Missing an old Friend

What’s up everyone?

Serenity on the rocks

It’s been awhile since I have posted and once again I have to apologize for it.  It becoming a habit that we’re gonna have to break.  Weather, that won’t make up its mind, and crazy work schedules have left us guarding the homestead instead of adventuring out into the great wilderness.  This has created a slight void in what we have talk about.  With Spring finally here, hopefully the weather will upturn for the better and we’ll finally be able to enjoy the outdoors once more.  With that all said let get back to this weeks post.

As I stated above, winter is over and spring is taking its place.  During this time of year, my thought tend to fall upon one of my favorite holidays, Easter.  Not necessarily Easter itself, even thought I enjoy the holiday, but the week leading up to Easter.

Every year during the week of Easter, the small little town of Moab, Utah fills to the brim with Jeepers and four-wheel drive enthusiasts.  Moab is the host of the annual Moab Easter Jeep Safari.  It has been this way since it was conceived in 1967 in an attempt to bring in more tourists and believe me it work.  My family has been participating in the Safari since ’89, that almost thirty years in the off road game.  Its hard for me to picture an Easter before we started going there.  I have watched the Safari grow and grow without any stopping in sight.  Which is awesome to see.  Like mind people being able to share and enjoy in an activity that they love.  Passing the time telling stories of their adventures or just talking about the upgrades of their rigs.

Courtesy of Route to Adventure

Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to participate in the Safari in some time now.  In the past it hadn’t bothered me all that much, but for some reason this year it has really been bringing me down.  It could be that it was one of our family traditions that I looked forward to every year or maybe I’m just suffering from a bad case of cabin fever and I really need to get out of this house.  STUPID WEATHER!

I think its probably seeing all these Jeeps running around here and it’s making me miss mine.  When we decided to move out to the Chicagoland area we elected to leave it in Salt Lake.  To be honest, I didn’t want to drive it all the way out here.  It might have been a mistake on my part to leave it behind but it made sense to me at the time.  Some of you may or may not know, but Illinois is fairly flat with nothing that I would consider worthy of using four wheel drive on.  I am still relatively new to the area and not too familiar with what is possibly around us in terms of play areas for off roading.  I did recently found out that there is a Jeep or 4x4  club out here.  I haven’t had a chance to look into them yet to find out what they are all about, but hopefully I will be able to contact them and get more information on where to play in our new home.  I’ll have to keep you guys up to date on that if it and when that develops.

I have made a new friend out here, that has be hounding me to bring my Jeep out here.  He is a fellow enthusiast and has started a Blazer project of his own.  He is fairly new to the off road game and he is always asking me question about my rig and excited to hear my opinions on the subject.  I find it funny that whenever we get together our conversation, regardless of what we are talking about, eventually lead to off roading.  I know his wife has had enough of it, since every time we talk he gets more excited about it and wants to work on his project to get it going.  I think that its refreshing for him to be able to talk to someone that has the experience that I have.  I’m not an expert in any way, I just want to make that clear, but I do know a few things.

Courtesy of jeep.com

In response to my friends hounding, I’ve been toying with the idea of getting a new Jeep.  I have really fallen in love with the new design of the 2018 Wrangler.  It would have to be the Unlimited Rubicon though.  There is a high probability that our little family unit will be expanding and having the 4 doors of the Unlimited would be a must have.  With the Rubicon variation it would save on upgrades in the future.  The more I toy with the idea the more I’m not sure I can do it.  Buying a new Jeep would mean that I would have to sell my old one.  I’m not sure if I quite ready to do that yet.  I’ve had a lot of good times and awesome adventures in her.  It would be like getting rid of a family member.  An end of an era.  Either way, I don’t have to make that decision now and it is always nice to dream about what could be.

Wherever your travels may take you this Easter Holiday season, I hope that you have a safe and wonderful time.  Enjoy the traditions that you have created and enjoy the company that you keep

From our family to yours.  Happy Easter!  Until next time.

Josh and Erin

Snowed In

What’s up everyone body?

I have to apologize for our brief hiatus.  It has been kind of wild out here in the Chicagoland area.  We have been dealing with crazy winter weather.  Over the past weekend we have received over 10 inches of snow and it is still falling.  This weather has limited our adventures to our couch and watching tv.  Sad, I know, but sometimes you have to take one for the team.  I’m sure there are plenty of you out there that are saying the weather shouldn’t be an excuse.  It just adds to the experience.  98 percent of the time I would agree with you.  

Several years back, a group of us decided to go on a night run.  It had been snowing the previous day, but we didn’t care.  We threw on some warm close and packed up our Jeeps and head to a local off-road play area, that was about an hour from where we lived.  We played around for some time and once we had our fill of the excitement we headed home.  I had my fill after getting stuck in some deep snow and had to get winched out.  Not my best moment, not even by a long shot.  So I’m no stranger to adventuring in the snow, but you have to realize when it’s worth it and when it’s not.  When the temps have fallen well below freezing and visibility is limited,  sometimes it’s best to stay home and enjoy yourself from the comfort of the couch.

