"On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair" (DL/So.California TR) LOTS of pics!

[kaoden39]

Those are so cute. January has good taste.

 

[mommaU4]

As tired as I was the night before, I just could not fall asleep. I was up until at least 2 a.m. which is why I slept in until 8:30 on this morning. When we finally got up and got going, I had Ruben take the kids down to the pool after breakfast while I packed up, got ready to check out and quickly snapped a few shots of the room and our view.
The kids were having fun swimming so we weren't in a real rush to head off to the parks, but I did want to get going.

After we checked out, we were on our way into DCA when some girl walking by asked Ruben if he wanted some passes to ride the new Toy Story ride!! She gave him 5 passes, and took off. We weren't really sure what to do with them, as we didn't know if we could use them or not.

They said non-transferable on them, and had hole punches already so we weren't sure if we should just try it and see what they said. Plus there was only 5 passes and there was 6 of us.
I finally convinced Ruben he should go and ride it, IF in fact they could be used, since I could ride it in October on our family trip and again in March on the Girls Only trip.

We made our way to the back of the park, and they took out their APs and got in line...... I was waiting to see if they would let them in or not....

THEY DID!! They were able to go on the new Toy Story ride! And come to find out, you can use those passes over and over again during your set time frame. So when they finished their ride, they came back out and then I was able to go on it with the kids too!!

It is truly a great ride. I suck at it of course, LOL, but who cares. It's just so much fun and it really blows away the Buzz Lightyear ride in my opinion.

Here is a pic of me and the kids in line. See the CM in front of us with his back turned? Well, he asked the twins if anyone had ever sang Happy Birthday to them backwards. They both shook their head no. He said, "What?? No one's ever sung Happy Birthday to you backwards? Well then I will."
Then he turned around with his back to us and proceeded to sing Happy Birthday. OKay, maybe I was suffering from lack of sleep, but I was busting up over that one.

After the kids and I went on the ride, Ruben and the kids went one more time and after the ride he snapped these pics of the exit area, leading down into the shop:

As many times as we've been to Disneyland over this past year, we've never once been dreamed. And I know some people who seem to get dreamed over and over again! LOL So this was a really nice treat to get to go on the ride and it was almost as good as getting dreamed.

After the Toy Story ride I did some shopping at the store in that area, and grabbed another Tinkerbell Twist. YUM! I found these cute Tinkerbell Happy Birthday pins and bought one for each of the twins:

I also bought a Crush pin for Noelle, and a Jack Skellington pin that says "I'm no Prince" on it for Adam, but I don't have pics of those. We aren't really big on souvenirs. There is a Disney outlet here in Vegas where I prefer to buy most of our Disney items or else look for clearances on the Disneyshopping website. The only thing we really buy at Disneyland are the pins.

Another thing I cannot leave without buying is the Mickey sourdough bread! Oh. My. God. That bread is so good. So we were off to the Pacific Wharf Bakery. On the way there we passed by some Korean dancers who were doing a show:

And here's the delicious Mickey bread:

From there we made our way over to the Grizzly Rapids ride which would be our last ride of the day. The kids had ponchos which on such a warm day might seem silly, but people were getting drenched on that ride. I'm ok with getting wet. But this was beyond that. It was like some of those riders had simply taken a shower in their clothes! That's a little too wet for me.

After the ride, it was time to go. But not before one last yummy treat. My husband's personal favorite, the bread pudding over in DTD at the Jazz Kitchen restaurant. We bought a piece of that and some of the beignets which the girls like.

Then it was time to say good bye to Disney for now. We hopped in the van and began the long almost 2 hour drive to my in-laws house in Simi Valley. We stopped on the way to pick up some groceries and found a laundrymat where I could stop and wash some of our clothes since her dryer was broken.

I couldn't help thinking as I was sitting there waiting for the clothes to wash how I can't seem to escape laundry even on vacation!! Oh well. Once that was done we got settled in at my in-laws house which they were letting us use as a home base while they were on vacation in Hawaii, and it was time for bed since we had another full day planned for tomorrow.

 

[staley7580]

I am LOVING your tripie!!! It sounds like you guys had tons of fun! But the heat.. We would have been dead.

 

[mommaU4]

I am LOVING your tripie!!! It sounds like you guys had tons of fun! But the heat.. We would have been dead.

