Santa Cruz and Discovery Kingdom 2

It's been a crazy summer, but I went to some theme parks already. Before we went to Hawaii, we went to Santa Cruz and Discovery Kingdom. Here are some photos from them:

 Double Shot

 Pirate Ship

 Cave Train

 Ghost Blasters entrance. It took the park a while to fix this ride and we did get to go on it.

The aftermath of Logger's Revenge 

 Riding solo on the Ark

 Superman: Ultimate Flight (which is now open)

 Odin's Temple of the Tiger

 Wave Jumper

 Wave Swinger

Shouka!

While in Hawaii, we went to a fun water park called Wet N Wild. It had rides like the Tornado, Flyin' Hawaiian (which we did twice), and Surf Rider (We also did that one twice). The highlight was when mom dropped on the Tornado BACKWARDS!

When we got back we went to the Alameda County Fair. The bad news is I don't have any pictures of it. The good news is we're going to Six Flags Discovery Kingdom next wednesday, where I may try out Superman Ultimate Flight! Until then, Ben out!

Santa Cruz and Discovery Kingdom

I'm BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACCCCCK! That's what I felt when I returned to Santa Cruz with my back strong enough to handle the coasters. Here's what it was like on that memorable day.

Oh, sorry I can't seem to find photos of Santa Cruz. What a shame. However, here are some photos from Discovery Kingdom, including a ride on a new favorite of mine, Sky Screamer!

Sky Screamer!

Cut it out, David Kong!

Voodoo

Medusa- That's what I'm talking about!

Me with the Amazon Princess herself!

David goes nuts on the Ark!

That's all I've got for now! Be sure to check back after Spring Break!

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.