1991--Southern California
Day One--August 15, 1991
In the summer of 1991 my baby, Jessica, was 2 1/2 years old. My older daughter, Jolene, was almost 7. Margo and I figured as we did not take a vacation the prior year, and my best friend was living in San Diego, so why not go to Southern California this year? We could take the kids to Disneyland, see the sights, and generally have a good time. So it was decided. We would head to the LA area, do the amusment parks and then drive down to San Diego.
Jolene had flown before, back in 1987, but she was still excited about it. Jessi had not flown, but she was excited too. Margo and I were both a little worried about Jessi would react to flying.
She is well behaved, but what two year old likes to sit still for two plus hours? But, she always did well on car trips, so we weren't too worried. We got to the airport and got boarded. Jessi was OK with the seatbelt, the people, and all of the hub bub around her. It ended up being just like a ride at the carnival when the plane left the ground. She looked out the window and enjoyed the whole thing. Her older sister did her share of looking about as well. She was always well behaved when we traveled, and just enjoyed all the new things. Not long after we reached cruising altitude and the Captain turned off the seat belt signs, Jessi was unbuckled, standing in her seat and looking over her seat at the people behind her. Margo scolded her a bit, but the people just thought it was cute.
We landed and made our way to luggage claim. We got our bags and picked up our rental car. Then it was off to our hotel. This was our first time driving in Los Angeles. But, everything went well. We made it straight to our hotel and checked in. From there we went to a convent. Yes, I know. That is what everyone does when they go to Los Angeles. They go seek out nuns.
I had a special reason. My Aunt is a Carmelite sister, and she was currently assigned to the convent in Alahambra. So it was off we went. My Aunt, Sister Stephanie, was very happy to see us. She only gets to visit family once every three years, and not every year was I able to see her. But, we had a very nice visit, with her showing us the grounds, including the grave of a duck, that used to live there. Jolene and Jessi were more interested in that than anything else.
With the travel and visiting there was not much time to do anything else that day. And we were tired. So we ate, watched a little TV and then tried to put Jessi to bed. Jessi is a real homebody. At 2 1/2 she had yet to spend a full night away from us. She would get homesick for her own bed and ask grandma to take her back home. Well, when it came time for bed, she did not fail to notice that the hotel was not home. So once Margo got her all tucked in, Jessi let her mother know that she was ready to go home now. Margo explained that it was too far, and we had to stay here. Her response was to point out that we had a car outside, so we could just drive home. But, she must have been tired, because she didn't put up much more of a fight, and we all went to sleep.
Jolene had flown before, back in 1987, but she was still excited about it. Jessi had not flown, but she was excited too. Margo and I were both a little worried about Jessi would react to flying.
She is well behaved, but what two year old likes to sit still for two plus hours? But, she always did well on car trips, so we weren't too worried. We got to the airport and got boarded. Jessi was OK with the seatbelt, the people, and all of the hub bub around her. It ended up being just like a ride at the carnival when the plane left the ground. She looked out the window and enjoyed the whole thing. Her older sister did her share of looking about as well. She was always well behaved when we traveled, and just enjoyed all the new things. Not long after we reached cruising altitude and the Captain turned off the seat belt signs, Jessi was unbuckled, standing in her seat and looking over her seat at the people behind her. Margo scolded her a bit, but the people just thought it was cute.
We landed and made our way to luggage claim. We got our bags and picked up our rental car. Then it was off to our hotel. This was our first time driving in Los Angeles. But, everything went well. We made it straight to our hotel and checked in. From there we went to a convent. Yes, I know. That is what everyone does when they go to Los Angeles. They go seek out nuns.
I had a special reason. My Aunt is a Carmelite sister, and she was currently assigned to the convent in Alahambra. So it was off we went. My Aunt, Sister Stephanie, was very happy to see us. She only gets to visit family once every three years, and not every year was I able to see her. But, we had a very nice visit, with her showing us the grounds, including the grave of a duck, that used to live there. Jolene and Jessi were more interested in that than anything else.
With the travel and visiting there was not much time to do anything else that day. And we were tired. So we ate, watched a little TV and then tried to put Jessi to bed. Jessi is a real homebody. At 2 1/2 she had yet to spend a full night away from us. She would get homesick for her own bed and ask grandma to take her back home. Well, when it came time for bed, she did not fail to notice that the hotel was not home. So once Margo got her all tucked in, Jessi let her mother know that she was ready to go home now. Margo explained that it was too far, and we had to stay here. Her response was to point out that we had a car outside, so we could just drive home. But, she must have been tired, because she didn't put up much more of a fight, and we all went to sleep.
Jessi and the Duck Grave
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My girls and the Duck Grave
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Margo trades me in for a new husband
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Jolene and Jessi
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Another roundy round ride
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Day Two---August 16, 1991
We were up reasonably early, but we did sleep in a bit. Today we were going to go to Six Flags-Magic Mountain. We plan to visit a different amusement park each day. Knott's Berry Farm, Universal Studios, and Disneyland would follow on the next three days. But today was Six Flags. Back home in Denver we have just two amusement parks, Elitch Gardens and Lakeside. Both are smaller than Six Flags, but Elitch's is close. As such we figured we could handle it.
We arrived and about the first thing we did was see Daffy Duck. Both girls noticed him and wanted to get closer. Evidently Daffy Duck must emanate some sort of aura that effects the very young. Because at first both girls seem to share the same level of desire to meet Mr. Duck. Nearly seven year old Jolene confidently walks towards him.
2 1/4 year old Jessi never lets got of her mother's hand, and does not drag her along. She walks at an almost reluctant pace. As they get close to duck striking distance, Jessi's free had goes to her mouth and she begins to chew on a finger or two. This must act as an antidote for the aura as it seems to give her courage to go on. Jolene strides up to Daffy and is rewards with tickles, and head rubs, and a duck hug. Jessi never releases Margo's hand or get with in range of the ducks grasp. She just continues to utilize her finger talisman and to watch her sister with a combination of envy and wariness. Wariness was the eventual winner, as she never touches Daffy. She settles for returning Mr. Duck's good-bye wave, with her sister. Dad gets some nice video of the exchange.
The next few hours are spent moving from one Kiddie Ride to another. Because Jessi is still so small, we didn't attack the older rides. We staying on the carousel like rides. The ones that went round and round, and basically did nothing. That is until we found the kid size roller coaster. This one made one complete circle, at about 25 yards in diameter, with three hills. It went relatively fast. It would be tame to an adolescent, but to a 6 year old, this was the big time. As luck would have it Jolene and Jessi got the very back seat. Jolene had ridden tame rollercoaster-like rides before, so this was just great for her. Her sister was very enthusiastic, too. She was going to be a big girl. The attendants strapped them in, then yelled "Is everybody ready!" The expected chorus of YEAAAAAH was returned. Then he yelled "Does anyone want to get off?" As if there was any doubt the kids yelled back "NOOOOO".
So they were off. Up one hill, down, up, down, up down, fly into the station. The whole time the kids are yelling. Some are imitation the big kids across the park by putting their arms in the air to show how tough they are. Jessi had not faired as well as I had hoped. The momentum and inertia of the hill kept snapping her head back. So when she got back in the station, she was rubbing the back of neck. This was only going to be a third of the ride. There were still two more circuits to be completed. But, first the attendants had to gauge the willingness of their riders. The two questions were asked and the responses were as expected. But, the attendants had noticed the same thing I had, and made a point of asking Jessi, in a much softer voice "Do you want to go again?" She wasn't sure, but she gave a tiny double nod, with one hand at her mouth.
Then to show that she wasn't scared she put her arms up too. Although she did not do it in adrenalin filled adolescent manner, with both arms straight up, and waving. Her's were in the "Hand's Up" style of the poor guy being robbed in an old western. Her hands were no higher than her ears. Then the train pulled out again. Up-Down-Up-Down-Up-Down, around the bend, into the station. More head snapping for Jessi. The questions were asked once again. Jessi did not answer, but as the train pulled out, I thought I saw the smallest nod, in answer to the "Do you want to get off?" question that had just been answered. But, it was too late. She endured, but did not enjoy the last lap. She didn't cry, but she rubbed the back of her neck. She was later able to explain that she kept hitting the back of her neck on the back of the car.
This was a good time for a break so we ate lunch, taking full advantage of the overpriced, and highly diverse selection of amusement park food. But, as this type of food is second cousin to candy for a child, and Dad is just a big kid himself, we weren't too put out. Not long after lunch we found the park's petting zoo. A favorite of kids all over, except my baby. While Jolene happily went from goat, to deer, to whatever other cute furball was nearby, Jessi refused to let go of mother. She wasn't even crazy about walking in the same pen as the animals. As it was well cleaned, and 2 year olds are known for the care they take about their environment, I am sure it was not for fear of stepping in something. Nothing her mother would say, from "Look, how soft they feel" or "They feel just like Sugar (family dog)", could convince her to touch on of these completely docile animals.
Even when Dad took over, and Mom manned the camera, she was no more willing. We finally gave up, as she would tread closer and closer to a fit as we pushed harder and harder. But, she at least got within touching distance.
The rest of day was spent like the beginning. We went from ride to ride, stopping for a snack or potty break. Jolene and were able to do some of the big kid rides. There was the signature Magic Mountain. A roller coaster that goes in and out of a synthetic mountain. It was fun. Probably our favorite was a water ride call Tidal Wave. You were placed in a large car, that would seat at least a twenty people, and it owuld haul you to the top of a hill. From there you went over and down a steep hill that ended in a large pool of water.
