Jack's Back

I saw a comic strip the other day that made me chuckle. It was a cartoon of a mom carefully instructing her costumed children before they approached a door on Halloween night. The mother had a speech balloon above her head that read, “Okay kids, remember: never talk to a stranger. Never take candy from anyone you don’t know. And never go to strangers’ houses, except for the day we worship the devil.” That pretty much sums up my feelings about Halloween. Other countries don’t do this sort of thing on Halloween or any other night. Demonic costumes and strangers aside, it’s not like we need another excuse to raise our blood sugar level and rot our teeth. I’m bowing out of the madness. If I could afford it, I’d be AWOL every Halloween. When I can't you'll find me watching Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff in my basement, with all the upstairs lights off.

Rancho San Diego

In the center of Mexico City there is a huge plaza between the National Palace, the Supreme Court building, and Templo Mayor. Originally there was to have been a spire erected in this plaza: a monument to Mexican independence. Only the plinth or base was ever constructed, and it has long since been destroyed. The people still call the plaza zócalo, which is Spanish for plinth. Several other Mexican towns call their central plazas zócalo, whether or not they have ever had a plinth.  In Mexico the word rancho used to mean a collection of huts for laborers. More recently it has meant a place where weary travelers can rest and be refreshed. Frontierland’s Rancho del Zócalo is one of our favorite resting places in Disneyland. Here we take a break from roller coasters and parades while we enjoy Pollo en Mole, Torta de Tres Leches, and the sound of guitars playing Mexican folk songs.

Yo Yos

We first caught sight of it in March, 2003 when we visited Disney’s California Adventure Park before our youngest son left for Germany. Even in the early stages of construction the tower was obviously very tall – easily the tallest building in the theme park. We started reading about the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror in the news soon after that. I was excited to learn it was based on one of my favorite old television shows – not on any specific episode, but on the idea of the show itself. Our first ride on the Tower of Terror more than a year later did not disappoint. The queue winds through a hotel frozen in 1939, with cobweb-draped antiques and an air of mystery. The “haunted” elevator goes beyond a free-fall ride. The car is actually pulled downward faster than gravity alone. Moreover, the sequence of drops is randomized: no matter how many times you ride, you can’t get used to it.

Park Avenue

Walt always said Disneyland would never be “finished.” He meant for it to be continually growing and changing so there would always be new things to see and do. We didn’t go to Disneyland during 2013, so we haven’t visited the new Fantasy Faire near Sleeping Beauty’s Castle. We haven’t seen the new show at the Fantasy Land Theatre: Mickey and the Magical Map. Big Thunder Mountain was closed 14 months for refurbishing: new tracks, trains, scenery and special effects. Club 33’s expansion wouldn’t have affected us if it hadn’t swallowed the Court of Angels. If it’s been years since your last visit, you might be surprised by the 3-D Star Tours conversion, Ariel’s Undersea Adventure, and all of Cars Land, which added 12 acres to Disney’s California Adventure. But if you’re looking for memories, there’s still the Disneyland Train, the Jungle Cruise, Casey Jr., King Arthur’s Carousel, Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, the Mad Tea Party, Peter Pan and Autopia.

Road to California

Utahns love California. We all seem to have ties to The Golden State. We have friends and relatives who live there. We have ancestors who joined the US Army and marched from Iowa to San Diego in the Mormon Battalion. And then there’s Disneyland; we all love Disneyland. We trek there with our famously large families, especially in October when the park wears holiday decorations and our schools take a break for the Utah Education Association Convention and Exposition. If you have plans to drive to Orange County, there’s something you need to know. There are new toll roads that weren’t there during your last trip, and they don’t come with the familiar toll booths. Instead there are cameras to scan your license plate as you drive by. Unless you register your car and download an app before your trip, you could be slapped with a surprise bill and late fees. Check out www.thetollroads.com.