Disneyland or Bust: A Mother-Daughter Coastal Road Trip

[MonsterWDWmom]

Roni I am very happy you survived the Gondola of Doom!

 

[petals]

Rides are fun, even if your mommy is scared. I loved the gondola!

I loled!

Kids are fearless. I used to do self defence and would hesitate with rolls and stuff but watch kids launching themselves at the ground over and over! I wish I had their fearless nature

 

[STLMickeyMom]

gondola of doom! sort of like a doombuggy at HM, but way scarier? I'm glad you survived the trip! and willow, your mom is right! always be yourself! that's one smart mom you have!

that candleabra tree is awesome! so pretty!

and, I will be doing a TR but haven't started it yet. i'll let you know when I do.

 

[courtneybelle]

Yep, I've never seen one of those strips on the toilet. The room is precious, though.

Good for Willow for petting the shark! You guys should totally do Shark Reef at Typhoon Lagoon wellll maybe wait a couple years on that.

"I'm stuck!!!" Oh man, that's totally something I would do!

The Trees of Mystery look very cool and I agree that the Wildflower Garden is ideal for fairies!

I love the Cathedral tree too!!

 

[pkondz]

“Is anybody worried but me?"

Well I've seen Winnie the Pooh about 400,000 times.... and I still wouldn't have gotten that one.

Ugh - they have recently added a gondola to this place. A gondola taking you UP above the giant redwoods.

When I first read that, I thought something along the lines of:
"Interesting, she doesn't think the pristine forest should be marred with technology like a gondola."

No idea that it was strictly terror based.

I mean, you are just hanging out there by a string, and they stop all the time and hang there, and they bump over those track things intermittently and it feels like you are going to fall to your death. I mean, they are AWFUL.

Oh, they're not that bad.
Just because every. single. movie that has them, someone dies is no reason to panic. :

You would have loved this one.
When I was about 10 years old, my folks took me to Europe.
In the Alps they put me on a chair lift.
Just you, a chair and a skinny little bar going up to the rope... high in the air.
I loved it. It went on and on for what seemed like forever.
Closest I've ever come to flying.

And I can also see that someone afraid of heights would completely and totally freak out if they saw it... let alone rode it!

Willow, however, felt like this about the Sky Trail.

That's how I'd feel too.

She was already gone.

Loved all the descriptions (and gifs) of you and Willow's interactions with all the different sights.

There are no pics of me on this hideous contraption. If there were, they would look like this but with less eye-liner.

He looks quite thrilled. Is that it? You were thrilled?

I tried to take some pictures through my tears and while having a heart attack.

Aw. Poor Roni.

After about 3 hours (well, come on, it felt like 3 hours to me), we arrived here.

<snort>

I have no idea who Ted is, but he had a nice place up here.

Fred's cousin.
Twice removed.

I could have stayed there forever. Basically, because leaving there meant riding that heinous gondola again. *sigh*

Willow: Ooooh, you think it’s doom? I think it’s kind of fun. I tried to act scared to make my mommy feel better, but my mom said that I should just be who I am and not pretend to be scared of heights. Rides are fun, even if your mommy is scared. I loved the gondola!

Love that you tried to make your mom feel better.
But she's right. Just be yourself. That's good advice.

I was so busy having a heart attack and stroke this time that I apparently didn't take any more pictures.

Again... Aw. Poor Roni.

The things we do for our kids.

Of course, Willow had to pay a visit to the gift shop

Of course.

And Bigfoot. :

Makes sense. We teach them to love all the Disney characters, no matter how big and odd looking.
James P. Sullivan or Mike Wazowski anyone?

I kind of wanted to buy something here, but I was afraid to touch anything….

You're all grown up now. Next time, go ahead and pick 'em up!

Willow: Every time you say something, Paul says something back. And I wish I was as tall as he was. But I would kind of look like a monster, so that is why I would rather be like a grown-up size tall. Because I don’t want to scare anybody.

That seems very sensible.
But....
Wouldn't it be fun to be able to just step over houses?

Up Next: Day 4C

Thanks for the chapter!

 

[NancyLuvsMickey]

And the Mother-of-the-Year award goes to Roni for riding the gondola with Willow!!!

Loving the trip so far!!!

 

[RGirl]

Sorry for not commenting more last week, even though I was reading along.