Everyone got splashed and it helped to cool you down from the August sun. The neat part about the ride, is that when you get off you cross a bridge that spans the part of the ride where the big splash is thrown. So if you did not get wet enough, you can linger on the bridge and get soaked by one of the next cars. Jolene & I did exactly that.
Towards the end of the afternoon we went over to Magic Mountain’s Sea Lion Show.
It is not on par with what we saw at Sea World four years ago, but it was still a good show. There was one large sea lion and his trainer. He actually opened the show by coming out on the front stage and rearing up to the microphone. Then a recorded voice, pretending of course to be the sea lion’s opened the show. That got everything set. There was comedy and the ball balancing, and such. She then brought the sea lion up to the front so everyone, from their seats, could get a good look. Then she did a Q & A. There were a lot of questions. On of which, “Was if she (the trainer) had ever been bit” She answered she had, and by this guy here. She said most of the sea lions were cheap shot artists and would bite you on the butt and take off. This one would give you nip and then just look at you as if to say “Yah, I did it”. They closed the show with the sea lion doing a back flip.
Amusement parks are exhausting, especially with two young children. But, we lasted until early evening when we went back to the hotel to collapse. Jessi gave us no trouble about sleeping. She was both exhausted and probably convinced that sleeping in a strange bed was a small price to pay for the fun she really was having. The times she spent on the rides had all been full of smiles, laughs, and waves. Even the roller coaster was something she and sister could share war stories about. Bed was calling. Tomorrow would be Universal Studios.
We arrived and about the first thing we did was see Daffy Duck. Both girls noticed him and wanted to get closer. Evidently Daffy Duck must emanate some sort of aura that effects the very young. Because at first both girls seem to share the same level of desire to meet Mr. Duck. Nearly seven year old Jolene confidently walks towards him.
2 1/4 year old Jessi never lets got of her mother's hand, and does not drag her along. She walks at an almost reluctant pace. As they get close to duck striking distance, Jessi's free had goes to her mouth and she begins to chew on a finger or two. This must act as an antidote for the aura as it seems to give her courage to go on. Jolene strides up to Daffy and is rewards with tickles, and head rubs, and a duck hug. Jessi never releases Margo's hand or get with in range of the ducks grasp. She just continues to utilize her finger talisman and to watch her sister with a combination of envy and wariness. Wariness was the eventual winner, as she never touches Daffy. She settles for returning Mr. Duck's good-bye wave, with her sister. Dad gets some nice video of the exchange.
The next few hours are spent moving from one Kiddie Ride to another. Because Jessi is still so small, we didn't attack the older rides. We staying on the carousel like rides. The ones that went round and round, and basically did nothing. That is until we found the kid size roller coaster. This one made one complete circle, at about 25 yards in diameter, with three hills. It went relatively fast. It would be tame to an adolescent, but to a 6 year old, this was the big time. As luck would have it Jolene and Jessi got the very back seat. Jolene had ridden tame rollercoaster-like rides before, so this was just great for her. Her sister was very enthusiastic, too. She was going to be a big girl. The attendants strapped them in, then yelled "Is everybody ready!" The expected chorus of YEAAAAAH was returned. Then he yelled "Does anyone want to get off?" As if there was any doubt the kids yelled back "NOOOOO".
So they were off. Up one hill, down, up, down, up down, fly into the station. The whole time the kids are yelling. Some are imitation the big kids across the park by putting their arms in the air to show how tough they are. Jessi had not faired as well as I had hoped. The momentum and inertia of the hill kept snapping her head back. So when she got back in the station, she was rubbing the back of neck. This was only going to be a third of the ride. There were still two more circuits to be completed. But, first the attendants had to gauge the willingness of their riders. The two questions were asked and the responses were as expected. But, the attendants had noticed the same thing I had, and made a point of asking Jessi, in a much softer voice "Do you want to go again?" She wasn't sure, but she gave a tiny double nod, with one hand at her mouth.
Then to show that she wasn't scared she put her arms up too. Although she did not do it in adrenalin filled adolescent manner, with both arms straight up, and waving. Her's were in the "Hand's Up" style of the poor guy being robbed in an old western. Her hands were no higher than her ears. Then the train pulled out again. Up-Down-Up-Down-Up-Down, around the bend, into the station. More head snapping for Jessi. The questions were asked once again. Jessi did not answer, but as the train pulled out, I thought I saw the smallest nod, in answer to the "Do you want to get off?" question that had just been answered. But, it was too late. She endured, but did not enjoy the last lap. She didn't cry, but she rubbed the back of her neck. She was later able to explain that she kept hitting the back of her neck on the back of the car.
This was a good time for a break so we ate lunch, taking full advantage of the overpriced, and highly diverse selection of amusement park food. But, as this type of food is second cousin to candy for a child, and Dad is just a big kid himself, we weren't too put out. Not long after lunch we found the park's petting zoo. A favorite of kids all over, except my baby. While Jolene happily went from goat, to deer, to whatever other cute furball was nearby, Jessi refused to let go of mother. She wasn't even crazy about walking in the same pen as the animals. As it was well cleaned, and 2 year olds are known for the care they take about their environment, I am sure it was not for fear of stepping in something. Nothing her mother would say, from "Look, how soft they feel" or "They feel just like Sugar (family dog)", could convince her to touch on of these completely docile animals.
Even when Dad took over, and Mom manned the camera, she was no more willing. We finally gave up, as she would tread closer and closer to a fit as we pushed harder and harder. But, she at least got within touching distance.
The rest of day was spent like the beginning. We went from ride to ride, stopping for a snack or potty break. Jolene and were able to do some of the big kid rides. There was the signature Magic Mountain. A roller coaster that goes in and out of a synthetic mountain. It was fun. Probably our favorite was a water ride call Tidal Wave. You were placed in a large car, that would seat at least a twenty people, and it owuld haul you to the top of a hill. From there you went over and down a steep hill that ended in a large pool of water.
Everyone got splashed and it helped to cool you down from the August sun. The neat part about the ride, is that when you get off you cross a bridge that spans the part of the ride where the big splash is thrown. So if you did not get wet enough, you can linger on the bridge and get soaked by one of the next cars. Jolene & I did exactly that.
Towards the end of the afternoon we went over to Magic Mountain’s Sea Lion Show.
It is not on par with what we saw at Sea World four years ago, but it was still a good show. There was one large sea lion and his trainer. He actually opened the show by coming out on the front stage and rearing up to the microphone. Then a recorded voice, pretending of course to be the sea lion’s opened the show. That got everything set. There was comedy and the ball balancing, and such. She then brought the sea lion up to the front so everyone, from their seats, could get a good look. Then she did a Q & A. There were a lot of questions. On of which, “Was if she (the trainer) had ever been bit” She answered she had, and by this guy here. She said most of the sea lions were cheap shot artists and would bite you on the butt and take off. This one would give you nip and then just look at you as if to say “Yah, I did it”. They closed the show with the sea lion doing a back flip.
Amusement parks are exhausting, especially with two young children. But, we lasted until early evening when we went back to the hotel to collapse. Jessi gave us no trouble about sleeping. She was both exhausted and probably convinced that sleeping in a strange bed was a small price to pay for the fun she really was having. The times she spent on the rides had all been full of smiles, laughs, and waves. Even the roller coaster was something she and sister could share war stories about. Bed was calling. Tomorrow would be Universal Studios.
On the Kiddie Roller Coaster
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Turtle at the Petting Zoo. Jessi wouldn't touch it either
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Where is that Snoopy anyway?
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Jolene and I after coming off of the Tidal Wave Bridge
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Taadahhh!!
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All tuckered out.
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Day Three-August 17, 1991
Today we were going to visit Universal Studios. I was looking forward to this one, because I had friends who had mentioned the back lot tour and I had heard about the King Kong part. As this is a movie studio they have a lot of rides or shows that have to do with special effects, stunts or are movie themed. When we checked the schedule, the first thing that appealed to us was a show at their old western town. We figured we would see a gunfight or something along those lines, and we weren't disappointed. It ended up being a comedic confrontation between the good guys and the bad guys. Both sides were played by stuntmen, and they did a good job with falls and simulated fights, both with fists and guns. The highlight was when they blew up the middle building, whose front detached and fell to the ground, ready to crush one of the good guys. But "luckily" the part of the building that was to crush our hero was the window, so the wall fell harmlessly around him.
We all liked it. The kids saw lots of action, and it held their attention just fine.
But there was more to do, and we headed over to where the Animal Actors program would be put on. This one was just OK for me. Of course the animals were well trained, but it wasn't really impressive. I grew up watching Lassie or seeing Clyde the Ape, so seeing them do the same things, while interesting, got a little boring. Still they added enough comedy in there to move it along. Our next stop was more to my liking, but much less to my baby, Jessi.
The King Kong ride puts you on a tram that is supposedly an elevated train (like the El in Chicago), in a major city. King Kong is on the loose, and we stubble in on his rampage. They did it very well, and you could easily suspend belief, and see yourself on the el. As your train pauses, you look through someone's window in a building and see a news report, with a reporter telling you about Kong's escape and trashing of the city. It is supposedly an "on the scene" report, and then the reporter notices a tram full of passengers (that would be us) right in the midst. Cue, Mr. Kong. We move again, and suddenly he is there, just his head, shoulders, and one arm. But he is huge. Jessi has had no trouble suspending belief at all, and is sure she is going to be the banana for this big monkey's next meal. She is crying and screaming.
Margo is doing her best to calm her down, but it kind of added weight to the dramatic scene. We were able to get her calmed down after we were past him. On a conscience level, I think she knew it wasn't real, but how much experience with reality does a 2 year old have? When in doubt yell and scream, and let Mom fix it.
