G.A.R.T. 2015 - The Californian Coast.

Back at Yellowstone, as previously written, Kim had let slip, within earshot of the kids, that we were going to Disneyland. She managed to convince the kids that we weren't going because of the cost. More on that, later.

The drive to Anaheim... So, after driving thousands of kilometres, we discover that all of the asshole drivers in the American West, are in California. Seriously. No issues at all until we crossed the state line, then boom... idiots and assholes, everywhere. Also, if you want to know what a highway looks like when nobody adopts it, drive the I-40 in California, from Arizona.

Speaking of American highways, I'm a little confused as to what service the California Highway Patrol provides. If I'm next to the slow lane, going just a bit faster than the people to my right, but everybody else is going considerably faster than I am, to my left, and I'm doing 20mph over the posted speed-limit, then what has to happen for the CHP to pull a car over? Because they do pull cars over, I've seen it, but just not people doing 100 in a 55 zone.

ANAHEIM

When we got to Anaheim, and were close to the hotel, we were concerned that we'd see Disneyland and the kids would get all excited about it. Thankfully, we didn't, so they didn't.

Kim had told the kids that we were planning on seeing a museum in Anaheim, and also a Richard Nixon memorial; I don't know where Kim got the idea for that from. The museum was for toys. According to Kim, it had toys in it that went back to the 30s. Hey, just like Disney and their films. Waddya know...

We arrived at the hotel in the evening, so we wouldn't be visiting the park until the next day. Wondering where the park was, in relation to us, and how close it actually was, was answered when the night's fireworks began. Closer than we thought, and there was no way to distract the kids from that.

The next morning, we decided we'd let the kids know, as we woke them, that we had a long day ahead of us... at Disneyland. Connor was somewhat excited by the news, but Tyler was beside herself with excitement. "I KNEW IT!" she exclaimed, her head still on the pillow.

The last time we were at Disneyland, Kim was pregnant with Connor, and we didn't know the value of using Fast Passes. (For the record, Kim and the kids have been to Disneyland without me, but that was years ago.) I don't want to go into detail regarding everything we did in the park, but I think it's important to tell you about the first few hours, as they sort of set the tone for the rest of the visit.

We immediately got Fast Passes for the Indiana Jones ride. Meanwhile, we went on the Jungle Adventure. This was probably Connor's favourite ride.

He did not enjoy the Indiana Jones ride. Nope, not one bit. In fact, he didn't want to go on any rides after that one.

Tyler and I went on Splash Mountain, but Connor didn't want to go. Kim finally convinced him to go, but, at some point, he wasn't sitting properly, so during one of the big drops, he fell off the seat and landed hard on his tailbone.

Now he really didn't want to go on any rides. And that's what we had to deal with the entire time we were there. We had to convince him that the rides weren't scary (and not lie about it either), so that he'd at least go on something. I think he went on that Jungle ride 3 or 4 times, however.

So, there we were, in the "happiest place on Earth" with a kid that didn't want to do anything. That includes getting his picture taken with the various Disney characters.

Here's a what's-wrong-with-kids-these-days moment: There's a beautiful young lady ahead of us on The Haunted Mansion ride. She's by herself, and the whole time she's on the ride, she's on her phone. She only put the phone away near the end, during the mirrored hallway. She used the mirrors to check her hair.

The first day we spent in Disneyland. The second day we spent in California Adventure Park. The latter was a lot less busy than the former. I'd never been in CAP, before. It was a lot of fun, with some good rides.

I don't think there was a single ride that Tyler did not go on. She did all the roller coasters; a real trooper.

We ended our visit with breakfast at Goofy's Kitchen. You know... as far as pricing goes, it's a colossal rip-off. The food's good, and it's a good time, but the prices... stupid. I think this was where we got our only picture of Connor with a character. Also, the lady who we spoke to at the front desk said Vancouver had her favourite restaurant in the world: The Sutton Place Hotel's Chocolate Buffet. Too bad about that, since it's now closed.

Monterey

Next up was Monterey. We'd be staying in Seaside, however. Although we were in this part of the world to go to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, we stayed in Seaside because it was about $75 less for the hotel.

I think this was the first place we stayed, on the entire trip, that didn't have air conditioning. It was also the only place that didn't need it.

The night we arrived, Kim took Tyler down the road and did some laundry. Later that night, Kim took Tyler to see Minions, whereas Connor and I went and saw Ant-Man. (We enjoyed Ant-man... I don't think Minions was well received.)

The next day, we went into Monterey and visited their world-famous aquarium. It really puts Vancouver's aquarium to shame.

At one point, we were in the bird area, and one of the employees was telling me that all the birds in there were rescued at some point in their lives. They're never returned to the wild, but she said if you can get in, you've got it made; they had one bird that had been in there since the 80s. In the wild, that bird could've expected to live about 8 years. Unfortunately, because the rescued birds live so long, they're full and can't take in any more rescues.

Next up...

San Francisco bound.