We're Doing WHAT For My Birthday??? - Final Thoughts

[mnmrmustard]

see I missed your last update and looks like you needed a bump

Love Roxy's shirt at AK. So pretty

You got a lot of great pics there. Black swan is really cool

Those freaky looking fishes are cool too

that river was super green

All caught up now

Now, where are you?

Hey Kelly! Yes, the holidays and work and sick kids and so on and so forth all conspired to keep me away. Thank you for stopping by and giving me a bump. I'll see about getting an update posted today.

 

[mnmrmustard]

Hi Pumba!

Lots of dancing

The King stands proud

It was hard to take in all that was going on

He was TALL!

…and so was he!

Here come the monkeys!

Hello again Pumba

TImon and his crew

Simba looks amused

More monkey antics

Next up more monkey antics!

Click here for the next chapter: Day 7 Part 4 – Flying Monkeys …and No, It’s Not The Wizard of Oz

 

[Trentmom]

yay another update

Lion King show looks great. That is one thing we have never seen.

Great pics

 

[mnmrmustard]

This entire post in nothing but monkey acrobatics so get ready for an acrobatic overload!

Next up the monkeys scamper, Scar is bombastic, and we watch a fire dance

Click here for the next chapter: Day 7 Part 5 – Scar Brings on the Fire!

 

[mnmrmustard]

The monkeys finished up their act and headed out when confronted by the bad guys

The confrontation

Things look dark

…but Timon seems pretty cool

Time for the bad guys to take the stage

FIRE!!!!

Ouch!

Nice profile

The big guy is belting it out

Hey, where’d that 3rd flame come from???

The bad guys make their exit

Next up the birds take flight!

Click here for the next chapter: Day 7 Part 6 – Flying Away with the Lion King

 

[mnmrmustard]

When the bad guys left the stage a pair of acrobatic birds came out doing a graceful dance

BIG HUG!

Interesting pose

Getting some height!

How is he holding her?

Very graceful

Then away she goes!

He gives her a push

Flying high!

I like the way she is reaching out thru the light on this image

Coming on for a landing

Next up the whole crew comes in for the finale


Click here for the Next Chapter - Day 7 Part 7 – We head into the Finale!

 

[mnmrmustard]

yay another update

Lion King show looks great. That is one thing we have never seen.

Great pics

We hadn't either so we made a point of going there first. More animal acrobatics posted and more colorful pageantry to come!

 

[Trentmom]

show looks amazing and lot of cool acrobatic movies

Definitely will have to check it out next time for sure

 

[mnmrmustard]

show looks amazing and lot of cool acrobatic movies

Definitely will have to check it out next time for sure

It is worth the watch I must say.

And here I am having gotten sidetracked again. I will finish this TR, I will!!!!!!

 

[mnmrmustard]

The bird lands

…and goes Disco!

Timon and Pumba look on with smiles

The King and Queen sing us into the Circle of Life

The whole place is alive with music and dancing

All hail the king and queen!

The monkeys start back in

Up and away goes the bird

Very regal

Timon joins in

One of the monkeys came over and started goofing around with us

Could it get any more colorful?

Large View of Colorful Finale

Timon says hello to Simba

Farewell everyone!

It was a grand show that both of us very much enjoyed. When we make it back we will definitely be bringing the girls to it.

Next up we meet some Camp Mickey Characters and stroll towards Africa!


Click here for the Next Chapter - Day 7 Part 8 – Meeting all those Camp Mickey Characters

 

[mnmrmustard]

We rolled on out of the Lion King Theater and right into some familiar furry friends in Thumper and Bixbi

All of the character lines started to really build up – they are a popular lot! We decided to head down Donald’s trail and meat the head quack

We came in and Donald was immediately smitten by Roxy

Picture time!

We decided not to brave the loooonnnggg lines for Mickey, Minnie, and Goofy. So instead here are some pics that came with our Photopass purchase

They are a popular lot

Next up we hit the trail!


Click here for the Next Chapter - Day 7 Part 9 – Along the Pangani Trail

 

[mnmrmustard]

We decided to stroll on to Africa from there. We stopped at the bridge to catch a shot of the river and Everest in the background

I wish the sky had been a bit more blue but it was still a nice view

Large Panorama of the River and Everest

A nice Scandinavian couple was there and we traded cameras so each of us were able to get shots together in front of it :-]

On to the marketplace!

Last time we had made a beeline for the Safari so this time we took the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail out to see some more of the wildlife. I can’t remember what this guy was but it looked to me like a zebra and a donkey’s illegitimate child

We moved on to the Conservation Station to check on the creepy crawlies

That’s a big-un!

Looks like the toads from Harry Potter

He looks relaxed

A passel or rodents

We came out and kept following the trial when a big tropical bird swooped over

There were lots of little fishies to be seen as we walked

And they gave way to some bigger fishies swimming with a hippo

The hippo wasn’t feeling photogenic so the best I could do was catch a pic of his back being guarded by a big white crane-like bird

What a dental bill this guy must have had!

