PhotoPass

We took advantage of the Genie+ benefit of free professional photos a few times. A sampling of pics are below:

Disneyland - Day 3

Our final day at the parks, and it was definitely the hardest to wake up for, but we managed. At rope drop, we beelined for Rise of the Resistance (since wait times are typically 1+ hours), but it was broken down when we got there. We turned around and went to the Submarine -- since we were the first riders of the day on that ride, we all got to sign a log book. We followed that with Autopia (no wait) and Space Mountain, one of the all-time favorites. Tor is doing his best to look stoic:

We eventually rode Rise of the Resistance after a 45 minute wait, along with the Millennium Falcon: Smuggler's Run:

We returned to Fantasyland and finished up all of the remaining rides. Tor had been looking out for his souvenirs, and he decided to spend his money at Tomorrowland, building a make-your-own lightsaber with the help of a cast member:

... and also buying Rey's staff:

The day ended with lots of miscellaneous rides, and shopping on Main Street. Then, sadly, it was time to go, knowing we had a long day of driving in the morning:

California Adventure - Day 2

It was harder to get up on the second day, but we again left the hotel at 7:00 am to get to the rope drop in time. We always made time to go to Starbucks beforehand, though.

Our strategy was to hustle to Radiator Springs to ride Cars, and the wait was less than 30 minutes. We got the red car again, and we won again!

Next up was Guardians of the Galaxy: Breakout, and the girls opted out ... Tor was game, though, and he enjoyed it. (One of the benefits of Genie+ is free photo downloads ... we are in the back right):

The Incredicoaster followed, and again the girls sat out. Tor again loved the ride! (Unfortunately, Dad left his hat behind on this ride):

It was getting hot, so we made our way to Grizzly Peak for a water ride. The geysers didn't fire off (like last time), but Mom managed to get soaking wet while the kids stayed relatively dry:

Tor ran into Pluto on the way to Soarin' Around the World (and yes, that is Remy the Rat on his shoulder, from the movie Ratatouille):

Much like the first day, we criss-crossed the park in search of short lines and rides that we had never done before, including Web Slingers and Midway Mania (both video games). We also made a point of revisiting the giant ferris wheel ... the kids were not nearly as scared this time:

Whenever the kids had a free moment, they'd jump onto either the Silly Symphony Swings or the Golden Zephyr, since they always had short wait times:

Disneyland - Day 1

It was a challenge, but we managed to get the kids up and out the door by 7:00 am, so we could line up for the rope drop at 8:00 am. Our first rides were Pirates of the Caribbean and Jungle Cruise, followed closely by Indiana Jones (which the kids weren't too impressed by), then up Tarzan's Treehouse by about 9:30 am:

We had purchased the Genie+ for the trip, which made for very quick trips through the lines. Our next stop was the Thunder Mountain Railroad (one of many rides we didn't do 6 years ago), which the kids really enjoyed.

We were way ahead of our planned schedule, so we had the opportunity to try out some things that we hadn't thought about doing, such as the Mark Twain Steamboat:

... and the Shooting Exposition:

Our next stop was Fantasyland, starting with the Carousel, then Pinnochio and Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, and the Mad Hatter Tea Cups. The kids let us spin the cups this time around:

Of course, no Disneyland trip is complete without a ride on It's a Small World:

After that, we just ran back and forth across the park (something the kids are old enough to do now) going on random rides that had short wait times. We even made our way up to Star Wars land, where Tor tried some "blue milk" and didn't like it.

The day ended with the Fantasmic show. Tor couldn't see over the crowd, so he got a lift from Jillian:

Mouse Ears

The kids shopped for their mouse ears at the Mad Hatter next to the teacup ride. Jillian picked out Moana (tropical themed) ears, Bridget chose Alice in Wonderland, while Tor went old-school with the original cap:

Disney Eve

Just like our first trip 6 years ago, we saw the fireworks show the night before from our hotel room balcony. Jillian came out to catch some of it:

Bridget and Tor could see the fireworks from the pool:

110 F in Central Cali

Not much to report on this leg of the trip, since it was just a long, long drive through central California from Davis to Los Angeles. It reached a high of over 110 F in Kettle town, so we stopped at a truck stop and grabbed some Frosties from Wendy's.

The drive through Los Angeles was as expected ... very long and stressful, but we got through it and arrived at 7:30 pm. After checking in, we walked to Panera Bread for dinner, then Tor and Bridget went to the pool for a late night swim.

Mishka's

Mom (and Dad) got up early on Tuesday and walked to Mishka's Coffee house to meet up with Mom's college friend Ericka, and catch up on each other's lives.

The kids took this opportunity to sleep in a while.

Cool Pool

Even though it was 90 F at 7:00 pm, the pool was a bit chilly, but that didn't stop the kids from spending over an hour in it, playing all kinds of random games.

In-N-Out Burger

Going to In-N-Out Burger was a must-do on our trip, and we were lucky enough to have one right across the street from our hotel in Davis.

We needed this meal after getting in a fender-bender on our way :(

Avenue of Giants

Driving further south on 101 was not originally on our itinerary, but it didn't add too much time to the drive, so we went for it, and we're pleased to be able to see even more giant redwoods as we drove the Avenue of Giants in Humboldt State Park. We stopped and picniced under a big tree:

Then we checked out the Founders Tree nearby:

This view was typical of the entire drive ... so many huge trees:

The Circle Trail

While visiting the Big Tree, we decided to walk the Circle Trail, a 1+ mile hike through the Redwoods. We saw so many amazing sights! This redwood was a mammoth ... the kids were dwarfed by it:

It was non-stop giant trees, plus the sun was peeking through, making for a very pleasant walk:

Bridget felt very at-home amongst the trees:

... while Tor was more interested in climbing them if he could, especially the ones that had tipped over:

This tree was one of Bridget's favorites:

Hollowed-out trees were actually pretty common, and the kids liked to explore them:

Occasionally, we ran into the yellow banana slugs:

Pictures will never be able to capture just how big these trees are, so we're glad we got to experience it first-hand:

The Big Tree

We took a detour off 101 to drive the Newton B Drury Parkway which gave us an hour long view of humongous redwood trees. One of the stops along the way was the "Big Tree":

Tour Thru Tree

The next stop on our tour of the Redwoods was at the Tour Thru Tree, where we paid $5 and drove the Camry through the base of a huge Redwood tree. It was a tight fit with the mirrors pulled in, but we made it.

Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox

Our first stop on our tour of the Redwood Forest was at the Trees of Mystery and their giant Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox.

Bigfoot also made an appearance:

... along with a big bear statue:

We took the opportunity to go into the gift shop where Mom picked out her Redwood Forest magnet souvenir.

Hotel Trouble

Our stay in Crescent City started off on the wrong foot when the Super 8 hotel manager informed us that we were double booked, and someone was already in our room. We managed to get a refund, then had to scramble to find another hotel room, which Mom found at a Best Western. After that stressful situation, we treated ourselves to a nice dinner at The Good Harvest Cafe:

A bonus was that the new hotel also had a pool, hot tub and sauna: