California Part 1!

I've held this off 'cause I didn't have time to start a long story about the trip, and long it would inevitably be. So, I'm just going to do this in parts! To save me time, and you boredom!

We left Tue morning around 8ish and were making really good time, until we decided to stop in Vegas to have a look around. Vegas is not as exciting as I remember, that is for sure. So, we wasted about two hours or so walking around, and decided that we'd rather be driving and just get there sooner, so we hopped back into our faithful car, and we were on our way.

Vegas stop aside we still made incredibly good time, we got there about 7, checked in and promptly ordered "room service". But we just called it Dominoes. After some hearty pasta, we relaxed our stiff driving muscles in the hot tub. Phew, what a long day.

To explain further, we got the City Pass, which gives you three days park hopper (Disneyland and California Adventure) and one day Sea World, one day San Diego Zoo and one day to Universal Studios. Although we only had four days to play, this was still the best value since the whole pass was only $230. But we were set on getting the most use out of it.

We woke up bright and early for Disneyland, and were determined to be there right as it opened. Our hotel was three blocks from the park, so we decided to walk. Turns out they were the three longest blocks in the history of the United States. It took us a good 20 minutes just to get to the park. Once we were there, we were jubilant to say the least. We headed straight to Tommorrowland, not on purpose- that's just where our feet and the flow of traffic steered us. We then chose Star Tours as the first ride for the simple fact that there was no line, and we weren't wasting any time. Star Tours was a blast for two reasons. First, when we were all buckled in and the right was just about to start, I started to say "Oh, crap! Oh, crap!" over and over in a really panicked voice, and I scared the poo about of a little girl behind me, 'cause she saw how "scared" I was, she figured it was going to be a really scary ride. Heh heh heh. Second, I sat next to the world's frailest looking old lady. I'm surprised her hip didn't break on the way in. So halfway through the ride Jordan turns to me and says "Is that old lady still alive?" And I laughed my head off. Once the ride stopped the old lady humphed and said "We didn't even go anywhere, I think we just stayed in the same spot." And Jordan I marveled on the miracle of her making it through the ride without either dying or breaking something.

The next ride we went on (I'm not going to give a play by play of each ride, but the first two just happened to be the most memorable) was Space Mountain. This is my favorite coaster in the park (not like there are many to choose from) so I was excited. The line was also short, so it was an even better choice. We were walking through the line and Jordan was asking me what the ride was. Knowing he's not a big roller coaster fan, I inferred it was a lot like the Star Tours ride, where you stay in one place and you feel like you're moving. Then he started to notice the signs saying it's a face paced thrill ride, and basically warning the old, the pregnant and the faint of heart to not ride. But it was too late, he was already stuck in the line. Muahahaha. So, we get further in, and we're above the ride and he can see the cars below and everyone taking off and his fears were confirmed, that it is indeed a coaster. However, the highlight of the ride was actually in the line. The was last month in the thick of the Swine Flu scare, so Disneyland being a crowded public place I'm sure there was little paranoia. Jordan just happened to sneeze, and without skipping a beat he looks at his hands dramatically and says "Ah crap . . . My swine flu is acting up again . . . " The lady in front of us widened her eyes and surreptitiously distanced her self. The ride itself was a joy, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Jordan screamed, which just made me laugh harder, and made the experience all the better.

Overall, the day was grand. We went on almost every ride that we wanted (we didn't get to do the Finding Nemo ride, 'cause the line was so long, and there were no fast passes) and we were officially tuckered out. We hadn't even gone over to California, so we decided to hurry and go over and do Tower of Terror, which was another that we were really wanting to do. It surprised me that Jordan didn't want to do any roller coasters, but was excited about Tower of Terror. To me, that's the scariest ride in both parks. In line by us was a lady with her son, who was probably 7 yrs old or so. He was BAWLING like his puppy just died. His mom said if you're too scared, we can leave and you can go back to the hotel and go swimming. Of course the little boy can't say that he's too scared to he just stands there and bawls his eyes out. And mom, because he never said that he wanted to go kept him in the line. My personal opinion- Mom wanted to go on the ride, and if her son didn't she couldn't go on the ride. I saw this a couple times throughout the vacation. Wow people.

So, that was a glorious end to a glorious day. But wait- After an utterly exhausting day of walking all over the parks and standing in line, we still have to make the arduous trek back to the hotel. I wanted to die, I contemplated hiding and sleeping in the park overnight, I considered hitchhiking, and didn't rule out stealing a car. Nevertheless, achy bones, weary muscles and blistered feet aside, we made it back, and enjoyed another lovely dip in the pool.