Yep, online from the hotel. Where there’s a wireless access point – and a will to be online – there’s a way. And, God bless VNC, too. Getting to surprise a few people with instant messages was a nice way to end the evening.
So far, it’s been a good trip. We haven’t had to kill anyone in the group. Yet. Hell, we haven’t even had to maim anyone, so far. All things considered, that makes for a rather pleasant vacation. (Which also means that the electrodes and sponges that I brought were for nothing…)
Tuesday : 11 October 05
There’s something about Las Vegas that you just don’t get from watching CSI or Las Vegas… or even the old Robert Urich series Vega$. Frank Sinatra called New York City, “the city that never sleeps.” I get the feeling that modern-day Las Vegas would give the Big Apple a run for the money, no pun intended. I remember a couple of years ago, my parents flew to Las Vegas for the first time. and I drove down to see them. My mother was… fascinated… by the experience that is Las Vegas. She was astounded to learn that people will wander The Strip 24/7 in search of their big score. And that they would willingly lay down hundreds of dollars for a shot at “the big money” – even it was a fleeting shot in the dark.
Walking through the casino Tuesday night, around 11:00 PM, I saw people from all walks of life. There was a man at a roulette table whom I heard say that he had lost – LOST – $3300… but that he was going to win it back. There were the people at the slot machines, some looking bored, some looking hungry for just a little payoff. There were the poker players, their attention divided between The World Series of Poker tournament being replayed on TV screens around the casino and their cards.
Kenny Rogers sang that you have to know when to hold ’em and know when to fold ’em. I walked away from the roulette table after $20. I can’t even begin to fathom what losing over $3000 would be like.
On the positive side of our stay in Las Vegas, we had dinner Tuesday evening with ‘s nephew, Connor. We last saw him a few months ago, when he came to SLC for a visit. It was a good little get-together.
Wednesday : 12 October 05
Drove from Lost Wages to the City of Angels Ducks. Actually, I rode. And slept. Not for the whole thing, but for a couple of hours. The bed in the Las Vegas hotel room was far too soft for my tastes; I slept very poorly because of it.
We pulled into Anaheim a little before 1:00 PM (Pacific). We found our hotel in fairly short order and then made the phone calls to find out where the various members of ‘s family (her parents, sister, sister’s boyfriend and nephews) were – some were in Disneyland; the rest were in California Adventure. We walked (1/2 mile, maybe) from our hotel to California Adventure to meet the rest of the group. When we got to the edge of the property, I noted a hedge surrounding some electrical junction boxes. It occurred to me just how adept the Empire of the Mouse is at illusion and misdirection. At that moment, No Doubt’s Tragic Kingdom started playing in the back of my head. We entered the grounds and headed for California Adventure.
First stop: Soarin’ over California, a flight simulator of sorts. It’s probably my top candidate for “Favorite Attraction” in California Adventure. After we finished, it was time to find food. I had forgotten just how expensive in-the-park food is.
Next Stop: Twilight Zone – Tower of Terror. I first rode this in Walt Disney World about nine years ago. Even though I have an amusing story to tell about this ride, I opted not to repeat the experience. (I’m not a big fan of “drop” rides.) No one else had been on it before… and I wasn’t about to ruin the surprise for them. When they finished, I discovered that a few of them learned that the ride wasn’t exactly to their liking either.
Walk across to the Disneyland entrance. Just inside the gate was Captain Hook. I had to get a picture with him. So, I did. One of the first things that he did was look at my watch – I was wearing my LEGO watch. He shook my hand and then posed with me. It took me a couple of moments to note his hook, poised just below my neck. I attempted to put on an astonished look, I’m not sure that it worked. Oh well, I still have a picture with the Captain. (I may try to work in another one before vacation’s end.)
First ride: Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Forbidden Eye. I always enjoy this ride. What I don’t enjoy is the wait in line. Fortunately, our wait was brief – almost non-existent. When we boarded the “Jeep,” the ride attendant made an announcement that they had received word from an associate inside the cave that a 500′ long snake was rumoured to be on the loose and that it was known to eat adventurers wearing grey polo shirts… which just happened to be what I was wearing. The attendant looked at me, nodded and smiled; I returned the nod and laughed. “Snakes…. Why did it have to be snakes?!” And we were off! I think that the boys (9 and 7) spent good portions of the ride with their eyes closed. And all too soon, it was over.
Next: Jungle Cruise. This ride is usually as fun as the “guide” makes it. Our guide, Tami, made it fairly amusing. Sure, you hear pretty much the same spiel from each guide, but she seemed to enjoy telling the tale.
