Don't Fear the Rain, We Have the "Ducky of Death!"-Jan '14 **Bonus TR DCA 9/1 x2

[DaveinFallsChurch]

I think it’s time in the trip report to give recognition to one of the prominent co-stars of our trip: the rain. Sorry, the story of the Ducky of Death will have to wait. As you probably noticed in my updates so far, we were constantly encountering raindrops in all its different forms. Remember when Forrest Gump described all of the different forms of rain he encountered? That would be an accurate description for the weather during our trip.

“We’ve been through every kind of rain there is.
Little bitty stinging rain (Yep, had that),
and big old fat rain (oh yes, the rain drops don’t get much “fatter” than they do in Florida!).
Rain that flew in sideways (I believe we experienced this while riding Big Thunder Mountain Railroad).
And sometimes rain even seemed to come straight up from underneath (whenever the kids decided to stomp through a puddle).
Shoot, it even rained at night (enough said!)”

I had been following the weather forecasts very carefully prior to our trip. As our dates got closer and closer, the forecast went from rain just on our first park day to rain from Wednesday through Saturday. By the time my countdown app on my phone showed zero days, I was pretty much resigned to the idea that we would barely see the sun. And then something funny happened. Once I accepted the new rainy reality, I felt relieved and even excited. DW and I both agreed that it was bound to happen after all these trips and that there could be some added benefits to the rainy weather. We sort of had a silent agreement that we were going to embrace the rain especially because we wanted our kids to enjoy this trip.

When we arrived at AKL for check-in, my brother came over to our room to greet us. Then he cautiously said “You know, it’s suppose to start raining tomorrow and continue through the week.” To which I replied “I know! I’m actually excited about that! The weather is going to keep a lot of people away and the parks are going to be so empty!” He then said “Wow, ok that’s good. This is so not the reaction I was expecting. We thought you would be depressed about this”. To tell you the truth, I was sort of surprised by my own reaction.

So here are a few things I learned from touring Disney in the rain that I wanted to share with you just in case you find yourself in a similar situation.

1.Poncho-up! So, a couple of days before the trip I made a special trip to Target to buy 8 ponchos. Four adult sized and four child sized. I’m so glad I did because I quickly found out how easily a poncho can rip especially if it gets caught on one of the wheels of the stroller. I really loved the ponchos over umbrellas as it gave both of my hands free AND it completely covered my backpack and its precious camera gear cargo. At first the thought of ponchos just sounded so cumbersome but once I got used to it, it was so easy putting one on and off that it became second nature to us by the end of our trip. We also quickly learned to start taking our ponchos off in the queues or right before entering one because without fail the CMs at the loading area of a ride would be telling guests to take the ponchos off before entering the vehicle. It’s not easy trying to take off ponchos from everyone and minding the kids stepping on to a moving vehicle all at the same time.

Opening show in the drizzling rain. The Citizens were donning their winter gear.



Some day we'll make it up there. Some day.




One little story about ponchos. The first morning we were waiting at MK waiting for the opening show to start when the rain started picking up and we began putting the ponchos on the kids for the very first time. DS was not pleased. The child sized poncho was still too big and long for him as it was dragging on the ground. Plus he did NOT like how it looked at all as he yelled “I don’t want to put those garbage bags with holes on me!” DW and I just about died of laughter when he said that. Next time I’ll remember to pick colors other than white because the whites one do look like our kitchen garbage bags! After much protest from DS, we had to find another way to keep him dry. Soooooo, we converted his poncho into a stroller cover! Best decision we made! We slid the stroller handles through the arm holes and it worked out perfectly! And this is pretty much how he stayed dried all trip long!

See? Our “stroller cover” even comes with a window.


2. Packing some essentials for the rain. : Besides the ponchos, a couple of items came in extremely handy. Each morning before we left our hotel room, I packed a couple of dry hand towels from the bathroom into my backpack. They were extremely handy not only for drying off the kids at the parks but also for wiping dry the seats on some of the outdoor rides! Dumbo, BTMRR, Magic Carpet, Safari, EE.

I'm betting we were the only ones on a dry Magic Carpet


I also packed with us a couple of gallon sized ziplock bags to store away any small items that happen to get extremely wet. And also a couple of large plastic shopping bags to help us store away our ponchos when there was a break in the rain. And of course we packed a couple of extra pair of socks and crocs for the kids which he used whenever they would get overly zealous in the puddles.