Well at least one good thing came out of being snowed in.  I was able to sit down and start trying to plan out our adventures for this year.  After scouring over the internet I’ve come up with the top ten things I would like to see this year.  I’ve divided them into two groups of five: Local (within an hour drive) and Non-local (more than an hour).  I will have to say that most of these will have to wait until it gets a little warmer but that’s ok.

Local:

1. Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore:

Courtesy of nps.gov

This one is a little more than my hour time limit, but I’ll let it slide.  Just across the border sits Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore near the town of Porter.  This National Lakeshore is composed of 15 miles of shoreline on the southern tip of Lake Michigan.  You can explore 50 miles of hiking trails that will take you through sandy dunes, forests and wetlands.

2)  Chicagoland Speedway:

I’ve been a fan of racing since I was little.  It started out watching local races at a little local track.  As I grew up I became a fan of NASCAR.  We didn’t have a major tack close enough to us to actually see them in action, until they built Las Vegas Motor Speedway that is.  It still took us about 6 hours to get there though, but now Chicagoland is just down the street from me.  About 15 miles away, that is, and it’s been several years since I actually seen a NASCAR race is person.  It’s about time I go.  Overton’s 400 at Chicagoland will be over the weekend of July 1st.  Hope to see you there.

3)  Six Flags Great America:

Ahh yes, the exhilaration of thrill rides.  I will admit that I am one that loves rollercoaster and thrill rides in general.  If it will get my heart pumping then I’m in.  Six Flags has always been known for it rides and Great America has its share of them.  Located in Gurnee, Illinois about 25 miles north of Chicago.  Locals have told me that it worth the trip and its pretty fun.  When it gets warmer we’ll have to find out.

4)  The Field Museum:

Courtesy of adlerplanetarium.org

With so many different museums in Chicago it is hard to narrow on down.  I could probably make a top ten list just for the museums, but the top of my list would still be the Field Museum.  Originally known by the Columbian Museum of Chicago, it has been around since 1893.  The Field Museum has dedicated its existence in the pursuit of scientific world.  Which sound right up my alley.  I have always been fascinated with the natural world and learning about it.  This definitely someplace I will have to make it to.

5)  Adler Planetarium:

This one was a toss up between Shedd Aquarium and Adler Planetarium.  I’m a fan of both subjects, but in the end I’m a astronomer at heart.  The universe has been one of my favorite things to study for as long as I can remember.  I have several books on the subject.  We had a small planetarium back in Salt Lake that I enjoyed going to as a child.  It will be interesting to see what a big city planetarium would be like to explore.

Non-Local:

Courtesy of nps.gov

1. Mammoth Cave National Park:

Mammoth Cave has been on my radar for along time now, even before we moved to the Midwest.  It’s a place that I have always wanted to see.  We had a trip planned last year and two days before we planned on leaving our pup got sick and we had to cancel our trip to take tcare of him.  I will get there one day.

Located not to far from Cave City, Kentucky.  Mammoth Cave is the longest known cave system in the world.  It boast over 400 miles of explored caverns.  I’m sure there is more to be discovered.  There is more to the park then just the cave.  The Green River runs through the area lending to many water related activities.  Several hiking trail make their way through the rolling hills and forested areas within the park.

2) Effigy Mounds National Monument:

This is another place that is run by the National Park Service.  I happened to stumble upon this monument not to long after we moved to the Chicagoland area.  I was doing some research on what there was to do around here and found this little gem.

Located near Harper’s Ferry, Iowa and overlooks part our f the Mississippi River Valley.  The mounds were built by ancient peoples.  The 200 mounds in the monument are considered sacred to many Native American Tribes.  The monument works with 20 tribes to maintain it cultural and spiritual nature.  There have been many speculations about why the mounds were built most are based on local legends and some archeology.  While there take a minute to ponder on their meaning and enjoy.

3)  Garden of the Gods:

Not to be confused with the one out in Colorado.  This one is located in the Shawnee National Forest in southern Illinois.  3,318 acres has been set aside, designated as wilderness area.  As you traverse the 5.5 miles of interconnected trails, you will be awe struck by the stunning rock formations that were sculpted by the wind and rain over millennia of erosion.

Courtesy: longhollowcanopytours.com

4)  Wisconsin Dells:

As the name implies, the city of Wisconsin Dells is located in Wisconsin.  The city is known as the the water park capital of the world.  As the website states “home to more water parks per capita than anywhere on the planet and the biggest, fastest, and wettest water rides and slides in the world.”  I have never been too keen on water parks but this place sound pretty fun.  Everybody that I have talked to say you have to go.  We’ll just have to see if it’s worth the hype.  If water attractions are not your bag, don’t fret for the town has plenty of other attractions that will keep you entertained.