No worries, Karin! I know how hard it is to find time to read and comment on all the various TRs.

I loved to see those pictures of your visit to the Trees of Mystery. You got some great photos.
Well, you did some great excursions along the way to be honest.

We really had so much fun checking out these various tourist attractions on our way down the coast.

I had to when you spoke about getting onto that little gondola! There are a gazillion of those here in Austria. I am sure you would get used to them.
Very brave, Miss Willow!

No way - clearly, I would just die if I went to Austria!!!!!!!!

Haha, sounds like somebody (not mentioning any names but it rhymes with pillow) wanted on that gondola.

Willow: WILLOW!!!!!

Yeah, well, it certainly wasn't anyone whose name rhymes with Bonnie or Connie or Tawny......

OMG Roni, I love your description of the ride of doom. Too funny.

I don't know if you caught this, but I REALLY don't like gondolas.



REALLY!

UGH... Paul Bunyon. Nothing against it per se, but THIS is what they replace Off Kilter with at the Canada pavilion. A Paul Bunyon lumberjack show??? I am not amused.

Is that right??? I had no idea. I never even got to see/hear Off Kilter.

 

[RGirl]

Roni I am very happy you survived the Gondola of Doom!

Thank you, Megan! Me too!!!!

I loled!

Kids are fearless. I used to do self defence and would hesitate with rolls and stuff but watch kids launching themselves at the ground over and over! I wish I had their fearless nature

They are amazing, aren't they? When it comes to rides of any kind, Willow is totally without fear.

gondola of doom! sort of like a doombuggy at HM, but way scarier? I'm glad you survived the trip! and willow, your mom is right! always be yourself! that's one smart mom you have!

Ugh - it was horrifying!!!!

Thank you!

that candleabra tree is awesome! so pretty!

That was a favorite of mine as well - so cool looking!

and, I will be doing a TR but haven't started it yet. i'll let you know when I do.

And thank you for letting me know! I'm so excited to hear all about your trip.

Yep, I've never seen one of those strips on the toilet. The room is precious, though.

See the type of cool thing you could know about if only you were OLD????

Good for Willow for petting the shark! You guys should totally do Shark Reef at Typhoon Lagoon wellll maybe wait a couple years on that.

I wonder if she would be willing to do that. I'm thinking not....

"I'm stuck!!!" Oh man, that's totally something I would do!

I wish I could properly describe how funny it was!

The Trees of Mystery look very cool and I agree that the Wildflower Garden is ideal for fairies!

It was definitely one of our favorite stops - so many cool things to see and so peaceful.

I love the Cathedral tree too!!

That was definitely Willow's favorite!

 

[RGirl]

Well I've seen Winnie the Pooh about 400,000 times.... and I still wouldn't have gotten that one.

Honestly, I didn't think anyone would get that one!

When I first read that, I thought something along the lines of:
"Interesting, she doesn't think the pristine forest should be marred with technology like a gondola."

No idea that it was strictly terror based.

Yeah, when faced with a gondola, I don't care at all about nature or the environment. It's all about TERROR.

Oh, they're not that bad.
Just because every. single. movie that has them, someone dies is no reason to panic. :

You would have loved this one.
When I was about 10 years old, my folks took me to Europe.
In the Alps they put me on a chair lift.
Just you, a chair and a skinny little bar going up to the rope... high in the air.
I loved it. It went on and on for what seemed like forever.
Closest I've ever come to flying.

And I can also see that someone afraid of heights would completely and totally freak out if they saw it... let alone rode it!

Oh, just the description of that makes me feel slightly terrified. I have never been skiing for a number of reasons, but largely because I'm afraid of the chair lifts.

That's how I'd feel too.

Willow: That's how I felt, but then I started feeling a little bad that my mom was afraid.

Loved all the descriptions (and gifs) of you and Willow's interactions with all the different sights.

Thanks - I didn't think I could properly describe it with words alone.

He looks quite thrilled. Is that it? You were thrilled?

Yes, yes, that's exactly it.......

Aw. Poor Roni.

Hmmm, I do not feel the level of sincerity here that one might expect....

Fred's cousin.
Twice removed.

Mystery solved!

Love that you tried to make your mom feel better.
But she's right. Just be yourself. That's good advice.

