Broke my foot and I'm having fun browsing the DIS while I'm couch bound

[MarbleBob]

So, I'm a long time member, but I've never really been active until recently.

I broke my foot last week and I'm supposed to keep off my feet as much as possible. I've been couch ridden all weekend and I'm getting super bored, so I thought I'd write an introduction post to pass some time.

(I broke my foot skateboarding last week. Yes, I'm a 38 year old skateboarder. LOL. I hit the skatepark nearly every week and this is the first time I've become seriously injured. Oh well, at least I have more time for vacation planning )

My DW is the consistent Disney fan in our family. She listens (and now watches) to the DIS Unplugged and Ricky Brigante's Inside the Magic podcasts religiously every week, regardless of whether or not we have a trip planned. (She decided at a very young age that she wanted to go to DW for her honeymoon. She told me that casually once when we dated, so of course, I had to make that dream a reality when we got married! Great memories )

Personally, I tend to stay away from the DIS until we are ready to plan for another trip. While my DW can stay plugged in with Disney happenings throughout the year, it usually bums me out because I start craving our next trip, which is never soon enough these days. Due to a change in job (less vacation time and money in the budget), we haven't hit Disney as hard the last few years. (We used to go to DW for a week almost every year. More great memories!)

We live in St. Louis, which isn't too far from Walt's hometown of Marceline, MO (about 3 or 4 hours). We went for the first time last fall, and had a blast. The Disney Hometown Museum was really cool, and if you ever looked at the history, Walt actually shipped the original Midget Autopia ride to Marceline as a gift to his home town (after it was retired from Disneyland). They kept it active for a few years until it fell into disrepair. Anyway, the old concrete track is still there and they turned it into a playground area many, many years ago. My kids had a blast riding their scooters and DD5 rode her trike on the path for a very long time (you even go through the old tunnel). So cool! I highly recommend a trip to Marceline, if you are ever in the area!!!!

Recently, we decided ditch an effort to get the kids to Washington DC this summer. After trying to find a good place to stay and finding a balance between kid friendly stuff and historical stuff, we just weren't "feeling it". We looked at a few destination options, and decided, "what the heck, lets just drive to California and visit Disneyland". (Which, we've always wanted to do. Never been there as a complete family.)

So we have an epic two week road trip that we are planning right now, with stops in San Francisco, Yosemite (I want to see the valley and waterfall in person after "Soaring" by it so many times at EPCOT), Disneyland (HOJO), and a night at the Grand Canyon on the way back. (I know, it's going to be exhausting but, who cares? My foot will be all healed up by then ) I've been trying to catch up on the recent changes to California Adventure and DL in general.

So, having a broken foot hasn't been so bad this weekend. I've spent countless hours surfing the internet and I don't have to feel guilty about being lazy

-Matt

 

[MarbleBob]

And here are a couple photos of the Midget Autopia 2.0 as it stands in Marceline, MO today. Too much fun!

 

[Pooh2]

That is one adorable little princess you've got!

While recuperating from shoulder surgery the past few months, I just discovered the Disunplugged program, now I want to go to Disneyland after the west coast podcast! Geesh, these injuries end up costing a lot more than the $3,000 deductible!

I have only traveled the east coast so hoping to fly to the west coast, then also see Yosemite and Grand Canyon as they have been on my bucket list for awhile.

Would love to see your travel timeline if you want to share. We were thinking about 2 weeks travel time: fly to CA, do some train and car rental travel, see my daughter who is stationed in Texas, then fly home from there.

 

[MarbleBob]

My DW was diagnosed with breast cancer about 2 years ago. (They caught it early and seems to be OK now.) I think she went backwards and listened to every single DIS Unplugged back to the very beginning during her several months of treatment. She commented that the show helped keep her mind off the pain and worry that she was enduring, and I'm grateful for that. Thanks podcast team!!! We ended up going to DISapalooza later that year. So, yes, we can relate to injuries ending costing a lot more than the deductibles!

Your trip sounds like fun too!! I wish we could fly, but 5 airplane tickets are a deal breaker for our budget. We loose an additional 4 days to travel compared to your trip, so you'll either be able to slow it down a bit, or cram in even more!!!!

