Disneyland Resort

 

We also enjoyed seeing what was new at the parks. The Tower of Terror was in the process of being changed into a Guardians of the Galaxy attraction.

We also tried out the new Luigi's Rollickin' Roadsters ride in Carsland.  It was okay; about as enjoyable as the Flying Tires were, but hopefully easier to maintain.

We enjoyed a lunch at Carthay Circle in California Adventure, and on Monday, a breakfast at Goofy's Kitchen.  

I also took some photos of the what I could see of the new Star Wars land under construction. Last night Susan and I flew home, and the kids back to Florida.

Birthday Trip

For my birthday, Susan told me we were going away for a long weekend, but wouldn't tell me where. When we got to PDX Friday morning, she revealed we were flying to LAX. While we were picking up a rental car in Los Angeles, I was surprised by the kids showing up. That's when I figured out we were going to Disneyland. 

We stayed at the Disneyland Hotel, and from our tower could see into California Adventure.

We enjoyed the holiday decorations in both parks, and riding holiday versions of Small World and Haunted Mansion. 

California Adventure was featuring a "Festival of Holidays". Carsland was especially festive.

Nevada

Friday afternoon we drove north to Las Vegas, stopping at Lake Mead National Recreation Area on our way. The visitor center there had a cool map of the lake, which was formed when the Hoover Dam was built on the Colorado River.

We also stopped at the Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument north of Vegas, but currently there isn't much there. It's currently an open field, and shares a visitor center with Lake Mead NRA.

We continued north, and stopped in Tonopah Friday night. Saturday we had lunch in Reno, and arrived back in Bend Saturday evening.

Arizona

We left Texas and continued west through New Mexico until we came to Petrified Forest National Park. We had visited this park in January of 2007, but only the northern part. 

This time we turned and drove south to the Rainbow Museum, where we checked out the exhibits and watched a film about the park. From there we drove west to Flagstaff, where we stayed Thursday night.

Friday morning night we visited Walnut Canyon National Monument. This park preserves the landscape where native people built homes in the cliffs of the canyon and farmed along the rim. We checked out the exhibits at the visitor center and watched the film about canyon, then walked a short trail out to the canyon’s edge.

Texas

Once we entered Texas, we swung down to Waco. Wednesday morning we drove around the downtown and visited the Magnolia Market. A former grain and cotton plant was transformed into a shopping complex a few years ago by owners Chip and Joanna Gaines of Fixer Upper.

We then visited Waco Mammoth National Monument. This is located west of town near the Bosque River. The fossils of a large number of Mammoth were discovered there.

Wednesday night we had dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe in downtown Dallas. This was the 14th HRC I have visited. We then continued driving west to Amarillo, where we stopped for the night.

Westward

Monday morning, we stopped at Ocmulgee National Monument near Macon, Georgia. This site preserves Native American mounds. We then drove across Alabama and Mississippi and stopped in Vicksburg for the night.

Tuesday morning we visited Vicksburg National Military Park. Vicksburg was important in the Civil War because it could be used to control traffic on the Mississippi river.

In the afternoon we visited Poverty Point National Monument in northern Louisiana, which is also about the Native American mound-builders.

South Carolina

On Saturday we left Disney World and headed up to Hilton Head, South Carolina, for the night. We stayed at Disney's resort there, in a villa in a building by the pool.

We walked along the beach near the Beach House Sunday morning.

Leaving Hilton Head, we headed northwest to near Columbia and picked up Lily, our new Sheltie, then headed west on our sixth trip across the U.S.

Grandstand

On Thursday we moved into a villa at Saratoga Springs. We stayed in the Grandstand area, which is nice because it's close to the main pool and boat dock to Disney Springs and is the first stop on the bus route, so it's easy to get a seat on the bus in the morning when heading to the park, and you're first off coming back when you're tired from being in the park all day. It's also got a nice quiet pool. 

At the Studios, the old Pizza Planet restaurant had been changed into PizzeRizzo, and themed to the Muppets, which is appropriate because it's across from the Muppet 3D movie. 