We walked on and came across something kind of gazelle-like

And then it was time for our gorilla encounter! We saw him clearly as we walked up

…and then he disappeared from view. So I just did some artful cropping to have a better shot of him

Big shot of the Big Guy

Next up we take a journey onto the Preserve


Click here for the Next Chapter - Day 7 Part 10 – The trail gives way to a Wild Safari!

 

[mnmrmustard]

Since the gorilla was being bashful I took some random pics of skulls

…and Lowland Gorilla info

We followed the loop around and didn’t see any more of them. Some nice foliage though

The heat of the day was coming on as it was nearing noon but we decided to take a gamble and see who was out and about on the Kilimanjaro Safari.

Welcome to Harambe!

But where are the crosswalks?

Here come some weary travelers

The line wasn’t bad but it seemed to take a while for a truck to actually stop in front of our loading station. No matter, we were sitting and happy in the shade. And soon enough we were on our way. We had our first animal encounter in the form of some rhinos

Next up were the hippos who were doing their best to hide from the noonday sun

There were crocs a plenty …but not the kind you put on your feet.

I love the look of those twisted old trees

Some sort of horned beast was roaming the plains

Call the exterminator quick!

The green expanse of the preserve

The giraffes were a bit more bashful than our last time through so this is the best I could do picture-wise from this part of the road

That guy made longhorn steer look like amateurs

More giraffes in hiding

Time for a nap

More Safari Fun to Come!


Click here for the Next Chapter - Day 7 Part 11 – The Safari Continues!

 

[mnmrmustard]

Hey All! Considering I started this thing at the end of April of last year I don't imagine there are many of you left still following along. Special thank you's to Sharky and Cheri for continuing to post despite my nearly terminal case of procrastination!

I have finished the TR "on paper" (I do each day in e-mail form and copy and paste to make sure I don't lose anything when the boards decide to freak out). So I'm just going to do a marathon posting frenzy and get the rest of this thing knocked out.

For those who are still with me thank you for coming along on my birthday adventure!!!!

 

[mnmrmustard]

Finally got a decent shot of ‘em

Aren’t they cute?

We went over the dangerous bridge and on to the elephants. They were a bit more cooperative for photo time

The whole family was out for this shot

It made for a good panorama too

Large Elephant Panorama

The had fresh bunch of hay to entice them out to us

Pelican Island

Okay, I guess the rhino does have the right of way

…especially the little guy ;-]

The dried mud made such cool designs on them

Large version of rhino family

Ostrich eggs spotted

If you look real close in the middle of the picture you can see two cheetahs relaxing in the shade

Cool antlers

His too

And on to Pride Rock

Very majestic

I was glad he was sitting up when we came by

Gotta do the lion panorama

Lion Panorama Large

Hey who’s that?

Pumba???

More rhinos seeking goodies and shade

Next up we finish our Safari and Explore the Tee of Life

Click here for the Next Chapter - Day 7 Part 12 – The Safari Ends and We Burrow Under the Big Tree

 

[mnmrmustard]

Ostriches to go with the eggs we saw earlier

Darn poachers!

Save the little guy!

Here comes the cavalry

Another successful safari if I do say so myself. We disembarked and encountered this fuzzy guy on the way out. We had tried to get a shot of him earlier but he had been sleeping.

We started thinking about lunch so worked our way back towards Discovery Island. Our want to eat was then overcome by out want to explore the Tree of Life and catch It’s Tough to be a Bug. Last time we were here I didn’t have an opportunity to look at all the details of the tree so we took our time with it.

First was the chimp and sloth

Anteater was next

Can’t quite make out anything except the water buffalo in this one

What is this guy supposed to be?

It is amazing how much this big fake tree fits in with its environment. Truly a work of art by the Imagineers

Not sure here, kind of a cross between monkeys and wolves

Then we were on to the Bug entrance area, love the advertising

The bugs have been busy burrowing here

Cute little bat-eared guy with the monkey

Very Planet of the Apes

We moved on in to the Ant Underground

No flash allowed in the show itself but I tried my best by tweaking exposures.

Hey there little guy

Here comes Stomper

Fun show as usual. We filed out back in to the comforting shade of the Tree of Life. It is quite a canopy to look up at. Click on the large shot to see all the details at the base

Large Perspective Shot of Tree of Life

Next up we leave the tree, find some food, take in a show, and take a trek



Click here for the Next Chapter -Day 7 Part 13 – An Amazing Tree, a Dinoriffic Meal, Nemo, and Everest

 

[mnmrmustard]

We also had a view of the unused boat launch that we saw from the bridge earlier in the day

We started heading up and I started snapping carving pics again. Hello Mr. Beaver

Armadillo?

Cool elephant

A plethora of animals here

Large Plethora of Animals

Best shot of a giraffe I got all day

Last shot – one word comes to mind for me, majestic!

We were really hungry now so after deciding on burgers we made a beeline to Dinoland USA

Dino-Rama beckoned but no games or rides for us at the moment

Large Shot of Dinorama

Hey, its Goofy! He was on the run so no time for pics with him.

We were fine with that since our destination was Restaurantosaurus, oh blessed air conditioning! I loved the décor but couldn’t help but notice that the lighting fixtures were similar to those hanging in the restaurant in the Jurassic Park area of Universal.

