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The place of Adventure, Travel to East Africa: Djibouti,
India, Madagascar, Zanzibar, Kenya, Jordan, Egypt, Cyprus and Disneyland.
Now adding Hong Kong, China, Korea, Japan and Disneyland. Mexico and
Disneyland.
Disaster, Earthquake and Emergency Preparedness and Services for San Francisco.
We also like Disneyland. |
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| We're on the first Disneyland adventure of the year 2000! This year - at the ex wife's request, and to be nice - I switched spring and winter breaks with her. The boys and I have the Winter break together this year. Latest Entry: March 8, 2000. February 18, 2000 Tonight was the beginning of the Winter Holiday. The Princess and I added a Surprise "Disney Preview" tonight: A trip to the METREON Center for an I-MAX presentation of Disney's Fantasia 2000. This was the first time for an I-MAX movie for any of us, and fantastic doesn't begin to describe it. For one thing, You order the tickets on line. When you walk up to the dispenser, you insert your credit card and it hands you your tickets -just like that! When you enter the theatre, the screen is eighty feet high and one hundred feet wide! The sound is so accurate that I had to turn my head to see where the drummers had walked in behind me. It was the sound system. The Disney visuals just stunned all of us. What a perfect prelude for the Disneyland adventure! February 21, 2000 We depart San Francisco, well armed with web page printouts and data. We figure that, no matter what, a few Disneyland hours are for us tonight! We depart the San Francisco gas station a little before 2 PM. The ride is pretty uneventful. We saw no accidents and relatively few crazy drivers. Only 2 CHP vehicles were even seen (and one of them turned out to be LAPD). With only one rest stop and one gas stop, we pulled into the Candy Cane Inn at 8:40 PM, with 405 miles on the log for a record time of 6 hours and 40 minutes. Anyone who knows me knows I didn't much break the 70 M.P.H. limit, and did much less on the Grapevine - which was the only spot where we got rained on! We check in and are "rarin" to go" when we are informed by the staff that the Magic Kingdom is closing at 9:00 PM tonight - not the midnight from their web site - due to the rain. Apparently, they got hit severely during the day and Anaheim lost some trees and sheds! (Note: As of 12:45 AM on Tuesday, Feb. 22, not another drop has fallen from the sky). We make do, have a nice dinner, buy some swim suits for the boys and spend the remainder of the evening at the pool and hot tub! All in all, it was probably better to give the boys (and driver Dad!) a relaxing evening and a good dinner after a long trip - even with their experience traveling. The Boys, by the way, were superb! They spent the entire time on their new computer strategy game. I made the miles slip away by dividing the trip into 40 mile segments (each 10% of the distance) and announced each milestone, including 25, 50 and 75% at each century milestone. At each milestone, they enjoyed a cookie. They did not get jazzed up! As we were each running on breakfast and 1/2 sandwich consumed at the rest stop, I was amazed. Christopher wants this entered: The showers at the Candy Cane are completely cool! Not only is the tile work new, clean and fresh (Gee! I wonder where he learned to notice THAT!), but the shower head is SEVEN feet high, which gives a completely different and pleasing showering experience. I guess I have a Spring project! Tuesday, February 22, 2000 As
expected, the adventure boys were early to be on the go, and we arrived just
after the 10:00 AM park opening. NEW Findings! Disneyland has joined in on the smoke free movement - which is a bit dismaying insofar as I'm a smoker! They have designated smoking areas in three locations I've found so far, but they need several more - notably in Tomorrowland and Fantasyland. I can't get too worked up about it - I'm the most courteous smoker I know, which means that most people AREN'T. If they add a couple of additional spots, things will be fine for smokers. You had to know it was coming, with so many idiots with cigarettes in crowds, oblivious, holding their cigarettes either in people's faces or holding the thing at child - face level. The Second find is Disney's Fastpass system. What a good idea. Go to a ride - there are 3 rides on this system - insert your passport in a machine and get a chit for a specific time window to return to (almost) the head of the line. You can only hold one active reservation in the system. If you have an active reservation on one ride, the others won't give you a reservation. It's a good beginning. Bad luck struck our first use of the system. When we used our first reservation on Space Mountain, it broke down before we could board. We tried again later on Splash Mountain, but - just as we were going to board - they had "technical difficulties" and closed the ride for the night. Oh well! A life of adventure is never without bumps. That's what separates adventurers from other people. We never wallow in them. We use them to create new adventure ideas, and act on them! We did not, however suffer from lack of rides or amusements. Although Space Mountain was closed for most of the day, we managed to get two rides in, multiple visits to the Haunted Mansion, Indiana Jones and many of the other "biggies". Of course, I embarrassed the lads by "yodeling" at the Matterhorn Bobsleds. I do that. My insider sources tell me that Disneyland was overwhelmed today. The were expecting a slow day, but got record crowds. Disneyland - to their credit - extended the operating hours one hour, until 9:00 PM, so everyone had a shot at riding the attraction they wanted. A brilliant customer satisfaction move, documented here. Minor calamities: I have two FRS radios in the car for the kids to use. One has turned up missing. Lost for now. Christopher didn't want to bring along his rain jacket - purchased in Canada and retrieved especially for this trip. It got lost. I saw a child wearing one exactly the same later in the day, but what was supposed to do? I did nothing. Bump Management! I guess that means the lads and I "have" to take another adventure to Canada this summer in order to buy a replacement rain jacket. Oh, Darn! Christopher had the remaining FRS radio and carefully put it in the "stuff" pocket on the Indiana Jones ride. He forgot it at the end of the ride. Good News! After our next ride we discovered that it had been found and turned in! Back in hand! This was a good event, in that Christopher was feeling badly about losing 'everything you give me'. We later took pictures of some ladies we will never see again, and assisted in the futile search for a child's lost 'color disk', a 3/8" piece of colored plastic that makes a fiber optic toy colorful. Always the rescue ranger. What better place? For Wednesday, I figure it will be late to Disneyland. I think a trip to Fry's will take precedence. There is no way we will add in a day at another Park - the boys give the idea lip service, but never want to go "today". Speaking of FRS (Family Radio Service) radios, they are a MUCH better invention than sliced Pasteurized process cheese product. When the lads and I become separated - either by design or accident - they know to pull out the radio and turn it on immediately. This saved our bacon in one crowd surge today, when Christopher was momentarily separated from us. We were back in touch within 30 seconds and together within one minute. Of course, for us adventurers, that spelled eleven full hours in the Magic Kingdom, something few humans can survive. Christopher is the worst causality, with a case of sore feet! Wednesday, February 23, 2000 This morning, the boys sleep in late - very late. I'm on my 2nd pot of coffee by the time they stir. No need to rise early - it's raining! The weather radio reports that we haven't seen anything yet - a storm band is coming. We entertain ourselves by getting lunch, doing some exploring and going to Fry's Electronics. Colt buys a new game, Christopher is in dogged pursuit of a game that is no longer being made, and Daddy finds a portable color printer that would fit in a sock. Perfect for field proposals and other business. It works just fine and the boys break it in by printing pages from the "hidden Mickeys" web site.
In a tribute to high tech, we take a digital photo of a jacket the princess might want and email it to her. Actually, all the pictures on this report are digital and do not exist on film or paper. Thursday, February 24, 2000 The storm has passed and the sun is shining this morning! The adventure boys sleep in late again and it's after noon before they're ready to depart to Disneyland for a last day of Disney fun! On the walk in, we encounter some men doing some paving work and we get into a short conversation with them. We all laugh that we have a free visit to "Construction Land"! The latest scuttlebutt on the smoking restriction is that it was "forced" on Disneyland by the city. Right, and who calls the shots in Anaheim City Hall? Right! A Mouse! Perfect! Disney wants to stop complaints and increase safety by restricting smoking - but not appear the bad guy to smoking guests. Enter the city, run by Disney! I'll be willing to bet that the new law has (c) Disney on every page! Clever! Still, I'm not hopping mad about it - as some are - for reasons discussed earlier. Once they come up with some additional smoking areas, things should be fine for everyone. My suggestion for an additional spot would be that covered peninsula of tables in the transition between Fantasyland and Tomorrowland, across from the Matterhorn entrance. It's used for nothing now, save for surreptitious smoking, and would be a perfect location. Imagineers could also come up with ideas to decorate the smoking areas - the cigar holding Indian character at the "Thunder" smoking place is a good start. Disney is trying new things to get the lines moving, and I like it. I discussed the "Fastpass" earlier, and we all love it. Today, we went for the "Rocket Rods" and were given an alternative to waiting: We could be guaranteed of being broken up and seated singly, in exchange for going to the head of the line and riding "single fill in". As you might know, there is nothing quite as vexing as waiting in a long queue, while watching empty seats on your chosen ride whiz by. This is quite an intelligent option. Although the boys and I rode different "rods", we were aboard and back within 3 minutes of each other. There was even a momentary stoppage on the ride, and we got to share adventures about where we were when the ride stopped (nothing serious). Of course, we took in as many rides as possible, and Space, Thunder, Indiana, Small World, Matterhorn and Jungle Cruise come to mind. Lunch brings us back to Bengal. Dinnertime was FINALLY at Daddy's choice: Big Thunder Barbecue! Delicious food, a balanced meal, and plenty of both make it Dad's special place to eat. EXPENSIVE!? Be prepared to break a C-note, I've always known. Well, things have changed. Not the Food, not the taste, nor the portions. The prices have fallen! Now, they offer a double plate, like a BBQ Pork Ribs and Chicken dinner - $9.99! Beef Rib and Chicken dinner - $9.99! If you ask off the menu and request - as we did - Pork Ribs and Pork Ribs, you get exactly that (and Dad got a bit of extra - which he ate with delight!) and at the same price!!! OK, I did break my last C-note there but I got change, which I promptly spent in the candy and gift stores - but that was my choice! That
reminds me of lunch today at Bengal Barbecue. Our server was more than
