Our Disneyland Trip: October 2013

We woke up around 8:00 am this morning and spent the next two hours frantically getting packed up to go. After the trip out, I learned a lot about how we should be packed for the train ride plus we had a bunch of souvenirs that needed packed away somehow. We managed to get everything packed away except for one bag with Jonah's Zurg. While I was checking the room over, I realized we never opened the dresser the whole week. Of course there was a refrigerator hidden in one side of it that we could have used instead of keeping our cooler bag filled with ice.

We took one last look at the room and headed to the lobby. They stored our luggage so we could walk around for the few hours before we had to leave for the train station. We walked over to the Disneyland Hotel. I have heard their quick service location, Tangaroa Terrace, has some good breakfast food. On the way I took a picture of a sign we saw the other night. It is a Speed Limit 14 sign. 14 mph! Why?! I must investigate this more.

We arrived only 5 minutes before breakfast switched over to lunch. The item I heard raves about was the French Toast with Bananas & Caramel Sauce. It was delicious. We took some time to walk around the Disneyland Hotel. It is a lovely place. The grounds have a more tropical feel and the artwork around the lobbies contain a lot of classic Imagineering designs for Disneyland. I found the classic Disneyland map with the animations. It was really cool.

We finished off our time at Disneyland walking through Downtown Disney finishing off at the World Of Disney store. It is not quite as big as the one in Florida, but it is still easy for you to lose your family. I had some vouchers for free stuff that I never cashed in and finally did so. We got some commemorative Cars Land pins and a Nightmare Before Christmas Vinylmation. I really don't understand the craze behind Vinylmation, but it is better than the Duffy The Bear crap which makes no sense at all.

We went back to the Grand Californian and sat in the beautiful lobby for about 30 minutes. Then it was time to leave. Eli was holding in the tears. I used to be the same way when I had to leave Walt Disney World. We caught a taxi back to the Anaheim Train Station. Thankfully, there was no crazy taxi strike going on anymore. We had about an hour to wait for the train. The boys and I went to the bathroom which was disgusting. Obviously we weren't at Disneyland anymore. While on the platform we talked to this nice couple who were probably in their early fifties. They were heading to the Staples Center to see Depeche Mode. That made me feel old. Our Pacific Surfliner arrived and we hopped aboard for the 40 minute trip to Los Angeles Union Station.

Union Station in LA was crazy. It is a merging point for about 4 or 5 different transportation systems. We had about 2 hours to wait for our train to leave here. I bought a couple of Wetzel's Pretzels for a snack. They were good. The station was filled with people and it was a little scary. While I was going to see which track our train would be on, Bethany heard an announcement for Amtrak first class passengers to go to the first class lounge. It took us a while to find it because the elevator was closed in that part of the station. Fortunately a nice gentleman from Amtrak asked us if we needed help and he took us to the lounge. Wow, what a difference. The lounge was shiny and clean. We had an attendant providing snacks. It felt a world away from the rest of Union Station. When the train arrived, they drove us out on large golf carts directly to the train platform. Now that is travelling in style.

I got a last shot of Los Angeles as we headed away from the station. Time to relax again on the train. Our car attendant on this train is a little more anal than the trip out. She is paranoid about too much luggage in the racks. Our first attendant just kept sticking them in there until it was overflowing. The dining car is also down a waiter/waitress. The two guys here are working their butts off though.

After a good night's sleep, we woke up in eastern Arizona. Some of the landscape reminded me of Radiator Springs which was inspired by this part of northern Arizona. The train has passed through some of the towns like Seligman and Peach Springs that inspired Cars, but it has been at nighttime. The landscapes of New Mexico are very surprising. It starts off with high desert plains with some buttes in the western half of the state. We passed 5 balloons that were along the red sandstone cliffs in western New Mexico. That was a cool sight. After the high plains we then gradually enter the mountains and descend into Albuquerque which is at the edge of a desert. From there we climb the mountains east of Santa Fe. The western side of the mountains are very desert-like while the eastern side is very wooded. The amount of trees on the east side is incredible compared to the other side. After you get past Las Vegas, NM, you enter large grassy plains in the northeastern part of the state. The Raton Pass finishes the trip across the state.

We went to dinner after coming out of the Rockies in southeastern Colorado. During dinner, we witnessed an absolutely beautiful sunset. The colors were truly amazing. When I travel in the west, I understand the inspiration behind Andrew Peterson's "Nothing To Say". Honestly words cannot describe God's creation when you are among the natural wonders of the wild west.

We went to bed shortly after dinner. We needed to get up very early to eat breakfast before arriving in Kansas City around 7:30 am CDT. I want to be well rested for the drive home. We also need to make sure we don't have jet-lag when we return home. I originally thought sleeping that first night on the train was bad because we weren't used to it. The second night on the trip out and the first night on this trip were both decent. I now know that the track in Kansas is horrible. We did not get a good nights sleep. It was bumpy and loud. I guess the track in Kansas is the problem.

We woke up early for our last meal on the train. Shortly after breakfast we were in Kansas City and ready to hit the long road home. Thankfully, the ride home was uneventful and we arrived back in Pittsburgh around 11:30 pm. We are thankful and blessed to have taken this vacation. It was a great time together as a family. I do have some thoughts about Disneyland that I will post later.