Disneyland days 2 and 3

We had a GREAT time in Disneyland and California Adventure. It had been quite a few years since we had been there togehter. On Saturday we got to enter the park early for the Morning Magic. Things have changed quite a bit since the last time I did that. Before, it seemed like everyone ate breakfast and characters roamed around while that was going on. Now, I didn't see a single character before regular open and I also didn't see anyone eating breakfast - although they did have a buffet for $30 a person where some characters hung out. (We did NOT do that!) Instead, everyone was in line for rides! They now open up Tomorrowland and Fantasyland for Morning Magic. So, we followed and got ourselves in the queue for the Matterhorn (since it doesn't have a fastpass).

The Matterhorn...almost looks like the real thing!

It was a great decision since the line was very short.  It was fun to ride because the last time I was there they had it closed for refurbishment, so it had been 10 years or so since I last rode it. It was super fun, although Jason is just too tall for it. His poor knees took a beating and were actually bruised the next day from it. 

Great sign for the Matterhorn. As always, I love the attention to detail in all Disney attractions!

Because we were in the park so early, we were able to do a ton of things without virtually no wait. We later found out that the premiere of the Lone Ranger was happening that night at California Adventure. People had been camped out since 3 am (or so we were told) to get it to see the stars arrive and watch the premiere (I guess), so I think that is also why we felt that Disneyland was not that crowded for a Saturday. 

One of those things was finding an area where some of the princesses were. We of course had to go see the princesses. I literally giggled, squealed, and ran up to poor Ariel. She was super sweet - as a shy person, I was impressed with how easily she was able to talk to all the kids (and adults) and make everyone feel special and at ease. That is an amazing talent!

Ariel hugged me!!!! 

The "official" pose. I gotta learn how to do that hand thing!

You can see in this picture how few people were there on Saturday morning.

Jason trying to pull the sword from the stone. 

At 8:30 am on this Saturday, there was literally no line for It's a Small World. 

The happiest cruise that ever sailed!!

And the happy couple on the happiest cruise that ever sailed

The last time I went to the Tiki room, I was 18 months old, so I don't really remember it!  So, we decided to go. It turns out that we were there for the 50th anniversary of it. There were a ton of annual passholders there who got some special pamphlet about the Tiki Room. It was pretty cool. And, of course, the Tiki Room was awesome!!

The amazing, enchanted, Tiki Room

After the Enchanted Tiki Room, we had to do the Jungle Cruise of course.

Another cool entrance sign

I was fascinated with this sign for some reason. I kinda want one!

We did find eventually find some characters. Some of them had a huge line that I didn't feel like I should wait for (don't want to make the kids have to wait while I get my picture taken), or cut us off before we got to them (I'm looking at you Maleficent!) but others had no line or we just lucked into getting a picture. One of them was Pluto. I love this "selfie" picture that Jason took of the 3 of us. Awesome!

Say "Cheese!" Pluto!

We spent some time on Toontown and took some goofy (excuse the pun) pictures, like these of us in the dog pound:

Jason took this great picture of us with Toontown and the statute of Mickey at the fountain in the background....unfortunately a nice lady and her son decided that was a great time to go look at the fountain as well.

Over in Aladdin's Oasis, we found Jasmine! I felt really bad because several people went up to her looking for the bathroom. I also heard a lady after us ask her, "is this all there is back here?" Ouch. Well, I enjoyed getting to see Jasmine at least!!

Since it wasn't very busy and were just taking our time, we decided to spend some time doing some of the things that we normally overlook, like taking a ride on Mark Twain's Riverboat. It was awesome and well worth the time it took. We started up on the top deck (which we had to ourselves for a bit), but then decided to move down to the bottom deck where there were a few chairs with backs on them at the very front of the boat. Super awesome. And, again, there were not very many people on board. We were the only ones on the first deck!!

The paddle wheels

Happy couple on the top deck

Even happier couple on the first deck with chairs!!

The very last night we were there, we spent our time in California Adventure, but we came back to Disneyland to see the end of the fireworks and to see the Sleeping Beauties castle at night. I just love how it looks all lit up and it is especially nice because you can get a great (although crooked) people free picture of it.

Castle at night

All in all, we had a GREAT time in Disneyland. It is basically how I remembered it and we really lucked out on the crowds. The largest crowds were on Sunday and our longest line was for Peter Pan.  I can still say that I love Disneyland - and I especially enjoy being able to share my experiences with someone I love!!

Traveling through another dimension

“This highway leads to the shadowy tip of reality: you're on a through route to the land of the different, the bizarre, the unexplainable...Go as far as you like on this road. Its limits are only those of mind itself. Ladies and Gentlemen, you're entering the wondrous dimension of imagination. . .
Next stop The Twilight Zone.” - Rod Serling

Imagine, if you will, a couple and their furry companions as they make their journey from a land of millions of peoples to a land of millions of trees. They, like thousands of other young couples on vacation, are enjoying the trip and company. Witness as a seemingly innocent journey encounters a twisted series of events as they make their way into the Twilight Zone:

Yesterday was one of the most terrifying times that I have ever encountered. We drove from Anaheim to a tiny town called  Trinity Center, California. It is a tiny town northwest of Redding. The day was already taking longer than I had calculated, but the cats had settled down after our stop at a rest area. I had directions on how to get to our campground Trinity Lake KOA that I had printed from our reservation, but of course, had also put the address into the GPS of the truck. As we got closer to Redding, Jason and I debated on whether we should follow the directions I had printed or the GPS directions. We decided that whenever we had NOT listened to Lola (the GPS), we always had problems. So, we decided that we should listen to her this time. 

