Version 3, 4-3-2001 7:34 AM)
On Saturday, March 17, 2001, I spent St. Patrick's Day at Disney's California Adventure theme park in Anaheim, California. (I have posted many pictures of that day on the Internet at spring2life.com. See below.) I was there with a friend of mine who lives in Santa Ana, California. We gave the park "2 thumbs up." It was incredible fun. We rode every ride that we could and explored all the theaters. We witnessed two parades through the park that were fantastic. The roller coaster impressed me. It starts out slowly and comes to a stop, then it accelerates very quickly horizontally and shoots up a steep incline. Cool! I kept my eyes closed most of the time on the roller coaster. I did peek from time to time to see the view from way up above the park. I wanted to ride it a second time, but my friend could not handle it. My favorite ride is the one that you sit down on and it shoots you straight up into the air 180 feet in a few seconds. (This ride is called the Detonator at Worlds of Fun in Kansas City.) They have little storage bins to put all your things during the ride, because they will fly out of your pockets when you get launched. I loved it. My friend loved going up, but the coming down does something to her stomach. She knew that and could not believe that I somehow talked her into going on the ride. She did it for me because I was from out of town and probably will never visit the park ever again. We saw the underground show about bugs twice. That was well done and very entertaining. The huge Ferris Wheel had cages of 6 passengers that swung back and forth and rolled on rails. One lady in our cage from Portland, Oregon was panicking and kept her eyes closed the whole time. Her family kept talking to her and tried to calm her. It was a little scary at one point for me too, but the view was spectacular. It was a very different feeling, because you think of a Ferris Wheel as a very tame ride and this was not.
The big surprise (which I just spoiled for you) is when the sun goes down and the lights come on. The whole place is transformed. The familiar structures turn into sparkling wonders. It is something to see the place all lit up. We were there 13 hours from 9 AM until just after the Disneyland fireworks at 9:30 PM. We watched the fireworks over the replica Golden Gate Bridge. Fireworks are the perfect way to end the day---a nice touch. Overall it was a very enjoyable experience. On second thought, the left side of my jeans got soaked on the river water ride. It took 3 hours for me to dry out. I suggest you bring a light raincoat, which some wise people had.
The adventure in California was something to experience, but I will never return there. It is over. Gone. It's just a once in a lifetime thing. My true adventure in life continues though. It continues everyday. I call it the Christian Adventure. To live a life led by Jesus Christ is never a dull moment. Are there times when I keep my eyes closed, hold on for dear life, and hope and pray for the best? Yes, there are times when everything seems upside down, but Jesus is there. He is right beside me in this adventure of/for a lifetime. Will you get soaked? I imagine so, but He is there to rescue you. You are safe in His hands. I invite you today on Easter Sunday, April 15, 2001, to join in this great adventure. You have tried everything else and it leaves you empty. Why not try Jesus? Give your life to Jesus. And get ready for the ride of your life. More information is available on the Internet to get started on your adventure.
If you missed, "To Be A Success In 2001", it was printed a week ago on April 8. Happy Easter to you and your family today!
SPRING TO LIFE, P.O. BOX 211, OMAHA, NE 68101-0211 SPRING2LIFE.COM
These pictures were all taken on Saturday, March 17th, 2001
in Anaheim, California.
Entrance, I'm standing to the right of the "F" in the yellow shirt
sun fountain
bear shaped mountain, waterfalls
start of water ride, the postcard effect
water ride geysers
water ride at end
roller coaster, scary ferris wheel
ferris wheel from restaurant
ferris wheel at night
orange peel from restaurant, MCB's fav ride
parade dancers in red
scuba gear dancers in parade, person on right is having
the time of her life
jumpers in parade
jumper in parade doing splits, don't try this at home
parade jumpers again
parade drummer rappelling on the ropes, Mr. Cool!
fortune cookie in parade
detonator tower, notice the numbers:
I hit the wrong button and flipped the pic, my fav ride
detonator at night, neat pic
Golden Gate Bridge, pretty cool pic
fireworks over the Golden Gate Bridge
heart-shaped fireworks over the Golden Gate Bridge, how'd they do that?
filming someone famous, who is she?
send me an e-mail if you know
roller coaster start, notice the magnets in the track
that accelerate the cars
roller coaster going for the first hill, hold on!
roller coaster going around a turn, great picture
roller coaster at night, lots of California colors