5) Long Hollow Canopy Tours:

I have to admit, this one is more for me than Erin.  She’s not to fond of height and will have to take some convincing to get her to go.  I think I can get her to go though.  I mean who doesn’t want to go flying through the trees at 40 miles an hour.  Located in Elizabeth, Illinois.  The staff at Long Hollow will take you on a 2 and a half hour tour through the tree canopy.  The tour consist of 6 zip lines of varying lengths and heights over the forest floor.

These are some of the place that we would like to see.  I don’t know if we will be able to see them all but we’ll do are best.

As always thanks for stopping by.  Until next time

Josh

Petersen's Automotive Museum

What’s up everyone?

A long time ago in the not too distant past, my father bought a white 1975 Corvette.  I was about 5 years old at the time, but there was something about that car.  I don’t know if it was the flow of the lines, the pop out lights or maybe the t-top roof.  I don’t know but there was something about that car that made me fall in love with it.  This is where my love affair for Vettes and appreciation for cars in general started.  Cars have always been part of my life growing up.  Autoramas and new car shows were an annual tradition for us.  When I was younger I really didn’t like working on cars, even though my dad tried to teach me.  Come to find out it was just my learning style that made me that not interested in learning.  I’m a hands on learner.  I don’t like to be told how to do.  It wasn’t until I got my first car and I had to work on it get it the way I wanted it.  Looking back I wish I had paid a little more attention to what my dad was teaching me.  Needless to say I still have a love of cars.  New and old.

Whether you consider yourself a car person or not, as long as you have a love for cars I have a place for you.  The Petersen’s Automotive Museum is located in Los Angeles’ Miracle Mile on Museum Row.  The museum was founded in 1994 by the magazine publisher Robert E. and Margie Petersen.  It’s currently owned and operated by the Petersen’s Automotive Museum Foundation.  It was originally housed in the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles.  Later it would move to its current location within an old Ohrbach’s Department Store.  This location was chosen by the Petersens mostly do to the buildings lack of windows.  As many of us can attest, over exposer of sunlight can have damaging effects, so having a building that was virtually windowless made for an ideal museum location.

The museum stayed relatively the same until 2015 when it underwent a $125 million overhaul.  The most striking feature of the remodel was on the exterior.  Kohn Pedersen Fox was commissioned to design a new facade for the building.  What he came up with was a striking and bold.  The building became a deep vibrant red and was overlaid with 14 gauge stainless steel that was cut to resemble ribbons blowing in the wind.  It is truly an awe inspiring to behold.  Its gotta suck to keep it clean though.

The interior of the building was designed by The Scenic Route.  It was design to ease the ever changing exhibits.  On any given day, there are over 100 cars and motorcycles on display in the 25 different galleries.  The museum is separated by its three floors.  Each floor has its own concept.

When you go there the staff suggest that you start on the third floor and work your way down.  The history of the automobile is the concept for the third floor.  I have to say this was my favorite part of the museum.  The other floor were still awesome though.  Here you can find all kinds really cool cars.  Every display has a plaque that gives you a load of information about the car.  The usual make, model, and year but it gives you more then that.  It also includes whether it was production or custom one of a kind and price point (original off the lot and current value).

You might be thinking to yourself; If Petersen’s is located so close to Hollywood, do they have any famous movie cars?  We’ll you would be in luck.  The have a whole gallery dedicate to some of Hollywood favorite cars.  This section is hands down my favorite part of the whole museum.  Some of them you might recognize: Magnum P.I. Ferrari, Thelma and Louise Thunderbird and let’s not forget Herbie the Love Bug.  It also has two of my all time favorites: Doc Brown’s Delorean from Back to the Future, with working flux capacitor, and my favorite incarnation of the Batmobile, from Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman film.

The second floor is dedicated to racing and automotive engineering.  In this area there are several interactive displays demonstrating the different aspect of what makes a car work.  There are even some for the kiddies to play with.  As you would suspect there are a lot of high performance sports cars on display.  Even our friendly racer Lightning McQueen, from Disney Pixar’s Cars franchise, makes an appearance.  As we continued on we came across the electric car exhibit.  I never really put much time or thought into it but, for the most part, I figured that gas-electric hybrids were more of a recent development.  To my surprise they actually date back to the early1900’s.  On display is a gas-electric hybrid that was built in 1914.  I guess they have always been trying to get that electric car right from the beginning.

The star of the second floor, at least during the time we were there, was the Seeing Red exhibit.  In this gallery sat cars from Ferrari racing history.  Over a 100 million dollars alone sitting in this one section of the museum.  What i wouldn’t do for just one hour in one of these red beauties.