Well, that turned out to be a mistake. Lola had us turn and drive through a small town called French Gulch. We had a bad feeling already because the road seemed fairly small, but we figured that it would get better past the town. The road then turned into East Side Road, which, now that we have looked at on the map, is a tiny forest service type road that follows a mountain ridge up and around the east side of lake Trinity. If you have even been out in the wilderness and taken one of those obscure roads then you get the idea. Or if you have an atlas, go look it up. I tried to get a good google maps picture, but that didn't work out on wireless out in the middle of nowhere.

East Side Road was a one lane road, straight up a mountain, with sheer drop offs. I can't even remember the number of times I could look strait down to the bottom of the mountain, it was so narrow. By the time we figured this out, there was no way to turn around with a 36 foot trailer and go a different way. Meanwhile, it was getting dark AND we drove into a dense fog. The fog was so bad that the best way to see was to turn off the lights and use the moon to see because otherwise it just looked like a white wall. Then there came some serious switchbacks and turns that Jason had to navigate.  Jason had to make the turns as wide as possible to get through them, but even with that, the tires on one side of the front of the truck and the opposite side of the fiver were at times both just inches from the cliff.  And of course, lets not forget the downed log we had to go around and the rain that started up the last hour or so of the drive.

We drove this way (with 2 cats who were FREAKING out) for about 2 hours, which meant that we made it about 25 miles (about halfway to the campground). Luckily Jason came upon a wider area meant to be a pullout so people can pass each other safely on the one lane road. We pulled over there, put out the slide outs and brought the cats in and just camped there for the rest of the night. With no visibility, and worsening road conditions, we had no other reasonable choice!  Luckily we had a bunch of candles I had bought in case we ever were without power. It gave me nightmares staying there because we were not level at all and it started pouring down rain and I just had these images that the fiver was either tipping over the cliff or sinking into the mud.

When we got up in the morning, it was MUCH better going because the fog had lifted and obviously we could see with a little sunshine, but also because the rest of the road was not as curvy as it had been the night before. Also, it was shorter before we came out to a paved 2 lane road and then the highway.

Our "camp spot" for the night. This is a wide section of the road. 

You can sorta see how it is  a drop off on the side of the road. 

Thanks to our friends John and Jocelyn ,who left us with some camp food when they visited, I was able to make us a delicious celebratory breakfast of eggs and turkey bacon when we finally got to our real camp spot this morning. 

The kitties relaxing and comforting each other after their terrifying adventure last night!

 It was crazy how slow we had to go, and how creepy it felt up there in the mountain tops. I still can't believe that Lola wanted us to go that way, but I guess in the future I should consult an atlas if we are going somewhere we don't know! But, now that we are here, we are excited to relax and enjoy the beautiful campground!!

Cat Scratch Fever

I have a ton of pictures and stories to share with you from our time in Disneyland, but unfortunately, I have been dealing with cranky cats all day during our drive to northern California. The first 3 legs of our journey went rather smoothly with the cats. Kora meowed and was a bit upset for about an hour each time, but after that she was rather calm and quiet. Dexter for the most part was very calm and relaxed - even stretching and purring.  Today, though, was a completely different story. Both cats were downright PISSED to be in their carrier. I have no idea why today was different. One idea is that we were in stop and go traffic in L.A. and that might have aggravated them. Whatever the reason, Kora was so annoyed that she actually clawed open a hole in her carrier door!!  No amount of soft talking or petting or anything seemed to make them happy for very long. Luckily we have a spare carrier to put her in. 

So, now we are in a rest stop about halfway through with our travel day. Today turned out to be about twice as long as we had predicted it would be. I have no idea how that happened - I swear I checked all the times for each leg of our journey so we wouldn't have super long days like today. 

This break is great for all of us. The cats got some food and water and used the litter box. I trimmed both of their nails and gave them all a good brushing. I also played with them both to hopefully tire them out for the rest of our trip to northern cali. It also gave me a good chance to get out of the car and move around and make us a healthy lunch. 

We should be back on the road in 30 minutes or so - and maybe then I can get the rest of our Disneyland blog posts completed (and hopefully the kitties will be in better spirits and let me do that as well!!)

Disneyland Day One

This is my first experience in, what I would call, a traditional RV park. We stayed at Anaheim Resort RV Park.

