Disneyland, Day 3

Thursday 6 May was the final day of our 3-day Park Hopper Pass and we were entitled to one Magic Morning where we got in an hour early at 9:00 A.M. So we sped up our morning routine and were there as the gates opened. There was a bit of cock-up because the Ensigns' passes, oddly enough, did not include a Magic Morning. So there was some running around trying to get that sorted out, although it never was resolved. We dashed with the rest of the world to the Peter Pan ride and still had to wait 30 minutes in line. I guess there is never a good time for that ride. We hopped a Storybookland boat with a guide that was sweet as honey, but not in a good way.

The pack then broke into smaller groups and headed in different directions. Since we had enjoyed CA Adventure so much, we headed there. We met up intermittently with various groups including Debra Sue Darling Gibbs and her family who were there celebrating Alison's graduation. Also, Anna helped Shauna Terry Hruby, a 1988 London Study Abroad student meet with us. Shauna was one of our favorites and she has kept in touch over the years. Anna provided her with my cell phone number and we arranged a meeting in the park. She lives near enough that her family purchases a yearly pass and visits often. It was great to see her and meet two of her kids.

Emily and Jayson met some friends in Disneyland for supper and we met the Gibbs at the Taste Pilots' Grill next to Soarin'. It seemed to be the day for meeting people and we were happy to be able to do just that.

California Adventure closed at 6:00 and we went back to Disneyland to finish the evening. We made sure Gavin had a chance to ride Splash Mountain and we had one last ride on Pirates. We would have done the Jungle Cruise, but the lines were too long. It was another fun day and I am glad we were able to have most of the family there together. We missed Phillip's family and Anna's family, but we will do it again some time.

Katy and Kris at the Disneyland entrance

The Young boys were excited to fly over London

I love models and miniatures,
so this is a favorite

A princess at the castle

Shauna Terry Hruby with Rose and Randall met
us in Hollywood Backlot

One last run down the rapids

Supper with the Gibbs

Alison, Rob, Debby, and Michelle

Two silly guls

Dusk settled as we bid the park farewell

On Friday the 7th, we dropped Katy at LAX and headed east to Phoenix. All went reasonably well until we passed Highway 101 in Phoenix. At that point everything came to a screeching halt. For two hours we inched towards 59th Avenue where 5 lanes of traffic were forced to merge and leave the freeway because of a fatal shooting earlier in the afternoon. We sliced and diced on city streets and eventually made it back to I 17 at the height of rush hour. Needless to say, we were friddled, frazzled, and fried by the time we reached Mesa. We found Grandmother Boynton significantly improved, and after running a few errands for her, we collected Winnie and drove back across Phoenix to Maren and Gavin's to have supper at the Pita Jungle and spend the night at their home. The trip back to Utah the next day was uneventful, but LONG.

This is a news photo of the queue at 59th Avenue

This fortune from Panda Express was mine on the night of 20 April before we left Utah for Arizona and California. If, like Katy and me, you belong to the Church of the Fortune Cookie, you would have known from the start that this was going to be a great vacation -- and it was.

That's all for now.

OXO

D.