3. Keeping the Stroller covered: This is a lesson I learned last year. For some reason we decided to park our stroller outside of the entrance to the Harambe train station before heading to Conservation Station. Not sure why we thought at the time that we couldn’t bring our stroller with us. So during our excursion, there was a massive shower. We were dry thanks to our ponchos but when we returned about an hour later to our stroller that wasn’t covered – well, you can imagine how soaking wet it was. So this time, thanks to our newly converted stroller cover from DS’ poncho, everytime we parked our stroller we covered it up and it so paid off. I can’t count the number of times when we walked out of an attraction to find the rain had really picked up but our stroller was dry as a bone

4. Taking shelter and frequent breaks from the rain: I hadn’t quite appreciated before how many attractions at Disney are protected from the rain. The shows at DHS and AK provided great escape from the rain. And I was very thankful that we had a couple of lunches at Crystal Palace and Hollywood and Vine where we could rest up, fuel up, and dry up in the middle of the day. Then there were those attractions that provided shelter and active fun for the kids. We let the kids loose inside of Dumbo’s play area for a good 20 minutes while the adults rested and dried up on the benches.



The Tiki Room was a great way to dodge the rain drops. Our kids totally adore this attraction and we always make it a point to stop here. And of course the Tiki song has a way of digging into my ear and getting bounced around inside my head for the rest of the day.

Just open the doors so we can dry up, will ya?




The scenery rarely changes, doesn't it?


That adds a little more color.


The wallflowers.


Aaaand the finale.


And there was also the Carousel of Progress. We had just left Buzz’s Spin Ride walking towards New FL when it started pouring again. Out of instinct I quickly looked around and spotted CoP and we immediately went inside. By the time we came out, the rain had died down a bit. And my brother got a power nap.

Continued in Next Post

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Continued From Previous Post

5. Did I mention the low crowds? Our first park day was Wednesday January 29th when we went to MK. This was one of the least crowded weeks at Disney all year. Wednesdays are usually the least crowded day of the week at MK on any given week. So we were already looking at the possibility of low crowds. Add rain and temperatures that dropped during the middle of the day to the mid 40s. Mix and stir and we got one of the most deserted MK days that I had ever seen.

I mean it seriously looked as empty as it does when we enter the park before it opens for an ADR.



So exactly how uncrowded was it? On this particular day from 9am to 10am here’s what we accomplished: Back to back Peter Pan rides at rope drop, Under the Sea ride, meeting Ariel at her grotto, 20 minutes of pay time inside Dumbo’s tent AND a ride on Dumbo. It was so awesome. Every day during this trip by mid afternoon I would find ourselves an hour or 90 minutes ahead of my touring plan schedules which also made for a more leisurely paced touring of the parks.

6. I severely overestimated how the rain would affect the kids. One of my main concerns were how the kids would deal with the rainy weather. I could just picture in my head one of them getting cranky or fussy over the constant moisture. But it turned out I was completely wrong. It didn’t bother them at all and DD did very well with her poncho. And with so many entertaining things to occupy their minds, I don’t think they had much time to dwell on the weather. This was probably most evident when we were by the circus tent area in New Fantasyland. There was finally a complete break in the rain after 2-3 hours of drizzle mixed in with more intense down pours. We decided to enjoy this rain free moment by taking off all of our ponchos. As I began to tuck the ponchos away underneath the stroller and congratulate myself for keeping both kids dry, DD runs off with DS in hand to the Casey Jr. water play area. And before I could even say anything, they are jumping right into the mist being sprayed by Casey Jr. DW and I just laughed in bewilderment and then we just shrugged our shoulders. What can we do? Plus the look of pure joy on their faces as they ran around Casey Jr in and out of the mist getting their hair wet was too precious to interrupt. They played around a good 10 minutes like that before we called them back and dried them off with the towels.



And then we ran into the Main Street Philharmonic Band taking advantage of the brief break in the weather and performing at Storybook Circus.





Rain? What Rain?


7. And finally, on photography. I have to admit that I was very tentative and reluctant about pulling my camera out of the backpack on our first park day. I was paranoid that my camera and lens would get water damage. And I only attempted any lens changes indoors and aware from all of the moisture. I probably was too cautious and as the week went on I became bolder about getting the camera a little wet. I wish I would have been more adventurous on our first day as I look through the pictures and realized that the total number of photos were only about half of what I took on other days. I got used to tucking the camera underneath my poncho and quickly wiping off any water drops on the lens filter with my hand lens cloth. I had the cloth, lens wipe solution and tissue papers stored on the most outer pocket of my backpack where I could easily reach and pull out at a moments notice. I also found out after coming home and looking through the pictures how the rainy weather and wet surfaces made for some great black and white photography.

