If you wanted to see Nature's Wonderland, whether by mule or by choo-choo, you had to visit Rainbow Ridge first. Founded by Sir Albert Rainbow Ridge (that joke never gets old), the little town originally catered to prospectors and homesteaders; but times change, and eventually fortunes revolved around tourism. Thousands of greenhorns in stiff new dungarees, checkered shirts, and red kerchiefs around their necks paid top dollar to see the sights. Look carefully and you'll see the pack mules among the pines.
The desert was blazingly hot, and full of sand that got into
everything, and there were hairy spiders and kangaroo rats and scorpions and snakes and wild pigs and coyotes and mountain lions and chupacabras. But the fantastic rock formations - the product of millions of years of wind and sand and flash floods - made the trip worthwhile.
There are those sneaky mules again! There's nothing more dangerous than a sneaky mule.
And they removed this attaction, WHY???? It just sickens me. No, really....it does. I think they should rebuild it behind Big Thunder where the Ranch and BBQ are. It could extend out beyond the berm and be an "E Ticket" attraction for Frontierland. Then they could make a "Nature's Wonderland" movie starring Johnny Depp and everything would be hunky-dore.
ReplyDeleteOne of my all time favorite rides as kid. Loved the pack mules, too. I think Big Thunder is a great ride, but I dearly miss Nature's Wonderland. That animatronic bear scratching his back against the tree was a good friend of mine!
ReplyDeleteNo one ever believed me when I told them that one day I saw a chupacabra. Thank you for validating me.
ReplyDeleteAs TokyoMagic wrote. Yes it could be done. The show building for the rainbow caverns would have to be beyond the berm next to Toon Town.
ReplyDeleteHowever, you have anyone under 35 who have no recollection of the Mine Train. For them, Thunder Mountain has always been there.
A favorite of mine when I was growing up.
For some odd reason (one of the reasons given for bulldozing Mine Train and the living desert) the animals and critters for the attraction were high maintenance. The animals for the Jungle Cruise I guess are not high maintenance. Especially the hippos immersed in water. Go figure.
TM!, it does seem like "Nature's Wonderland" was not as popular as we'd like to believe; there's almost never any kind of line for it in old photos (although it did have a high rider capacity). At the time it seems like other parks were big into roller coasters - think of all the publicity Magic Mountain used to get, especially when "Colossus" opened. The Disney folks probably didn't want to appear to be a park for kids and old people!
ReplyDeletebloefeld, I wish my memories of NW were more vivid than they are! Only a few scenes remain... the "tumbling" rocks, the geysers, and (of course) Rainbow Caverns.
Connie, you are lucky that you weren't eaten in one gulp!
OC Native, I am sure that it could be done, but it never will be. These days it's all about thrills or interactivity, and not about the slow, relaxed pace and beautiful scenery of Nature's Wonderland. I have always wondered about the animals in the Jungle Cruise and how they survive out in the open. So many of the NW animals were static, I'm not sure why they would be any harder to maintain...
I'm trying to imagine the "Nature's Wonderland at Pirates' Lair on Tom Sawyer Island" attraction poster...
ReplyDeleteAs a MT operator, this was a wonderful assignment. The lines were not long, operating 2 trains at a time during the busy season provided enough capacity. Took around 10 mins at a relaxed pace. Nothing was better than during a warm day going behind the falls, drying out in the desert (while giving a thrill to the last cars around the geyers) and enjoying the cool colors of Rainbow Caverns. I'm impressed by the coasters but they just don't match up to the satisfaction of being immersed for long periods of time into the fantasy environment that these unique attractions offered and Disney became famous for.
ReplyDeleteA-ha, I think Chuck is on to something. How about "Mine Train Thru Pirate, Princess, and Pixie Land? Throw in a couple of thrills and then maybe they'd consider it.
ReplyDeleteMay I suggest a title? - “The Pixie Pirates of Rainbow Caverns”
ReplyDeleteThat shot of the balancing rocks sort of gives away the effect (since you can see the rods holding it together) even before you get to the lower viewing location.
Thanks for the cast member memories Anonymous. The MTTNW was one of my favorite rides and I never missed it.
Chuck, you left out a Pixar reference!
ReplyDeleteAnon, I envy your experiences as a Mine Train operator! I think the days of leisurely 10 minute rides are long past, unfortunately. As far as I'm concerned, Nature's Wonderland was one of Walt Disney's most impressive achievements as far as concept and realization go. It kills me that I never rode the Mine Train at night, I'm sure my imagination comes up short.
TM!, as long as it has a Johnny Depp AA figure, I'll be happy.
SundayNight, that might be the funniest name for a ride EVER! The mind reels. And I vividly remember being able to see the rods holding those tumbling rocks, even as a kid. I would look behind me to see them stop moving!
You know the "high maintenance" reason for removing NW was Disney Corporate-speak for "Go away all you 'olde-timey' complainers: We're moving ahead with this new attraction, and you can all go to hell".
ReplyDeleteHonesty would be a nice change of affaris, rather than this feeble excuse which barely passes the smell test; and quite frankly, BT has a lot going for it-! NW did occupy quite a chunk of real estate and the finished product opened up additional opportunities beyond BT - perhaps not utilized as properly as one might've hoped.
There's always WDW for a new location with enough room to accommodate NW in all of its former glory. But must agree with Major that the days of a 10 minute "non-thrill" attraction seems a hard sell in these times.
But if anyone could pull it off and attract riders to boot, it's certainly Disney.
Major...those night excursions were certainly a treat. The experience was totally different and in some ways seemed more realistic. I'm not sure those days are gone forever though. Pirates, Small World and the JC remain as popular as ever. As the saying goes..'what's old becomes new again'. Matter of good execution and timing. Still, to accommodate the crowds these days in that small area inside the berm requires massive "people eating" attractions. And so the MT pales in comparison to Thunder in the minds of management.
ReplyDeletewaaa...another favorite that I never got to experience. they should definitely bring it back, no matter what they call it, but Rainbow Ridge should so be in there somewhere! love that little yellow train :-)
ReplyDelete