Here’s the ones in Restaurantosaurus

…and here’s what they had at Thunder Falls Terrace at Universal’s Islands of Adventure

Not exactly the same but close enough in theming to make you wonder who “borrowed” from whom

Anyways, both cool places but I think Restaurantosaurus had the competition beat with overall theming

We had a good meal and relaxed for a while, refilling our drinks several times. We headed out and contemplated Dinosaur! But were honestly too full to jump on that mover and shaker.

So we rolled past this “little” guy

…and then past this BIG guy

And wound our way to the Finding Nemo stage show – fish are friends, not food

On our 2008 trip I captured the entire show in pictures so if you want to see some good pics feel free to browse to it and look at them. For me I wanted to just sit back with Roxy and enjoy the show, which I did thoroughly. They still had the same lead actors for Marlin and Dori and they are just sooo good at it along with an amazing supporting cast.

By the time it was over our food had settled and we very briefly contemplated going back to Dinosaur!, but decided Expedition Everest was going to be our thrill ride destination.

It was 3pm so fastpass was shut down but stand by wasn’t bad at all. We wound our way in and I snapped the highlights.

Yeti shrine

Colorful flags

A fine lantern collection

Spiky climbing shoe things

Other straps and accessories

Next up we embark on our Expedition!



Click here for the Next Chapter - Day 7 Part 14 – Up to Everest!

 

[mnmrmustard]

Tea service and helmets

All the best books and gear

Climbers with a pedigree

Tools used by the locals

Yeti’s go moves!

Boo!

You are here

Can I get a warranty trade-in on that tent?

Animal masks

Then we were off on our journey – the mountain awaits!

Looks pretty far up there

Around the bend and time to make the big climb

In we go

He’s got moves like Travolta!

Love that view!

We were in the back so not the best view of “the end of the line”

Zoom, zoom, ahhh!!!! and there he is sabotaging us!

Here we are in the back row, me with camera in hand of course – lol

Next up we hit the train on the Maharajah Jungle Trek!



Click here for the Next Chapter -Day 7 Part 15 – Strolling along the Maharajah Jungle Trek

 

[mnmrmustard]

I put the camera away and we rode it one more time. Once we were done I stopped over to the side to watch some brave travelers take the plunge

From there it was on to more animal adventures, this time in Asia and another trail we had not explored. Off to the Maharajah Jungle Trek!

Leapin’ Lizards that guy is big!

From green and scaly we moved on to brown and leathery

I couldn’t believe how BIG those bats really were!

Peek-a-boo!

I’m Batman!

From the bat enclosure we moved on into the ruins proper. Again the Imagineers did an amazing job creating a beautiful “ruined” look

Large Panorama of Ruins

Beautiful “ruined” artwork on the walls too

This area was part of the tiger enclosure. I thought it was cool that they get to look at art with themselves showcased on it

Say cheese!

This one was sleepy

We saw one more roaming in the background

The next area had some cool Asian deer

We moved on through the ruins

Am I not turtley enough for the Turtle Club?

Next up we spot some birds and or day at AK comes to an end



Click here for the Next Chapter -Day 7 Part 16 – Leaving Asia and saying goodbye to AK

 

[mnmrmustard]

Next was the aviary, look at the beautiful plumage!

We followed the trail out and came to the ruined temple. I wonder how they get those monkeys to do the repairs?

I love the look of this fountain and the kids coming through loved playing with it

By now it was 4pm so things were starting to wind down at the park. We had hoped to catch the train to Rafiki’s Plantetwatch but we again missed it. Ah well, something to look forward to next time. As we headed away from the path to the train station we came across a panicked parent who had lost sight of her daughter. We got a description and helped look and told CMs. She was located a few minutes later – yay!

We strolled around for a bit, just enjoying the slow pace of the afternoon and the abundant shade

Which way to go?

That was a big mouth on that thing, makes me wonder what the whole thing looked like?

Can’t get enough shots of that Tree of Life

My lovely wife patiently waiting while I tried for that “perfect shot” of it

We came across a PhotoPass photographer and got some good shots together

Time for our close-up

What’s Tinkerbelle doing here???

That last shot was taken at 4:58pm so the CMs were on the PA system asking everyone to head out. We made our way out to the bus pickup area and briefly contemplated going to another park or to DTD but we were tired and very satisfied with all we had seen and done on my magical birthday adventure. We took the bus back to POP and had a quiet dinner. We then used up the last of our snack credits buying goodies to take home to the girls.

We went back to the room and Roxy started doing some initial packing. I had to take her scooter down and turn it in at the ECV pick-up/return area. Since I was “rolling” and it still had a decent charge I grabbed my camera to take some night shots of POP’s grand Disney statuary.

My first stop was outside our room to capture Lady (I had taken a couple of night shots of Tramp earlier in the week)

Ye ole 50’s bowling pin

Yo-yo-yo!

Red one

Purple and Green

The playful fountain in the 60s area

Next up my nocturnal POP excursion continues



Click here for the Next Chapter -Day 7 Part 17 – Almost done with my night shoot at POP