...And Then Scotty Happened. A Hawaiian Adventure (CHAPTER 32 Added 5/23--THE END)

[Captain_Oblivious]

Hmmmm, I wonder what a forum full of Disney park lovers will say about whether or not your Disney-loving family should go to a Disney park on your vacation?

Well, I certainly figured on some bias. But then again, I have the same bias myself. I needed to lean on those who have been to DL before, though, to really weigh in on whether 1 day there was worth the cost.

Well, depending on what states you've done, you could hit up the Four Corners Monument to knock out four within minutes. It's still quite a drive from Vegas, though.

True. I don't think we're going to make it that far east from Vegas. And truth be told, I went to Four Corners once. I remember being accosted by people at shops surrounding the area trying to sell me junk, and then standing there at the four corners and thinking..."Ok, now what?"

The nice thing about being in the areas you're talking about (i.e. the national parks, etc.) is that you can pull off onto a scenic overlook or something every time you need to feed the baby, so you'd at least have a nice view.

That's certainly part of the plan! We also figured we'd have to stop the car every couple of hours to nurse the baby, so it helps if there's something of interest along the way and the boring driving legs are few and far between.

I lived in Rapid City, SD for a few years and would be happy to help on anything related to a trip out that way. In fact, whenever I had a free weekend day, I used to pull out my atlas and find somewhere within a couple hours that I hadn't been, then go there. So I've seen a few things in the area. And there are a lot of things to do there, but you're absolutely correct that there is nothing nearby. I found it quite surprising that I was told when I moved there that if the locals wanted to really go shopping, they went to Denver. Yep, Denver. 5-6 hour drive, if I remember right.

Hence why we ruled it out for this year's trip. But I'll keep you in mind for the future!

I did a solo driving trip in my 20's through this area (and more) and had a national park pass for it. I LOVED Bryce Canyon N.P. One of my favorites for sure. Just beautiful. I know you want to stick near your home base, but if you feel like venturing out a bit further, Arches N.P. is also very cool. And, if you get out there, the Colorado National Monument isn't too much further and I was awed by that too. Lots of great choices in the area for sure. (I still need to go to the Grand Canyon, as I drove down a long and windy road to it that had a sign saying the entrance was open, got all the way to the gate, and it was closed. I didn't have time after that to find another way in that was actually open. )

Ugh. That must have been the North Rim entrance, then. That really is a long drive. Julie and I both really, really wanted to find a way to include that in this trip, but we both felt it was just too much to do with a baby. That's over 80 miles we'd be adding to what is already the longest drive of the trip, 4+ hours around the canyon from the north to the south rim.

We definitely want to see Arches, but that will have to be on a different vacation.

I've spent two days of my life in Disneyland. One was when I was 16 and the other was in 2006. You can do a satisfactory job of seeing DL in one day. Especially if you zero in on the can't-do-this-at-WDW things while you're there. Not only the rides WDW doesn't have (Alice in Wonderland, Mr. Toad, Indiana Jones, Matterhorn, etc.), but also the ones that are different and "better" at DL (Pirates and Space Mountain, at least). Of course, I haven't been to CA Adventure and Cars Land does look awesome. But, if you can skip that and feel okay about it (and my understanding is the rest of the park isn't particularly amazing), then you might be able to just do 1-day tickets. Look into discounts (I found some through work) or at least buy tickets with discounted Disney Gift Cards from Target or somewhere to save a few bucks.

I think Allison is taking care of us in a big way! We may try to see Cars Land and Radiator Springs Racers first thing, hop over to DL for the bulk of the day, and then come back for World of Color at night.

Regarding crowds, I know that DL tends to have different crowd levels than WDW, due to the influx of locals on weekends and holidays. So, if you'll be there on a weekday, it may not be so bad, even in summer?

From your lips to God's ears!

The nice thing about DL is that you have a lot of decent and affordable hotels within a short walking distance of the park entrances. I have heard a lot of good things about the Howard Johnson's there, actually.

We're working on it!

For us, when we were thinking of making a trip out there, a big expense vs. WDW was the transportation because of no free Magical Express. However, since you'll already have a vehicle, that's not a concern, so that helps a bit.

Makes sense. Rental cars are not necessarily cheap. Especially when you were dumb enough to have 4 kids and are forced to rent a van.

If you think you can swing it and be happy with it, I'd go. However, if you don't think so, I'd highly recommend doing a CA/OR/WA coastline trip someday (if you haven't yet). It could easily be part of that and the drive up Highway 1 is amazing (especially northern CA and the redwoods).

That will be a future destination as well!

