love these things. It wasn't the best one I've been on, but I guess being 10 years old has some downsides.

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Jumped up on a bench to snap this. Man, this place is crowded!

That's all I have! I tried to ride (almost) all the coasters at least twice. Definitely a great park for both families and thrill seekers alike. I do think a few more kiddie-based rides could do the park well. Hopefully Gary will be back next time so he can continue the updates once more. If not, I'll see you all soon!

-A. N.
 

GuyWithAStick

Captain Basic
The Northwestern Adventure: 1988 + Huge announcement!

No comments? :(
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June 23rd, 1988. Gary Baker, Park Legend. 1988 + Huge announcement!

Hey everyone! Sorry it's been so long. I was involved in the Mindbender Accident back in 1986, and had to go through quite a bit of surgery. Thankfully I am 100% recovered now, and I'm still a huge enthusiast. But now I have quite a large "hatred" for Schwarzkopfs. I will probably ride new ones once for the cred, then never bother with them again. Anyway(as GWAS), I also am skipping a large chunk of time to get the story moving. It's a bit boring for the time being. This will be the only 1988 update, then maybe 2 or 3 for 1989. After that, I'll be back on normal updates. Now let's get into the update!

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It's been a while, but this still looks brand new!

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Alex told me about the new signs, and I must say, they look really nice.

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Stallion had a walk-up line, so I decided to hit it up next. It's still running pretty good, although the turn out of the midcourse jerks you a bit more than I remembered. Still my favorite at the park.

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You can't beat a drop like that! <3

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Oh, what's this? A new path?

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NEW for 1988: The Northwestern Amphitheater

For the 1988 season, the park decided to FINALLY build a Live Entertainment venue. It has 2 levels, and can seat up to 500 people.

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Because it was just constructed this year, the park didn't have a specific show for this year. Instead, they are going to be giving locals a chance to perform their own music(or covers of other songs).

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I must say, it's quite a large building despite only housing an audience of 500.

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You can sit at ground level, or on a balcony.

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They had a little wall/entrance at the end of the path as a way for staff/performers to go backstage.

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Inside, you immediately notice how huge the stage is.

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Here's a comparison of the stage to the seating.

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You get a much better view from the balcony in my opinion.

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A view of the entire theater.

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A better view of the seating.

I saw one of the showings(no photography), and I gotta say, it was pretty good. The performance was a group of college kids who started a garage band(not surprising, considering the Pacific Northwest started the genre). The beat was on-time, the notes were hit correctly, and the entire performance was really well done. They clearly knew what they were doing.

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Then I remembered I still need to ride Nova!

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You go underneath the station, which has a bit of space theming.

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After emerging the station, you get real up close and personal with Lumberjack.

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The inside of the station was really cool. There were miniature models of planets(which actually spun, by the way), volumetric stars, and the operation booth was a Star Wars-type space craft. Really neat theming on this one.

The ride itself was pretty neat. I rode Sarajevo Bobsleds at Six Flags Magic Mountain, and it was alright. This one was a Mack version, and it was SO much better. It isn't going to beat Stallion, but it's above RMR. It was quite long, and was pretty intense for a bobsled. The ride was very compact, giving the ride a much more intense feel to it. The interaction with American Thunder was also really cool. I didn't get a chance to ride with a train running passing under us, but it was still a really neat experience.

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The Cinnamon Pretzels are still good! I could eat them all day. <3

And now for the big announcement! It's not about the park, but rather me and Michelle Smith. We've been secretly dating for the past 2 and a half years, and have just got engaged!

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That's right! We are getting married! Not 100% sure on kids yet, as she essentially has an amusement park to run, but you'll never know. We might work something out. ;) Our wedding is currently planned for August. We won't be doing anything crazy, just your average wedding. Still deciding on a Honeymoon. :p

That's all for now! See you all in 1989! :)

-Gary Baker
 
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