Willow: Yeah, I should be myself. My mom said that she wished she was like me - not afraid.

Again... Aw. Poor Roni.

The things we do for our kids.

Yes, poor me!!!!

Makes sense. We teach them to love all the Disney characters, no matter how big and odd looking.
James P. Sullivan or Mike Wazowski anyone?

Very good point!

You're all grown up now. Next time, go ahead and pick 'em up!

I may do that!

That seems very sensible.
But....
Wouldn't it be fun to be able to just step over houses?

Willow: Oh, yeah!! And I could just step a large step for crossing a street! And I would take BIG steps on the stairs! And I would probably not fit on the slide.

Thanks for the chapter!

Thanks for continuing to join in!

 

[RGirl]

And the Mother-of-the-Year award goes to Roni for riding the gondola with Willow!!!

Why thank you, Nancy! It was certainly one of my more challenging moments!!

Loving the trip so far!!!

Thank you! And thank you for taking the time to read and comment. I hope you will continue to join in.

 

[RGirl]

Before I get to the update, I hope you will indulge me in sharing with you a few things that I made recently. They were so fun to make that I just have to show you! I am lucky enough to have friends who had a baby a few months ago and asked if I could make them some new cute little onesies for him (I had made them a little elephant one when he was born). So I got to get a little creative as they did not specify anything in particular; I decided to go with an ocean theme. (Of course, now Willow wants tshirts with all of them - especially the shark , so that will be next on my to-do sewing list )

​

Willow: If they’re fake sharks, I like them. If they’re real sharks, not so good. But I do want all the sea creatures!

Thanks for letting me share!

And now on with the update!!!

The Contest: First person to provide the movie title from which the chapter heading comes get a point; two points if the character who utters the line is also identified. If the first person doesn’t name the character, the first poster to do so will get a point.

Current Standing:
Courtney (courtneybelle): 2 points
Jill (jedijill): 12 points
pkondz: 2 points
Megan (MonsterWDWmom): 2 points
Shannon (shan23877): 2 points

"Well, the road didn't cut through the land like that interstate. It moved with the land, it rose, it fell, it curved. Cars didn't drive on it to make great time. They drove on it to have a great time."​

Day 4C - Monday, 28 July 2014 - Redwoods in California

When I last left off, we had just finished up our visit to the Trees of Mystery. We were back on the road at about 9:50AM. And we were treated to another beautiful drive.

​

We actually reached our destination for the day, Garberville, California, around noon. We decided to check to see if, by some chance, our room was ready. We were staying at the Best Western Plus Humboldt House Inn tonight. Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, our room was not ready. The friendly front desk agent, however, got out a map of the Avenue of the Giants, recommended a lunch destination and circled some attractions we might like to visit. Lunch? And roadside attractions? Why, yes, we will take you up on that!

​

As it turned out, we were quite hungry by this point, so we took the front desk agent's advice, and headed to the Avenue of the Giants and found the Chimney Tree Grill. It was the cutest little place!

​

Grassfed cows are the tastiest cows!

​

This is a burgers-and-shakes kind of place, and we were all for some tasty non-healthy grub at this point! Willow decided that we would sit inside since it was quite warm out at this point, and we were pretty much dressed for the cool temps of Crescent City still.

​

Willow: They don’t have regular chairs - they have little circle seats attached to the table.

Willow, quite unbelievably, had more chicken strips and fries.

​

And I had a burger with a lettuce "bun."

​

What???? I like pickles!

​

Okay, that one was so bad that I couldn’t NOT put it in here!

We both also had shakes, which was a real treat. I can't remember the last time I had one, and the espresso shake was delicious!

​

I think Willow has had a shake once before in her life, so she was pretty excited for the chocolate-y goodness.

​

Willow: I like chocolate! It had whipped cream! And it was so delicious! It tasted like chocolate and whipped cream.

This was a great lunch and just the thing to get us refueled and ready to continue our roadside attraction adventures.

Up Next: Day 4C (cont.)

 

[afwdwfan]

Gondola rides are the best!!!!

You're clearly a good parent, to put your fears aside and do it for Willow. She clearly had a blast. It's just kind of a shame that the fog was too thick to really be able to take in the view once you made it up there.

