A Very Different Thanksgiving

If I usually think it doesn't feel like the holidays in Santa Barbara then I really don't feel like it this year! Even before the car broke down on the way to Portland last Thanksgiving, we had already been talking about making the journey every other year and the mess with the car just made the decision that much easier. So, if we don't go home for Thanksgiving where do we go? Disneyland, of course!

 

 

 



We drove down on Wednesday morning and once again, we were inside the park within 3 hours of leaving the house - and that includes checking into the hotel. We went to California Adventure and checked out the news Cars Land, which is amazing. You feel like you are in Radiator Springs. The lines were long but manageable and the weather a perfect low 70's. We parted ways with Richard when he went on the California Screamin' roller coaster (0 to 55 mph in 4 seconds at the start and an inversion loop!) while Catherine and I went on the much more gentle Ariel's Undersea Adventure. After dark, we all rode the giant ferris wheel. Not exactly the London Eye but still fun and a beautiful view over the park.  That night we watched the Wonderful World of Color which is an incredible water and light and laser show where they project scenes from movies on the moving water fountains. It was beautiful.



Thursday, which was hard to remember was Thanksgiving, we headed to Disneyland. We got in and headed straight for Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion. We love the Christmas Haunted Mansion more than the regular one because it is completely decorated like the Nightmare Before Christmas, which we love! Jack Skellington and Zero are there and it is like the book (or the movie) come to life. I think by the end of the day, we'd visited it four times!



After some convincing, we got Catherine to ride Splash Mountain. She liked it ok but not enough to go on it again - she doesn't like getting wet; although luckily we were near the back and didn't nearly as wet as the two people in front. She does love the Matterhorn, though, and we did that a couple of times, too. We had a nice break in the late afternoon for a meal at the Blue Bayou, the restaurant in the Pirates ride.  In honor of Thanksgiving, they had a special of roasted turkey with all the trimmings so Richard got his turkey dinner after all.

We stayed to watch the fireworks and the snow on Main Street before leaving around 10:45. Catherine bounced out of the park which was quite a change from last Christmas when we had to carry her out at 10.  Both nights we didn't get to bed until midnight but she was fantastic.  The drive home up the Pacific Coast Highway on Friday morning was easy and beautiful, as always.

 Try as she might, she couldn't pull the sword from the stone. Although we've heard that twice a day the sword actually does come out!

 

What's a day at Disneyland without special treats!

 

It still doesn't feel like we had a Thanksgiving but I've got a way to fix that. I won a turkey at the YMCA so next weekend we'll have our own Thanksgiving dinner at home!