We have to do the not-so-tame rides because they are the ones Alex loves best. Splash Mountain has a lovely bucolic scenic tour through the land of Brer Rabbit in a log hewn boat. At the end there is a 45° plunge over a 53 foot drop. I once said to Frank, "Why do they ruin a perfectly good ride with that awful cliff at the end?" Obviously Alex thinks differently. We rode it once on Thursday and again on Sunday. In retrospect I wish we had done it at least one more time but soggy clothes and falling evening temperatures dictated we hold off. I'd worn jeans on the Thursday ride in the early afternoon and they did not dry readily. Back at the hotel late that evening, I peeled wet underpants off my still ice cold butt. It was like I'd worn a wet bathing suit all day.
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| This is our Sunday plunge. In photos from previous years Alex's expression is a bit more apprehensive. |
Alex also loves the Indiana Jones Adventure. A rickety jeep jolted and careened us through ancient temple ruins where we encountered snakes, bugs, flames, decaying bridges, and boulder booby traps. With every sharp turn and sudden drop off Alex squealed with glee, the dark and foreboding environs not bothering him one bit. This one we rode many, many times on both days!
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| As we wait to enter Indiana Jones Adventure our clothes are still wet from Splash Mountain. Our jeep sputtered and stalled while crossing this rickety bridge but the flames still did not dry us off! |
Frank and Alex rode the Astro Orbiters in Tomorrowland. We had never done this one before and Alex seemed to enjoy it, displaying no fear of heights. I decided to forego the dizzying, circular motion and watch instead.
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| This year was our first time riding these circling rockets. |
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| Frank and Alex each rode individual rocket ships. |
While I waited for Frank and Alex, I looked at the control panel. It did not seem very high tech especially for a land touting to be of the future - basically up, down, start, and stop. I was somewhat more impressed with the instructions on the operator's seat, though. They seemed more complicated than the control panel with multiple heights and multiple angle adjustments. I wonder, does the operator get trained on both?
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| I compared the control panel for the ride with the operation instructions for the chair. |
We also had our quiet waterway rides. One of Frank's favorites is the narrated Storybook Land Canal Boats where we drifted through the mouth of a whale and exited into a landscape of miniature versions of houses and castles of storybook characters: the Three Little Pigs, Aladdin, Alice in Wonderland, Toad Hall, Cinderella, Ariel, Pinocchio, just to name a few.
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| Alex liked the part when our boat tour guide pointed out where Alice went down the rabbit hole. |
It is rare for the Sailing Ship Columbia to be in operation on the Rivers of America in Frontierland. It is usually the Mark Twain paddle wheeler that carries passengers around Tom Sawyer's Island. Frank had always wanted to be aboard the Columbia and we got our chance. We went below decks to the maritime museum and saw the living conditions of 18th century sailors. One of its cannon was fired during our voyage. We got to gaze up at the azure blue skies through the rigging and sit up close to the extensive ropes and dowel pins involved in the sailing operations of such a ship.
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| The three masted Columbia in the background is quite regal looking. My two guys in from aren't so bad either. |
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| The sky was a beautiful backdrop to the very impressive rigging. |
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| The ropes were neatly knotted and braided in their resting places. The woodwork was highly varnished. |
There are many small, tame attractions in Fantasyland and we took a turn or two on each. Alex and I like Peter Pan's Flight where, in a gondola car similar to the Columbia sailing ship, we flew over Never Never Land and the town of London amidst twinkling stars at night. We checked the box by riding other minimum wait attractions there – Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, Pinocchio's Daring Journey, Alice in Wonderland, Snow White's Scary Adventures and the Casey Junior's Circus Train. Then we moved on to a roller coaster speed ride Alex loves, the Matterhorn Bobsleds. As we zipped past a roaring abominable snowman, beneath waterfalls, and into pitch black winding cave pathways, Alex took it all in stride. For speed rides, I do OK on this one but Frank, not so much. Alex just laughed and laughed and clapped. We could hear his voice and applause echoing through the dark caverns as we careened along.
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| Our bobsled makes a bit of a splash for fun at the very end. But the Matterhorn is more about the high speed journey and not the about the end. |
After the Matterhorn Bobsleds we headed off on the Monorail to Downtown Disney for a mid-afternoon lunch and some recovery time at the Rainforest Cafe.
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| As we waited in the monorail station, I snapped this image of the Matterhorn. |
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| Alex was Joe Cool as he settled back to enjoy his monorail trip to Downtown Disney. |
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| The meal took longer that we anticipated but the food at the Rainforest Cafe was very tasty. Besides, it was good to take a bit of needed rest and to recharge for the remainder of the day. |
After lunch we returned to Disneyland and repeated some attractions we'd liked in New Orleans Square – Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion. We journeyed through the Hundred Acre Wood aboard our oversized beehive shaped vehicle enjoying The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh in Critter Country. We did not repeat Splash Mountain after lunch, though. As the sun was setting, on our way to ride the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage, we were serendipitously diverted by a parade. We skipped looking for Nemo and instead watched the parade under the glowing lights of Main Street, USA. The evening was upon us and we were all contentedly willing to tarry a bit. We decided a parade was a good memory on which to end our third day at the Disney Parks.
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| Alex had a front row seat for Mickey's Soundsational Parade as can be seen by the white traffic control cord just above his head |
At the parade's conclusion we headed back toward our two room suite on the 5th floor of the Anaheim Desert Inn and Suites. Frank got Alex settled in and I make a quick detour to bring back a gourmet meal of McDonald's for our in-room dining pleasure. The roof of our hotel had a viewing area with seats where guests could watch the fireworks at Disneyland in comfort. We had just a short walk around the corner and up one flight of stairs and we were there. Enjoying them that last night was a great pre-bedtime activity and a we could say we ended our visit with a bang!
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| We had a great rooftop view of the fireworks from the comfort of our hotel. |
The next morning we headed to the airport for our flight home. It had been a really awesome trip.
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