Hi Megan! Glad you're along for the ride. It was hot, but no hotter then it was that day we met up in April. I'm ready to hit DL when it's cold though! LOL I've had enough of the heat.

 

[mommaU4]

This morning I was up bright and early at 6 a.m. The plan for the day was for us all to head into Glendale about 45 minutes from where we were staying, and Ruben was going to drop me and the kids off at the Glendale Galleria while he went to the old hospital where he used to work to visit some old friends and co-workers.

I was up so early because when he worked at that hospital, I used to make some bread pudding and send it in with him and everyone there loved it. So I thought it would be a nice surprise if I made some for him to take in with him for old times sake.

After that was done baking, and we were all dressed and ready to go, we hopped in the car and were on the way. After we were about half way there we realized we'd forgotten the camera!!! Shoot! Oh well, we weren't about to head all the way back at this point, so that meant there would be no pics of this day.

He dropped us off at the Galleria as planned where my SIL was planning to meet up with us for a day of shopping and just hanging out, and then he took off.
The Galleria is a huge mall in the Glendale area and I could easily spend hours in there. And way too much money.... Here is a link to their website if anyone is interested: Glendale Galleria

The mall has a Target in it, and I decided to go in there and see if they had any disposable cameras. I figured some pics, even if they weren't that great, would be better then none. I found some and bought one to have just in case there was something I really wanted a pic of.
After Target, my SIL showed up and was hungry so we all went to Red Robin for lunch. I love their food, and I know some people have had bad experiences at their restaurants, but not me. And today was no exception. Our waiter was great and so was the food.

I don't have any pics, but I ordered the Whiskey River BBQ Chicken Wrap. There is a pic of it on their website if anyone is really curious to see what it looks like: http://www.redrobin.com/home/menu.aspx I'd recommend it. Then I got the Freckled Lemonade, which is basically just a strawberry lemonade, and I found a pic of that on photobucket, so here it is:

Also really yummy!

After we finished eating we asked the waiter to take a pic of all of us in our booth, and it was pretty funny to see his reaction to the disposable camera. He said he didn't even realize they still made those. I only took about 4 pics with that camera, so those are still on there. Not sure when I'll ever get around to using it up. LOL

After lunch we just spent the day shopping. I won't bore you with all the details of where we went and what we bought, but it was fun and it was nice to hang out with my SIL again. We used to be shopping buddies when I lived in SoCal and I miss her a lot. I will say that my SIL is going to be a Grandma in August. Her son and his wife are having a little girl, which means I am going to be a Great Aunt! And I had a lot of fun shopping for baby girl clothes again.

Around 4:00 Ruben called and was done visiting, so he came and picked us up. From there we headed to his old neighborhood to drive around and see how things had changed. After that we went to the Griffith Park Observatory and walked around there for awhile. That was where Ruben and I had our first date back when I was only 16 years old.
It was nice to be back again and the kids really enjoyed it.

After that everyone was getting hungry so we stopped at In'n'Out burger on the way back to my in-laws. YUM! I don't have any pics of our food from there, but those are all over the web, so here's one I pulled from photobucket:

I don't get the double burger though, just a single. Other then that, it looks the same.

Once we arrived back at the house, the kids went off to bed, and I had to pack up some things to get ready for tomorrow. We were going to be heading to Pismo Beach in the morning to spend the night and I could not wait.

 

[kaoden39]

This morning I was up bright and early at 6 a.m. The plan for the day was for us all to head into Glendale about 45 minutes from where we were staying, and Ruben was going to drop me and the kids off at the Glendale Galleria while he went to the old hospital where he used to work to visit some old friends and co-workers.

I was up so early because when he worked at that hospital, I used to make some bread pudding and send it in with him and everyone there loved it. So I thought it would be a nice surprise if I made some for him to take in with him for old times sake.

After that was done baking, and we were all dressed and ready to go, we hopped in the car and were on the way. After we were about half way there we realized we'd forgotten the camera!!! Shoot! Oh well, we weren't about to head all the way back at this point, so that meant there would be no pics of this day.

He dropped us off at the Galleria as planned where my SIL was planning to meet up with us for a day of shopping and just hanging out, and then he took off.
The Galleria is a huge mall in the Glendale area and I could easily spend hours in there. And way too much money.... Here is a link to their website if anyone is interested: Glendale Galleria

The mall has a Target in it, and I decided to go in there and see if they had any disposable cameras. I figured some pics, even if they weren't that great, would be better then none. I found some and bought one to have just in case there was something I really wanted a pic of.
After Target, my SIL showed up and was hungry so we all went to Red Robin for lunch. I love their food, and I know some people have had bad experiences at their restaurants, but not me. And today was no exception. Our waiter was great and so was the food.

