Wow what a great site. My first visit to SDC was back in 1967. I was four years old. At that time the only thing on the mountain was SDC and a place to buy cememt animals. I remember that we had tickets that got punched at every ride. I remember the stage coach ride, the mine ride(that was really scary, and there was a drop), the lost river, going down all those stairs into the cave, the train robbers, buying lye soap, grandpa man, the tree house, and so much more. I remember watching the glass blowers and the candy makers, the wood carvers and the the battle between the blue and the gray. We used to come to Branson two or three times a year. We stayed in Springfield that first year because there were no motels that my mother would stay in in Branson. Do you remember how long the ride was from Branson to SDC, it seemed like it took for hours. I now have pictures of me at a very young age looking in the holes, pictures of my kids looking in the holes. I have been to SDC with my grandfather (he grew up in the 1880's) my kids have been with there grandfathers, and I have been with my grandkids. I have smelled the wood and had the thoughts of SDC return. I have watched it change and grow for over 40 years, some good and some not so good. I do not like the cutting into the woods for the big coasters. Do you remember the sub ride? I remember when Fire in the Hole opened I was still young enough to be scared out of my mind. Do you remember the little gift shop at the top of the tram ride out of the cave. I could not believe it when we came back one year and they had built this huge(I was still a kid) store. I remember watching as a kid the Beverly Hillbilly's go to SDC. I could not understand how they could spend the night in the city hotel but we could not. One last thought did they change the way the Lucky Mine Restaurant looked inside? It seemed that the last time we ate there it looked different. I love reading all of the stories from SDC.
