I dropped in to visit our friends at Cultus Lake Adventure Park yesterday. We’ve done a whole lot of work throughout the park through the years. Everything is looking great! The trees and landscaping have sure filled in and grown tall, making our features and signs look even better over time. The owners and crew are very busy these days, making the park ready to welcome guests starting June 24. https://www.cultus.com/cultus-lake-adventure-park/
Giggle Ridge Mountain
Some of our most ambitious and detailed projects have been for ourselves. We know what is truly possible if there are no constraints. One of those projects back in 2001 was a proposed expansion of Giggle Ridge Adventure Golf which we owned at the time. Our ambitious plan was to add a railroad which would have travelled around a giant mountain and over a themed bumper boat pool in the middle of the space. Inside the mountain would have been our house, shop and studio. For a variety of reasons that project never came to fruition and we instead purchased our current property and built a new house and studio here. The concept art is still in my files. We are considering introducing some of these concept drawings as limited edition prints if there is sufficient interest.
Successful mission
Our mission is to create safe, fun places for families to enjoy together. It is a lofty calling. When we visit a theme park I am sure we look at it differently than most, carefully observing what people are enjoying. This past weekend I watched Henry (now two) do a theme park for the very first time. As we entered Cultus Lake Adventure Park, his first comment was to ask if we had built it. Then it was all about enjoying all he saw. I know what I am hoping for when we design experiences and features, what guests can interact with and what their reaction will be as they enter. To actually see many guests, including Henry, actually do these things is pure fun and very satisfying. Henry didn’t disappoint. As one of many samples, he had never seen a starting crank on a vehicle before but he knew to grab that handle and give it a turn before jumping in to drive. He loved the hollowed log and caves and was delighted to see me at the other end to greet him. It wasn't just us playing those same games. By these measurements, this is a successful park.
