Author: alohawild

I am in The Tap House at Madera in California, drinking beer and doing their Trivia night. It is a travel day, and I have driven out of the LA area, crossed the 4,144-foot-high road, and then faced temperatures over 100°F (38°C). The day started with Deborah rising early to spend some time together and to pack slowly and easily. Deborah finished her cereal, and I had some of mine (I will be taking back 1/3 of a box with me). I had packed most of my items the night before and moved them to the EV.

By 9ish, we were ready to check out, and I met Deborah with her bags out front. We had no trouble reaching the John Wayne Airport and soon were dodging some cars dropping people off. I pulled in front of a car that could have pulled up, but we managed. There was a Rolls behind me.

Deborah collected her bags and was off. She had a quiet few hours (no coffee) in the terminals, learning that there is really only one terminal and that it was about a mile long to walk all of them back-to-back. Deborah would reach Detroit without issue.

I drove out of LA, changing highway numbers every five or so minutes. The traffic snarled only a few times, and it was a busy but fun drive out. I stopped at the base of the large hills to charge and use the facilities at the Walmart near the Six Flags Magic Mountain park (I have to go someday). I did not want to cross the pass without a bathroom break, a rest, and a charge.

No issues, though some folks braked rather suddenly in the fast lane a few times. I was surprised to see temperatures shoot up to 95°F and then 100°F. Traffic was heavy, and there was not a moment I was not driving. The heavy trucks generally stayed in the right lanes and maintained their slower speeds. The speed limits increased to 70, and I was often at 80. I was surprised to get a tire alert, but not that surprised.

I talked to Dondrea, and we agreed I should head to a Les Schwab store on the way. I added a stop on my Nav and soon connected with some polite and excellent people who said the tires were overcharged and have now been corrected. They agree that the climb and temperature change set off the alarm. Nothing. I soon reached the hotel.

They had a room, and it was now officially 100°F. I was uninterested in the pool (just add Old Bay). I took a nap and chatted with Deborah as she reached Detroit. I looked at the caves in the area to see if I want to go to those. It will add two hours of driving, but the B&B does not open until 3ish, so it would work.

I headed to the tap house, and it was Trivia Night. Team Wild was in last place of four. Danny was the MC. I know nothing about some items, and I could not remember some names. Hmmm, I was better at this once. I will have to try this again.

I had two beers and a couple of tacos to go with the reheated chicken from the Italian place. It was a fun night, and I learned that Danny plays Dungeons & Dragons and writes, too. I gave him my card. Ashley, my bartender, is a writer, and I gave her my card.

Thanks for reading!

 

It is 8 and the sun is going down. We are packing. I have the car loaded with anything spare, and I have my clothing for tomorrow and the next few days until I return home on Monday. Deborah is checked into her flight.

Dinner was at Duca di Beppo, with a mass of garlic bread left over, and a leftover dinner for me on Tuesday. I like the place, but it is priced for three (served family style), not two (thus the leftovers). We did not get a kitchen table this time, but still, it was good. We like the place.

Going backward, we relaxed, and I might have napped for part of the afternoon. No plans today, and after a marathon day at Disney, it was good to just hang out together. We did head out back to Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel and used valet parking. We went to the Story Tellers’ Character Brunch just after noon. There we saw Pluto, Mikey, and Minnie Mouse, plus Chip and Dale (Chip has a chocolate-chip-like nose). I always see these and folks in costume, but I saw Deborah greet them as real. They are, I learned by watching, the emanation of the character, and as real as you respond to them. To Deborah, the kids, and others who understand: while these are people in costume, they are also the characters and real. After I stopped resisting, it was really fun to see the characters and interact with them.

Aside: I should have known this. When I play Dungeons & Dragons, and even more so with Call of Cthulhu, both tabletop role-playing games, it is your mind that creates the interactions, and you have to play as if these things were really happening. I should do the same with these characters.

(Dale)

The food at the brunch was a super-powered buffet of everything for adults and kids. I loaded my plate with everything and went back for a small plate for some more dessert. It was wonderful, and I was glad I skipped breakfast. Our server, Tom, was great and ensured we had coffee and other drinks.

We had three hours on the paid valet parking, and we went back to Disney Downtown and shopped some. It was nice to return. Deborah found a few items. We also toured the hotel, which is wonderful but about $ 1,000+ a night.

Going a bit further back, we slept in and went slow all morning. Our feet hurt, and I began packing and took the first load to Air VW the Gray, and moved it closer. The hotel is now less busy as it is the start of the week. Everyone will be back in Anaheim on Wednesday and Thursday for another busy weekend. We will be headed out on Tuesday. Deborah flies home, and I start my drive back. We got going and took the EV across town to the Brunch.