 

[Flossbolna]

Generally I would say that even only one day at DL is always worth it. But then you have the baby - which makes your day much less predictable. If it were just the older three kids I would think that you would be able to go strong for most of the day and cover a lot. But with Drew you will need downtime and at some point he might need to leave the park. So, I think going to DL makes only sense if you are ok with that at some point one of you will have to leave the park with Drew while the others continue on. Which to a certain extent makes the ticket for that one parent a lesser value as there is less enjoyment to be gained out of it.

But I think that is really a personal decision that only you and Julie can decide for yourself: how disappointed would you be in the worst case scenario of a totally cranky baby all day long?

The question is also: if you only have one day, will you get a park hopper? It really is difficult now as Cars Land is in DCA, but you can't only go to DCA without setting foot in DL! Maybe a solution would be to get the park hopper only for one parent and three kids and while they are in DCA, the other parent and Drew take a downtime?

Obviously, if you can do two days, things will be much better and more relaxed! My visit in 2005 was two days during a two week California trip and I felt that I had plenty of time to check everything out. This was before Cars Land and World of Colour and during a slower time of year. But we were there on a Friday and that was packed with locals. From everything I have read it seems that going during the summer might be less crowded than weekends when all APs can go and are not blocked out.

Ultimately, I think you will never have the perfect time to visit Disneyland. Once Drew is old enough to have lots of fun, Sarah might be a teenager who thinks Disney is totally uncool. So, why not take the opportunity now?

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

I always like to throw in Denver and RMNP as possibilities...lots of fun stuff to do here in the summer.

We have a future trip in mind in which we fly to Denver, head west to Arches/Canyonlands N.P., north to the Tetons/Yellowstone, and then back down to RMNP and Denver again. Maybe we'll get as far north as Glacier if time allows. Some day...

But, listen to Alison, 'nuf said. You have to go to DL once and this seems like a perfect time to do it.

Jill in CO

When we saw how close we'd actually be to Anaheim, it seemed like we really needed to consider it.

well duh to Disneyland...

In all seriousness, if you can swing it like the suggestions were, you can do it. The Good neighbor hotels and you can get a lot done in 1 day make it possible.

It's so crazy...it just might work!

The NP plans look awesome so if a Disney can creep in great, if it puts too much stress on the wallet or travelling with a baby then it might have to wait.

Hence the reason I asked for advice!

I have been to a few of the places on your post, good choices. We plan on going to few of the others on your post also good choices.

Julie and I honeymooned in Arizona at the Grand Canyon and went again for our 10-year anniversary, so we know that park and Phoenix pretty well. Julie has always wanted to explore the National Parks of Utah, so I was trying hard to cross that off the bucket list for her.

But hands down do Disneyland. When we go, we plan for at least 2 days in DL and 1 in CA. Really, you could spend a day in Car's Land alone. Well maybe.

If only we had an unlimited budget!

You HAVE to visit DL- it is the Mothership. HAVE to go- it is so special, and like you said, who knows when you will get out there again? There are some VERY good rates at the partner hotels- you HAVE to go-

You know this already, right?

It's not for a lack of research, you can rest assured of that!

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

A Southwest trip you say… Cool!
As usual you’ve got a great initial plan working for you there.
As usual, I’m insanely jealous, but still wish y’all the best in pulling this off.
If any group can, it’s your bunch.

I'll post more details later. It hurts us not having Julie's 2nd income anymore, but we found some good deals and didn't want to stop exploring the country.

Now then,
to do DL or not to do DL… That is the question.

My favorite version of Hamlet? Schwarzenegger. "To be, or not to be...not to be." (sets off bomb)

Best part of a lousy movie.

Silly question.
Ummm… actually, no it’s not that silly.

Take that, Pat!

Like you, the Disney addicted geek in me says: “Pbffft…. of course you go (and for God’s sake, take me with you)”. On the other hand, the dad in me with a young’en in collage and a dwindling possibility of ever seeing retirement says nutty things like: “it’s simple math… if you got the bucks, you go, if you don’t got the bucks… then as much as you want it… it ain’t smart.”

That is indeed the conundrum.

Can you do DL in one day? Of course not.
Is that a reason not to try? Of course not.
You’ll just have to take several cracks at it over a longer period of time
(unless you come back in the future with a dedicated trip).

I could see a scenario in which we get a taste of it now, and then Julie and I explore it in detail years later without all these kids dragging us down.

If you’re going to continue with your goal to hit all of the states (and I’m sure you are), you’ll be back out there in the future (northern CA and Oregon will need to be explored for instance). When that occurs, you get back down to Anaheim and take another crack at it then.

Northern CA to Southern CA is no piece of cake drive, though.

The only real question right now is, are the Benjamins available to pull it off.
I do hope they are. We all deserve to see the Original Land.
Every last one of us.
(If we possibly can that is)

There is good news here: Allison (franandaj) is working to "hook us up" to the point where it might be stupid NOT to go.