I don't have any pics, but I ordered the Whiskey River BBQ Chicken Wrap. There is a pic of it on their website if anyone is really curious to see what it looks like: http://www.redrobin.com/home/menu.aspx I'd recommend it. Then I got the Freckled Lemonade, which is basically just a strawberry lemonade, and I found a pic of that on photobucket, so here it is:

Also really yummy!

After we finished eating we asked the waiter to take a pic of all of us in our booth, and it was pretty funny to see his reaction to the disposable camera. He said he didn't even realize they still made those. I only took about 4 pics with that camera, so those are still on there. Not sure when I'll ever get around to using it up. LOL

After lunch we just spent the day shopping. I won't bore you with all the details of where we went and what we bought, but it was fun and it was nice to hang out with my SIL again. We used to be shopping buddies when I lived in SoCal and I miss her a lot. I will say that my SIL is going to be a Grandma in August. Her son and his wife are having a little girl, which means I am going to be a Great Aunt! And I had a lot of fun shopping for baby girl clothes again.

Around 4:00 Ruben called and was done visiting, so he came and picked us up. From there we headed to his old neighborhood to drive around and see how things had changed. After that we went to the Griffith Park Observatory and walked around there for awhile. That was where Ruben and I had our first date back when I was only 16 years old.
It was nice to be back again and the kids really enjoyed it.

After that everyone was getting hungry so we stopped at In'n'Out burger on the way back to my in-laws. YUM! I don't have any pics of our food from there, but those are all over the web, so here's one I pulled from photobucket:

I don't get the double burger though, just a single. Other then that, it looks the same.

Once we arrived back at the house, the kids went off to bed, and I had to pack up some things to get ready for tomorrow. We were going to be heading to Pismo Beach in the morning to spend the night and I could not wait.

Sounds good to me. We have never done the Galleria and I don't expect I will I am not a mall person and neither is Scotty. I really like Red Robin they have this cheeseburger with a fried egg on it and it was good. But In N Out is one of my favorites. When I am bad that is where I like to go. Their fries are the best, and I really enjoy their milkshakes. We did the disposable cameras one trip. I gave one to each of our kids and let them take pictures. It was fun to see what everybody found that they liked enough to take pictures of.

 

[Stacerita]

Sorry the pic is blurry though:

These are DBF's fave snacks anywhere.

 

[jeminni]

Here is a pic of me and the kids in line. See the CM in front of us with his back turned? Well, he asked the twins if anyone had ever sang Happy Birthday to them backwards. They both shook their head no. He said, "What?? No one's ever sung Happy Birthday to you backwards? Well then I will."
Then he turned around with his back to us and proceeded to sing Happy Birthday. OKay, maybe I was suffering from lack of sleep, but I was busting up over that one.

A CM down in WDW did that to me when I was with Becky at MNSSHP It was great.


The picture of the cat in your signature looks just like my little kitty Mystic, I love it

 

[mommaU4]

Sounds good to me. We have never done the Galleria and I don't expect I will I am not a mall person and neither is Scotty. I really like Red Robin they have this cheeseburger with a fried egg on it and it was good. But In N Out is one of my favorites. When I am bad that is where I like to go. Their fries are the best, and I really enjoy their milkshakes. We did the disposable cameras one trip. I gave one to each of our kids and let them take pictures. It was fun to see what everybody found that they liked enough to take pictures of.

I am not a mall person if there is something I HAVE to get, like a certain present or an outfit for a specific occasion. Then it's just a chore. But just walking around and hanging out was fun.

I love In'n'Out fries, and shakes. Have you ever tried anything from their "secret menu"? I've had their fries animal style and they are pretty good.

These are DBF's fave snacks anywhere.

He has good taste. It's funny how the simplest things like the corn dog and the chimichanga can be so yummy.

A CM down in WDW did that to me when I was with Becky at MNSSHP It was great.


The picture of the cat in your signature looks just like my little kitty Mystic, I love it

How fun. Maybe it's something they teach in the Disney training.

