Newest Lost Parks Episode Debuts – Frontier Village in San Jose
These are the days I look forward to the most. After several months of blood, sweat and tears, we are finally ready to pull back the curtain on our latest “Lost Parks of Northern California” – presenting San Jose’s beloved Frontier Village.
Be sure to LIKE and SHARE the video with all your friends, family and favorite television networks and personalities – let’s make this the biggest Lost Parks episode EVER, TOGETHER!
Our Next Lost Park…
We’re hoping that by choosing this park, we just might bring summer back this year…it’s freezing in the Bay Area right now!
Well, you know it from it’s catchy jingle or if you ever drove through the Central Valley on the way to Yosemite or Sonora…
That’s right! We’re going back to the “famous” MANTECA WATERSLIDES!
(SKIP to 2:40 for the good stuff…)
Luna Park Video Continues to Amaze!
I had the fortune of meeting with Greg Baumann, Editor-in-Chief of the Silicon Valley Business Journal recently – and it turns out he loves learning about Silicon Valley’s history, too!
Let’s hope he enjoys all 23 of the other Northern California lost parks we’re aiming to cover – thanks, Greg!
If you haven’t already checked it out, view our complete “Lost Parks of Northern California” series here: www.greatamericanthrills.net/lostparks
Photo of the Day: Giant Dipper Flash-Lapse
In honor of the Coaster Guy visiting Santa Cruz, I dug through the archives to find an awesome boardwalk shot…
They say going to visit the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk is like stepping back in time. With the effect that I captured with this photo, it almost looks like the Morgan trains ARE going back in time, a la “Back to the Future.”
Now, if only the idiot didn’t have his cell phone out, it would have been perfect. I’ll definitely be going back this summer again – but with a tripod!
As always, a big thanks to my friends at BorrowLenses for allowing me to capture such beautiful photos with their gear.
Interested in purchasing / using some of my photos? Check out my 500px: http://500px.com/GreatAmericanThrills
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Photo of the Day: Looff Carousel Ring Machine
As the last of the great seaside amusement parks, visiting the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk is like literally stepping back in time. It is home to not one, but TWO national historic landmarks (The 1911 Looff Carousel and 1924 Giant Dipper roller coaster.) Both of these federal landmarks are unique, in that people can actually ride them, rather than admire them from a distance.
This shot was one of my first forays with the stunning Canon 5D Mark III – and the results were simply spectacular. Look for the cut on the finger from the previous pass at the ring machine…now THAT’S dedication!
The 1911 Looff Carousel at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk is one of only 5 left in the world with an operating ring machine.
As always, a big thanks to my friends at BorrowLenses for allowing me to capture such beautiful photos with their gear.
Interested in purchasing / using some of my photos? Check out my 500px: http://500px.com/GreatAmericanThrills
View my videos on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/GreatAmericanThrills
Follow me on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/GreatAmericanThrills
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Photo of the Day: Carousel Columbia at “Blue Hour”
Quite simply, this is one of the best long exposures I’ve ever taken. Done with a Nikon D7100, 24-70mm lens and NO tripod – just stayed as still as possible. Columbia is still the World’s Tallest Carousel as recognized by Guinness World Records at just over 101 feet tall.
Still the tallest carousel in the world, Carousel Columbia makes for a stunning subject at night. Now, if only all the accent lighting were working…
As always, a big thanks to my friends at BorrowLenses for allowing me to capture such beautiful photos with their gear.
Interested in purchasing / using some of my photos? Check out my 500px: http://500px.com/GreatAmericanThrills
View my videos on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/GreatAmericanThrills
Follow me on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/GreatAmericanThrills
Tweet me on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/krowberry
+1 me on Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/1/115502587437263155125/posts
Follow me on Instagram: http://instagram.com/krowberry
Rest in Peace, Huell Howser
Howser marching in a parade in California back in 2007. (Photo by Flick user, “Joits.”)
October 18, 1945 – January 7, 2013
Huell Howser is the reason I created / relaunched the “Great American Thrills” brand as a television concept. When I first saw him on television about five years ago, it gave me inspiration – to come up with my own concept in a vein similar to his – and to begin the search for a career where I could have as much fun as he seemed to be having. If I could live vicariously through a 65+ yr. old man on television, well damn it, that’s what I was going to do!
His myriad of series on public television covered state parks, fairs and quirky attractions – everything you wanted to do with your free time, but never seemed to have the commitment.
But Huell did. All 440 episodes.
His folksy attitude and seemingly endless excitement over what most of us would consider benign things, made him a popular target to be lampooned. But you know what they say – “…imitation is the highest form of flattery” and I guarantee any one of those lampooners would have killed to have a 20+ year career in television.
Hell, I sure would!
But, behind the twangy accent and endless enthusiasm, laid the brains of a businessman. Huell was brilliant at marketing his show beyond traditional mediums, even going so far as to manage the distribution of his DVD’s personally. He was a businessman, through and through. I defy you to find a grandparent of yours who doesn’t know the name “Huell Howser” or “California’s Gold.” That’s good marketing, my friends.
And that’s what I admire about him the most – this guy knew exactly what he was doing – and executed his plan perfectly.
I could only hope to have a career so inspiring and meaningful as his.
Rest in peace, Huell. You’ll always be “golden” in my book.
Great American Thrills® 