Took this one on our way to CRT before-the-park-opens ADR breakfast. Love the vintage look and I can imagine that this scenery didn’t look all that different 30 years ago.



This one is from Animal Kingdom at the Asia section. I was waiting to regroup with my family who was on their way out of the Maharajah Trail.


And this one is from Streets of America as my brother, sister-in-law, and nephew admired the scenes of New York City. By the way, they live right across from NYC on the Jersey side of the Hudson.


And finally, I learned that if possible it is totally worth removing the ponchos off of the subjects in the picture even if it means getting a little wet because DS was absolutely correct – they do tend to look like garbage bags.

So was there any downside to the rain? There were some. The outdoor or semi-outdoor shows were significantly impacted. Dream Along with Mickey never made it on to the Castle stage in our two MK days. Actually they did one very abbreviated show which was the final dance/music number of the full length show. I already described how the Indiana Jones Stunt show was abbreviated. And as you will find out in a future post, our views of Wishes from the Pirates and Pals Cruise were severely impaired.

But overall, our trip was just as enjoyable and memorable as our past trips. The kids had a blast and I can honestly say that when we talk about the trip and recollect our memories from it, the topic of rain and the weather never comes up. Not that I’m going to wish for all of our future trips to be rainy. At least I know now it’s nowhere near the end of the world if our next visit is rainy and a Disney trip can be just as fun as the one in 90 degree heat and 100% humidity

 

[ksinniger]

We arrived on the 29th, and also discovered how easy it was to rip a poncho over our 4 day stay. But we also had a ton of fun and got so much done each day. Our Hollywood studios morning, we did toy story, tower of terror and rock n roller coaster in the first hour! After that, it was no big deal to wait a little for a photo with sorcerer Mickey, or joke around and have a relaxing lunch!

One other tip we picked up while vacationing in the rain - hats! Specifically, baseball hats - the brims keep the ponchos from falling over your face, and in a light drizzle, they may even keep you from needing the poncho if you're just hopping from one indoor ride/queue to another.

 

[IheartDDuck]

I'm finally getting all caught up!

I agree, it's always nice to have buy-in from stakeholders when you want to stay somewhere. You want them to love it in the end.

Animal Kingdom Lodge is one of my absolute favorite resorts. It really is such a beautiful place to just chill and relax.

Jiko is one of my favorite meals on property, hands down. It's so good.

Random story. The first time I saw Finding Nemo the Musical was when it first came out in 2007. At that time, they did not allow photography of any kind. Well I was a dingbat and apparently wasn't paying attention. Let me tell you what's not pleasant. Having a CM shine a flashlight in your face when you take a picture without flash. It was like the flashlight of shame. Okay, random story over!

I'm loving all of the pictures. I would LOVE to be Dory in that show. I'm not gonna lie, I have the album and I sing her part constantly.

I loved your characterpalooza pictures on Facebook! So many characters! And I never knew it existed. Bad DISer!

Disney Jr. at DHS is awesome! I'm obsessed with puppets though. You know? Their jerky funny movements? They get me every time. And Chilly is by far the best one there.

Sounds like the kids had fun at their appointments! We took Joaquin to the PL a few years ago. Let me tell you, he was not a fan. But, that's because Jason elected to get the cursed pirate makeup.

We were fortunate to miss out on the rain! We just had a bit of cold. But we never let the rain deter us. Where's the fun in that, right?

 

[chattadisser]

It looks like the rain equalled a really good time. And it did enhance the pictures, never thought about it that way before. I have found that the "wetness" with rain usually bothers the adults more than the kids. They don't mind quishy shoes!

We used to always go in late January before my oldest started school. It's a wonderful time, crowd wise. I tell everyone to go then if they can.

Christine

 

[amazingact21]

Your outlook on the rain was much, much better than most. I live in FL, and I tend to get grumpy when the rain arrives at Disney. Perhaps in the future I'll take your way of thinking and just go with the flow. After all, the rain is gonna happen whether you like it or not, so I guess it's better to accept and embrace it.



