Here's a pair from 1960; nothing amazing, but nice just the same. Like this first one, showing the Mark Twain gleaming in the April sunshine on crisp clear day. All the cool kids want to be on the top level (also, they know that this is where they are least likely to be attacked by a poisonous grizzly bear). Notice that there are a couple of fishing poles at the right edge of the photo.
In the early years, the Matterhorn was painted a slightly darker gray than what we see these days, which is a bit surprising; I would imagine that a lighter hue would work better from in a forced perspective way. In any case, it looks great, though I am disappointed that we don't see a single bobsled.
Major-
ReplyDeleteI believe the second image was taken on "Bobsled-free Tuesdays".
Thanks, Major.
In a way, it's kind of cool to see the Matterhorn as just a mountain without the bobsleds. If I'm not mistaken, the Matterhorn Mountain was painted darker again when the new Bobsleds (3rd version) debuted in 2012. Both images are awesome today. Thanks, Major.
ReplyDeleteLovely shots with nice framing in both, something that can be lacking in so many amateur shots. I always like seeing the "free exterior air conditioning" holes in back of the waterfall.
ReplyDeleteNot only do we not see any single bobsleds, we also don't see any married ones.
ReplyDeleteThis was the last year for the stacked staircases and that boiler (2nd) deck cabin on the Twain. While the current layout is better for guest sightlines, there is something to be said for the symmetry of the original.
Thanks, Major.
@Nanook,
ReplyDeleteWasn't Bobsled-free Tuesdays briefly replace by "Luge your lunch" trips down the mountain? I heard that ended quickly due the increased number of custodian calls and the spike in sawdust requisitions.
"Luge your lunch". Hee-hee. Just a couple of years before I get to use that during the next Olympics.
ReplyDeleteI'm not old enough (that's hard to believe!) to remember the old staircase arrangement, Chuck, but the new ones do allow a nice view of the engines in operation, and I really like that.
@ Alonzo P Hawk-
ReplyDeleteD'Oh-!
Nanook, were guests allowed to walk through the Matterhorn on “Bobsled-free Tuesdays”?
ReplyDeleteK. Martinez, I think you’re right about the mountain being repainted in a darker hue than it was for many years. Glad you liked these!
Patrick Devlin, sometimes the “composition” of old photos is so mysterious that I honestly can’t determine what the subject was!
Chuck, hmmm, a married bobsled. Maybe those are the ones that got hitched together in later years? My friend Mr. X first alerted me to the changes in the Mark Twain stairs, it was something I’d never imagined before that.
Alonzo, now I can’t help wondering how often (if ever?) guests have actually lost their lunches while aboard the Matterhorn. It HAD to have happened sometime in 50+ years. What a mess, yuck.
Patrick Devlin, you never know, there are new Olympic events introduced regularly. Ballroom dancing, for instance. It certainly takes athleticism, and it is tough to do, but I don’t think of it as a sport.