Tuesday, May 02, 2017

Cascade Peak, February 1961

Good old Cascade Peak was a wonderful landmark in Frontierland, seen along the Rivers of America for many years. Of course it was part of "Nature's Wonderland", but it outlasted that attraction (which closed in 1977) for a long time.

You just can't go wrong with roaring waterfalls, especially when you get to ride a little mine train right past them!


Sorry the color on these is funky - they had turned cyan (instead of magenta), and for some reason I had a tough time bringing them back to normal. Still, I love any view showing the Mine Train passing  the Peak.


Yet more waterfalls - this time you get to pass beneath them. Way better than crummy REAL waterfalls in nature! I believe that this is "Big Thunder" falls, from which the runaway mine train ride from 1979 got it's name.


7 comments:

Nanook said...

Major-

Any day starting with Cascade Peak has the promise of being a great day.

Thanks, Major.

Scott Lane said...

^ What he said.

Alonzo P Hawk said...

The first shot is a beautiful reminder of nature and the talent of the early imagineers.

It's also a reminder that I need to call for a termite check of my home so it doesn't suffer the same fate as Cascade Peak. Thanks for posting.

K. Martinez said...

Wasn't there someone who said "You've seen one waterfall, you've seen them all"? Or was it the redwoods?

Water, waterfalls and other water elements strongly increase the beauty and wonder of a theme park in my opinion. Cascade Peak was a prime example of that.

There's something magical about seeing the little yellow mine train rollin' along through Nature's Wonderland. Thanks, Major.

Tom said...

I'm really enamored with that third shot; not your typical angle on it! The smaller trees allows the rockwork and landscaping to play a much greater role in the scenery; it makes them feel grander somehow. I think Disneyland today would benefit from a major pruning all over.

As for the color of the pictures - they look great! Too bad there's no fixing motion blur.

Nanook said...

@ Alonzo P Hawk-

Yes, GDB - your "full service" blog-! Make no mistake about it.

Major Pepperidge said...

Hey guys, I have a minor family crisis at the moment, so I apologize for my late responses.

Nanook, I agree, Cascade Peak was a great feature in Frontierland.

Scott Lane, you should say “DITTO”, with a heavy Jersey accent.

Alonzo, I really loved Nature’s Wonderland. It’s still so surprising that they did not maintain the wooden skeleton of the peak, considering the nearby water (a disastrous combination over the long run). Don’t you live in a plastic house of the future? No bug problems!

K. Martinez, I am entirely in agreement with you! Waterfalls, fountains, streams, ponds… they make a surprising difference in a landscape.

Tom, those small trees did eventually get big - too big, really. It made the peak look a lot smaller, even though it was still great. Meanwhile, I’ll never forget, a few years ago Adobe demonstrated the ability to undo motion blur (it was hosted by Rainn Wilson, might be on YouTube), and it was incredible. So far that has not been incorporated into any versions of Photoshop.

Nanook, do you need your windshield washed?!