Actually the King Kong ride was part of the back lot tour, so we continued out, just like we had wandered in, and drove out of the soundstage and into daylight. We took a jaunt over a bridge that started to collapse as we went on it, and then went on to be part of flood. Not long after we went through a little sea side village, and got to watch a fisherman and his small boat get dragged under by Jaws himself. Then Jaws had to jump out at us, on our side of the car. Jessi didn't like this either. Jolene on the other hand loved it. She knew it was all pretend and took it all in.
Poor Margo had to keep comforting Jessi. Me, I was trying to capture all of this for posterity on my Dad's video camera. The tour had a few more surprises for us. We got to see a river "parted", ala the Red Sea and Moses. If you have ever scene Mel Brook's History of the World Part I, you saw the river. They do it with a clever hydraulic system that lowers a top piece that the river is flowing over, as the piece, which spans the river and is about 10 feet wide, the water level lowers, in the middle, where the piece is at. It in effects creates a waterfall on both sides, and then you drive through the middle. We saw all sorts of props from movies and a few famous movie houses. The finale of the tour was when we drove through the Battlestar Galactica set, and were rescued by Captain Apollo himself. Jessi was not crazy about this one either, but she was getting used to the noise and excitement.
After we were done with this it was past noon, so we decided to give Jessi a rest and get something to eat. We finished up, and found our way over to the E.T. the Extraterrestial ride. This one was very popular and we had a bit of a wait. When you finally got to the front of the line, they asked you for your first name and then gave you a credit card sized piece of plastic. Then you went through another queue, which was much more interesting, as it was kind of a prelude to the ride. It had various audio, visual, and written displays to start to get you in an extraterrestial mood. When you reached the front of this line, they took your card, and put you in a cart that resembled a ski lift. And like a ski lift it carried you above the ground.
Jolene loved it. She had seen ET before and was into it. Jessi was not. This just seemed wrong to her, and she floated between squirmy to crying depending on what was going on at the time. We had gotten her a stuffed ET doll, and that helped some. She used it kind of like a teddy bear. But, the ride went on. We flew all over earth, and then went with ET to his homeland, which was somehow necessary to save Earth. Then we came back. Mission accomplished and we were all heroes. To reward us, as we walked out ET said good bye to us, using our first name. So I got a "Good-bye" Bill, and the so did the rest. At least we knew why they needed our name...
Next it was the Fievel the Mouse program. Now, I had zero desire to see this one, but both my daughters, especially Jessi knew about Fievel and wanted to see him.
Yeah, like I was going to say "No", after traumatizing my baby all day. It was OK, but even Jolene seemed to think it went on a bit. Jessi loved it. She sang with them and clapped, and was just riveted at times. She would happily wave at me when I would swing the camera in her direction. So I guess she wasn't scarred for life by her meeting with a giant monkey, Cylons, and an alien being.
The last "big" thing for the day was to see the Miami Vice program. This was a scene set in the Caribbean where our heroes Crockett and Tubbs were after the ever present drug smugglers.
There were an assortment of fights, falls, and water craft all zooming about in every which direction. Both girls were OK with this. These were real people after all. It was cool to watch them fall into the water or narrowly miss being blown up, while shooting bad guys left, right, and center. Not an alien Cylon monkey in sight. The climax involved a big gasoline depot exploding. It was not really gasoline, of course. But it was propane fueled which gave off a very hot flame. We were plenty close enough to feel it's heat.
By now it is well after 5 PM. We are getting tired, so we wander a bit, and let Jolene (who seems to have more energy left than anymore) play in a few of the hands on places for kids. Jessi has decided to take a nap, and it wasn't long before the rest of decided she was on to something, and we left. Dinner and Sleep.
We all liked it. The kids saw lots of action, and it held their attention just fine.
But there was more to do, and we headed over to where the Animal Actors program would be put on. This one was just OK for me. Of course the animals were well trained, but it wasn't really impressive. I grew up watching Lassie or seeing Clyde the Ape, so seeing them do the same things, while interesting, got a little boring. Still they added enough comedy in there to move it along. Our next stop was more to my liking, but much less to my baby, Jessi.
The King Kong ride puts you on a tram that is supposedly an elevated train (like the El in Chicago), in a major city. King Kong is on the loose, and we stubble in on his rampage. They did it very well, and you could easily suspend belief, and see yourself on the el. As your train pauses, you look through someone's window in a building and see a news report, with a reporter telling you about Kong's escape and trashing of the city. It is supposedly an "on the scene" report, and then the reporter notices a tram full of passengers (that would be us) right in the midst. Cue, Mr. Kong. We move again, and suddenly he is there, just his head, shoulders, and one arm. But he is huge. Jessi has had no trouble suspending belief at all, and is sure she is going to be the banana for this big monkey's next meal. She is crying and screaming.
Margo is doing her best to calm her down, but it kind of added weight to the dramatic scene. We were able to get her calmed down after we were past him. On a conscience level, I think she knew it wasn't real, but how much experience with reality does a 2 year old have? When in doubt yell and scream, and let Mom fix it.
Actually the King Kong ride was part of the back lot tour, so we continued out, just like we had wandered in, and drove out of the soundstage and into daylight. We took a jaunt over a bridge that started to collapse as we went on it, and then went on to be part of flood. Not long after we went through a little sea side village, and got to watch a fisherman and his small boat get dragged under by Jaws himself. Then Jaws had to jump out at us, on our side of the car. Jessi didn't like this either. Jolene on the other hand loved it. She knew it was all pretend and took it all in.
Poor Margo had to keep comforting Jessi. Me, I was trying to capture all of this for posterity on my Dad's video camera. The tour had a few more surprises for us. We got to see a river "parted", ala the Red Sea and Moses. If you have ever scene Mel Brook's History of the World Part I, you saw the river. They do it with a clever hydraulic system that lowers a top piece that the river is flowing over, as the piece, which spans the river and is about 10 feet wide, the water level lowers, in the middle, where the piece is at. It in effects creates a waterfall on both sides, and then you drive through the middle. We saw all sorts of props from movies and a few famous movie houses. The finale of the tour was when we drove through the Battlestar Galactica set, and were rescued by Captain Apollo himself. Jessi was not crazy about this one either, but she was getting used to the noise and excitement.
After we were done with this it was past noon, so we decided to give Jessi a rest and get something to eat. We finished up, and found our way over to the E.T. the Extraterrestial ride. This one was very popular and we had a bit of a wait. When you finally got to the front of the line, they asked you for your first name and then gave you a credit card sized piece of plastic. Then you went through another queue, which was much more interesting, as it was kind of a prelude to the ride. It had various audio, visual, and written displays to start to get you in an extraterrestial mood. When you reached the front of this line, they took your card, and put you in a cart that resembled a ski lift. And like a ski lift it carried you above the ground.
Jolene loved it. She had seen ET before and was into it. Jessi was not. This just seemed wrong to her, and she floated between squirmy to crying depending on what was going on at the time. We had gotten her a stuffed ET doll, and that helped some. She used it kind of like a teddy bear. But, the ride went on. We flew all over earth, and then went with ET to his homeland, which was somehow necessary to save Earth. Then we came back. Mission accomplished and we were all heroes. To reward us, as we walked out ET said good bye to us, using our first name. So I got a "Good-bye" Bill, and the so did the rest. At least we knew why they needed our name...
Next it was the Fievel the Mouse program. Now, I had zero desire to see this one, but both my daughters, especially Jessi knew about Fievel and wanted to see him.
Yeah, like I was going to say "No", after traumatizing my baby all day. It was OK, but even Jolene seemed to think it went on a bit. Jessi loved it. She sang with them and clapped, and was just riveted at times. She would happily wave at me when I would swing the camera in her direction. So I guess she wasn't scarred for life by her meeting with a giant monkey, Cylons, and an alien being.
The last "big" thing for the day was to see the Miami Vice program. This was a scene set in the Caribbean where our heroes Crockett and Tubbs were after the ever present drug smugglers.
There were an assortment of fights, falls, and water craft all zooming about in every which direction. Both girls were OK with this. These were real people after all. It was cool to watch them fall into the water or narrowly miss being blown up, while shooting bad guys left, right, and center. Not an alien Cylon monkey in sight. The climax involved a big gasoline depot exploding. It was not really gasoline, of course. But it was propane fueled which gave off a very hot flame. We were plenty close enough to feel it's heat.
By now it is well after 5 PM. We are getting tired, so we wander a bit, and let Jolene (who seems to have more energy left than anymore) play in a few of the hands on places for kids. Jessi has decided to take a nap, and it wasn't long before the rest of decided she was on to something, and we left. Dinner and Sleep.
More Western Stunt Show. The building with the six window was the one that fell at the end. The center top window was the one that fell around the stuntman
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Animal Actors Show. If you look close you can a bird soaring in front of the fan in the center of the picture
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Part of the Back Lot tour. This prop was from the movie "Back to the Future"
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More Back Lot tour-This is the house from the movie "Psycho"
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Jessi (takes after her mother)
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Fievel the Mouse show
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Day Four- August 18, 1991
Today was amusement park number three. Today we are going to Knott's Berry Farm. Being from Colorado I had only the slimmest of grasp on what to expect from an amusement park named after a berry farm. Some guy I worked with said, "Oh, it's just like Elitch's here in Denver. The kids will love it." Evidently I considered this enough endorsement to plan to spend an entire day there, with no back up plan. Oh, well the kids are nearly 7 and 2 1/2, how difficult to please could they be. If there were rides equal to a roadside carnival and a berry patch to stomp down, they would be happy.
As was our pattern we arrived not long after the park opened and procured the needed map.