And that is all for Monday. Thanks for reading.

Travel:

Deborah is back at Detroit Airport on Tuesday

Michael at IHG Holiday Inn Express Madera-Yosemite Pk Area Tuesday

Michael Wed-Thur: The Bidwell House B&B Inn, Chester, CA. Off to see the local sights.

Michael, after an 8-hour drive, is home on Friday.

Detail plan here.

 

We rose early by alarm before 6 to be ready for the rope drop at Disneyland this morning. I had purchased our Tier 4 tickets for two with Lightning Lanes, but not park hopping. It was still a lot of $. We looked into VIP treatment, but Disney, never afraid of charging too much, sets a premium on those services of over $5,000. The hotel charges $7 each for its bus service to and fro, inclusive. The first bus leaves at 7:15, but we were ready and in line by 6:45, with Deborah getting a quick sandwich and coffee at the Starbucks in the hotel lobby. Everything went as planned, and we soon passed security and entered the long lines to get access. This involves scanning the bar code or watch and then accepting a picture. This can be a lot of moving parts, and some lines are stalled. We were able to pass by those challenged by technology and get scanned and photo’d without delay.

The first ride at Disneyland for us and about 35 minutes amount of more folks who got there before us was our first target: Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. It was a separate $29.99 purchase for faster access (each)! Deborah was disappointed that we had to wait that long. But eventually we were arrested by the First Order, and we told them nothing. We escaped with the good guys, destroyed the ship we were on, and, after considerable work, found an escape pod. We would discover that the lines were short at one point in our visit and would return to escape again, but this time following a different path, and I would be called out by one of the First Order Officers to be watched, as a likely escape was on my mind.

It was still early, and we were in the Star Wars area, so we were engineers on Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, and later returned to try at piloting. Piloting with Deborah going left/right and I trying up/down was great fun. The Haunted House was the usual fun, but our Lightning Lane failed for Space Mountain as the attraction stopped working. Later, we would get back to it, though there was a mistake in how we handled the pass, and they let us in anyway. I forgot how much I enjoyed Space Mountain. We learned that our passes are only good once per ride. The Hanted House was down to 13 minutes (notice the number) for the evening, and we would return, and I would buy an expensive shirt there (using Deborah’s magic credit card to get 10% off).

By chance, Deborah spotted and grabbed a lunch stop at Blue Bayou, which I have wanted to eat at for years. I had the 70th-anniversary prix fixe dinner: steak, salad, and dessert. Deborah had the market fish, and we both had the mint julep without booze, which they have served there forever.

The Pirate ride was down for updates. We did see the test runs for the Pirate Ride of empty boats and one filled with test dummies at Blue Bayou, and Deborah loved the falling-star simulations we could see while we ate lunch/dinner.

We did the bobsled ride, which, to my memory, has never been open during any of my visits, and it was an excellent ride, though I felt a bit pretzel’d getting in and out. We did silly rides like Mr. Toad, Dumbo, and Snow White just for memories. I outscored Deborah on Buzz Lightyear. The Enchanted Tiki Room was enjoyed with the required Dole whip (after having to order online while standing in front of the stand, with them walking me through the steps). The Mount Thunder railroad reopened, and our pass worked this time, and we got a short line for that.

Deborah’s magic credit card got us a bonus round with Star Wars’ Kylo Ren. He demanded that we join, and there was some unusual directness for Disneyland. We were neutral on our acceptance of the Dark Force and the First Order. We were, we learned, luck to survive.

Lunch at Ranco Zolcals was too much chicken, and we learned we could have shared soft drinks and coffee, since the portions were all beyond what each of us needed. Something to remember next time. At the Blue Bayou, we had dinner for lunch, and the portions were appropriate for dinner.

Somewhere we did Indiana Jones, which ends suddenly, Jungle Cruise, and others I have missed. We stopped by the magic shop, where there is a signed photo of Steve Martin; this is where he started his career. The magician was talking shop–various ways to move your hands for a disappearing trick, and I did not see anything I needed.

We found Starbucks as we started to walk out. We visited the last showing of Lincoln at the Opera House. It has been playing since the 1965 World Fair, where the animatronic Lincoln and film were a hit. And while it is not as good as a human actor, it is still surprising how accurate it appears and how wonderful the words are. With Lincoln’s strong warning words that the only thing that will destroy the US is internal dissent. In the current times, a near-overwhelming message.

We took the train all the way around the park, as I do not remember doing the whole of Disneyland before. It is a small park that you realize you have time for only because there is no time to get to the next section on the train. The time-worn images of a made-up Grand Canyon and poorly animated stuffed animals are now blocked off, and 2D paper cutouts cover some of the glass (now opaque). The same music and voice-over were kept.

