beware of the elephant in tall grass

..........Disneyland, Anaheim, California.

Today is 7/7/07, and we visited Disneyland. This was the first ever Disney theme park, and was opened in 1955. From the start, Walt Disney was not satisfied with Disneyland. It was built in the middle of Anaheim and there was very little space for expansion. In fact, the only way to expand was to buy up buildings/property around them as it came available. Disneyland is so very much smaller than Disney World, but it is a great park. We stayed at a hotel within walking distance of the park. There are actually two parks there, and they are separated only by a large pavillion area in the middle of them. Going between the parks is really easy and takes only minutes. We began our morning by going to the California Adventure park. It has shows and rides. It's kind of like MGM Studios and EPCOT combined, and smaller scale. The lines were not long at all. We rode Soarin' first (that's also our favorite ride at WDW). The Anaheim parks had some things that WDW doesn't have. For example, we went to the Aladdin Show - it was the best Disney stage show I've ever seen. They used cables for magic carpet rides and stunts. Pyrotechnics were used. The actors were outstanding - the genie was a blast! The whole show lasted for 55 minutes. It was such a good show, I lost all track of time - I was completely entertained. Lauren and I rode California Screamin' - yep, high speed thrill ride!!! We went to the Haunted Mansion, and rode the Indiana Jones Adventure ride. All in all, Disneyland was a big hit. Would I ever come back? Maybe I'll win a contest or something. We left Disneyland at 5:00 PM and headed out of the LA area. Our stop tonight is in Barstow, California. Now, if the world does indeed have an armpit, it won't be far from Barstow! About ten miles from here is where the Army sent me to desert warfare school back at the end of the 1980's. The Mojave Desert hasn't changed much - I think I'm having peacetime military flashbacks! Barstow is not a great town via the people that live here. On our way to the hotel we passed a police blockade dedicated to finding drunk drivers. I filled-up the car at a gas station that had Pot bongs on sale. The lady working at the front desk of the hotel talks to you through a small slit window setup after 9:00 PM; so she can lock all the access doors to her. Well, our doors are locked and we're going to bed. Tomorrow we travel to Las Vegas, Nevada and then on to Zion State Park in Utah. Goodnight from fabulous Barstow. I think I've seen this place on an episode of COPS!!!