Day 8 of our Big West Adventure

Today was our last day in California, and we celebrated with a trip to Disney's California Adventure Park! We decided to go there on the spur of the moment after my morning conference sessions and I am so glad we did. I did not know anything about the park before we went (and kept losing the map even when we were there) so I had no expectations. Will and Annika said they would give it a thumbs up, but Daniel and I would each give it TWO thumbs up. :) 

Arriving at the park! 

First stop: Wilderness Explorer Camp! There were lots of fun "playground" type activities to do. Daniel really enjoyed the rope swing (like a zip line that you sit on).

The bridges were very "bouncy" and a lot of fun.

Cargo nets!

Tunnel slides to go down, in which you either had to "hoot" or "holler" when you were inside.

Rock climbing!

We then headed over to Goofy's Flying School! This is a roller coaster with a lot of twists and turns. (In fact, Daniel later rode it TWO MORE times since he thought it was so awesome.)

Ready to go! Annika was a little more apprehensive. ;)

Daniel was full of exuberance.

At the end. This picture cracks me up. :)

Jumpin' Jellyfish. This was a cool ride in which you very gently bounced up and down.

We all enjoyed the views from up high.

Daniel and Will braved the Silly Symphony Swings.

Daniel loved this one, too. I am sensing a pattern. :)

Meanwhile, Annika and I went on the giant Ferris Wheel! We opted for the "non-swinging" gondola cars since the line was shorter, but I am glad that we did because the swinging ones looked much less relaxing.

View from going around.

Some great views of the park and beyond from up high.

Daniel's insane luck with carnival games continues and he won a giant Goofy on the first try in the fishing game.

I somehow won a Woody doll in a horse race that I think was rigged. I gave it to Annika so that she would have a toy, which caused much sadness for Daniel. ;)

The before shot of the Grizzly River Run! This is a lot like Fury of the Nile at World's of Fun, aka a whitewater rafting-type ride.

It's hard to see in this picture, but we all got DRENCHED!

Next stop: A Bug's Land!This area/theme of the park had a lot of smaller rides designed more for younger riders, but we all enjoyed them.

The Chew Chew Train! (Hardy har har.)

 This was the Drive 'Em Buggies, which are like bumper cars.

Daniel drove in his car with Will.

Annika drove and I got to be a passenger.

At the Ladybug Boogie. This is a spinning ride that I am sure was super tame but still made me nauseous. :)

Flik's Flyers!

Any guesses on who was the biggest fan of this ride?? :)

Hollywood Land!

The Monsters, Inc. ride! We rode around on taxis and saw a show enfolding about Mike and Sully coming to the rescue.

After grabbing some dinner, we split up for a while so that the kids could do what they wanted for a little bit. Will and Daniel continually rode the Goofy roller coaster. Meanwhile, Annika and I checked out Ariel's Undersea Adventure.

This is an indoor ride in which you ride along in "seashells" on a continuously moving loop and see the Little Mermaid story unfold.

Next stop: Going to the Muppet Vision 3D show!

They even had the Muppet critics, Statler and Waldorf, in the theatre balcony.

The Sorcerer's Workshop! This was full of interactive-ish exhibits on animation.

Then, it was time to meet back up for the Soarin' Over California ride!

Annika had a ball getting soaked by the misters while we waited.

It was dark inside so these pictures are hard to see, but it was a simulator ride which, in the succinct words of Wikipedia, employs a "mechanical lift system" that lifts you up and then shows "a film presentation on a large concave screen." Essentially, it shows lots of images and scenes from California, with the feeling that you are flying over everything.

WE ALL LOVED IT!!!! I cannot say enough good things about this ride. Annika, Daniel and I all chose it as our favorite ride in the park. It is at Epcot also (although we never had seen it there) and I would HIGHLY recommend it if you are ever in either park.

Cars Land! It was dark by this time, but there is a giant old-style sign that says "Welcome to Cars Land."

The whole main street is designed to look like Radiator Springs.

Our final ride of the night was in Cars Land: Luigi's Flying Tires. It was like being in a "human air hockey," where you ride around in inflatable tires. The whole surface floor has large pockets of air shooting up. To move and turn the inflatable tire, you have to lean together.

It was dark here, too, but Daniel and Will are blurry in kind of the middle of the picture. It was something that none of us had ever experienced and we all loved it!

Overall, despite not knowing what to expect, I would highly recommend Disney's California Adventure Park if you are ever in the area. Magical day!