 

[Flossbolna]

There is good news here: Allison (franandaj) is working to "hook us up" to the point where it might be stupid NOT to go.

Oh, that would be wonderful if it works out! Friends who can help with pixie dust are always wonderful!!

Also wanted to say that Katharina and her husband had a great trip through Utah in 2012. I will send her over here when she is back from the Czech Republic (she is on vacation there this week), she might have some travel advice. I just know that they loved it so much there and that their pictures are wonderful!

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Generally I would say that even only one day at DL is always worth it. But then you have the baby - which makes your day much less predictable. If it were just the older three kids I would think that you would be able to go strong for most of the day and cover a lot. But with Drew you will need downtime and at some point he might need to leave the park. So, I think going to DL makes only sense if you are ok with that at some point one of you will have to leave the park with Drew while the others continue on. Which to a certain extent makes the ticket for that one parent a lesser value as there is less enjoyment to be gained out of it.

The solution is obvious: we need to sell Drew.

I think if we're only there for one day, then we're not going to head back to the hotel. We would do a lot of child swaps for the rides, but I think the baby will still be at the age where he can nap in the stroller. Our experience with babies is that they can fall asleep just about anywhere, so hopefully we can use that to our advantage.

But I think that is really a personal decision that only you and Julie can decide for yourself: how disappointed would you be in the worst case scenario of a totally cranky baby all day long?

Well, that's what this bottle of Ny-Quil is for.

In all seriousness, I think we can do it. We do have experience with a baby in Disney parks--we took Scotty to WDW when he was 5 months old in 2006. Granted, we had my parents along for the ride, but for the most part he did great, slept in the stroller, and didn't fuss too much. And of course all babies are exactly the same and behave exactly the same way all of the time.

The question is also: if you only have one day, will you get a park hopper? It really is difficult now as Cars Land is in DCA, but you can't only go to DCA without setting foot in DL! Maybe a solution would be to get the park hopper only for one parent and three kids and while they are in DCA, the other parent and Drew take a downtime?

It seems like a park hopper is the best way to see everything that is different from WDW, especially if you only have a day. It'll be a whirlwind day, for sure!

Obviously, if you can do two days, things will be much better and more relaxed! My visit in 2005 was two days during a two week California trip and I felt that I had plenty of time to check everything out. This was before Cars Land and World of Colour and during a slower time of year. But we were there on a Friday and that was packed with locals. From everything I have read it seems that going during the summer might be less crowded than weekends when all APs can go and are not blocked out.

We did WDW in July in 2012 and expected large crowds, and planned accordingly. And I think it worked out just fine. Hopefully a weekday will be better, as I understand DL is more of a "weekend" park than WDW anyway. But I'm sure there will be crowds. We'll just do our best.

Ultimately, I think you will never have the perfect time to visit Disneyland. Once Drew is old enough to have lots of fun, Sarah might be a teenager who thinks Disney is totally uncool. So, why not take the opportunity now?

We've used this train of thought as our justification for a lot of these trips! And it always costs us a fortune!

(But it always ends up being a great experience, too)

 

[GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes]

Sound to me like you’ve already made up your mind.
Good for you and congrats to the rest of the clan.

I could see a scenario in which we get a taste of it now, and then Julie and I explore it in detail years later without all these kids dragging us down.

That’s exactly the type of territory that we are finally entering. Being as the boy of off at school we could now travel during the off seasons. It actually got discussed last night… at which point DW stated that we couldn’t consider going to Disney without our son.

She’d feel too guilty.

Of well… maybe in ten more years then.

Northern CA to Southern CA is no piece of cake drive, though.

Granted… and good point. Hummmm….
Well this isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but let me offer up a couple of words that might help with that travel requirement and possibly add a whole new type of adventure to your list of excursion experiences:

Coast Starlight


Just a thought

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Oh, that would be wonderful if it works out! Friends who can help with pixie dust are always wonderful!!

Amen! This was totally unexpected and wonderful!

Also wanted to say that Katharina and her husband had a great trip through Utah in 2012. I will send her over here when she is back from the Czech Republic (she is on vacation there this week), she might have some travel advice. I just know that they loved it so much there and that their pictures are wonderful!

Sounds great! I'm always interested in hearing from those with experience. Utah really does have an abundance of amazing scenery.

Sound to me like you’ve already made up your mind.
Good for you and congrats to the rest of the clan.

Some unexpected pixie dust appears to have been sent our way.

That’s exactly the type of territory that we are finally entering. Being as the boy of off at school we could now travel during the off seasons. It actually got discussed last night… at which point DW stated that we couldn’t consider going to Disney without our son.

She’d feel too guilty.