A quick scan found the kid-friendly named Camp Snoopy. So we took off for the land of the Peanuts to see what there was to do at camp. It turned out to be a nice little mini-amusement park geared towards kids who were too little to ride the Boomerang and other such roller coasters. As this was my target audience we spent the next few hours bouncing from one spinny ride to another, watching the kids go round and round, and making sure that we waved each and every time they made an appearance from the dark side of the carousel. They had a blast, and we had a good time too. Both Margo and I got to ride on the occasional ride, to comfort the baby, of course.
Sometime around the noon hour we had pretty much seen all that Snoopy and his pals had to offer. Plus my oldest daughter had been gazing longingly at the big kid rides, hoping she was the right stature to ride some of them. She was in luck; one of the first ones we decided to try was called the Sky Jump. This was a simulated (it had a canopy) parachute drop. You got in this car/cart/gondola like thing. When you and your fellow daredevils were secured the mechanism hauled you and your cart straight up, like you were being retrieved from the bottom of a well. At the top, there was short wait, undoubtedly to heighten your sense of doom, and then it dropped it you. Of course, everything was in tight control, and it was actually a little on the tame side. I don't recall any negative Gs, but Jolene loved it. She screamed and had a grand time.
Lunch was beckoning, so we grabbed a Snoopy burger, or something along that line and ate a quick lunch. I'm usually the first done, and as Jessi, the toddler/baby, had decided to take a short nap, I wandered over to the aforementioned Boomerang. I could tell by the infamous "You must be this tall" sign, which suggested death or dismemberment to the short, that Jolene could not ride.
But, I could. The line wasn't too bad, so about 30 minutes later they were loading me into a roller coaster car. The Boomerang starts you at the top of a very steep hill. No climb for the coaster, you did that on the stairs to get there. So as you gaze down you see that the bottom of the hill is followed by a loop, and another loop, you are turned a complete revolution, and then you go up another hill, and stop on top, right on a set of tracks that is now right beside those you just started from. I knew what to expect when I got in line, but at this point I was questioning the wisdom of doing this right after lunch. Too late. Zoom-Loop-Loop-Twist, and Climb. The ride had been pretty short, but it was only half over. They don't call this the Boomerang because it was made in Australia. Someone threw the reverse lever and we shot back down the track. I could now see what it was like to see the back of someone's screaming head. The tracks that I was now facing suddenly turned upside down as we went through our revolution.
One backwards loop, another, and then we backed up the hill, and the ride was over. Then it was back to the family so we could continue the day. I had had enough roller coasters for one day.
August in southern California is hot. Not Phoenix, Arizona hot, but short of the Sahara, what it? Still what is better on a hot day than a water ride? Knott's Berry Farm had recently installed just such an animal. It was called Big Foot Rapids. On this ride you got on a custom built inner tube looking device. It was circular like a tube, but had seats facing the center. In the center, where the hole should be, was a table looking thing for you to hold on to. After everyone is buckled in you are sent down a theme park river, filled with man made rapids, to bounce, spin and splash you about. Those never seem to splash the occupants too much. Towards the end, however, there is a waterfall on one side of the river. It is up to chance who might be in just the right spot, if anyone, to get full benefit of the free shower. Our tube was lucky enough to go underneath it, but we were only caught a glancing blow. We got a good splash, but did not get soaked.
We spent the next few hours either backtracking to Camp Snoopy, or looking for rides that Jolene was tall enough to ride.
There were plenty of those, and actually the ones she couldn't were the exception. Towards twilight we ran into one that gave us some trouble. It was a simulated ballon ride, with a gondola underneath. You would strap to kids in the gondola, and around and around it would go. It seemed pretty tame to look at. But it was height regulated, and we missed the sign. I think the ride was in Camp Snoopy, so Jolene was plenty tall enough. The issue was with Jessi. She was evidently borderline when they measured her at the front of the line. Her sister was already loaded up, and anticipating a good ride, when the guy told us Jessi was too small. We had to tell her, and she started with the crocodile tears. Those tears have been known to persuade her father (yes, that is me) to buy the piece of junk toy at the front of the store, or to go back to McDonalds and get the Orange drink.
This is particularly true when the tears are accompanied by the quiet sniffles that do not signal a fit, just exteeemeeee disappointment. It was at this minute I knew that I was going to be in trouble when she hit her teens. The guy who had just finished telling us she couldn't ride, picked her up, put her in the seat, and apologized to her. She of course rewarded him by turning off the water and brightening up a degree or two. Then when the ride started and she was laughing and yelling to her sister, his smile was bigger than hers.
That was pretty close to our last ride of the day. Three amusement parks in three days. The one the girls had been looking forward to since we told them where were going was tomorrow, Disneyland!
As was our pattern we arrived not long after the park opened and procured the needed map.
A quick scan found the kid-friendly named Camp Snoopy. So we took off for the land of the Peanuts to see what there was to do at camp. It turned out to be a nice little mini-amusement park geared towards kids who were too little to ride the Boomerang and other such roller coasters. As this was my target audience we spent the next few hours bouncing from one spinny ride to another, watching the kids go round and round, and making sure that we waved each and every time they made an appearance from the dark side of the carousel. They had a blast, and we had a good time too. Both Margo and I got to ride on the occasional ride, to comfort the baby, of course.
Sometime around the noon hour we had pretty much seen all that Snoopy and his pals had to offer. Plus my oldest daughter had been gazing longingly at the big kid rides, hoping she was the right stature to ride some of them. She was in luck; one of the first ones we decided to try was called the Sky Jump. This was a simulated (it had a canopy) parachute drop. You got in this car/cart/gondola like thing. When you and your fellow daredevils were secured the mechanism hauled you and your cart straight up, like you were being retrieved from the bottom of a well. At the top, there was short wait, undoubtedly to heighten your sense of doom, and then it dropped it you. Of course, everything was in tight control, and it was actually a little on the tame side. I don't recall any negative Gs, but Jolene loved it. She screamed and had a grand time.
Lunch was beckoning, so we grabbed a Snoopy burger, or something along that line and ate a quick lunch. I'm usually the first done, and as Jessi, the toddler/baby, had decided to take a short nap, I wandered over to the aforementioned Boomerang. I could tell by the infamous "You must be this tall" sign, which suggested death or dismemberment to the short, that Jolene could not ride.
But, I could. The line wasn't too bad, so about 30 minutes later they were loading me into a roller coaster car. The Boomerang starts you at the top of a very steep hill. No climb for the coaster, you did that on the stairs to get there. So as you gaze down you see that the bottom of the hill is followed by a loop, and another loop, you are turned a complete revolution, and then you go up another hill, and stop on top, right on a set of tracks that is now right beside those you just started from. I knew what to expect when I got in line, but at this point I was questioning the wisdom of doing this right after lunch. Too late. Zoom-Loop-Loop-Twist, and Climb. The ride had been pretty short, but it was only half over. They don't call this the Boomerang because it was made in Australia. Someone threw the reverse lever and we shot back down the track. I could now see what it was like to see the back of someone's screaming head. The tracks that I was now facing suddenly turned upside down as we went through our revolution.
One backwards loop, another, and then we backed up the hill, and the ride was over. Then it was back to the family so we could continue the day. I had had enough roller coasters for one day.
August in southern California is hot. Not Phoenix, Arizona hot, but short of the Sahara, what it? Still what is better on a hot day than a water ride? Knott's Berry Farm had recently installed just such an animal. It was called Big Foot Rapids. On this ride you got on a custom built inner tube looking device. It was circular like a tube, but had seats facing the center. In the center, where the hole should be, was a table looking thing for you to hold on to. After everyone is buckled in you are sent down a theme park river, filled with man made rapids, to bounce, spin and splash you about. Those never seem to splash the occupants too much. Towards the end, however, there is a waterfall on one side of the river. It is up to chance who might be in just the right spot, if anyone, to get full benefit of the free shower. Our tube was lucky enough to go underneath it, but we were only caught a glancing blow. We got a good splash, but did not get soaked.
We spent the next few hours either backtracking to Camp Snoopy, or looking for rides that Jolene was tall enough to ride.
There were plenty of those, and actually the ones she couldn't were the exception. Towards twilight we ran into one that gave us some trouble. It was a simulated ballon ride, with a gondola underneath. You would strap to kids in the gondola, and around and around it would go. It seemed pretty tame to look at. But it was height regulated, and we missed the sign. I think the ride was in Camp Snoopy, so Jolene was plenty tall enough. The issue was with Jessi. She was evidently borderline when they measured her at the front of the line. Her sister was already loaded up, and anticipating a good ride, when the guy told us Jessi was too small. We had to tell her, and she started with the crocodile tears. Those tears have been known to persuade her father (yes, that is me) to buy the piece of junk toy at the front of the store, or to go back to McDonalds and get the Orange drink.
This is particularly true when the tears are accompanied by the quiet sniffles that do not signal a fit, just exteeemeeee disappointment. It was at this minute I knew that I was going to be in trouble when she hit her teens. The guy who had just finished telling us she couldn't ride, picked her up, put her in the seat, and apologized to her. She of course rewarded him by turning off the water and brightening up a degree or two. Then when the ride started and she was laughing and yelling to her sister, his smile was bigger than hers.
That was pretty close to our last ride of the day. Three amusement parks in three days. The one the girls had been looking forward to since we told them where were going was tomorrow, Disneyland!
Jessi was all tuckered out
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Bedtime for Jolene and Jessi
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Fish in the pond.
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Jessi and a coin operated horse. Giddyup!
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Come on cow, lets go!
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Doesn't she look thrilled?