Here's our current plan for the road trip:

Part 1: Drive to California
Leaving on a Saturday morning, drive from St. Louis to Cheyenne, WY for the first day. Drive to Elko, NV on second day. Drive to Hayward, CA on third day. I'm guessing we'll pass through Sacramento area around 2 or 3 PM on the third day. We might stop at the train museum in Sacramento for a pit stop (DS10 loves trains), or possibly visit something gold rush related in Coloma. If neither of those pan out (pun intended), then maybe stop for a tour of the Jelly Belly factory in Fairfield.

Part 2: Explore Bay area
We'll be staying with my aunt and uncle in Hayward for 4 nights. Arriving on a Monday evening. Some of the things we are considering include: Golden Gate Bridge, Lucasfilm Campus in Presidio, Disney Family Museum, Japan Town (DD is obsessed with all things Japanese), Fisherman's Wharf/Pier 39/Cable Cars, Muir Beach/Woods, Chinatown, Computer History museum in Silicon Valley, drive by Apple headquarters (even if you can only visit the corporate gift shop), Train Town in Sonoma (my kids have a train DVD that highlights that place and they've always wanted to visit it). Who knows what else, lots of museums and parks and stuff… Too bad we won't have time to do it all. Tough decisions here!!

Part 3: Yosemite
Leaving SF on Friday morning. Apparently, it will take 4 or 5 hours to get to Yosemite. We've got reservations for 2 nights in the valley at Curry Village (one of those tents with wood floors). Never been to Yosemite, but after doing a little research, it looks like we want to stay in the valley to maximize our 1.5 days at the park. Not sure exactly how this will play out, but apparently we should hit the Mariposa grove, typical waterfalls and sights in the Valley (understanding that the falls may be dry-ish by then), and also drive up to Glacier Point.

Part 4: Anaheim
Leave Yosemite early on Sunday morning and drive to HOJO across the street from Disneyland. (Stayed there once before and it was fun.) I'm guessing if we leave early around 8 AM, we might get into Anaheim around 4 or 5 pm? (Google says 6 hours. I'll add an hour for lunch and gas. Then, maybe an extra hour or two for traffic? I have no idea what to expect traffic wise.)

Assuming we get checked in to HOJO before dinner, we'd spend the evening in Downtown Disney. Maybe eat dinner and relax at the DLH Trader Joe's Tiki Bar (a long walk, I know) and then shop and see the sights as we walk back. Maybe watch fireworks from HOJO balcony (I booked at superior room in Bldg 1)

Spend 2 days at DL and 1 day at CA (probably not buy hopper tickets). We'll see WOC one night. Probably skip Fantasmic on the DL days. Otherwise, we'll just try and maximize the time in the parks. (We've been to DW about 12 times as a family, and DL with just my DW)

On Thursday, have a beach day. Probably Newport Beach, ride the ferry to Balboa, play in sand, etc. Also, hoping the new Vans Skatepark in Huntington Beach is open by then. Otherwise, we might visit the Vans skatepark at the Block at Orange (or just scrap Newport Beach and go up to Venice Beach since their skatepark is right by the sand/water. -OR- maybe just scrap the beach all together and just spend another day at California Adventure instead.

Part 5: Grand Canyon and heading home
We've never seen the Grand Canyon before. We don't have time for a real visit, but you can't drive within 60 miles and not at least stop for a photo-op right? We'll head that way on Friday morning. Should arrive at Grand Canyon Village at the south rim around 5 or 6. We have reservations for Yavapai Lodge. We should at least have some time to walk around and explore for a couple hours and then see the sunset. Probably get up early to see the sunrise before heading out. Saturday morning, drive to Amarillo for the night. And then drive on back to Missouri for a late arrival in STL.

Lots of long days in the car. I'm sure it'll take a few days to recover when we get back, but it'll be worth it!

 

[Metro West]

Welcome!

 

[wiigirl]

Welcome!

 

[Pooh2]

Thanks for sharing your trip plans! I am adding lots of details from your planning into my notebook!
Our trip is not until late this year or early next year, so trying to get a handle on where/when/how much to plan the budget.

 

[MarbleBob]

Yeah, this has been a fun trip to plan for. I'll be sure to take lots of pictures and write up a trip report with what we liked and didn't like about our various destinations. We travel in July, so that would give you plenty of time to consider any tips/tricks that we learn about Yosemite and Grand Canyon before your trip