My Adventures in Disneyland

     In my post From Alabama to Alaska to Anaheim I promised you a separate post all about our Disney portion of our vacation. Well dears, your wait is finally over!
     The original plan called for us to only spend one day at the Disneyland Resort, but as plans often do, something changed. Somehow during our journey, we got ahead of schedule and found ourselves with an extra day to spend wherever we desired. My mother (not me, believe it or not) made the suggestion that we spend it at Disneyland. It took very little arm twisting to get me to agree!
     For those of you who are not familiar with the Disneyland Resort, it is very different from it's Florida counterpart (Walt Disney World). Disneyland Resort only has two theme parks: Disneyland and Disney California Adventure. These parks are just steps away from each other, making it very easy to go back and forth between the two as you wish. We spent some time at both parks each day, and it was wonderful! Disneyland (the park) is also the only theme park Walt Disney saw through to completion, making it rich in Disney history. Being the Disney geek that I am, and such an admirer of Walt's, this history excited me more than any of the attractions ever could. I got to walk the same paths that Walt often walked in the wee hours of the morning in his house slippers. Now THAT was cool.



This sign is mounted above the gate that leads you into the Disneyland park.

The view from Main Street Train Station.

Our first Disneyland family photo!

One of the most famous photos ever captured of Walt Disney was taken in this very spot on the backside of Sleeping Beauty Castle. As soon as I knew we were going to Disneyland, I knew I wanted to recreate it. Absolutely inspirational and amazing moment for me.

 

This wooden Indian on Main Street has been there since the park opened in 1955. There isn't one in Walt Disney World.

Walt had a personal apartment above the firehouse in the park. He spent many nights there with his family. Now, a light is always kept burning in the upstairs window in his honor.

One of the things I love most about Disney: every little girl (and even us little girls at heart) is a princess. Too sweet!

This was taken on the Indiana Jones Adventure ride. Absolutely AWESOME!!

Pirates of the Caribbean was the last attraction Walt personally worked on. The Disneyland version is very different from the Disney World version. Personally, I think the Disneyland ride is far better.

This is the Court of Angels, a famous photo spot among Disney fan photographers. Sadly, this quiet area is being removed in the very near future to make way for a Club 33 expansion. I'm so glad I got the chance to photograph it before it's gone!

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh ride is so cute for the little ones! Or yes, even four grown adults :)

The Alice in Wonderland ride is something you can only ride at Disneyland. It is another classic Disney dark ride. These dark rides are extremely difficult to photograph, so I am very proud anytime I get any kind of decent shot.

You can't go to Disney without riding this! It is one of my all-time favorites! The Disneyland version is slightly different from the Disney World version, as it was recently updated to feature dolls depicting classic Disney characters.

Disneyland's Finding Nemo attraction uses the submarines from the old 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea ride. Love the bright yellow!

This is "Storytellers" statue at Disney California Adventure. It shows Walt and Mickey when Walt first arrived in Hollywood from Kansas City.

The crown jewel of the Disney California Adventure Park is Cars Land. Oh Em Gee. This place is unbelievable! You feel like you have really walked into the town of Radiator Springs!

Mater and Lightning McQueen drive up and down the street in Cars Land, just like they do in the films. And of course they stop to chat with fans!

As amazing as Cars Land is during the day, it's even better at night. All the buildings have neon just like in the movie, and when the sun goes down, the whole place lights up.

 

The biggest attraction in Cars Land is Radiator Springs Racers. This ride is Disney's latest and greatest. The audio animatronics of the cars is top of the line, absolutely stunning! And the ride itself...well, all I can say is you better hang on!

 

California Adventure also has lots of other great attractions. It's biggest thrill ride is California Screamin. This thing is the smoothest coaster I've ever been on. Mom and I loved it so much, we got off and got right back on.

This park also has one of Disney's newest dark rides: Journey of the Little Mermaid. I loved this one! So excited that Disney World now has one too!

Disneyland Resort has very few stage shows, but Aladdin is definitely a "can't miss." The sets, costumes, music, and actors were all absolutely brilliant!

 

California Adventure's nighttime entertainment is called World of Color. It features massive water fountains, water projection screens, and an amazing display of color all set to music of Disney films. It was amazing!

 

Can't forget a picture with my best pal!

 

     My first Disneyland adventure was an experience I'll never forget. I had high expectations, and I definitely wasn't disappointed. The whole place has a distinct Walt-ness about it that I've never experienced in any other Disney theme park. As someone who has looked up to and admired Walt Disney for my entire life, I must say, it was an absolute honor to be part of his magic kingdom.

     I hope you enjoyed scrolling through some of the images I captured, in Disneyland and all the other places we've visited. I couldn't have seen or done any of these things if not for all of you. Walt once said it takes people to make a dream a reality, and that's exactly what you're doing for me. I hope I can take all the inspiration I've gathered on my adventures and turn it into something all of you can enjoy and cherish. It's been an amazing 5 years, and we're just getting started!

 

 

To hear more about my first Disneyland adventure, visit my Disney blog Keys to the Magic Kingdom. There you can also find Disney vacation planning tips, and all my secrets to having the best Disney World trip ever. You can also find more of my travel photography (including Disney) on my Flickr page ImaginationPhotog. Prints of these images are available for purchase. Thanks for looking!

