California Vacation 2015

At the end of Day Two, I find myself exhausted in a good way. Granted, my back is complaining, my feet are aching, and my legs are screaming from the perpetual battering against pavement, but I regret nothing. Today, we devoted our time to a single task, and that was DisneyLand! As soon as the park opened at 8 a.m., we trekked down to the front gate. Since the park was, relatively, close to our hotel, we decided to walk the distance. Although, we would, later, learn that, though convenient, it would prove a challenge. Anyway, we walked in through the front gate and found a long pathway before us. To our left was a California Fun Park, and to the right was the original DisneyLand park before the additions. Thus, we decided to try our hand at the original. We got through security, and the first thing we saw was the Disney Princess Ariel. Of course, my sister, a Disney fanatic, decided she wanted a picture with the "one and only." FWI: Keep in my mind, my sister is a few years older than me, but the age does not deter her. We got in line to fulfill my sister's dream when it all came crashing down. The people in front of us told us that she would not see anyone beyond them. Meaning, we were the first of many groups to be excluded at that point. With heads drooped in disappointment, we began our journey inward, hopefully, to see better results. We stopped in a few shops along the way, and, as expected, everything was way too expensive for our taste. For example, I came across a mural of a Disney scene in the movie, Tangled, and it ran for over a thousand dollars! There was one person would did purchase a mural, and he asked for it to be shipped all the way to New York! But, I guess, some people are made of money. Anyway, from there, we got into the good stuff! As we navigated through the park, we picked a few rides to experience. We started in TomorrowLand, and we rode the MatterHorn. It was a ride that was not too deadly, but it was exhillarating enough to leave a person's blood pumping. From there, we walked to FantasyLand to see some of the shops as well as meet some of the Disney characters, like Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, and Pluto. Eventually, we landed in Frontierland. There, we rode the Pirates of the Caribbean ride as well as the Haunted Mansion ride. The Pirates ride was my favorite because of its complexity. First of all, I believe that the entire ride was a clue to the next Pirates movie. To validate my hypothesis, let me elaborate. First, there was a sign on the outside of the ride that had in quotes, "Dead Men Tell No Tales," which, I have heard, might be the title for the next movie to be released. Then, when we got inside, there were some characters painted on the walls. Among them were Jack Sparrow, Captain Barbosa, Gibbs, and some new characters we have not been introduced to before. Finally, as the ride proceeded, we came across some interesting scenes involving the characters that could, potentially, be put into an upcoming movie, and they have not been used in any previous movie before. To me, the entire ride was a trailer for the upcoming movies. The Haunted Mansion ride was interesting, but the scares were not that severe, and it did not last long enough. There was one intersting individual who was a part of our group. He, genuinely, believed that the house was haunted, and the entire time, he was trying to convince himself that none of it was real. I did not know whether I should feel sympathy or skepticism. After the Mansion, we found Splash Mountain. This was the downfall of the day. We waited in line for two hours for a two minute ride. We were loaded into shoots like cattle waiting to be executed. Thankfully, this end result was not as dire. We went down a few hills to receive a facefull of water. All in all, after that ride, we were not in a rush to try another. Then, we wandered into AdventureLand. There, we climbed Tarzan's Treehouse and explored the Caverns of Indiana Jones. This particular attraction captivated the attention of my entire family. First, we were led down deep into the caverns. Then, we loaded into a land rover-like machine to traverse the rugged terrain. The lights and projections were spot-on, and the land rover was bouncing, spinning, and turning in every direction as we moved deeper and deeper into the cave, following the very adventure of the grand doctor, himself. Once we departed there, we went back to FantasyLand to visit the Royal Hall. My sister was determined to hit this spot before we left, for inside, the Disney Princesses would be making an appearance. Let me say that she made it sound like we would be watching them put on a show of some sort. However, when we got there, it was an entirely different and embarrasing story. The princesses were there to meet infants and take pictures. Yet, here we were, our youngest party member being 14 and not wanting to meet them. My sister, being well into her twenties, was not deterred in the slightest. We got in there and met three of the princesses, Cinderella, Belle, and Snow White. I will admit, despite how embarrassing it was looking to be, I found it to be my second favorite event. Seeing them, even though they were not the genuine article, was like meeting the real deal. It was like meeting a celebrity that you watched in over a dozen movies. It was an odd feeling, but it was fun. Long story short, my sister went up to speak with each of them and get a picture. I am sure they were just as confused as we were about it. Once that was over, we went to watch a saloon show at the Golden Horseshoe. Finally, with the last event over, we made our way for the exit. It was a long day, and we had been there, literally, all day long. The long trek back proved to be a challenge because we walked two miles with aching bodies, sore backs, and blistering headaches. We just got back to the room not too long ago, and we are all ready to crash. Tomorrow, we plan on driving to the coast before our fancy dinner. Lord knows what we will expect, but I expect it will be just as much an adventure as the events of today have been. Once again, I thank you for indulging me with my method of keeping all this information under control. WIthout this, I might implode from information/stimulation overload. Thank you, and I will be back again tomorrow. So long and farewell.