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Day Five--August 19, 1991
Up, ready, and on the road by 9:30 AM. The park opens at 10, so we figured that was plenty of time. We drove past the entrance as it was on the other side of the road, but that did give us a hint of how big it was. You couldn’t see the park; all you see was the largest parking lot I had ever seen. We paid our money to park, and then were directed to a space. The parking lot is so big (100 acres, bigger than the park itself), that it has to be divided into sections, each named after a Disney character. You needed to remember the section, and row, so you could find your way back. We wrote ours down. We were not going to rely on our fatigued strained mental faculties at the end of the day. We had gotten here at about 10 AM, and still parked well, well, away from the entrance.
But Disney anticipated that issue, and they had a large tram, to pick you up and whisk you off the entrance. A short five minute or so ride later and we were at the entrance. We paid our money and got in line to get into the park. Disney had done away with their old ticket system ten years ago, so all you needed to go from ride to ride was your passport.
All set, we pushed into the park and onto Main Street USA. When I say pushed, I’m referring less to the stroller carrying my daughter, Jessi, and more to the sheer volume of people. This was easily the highest concentration of people I had ever seen in my life. There were, at times, literally no way to move, and Main Street is very wide. We ended up getting our way through, to Central Plaza, and finding a spot to stop where we could get our bearings and decide where to go first.
The park is divided into four “lands’. There is Fantasyland, Adventureland, Frontierland, and Tomorrowland. There is also Critter Country and New Orleans Square. We opted to head towards Fantasyland, as there were some kiddie rides to start Jessi on. The girls, who included my oldest daughter, Jolene, took their turns on Dumbo the Flying Elephant, and The Mad Hatter’s Tea Cup ride. From there we decided to get adventurous and go on It’s a Small World. (If you had seen the line, you wouldn’t question the “adventurous” part). When we finally got to the front we were loaded into a boat and sent around the world. Throughout our tour of world tour, seeing various themed rooms, representing different cultures and places, the song “It’s a Small World” is played over and over, but the language it is sung in changes to reflect the culture of the room. The net result is that you can’t get the song out of your head. I was humming, much to my dismay, the rest of the day. (Now I’m rhyming. Grrrrrrr) But, the girls liked it.
Heading into Tomorrowland we came to the Submarine Voyage. On this ride they put you in a submarine-like conveyance. It doesn’t completely submerge, but it does so enough that those sitting inside are under water. Then the ride takes you around the lagoon for a series of sites and adventures. I thought it was a little on the cheesy side, but again, the girls liked it, and that’s what we were here for.
But, by now they were also hungry. So we stopped to get something to eat. Hamburgers and Chicken Fingers were the fare of the day, followed my some Mickey Mouse shaped ice cream. Between Fantasyland and Tomorrowland is Motorboat Cruise. Margo and Jessi got into one boat-on-a-rail-in-the-water, and Jolene and I got in another. I razzed Jolene about her driving (which the rail had complete control of), and tried to work the video camera and follow Margo and Jessi ahead of us. It was quite tame, but both girls got to “drive” and that was the big fun.
After the Motorboats they had Disney Characters out in the Central Plaza. So we wandered over and saw Daisy and Donald Duck, Goofy, and Pluto. Jolene got right there with them, and gave hugs and was all smiles. Jessi never left her mother. She didn’t trust these guys anymore than she had Daffy Duck a few days ago. She was only shy with them, but still waved good-bye to each.
Next it was off to Frontierland. We got on the Mark Twain Riverboat and set on down the Rivers of America. The ship is on rails, but you can’t tell. So we went around, seeing guys paddling canoes, and going past a burning building.
There were Indians, of course. We all liked this one, and it had given the girls a chance to see Tom Sawyer’s island from the deck. That looked like a good place to play, and they had a raft/ferry boat to take you over. After our riverboat ride, we got in line to ride the raft over to the island. Once the girls got on the island they were anxious to get on the teeter-totter like rock that was near the pier. It looked like fun from a distance, but it lost its allure quick.
They explored for awhile, but then decided that something else would be more fun, so we took the rafts back over. We decided to take Davy Crockett’s Explorer Canoes. These were the same canoe we had seen from the ship. There was a Disney employee in the front, to paddle, and one in the back of the canoe to steer. They both had Crockettesque coonskin caps. We were all given a paddle of course, but participation in the physical part was more or less voluntary. On the last leg of our canoe trip, our guides decided to race the other canoe in water, and asked for full power from their guests. Most complied, but one Oriental woman looked confused about what to do, and just stuck her paddle in at odd times. She probably didn’t understand a word of what was said.
From Davy Crockett’s place we went over and got in the Splash Mountain line. We had gotten used to these water rides, and this time wanted to get wet to help cool down some. The line was long, and the overall ride seemed to go quick, but we liked it. It sent us to the realm of Brer Rabbit from the movie Song of the South. That movie ruffled some feathers, as some people got the idea it was racist or offensive. I never saw it that way, and liked hearing, albeit in an abbreviated manner some of those Brer Rabbit stories. The end, on the pretense of sending us to Brer Rabbit’s home, the Briar Patch, we were sent down the steep hill and splashed down at the bottom. Fun for all, again.
It had been awhile since we had eaten, and it was well after 5 PM. So we took another break for dinner. We had every intention of staying to see the fireworks show at the end of the night. After we ate we walked past New Orleans Square. We didn’t see anything we wanted to do there, so we kept going to Adventureland. There we got on the Jungle Cruise. That was very similar to Mark Twain’s boat ride, but there were more adventures. We had to contend with elephants trying to hose us down and Hippos in the water, and such. But the Captain got us thru everything.
We didn’t linger in Adventureland very long. I mean we were almost eaten. Beside the kids had to go to the bathroom. And so begins the only part of Disneyland that my baby remembers to this day. It was not any of the rides, or meeting Donald Duck, or the animatronics, or even the flume at Splash Mountain. Nope. What does she remember? I quote “the little pottys”
We looked on our map for a rest room and found a place called the Baby Care Center, outside of Adventureland and across Central Plaza near Tomorrowland. That sounded OK. Margo and Jessi went inside that. Jolene and I found normal accommodations nearby. The Baby Care Center was only for infants, toddlers and their parents. When they returned 15 minutes later they regaled us with their tales of wonder. The Baby Care Center was staffed with the most helpful people who were constantly helping with the infants and toddlers, and replacing mats, or wiping things down so they were spotless. And inside where you actually did your business, there were both adult and child-size toilets. Not just normal sized ones that were lower to the ground, but they were completely scaled down and lowered to the ground. This would allow a toddler, like my Jessi, to use them with no help. Stop the presses. Margo and Jessi both had to tell us all about it.
This continued as we entered into Tomorrowland. The kids had seen the monorail all day and wanted to ride in it. They had also noticed the SkyRide that went from Tomorrowland to Fantasyland, earlier in the day. I wanted to ride Space Mountain, just 'cause it is famous. That’s what we ended up doing next. But they were having mechanical problems with the ride that day. We waited in line for at least 45 minutes. The kids were not having fun at this point, but didn’t get too disjointed. On this ride Jessi was too small to ride, so we did a hand off thing. First Margo or I would ride, and the other would keep Jessi. Then the other would have their turn. Disney has it down to a science. Jolene got to go with both of us. Space Mountain is an odd kind of roller coaster, as it is indoors, and a lot of it is dark. You can see the ceiling with the simulated stars and such, but not much of the ride itself.
We got a little more than we bargained for when the ride stopped about half way though my turn. The mechanical difficulties had surfaced again. We were stranded for about ten minutes while they coaxed the hamster back onto his wheel, and we finished the ride.
We are all getting tired by now, and relaxing a bit sounded good. So we went over to the Sky Ride and rode it to FantasyLand and then back. It was nice and slow and took you up in a gondola like cable ride over the park and people. You have a great view, and it is very tempting to spit or drop something. We managed to refrain ourselves.
Dusk was approaching, so we got in line to do the monorail. We had been lucky today, in that most lines had been pretty manageable. The Monorail was no exception. It was air-conditioned and really comfortable. We weren’t crowded, and it made for a very nice rest. With night, would come first Disney’s Main Street Electrical Parade and then the fireworks show. Both were worth the long day. Each float in the parade was just a dazzle of lights, and each one had it’s own music that would change as the float appeared. It was something to see. The fireworks were your standard fare, but there were just so many of them. You had to wonder how much it cost to this every night.
That was our day. We and about half the population of California headed towards the parking lot, and the trams. We decided to walk, instead of wait for a tram. It was a hike, but it would still be quicker than waiting behind all the people who would be in front of us in line. We were not alone with that idea. It all worked out, and we were back to the hotel about an hour later, tired and ready for bed.
But Disney anticipated that issue, and they had a large tram, to pick you up and whisk you off the entrance. A short five minute or so ride later and we were at the entrance. We paid our money and got in line to get into the park. Disney had done away with their old ticket system ten years ago, so all you needed to go from ride to ride was your passport.
All set, we pushed into the park and onto Main Street USA. When I say pushed, I’m referring less to the stroller carrying my daughter, Jessi, and more to the sheer volume of people. This was easily the highest concentration of people I had ever seen in my life. There were, at times, literally no way to move, and Main Street is very wide. We ended up getting our way through, to Central Plaza, and finding a spot to stop where we could get our bearings and decide where to go first.