We had fun and enjoyed each other’s company as we rode everything we wanted (between breakdowns) and skipped It’s A Small World. We skipped the California park this trip and focused on Disneyland, and that was fun.

We walked out of the park just as our bus pulled away, waited 30 minutes, then were back at our hotel and went to bed early. 18,000+ steps for me, plus standing, made my Apple Watch happy.

It was a good time!

Thanks for reading.

 

We rose late on Saturday, as we had no time-constrained plans. Deborah had her leftovers, and I had cereal and shared a banana with Deborah. I made us coffee. We then spent most of the morning together. In the late morning, we boarded Air VW the Gray and headed to San Juan Capistrano to see the Mission we missed last time. The traffic was light but still had slow spots, even on Saturday late morning.

We paid for parking after we managed to get one of two parking places made available when folks pulled out as we pulled in. There was a van that got the other spot, and we all cheered each other. I used a parking app to pay. I have three on my phone, as it is safer to use them than the machine, as you never know if the machine worked (I learned to be more cautious after a $200 fee last time I missed a payment that did not complete in Portland).

We then walked into the Mission, paid $15 each, and got a recorded tour that we used maybe once or twice; mostly, we enjoyed the garden and reading the signs as we wished. I did not know that the founder of the mission, Junípero Serra, was declared a saint in 2015 by Pope Francis; the process began with the saint and Pope John Paul 2. It was a lovely, not-too-hot day for walking around the garden, full of cacti and succulents. Huge palm trees also graced the grounds and the sky. We walked the ruins (the main church was lost in the 1912 earthquake, killing many folks), and the tanner, kitchen, and other buildings are in ruins.

I was surprised to learn that the area was sold for a pittance to a family member of the governor, and that the church and community lost the land for years. The land was returned, again a surprise to me, by President Lincoln a month before his assassination in 1865. There is now a smaller church built into some of the remaining buildings; the museum houses some of the silver treasures from the original church.

It was a good day, but it would have been hard to do Los Rios and the Mission on the same day. This worked out well. We then headed across the street to Bloom Restruant for lunch. It was good as we were hungry and parched. We both had breakfast specials, and our server was excellent. He gave me the wrong breakfast (but the scrambled eggs were still good) and gave us a free dessert for the mistake. I meant to give him a large tip, but miscalculated and gave him a very large tip. He earned it.

We stopped next at the antique barn as Deborah wanted to check it out. And as often happens, I spotted an item that I wanted. They had a receipt from Adams Express, a local carrier I collect (I am a stamp collector and a specialized one), and I purchased it for too much money, but for less than what the same item goes for on eBay (plus CA tax). There were some other unusual items, but I don’t collect currency or coins. I like stamps from about 1840 to 1939, known as the classic period.

Next, with my purchase paid for and explained (nobody there knew what it was), we headed to the Friends of the Library bookstore. There, I spent $2 on a book by Erik Larson, and Deborah found one as well. We do not seem to resist freeing books.

Aside: The remnants of the Adams Express & Company still exist here. The current price for the local stamps used in the 1800s is here. We also visited a tourist store, where I found a book about the missions. I was disappointed with the Mission’s store, as it had no copies of the original writings by the people who built the mission or worked there. I will track some down as they were mentioned in the exhibits. I was happy to find something.

Ebisu Life Store was next on our list. We had passed by the place last week and wondered what it was. It is a large, colorful store of Japanese and Asian items, including food, health products, toys, and collectibles. Deborah was overwhelmed and called her sons to see what they might want. She picked out a few easy-to-travel items to take back to Michigan.

After that, we parked for 50 minutes at In-N-Out Burger to charge the EV. It was done to 30%, and there were decent 250kW chargers there that were not as expensive as the 305kW and about as fast. We got diet soda drinks while we waited and used their facilities.

We drove back to the Hyatt, parked the EV, and had dinner at the bar; it was Friday night, and the other places had long waits. There, we ordered from the menu, and I sent my pasta meal back (the pasta was all glued together). Our server, “Cat,” had it remade at no charge (I left another large tip).

After that, I returned to write this blog. We are up early tomorrow to catch the rope-drop at the Park.

Thanks for reading!

PS: A couple of typos fixed Monday.

We rose a bit later as we had no plans and Deborah’s conference was over. It was also headed into another weekend here in California, my second weekend here, and a new set of folks, all with kids, were appearing to head to Disneyland. It feels like the hotel is rolling over its guests. Deborah reheated her eggs from yesterday, and I had cereal with a sliced banana. I made coffee, of course, with the coffee pods.