Of well… maybe in ten more years then.

My wife used to feel that way a few years back. We took a long weekend together in Chicago anyway.

You can tell your DW from our experience that it takes only about 24 hours for the guilt to completely and irrevocably disappear.

Granted… and good point. Hummmm….
Well this isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but let me offer up a couple of words that might help with that travel requirement and possibly add a whole new type of adventure to your list of excursion experiences:

Coast Starlight


Just a thought

I like the way you think, Rob.

Figuring we only have a few years left until Sarah leaves for college (and even then, she might be able to squeeze a couple of trips in with us), here are the trips I've mapped out in trying to hit the rest of the states on our list:

1. Fly to Memphis, TN. --> Hot Springs and Crater of Diamonds, Arkansas -->edge of Oklahoma --> Dallas, TX (6th Floor Museum) --> Carlsbad Caverns, NM --> Big Bend N.P., TX --> San Antonio, TX --> New Orleans, LA --> Vicksburg, MS --> Memphis.

2. Fly to Chicago, IL or Milwaukee, WI --> Lambeau Field, Green Bay, WI --> Twin Cities, Minnesota --> Lake Superior/Voyageurs N.P., MN --> Theodore Roosevelt N.P., North Dakota --> Devil's Tower, Wyoming --> Black Hills, South Dakota --> Chimney Rock/Oregon Trail, Nebraska --> Field of Dreams, Iowa --> return to start.

3. Fly to Denver, Colorado --> Moab, Utah (Arches/Canyonlands) --> edge of Idaho --> Grand Teton/Yellowstone N.P., Wyoming --> Glacier N.P. (maybe?), Montana --> Rocky Mountain N.P., CO --> Denver.

4. Fly to Seattle, WA --> Cascades/Olympic/Mt. Rainier N.P., WA --> Columbia River Gorge, Oregon --> Lassen N.P., California --> San Francisco, CA --> Yosemite N.P. --> Lake Tahoe --> back to Seattle? I've spent the least time on this one.

5. Somehow reach Alaska via wing and prayer.

That leaves Alabama, Missouri and Kansas to be picked up somehow. I could possibly swing through on that Midwest/Black Hills trip. And we can do a spring break trip sometime to the Great Smoky Mountains/Chattanooga/Atlanta that could help us pick up Alabama to finish off the deep south.

Naturally, all of these trips involve at least 2-3 weeks of travel and many, many dollars, most of which I have not earned yet. But that's for Future Mark to worry about.

 

[jedijill]

Let me know when you start planning Colorado and Missouri/Kansas.

Jill in CO

 

[Flossbolna]

And once you have all the 50 states, will you then start to collect all the countries in Europe?? I will be happy to help with that!! And be much more useful.

I am in awe of all the planning you already have put into your project!! Hope future Mark wins in the lottery to be able to do it all - including Alaska!

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Let me know when you start planning Colorado and Missouri/Kansas.

Jill in CO

Will do! We're always up for both insider tips on places to see/places to eat and DIS meets.

And once you have all the 50 states, will you then start to collect all the countries in Europe?? I will be happy to help with that!! And be much more useful.

I would love to! And I would definitely annoy you with tons of questions and messages in your inbox.

True story: I always order the Adventures By Disney brochure every year just so I can flip through the pictures and daydream about European vacations.

I am in awe of all the planning you already have put into your project!! Hope future Mark wins in the lottery to be able to do it all - including Alaska!

Thanks! We put a lot of thought into these trips over the past year when we were desperately trying to figure out what we could do with a baby in tow.

 

[Dugette]

Will do! We're always up for both insider tips on places to see/places to eat and DIS meets.

Feel free to let me know if you need tips when you start planning that trip that includes the Twin Cities. I'm here, along with quite a few other DIS-ers, I believe.

You've got a lot of driving in your future! I love road trips, though, so it sounds like fun!

 

[GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes]

I like the way you think, Rob.

I’d be careful about sayin’ such out loud in public.
Folks have been incarcerated (for their own protection of course) for less than that.

Figuring we only have a few years left until Sarah leaves for college (and even then, she might be able to squeeze a couple of trips in with us), here are the trips I've mapped out in trying to hit the rest of the states on our list:

1. Fly to Memphis, TN. --> Hot Springs and Crater of Diamonds, Arkansas -->edge of Oklahoma --> Dallas, TX (6th Floor Museum) --> Carlsbad Caverns, NM --> Big Bend N.P., TX --> San Antonio, TX --> New Orleans, LA --> Vicksburg, MS --> Memphis.