The interactive queue area for Dumbo is one of the best things ever. I never even thought about how convenient it would be for escaping the rain.



I love your shot of the castle in black and white. Makes me think back to old shots of the Sleeping Beauty castle in Disneyland. I could almost see Walt walking down Main St, hands in his pocket and head down.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Great tips for dealing with the rain ... especially to bring some hand towels from the room!

One other benefit that I have seen in your TR and others when there has been rain, especially around main street you see a lot of the performers head inside to perform - and the performances seem to be a little bit more ad hoc and interactive, which I think it creates some unique memories

that is a great B&W photo of the castle ... seriously, could be a postcard! not to mention probably one of the last shots without the construction walls for the new/expanded Hub ... and thus one of the last shots with the Hub the way it is/has been!

 

[wiigirl]

Great update!

 

[Credit Man]

Dave, you must make great lemonade. Fantastic attitude for something completly out of your control.

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Dave, that's the only way to be. Either embrace the rain and have fun (been there done that), or mope. Glad you chose the former. I think the rain is a bigger deal to newbees (so I'm delighted at your brother's reaction). But knowing the crowds would likely be lessoned is an awesome thing to vets. Of course the downside it really puts a "damper" on outdoor photos.

That's what I always tell people who get so concerned about rain in Disney. SO MUCH of it is indoors anyway.

 

[KelleyK75]

Just found your report and following along. Your pictures are gorgeous! I love photography, especially of Disney, so I really enjoyed your pictures. The Nemo ones were awesome!!

I have not yet done the Characterpalooza. Is this something that happens every day? We will be there in 10 days.

 

[middlesista]

I could not believe how empty the MK was on the 29th by your photos!

We did not go to the parks that day and missed those empty streets. Have to remember what you said about Wednesdays.

Agree about the rain - it is what it is and sulking does not help. We kept reminding ourselves that it was better than snow and ice. We also brought towels from the room and had the ponchos PLUS rain coats.

What we have to remember is the correct type of rain cover for the stroller. Sure the rain poncho will do it in a pinch but those children that had nice, solid rain coverers looked a lot happier than our DGD's. I know, I know - where is my sense of adventure

 

[MEK]

I didn't realize it had rained so much during your trip. I am seriously thinking of going to WDW next January around the last time. I know the weather can be hit or miss, but it seems like you did a great job negotiating the rain. I agree that the low park crowds can be a huge bonus.

I take my camera out in the rain, but I must admit that sometimes I have trouble judging when it is raining too hard. Having the poncho to cover the camera is definitely he way to go.

Love how you rigged up the stroller with that little peep hole.

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

We arrived on the 29th, and also discovered how easy it was to rip a poncho over our 4 day stay. But we also had a ton of fun and got so much done each day. Our Hollywood studios morning, we did toy story, tower of terror and rock n roller coaster in the first hour! After that, it was no big deal to wait a little for a photo with sorcerer Mickey, or joke around and have a relaxing lunch!

One other tip we picked up while vacationing in the rain - hats! Specifically, baseball hats - the brims keep the ponchos from falling over your face, and in a light drizzle, they may even keep you from needing the poncho if you're just hopping from one indoor ride/queue to another.

Wasn't it awesome to be done with everything so early in the day that you could take things easy and do all of the "bonus" items?

I love the baseball hat idea! Wish I had thought of that because the poncho hood had a way of pressing down my eyes....and made it difficult to see where I was walking.

I'm finally getting all caught up!

I agree, it's always nice to have buy-in from stakeholders when you want to stay somewhere. You want them to love it in the end.

Animal Kingdom Lodge is one of my absolute favorite resorts. It really is such a beautiful place to just chill and relax.

Jiko is one of my favorite meals on property, hands down. It's so good.

Random story. The first time I saw Finding Nemo the Musical was when it first came out in 2007. At that time, they did not allow photography of any kind. Well I was a dingbat and apparently wasn't paying attention. Let me tell you what's not pleasant. Having a CM shine a flashlight in your face when you take a picture without flash. It was like the flashlight of shame. Okay, random story over!

I'm loving all of the pictures. I would LOVE to be Dory in that show. I'm not gonna lie, I have the album and I sing her part constantly.

I loved your characterpalooza pictures on Facebook! So many characters! And I never knew it existed. Bad DISer!

