Notes from our Disneyland + Big Bear run (trying to escape the Las Vegas heat before school starts).
0) The day before we left, we battled a pantry bug infestation. After decades of bulk purchases it was finally our turn. Better that they showed up before we left, but it made for a hectic run up to the vacation. From now on, everything bulk goes into the freezer for a week. And no more stocking up.
1) Our boy is not good with mountains nor traffic and certainly not both—he’s thrown up a couple of times on the Cajon Pass between Victorville and San Bernardino. If your kiddo has a similar issue, Coyote Canyon Park is a lifesaver. It sits right after the pass with restrooms and a shaded playground. As a city park, the restrooms might be closed after dark, but they were open both times we’ve visited. Our future Vegas to SoCal runs will plan on hitting the Clyde V. Kane Rest Stop and then this park as we glide into the megacity.
2) The kids felt they liked Legoland almost as much as Disney. If so, there’s more stuff to do a short drive away, the weather more pleasant, Legoland a bit cheaper, and the park is well suited for younger kids. San Diego FTW. That said, this is Disneyland!
3) We refused to pay the extra $35 per head per day for Lightning Passes but still got plenty of rides by skipping the popular roller coasters (Matterhorn, Space Mountain, Star Wars, Cars). That said, keep an eye out for the virtual queue program. It was being used to control crowds at the Haunted Mansion Ride (and I suspect offered as a free taste for their Lightning Pass system).
4) We stayed at the Anaheim Islander Inn and Suites (which we used for our last visit five years ago). A totally no frills motel with bananas and costco danishes for “breakfast”. The place was clean, walking distance to the park, and the price was right.
5) The design manager at my office with a bit more Disneyland experience recommends the Candy Cane Inn. It’s a little pricier but looks a lot nicer (it was on our route to the park). We would have considered this place if we were visiting with our parents since they have a shuttle to the park.
6) Bring a stroller. This is the last time our boy can ride it and it was nice to throw wheels under him for the half mile march home. Even so, we’ll bring it next time since it was a great provisions cart to supply these day long marathons.
7) The three weekday tickets were the best deal we could find. Ideally, we’d live in Southern California and visit once a month for a season, but that’s not an option for Nevadans. Three days in a row was plenty; we were getting frayed by the last day. Even our girl acknowledged that she would have had her fill after four days (two at each park).
8) I strongly prefer Disneyland over California Adventure. Disneyland feels more authentic in its simulacrum, partly because much of it was built before disability standards. California Adventure is the outdoor mall version of Disneyland—the girl commented that it felt a bit like a casino. But they preferred the thrill rides at California Adventure.
9) We planned on exploring other parts of LA, but it was too friggin hot. Coming from Vegas, I thought we could handle the heat, but outdoor all day under a humid 83 is a lot. So we went up to Big Bear instead. Along the way, we got gas in San Bernardino. It was 105. I have no idea why anyone would live there instead of Vegas.
10) Yes, the boy threw up twice on the way up the mountain.
11) We stayed up there for two full days to decompress from Disney before heading home. We hit up the Big Bear Valley Historical Museum with a few old buildings and plenty of exhibits, well worth the entry fee of $5 per adult. The Big Bear Alpine Zoo was a bit more expensive ($54 for the family) and the animals were hiding from the heat. The San Diego or Los Angeles Zoos would be better deals…but we weren’t in SD nor LA, and LV don’t got no zoos. Both places were good for 90 minutes each if you savor the strolls.
12) I suspect there are plenty of nature things to do as well, but we used up all our walking energy in Anaheim. Our AirBNB had Disney+ so we caught up on Bluey. YouTube noticed and fed us the single Bluey episode that the Mouse refuses to stream on their service. Fortunately the Australian Broadcasting Company has now uploaded Dad Baby for everyone to watch. It’s hilarious. Go check it out.
13) We also watched Finding Nemo, Finding Dory, and Dumbo. They’re all great, but Dumbo was amazing. 5 minutes of story as an excuse to produce 85 minutes of badass animation. If you haven’t watched Dumbo lately, do yourself a favor and check it out after you watch Dad Baby.
14) The ride home was uneventful. Unlike the route up from LA, the road down to Vegas was gentle, on par with a Mount Charleston run. Along the way, we hit up the EddieWorld gas station north of Barstow. It was meh—what you’d expect from any wannabe tourist trap (like the Terrible’s at Jean).
15) We skipped the claw machine at Prizm Mall at Primm this time, but it’s a way better stop with all the massive murals inside and outside of the dead mall. I wonder how long that building will stay open since it only has one shop operating in that place. Five years ago we hit up the old Barstow Outlet Mall (the old one set back from the freeway). At the time it was almost empty but still well maintained with green lawns. That place is now fenced off and totally brown inside.
16) I brought a bunch of books but I didn’t get much reading in. But I did get some good progress on The Conference of the Birds (Darbandi & Davis translation). I dig it. I don’t grok the Sufi obsession with “love” in a Islamic context but I’m only halfway through. At least I’m now in sync with the masnavi meter. Last year, I tried to read Rumi’s Masnavi but I couldn’t get past the rhyming structure. Now I think I can flow with it.
update: 17). I completely forgot to mention the highlight of our Zoo trip. While at the gray wolf exhibit, the three wolves settled up against the glass. They were on a raised platform so our faces were less than an inch away from these majestic beasts. Mama was so moved that she let the kids buy a wolf stuffy at the gift shop even though she’s sick of the proliferation of soft toys in our house. This afternoon my daughter looked the zoo website and found out that these wolves were rescued from the illegal pet trade. They arrived malnourished and with severe mange. Humans are so callously cruel, and yet, this zoo shows that we can also emend our faults.