The park is divided into four “lands’. There is Fantasyland, Adventureland, Frontierland, and Tomorrowland. There is also Critter Country and New Orleans Square. We opted to head towards Fantasyland, as there were some kiddie rides to start Jessi on. The girls, who included my oldest daughter, Jolene, took their turns on Dumbo the Flying Elephant, and The Mad Hatter’s Tea Cup ride. From there we decided to get adventurous and go on It’s a Small World. (If you had seen the line, you wouldn’t question the “adventurous” part). When we finally got to the front we were loaded into a boat and sent around the world. Throughout our tour of world tour, seeing various themed rooms, representing different cultures and places, the song “It’s a Small World” is played over and over, but the language it is sung in changes to reflect the culture of the room. The net result is that you can’t get the song out of your head. I was humming, much to my dismay, the rest of the day. (Now I’m rhyming. Grrrrrrr) But, the girls liked it.
Heading into Tomorrowland we came to the Submarine Voyage. On this ride they put you in a submarine-like conveyance. It doesn’t completely submerge, but it does so enough that those sitting inside are under water. Then the ride takes you around the lagoon for a series of sites and adventures. I thought it was a little on the cheesy side, but again, the girls liked it, and that’s what we were here for.
But, by now they were also hungry. So we stopped to get something to eat. Hamburgers and Chicken Fingers were the fare of the day, followed my some Mickey Mouse shaped ice cream. Between Fantasyland and Tomorrowland is Motorboat Cruise. Margo and Jessi got into one boat-on-a-rail-in-the-water, and Jolene and I got in another. I razzed Jolene about her driving (which the rail had complete control of), and tried to work the video camera and follow Margo and Jessi ahead of us. It was quite tame, but both girls got to “drive” and that was the big fun.
After the Motorboats they had Disney Characters out in the Central Plaza. So we wandered over and saw Daisy and Donald Duck, Goofy, and Pluto. Jolene got right there with them, and gave hugs and was all smiles. Jessi never left her mother. She didn’t trust these guys anymore than she had Daffy Duck a few days ago. She was only shy with them, but still waved good-bye to each.
Next it was off to Frontierland. We got on the Mark Twain Riverboat and set on down the Rivers of America. The ship is on rails, but you can’t tell. So we went around, seeing guys paddling canoes, and going past a burning building.
There were Indians, of course. We all liked this one, and it had given the girls a chance to see Tom Sawyer’s island from the deck. That looked like a good place to play, and they had a raft/ferry boat to take you over. After our riverboat ride, we got in line to ride the raft over to the island. Once the girls got on the island they were anxious to get on the teeter-totter like rock that was near the pier. It looked like fun from a distance, but it lost its allure quick.
They explored for awhile, but then decided that something else would be more fun, so we took the rafts back over. We decided to take Davy Crockett’s Explorer Canoes. These were the same canoe we had seen from the ship. There was a Disney employee in the front, to paddle, and one in the back of the canoe to steer. They both had Crockettesque coonskin caps. We were all given a paddle of course, but participation in the physical part was more or less voluntary. On the last leg of our canoe trip, our guides decided to race the other canoe in water, and asked for full power from their guests. Most complied, but one Oriental woman looked confused about what to do, and just stuck her paddle in at odd times. She probably didn’t understand a word of what was said.
From Davy Crockett’s place we went over and got in the Splash Mountain line. We had gotten used to these water rides, and this time wanted to get wet to help cool down some. The line was long, and the overall ride seemed to go quick, but we liked it. It sent us to the realm of Brer Rabbit from the movie Song of the South. That movie ruffled some feathers, as some people got the idea it was racist or offensive. I never saw it that way, and liked hearing, albeit in an abbreviated manner some of those Brer Rabbit stories. The end, on the pretense of sending us to Brer Rabbit’s home, the Briar Patch, we were sent down the steep hill and splashed down at the bottom. Fun for all, again.
It had been awhile since we had eaten, and it was well after 5 PM. So we took another break for dinner. We had every intention of staying to see the fireworks show at the end of the night. After we ate we walked past New Orleans Square. We didn’t see anything we wanted to do there, so we kept going to Adventureland. There we got on the Jungle Cruise. That was very similar to Mark Twain’s boat ride, but there were more adventures. We had to contend with elephants trying to hose us down and Hippos in the water, and such. But the Captain got us thru everything.
We didn’t linger in Adventureland very long. I mean we were almost eaten. Beside the kids had to go to the bathroom. And so begins the only part of Disneyland that my baby remembers to this day. It was not any of the rides, or meeting Donald Duck, or the animatronics, or even the flume at Splash Mountain. Nope. What does she remember? I quote “the little pottys”
We looked on our map for a rest room and found a place called the Baby Care Center, outside of Adventureland and across Central Plaza near Tomorrowland. That sounded OK. Margo and Jessi went inside that. Jolene and I found normal accommodations nearby. The Baby Care Center was only for infants, toddlers and their parents. When they returned 15 minutes later they regaled us with their tales of wonder. The Baby Care Center was staffed with the most helpful people who were constantly helping with the infants and toddlers, and replacing mats, or wiping things down so they were spotless. And inside where you actually did your business, there were both adult and child-size toilets. Not just normal sized ones that were lower to the ground, but they were completely scaled down and lowered to the ground. This would allow a toddler, like my Jessi, to use them with no help. Stop the presses. Margo and Jessi both had to tell us all about it.
This continued as we entered into Tomorrowland. The kids had seen the monorail all day and wanted to ride in it. They had also noticed the SkyRide that went from Tomorrowland to Fantasyland, earlier in the day. I wanted to ride Space Mountain, just 'cause it is famous. That’s what we ended up doing next. But they were having mechanical problems with the ride that day. We waited in line for at least 45 minutes. The kids were not having fun at this point, but didn’t get too disjointed. On this ride Jessi was too small to ride, so we did a hand off thing. First Margo or I would ride, and the other would keep Jessi. Then the other would have their turn. Disney has it down to a science. Jolene got to go with both of us. Space Mountain is an odd kind of roller coaster, as it is indoors, and a lot of it is dark. You can see the ceiling with the simulated stars and such, but not much of the ride itself.
We got a little more than we bargained for when the ride stopped about half way though my turn. The mechanical difficulties had surfaced again. We were stranded for about ten minutes while they coaxed the hamster back onto his wheel, and we finished the ride.
We are all getting tired by now, and relaxing a bit sounded good. So we went over to the Sky Ride and rode it to FantasyLand and then back. It was nice and slow and took you up in a gondola like cable ride over the park and people. You have a great view, and it is very tempting to spit or drop something. We managed to refrain ourselves.
Dusk was approaching, so we got in line to do the monorail. We had been lucky today, in that most lines had been pretty manageable. The Monorail was no exception. It was air-conditioned and really comfortable. We weren’t crowded, and it made for a very nice rest. With night, would come first Disney’s Main Street Electrical Parade and then the fireworks show. Both were worth the long day. Each float in the parade was just a dazzle of lights, and each one had it’s own music that would change as the float appeared. It was something to see. The fireworks were your standard fare, but there were just so many of them. You had to wonder how much it cost to this every night.
That was our day. We and about half the population of California headed towards the parking lot, and the trams. We decided to walk, instead of wait for a tram. It was a hike, but it would still be quicker than waiting behind all the people who would be in front of us in line. We were not alone with that idea. It all worked out, and we were back to the hotel about an hour later, tired and ready for bed.
Jolene and Jessi
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This was the ride the Jessi cried her way on.
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Ride's over. Everyone lived.
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Me, Jolene, and the stroller on our way to the Happiest Place on Earth
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Jolene driving, me preserving the event for posterity.
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It's on rails, so the rocks were safe.
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Day Six---August 20, 1991
Today we were pulling up stakes and heading south. We had thought about maybe stopping in Hollywood, but decided against it. I wanted to see my buddy, and while it wasn’t a terribly long drive to San Diego, we did have to contend with L.A. traffic. I heard horror stories, but up until know we had not had to travel on the major arteries a lot. Today would be different.
We got up, dressed, finished packing, and grabbed a nutritious breakfast from McDonald’s. Well, it was fast anyway, which was among our top priorities. We made through the rat maze which in the Los Angeles street system with almost no damage to our psyche or schedule. We were just merging onto I-5 from the highway near our hotel when traffic started to back up. We had to slow down to about 30 for less than a minute, and then it was smooth sailing the rest of the way. I was amazed. I really thought we would run up against one of the famous traffic jams, and sit. Nope, serendipity ruled.
We had seen the San Diego Zoo when were there in 1987, so this time I wanted to visit the San Diego Wild Animal Park. We arrived there sometime about 11 AM, and went inside San Diego Will Animal Park is operated by the same people who operate the San Diego Zoo. I had heard that the big draw to this park was that the animals were not housed in cages, but ranged freely. I thought that would be pretty neat to see.
That was the first thing we did. The park has a tram that you ride that takes you through the open range part and you can see the animals. They warned you that the animals, like zebras, rhinos, buffalo, and deer, had a mind of there own, and you might not get good looks at them. We didn’t. It was a bit of a disappointment. We ate lunch and then got went on the “Heart of Africa”, which is a trail system that takes you to various areas of Africa. Here you could learn about some less exciting and more timid animals. We were able to see a few, but again we were a bit disappointed.
The park had an animatronic dinosaur exhibit which the girls seemed very interested in seeing. Since the animals had turned out to be a bit of a bust, we decided to try that. At the very beginning of the exhibit you got a little book, to gather stamps. The idea was to stamp your book at a station located near each of the dinosaurs you saw, and collect them all. So we set about our dinosaur scavenger hunt. All of the dinosaurs moved, made noise, or both. It held everyone’s attention, but they were kind of tame. They were well done in that they looked real. If their movements could have mimicked something natural they might have been scary. But, still it was neat to see and the girls enjoyed.
After we collected as many stamps as the girls wanted to we went over to the petting zoo. Jolene loves these and goes from animal to animal. If there is a feeding station she is all over me for coins to get some grub. Then she would come back and tell us all about how the animal had taken its meal from her. This one didn’t allow hand feeding, but that was OK.