Disney Jr. at DHS is awesome! I'm obsessed with puppets though. You know? Their jerky funny movements? They get me every time. And Chilly is by far the best one there.

Sounds like the kids had fun at their appointments! We took Joaquin to the PL a few years ago. Let me tell you, he was not a fan. But, that's because Jason elected to get the cursed pirate makeup.

We were fortunate to miss out on the rain! We just had a bit of cold. But we never let the rain deter us. Where's the fun in that, right?

Wow - didn't realize that Disney prohibited photography for Nemo. That sucks that the CM singled you out like that. If they only applied such aggressive enforcement of rules for line cutters.

Jiko is by far my favorite Disney restaurant now and we will definitely return in October!

And as far as puppet show goes - after Avenue Q, I'm a fan.

It looks like the rain equalled a really good time. And it did enhance the pictures, never thought about it that way before. I have found that the "wetness" with rain usually bothers the adults more than the kids. They don't mind quishy shoes!

We used to always go in late January before my oldest started school. It's a wonderful time, crowd wise. I tell everyone to go then if they can.

Christine

I love January trips and am very thankful that our school district has a four day student holiday weekend on the last week of January every year to facilitate our visits!

Your outlook on the rain was much, much better than most. I live in FL, and I tend to get grumpy when the rain arrives at Disney. Perhaps in the future I'll take your way of thinking and just go with the flow. After all, the rain is gonna happen whether you like it or not, so I guess it's better to accept and embrace it.

The interactive queue area for Dumbo is one of the best things ever. I never even thought about how convenient it would be for escaping the rain.

I love your shot of the castle in black and white. Makes me think back to old shots of the Sleeping Beauty castle in Disneyland. I could almost see Walt walking down Main St, hands in his pocket and head down.

You're totally right about the black and white photo! I couldn't quite put my finger on it on why it had such a nostalgically familiar feel to it.

Totally agree about the Dumbo play area. I think our kids could have played in there for a whole hour if we had let them.

Great tips for dealing with the rain ... especially to bring some hand towels from the room!

One other benefit that I have seen in your TR and others when there has been rain, especially around main street you see a lot of the performers head inside to perform - and the performances seem to be a little bit more ad hoc and interactive, which I think it creates some unique memories

that is a great B&W photo of the castle ... seriously, could be a postcard! not to mention probably one of the last shots without the construction walls for the new/expanded Hub ... and thus one of the last shots with the Hub the way it is/has been!

Definitely! Lot of the characters moved indoors to interact with the guests which makes it more intimate. At one point during our visit to the Conservation Station building, we had Chip and Dale as well as Pocahontas meeting inside because of the rain.

I didn't think about the fact that this trip would have been the last time seeing the Hub as we knew it. I'm kind of excited about the new hub design and the possibilities of new spots to photograph the castle or the fireworks from. But the nostalgic part of me is going to miss the good ol' design.

Great update!

Thank you!

Dave, you must make great lemonade. Fantastic attitude for something completly out of your control.

Thanks! It did take some efforts to try to stay positive at certain points in the trip. But each of those times I watched the kids having a great time and took their queues.

Dave, that's the only way to be. Either embrace the rain and have fun (been there done that), or mope. Glad you chose the former. I think the rain is a bigger deal to newbees (so I'm delighted at your brother's reaction). But knowing the crowds would likely be lessoned is an awesome thing to vets. Of course the downside it really puts a "damper" on outdoor photos.

That's what I always tell people who get so concerned about rain in Disney. SO MUCH of it is indoors anyway.

I think you're absolutely right that the rain could put a bigger damper if it happened to those on their first visits or on their once in a life time visits. I'm pretty sure my outlook may not have been so rosy but then again, there are always so many magical things to experience at Disney even with the rain.

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Just found your report and following along. Your pictures are gorgeous! I love photography, especially of Disney, so I really enjoyed your pictures. The Nemo ones were awesome!!

I have not yet done the Characterpalooza. Is this something that happens every day? We will be there in 10 days.

Thank you so much for joining!

So I believe Characterpalooza happens every day that has a Fantasmic show - which happens everyday. And I believe it occurs three times a day, all in the afternoon. I would check out Kenny the Pirate's website but the general rule has been that the first showing occurs approximately 4.5 hours before the last Fantasmic show.

It's sometimes hard to nail down the exact time because it's an unpublished event.

I could not believe how empty the MK was on the 29th by your photos!