Ali & Tyler

From Alabama to Alaska to Anaheim

I'm sure you've all been wondering where I've been for the last three weeks. Normally, I wouldn't take that long of a vacation, but certain once in a lifetime opportunities just take a little longer than others. See, for the last 24 days or so I have been on just that kind of adventure.
I've mentioned many times before that my family and I love to travel. Every couple of years we take a road trip across the country. I could tell you story after story about all the amazing places and things we've seen just in the lower 48 states alone. But that just wasn't enough for us. Ever since we started these road trips (the first was when I was 11), we've had the goal of visiting every state in the USA. The lower 48 were easy enough. It only took about three trips to get all those checked off the list. The only ones left were Hawaii (which of course would require either an airplane or a boat), and Alaska...America's final frontier.
Driving to Alaska from Alabama is not really uncommon. We've had plenty of friends who have made the trek, and gave us great advice. Still, it's not the easiest of trips to make, and it was much more adventurous than anything we'd ever done before. My mom and husband spent months and months (almost a year I think) planning our journey.
A few months ago, we bought a pop-up camper specifically for this trip. There is only one road in or out of Alaska, and hotels are few and far between, so we all decided a house on wheels was just what we needed. That little 17-foot luxury of a pop-up (who we affectionately named "Elvis") has been home for the last month. And boy, the things we've seen with it!
Our entire trip took us almost 12,000 miles, across 16 states and 4 Canadian provinces. In addition to driving just about every road in Alaska, we made stops in places like Vancouver (where we visited the town where my favorite TV show "Once Upon A Time" is filmed), Crater Lake National Park in Oregon, the redwood forest in Northern California, Hearst Castle on historic Hwy 1 in California, San Francisco, and Disneyland (yeah, that one was especially for me :). I carried 3 cameras and took 3,882 between my dad and I. I've only begun to scratch the surface editing wise, but here's a peek into some of the things we saw....

This wooden bridge just outside Dawson Creek, BC, Canada is the only original bridge still in use along the Alaskan Highway.

In Watson Lake, Yukon, Canada, there is a place called The Sign Post Forest. It was started by a military man during construction of the Alaskan Highway. He and his friends were so homesick, they decided to build a sign post that listed all their hometowns (similar to the sign post on M*A*S*H). The idea grew and grew, and now almost everyone who drives the Alaskan Highway stops by and leaves a sign of their own. There were several from our area, and I had so much fun finding them. And yes, we left one too that proudly says, "Geraldine, Alabama: 3,305 miles."

Teslin Lake, Yukon, Canada. This is our home on wheels underneath a starry Canadian sky, just after we set up camp for the night.

A totem pole at sunrise in Teslin, Yukon, Canada.

Sunrise over Teslin Lake, Yukon, Canada.

This was the first snow-covered mountain we saw in Alaska. It's part of the Wrangell-St. Elias range. This is Mt. Drum, near Glennallen, Alaska.

Sunrise on the Wrangell-St. Elias range in Glennallen, Alaska.

Sunrise on the Wrangell-St. Elias range near Glennallen, Alaska.

Liberty Falls, on the road to Kennicott Mine, Alaska.

We drove 60 miles down a gravel road to see the abandoned Kennicott Mine. It was well worth the trip! Probably my favorite place in Alaska!

Kennicott Mine, Alaska

I can't remember exactly where this is, but I do know it's somewhere near Anchorage, Alaska.

Near Seward, Alaska

On the road between Delta Junction and Denali Park, Alaska.

We made it!

 

The Aurora Borealis over Teslin Lake, Yukon, Canada. It was very faint to the naked eye, but my camera was able to see it pretty well. I had to create a 3 minute exposure (meaning the shutter on the camera was open for 3 minutes) to be able to truly capture the colors.

The towns in rural Alaska and Canada make you feel like you've travelled back in time. Stewart, BC, Canada

This is a bear and wolf observation area during the salmon run. We were there at the end of the run, so we didn't get to see any bears here, but there were still plenty of gorgeous salmon! Hyder, Alaska

Our trek home took us near Vancouver, Canada, so I asked if we could spare an afternoon to stop by and see the real-life town of Storybrooke (Stevenson Village) where "Once Upon A Time" is filmed. We ate lunch at the Cannery Café (better known as Granny's Diner in the show), and walked up and down the streets seeing all the stores and buildings in their non-Storybrooke state. Whenever the show gets ready to film, crews come in and change all the signage on the buildings. A few places do leave their Storybrooke labels up all the time though. Like the bread store and pet shelter (which by the way isn't really a pet shelter lol).

Sunrise over Crater Lake National Park, Oregon.

Our stop in San Francisco was so that I could see the Walt Disney Family Museum. Walt's daughter, Diane, opened the museum just a few years ago as a way to honor her dad. We got to see some amazing Disney family artifacts, including Walt's very own 1/8 scale steam train that he ran in his backyard.

On our way home, we travelled down the coast of California on the historic Highway 1. We came across this lighthouse during the best early morning light (what photographers call "golden hour").

Waves crashing on the California coast on Hwy 1.

There is a section on the coast along Hwy 1 (near Hearst Castle) where elephant seals gather. There were hundreds on the beach!

Now I bet you're wondering, where are the Disneyland photos?? Those of you that know me at all know that it was easily my favorite part of the trip. I'll be posting those photos in a separate post with a brief report of our very first visit. Until then, I'm back to work, so give me a call to schedule your next session! (And be looking for info on Christmas mini sessions! We will start booking time slots very soon!)