We spent the morning together, unhurried, and headed out to the Sherman Library and Garden in Newport Beach. We had little traffic and soon arrived, parked in their (we never see this) free parking, showed our eTicket, and then spent the rest of the morning walking in the garden (about half of it unavailable as they are reconstructing the cafe and updating the garden). The focus on the remaining plants was on succulents and cacti, then green fern-like plants. There was also a collection of orchids, huge bamboo, and bonsai plants. The library was open to us; we got a pass when we showed our tickets, and the art by one artist reminded me of some of the older art at Disney. We then learned that the artists had worked on some of the early animations and other Disney projects.

The library’s focus seemed to be raw information, with thirty years or more of registry books and studies on the shelves. I sat, after a while, in a chair in the stacks next to Cost Mesa lists of residences and businesses that went back to the 1800s (One set was stamped by a funeral home, which needed to know, I guess, where their ‘customers’ lived or once lived). Another ten years were stamped by a plumber. Definitely a research library and not your usual place to get the latest SciFi books or read a current magazine.

We tried Summer House for lunch, and I watched some of the USA game against Australia. The USA would lock in its place in the 32-elimination round today. My BLT was above average (I get a better one at Lucky Labrador’s in Portland), and Deborah had a huge turkey burger.

Next, we traveled to Balboa Island without difficulty, following the advice of someone we met yesterday to park on the island for free and take the ferry to the peninsula. We walked the few blocks to the ferry. The vibe of the area was safe, almost intense, like a gated community, and I commented that it felt like Stepford Wives had found an island. Later, we saw a real estate listing with homes priced $3-15 million.

We took a car ferry (handling about three cars at a time) for $2 each to the peninsula, which had a beach-and-pier feeling, with young gals in bare feet walking around and feeling safe. I stopped by Balboa Inn, half a block from the beach, and learned that a decent room there costs $350 per night. Not insanely priced. Resorts were double that, and there were options in the $ 4,000-a-night range. I picked off-season for the price as shortages would like drive up prices now.

We walked through the carnival-like area, then to the pier, and out into the Pacific. Out on the end, I caught a glimpse of some whales, but I could not see them return to show them to Deborah. We skipped getting more food at Ruby’s, which is at the end of the pier.

We skipped getting our feet in the ocean, as it was roaring and crashing, with folks often running back up the beach slope to avoid being knocked down or covered in the white water. It is very cold water. The beach was more like a sand-built dike, with you walking down into the surf. With the shape angle, the water returns fast and feeds the next wave. The sound was loud!

Next, we returned by ferry (another $2 in cash each), walked back to the car, and started to leave Balboa Island, but there was an easy parking spot in front of a Frozen Banana shop, and we thought we could not refuse divine intervention. We each got one. The banana, while frozen, is more like a frozen ice cream bar and is edible.  Deborah got some merch to take home. An episode of the TV show Arrested Development was filmed here.

We also visited the local museum, where we met some friendly locals who enjoyed the story of the impossible parking space and the obvious divine need for frozen-banana consumption. We bought some cards and a sticker there.

Next, we tried Lido Village Bookshop. I nearly ran down some folks crossing the crosswalk while I was dodging another car pulling out. Too many things to deal with at once. I stopped the car in time, thanks to Deborah’s callout that there were people near. I managed, slightly shaken by the close call, to park in a garage (hitting one curb, but with no damage), and we got to the bookstore, tiny and stocked only with new books, before it closed, without further incidents.

After some study, I found that the store had bookmarks in some of the books describing them, and I soon picked out The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro. I remember the movie and thought it a good read (it was also the shortest of the books they had by the author, two were marked with their notes). I also got my $10 parking validated to zero with my purchase. Not a bad deal.

Next, by a slightly convoluted path, we changed directions mid-way to have dinner at Season 52. A new chain, to me, of restaurants often found at high-end malls. While not cheap, the food was excellent and cost about the same as what we had been paying for lunch without drinks. Deborah and I had wine and a snack of humus, pita, and artichoke hearts, and then dinner with dessert at a table. It took 40 minutes for our table, but we got seats at the bar. And yes, I did see more soccer at the bar.

Dinner was shrimp and grits, though not true New Orleans style (which I make myself from my classes), it was still good. Much like a deconstruction of the original and then simplified. Deborah had cedar-planked salmon, which was delicious. We had two mini-desserts. With us full and sleepy, we headed back to the hotel, and I wrote out postcards and cards before passing on writing this blog last night. I woke up often, and my dreams, though forgotten, were vivid, and I think about traveling with Deborah.

Thanks for reading!