- A night in Vegas — a great start for a 40th anniversary celebration
- Two days in the Valley — Death Valley that is!
- A sad stop at Manzanar National Historic Site
- Joshua Tree National Park — A teeming desert only few hours away from LA!
- The final stop on our 40th Anniversary Road Trip — Disneyland!
Since we were celebrating our 40th in a rather leisurely manner, we thought “why not go to Disneyland?!” They are all about celebration and fun! So off we went, leaving Joshua Tree as the clouds thickened and the rains began. By the time we hit the outskirts of LA, we were in a full scale monsoon. I could barely see out the windshield and we probably save some on gas since I was hydroplaning much of the time. Anyway, we arrived at the Magic Kingdom between squalls to check in. With all the automation and efficiency packed into Disneyland, their check-in is a total fail — too much time and too much paper. Even Dale’s attempt to cheer me up didn’t help much. But after that, it was out to the park!
We spent the rest of the first day cruising around Disneyland and, for the most part, the weather cooperated. I have to put in a plug for MaxPass — it allows you head-of-the-line privileges on the rides as well as a Disney Photo Pass (lots of photographers taking pictures of you around the parks). It’s really great — when it works. We actually had two rides (Thunder Mountain and the Haunted Mansion) that shut down for repairs while we were either in line or, in the case of Haunted Mansion, actually underground on the ride (that was pretty exciting!). But that aside, we mixed in some of the exciting rides (e.g., Space Mountain) with old (tame) favorites like the Dumbo ride. During this time of year, however, it’s all about the holidays — whether rides that are themed for Christmas or the holiday parades. As the day wore on, the weather took a turn for the worse and we headed back to the hotel for some relaxation and a great dinner.
After a night of rain, the next day dawned bright and stayed that way. We spent the whole day between Disneyland and the Disney California Adventure Park (a first time for us). While we liked both parks, I think we enjoyed the atmosphere of the Adventure Park slightly more. It seemed to bee a bit more picturesque and had better restaurants. By staying in the park, you get in an hour earlier than the general public, so streets were relatively empty and you could get on the “big” rides quickly. Of course, the Guardians of the Galaxy ride was the most popular in the Adventure Park. We hadn’t seen the movies, so didn’t really know what to expect. I won’t spoil it for you, but it was a very “moving” experience. Then it was back to Disneyland for some more rides and the rain-delayed holiday parade. We stayed until late and then hit the real thrill ride — the LA freeway system to head to our airport hotel for our early morning flight to Puerto Vallarta.
As road trips go, this was a good one — lots of very different things to see and do. As a 40th Anniversary Celebration, we sort of cheated a bit — our anniversary wasn’t until December 9th. Time for at least one more celebration!
This entry was posted in California, Parades, Travel, United States
I am a traveler and sometimes clay sculptor, following a long career working in consulting. My work allowed me to travel the world extensively and I was hooked. Today, I travel with my wife/best friend to explore new places, meet new people, and learn new things.