You mean the cat in my avatar? It's not mine. Just a pic I found online. We used to have a black cat named Luxor and an orange-ish one named Rio. We had to leave Luxor behind in MI when we moved and my aunt in Tennessee took Rio because our house here is a rental and they don't allow pets. I miss having a kitty.
I love the name Mystic.

 

[disney-inspired]

I made it through all 12 pages of your TR. I loved seeing your plans and the stuff you bought. And I think its great that you post links to all your destinations and hotels for other readers to use. I might try the Radisson nex time. Sounds like you had a blast at Disneyland and DCA even though it was SO hot. I can't wait to go in October for the decorations and HOPEFULLY cooler weather. Keep it coming, I'm on board!

 

[kaoden39]

I am not a mall person if there is something I HAVE to get, like a certain present or an outfit for a specific occasion. Then it's just a chore. But just walking around and hanging out was fun.

I love In'n'Out fries, and shakes. Have you ever tried anything from their "secret menu"? I've has their fries animal style and they are pretty good.


He has good taste. It's funny how the simplest things like the corn dog and the chimichanga can be so yummy.




How fun. Maybe it's something they teach in the Disney training.

You mean the cat in my avatar? It's not mine. Just a pic I found online. We used to have a black cat named Luxor and an orange-ish one named Rio. We had to leave Luxor behind in MI when we moved and my aunt in Tennessee took Rio because our house here is a rental and they don't allow pets. I miss having a kitty.
I love the name Mystic.

Hmm no I was never aware they had the secret menu. Maybe the Southern California ones do that and not in Northern California.

 

[mommaU4]

I made it through all 12 pages of your TR. I loved seeing your plans and the stuff you bought. And I think its great that you post links to all your destinations and hotels for other readers to use. I might try the Radisson nex time. Sounds like you had a blast at Disneyland and DCA even though it was SO hot. I can't wait to go in October for the decorations and HOPEFULLY cooler weather. Keep it coming, I'm on board!

Hey Cristabel! I'm glad you're reading along.
I hope it is cooler in October for both of us. I know we are both going to be there then for the Halloween activities.
But I also know from 25 plus years of living in SoCal that the October weather can fluctuate a lot. So we'll have to keep our fingers crossed!!

Hmm no I was never aware they had the secret menu. Maybe the Southern California ones do that and not in Northern California.

Well, they do it here in NV and in SoCal, so I'm sure they do it there too. It's not something they post, but here is some info on it: http://www.badmouth.net/in-n-outs-secret-menu/
And it's also mentioned on their website: http://www.in-n-out.com/secretmenu.asp
Try it next time and see what they say.

 

[mommaU4]

We were on the road heading for Pismo around 10 a.m. which I was happy with. It's not easy getting a family of 6 up and going in the mornings. LOL Especially this family as we are not really morning people.

On the way we stopped by a place called Underwood Farms. It's a cute little farm area, with animals you can feed, pick your own blueberries, and a Farmer's Market.
Underwood Family Farms

It's a fun place and the kids really enjoyed their time there. Some pics of them with the animals and picking blueberries:

I love taking the kids to places like Disneyland, but it's also nice to see they can have fun just doing something as simple as berry picking.

After that we continued on our way. I love that drive. The sights are so pretty along the way, especially when you are by the ocean. Our next stop was in Solvang, which is a little Danish town and one place we always stop on our way to Pismo. Solvang The movie "Sideways" was filmed in that area, in case you are a fan of that movie.

We walked around and just took in the sights.

Taking pics of the red wooden shoe has become a tradition for visitors for years, so of course we had to do it.

Some of the pretty flowers they have lining the sidewalks:

While we were out walking around we saw a family pass by on a surrey bike and it looked like so much fun. Then as we were heading back to the car, we saw the bike rental shop and I had to find out how much it was. It was cheaper then I thought, so I decided this would be a fun thing to try.
It was $35 for an hour, so we filled out the brief contract, got helmets for the kids, and were on our way.

I have to admit it looked easier then it was and after about half an hour, I was beginning to think this wasn't such a fun idea after all. It was hot and I had on an outfit that was making me even hotter so when we were passing by the bike rental, I said for them to let me off and they could finish up without me. My hats off to Ruben and the kids for going the whole time.

After the bike ride, it was time to get some yummy treats! Can't leave Solvang without going to at least one of the bakeries and we usually end up at Mortensens.