Pirates of the Caribbean: I saw neither Johnny Depp nor Captain Jack Sparrow but, as usual, I had fun on this ride, too. As our boat floated past the restaurant (near the beginning of the ride), I couldn’t resist yelling to the patrons,”Don’t eat the fish!” A few seconds later, the boys were shouting it, too. Ahh, yes. Impressionable young minds…
Haunted Mansion: I don’t think that this was open when I was here in 2001. This has since reopened and has been done up in the manner of The Nightmare Before Christmas. It was a fun combination of both the classic mansion and Nightmare.
Splash Mountain: I don’t think that I need to say more than: “We came. We rode. We got soaked!” And in some cases: Thoroughly soaked.
The Adventures of Winnie the Pooh: Sweet mother of mercy, this was a BRIGHT ride. The first part of it was colorful, in the traditional (Disney traditional, that is) colors for Pooh and company. Then we hit the Heffalumps and Wuzzles part of the ride. These were colors that neither God, Mother Nature nor Andy Warhol never intended to go together. Yet, there they were. Big as day and fifteen times as flourescently bright. Thankfully, we got back to the traditional color scheme before the end of the ride. O.o
After this, we fought the crowds to get through the exit and to the shuttles. We managed to get onto the third shuttle for our hotel. Yep, there were that many people in line.
Back to the hotel, into the car and off to grab a bite to eat with and her parents. We ate at a place called Coco’s. It wasn’t too bad. I resisted the urge to get a slice of chocolate cream pie. This time.
Tomorrow: Early entry into the park.
Thursday : 13 October 05
I slept in.
I let everyone else enjoy the thrill of being in the park an hour early. I wanted sleep. Besides, I couldn’t see the point of getting up as early as I would for work when I am on vacation. A few hours later, I got out of bed, observed the hygiene rituals and got on my way.
I arrived in time to meet everyone in Disneyland as they stood in line for Peter Pan’s… something or other ride. (I can’t remember the proper name and Disney’s web site is apparently fubar’ed.) They rode. I stood outside and waited and watched the masses go by. For a week when it was supposed to be nearly empty, there were TONS of people in the park… Turns out that four (4) school systems were on break this week. Joy. We left there and headed to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad… which was not running. *braincramp* We went to the Disney Railroad with thoughts of riding around the Magic Kingdom. Those thoughts were shortly dashed, as we found the train – full of passengers – sitting at the station. It sat so long that people started getting off the train. In droves. *sigh* Strike Two! We got Fastpasses for Indiana Jones (a group favorite), but they were not valid until 4:00. So, on to California Adventure.
We thought about getting Fastpasses for Soarin’ over California, but they were only available for 3:50 – 4:50. The same time as our Indy passes. No go, Flight! We went to Grizzly River Rapids. Again, we planned to get Fastpasses and come back later. Instead, we found a fast-moving line and soon… we were in a raft! Cold water + hot day = Instant refreshment. I don’t think that anyone escaped getting fairly wet.
We went into the replica Golden Palace theatre to see a short film called Golden Dreams, about a little of the history and the spirit of California. It was good – better than I had anticipated, actually.
Back to Disneyland for the Indiana Jones ride. Fastpass? Move along, thank you. Again, the ride was fun. The boys wanted to go on Pirates of the Caribbean after Indy. So, we did. Once again, I yelled “Don’t eat the fish” to the patrons of the Blue Bayou; the lady in the seat in front of my screamed out “Oh, my GOD..!!!” Between the two of us, we turned a few heads.
We left the park a little early and went in search of dinner. Mimi’s Cafe. Back to our respective hotels for some down time.
…and that brings us to the more-or-less present.
I caught up with Sara (formerly from SLC) this evening. We chatted and decided to try and get together sometime Saturday. That should be fun.
: I hope that Sissy and the twins are behaving. Thanks again for babysitting.
: I got your messages. Our passes are through Saturday… and we’re heading back to The Land Behind the Zion Curtain on Sunday. I’ll try to call/message you tomorrow (Friday) and touch base with you.
: I got your message, too: I thought that it was pretty much common knowledge that I’d be out here, as I have been making comments about the trip since mid-September.
I know that it’s only 10:30 here, but damn-and-a-half… the way that some of the people are stomping around or yelling and just generally carrying on makes me wish for a little napalm. Maybe I’ll get to use the electrodes, after all.
That’s all the news from Lake Kittamaqundi (*sigh* I wish this post was from near Lake Kittamaqundi). I hope that all is well in your respective necks of the woods.
Namaste.