2. Fly to Chicago, IL or Milwaukee, WI --> Lambeau Field, Green Bay, WI --> Twin Cities, Minnesota --> Lake Superior/Voyageurs N.P., MN --> Theodore Roosevelt N.P., North Dakota --> Devil's Tower, Wyoming --> Black Hills, South Dakota --> Chimney Rock/Oregon Trail, Nebraska --> Field of Dreams, Iowa --> return to start.

3. Fly to Denver, Colorado --> Moab, Utah (Arches/Canyonlands) --> edge of Idaho --> Grand Teton/Yellowstone N.P., Wyoming --> Glacier N.P. (maybe?), Montana --> Rocky Mountain N.P., CO --> Denver.

4. Fly to Seattle, WA --> Cascades/Olympic/Mt. Rainier N.P., WA --> Columbia River Gorge, Oregon --> Lassen N.P., California --> San Francisco, CA --> Yosemite N.P. --> Lake Tahoe --> back to Seattle? I've spent the least time on this one.

5. Somehow reach Alaska via wing and prayer.

That leaves Alabama, Missouri and Kansas to be picked up somehow. I could possibly swing through on that Midwest/Black Hills trip. And we can do a spring break trip sometime to the Great Smoky Mountains/Chattanooga/Atlanta that could help us pick up Alabama to finish off the deep south.

Naturally, all of these trips involve at least 2-3 weeks of travel and many, many dollars, most of which I have not earned yet. But that's for Future Mark to worry about.

Again, those are some very good initial plans. I may have to steal that list to use as a starting point for working out travels of our own.

Like everyone else ‘round here consider yourself welcome to whatever help I could offer if you were to head back down this direction for any reason. As you’ve already done the Carolinas, so I don’t seriously expect you, but the offer still stands.

Now, if however, while trying to pick up the Alabama portion of the mission, you happened to find yourself in the lower Smokey Mountains of NC, TN and GA (where our young’en does his schooling these days)… then I might actually have reason to be up that-a-way and possibly of some potential assistance.

Just something to keep in mind.

Lookin’ forward to the TR’s of all of these adventures.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Feel free to let me know if you need tips when you start planning that trip that includes the Twin Cities. I'm here, along with quite a few other DIS-ers, I believe.

Sounds like a plan. We'll see how Drew does on the road this summer. That'll help us determine how soon we can attempt the longer road trips.

You've got a lot of driving in your future! I love road trips, though, so it sounds like fun!

I don't mind long drives, and we usually find a way to break it up a bit. For example, driving across the Dakotas is a long haul. But we would plan 3-4 days in the Black Hills area since there's so much to see there, and that would help break up the long driving days.

I’d be careful about sayin’ such out loud in public.
Folks have been incarcerated (for their own protection of course) for less than that.

"Persons attempting to find a motive in this narrative will be prosecuted; persons attempting to find a moral in it will be banished; persons attempting to find a plot in it will be shot."

Again, those are some very good initial plans. I may have to steal that list to use as a starting point for working out travels of our own.

Steal away! But you have to promise me a cut of your profits from any such endeavors. Expenses are your responsibility.

Like everyone else ‘round here consider yourself welcome to whatever help I could offer if you were to head back down this direction for any reason. As you’ve already done the Carolinas, so I don’t seriously expect you, but the offer still stands.

Not at all, we definitely want to see the Smoky Mountains. There's some meat left on the bone down that way. And I keep trying to get tickets to the Masters again. That would be awesome to do with my boys.

Now, if however, while trying to pick up the Alabama portion of the mission, you happened to find yourself in the lower Smokey Mountains of NC, TN and GA (where our young’en does his schooling these days)… then I might actually have reason to be up that-a-way and possibly of some potential assistance.

Just something to keep in mind.

I'd love to make this happen. As I mentioned, the Smokies, Chattanooga, and Atlanta all have yet to be explored, and all have appealing sites to see. And I think I need to grab a chili dog at the Varsity too.

Lookin’ forward to the TR’s of all of these adventures.

Me too! The bills, not so much.

Left unsaid: somewhere in there, little Drew is going to need to take his first trip to Disney World. And it's getting harder to pull the other kids out of school as they get older.

 

[afwdwfan]

Wow, Mark. You just posed a question that would be like an alcoholic walking into a bar and asking everyone if they should have a beer or a glass of milk.

And my nemesis is trying to use reason that actually goes against all reason.

So...do we try and get to Disneyland?

YES!!!!!

But then again, I'm shoe horning in a side trip to DL piggybacked on a conference in San Diego. California is a long, expensive trip. It takes a lot of effort to get there. If you're going to be in the area, take advantage of the opportunity to see the original park. Of course, Rob is partially right. You can't break the bank to do it. But if you can do it without having to live in a cardboard box, by all means do it!!!!

And remember, you don't have to pay for Drew.

