Holiday in the Park

For my birthday on sunday we went to Discovery Kingdom's Holiday in the Park. It's on of my mom's favorite special events. Here are some photos.

I'm not sure if we're going to Gilroy Gardens after Christmas. I'll be in Boise for the weekend. I'll see you after Christmas!

Disneyland 2011

It started as a typical Pleasanton morning. Then I was called downstairs. I was told we were going to Disneyland. It was the best weather we had there since our 2004 trip. Here are some highlights from a busy couple of days.

That's all for now! Be sure to check back for photos from Discovery Kingdom's Holiday in the Park.

My Favorite Disney Movies- Part 2

Here's the rest of my favorite Disney movies.

Pocahontas (1995): American native girl Pocahontas meets English captain John Smith and they fall in love. The relations between the natives and the Jamestown settlers are strained when Smith takes responsibility for a death of a tribesman.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996): Victor Hugo's tale of Quasimodo, banished to a life in the belltower of the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris. The hunchback falls in love with Esmeralda, a gypsy girl, whom is also the desire of evil Minister Frollo.

Hercules (1997): Hercules, part God, part mortal, sets out to prove himself a hero, much to the dismay of Hades. With the help of Phil (a satyr, his trainer) and love-interest Meg, Hercules battles numerous demons and becomes a star.

Mulan (1998): Based on a Chinese folk tale, a daring young girl risks everything by joining the army disguised as a man, in place of her ailing father.

Tarzan (1999): Based on the story by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Tarzan, raised by apes in African jungle, meets female counterpart and battles human and animal foes.


Bolt (2008): Bolt, a German Shepherd, has lived his whole life on the set of his action TV show, where he believes he has superpowers. When separated from the studio by accident, he learns that dealing with the real world is not quite as simple as he thought.



The Princess and the Frog (2009): A fairy tale centered on a young girl named Princess Tiana who lives in New Orleans' French Quarter during the Jazz Age.


Be sure to look for updates from Discovery Kingdom's Holiday in the Park and Gilroy Gardens Holiday Lights!

Pirates of Emerson/Fright Fest

I went to the Pirates of Emerson at the fairgrounds and here's how it pulled through this year. I felt the houses were rehashes of last year's. This year's houses were:
Pirates of Emerson
Lock Down
Doll Hostel
Wicked Wild West
Habitat of Hags
We also did the Mental Maze and the corn maze.
Here's some photos of that night.

We also went to Discovery Kingdom's new and improved Fright Fest. We got our 2012 season passes there. This year's Fright Fest included stuff like:
Nightmare Manor
The Awakening show
Super Spooky Sea Lion Show
Shipwreck of Horror
Morty the Mortician puppet show
Bloodbath Bayou
Scrapyard of the Dead
Slaughterhouse Pig Farms
We also rode the Seaside Railway after dark. Here's some Fright Fest photos.

Here's an update from Great America: I looked at the 2012 season pass benefits and one of them listed was free admission to Halloween Haunt 2012! So I guess there's just one more year to experience that great event before the new owners take over.

My Favorite Disney Movies-Part 1

I previously told you about my favorite non-Disney movies so here are my favorite Disney movies.

Bambi (1942): The life of a deer, living in the forest, from childhood to adulthood.

The Rescuers (1977): Timid mouse Bernard and fearless Miss Bianca fly to the Louisiana swamps to find Penny, a liitle orphan held captive by power mad Madam Medusa, who needs the child to locate a lost diamond.

The Fox and the Hound (1981): The story of a puppy and fox cub who grow up and learn they're supposed to be enemies

The Little Mermaid (1989): A mermaid, who longs to live in the surface world, gives up her voice to a sea witch for a pair of legs.

The Rescuers Down Under (1990): The Rescue Aid Society sends Bernard and Miss Bianca to Australia to help youngster Cody and a kidnapped eagle.

Beauty and the Beast (1991): A brainy young woman, scorned as a bookworm by local townfolk, is imprisoned by an enchanted Beast with whom she begins to fall in love.