 

[RGirl]

"Well, the road didn't cut through the land like that interstate. It moved with the land, it rose, it fell, it curved. Cars didn't drive on it to make great time. They drove on it to have a great time." (cont.)​

Day 4C - Monday, 28 July 2014 - Redwoods in California

In fact, the very first such attraction was about 10 feet away from the restaurant - the Chimney Tree! This is a big redwood that burned but did not die - the entire interior is gone, but the outside has lived on and grown - you can go inside and look up to the sky and all the new growth branches. It was cool to see.

​

Willow: We hoped we didn’t have to climb up a cliff to find the tree, but then my mom said, “Oh look, it’s over there!” And then we went down, it felt like we were going underground, and then we were inside the tree. It was pretty neat!

Obviously, we could not explore the Redwoods and pass up the experience to drive through a tree.

​

Willow: I liked that place!

Note to any fellow travelers: A Toyota Highlander will JUST fit through this tree; I highly recommend flipping in your side mirrors first though.

Willow: Yeah, because the tree bent our mirror, but we could fix it. It was so tight, my mom was a little scared, but we did it.

For the record, the car was not damaged at all, but do listen to that tip about folding in your mirrors BEFORE you go through.

While there, we explored some Redwood tree houses as well.

​

And some carvings.

​

And another tree house.

​

Up Next: Day 4D

 

[STLMickeyMom]

sally from cars!!!

 

[STLMickeyMom]

did I get the movie quote? i'm gonna freak out if I finally got one!

love the onesies you did--especially the sea turtle one! they are my FAVORITE! and it makes me giggle that willow wants the shark one! she's funny!

the pictures from your drive are beautiful, the tree house is neat and that chimney tree sounds so cool! of course, i'm most excited about the drive through tree!!! good to know about the tight squeeze, but how cool! you DROVE through a TREE, for cryin out loud! I don't know why that makes me so excited, but I just think that's so crazy cool! i'm a nut!

ohhh, your burger looks perfect to me--I love pickle! when I was pregnant with Hannah, all I wanted was pickles and hamburgers (no bun, just the burger) and I still think they taste like heaven!

and willow, you are one smart cookie! nothing tastes better then chocolate, except maybe chocolate with whipped cream on it!

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Awwww I love your creations!!! So precious Roni. Especially Willow's comment on the shark, lol... Even if she can't remember Stacey.

Oh cool, you can actually go inside the tree???? And then drive through a tree????

Wow, now THOSE are legit tree houses.

 

[pkondz]

Before I get to the update, I hope you will indulge me in sharing with you a few things that I made recently.

No! Get on with the update!

Oh.... All right. Go ahead. But just this once!

asked if I could make them some new cute little onesies for him

Nice job on the baby clothes!

Willow: If they’re fake sharks, I like them. If they’re real sharks, not so good. But I do want all the sea creatures!

Good idea. Because a real shark would eat your shirt if it was on it.

And we were treated to another beautiful drive.

Agreed! Nice pics!

Lunch? And roadside attractions? Why, yes, we will take you up on that!

the Chimney Tree Grill. It was the cutest little place!

That looks like my kind of place!

Willow: They don’t have regular chairs - they have little circle seats attached to the table.

"little circle seats". Love that description. And accurate, too!

Willow, quite unbelievably, had more chicken strips and fries.

No!

What???? I like pickles!

You can never have enough pickles.

It's a rule.

Okay, that one was so bad that I couldn’t NOT put it in here!

I think Willow has had a shake once before in her life, so she was pretty excited for the chocolate-y goodness.

I'll never forget when our first kid had her first shake.
She was about one year old.
We thought we'd let her try it.

We couldn't get her off the straw!

Willow: I like chocolate! It had whipped cream! And it was so delicious! It tasted like chocolate and whipped cream.

Shakes with whipped cream are the best, right?

This is a big redwood that burned but did not die - the entire interior is gone, but the outside has lived on and grown - you can go inside and look up to the sky and all the new growth branches. It was cool to see.

That is cool!

Willow: We hoped we didn’t have to climb up a cliff to find the tree, but then my mom said, “Oh look, it’s over there!” And then we went down, it felt like we were going underground, and then we were inside the tree. It was pretty neat!

I must admit, that's the first time I've ever seen a door in a tree.

Obviously, we could not explore the Redwoods and pass up the experience to drive through a tree.

Obviously.

