On July 30 of last year I met Chris at the site of what was to become Cultus Lake Adventure Park. He had brought his 65 foot tall snorkel lift to the site. We first used a spray bomb to lay the proposed park layout onto the ground. We then jumped in the snorkel lift to go to the top height of the ferris wheel to see how everything would look. The job site was dead flat at that point. We had to imagine how it would appear when done. Everything was still in question and in flux. The features and rides were just ideas back then - except the ferris wheel, bumper boats and the carousel.

Here's a shot from the snorkel lift back last July. We are at the full height of it's reach. The lines for the proposed attractions, pathways and buildings are sprayed out in pink paint on the ground.

Today, for the first time, Chris and I were able to climb into the ferris wheel and ride to the top. I snapped this picture looking east. We were quite a bit higher than we had been last July for we raised the ride about eight feet by putting it at the same height at the building deck. The brown tree (to the right in the picture) that sits on top of the roof is about 54' tall and we were looking way down on it as we rode.

Instead of spray painted lines I could see the real thing below us, just as I imagined it last July - only better!

-grampa dan