We went back to the car, found a shady spot to park, and ate the lunch I had brought. Fresh fruit from the Farmer's Market including the blueberries they picked, some sandwiches, drinks, and applesauce. Then it was time for dessert! Here are some of the goodies we bought that day:

After the goodies, it was time to get back on the road. Coming up next, our wonderful hotel in Pismo!! I'm in love!!!

 

[kaoden39]

Hey Cristabel! I'm glad you're reading along.
I hope it is cooler in October for both of us. I know we are both going to be there then for the Halloween activities.
But I also know from 25 plus years of living in SoCal that the October weather can fluctuate a lot. So we'll have to keep our fingers crossed!!




Well, they do it here in NV and in SoCal, so I'm sure they do it there too. It's not something they post, but here is some info on it: http://www.badmouth.net/in-n-outs-secret-menu/
And it's also mentioned on their website: http://www.in-n-out.com/secretmenu.asp
Try it next time and see what they say.

Thank you for the links. Those actually sound pretty good. But alas right now I am not eating fast food.

 

[kaoden39]

We were on the road heading for Pismo around 10 a.m. which I was happy with. It's not easy getting a family of 6 up and going in the mornings. LOL Especially this family as we are not really morning people.

On the way we stopped by a place called Underwood Farms. It's a cute little farm area, with animals you can feed, pick your own blueberries, and a Farmer's Market.
Underwood Family Farms

It's a fun place and the kids really enjoyed their time there. Some pics of them with the animals and picking blueberries:

I love taking the kids to places like Disneyland, but it's also nice to see they can have fun just doing something as simple as berry picking.

After that we continued on our way. I love that drive. The sights are so pretty along the way, especially when you are by the ocean. Our next stop was in Solvang, which is a little Danish town and one place we always stop on our way to Pismo. Solvang The movie "Sideways" was filmed in that area, in case you are a fan of that movie.

We walked around and just took in the sights.

Taking pics of the red wooden shoe has become a tradition for visitors for years, so of course we had to do it.

Some of the pretty flowers they have lining the sidewalks:

While we were out walking around we saw a family pass by on a surrey bike and it looked like so much fun. Then as we were heading back to the car, we saw the bike rental shop and I had to find out how much it was. It was cheaper then I thought, so I decided this would be a fun thing to try.
It was $35 for an hour, so we filled out the brief contract, got helmets for the kids, and were on our way.

I have to admit it looked easier then it was and after about half an hour, I was beginning to think this wasn't such a fun idea after all. It was hot and I had on an outfit that was making me even hotter so when we were passing by the bike rental, I said for them to let me off and they could finish up without me. My hats off to Ruben and the kids for going the whole time.

After the bike ride, it was time to get some yummy treats! Can't leave Solvang without going to at least one of the bakeries and we usually end up at Mortensens.

We went back to the car, found a shady spot to park, and ate the lunch I had brought. Fresh fruit from the Farmer's Market including the blueberries they picked, some sandwiches, drinks, and applesauce. Then it was time for dessert! Here are some of the goodies we bought that day:

After the goodies, it was time to get back on the road. Coming up next, our wonderful hotel in Pismo!! I'm in love!!!

I have never gone to Solvang, maybe we will next time we go as a family. And the berry picking and things like that are so important when you are kids. It keeps them real.

 

[mommaU4]

Thank you for the links. Those actually sound pretty good. But alas right now I am not eating fast food.

You're welcome. And actually I'm not either. I'm trying to keep splurges like that for when we are away from home. Which I guess is why we ate so much this trip! When we are on vacation, all bet's are off.

 

[kaoden39]

You're welcome. And actually I'm not either. I'm trying to keep splurges like that for when we are away from home. Which I guess is why we ate so much this trip! When we are on vacation, all bet's are off.

Thats me. I am being really good right now so that I don't feel so guilty when we go in September.

 

[Missy1961]

now I'm hungry! great pictures.

 

[mommaU4]

Thats me. I am being really good right now so that I don't feel so guilty when we go in September.

Our next trip is in October..... how bad is it that I'm already thinking ahead to where to eat?!?!

now I'm hungry! great pictures.

Thanks Missy.

 

[kaoden39]

Our next trip is in October..... how bad is it that I'm already thinking ahead to where to eat?!?!

Thanks Missy.

Well considering that I start planning our next trip before we ever finish the first day. My DH thinks I am crazy. Now next year he wants the money I planned for next year to use for the Aids Bicycle ride, this will be a battle.