They had several exotic looking deer that were all very docile. Most were just lounging around in the shade, trying to escape the heat. Jessi was still apprehensive about this. But her mother led her over to one animal just lying on the ground. After telling her that she didn’t have to pet it, but that Margo wanted to, they went bend down. Margo went first, and coaxed Jessi to pet its soft fur. She was wearing sunglasses when she did it, but took them off when she was finished, and I saw that her eyes were huge with triumph and excitement as she told me she had petted the deer. From then on she would pet them on her own, but still not as enthusiastically as her sister.
Somewhere around 4 PM we called it day at the park. We still had to check into our hotel and find where Dennis lived. Dennis and his girlfriend had an apartment in El Cajon, a suburb of San Diego. Dennis had invited us to stay while we were in town, like last time, but we decided on a hotel. They really didn't have room for us, and we had added Jessi since the last time.
Anyway, we checked in and dumped our luggage. From there we were off to find Dennis. I had an address and had figured out how to get there from a map. But, I was not positive. But, my directions were close enough and we where there in about half an hour. We spent the rest of the evening visiting. We talked about our trip so far, got caught up on events back home, and here in California. We ate dinner there, visited some more, and went back to the hotel, dead tired.
We got up, dressed, finished packing, and grabbed a nutritious breakfast from McDonald’s. Well, it was fast anyway, which was among our top priorities. We made through the rat maze which in the Los Angeles street system with almost no damage to our psyche or schedule. We were just merging onto I-5 from the highway near our hotel when traffic started to back up. We had to slow down to about 30 for less than a minute, and then it was smooth sailing the rest of the way. I was amazed. I really thought we would run up against one of the famous traffic jams, and sit. Nope, serendipity ruled.
We had seen the San Diego Zoo when were there in 1987, so this time I wanted to visit the San Diego Wild Animal Park. We arrived there sometime about 11 AM, and went inside San Diego Will Animal Park is operated by the same people who operate the San Diego Zoo. I had heard that the big draw to this park was that the animals were not housed in cages, but ranged freely. I thought that would be pretty neat to see.
That was the first thing we did. The park has a tram that you ride that takes you through the open range part and you can see the animals. They warned you that the animals, like zebras, rhinos, buffalo, and deer, had a mind of there own, and you might not get good looks at them. We didn’t. It was a bit of a disappointment. We ate lunch and then got went on the “Heart of Africa”, which is a trail system that takes you to various areas of Africa. Here you could learn about some less exciting and more timid animals. We were able to see a few, but again we were a bit disappointed.
The park had an animatronic dinosaur exhibit which the girls seemed very interested in seeing. Since the animals had turned out to be a bit of a bust, we decided to try that. At the very beginning of the exhibit you got a little book, to gather stamps. The idea was to stamp your book at a station located near each of the dinosaurs you saw, and collect them all. So we set about our dinosaur scavenger hunt. All of the dinosaurs moved, made noise, or both. It held everyone’s attention, but they were kind of tame. They were well done in that they looked real. If their movements could have mimicked something natural they might have been scary. But, still it was neat to see and the girls enjoyed.
After we collected as many stamps as the girls wanted to we went over to the petting zoo. Jolene loves these and goes from animal to animal. If there is a feeding station she is all over me for coins to get some grub. Then she would come back and tell us all about how the animal had taken its meal from her. This one didn’t allow hand feeding, but that was OK.
They had several exotic looking deer that were all very docile. Most were just lounging around in the shade, trying to escape the heat. Jessi was still apprehensive about this. But her mother led her over to one animal just lying on the ground. After telling her that she didn’t have to pet it, but that Margo wanted to, they went bend down. Margo went first, and coaxed Jessi to pet its soft fur. She was wearing sunglasses when she did it, but took them off when she was finished, and I saw that her eyes were huge with triumph and excitement as she told me she had petted the deer. From then on she would pet them on her own, but still not as enthusiastically as her sister.
Somewhere around 4 PM we called it day at the park. We still had to check into our hotel and find where Dennis lived. Dennis and his girlfriend had an apartment in El Cajon, a suburb of San Diego. Dennis had invited us to stay while we were in town, like last time, but we decided on a hotel. They really didn't have room for us, and we had added Jessi since the last time.
Anyway, we checked in and dumped our luggage. From there we were off to find Dennis. I had an address and had figured out how to get there from a map. But, I was not positive. But, my directions were close enough and we where there in about half an hour. We spent the rest of the evening visiting. We talked about our trip so far, got caught up on events back home, and here in California. We ate dinner there, visited some more, and went back to the hotel, dead tired.
Tired of looking at Disneyland thru a little black n white window.
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Jolene and Jess, off to the left, waiting to climb on this rock on Tom Sawyer Island. The rock rocks back and forth like a teeter-totter
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The Little Pottys at the Baby Care Center in Disneyland (Photo courtesy of Mouseplanet.com)
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The "set" for "Pirates of the Pinniped". We liked the sea lions!
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Jessi. Another Children's Museum exhibit. I just wish I could remember which one
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Day Seven--August 21, 1991
When you are in San Diego there are two attractions on everyone’s list; The San Diego Zoo and SeaWorld. We went to both last time, in 1987, and would have liked to do both again this year, but we decided it was best to see one of them very well instead of both half assed. So the Zoo was out, because when you get down to it, if you’ve seen one zoo you have pretty much seen them all. The Denver Zoo, back home, would just have to do. But, Denver doesn’t have Shamu, so SeaWorld was going to be it.
We got there soon after it opened and there in the courtyard as you walked in was Shamu himself to greet the kids. That has got to be the job to have, wearing a six-foot tall fur costume in the August heat and humidity of San Diego. But, Jolene thought it was neat and got went and got her Shamu hug.
From there we headed to the dolphin area. It was a kind of petting area where about a million kids gathered around the perimeter of a pool, and could try to entice one of the swimming dolphins to come close enough to be touched. Jolene and Jessi both splashed the water, but I don’t think they got to touch one. But they did enjoy watching them swim by. It was pretty cool to see them that close.
Nearby it was feeding time for the sea lions. Here you were able to buy small cardboard containers of fish to drop to the sea lions below. I thought this would be very interesting and my daughters shared my excitement.
So we went and got some fish to dangle over the side. You had no trouble finding a sea lion who wanted your offering. They were well below you, so there was no way they could leap up and take it, but competition was fierce down with animals. There was no guarantee that the sea lion, who was barking at you for your fish, would be the one that got it. They didn’t fight, but if your aim was bad, or your lion was too slow or clumsy the opportunity was lost.
As it turned out there were other animals that had their eye on your fish. The resident sea gulls loved fish too. And not only were they constantly looking for a dropped fish, we had the experience of having one ambitious bird swoop down, and hit our container as he passed. That knocked it onto the ground, and startled us too. We went through are fish pretty quick and then it was off to our next adventure.
We decided to sit down and watch a show next. SeaWorld always has some sort of sea lion show. In 1987 it was called “Pirates of the Pinniped” Sea lions are pinnipeds. This year they had the same show title, but the show was different enough to be fresh to me. Jessi and never seen it, and Jolene if she remembered, didn’t care. But the trainers put the animals through their paces, with plenty of sight gags, and humor. The walrus got into the act towards the end and squirted the crowd. And there were river otters that would appear at times. In the show they were “bilge rats”. It was all good fun, and we all enjoyed it.
We ate not long after that and then went to Penguin Encounter. Here you got on a moving walkway, like at the airport and it took you through the very air conditioned building to view tons of penguins. It was interesting to see the various species and in different area, but it was over pretty quick. The part that everyone commented on was the temperature. It was down right cold in there. But, as it was to keep the penguins comfortable and not us, what could we complain about. Plus after walking around in the sun for a few minutes we started to miss it.
Next it was off to the dolphin show. This one is my least favorite. The dolphins are beautiful and majestic looking, but they seem less entertaining. I guess sea lions are more pet-like, (which is probably sacrilegious to environmentalists) but their interaction with their trainers is just more fun. Even when they don’t do what they are supposed to in the show, it is funny. But the dolphins swam and jumped, and jumped and swam, and their trainers played, and then two of them did high jumps. The second one was very impressive. He was easily 15 ft out of the water, maybe as much as 25. It was hard to tell. Then it was done.
We had not seen Shamu yet. Not the real one anyway, so that is where we headed, Shamu Stadium to see the headliner. Shamu, as everyone knows is a killer whale. Yes, I know people call them orcas now, but I gave up PC for lent. I grew up calling them killer whales, so sue me. Anyway, Shamu isn’t like watching the dolphins, because he is so big. You just see so much power in what he/she does. They had him swim very fast around the perimeter of the pool, and he just churned the water everywhere. And then, of course there is the part where Shamu does the killer whale belly flop and splashes the crowd. We got seats in the upper rows of the Splash Zone, so we all got wet, but no one got soaked. It was entertaining and we had a good time.
We had about done everything. The kids got to play a little at some of the rides, and then we went up on the Sky Tower. That is essentially a tall tower with an enclosed, revolving disk around it. You get inside the disk, and it travels up the tower, slowly spinning as it goes. You get a nice 360 degree view of the park, and then down you go.
That was pretty much it for the day. Then it was back to Dennis’ to unwind a bit, and then back to the hotel for a good night's sleep. Tomorrow we would be going home.
We got there soon after it opened and there in the courtyard as you walked in was Shamu himself to greet the kids. That has got to be the job to have, wearing a six-foot tall fur costume in the August heat and humidity of San Diego. But, Jolene thought it was neat and got went and got her Shamu hug.