On the plus side, we're already going to be very close. We are, of course, Disney geeks, and would love to see the original Disney park. We wouldn't have to go very far out of our way on this trip to get there. And I'm sure the kids would be thrilled. I also think it would make for a better end to the vacation than 2 days in the desert.

On the downside, we don't have Julie's 2nd income anymore thanks to baby Drew. So the extra money that funded Hawaii has gone away. Disney, as you may have heard, is very expensive, especially because they get most of their money up front. So a 1-day or 2-day ticket doesn't save you much. It's going to be July, and hot, and crowded.

Ok... you do have valid points here.

And we'll have to do a lot of child swaps on rides with the baby.

But let's move this one into the pro column. Yes, you'll have to do child swaps. But the Disney child swap system works relatively well, and it just means extra rides for the other kids.

Is it worth the extra expense? Or are we just setting ourselves up for an expensive, hot, crowded experience?

Well, to be honest, yes and yes. But I think the first yes is the key.

And the kids will love it. Can you say Carsland???? You can't tell me that Scotty and Dave (and Mark) wouldn't enjoy the heck out of that.



And just remember. You're flying into Vegas. If money is going to be the deciding factor, stop at the first Casino you see, put it all on black, and your trip will be paid for in full... easy peasy.



But... a little help from Dis friends always seems to go a long way too. Hope it works out for you.

Figuring we only have a few years left until Sarah leaves for college (and even then, she might be able to squeeze a couple of trips in with us), here are the trips I've mapped out in trying to hit the rest of the states on our list:

1. Fly to Memphis, TN. --> Hot Springs and Crater of Diamonds, Arkansas -->edge of Oklahoma --> Dallas, TX (6th Floor Museum) --> Carlsbad Caverns, NM --> Big Bend N.P., TX --> San Antonio, TX --> New Orleans, LA --> Vicksburg, MS --> Memphis.

2. Fly to Chicago, IL or Milwaukee, WI --> Lambeau Field, Green Bay, WI --> Twin Cities, Minnesota --> Lake Superior/Voyageurs N.P., MN --> Theodore Roosevelt N.P., North Dakota --> Devil's Tower, Wyoming --> Black Hills, South Dakota --> Chimney Rock/Oregon Trail, Nebraska --> Field of Dreams, Iowa --> return to start.

3. Fly to Denver, Colorado --> Moab, Utah (Arches/Canyonlands) --> edge of Idaho --> Grand Teton/Yellowstone N.P., Wyoming --> Glacier N.P. (maybe?), Montana --> Rocky Mountain N.P., CO --> Denver.

4. Fly to Seattle, WA --> Cascades/Olympic/Mt. Rainier N.P., WA --> Columbia River Gorge, Oregon --> Lassen N.P., California --> San Francisco, CA --> Yosemite N.P. --> Lake Tahoe --> back to Seattle? I've spent the least time on this one.

5. Somehow reach Alaska via wing and prayer.

That leaves Alabama, Missouri and Kansas to be picked up somehow. I could possibly swing through on that Midwest/Black Hills trip. And we can do a spring break trip sometime to the Great Smoky Mountains/Chattanooga/Atlanta that could help us pick up Alabama to finish off the deep south.

Those are some good, solid ideas. I hope that you can get those trips accomplished. I don't know how your family feels about cruises, but maybe you could hit a Disney cruise in Alaska sometime. You know, 2 birds, 1 stone. Maybe even tie it into your trip to the Seattle and surrounding areas. But you'll really need to hit it big in Vegas to pay for that one.

Naturally, all of these trips involve at least 2-3 weeks of travel and many, many dollars, most of which I have not earned yet. But that's for Future Mark to worry about.

Future Mark can do it! I have faith in him!

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Wow, Mark. You just posed a question that would be like an alcoholic walking into a bar and asking everyone if they should have a beer or a glass of milk.

Well, the question did come with a degree of bias. Basically, I was looking for excuses to make it work.

And my nemesis is trying to use reason that actually goes against all reason.

Reason?

YES!!!!!

So...how do you feel about the issue?

But then again, I'm shoe horning in a side trip to DL piggybacked on a conference in San Diego. California is a long, expensive trip. It takes a lot of effort to get there. If you're going to be in the area, take advantage of the opportunity to see the original park. Of course, Rob is partially right. You can't break the bank to do it. But if you can do it without having to live in a cardboard box, by all means do it!!!!

And remember, you don't have to pay for Drew.

But 2 of the other kids are now "adults", so it all balances out.

Ok... you do have valid points here.

Andy? Is that you?

But let's move this one into the pro column. Yes, you'll have to do child swaps. But the Disney child swap system works relatively well, and it just means extra rides for the other kids.

This is very true. I bet there are a few rides Julie really doesn't want to do anyway...

