It Was a Scream

A view of the water park from the steam train.

One hot, sunny weekend in July we found ourselves in the funky town of Sandpoint, Idaho. Gene and I drove there, accompanied by Bobby and Jenny, for three days of fun - the weekend's main attraction being the nearby Silverwood Theme Park.

Upon arrival at the grounds, I was rather intimidated by the size of the rides, but the kids were keen and I, not to be outdone for one moment, ended up riding every attraction with them.

To my immediate relief, we began with a rather mild, yet informative, tour on an old steam train around the perimeter of the park. Our conductor was brimming with interesting facts about the park and its history, as well as the train itself. Apparently there had been a bidding war between Silverwood and Disneyland for the authentic locomotive, with Silverwood having the last word.
Without being too obvious about it, I made sure that we began with the more innocuous rides, such as the bumper cars, spinning strawberries and tilt-a-whirl, but those rides eventually drew us closer and closer to the Corkscrew...gulp. I had conflicting desires about riding a roller coaster - let alone one that loops upside down! The kids got bounced about a bit in the restraints, but it really was quite fun!
The following attraction was a wet one on a tube that bobbed over a series of whitewater rapids through a canal. We then "spun dry" on a dizzying ride that held our bodies tight against its mesh walls using cetrifugal force - thirty feet in the air.
But, my mouth really went dry as we headed toward the inevitable Tremors, a large timber structure upon which galloped several brightly-coloured cars containing screaming occupants careening at unfathomable speeds - uphill and down.
I was committed.

We stood in line for nearly forty-five minutes as the queue twisted and turned, offering different angles from which to view the horror we were volunteering to suffer. But, if Bobby and Jenny were going to do it, I was along for the ride.
And a ride it was!
I hung on for dear life as we rattled and plunged at one hundred kmph into, what I considered, a tiny black hole in the ground (don't try to tell me that was a tunnel...) then fighting to keep my head vertical as we pulled four G's on the way back up the next incline. All I could do was close my eyes and croak, "Oh Shit!" through clenched teeth as we screamed and clattered at breakneck speed through the next series of soaring summits and daunting drops into tiny black holes in the ground.

For the anti-climax, we rode the Corkscrew again. Twice.
As for the rest of the weekend, it was spent dining, swimming and relaxing on the beach, all the while continuing to live on the edge by getting deliciously sunburned...

Bobby, Jenny and me heading for a tiny black hole in the ground.