pleased to honor our request for some extra sauce, but also Final meal tally? When I'm in Anaheim on business and need a good dinner, I'm heading to Disneyland, using my pass, and heading to Big Thunder for chow! Annual Pass renewal: Assured! In re-reading what I wrote about my day and visit to Disneyland, it I couldn't have come up with a better report if my trip was free and I was paid to write it. Here is what I have to say about that: Following today's report, which is posted for all to see, I might take a moment to say that I'm simply a guest at Disneyland, and have nothing to gain or lose by telling what I found on a particular day. If I'm ever hired on by the Disney organization, I'll tell. I get no special favors, other than those that a friendly spirit and a ready smile gets. If you're an ordinary person at Disneyland and want to be treated in an extraordinary manner - get in on the act! Turn your frown upside down, be friendly and - with that attitude - almost anything can come your way! Remember my trip to the Disneyland Fire Station! It can happen! Disney really seems to have a knack at hiring people who love doing what they do, who get in on the act, but who are honest - not phony. Yes, they really will tell you the truth about what's going on if you ask nicely and you can get inside info simply by being nice with nice people. So, No, I'm not paid or otherwise rewarded for saying the things I do. Try to take the same attitude home with you. Smile at the person who is checking out your groceries - you might make a new friend. I'm taking some lessons back to my business. Security Systems and Disneyland may seem like a far stretch, but satisfying the client (guest) needs and wants isn't at all!! Maybe that's the whole idea! We have had our last visit to the "Magic Kingdom" for this adventure. Already, reality has started to creep back in, but the spirit of Disneyland lives on within us! I even hope to take home some of the "Spirit of Disneyland". One of these days I'll tell about how 2 brothers "dissed" Disneyland and how I stupidly believed them - a story from my past life.... and how it stole years of Disneyland enjoyment from my life. Friday, February 25, 2000 Tonight, I just heard 8 pops and a distant blast - probably from a shotgun. At about 01:20 AM. 5-2-1, then the blast. At the crack of dawn, the Adventure Boys and I .... Were asleep. I got up at about 10:00 AM, but the boys slept until 11:30 AM or so. They had their full measure of this Disney adventure. We said our goodbyes to the Candy Cane Inn staff and departed for the highway at 1:00 PM on the dot. We filled the Jeep's tank with $1.45 gas and headed North. We dawdled the way back, stopping when we needed or wanted to. In Fresno, we filled the tank with $1.79 gas - outrageous! I found out that the price prevails in the Bay Area as well. The drive wasn't particularly difficult - in fact, it was fun! The boys were amusing themselves with the computer (There were disagreements, of course, but that happens at rest or at 70 M.P.H.) Some of the Southern California AM radio stations are OUTRAGEOUS!, and the same frequency for the Disneyland HAM repeater is also in use for a Fine Business system for much of the ride home. Radio, therefore, is a good way to turn the miles into smiles! As home approached, I knew one place where I could replenish the cash supply and feed us (3) Adventure Boys dinner, and then the Bay Bridge loomed large before us. Mileage back: 417, Total time: 8 1/2 hours, including several stops. Another Adventure Complete. Saturday night, the Adventure Boys have to be returned to their Mom, under a court order provision dating back to when the kids were five years old. It works out. Homework can be done during this "dead" time, as is the preference of my now eleven year old. He is old enough to make his own choices in these matters. Of course, they have a computer at home and internet access, courtesy of Daddy. Adventure Complete! Monday, February 28, 2000 Postscript notes: The Boys were returned on time to their Mother. Both my girlfriend and I were perplexed on Sunday night when the phone rang several times and there was nobody on the line. Although I was busy - and disinclined to give the calls a second thought - she did a (Star 69), which calls back to the originating number. Although it took me a few moments to recognize the voice, it was my former wife! It turned out that she had allowed one of my Sons to access the Internet, but he has mistakenly clicked on the "Connect direct to Daddy" icon (put there for troubleshooting) instead of the "Internet connection from Daddy" button. It was one of those little bumps in an Adventurer's road that allowed me to have a short chat with one of my Sons, and so was a benefit and pleased me. On Monday, I cleaned some of the "stuff" out of the Adventure Jeep. It's amazing how much "kid stuff" can accumulate from a Disneyland ride! Within 30 seconds, I found the missing FRS radio! It just poked out from under the front seat. It was still on, powered, and chirping a 'low battery' signal. I sent an email to the Disney people, suggesting an additional smoking place. I received a reply that they were thankful for my suggestion (It was a thoughtful one), and that they would consider it. I hope they do! Wednesday, March 1, 2000 I had neglected to mention this before. On Saturday following our return from Disneyland, we went to the mall. As we passed the Disney store, we just had to go in! As sometimes happens, I got into a chat with another customer, and before long, was extolling the virtues of our Disneyland visit. In short, the boys may be making new friends and volunteering for a public service thing of their own. Last night, I reconnected with the lady by phone and she might have a need for a "tech head" for a project involving the net. You mean this labor of love might have actually sharpened my skills enough to make me marketable? That would be Disney magic! March 8, 2000 Incredible as it might seem, the lost raincoat was found and returned in last night's mailbag! Disneyland found the raincoat and simply returned it - without explanation nor fanfare - what an incredible and wonderful world Disney's legacy runs! ####
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