Random Notes on the Weekend

I'll add a few pics later, but here are a few noteworthy things about the trip....

Friday night we passed the largest wildfire in the nation at the time near Morongo (the huge and non-ironically named Casino Morongo near the outlet shops on I-10 is right there). Coming over the hill into Coachella it looked like a couple of volcanoes. Very LOTR. More on this later.

Only in L.A. will you hit a 45 minute traffic jam at 1:30 AM. For construction. Lovely. So we got in to the hotel at 2. The Anaheim Hyatt for $69 on Hotwire was a screaming deal. I can't remember the last time I have been on the 16th floor of any building. Amelie liked to stand on the window sill and lean on the glass. That was not encouraged by us. Yikes.

We slept in a bit Saturday (nice beds), A. and I checked out the hotel pools, and then Greg went to his show and we rented a car last minute and drove (another traffic jam ew) to Newport Beach. Parking was a nightmare (heat wave) but eventually we found a spot by the bay and walked the 4 blocks over. See moblog for photo. We spotted a pod of dolphins just offshore. 4 foot waves were crashing just onto the beach so we really didn't venture into the water.

We met Greg back at the hotel and walked over to Buca di Beppo. It seemed pricey, but I had wine and we had dessert, so all told really not so bad.

We actually made it to the park early for us on Sunday (before 9) and that was after returning the rental car. We went right to Pirates. It was already blazing hot in the sun and the queue is almost all outdoors. The new Jack Sparrow stuff was well done but felt tacked on, at least this time through. We'll see. The Davy Jones effect was awesome. Then we bought Amelie the promised bribe for riding (coloring book), did Peter Pan, Dumbo, the Carousel, met a few princesses. Amelie was "shy from" the live character Sparrow and Mary Poppins. Eeyore, Pluto, and Belle and Cinderella were fine. Eh, she's 3.

We finished the day at California Adventure and headed for the car at 5. As it was still light out we stopped to see the roadside dinosaurs that were in Pee Wee's Big Adventure and many other things. They are owned by creationist nutjobs. The inside of the brontosaurus (was there such a thing? I think I heard they canceled it) was a gift shop which had a lot of toys and then crazy "Darwin lied" videos playing. See moblog link for photos. Something you do ONCE I guess.

Oh, and pulling in to there (the dinosaurs are at Morongo) we got to see the fire crews packing up for the day. There was a constant line of helicopters filling up just before the exit and a field full of them across the highway. It's amazing to see. That is one intense job. There is no way I could do that. Again, fire crews, rock on. Morongo is right between Big Bear and Joshua Tree, so there's a lot to fight for.

OK, so that's the news for now. :)