We had a "premium" pull through spot. It was actually a lot nicer than I thought it would be. It had a nice lawn between us an our neighbors, as well as trees in between each spot. Since it was basically just a landing spot for us, it was perfect. Much cheaper than any hotel in the area, plus only a mile from the park (although we took the shuttle that stops at our park every 30 minutes today).  It also had a laundry site and bathrooms/showers directly across from us. 

We had a view of the Matterhorn from the back of our site, along with a nice view of the nightly fireworks.

We got to go to Disneyland today!!!  I may have gotten a little teary when we got to the main gate. Poor Jason had to listen to me prattle on about this fact and that fact about that one time I was there and this one thing happened. Good thing he is such a great guy!!  I have been to Disneyland now 7 times and it always makes me feel like I am in a magical place where everything is just right. 

View of Sleeping Beauty's Castle 

We ate at the Carnation Cafe on Main Street where I had a vegan burger and fries and Jason had a shrimp salad. Very delicious. Then it was off to get a fastpass to Splash Mountain and ride Pirates of the Caribbean. 

We also had to visit Mr. Toad's Wild Ride of course. And, I got to drive!!

Jason wanted to see the Jedi Training Academy since he hadn't seen it before. It is super cute where Jedi's come train about 30 young kids on how to attack a Dark Lord.

The Jedi come out all dramatic like...

 ...and train the younglings* until the stormtroopers show up.  

*I tried to not include pictures of kids since I didn't get their parents permission. 

Of course, if stormtroopers show up, that means that Darth Vader is going to show up soon!

And Darth Maul made an exciting entrance as well!

Then each kid goes up and either "fights" Darth Vader or Darth Maul using the techniques they learned in the Jedi training. It is very cute!!

After the Jedi Training, it was time to go back and use our fastpass for Splash Mountain. 

View of Space Mountain in the distance

After a great day at the park, it is time to come back to the fiver so we can relax (well, so I can while Jason worked). I spent time at the pool at the RV park. 

Enjoying the fading sun at our pool

It was a great first day! I can't wait to see what day 2 brings when we get to go into the park an hour early!!

The Happiest Place on Earth

We are heading to Disneyland today!!!  I am so excited. I LOVE Disneyland and Jason and I haven't been here together since New Year's Eve 10 years ago. I got to come to here in 2010, but it wasn't the same without Jason to share it with. I know that I will have a ton to share after our 3 days here!

Meanwhile, one family "member" is super excited about his Disney experience as well!!

Camping on the Mogollon rim

We have finished up our 3 night camping stay at Canyon Point campground on the Mogollon rim in Arizona. We had a great time spending time among the massive Ponderosa pine trees. It has been a long time since we have spent time in a pine tree forest! The weather was perfect for us - low to mid 80s and sunny every day we were there. 

A map of the campground. The 2 loops equaled about 2 miles around. 

Probably the best part of our time there was getting to catch up with our good friends John and Jocelyn who drove the 2 hours from Phoenix to hang out and camp with us. We had a GREAT time catching up, sharing some cocktails, and having lots of laughs. We miss them so much since we live so far away, so it was so nice to be able to see them, if even for a little bit. I am super upset that I had so much fun that I forgot to get any pictures of us. 

Our campsite, #20 in loop A was huge! A ton of room between us and our neighbors. We had plenty of room for lawn games, a hammock, and a tent. It had 30 amp electricity, but no water or sewer hookups, which was a bit of a first for us. We had filled up our fresh tank of water in New Mexico since we knew that we wouldn't have water here. We also had a jug to fill up the water from the spouts at various places at the campground, but we discovered that we really need a longer hose to make it pour in better. 

Panorama of campsite #20

The campground also had the trail head for a short hike to a sinkhole. Jason and I were not real sure what a sinkhole actually was going to look like in the middle of a forest, but it sounded like a fun short hike (about 2 miles from our campsite) to take. 

Apparently a sinkhole is just a hole (looks sorta like the ravine!) that has a bunch of plants and trees in it. I'm sure as a science teacher who teaches geology I should have been more interested and excited about it, but, I just cared a lot more about the company I was with rather than a hole in the ground. 

Me in front of the sinkhole

 Because we were in Arizona, the humidity was very low. I got fire danger alerts every day on my phone. Supposedly it was predicted that our humidity was about 3%. That is pretty darn low. So because of that, there was a burn ban in effect. Since we had no fire to light up the outside at night, we decided that it was time to get some lights for our awning. So on our trek to Payson to pick up a few groceries and fuel up, we picked up these awesome lights. They look great and give off just enough light.

The new twinkle lights!!

 Unfortunately for Jason, he had to work quite a bit over this trip. He has a huge project deadline coming up, so he worked some very long hours. While he worked I did some refilling of supplies, organizing, cleaning, and working on my Smash Book.

Jason working hard on his project

Luckily, he got to take few breaks to give his mind a rest. He finally got to test out his birthday present from his sister - a hammock! And, he even trusted me to tie it up for him. Luckily for us both, my knots held. 

Jason enjoying his new hammock

Our next stop is Anaheim, California. I am sad to leave the trees behind, but I am super excited for Friday when we get to go to Disneyland!!!