Note to any fellow travelers: A Toyota Highlander will JUST fit through this tree; I highly recommend flipping in your side mirrors first though.

Willow: Yeah, because the tree bent our mirror, but we could fix it. It was so tight, my mom was a little scared, but we did it.

Whoops!

Up Next: Day 4D

Thanks for the update!

 

[afwdwfan]

Grassfed cows are the tastiest cows!

The steaks are way too lean. Give em some corn.

Your lunch spot looks fantastic. Can't go wrong with burgers and milkshakes.

I'm glad that you made it through the drive through tree without any significant damage.

 

[RGirl]

Gondola rides are the best!!!!

You're clearly a good parent, to put your fears aside and do it for Willow. She clearly had a blast. It's just kind of a shame that the fog was too thick to really be able to take in the view once you made it up there.

That is the second time I've ridden a gondola with her. I can't say that I could make myself do it a third time.

It definitely would have been neat to actually see the view up there!

sally from cars!!!

2 points!!!!!

did I get the movie quote? i'm gonna freak out if I finally got one!

You did it!!!!!!!

love the onesies you did--especially the sea turtle one! they are my FAVORITE! and it makes me giggle that willow wants the shark one! she's funny!

Thanks! They were so fun to make. I have some more cupcakes I'm going to be doing soon too.

the pictures from your drive are beautiful, the tree house is neat and that chimney tree sounds so cool! of course, i'm most excited about the drive through tree!!! good to know about the tight squeeze, but how cool! you DROVE through a TREE, for cryin out loud! I don't know why that makes me so excited, but I just think that's so crazy cool! i'm a nut!

We thought it was pretty cool too!!! All the roadside attractions were really just so much fun.

ohhh, your burger looks perfect to me--I love pickle! when I was pregnant with Hannah, all I wanted was pickles and hamburgers (no bun, just the burger) and I still think they taste like heaven!

Ha! It's a perfect combination, isn't it????? Mmmmmmmmmm

and willow, you are one smart cookie! nothing tastes better then chocolate, except maybe chocolate with whipped cream on it!

Willow: Thank you!!! I think you're cool!

 

[RGirl]

Awwww I love your creations!!! So precious Roni. Especially Willow's comment on the shark, lol... Even if she can't remember Stacey.

Thanks Rob! I still can't believe she forgot Stacey though!!!

Oh cool, you can actually go inside the tree???? And then drive through a tree????

It was all so fun! Especially because I know we did some of it when I was a kid - just made it that much more special to be doing these things with my child.

Wow, now THOSE are legit tree houses.

Right? How cool would it be to have one of those in your back yard???

No! Get on with the update!

Oh.... All right. Go ahead. But just this once!



Nice job on the baby clothes!

Thank you!

Good idea. Because a real shark would eat your shirt if it was on it.

Willow:

Agreed! Nice pics!

Thank you!

That looks like my kind of place!

It was just perfect for what we were wanting to do that afternoon.

"little circle seats". Love that description. And accurate, too!

I thought that was a great description as well. Apparently, she forgot the word "stool" or something? Or maybe had just never seen stools like that before.

No!

You can never have enough pickles.

It's a rule.

Agreed!

Oh, come on! You of all people should appreciate the sheer awfulness of that one!

I'll never forget when our first kid had her first shake.
She was about one year old.
We thought we'd let her try it.

We couldn't get her off the straw!

I love it! I had a similar experience when Willow was little like that and leaned over and took a bite out of a sugar cookie without being asked - she had never had a sweet treat before at that point. The look of sheer joy on her face was unforgettable.

Shakes with whipped cream are the best, right?

Willow: They are - especially chocolate!

That is cool!

It really was something totally different. Very neat to see.

I must admit, that's the first time I've ever seen a door in a tree.

Willow: Me too!

Obviously.

I'm not sure you're allowed to visit without going through a tree.

Whoops!

That nearly became a very embarrassing moment.

Thanks for the update!

Thanks for continuing to read along and join in!

The steaks are way too lean. Give em some corn.

Your lunch spot looks fantastic. Can't go wrong with burgers and milkshakes.

It really hit the spot - we had a lot of fun there, and the food was very tasty!

I'm glad that you made it through the drive through tree without any significant damage.

I felt like a horse's you-know-what at that point. But the car was fine. Phew!!!!