WCRT - Day 12 - Disneyland

It was another glorious day in Southern California (mid 70's - not a cloud in the sky). This was our day to get access to the park an hour earlier than the general public - so we took advantage by  zipping over to Space Mountain for a couple of quick rides and also did the Buzz Lightyear Ride.  Here is the gang trying to figure out where to go next....

Around noon - we headed back over to the California Adventure park as Kelsey wanted to ride the Screamin Coaster again and try out Tower of Terror.    We enjoyed a very nice lunch in the wharf area and it began to hit us that it was our last day of our adventure.

We squeezed just about every ounce out of the parks but had to make a mad dash back into the park 6 minutes before closing to purchase the souvenir hat that Jake coveted.

We made the slow trek to the car for our ride to the hotel by the airport.  It was a great West Coast adventure...

Day 11 - Disney California Adventure

Our morning started at iHop for their all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast.  Turns out my kids can't eat very much. 

We then headed to Disney's California adventure.  Last time we were at Disneyland it was just being built - so this was our first chance to check it out.  The signature ride is a large rollercoaster - so our son Jake was pretty excited to try it out.  You can see part of the coaster in the background of the picture below.   Karen and I preferred the slower pace of the Toy Story shooting ride. 

The crowds at the park were light and we barely had to wait for any rides or shows.  We enjoyed the High School Musical and Pixar parades.  OK - the boys did not enjoy the HSM parade.  Although the kids were not nearly as into the characters as previous trips - we did get some good shots.

We headed over to Downtown Disney for dinner at the ESPN restaurant with my brother Jeff and his wife Melissa. They are staying in LA to attend the National Championship game on Thursday in Pasadena.

Kelsey and Brett ended the night with a dip in the hotel pool before bed.  Overall a very satisfying day at the park. 

WCRT - Day 10 SeaWorld + Disney

There are not many people who try to fit two parks in two different cities in the same day.

I am sure this will come up in divorce court one day...

The day started out with Karen and I taking peaceful runs through beautiful La Jolla California. I don't think it would take much to convince Karen to move there... We then took the kids down to see the seals down on the beach.

We said goodbye to LaJolla and headed to SeaWorld for a great day at the park. The crowds were surprisingly very light and we got to do everything we wanted. The kids really enjoyed the Atlantis ride but getting wet got less fun when the sun went down. Here is Brett and Kelsey waiting for the Polar Express 4-D Show...

After changing into some dry clothes we buzzed up the I-5 to Anaheim. Since it was only 8pm when we checked into our hotel and Disneyland did not close until midnight - we would be crazy not to head over there for a few hours of fun ! The fireworks were spectacular (complete with a fake magical snowfall) and we got in a few rides before crashing into our beds.

Just before drifting off Karen requested the next vacation consist of sitting on a beach for a week.

WCRT- Day 9 Wedding Day

Something in the dinner (or wine, beer or champagne) did not agree with me and I struggled to remain upright for most of the day on Saturday but I muddled through.

It was a picture perfect day for a wedding and the ceremony was wonderful. Unfortunately I did not bring my camera but trust me - it was an awesome spot.

My buddy Brad is marrying a girl from Sweden who was an exchange student at his high school. They were friends in high school but it turned into a romance when they met again at their 20th high school reunion. It is a great story and they make a fantastic couple.

The reception was awesome and highlighted by the Swedish tradition of many people giving toasts at the wedding.

Nothing but the best for Brad and Maggie. Here they are with my ring bearer son...

WCRT - Day 8 - Wedding Prep

Happy New Year ! Woke up to a gorgeous day in SD and headed out early to play some golf with folks in the wedding. I was in a foursome with my brother and college buddies - so it was a fun day on the links.

We then had to hustle up to La Jolla to the rehearsal. My buddy Brad is getting married in a public park in San Diego with fantastic views of the Pacific.

I then met up with Karen and the kids at the SD Zoo. They had a great day at the Zoo and Jake especially enjoyed this world class zoo.

The evening was capped off by the rehearsal dinner in La Jolla. My Dad and his wife Nancy are in town to attend the wedding - so they took the kids while we enjoyed a rare evening out. It was also nice to get to know some of the guests from Sweden a bit better.

WCRT Day 7 - San Diego (via LA)

We headed out bright and early as we need to get to LA by 1:30 to catch the ASU-UCLA hoops game.

Luckily during my trip I was able to fulfill a lifelong goal of changing a tire in the middle of the Mojave desert. The driver side rear tire was punctured just before the California border. I put on the mini-spare and limped the next 40 miles to Baker California (population 914). Baker's main claim to fame is it is home to the World's tallest thermometer. Luckily there was a tire shop there where we got a new tire put on our car.


The rest of the trip was uneventful but we were behind schedule and barely made it to the game in time for tipoff. Turns out we may have been better off missing the game as ASU lost in a heartbreaker (72-70).

Immediately after the game we headed down to San Diego. It being New Years eve - we were excited to be checking into our hotel in downtime San Diego directly on the bay. This would provide the perfect venue to watch the fireworks. Our excitement quickly turned to disappointment when we learned the fireworks were cancelled at the last minute as some environmental group threatened to sue the organizers for polluting the bay.

So that took some of the wind out of our sails. Brett and Kelsey spent some time in the indoor pool. Although the kids made it up until midnight - I am embarrassed to say that I fell asleep before midnight - although we did see the ball drop in NYC.

WCRT - Day 5 and 6

After hearing that some members of the bachelor party did not roll in until after 8AM - I was even more pleased with my decision to bail early. Even so - I did not exactly bounce out of bed on Tuesday morning.

I met Karen and the kids at GameWorks - a very large arcade on the strip. The kids had a blast and listed it as one of the highlights of Vegas. For dinner we met our friends the Segals out for Pizza outside of the strip.

On Wednesday - I got up early and headed out to do some much needed laundry. We did some exploring around the strip at various casinos . We then headed out to the Segals house for some hoops and a BBQ.

We wrapped up the evening exploring more casinios down the strip. Jake got to ride on the roller coaster at New York New York casino. We wondered if we could find enough to do in three days in Vegas. It turns out that we did not even get to see half of what we had anticipated.