Well, to be honest, yes and yes. But I think the first yes is the key.

And the kids will love it. Can you say Carsland???? You can't tell me that Scotty and Dave (and Mark) wouldn't enjoy the heck out of that.

Have I mentioned how wonderful people on the DISboards are? (well, except for certain areas, but I never post in those areas anyway) We had a big dump truck full of pixie dust poured into our laps. It looks like we will have a 2-night stay with a 1-day Park Hopper pass. So I think the plan will be to get to California Adventure first thing in the morning, grab a FP for World of Color and then head straight to the line for Radiator Springs Racers. Then mosey our way back through the park with maybe a stop or two. Then spend the bulk of the day at DL, concentrating on things that are different from MK in Florida. Then back to DCA for World of Color at night. Hopefully all with a happy baby.

And just remember. You're flying into Vegas. If money is going to be the deciding factor, stop at the first Casino you see, put it all on black, and your trip will be paid for in full... easy peasy.

Sure, that always works. Or I could hire 11 other guys to help me break into the vault at the Bellagio.

But... a little help from Dis friends always seems to go a long way too. Hope it works out for you.

I think it just might!

Those are some good, solid ideas. I hope that you can get those trips accomplished. I don't know how your family feels about cruises, but maybe you could hit a Disney cruise in Alaska sometime. You know, 2 birds, 1 stone. Maybe even tie it into your trip to the Seattle and surrounding areas. But you'll really need to hit it big in Vegas to pay for that one.

The thought crossed our mind of cruising to Alaska from Seattle. But I'd also like the chance to see Denali National Park or the Northern Lights, if possible. It's fun to dream. Paying for it is the problem.

Future Mark can do it! I have faith in him!

You have more faith in him than Present Mark does.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

It’s a lot of fun talking about upcoming trips, but I need to get this report done before I can move on to the next one. We last left off heading out of the state park after seeing a little bit of canyon and a whole lot of fog. It was getting close to lunch time, so we needed to find a spot to chow down. We wanted to hang around in the general area for a while in order to keep an eye on the clouds over the mountain—the odds were not in our favor that the mountain would clear, but if it did, we wanted to be ready to drive back up.

We drove towards the southern coast of Kauai and towards the resort area of Poipu. Just before we reached the resorts along the coast, we hit the town of Koloa, site of the first major sugar plantation in Hawaii. More importantly, it was also the site of Bubba’s Burgers.

Bubba’s is a local franchise (they have 3 locations on Kauai) that I had found in general research as I looked for possible places to eat on Kauai. I think I first found it listed on Trip Advisor, if memory serves correctly. Anyway, this place stayed on my radar for two reasons: 1) obviously, it was a burger joint, and 2) their website cracked me up. Any place that has a sense of humor about itself earns a lot of points with me. Note their slogans:

Hibiscus in the landscaping:

Upon entering, I was fairly certain we’d found a keeper. The restaurant was decorated in much the same way I would prefer to adorn our living room:

Do you order fries or onion rings? Now you can avoid the divorce settlement:

By the kitchen door:

So how was the food? Pretty tasty. I had been warned by our trusty guidebook that the hamburger patties were somewhat small, but that was easily remedied by ordering a double. With grilled pineapple, of course. Julie got the onion rings while I got the fries, and our marriage endures to this day. Sorry this isn’t the greatest food porn picture, but I can tell you we liked the food.

We thank Bubba’s for a fine meal and once again proving the facts of life:

After lunch, a quick glance up the mountain told us our chances of seeing any more scenery were…well, more like one in a million. We drove into Old Koloa Town to wander a bit. Now that the sugar mill is gone, the town has turned its eye to the last remaining reliable source of economic growth in Hawaii: tourists. The center of town is home to a shopping area where you can find some local vendors selling Hawaiian shirts, fabrics, etc. And, of course, there’s another Crazy Shirts store. Across the street from the shops was a field that felt quintessentially Hawaiian: sugar cane and monkeypod trees:

We wandered the shops, found a couple of obnoxious Hawaiian shirts for the boys, and then headed out of town. The mountain still appeared socked in, so we decided to make our way back north to the condo in Princeville. We took the road north out of Koloa, through the famous “Tunnel of Trees” planted long ago by one of the plantation owners.

One more stop on the way back: near Lihue, you can take a side road for a few miles (it’s fairly well-signed) to see Wailua Falls. If you have any recollection of the opening credits of Fantasy Island at all, then these pictures ought to look very familiar to you:

With that stop behind us, we headed back north, stopping at the Kilauea Bakery again to pick up a pizza for dinner. I noticed that the sign out front says “Kilauea Bakery” and then also reads “Pau Hana Pizza”. So I’m not sure if it goes by one name in the morning and then another at night, sort of like Batman? Come to think of it, I seem to remember a Wayne Enterprises logo on the pizza box.

