Shivering Timbers!
In 1998, when John and I were heading for our annual Twins Days trip in Ohio, we decided to take "the scenic route" to Ohio by way of the Michigan's Adventure amusement park. Rather than blitzing down around Lake Michigan and dealing with all of the nonsense that is required for getting through Chicago, we cut straight across Wisconsin, caught the ferry across the lake, and arrived in Michigan just scant miles North of where we wanted to be.
The ferry we took was the S.S. Badger - we took the redeye which departed around 1:00am. Hey, it's August, it'll be warm, we can just sleep on the deck chairs as we go across, right? WRONG. Loud passengers, cool breezes and light rain worked together to ensure that this was a bad idea. So, we got ourselves on the waiting list for a stateroom and paid the extra $70 or so for an indoor bed.
This was to be a blitz visit - in and out in a few hours. We needed to end up in the Cleveland area by 9:00 the same day, so with 7 hours allotted to driving, that meant we could enjoy the park from about 11:00 until 2:00. I'd heard so many good things about Shivering Timbers, though, that I figured it would be worth the trip, hassle, money, and everything. It was true! This is the best, most solid, smooth and FUN wooden rollercoaster I've ever ridden.
Following are just a few pictures taken while we were there. As always, clicking on any of the photos will show you a larger version of that photo.
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Here is John luxuriating in the fact that we just landed a room. Don't let the apparent size fool you - this was taken with an ultra-wide-angle lens. There was barely enough room to put our bags down, but it was warm, dry, and quiet. Inexplicably, as we were just going to sleep in this room, John shows up with a big glass of beer he'd purchased just minutes before. So, we drank as much as we could fairly quickly, and then went to sleep. I woke hours later with the taste of stale beer in my mouth. Yuck. |
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After the boat ride, we had a quick drive down the East Coast of Lake Michigan to where the Michigan's Adventure is located. Unfortunately, we were there HOURS before the park opened, so we got to get some more sleep in a McDonald's parking lot. After a quick breakfast, we got out to the park and were ready for the ride. There was only one reason we were at this park (and it was the only thing we rode while there) and here it is: This is the view from the platform up the first lift hill. The returning coaster can just be seen coming across from right to left. Look at ALL the WOOD on each side of that hill! |
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The first drop. A wonderful smooth drop, followed by two mondo-airtime hills before you hit the turnaround. Note that there isn't a whole lot of landscaping around this ride yet. Notice how nicely the return run on the right threads through the supports from the big outgoing hills. |
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We've hit the end of the run now, and are completing
the turnaround before heading back to the bunny-hops.
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Here's the view from the turnaround looking back at the rest of the coaster. There is an amusement park in the back right corner of the photo, but you can hardly tell! |
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After leaving the park, we drove out to the end of
the (mostly empty) parking lot to get a look back. All three hills look
about the same size from this perspective!
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Here's another view from the back of the lot. That's the 2nd (or is it the 3rd?) hill on the left-hand edge of the picture. |
| Another view of all three hills. Smooth, smooth, smooth! If you get a chance, head out to Shivering Timbers and give it a whirl - it's worth the trip! |  |