Terrible Analogies

Karin and I spent a bit of time at Disneyland on Monday.  We woke up at 6am (actually, Karin woke up, then pushed me out of the bed), ate a quick breakfast, then hit the road.  We arrived at Disneyland just past their opening time of 8am, and this is what we encountered:

This is the security area prior to the ticket booths and the main gate.  My God, don’t these people have jobs?  We thought we were being sly hitting the park at the beginning of the week, but I guess everyone else had the same idea.  The last time we went to Disneyland during a weekday we practically had the park to ourselves, managing to hit all of our favorite rides in just a couple of hours.

When we first entered the park this morning there were very few lines, but after we bagged the Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean the place was overrun by a writhing, sweaty sea of less-than-cheerful humanity.  That serene state of mind I unexpectedly found myself in yesterday afternoon quickly deteriorated, and I found myself wishing everyone would just vanish.  Evaporate.  Dematerialize.  I wanted the Rapture right then and there, leaving behind in its wake we few unfortunates to enjoy the park in peace.

In gambling parlance, with a bit of hindsight, and with all things being equal, I’d have to consider this day a “push”.  Before the crowds became overwhelming we were able to get on the majority of our favorite rides with minimal (or no) wait.  Deciding not to work against the onslaught we grabbed some ice cream and relaxed on a bench in the middle of the park to people-watch for a bit before easing on down towards main street to window shop  before finally exiting the park for the day.

For the past four days I’ve been sick.  When I say sick I mean sick. My body has felt like flaccid lukewarm Jell-O, and my mind has been as blank and confused as the local public access channel on a slow Tuesday afternoon.  Today, for the first time in days, I’ve felt well enough to expand my horizons beyond feeble baby steps around the backyard.  

As if on queue Karin piped up with, “Why don’t we go to Carrillo?  It should be an easy walk, and it’ll be good to get you in the sun for a bit.”  Before I could raise any form of concern, she had somehow shuffled me into the car like an invalid with a head full of Xanax, and had spirited me away to destinations unknown.

I think she suckered me into this trip my saying, “It’ll be a good chance to break out your D200“. She knows knows my weaknesses all too well…

Twenty minutes later we’re walking hand-in-hand down a pleasant trail under the afternoon sun surrounded by blossoming desert plants, beautiful 1940′s era spanish-inspired buildings and, surprisingly enough, peacocks.  

For someone who has been as sick as I have for the past few days, Leo Carrillo was an excellent way to reintroduce me to the outside world.  It’s free to visit, so the price was right, and there’s a free guided tour if you’re willing to spend an hour learning the unique history behind this beautiful park. Donations are accepted and are well deserved.

Oh, and if you’re curious, I blame the brother-in-law for getting me sick.  The wife and I had a game night with he and my sister last week (Robo Rally!), and he mentioned offhandedly sometime during gameplay that we was feeling “under the weather”.  Believe me, that was the understatement of the year…

Eh, what can ya do.  He’s a good guy and I love ‘em.  He is, after all, “mi bruddah”, and he treats my sister very well!  The man has my respect, and from me that’s hard to come by.

The door to the Wash House

One of several examples of arched doorways in the park

The Cantina

One of the many peacocks running around the grounds