We also found a spot for some general tomfoolery, which is when Scotty happened (and Sarah too).

Continued next post...

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

We made it back to Princeville, and as you might be able to tell, the weather had not really improved. Still, I tried to get this shot because there was a faint rainbow over the golf course.

It was still easy to find the right turn into town, thanks to this gaudy monstrosity at the entrance:

We ate our pizza at the condo, rested a bit, and then decided to head back out to Ke’e Beach at the end of the road to see if there would be any sunset. Our hopes were not high.

Here’s one of the one-lane bridges along the way. Looking at the cloud cover over the mountain, we confirmed we’d made the right call to cut our losses earlier in the day.

At the end of the road, the parking lot was very sparse. It’s amazing what a little rain will do to the crowds. Here’s the starting point of the Kalalau Trail, the one that takes you deep into the heart of the Na Pali Coast:

A short walk down the road from there took us to Ke’e Beach, which basically feels like the edge of the earth as you look out over the Pacific to the west. The United States does hold territory farther west than this spot, but not much of it is very accessible. Unless you’re Indiana Jones or something. And if you are, why are you reading this Trip Report? You should already know this stuff.

Anyway, this beach is a beautiful spot, and we chose to take an important picture here. Julie wanted to post a picture on Facebook to announce the impending arrival of Drew, and she had a certain idea in mind for the picture. She wanted to cave numerals into the sand to count off our kids, with a caption along the lines of “Let’s count the Harbeson kids!” So she worked hard to get legible numbers into the sand and get everybody lined up as I manned the camera. Everything was perfect.

Except for the old lady standing in the water directly behind them. We waited several minutes, but she had evidently found some sort of energy vortex at that particular spot in the ocean, and would. Not. Move.

So we moved down the beach and did the number thing all over again. Here’s the picture we used to announce that Julie and I were careless idio—uh, that baby Drew was on the way:

I remember the picture having its intended effect. We kind of blew up the internet that day.

The kids spent some time skipping rocks, which tends to not work so well on breaking waves. But hey, they were having fun.

We found a short trail along that rocky coastline in the background. Following that trail around the bend led to an unexpected surprise: our first (and only) glimpse (finally!) of the Na Pali Coast:

It wasn’t the ideal view from the top of the mountain, but I was grateful for the chance to at least see a piece of that spectacular coastline with my own eyes.

At that point, the ran started to fall again, so we turned around and headed for the car. Along the way, we stopped to take a couple of pictures of a neat little church near Hanalei:

And with that, it was time to turn in for the evening. We were reaching the end of the trip, and soon our days would involve the logistics of getting our crew back to the mainland. At this point, the melancholy of the end of vacation was starting to set in. We’d have to see if we could stave that off with a couple more points of interest.

Coming Up Next: A couple more points of interest! What, you need a little more detail? Ok, how about the site of several drownings, and then a place Capt. Jack Sparrow could appreciate.

 

[Cinderella's Fella]

Very nice Mark. I see you were taking the pictures, and who knew, they didn't suck!

 

[Poolrat]

I think Allison is taking care of us in a big way! We may try to see Cars Land and Radiator Springs Racers first thing, hop over to DL for the bulk of the day, and then come back for World of Color at night.

Looks like the decision has been made.

Take that, Pat!

There is good news here: Allison (franandaj) is working to "hook us up" to the point where it might be stupid NOT to go.

There you go !!!!

Sound to me like you’ve already made up your mind.
Good for you and congrats to the rest of the clan.

I know right - no brainer .... Allison's help sealed the deal.

That’s exactly the type of territory that we are finally entering. Being as the boy of off at school we could now travel during the off seasons. It actually got discussed last night… at which point DW stated that we couldn’t consider going to Disney without our son.

She’d feel too guilty.

Of well… maybe in ten more years then.

Oh that guilt goes away just get her inside the park.

Have I mentioned how wonderful people on the DISboards are? (well, except for certain areas, but I never post in those areas anyway) We had a big dump truck full of pixie dust poured into our laps. It looks like we will have a 2-night stay with a 1-day Park Hopper pass. So I think the plan will be to get to California Adventure first thing in the morning, grab a FP for World of Color and then head straight to the line for Radiator Springs Racers. Then mosey our way back through the park with maybe a stop or two. Then spend the bulk of the day at DL, concentrating on things that are different from MK in Florida. Then back to DCA for World of Color at night. Hopefully all with a happy baby.

Glad you were able to get some pixie dust and make the dream come true.

Looked at thte other plans for future trips and WOW - I may need to borrow those one day for some exploration of my own.


Great call on coming off the mountain and some great pictures at the beach.