Chicken Out on Ghost Rider

Been very busy the last few days, and just got some time to post an update. Like I said in the last post, I had a trip to Anaheim all mapped out. I'm not such a big fan of theme parks, but having come this far, it woulda been a shame if I had skipped it.

Plan was to check into a hotel, poke around Disneyland until lunch, then head for Knotts Berry Farm and spend the rest of the day there. Come back to the hotel, stay overnight, and do the rest of Disneyland the next day. Great plan, and should have been kid's play...

Ended up at the Doubletree Suites, next to the Convention Center. Neat place, with a giant bed which you jump on (I didn't, swear), a wall to ceiling window, refrigirator, coffee maker and microwave and a nintendo. Even a microwave, but I don't need to warm my underwear, so that was useless. You have to pay some extras, like for the internet and parking, and the total tab ran upto $180. That was slightly more than what I thought Anaheim hotels usually cost, but the comfort factor makes you feel pretty good.

Disneyland was in full Halloween mode, with pumpkins everywhere. Wasn't as crowded as I'd imagined. I mean, lots of people, but no jostling or having to push my way through. The lines are really irritating, and I spent what seemed like an eternity in the line at the Winnie the Pooh ride. Didn't really want to spend any more time in a line, so I just walked around for a bit and then rode around in the Finding Nemo sub, which didn't have a long line and was cool experience. Next up was a boat ride to see Captains Jack Sparrow Barbossa in Pirates of the Carribean duke it out. I hardly listened to the voiceovers, but it was still fun.

With most of time eaten up by the lines, I'd had enough for a day and headed off to to Buena Park to check out Knotts Berry Farm, where again there was a monstrous line to get into the park. So I decided to have lunch first, and homed in on Mrs. Knotts Chicken Dinner, which thankfully, is outside the park. Lots of people, mostly families, and very noisy. I like it quieter, but I figured it would be worth it, having come so far.

And it was worth it. And then some. Not much on the menu, so I just ordered the Chicken dinner with a salad, and a boysenberry pie. Lots of jams and stuff on the tables. By the time the chicken arrived, I was almost done with the salad. Two pieces of chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy. Looked and smelled delicious. Tasted sweet, but not as greasy as one would have hoped for for such a famed chicken. By the time I finished the pie, I was pretty full up, and it was then I remembered the funnel cake. I was pretty full up already, but what the heck. The funnel cakes are sold at 'Simply Grand', which had lots of ice cream too. I had my funnel cake with a strawberry topping, and I'm still licking my fingers... Felt like eating one more after that.

So anyway, I went into the park, and the Ghost Town was fun. But you don't want to ride the rickety wooden GhostRider after a heavy lunch topped off with heavenly sweetness. All I wanted to do after that was go back to my hotel room and go to sleep. It was just after 4.30, but this was, effectively, the end of my Anaheim touristing. Slept off the headache, and later that evening, got a call that I had to back in San Jose the next day, which basically meant farewell to Anaheim, and Los Angeles. At least for now.