From there we headed to the dolphin area. It was a kind of petting area where about a million kids gathered around the perimeter of a pool, and could try to entice one of the swimming dolphins to come close enough to be touched. Jolene and Jessi both splashed the water, but I don’t think they got to touch one. But they did enjoy watching them swim by. It was pretty cool to see them that close.
Nearby it was feeding time for the sea lions. Here you were able to buy small cardboard containers of fish to drop to the sea lions below. I thought this would be very interesting and my daughters shared my excitement.
So we went and got some fish to dangle over the side. You had no trouble finding a sea lion who wanted your offering. They were well below you, so there was no way they could leap up and take it, but competition was fierce down with animals. There was no guarantee that the sea lion, who was barking at you for your fish, would be the one that got it. They didn’t fight, but if your aim was bad, or your lion was too slow or clumsy the opportunity was lost.
As it turned out there were other animals that had their eye on your fish. The resident sea gulls loved fish too. And not only were they constantly looking for a dropped fish, we had the experience of having one ambitious bird swoop down, and hit our container as he passed. That knocked it onto the ground, and startled us too. We went through are fish pretty quick and then it was off to our next adventure.
We decided to sit down and watch a show next. SeaWorld always has some sort of sea lion show. In 1987 it was called “Pirates of the Pinniped” Sea lions are pinnipeds. This year they had the same show title, but the show was different enough to be fresh to me. Jessi and never seen it, and Jolene if she remembered, didn’t care. But the trainers put the animals through their paces, with plenty of sight gags, and humor. The walrus got into the act towards the end and squirted the crowd. And there were river otters that would appear at times. In the show they were “bilge rats”. It was all good fun, and we all enjoyed it.
We ate not long after that and then went to Penguin Encounter. Here you got on a moving walkway, like at the airport and it took you through the very air conditioned building to view tons of penguins. It was interesting to see the various species and in different area, but it was over pretty quick. The part that everyone commented on was the temperature. It was down right cold in there. But, as it was to keep the penguins comfortable and not us, what could we complain about. Plus after walking around in the sun for a few minutes we started to miss it.
Next it was off to the dolphin show. This one is my least favorite. The dolphins are beautiful and majestic looking, but they seem less entertaining. I guess sea lions are more pet-like, (which is probably sacrilegious to environmentalists) but their interaction with their trainers is just more fun. Even when they don’t do what they are supposed to in the show, it is funny. But the dolphins swam and jumped, and jumped and swam, and their trainers played, and then two of them did high jumps. The second one was very impressive. He was easily 15 ft out of the water, maybe as much as 25. It was hard to tell. Then it was done.
We had not seen Shamu yet. Not the real one anyway, so that is where we headed, Shamu Stadium to see the headliner. Shamu, as everyone knows is a killer whale. Yes, I know people call them orcas now, but I gave up PC for lent. I grew up calling them killer whales, so sue me. Anyway, Shamu isn’t like watching the dolphins, because he is so big. You just see so much power in what he/she does. They had him swim very fast around the perimeter of the pool, and he just churned the water everywhere. And then, of course there is the part where Shamu does the killer whale belly flop and splashes the crowd. We got seats in the upper rows of the Splash Zone, so we all got wet, but no one got soaked. It was entertaining and we had a good time.
We had about done everything. The kids got to play a little at some of the rides, and then we went up on the Sky Tower. That is essentially a tall tower with an enclosed, revolving disk around it. You get inside the disk, and it travels up the tower, slowly spinning as it goes. You get a nice 360 degree view of the park, and then down you go.
That was pretty much it for the day. Then it was back to Dennis’ to unwind a bit, and then back to the hotel for a good night's sleep. Tomorrow we would be going home.
Going Home. We had a great time!
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Day Eight--August 22, 1991
Today we were heading home. You hope when you’re traveling back home by air, there are no memorable stories to tell. And in our case, there aren’t. After we finished packing, we ate, and checked out. We still had several hours before we needed to be at the airport, so we took the kids to The Children’s Museum San Diego. We really didn’t know exactly what to expect. But, as it turned out it what I would describe as a real world, hands on play area. It was like the kids got turned loose in a part of the adult world and then would get to touch and play with the things that would ordinarily be forbidden to them.
We started out in a dentist’s office. There was a chair and the sink-on-a-swivel that the doc could bring up to you or swing out of the way. These weren’t state of the art technological pieces, but the kids still enjoyed climbing in the chair and moving the sink.
There were many other rooms, or areas. One room had a couple of desks set up, like in an office. They had phones. One had an old typewriter. In front of one of the desks was an old hand operated switchboard. It looked to be something out of the 1940s. The kids could pull the cords out of one socket and put them in another. There was a headset and a rotary dial to as well.
Another room was a pediatric room from a hospital. It came complete with a rubber baby and an incubator. On a table in the room were various doctors’ smocks so the kids could pretend to be doctors. Still another room had more cloths to play dress up, and a puppet stage. The kids could play act in their new cloths, or put on a sock puppet and put on a show on the stage.
One room was the TV studio for KKID News, where your kid could be the anchorman. I kinda made Jolene do a news report for me. She was very cute. They had a script made up, and she just had to read it, and fill in a few blanks. She got through it, but she was embarrassed the whole time.
There was an area for Blindfold Tic Tac Toe. There was a large, probably 3 foot square, board on the wall. It was divided up into a tic tac toe board. The facing was a cloth, but underneath must have been metal. The “Xs” and “Os” were about a foot tall, and had magnets on the back. We blindfolded Jolene and she had a good time going from the board to the box of X/Os, and trying to arrange them. Little sister, Jessi, wanted in on the act, but she kept cheating to see, by pulling down the blindfold. So we just took it off, and turned her loose. She never did get three in a row; she just loved sticking them on the board.
The kids kept gravitating back to the dress up-puppet show room. They would alternate between doing a short, non-verbal show, to trying on all of these various cloths. Jessi, in particular delighted in finding the largest shoes to prance around in.
They found a couple of other rooms in the two hours we were there. On was a painting room. On a wall they had a large paper canvas. Then on the table they had several cans of water colors and brushes. There were old men’s shirts to put on, to keep their cloths clean. Then if was off to discover their inner Van Gogh.
The last room, Margo enjoyed as much as the girls, had PVP like pipes and connectors, so you could build things. Margo and Jessi first constructed a basic table. They were very proud of that. Then they modified their design and build a box, complete with lid. Jessi was supposed to get in and jump out to surprise me. But, she just kind of pushed the top off and then stood up. Of course the huge grin on her face made it obvious she thought she had jumped out of the cake.
The two hours passed pretty quickly, but we had to get going. It was about 2 PM when we left for the airport.
That was pretty much it. We really packed this vacation about as full as you dared, especially with two small children. But they were great. Hardly any crying or arguments. No fits or bad attitudes. Except for being tired all the time, we couldn’t have asked for more.
We started out in a dentist’s office. There was a chair and the sink-on-a-swivel that the doc could bring up to you or swing out of the way. These weren’t state of the art technological pieces, but the kids still enjoyed climbing in the chair and moving the sink.
There were many other rooms, or areas. One room had a couple of desks set up, like in an office. They had phones. One had an old typewriter. In front of one of the desks was an old hand operated switchboard. It looked to be something out of the 1940s. The kids could pull the cords out of one socket and put them in another. There was a headset and a rotary dial to as well.
Another room was a pediatric room from a hospital. It came complete with a rubber baby and an incubator. On a table in the room were various doctors’ smocks so the kids could pretend to be doctors. Still another room had more cloths to play dress up, and a puppet stage. The kids could play act in their new cloths, or put on a sock puppet and put on a show on the stage.
One room was the TV studio for KKID News, where your kid could be the anchorman. I kinda made Jolene do a news report for me. She was very cute. They had a script made up, and she just had to read it, and fill in a few blanks. She got through it, but she was embarrassed the whole time.
There was an area for Blindfold Tic Tac Toe. There was a large, probably 3 foot square, board on the wall. It was divided up into a tic tac toe board. The facing was a cloth, but underneath must have been metal. The “Xs” and “Os” were about a foot tall, and had magnets on the back. We blindfolded Jolene and she had a good time going from the board to the box of X/Os, and trying to arrange them. Little sister, Jessi, wanted in on the act, but she kept cheating to see, by pulling down the blindfold. So we just took it off, and turned her loose. She never did get three in a row; she just loved sticking them on the board.
The kids kept gravitating back to the dress up-puppet show room. They would alternate between doing a short, non-verbal show, to trying on all of these various cloths. Jessi, in particular delighted in finding the largest shoes to prance around in.
They found a couple of other rooms in the two hours we were there. On was a painting room. On a wall they had a large paper canvas. Then on the table they had several cans of water colors and brushes. There were old men’s shirts to put on, to keep their cloths clean. Then if was off to discover their inner Van Gogh.
The last room, Margo enjoyed as much as the girls, had PVP like pipes and connectors, so you could build things. Margo and Jessi first constructed a basic table. They were very proud of that. Then they modified their design and build a box, complete with lid. Jessi was supposed to get in and jump out to surprise me. But, she just kind of pushed the top off and then stood up. Of course the huge grin on her face made it obvious she thought she had jumped out of the cake.
The two hours passed pretty quickly, but we had to get going. It was about 2 PM when we left for the airport.
That was pretty much it. We really packed this vacation about as full as you dared, especially with two small children. But they were great. Hardly any crying or arguments. No fits or bad attitudes. Except for being tired all the time, we couldn’t have asked for more.
Jessi on the plane
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Jolene on the plane. She didn't want her picture taken
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