So I failed yesterday and totally didn't write anything, which was a lot more disappointing for me then for you all I'm sure. I was kind of trying to make this a daily thing and for it to all fall apart by my third day wasn't very reassuring that I could do this. But I guess the best thing to do when you fall off your bike is to get a skateboard.
So yesterday was amazing! Disneyland is still awesome in case any of you wanted to know. It is still filled with magical wonderment that any and all can take home with them in the form of a silk screened product with Micky Mouse's face on it! This time around it was my great privilege to see Disneyland in the holiday celebration. The Streets where all lit up and they had a thirty foot Christmas tree. People where all walking around in holiday hats and the castle was all decked out too look like it had snow and Christmas lights on it. At night it glowed a beautiful Blue and white, and you could even get your picture taken in front of it! (will post eventually)
So we went on some rides, though most of the lines where a tad longer then they had been on my previous visits. We waited for more then an hour on a few, but it was still a great time, because I had some really great company. I was with my Love Corinne and her really funny sister Courtney. The one thing you don't want to get these too started on is Disney. Between them, they could tell you anything you would want to know about the parks, the movies, the characters, Walt himself, Micky's shoe size, the exact number of trashcans on Main Street, how many hairs in Grumpy's beard...well, you get the point. Too much Disney knowledge. But it made for a good time in the parks.
We had breakfast at a little cafe that was made too look like something from Tom Sawyer. It overlooked The steamboat and New Orleans Square and had some really good pancakes. (skip the eggs though) We went on the Jungle Cruise, which would kinda be a sucky ride if not for the amazing ride operator and his terrible yet funny jokes. He was like a mix between a warm up comedian, and a Laffy Taffy wrapper. Now like I said before, I was with some hardcore Disneyland pros, but the next ride we went on was Indiana Jones, and this time I had something to show them. You see, there is only ONE way to ride Indiana Jones, and I showed them how its done. Sadly, I wasn't able to sit in the drivers seat, and to do so would have meant waiting for three cars to go, so I figured I would ride in the car where this little maybe five or six year old boy was driving. Needless to say, I'm pretty sure we made the ride for him too. I have been known to be a little more animated then most people on many occasions, and have a knack for the dramatics, so when I say that I really get into the Indiana Jones Ride...I mean it. Just go into it with the mentality that everything that is going on is really happening and that your life is on the line at any given second. Yell and scream a lot, and get everyone else on the ride into it with you, and you will have the general idea of how to ride it properly.
So splash mountain is one of those rides that I think you just can't pass over when in Disneyland. Its great because they took a ride like a log flume and turned it into so much more by just giving it some story and cool stuff to look at. Everyone knows the ride, and how it ends, right? Yet we will ride it over and over, even with the prospect of getting anywhere from slightly to super wet. (this will greatly be determined by how many fat people you take with you.) I tried to video the whole ride experience, baring we have all of the footage, I will get it on Facebook as soon as I can.
California Adventure is a bit of a let down right now because so much of it is under construction. I guess they are having Pixar redo a ton of the park, so there was their typical "Come back and pay for the same priced ticket sometime later in 2012 to see all of this cool stiff we are building" crap up. I guess it does it's job though, because you want to know if everything they are bringing in will be worth all of the disappointment you felt when everything was closed the last time you came. We had lunch at a burger place, went on California Screamer, and Tower of Terror, and watched World of Color, which if anyone reading this has never seen it, DO NOT Youtube this show, just hold off until you can watch it yourself in person, because a recording of it will not do it justice. This thirty minute show at the end of the day in DCA is (In my humble opinion) the best show Disney has ever done.
When we made our way back toward Disneyland main, the fireworks had started and they had just started the snow over main street. Sync this with holiday music, and lights and it was really awesome! Disney really knows how to hit all of your senses at once. The smells from the shops, and the sounds of the music, mixed with the sights of the decorations, it truly is a kind of magic. All in all, a really great time was had by three amigos.
We got home so tired that we all pretty much crawled to our beds and passed out until almost noon the next day. Got up slowly and got ready for a day in the desert. Corinne took me to the place she grew up in La Quinta. On the way there is this stretch just before Palm Springs where there are all of these windmills, and I mean a TON! There had too be a few hundred stretched out in every direction. It doesn't sound that cool, butt to someone who had never seen anything like this in person it was really kinda cool. I guess they supply the power for the whole area, even for a few casinos. When we got to La Quinta, our first stop was to Corinne's old high school where I got to meet her favorite teacher and catch up a little. Then we went to meet up with Corinne's gay best friend Tom. Tom is a really cool guy! He is really friendly and you could really see why these too are best friends. We sampled some California produce, and then sat and talked and laughed in his car, then we when to dinner at a place a lot like Zupa's, hung out at a park, then said our gooodbyes.
This part of California is so beautiful. Its like nothing we have in Utah or anywhere else I have been. I am smack in the middle of wine country. There are vineyards with chateaus on every hill top, lemon tree orchards, and Olive orchards. Building with amazing architecture that mixes old styles with modern luxury. I feel very lucky and fortunate to have this experience because it is really breath taking to behold. On our drive today looking out over the rolling hills and seeing a different California then what I was used to, I could see the appeal in living here. At night there was almost no light, and you could see the stars so bright and clear that Corinne and I went out wrapped in a blanket and stargazed until we got too cold.
With Thanksgiving just around the corner, I find myself thinking about my family that I am so far away from right now, but in turn I am with a part of my family that is just starting. Even though its new and exciting and different, I'm okay with it. Because it still feels right, and I think it is where I need to be. I am grateful for the love of my Life Corinne who I couldn't live a day with out. She is my who world and am loving this time I get to spend with her, and her family and friends. What a great trip this has been and there is still more to come.
Night yo!
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