We did not go to the parks that day and missed those empty streets. Have to remember what you said about Wednesdays.

Agree about the rain - it is what it is and sulking does not help. We kept reminding ourselves that it was better than snow and ice. We also brought towels from the room and had the ponchos PLUS rain coats.

What we have to remember is the correct type of rain cover for the stroller. Sure the rain poncho will do it in a pinch but those children that had nice, solid rain coverers looked a lot happier than our DGD's. I know, I know - where is my sense of adventure

Our ponchos really served us well and was totally worth the price from Target.

I kept reminding myself like you did that 40 or 50 degrees in the rain is still balmy compared to the 10 or 20 degrees in the snow or wind.

I didn't realize it had rained so much during your trip. I am seriously thinking of going to WDW next January around the last time. I know the weather can be hit or miss, but it seems like you did a great job negotiating the rain. I agree that the low park crowds can be a huge bonus.

I take my camera out in the rain, but I must admit that sometimes I have trouble judging when it is raining too hard. Having the poncho to cover the camera is definitely he way to go.

Love how you rigged up the stroller with that little peep hole.

It was funny about the peep window through the poncho that was converted to a stroller cover. DS figured that one on his own and I laughed so hard the first time I found him peering out through that head-hole in the poncho.

We love January visits! The low crowds totally make up for the unpredictable weather.

 

[teekathepony]

I love your attitude about the rain, such a positive way of looking at something you have no way of changing. Your tips are great too, and I'm glad to hear it didn't affect very much! The stroller poncho is a great idea.
Your pictures are gorgeous, but I'm especially in love with the black and whites. So rich in detail, and so clear!

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

I love your attitude about the rain, such a positive way of looking at something you have no way of changing. Your tips are great too, and I'm glad to hear it didn't affect very much! The stroller poncho is a great idea.
Your pictures are gorgeous, but I'm especially in love with the black and whites. So rich in detail, and so clear!

Thanks Wendy! I've gotten a taste for black and whites now and trying hard not to turn every picture the B&W treatment.

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

As many of you know, DIS Unplugged began a WDW photo contest today. I couldn't resist entering one . After some deliberation, I picked the one from my visit in October when I took a shot of Wishes at the Tangled Rest Area during my "Wishes Whirlwind Tour"

The winner will be determined by the total number of votes a photo receives by the end of the contest period so I am looking to my good DIS friends for help. If you would like to vote for my photo, please follow **this link** and submit a vote. You can vote for the same photo once a day.

There are some great photos already logged in there by a lot of DISers so it's a great way to spend some quality Disney time browsing through the pictures and voting.

If you would like to read about the entire "Whirlwind" experience and the story behind it, you can go here on my October TR.

Any support would be greatly appreciated! And as always, thanks for following my trip report!

 

[khaleesi]

My DHS plans might work out after all. DS has really gotten into the world of Star Wars and lately has been engaging in lightsaber duels with me. So I may have to go to DHS if he decides he wants to participate in Jedi Training

Such good parenting!


I love how you embraced the rain! My Wednesday MK day in the rain was a slightly different experience that I'll get to eventually!! Didn't ruin my trip or anything because I too had been watching the weather reports and was fully prepared. Except that I forgot how bone-soakingly chilly rain can be! I had spent the last three months in a deep freeze with lots of cold DRY snow. So I was really surprised how much colder the wet rain felt! I had been worried about the heat and was completely thrown for a loop with the rain.

I love the picture of your son peeking out throw the poncho on his stroller! So cute.

And once again, the nostalgic feeling of the black and white photos is incredible!

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Such good parenting!

I love how you embraced the rain! My Wednesday MK day in the rain was a slightly different experience that I'll get to eventually!! Didn't ruin my trip or anything because I too had been watching the weather reports and was fully prepared. Except that I forgot how bone-soakingly chilly rain can be! I had spent the last three months in a deep freeze with lots of cold DRY snow. So I was really surprised how much colder the wet rain felt! I had been worried about the heat and was completely thrown for a loop with the rain.

I love the picture of your son peeking out throw the poncho on his stroller! So cute.

And once again, the nostalgic feeling of the black and white photos is incredible!

I can relate to that - the rain did feel very chilly! Which is why I was extra thankful that we had brought our ponchos with us.

The peek window on the stroller-poncho was very important for DS. I think he was beginning to feel a little claustrophobic not being able to see where we were headed.