Aladdin (1992): Trapped in an underground cave by evil Jafar, poor thief Aladdin finds a magic lamp, containing a zany genie, who turns him into a prince.

The Lion King (1994): Evil lion Scar kills lion King Mufasa and dupes his young cub Simba into leaving the Pride Lands. Simba, along with companions Timon and Pumbaa, returns as an adult to confront his destiny.
That's about it for now. Check back soon for part 2.

Halloween Haunt 2011

I'm sad to report this may be the last year for this awesome event. Cedar Fair Entertainment Co., which made the event is selling the park to JMA Ventures, LLC. Hopefully, JMA will bring the haunt back in some form. I'll miss you dearly, Halloween Haunt. You helped ignite my interest in theme park halloween events. Anyway, on to the photos.

Oh, and here were the haunted attractions this year.

Club Blood
Slaughterhouse: Annihilation
Toy Factory
Cornstalkers
Werewolf Canyon
and of course, Carnevil.
I didn't get to do Black Widow's Cavern due to my surgery.
There was also Underworld Alley, Dead Man's Cove: Forsaken Souls, The Gauntlet and the show Zombies Gone Viral, which my parents felt was a bit better than Fangs last year.
R.I.P. Halloween Haunt 2008-2010

Labor Day Update

Better late than never. Some friends from Nevada came to visit for Labor Day weekend. We took them to Gilroy Gardens. We got stuck on the monorail, but we had fun anyway. I don't have any photos, but check back for photos of Halloween Haunt 2011 at Great America.

 

My Favorite Non-Disney Movies

When you think of non-Disney movies, you'd think of Dreamworks or Hanna-Barbera. However, here are my favorites

The Secret of NIMH (1982):  Mousey Mrs. Brisby needs to move her home before a farm tractor destroy's it and her sick son inside. With the help of Jeremy the crow, she seeks out the rats of NIMH, an advanced breed of intelligent rodents.
Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005): With only days to go before the annual Giant Vegetable Competition, Wallace & Gromit, running a "humane" pest control business, have to deal with a home filled with captive rabbits - and a huge, mysterious "beast" that has begun attacking the town's sacred vegetable gardens at night.

Happy Feet (2006): A penguin named Mumble needs his own special song to attract a soul mate. However, he is the worst singer in the world... but he can tap-dance something fierce!

The Simpsons Movie (2007): After Homer accidentally pollutes the town's water supply, Springfield is encased in a gigantic dome by the EPA and the Simpsons family are declared fugitives.

Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole (2010): Soren, a young barn owl, is kidnapped by owls of St. Aggie's, ostensibly an orphanage, where owlets are brainwashed into becoming soldiers.

Once Upon a Forest (1993): In the idyllic forest world of Dapplewood, three young critters go on a journey for an herbal antedote for the poisonous chemicals which are hurting the forest inhabitants.


An American Tail (1986): Young Russian immigrant Fievel Mousekowitz is separated from his family en route to America. Wandering around New York, Fievel meets an assortment of ethnic characters, including the villianous Warren T. Rat.


The Land Before Time (1988): A baby brontosaurus named Littlefoot, separated from his family after his mother dies, must find his way back to the Great Valley or become extinct.

Charlotte's Web (1973): Wilbur the pig gains confidence from the words in Charlotte's spider web. With the help of Templeton the rat, Wilbur protect's Charlotte's offspring.
That's all I have to say. I'll be returning to Santa Cruz on Labor Day Weekend.
UPDATE: I WENT TO GILROY GARDENS THAT DAY! SORRY FOR THE DELAYS!

Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk July

I won't be doing much 'til February, so I don't have a lot to say today.

We did 4 rides at the boardwalk yesterday. Our first ride was the Cave Train Adventure.

We next did Ghost Blasters and the Sky Glider. We left after the Haunted Castle. Here's a wrap-up photo with Laffing Sal.