At Epcot, the Food & Wine Festival ended, and the holiday decorations went up. I enjoyed checking out the exhibit about Shanghai Disney in the China pavilion. 

Wilderness Lodge

On Sunday, we moved to a Wilderness Lodge DVC one bedroom villa. From our balcony we could see the progress they were making on building the new DVC cabins along the lakeshore.

That night we attended a Christmas party at the Magic Kingdom. Jennifer enjoyed meeting special characters, and we all enjoyed the holiday decorations and snacks. 

We enjoyed walking around the resort. Near the pool they are building a new restaurant. They are also adding another pool.

This morning we went to Animal Kingdom, where work continued on the new Pandora area. 

And Disney World Yet Again

Last Friday, Susan and I flew out to Disney World again. On Saturday we went to Epcot, where Jennifer enjoyed the fall Dapper Day. 

We also checked out the Food & Wine Festival offerings, including the Festival Center, in the old Wonders of Life pavilion. There were several dioramas inside made of chocolate that were really cool. We ate lunch at Le Cellier in Canada, which was very good. 

The first couple of nights we stayed at Pop Century. This morning we drove down to Celebration to see where Bryan worked, and had lunch nearby.

Fall update

A nice feature of working at Disney World, especially for those in merchandise, is the ability to work in different locations. Earlier this month, the kids got to work together at Disney World when Jenn picked up a shift at Mousegear in Epcot.

When they aren’t working, the kids enjoy going to the parks. Last month they attended a Halloween party at the Magic Kingdom with friends. 

They also checked out the Food and Wine Festival at Epcot.

I generally spend the weekends in Bend, and when I have time work on the pole barn. A friend helped me pull wire and install a subpanel early in the month, and since then I’ve been adding lights and outlets. 

Disney World again

Our first three nights we stayed in a studio at Bay Lake Tower, right next to the Magic Kingdom.

Thursday night Susan and Jennifer attended the Halloween Party at MK, while Bryan and I hung out in Epcot and watched Illuminations.  

Friday and Saturday nights we stayed in a concierge room at the Grand Floridian. We spent some time at Epcot, but we also spent a lot of time enjoying the pool and the complementary snacks and drinks at the hotel. Yesterday we flew home.

Down to Florida

 

Tuesday we continued south through Tennessee to Lookout Mountain, which is just south of Chattanooga on the border of Tennessee and Georgia. The site was important during the Civil War, and the battlements are part of Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park.

We walked around the site and watched a film at the visitor center, and enjoyed the views of Chattanooga and the Tennessee River below.  

From there we continued down to Atlanta, where we had a late lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe downtown, the 13th HRC we have visited. That night we arrived in Disney World, completing our fifth trip across America.

Driving Across US Part 2

 

Sunday morning, we turned south off of I-80 and took rural Nebraska highways through small towns to Homestead National Monument. The visitor center had a nice museum about the homesteading of the plains, as well as the Homestead Act in general, and we enjoyed walking around some of the outbuildings.

From there we headed down toward St Louis, where we visited with some of Susan's cousins. Yesterday, they joined us for lunch at the Hard Rock in St Louis (Number 11). 

From St Louis we drove across southern Illinois and Indiana to Nashville. I was hoping to visit the Parthenon, but we arrived just after it closed for the day. 

For dinner we went to the Hard Rock in Nashville, the twelfth we have been to, then drove a bit further before stopping for the night.

Driving across the US

After the kids had been out in Florida for a month, they started asking about a car, so a few days ago we headed out in a car loaded with stuff for them. Our first stop was off I-84 in Idaho, between Boise and Twin Falls. The Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument and the Minidoka National Historic Site share a visitor center in Hagerman.

After checking out the visitor center we headed out to the sites. There wasn't a lot to see at the Fossil Beds, mostly views of the hills and the Snake River.  

The Minidoka site was more interesting. It's the remains of an old internment camp, where Japanese citizens were held during World War II. This site was fairly new, and might be worth a return visit in a few years as they fix it up.  

We proceeded across Wyoming on I-80 and into western Nebraska, where we were briefly delayed by a storm.