Disneyland Theme Park by Diane (11/29/02)

Ah yes, we attempt another trip to Disneyland Theme Park. My kids took me for my 60th birthday. This was my idea, because I love it there. The kids are getting older and their desire to ride Dumbo has ebbed. They are now the more adventurous children who would love to ride all the big rides. The rides where they have a yard stick in front and the child has to be that many inches in order to ride. The ride they select for you to ride with them is one that moves your internal organs to places that are totally wrong. You sit down and are strapped down so tightly you couldn't move if you were on fire. At take off, you think all the hair has just left your head and you are being pushed through the opening of a pop bottle. This would be called the "Roller Coaster". You couldn't believe you stood in line for 45 minutes for this. As you leave the machine, the children are wanting to eat. All you need now is to look at some horrible hot dog on a stick , you need some where quiet to sit so you don't barf.

The big kids, the ones in their 30's, were trying to convince me to ride this quiet ride, it just goes up and then comes down, no turning, spiraling, or upside down. I tell them go ahead, I will watch. I am not ready for a cerebral hemorrhage They are strapped in, and are skyrocketed as fast as you can blink to the top of this contraption. Then, just as they are thinking it was over, down they come, free falling as fast as gravity can take you. The skin on their face is pulled back so tight they look like aliens, then BOOM the brakes come on and they are at an instant stop. Now if this isn't something that could make a brain vessel break, I don't know what would. Glad I didn't get on that one.

They took me on Space Mountain, which is a ride, that after you get inside, its pitch dark, the seat you are in goes every direction you are not leaning. After 3 or 4 turns and dips, I wasn't expecting, the idea to throw up came to mind. I closed my eyes tightly, held my breath and made it through. My 8 year old grandaughter says, "wasn't that fun, Grandma?" Yea, it was great, don't ask me to go again. For the next hour, I sat and drank small sips of water and volunteered to watch the strollers, while they stood in line for 30 minutes to ride something equally nauseating. I spent the rest of the day with the little ones, (the ones who couldn't measure up to the stick) riding the Merry go round and Peter Pan's flight to nowhere.

Later the kids pick an even better ride, and lo and behold, there wasn't a line or a person there to ride, just us. It was late at night and had cooled down quite a bit and I guess we were the only ones with children who were simple minded enough to believe they wouldn't get wet on the Grizzley Water Rafting ride. Well, wet they got and were simple minded enough to love it!!! We rode it 5 or 6 times without getting off, seeing as there was no one in line. We were all dripping wet when we got off. I was thinking, maybe they should charge you when you leave the park instead of as you enter, because after 8 hours there, most parents would pay anything to get out, but not us, we love it!!!!!! We can stay for 5 days and still not see everything.