The first floor is dedicated to the artistic side of automobiles.  Usually focusing on extravagant and over the top designs.  While we were there, there were only two exhibits on tap.  The first focused on the low-rider culture.  To be honest, I have never been to fond of low-riders but I will have to say that the owners usually take great care when it comes to their vehicles.  Most were painted with immaculate patterns and decked out in chrome.  Each and everyone was beautiful done and very pleasing to behold.

The second exhibit focused on the Bugatti.  I have heard the name but never really new too much about them so I found this exhibit intriguing.  Ettore Bugatti, the designer and founder of the Bugatti, came from a long family line of artists, sculptures and jewelers.  He definitely had an eye for design.  In 1898 he built his first concept car, the Bugatti Type 1.  This started Bugattis history of luxurious design, advanced tech, and blinding speed.  Each one that we walk by seemed like they were new than what the plaques told us.  Very impressive for the time and age.  Made me want to get one.  Maybe in my dreams.

There is a top secret basement and for those that are willing to pay for the extra tour and meet the age requirement, physical not mental, will have access to it.  We did not take this tour, even though I would have loved to.  From my understanding, the basement is where they keep all the rest of the museums collection of car that are not currently on display.  One day I will see it…..one day.

The Petersen’s Automotive Museum is any car persons dream.  It was fun to be able to get up close to cars that in most cases I would only see in magazines or on T.V.  With their vast collection and rotating exhibits, you’ll definitely want to be a repeat museum goer.

I hope that you enjoyed this small glimpse into Petersen’s and I have inspired you to go see it.  If you would like to see more pictures of the cars or any of our other adventures be sure to checkout us out on our Facebook page.

Until next time.  Thanks for stopping by.

Josh

Going California Dutch!

What’s up everyone?

What comes to mind when you think of California: Hollywood glamour, warm weather, sandy beaches with half naked people running in the ocean, over crowded streets, smog, Disneyland?  I could go on and on.  Yeah, these things definitely come to mind when thinking about California but that’s not always the case with me.  I think of myself as a amateur historian, I guess I can call myself that, so I tend to look back farther into the past than most people do.  I picture Zorro running around the California countryside cause trouble for the Mexican powers to be and becoming a hero for the masses.  Zorro May or may not have been a real person but you can’t deny the influence that Spain and later Mexico had on California.  Just look at the names of most of the cities.  They tend to be Spanish in origin.  But there’s a small town not to far from Santa Barbara that has a slightly different origin story from that of its Spanish neighbors and that’s the sleepy little Danish town of Solvang.

In the later part of the 1800s Denmark was suffering from a poor economy.  With no foreseeable upturn insight many Danes began to migrate out of Denmark.  Some chose to stay within Europe but many headed for the U.S. to start their new lives.  At the time the most desired location were: Illinois, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota and Utah.  There were those that did not want to have to deal with the cold winter that those states had to offer.  Boom!....let’s head to the the sunny west coast of the newly acquired California territory.  Late 1800s, early 1900’s Danish settlers started to flow into the Santa Ynez Valley and in 1911 Solvang was established.

Today the town is flooded by tourist coming to experience the Danish charm of this little community.  Many of the buildings near the center of town have been built in the Danish architectural style.  Bakeries, shops, and restaurants line the streets.  Many of Denmark’s landmarks have been recreated.  A scaled down version of Copenhagen’s Rundetårn or Round Tower (for us English speaking folks) and a replica of the Little Mermaid Statue.  There is also a tribute to the Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen.

We had a wonderful time exploring the town.  There are a lot of cool shops to fit everyone’s taste.  I would have to recommend stopping into the clock shop.  I don’t remember the name of it but you can find any style of clock that you can think of.  From standard to cuckoo, they have them all.  Everyone in my family has walked out of that shop with a one and in some cases two.  Next to the clock shop is an oil shop.  This is another shop that I would suggest stop by.  Here you can find a variety of infused olive oils and vinegars.  Anyone will add an interesting flare to your next meal.  Sweets!  Sweets galore.  I can’t describe the numerous decadence that can be found around town.  All the bake goods look and smelled good.  There were too many option to choose from.  In the end I went with something simple, I tried some freshly baked butter cookies and they were most excellent.  Ten times better than anything I found in stores.  Unfortunately I didn’t try anything else, which was probably a good thing. Don’t wanna ruin my girlish figure, if ya’know what I’m sayin’.

After all the fun of shopping we decide to stop for lunch.  They have the usual fast food places but we wanted something a little more authentic to eat.  We grabbed our town guide and look at the map to see if anything would pop out.  After a few minutes of back and forth, we decided on The Mustard Seed Restaurant.  The Mustard Seed is a quaint little place with a very homey atmosphere.  The service was great and they seemed to really enjoy having us there.  The menu is full of Danish delicacies and for those less adventure some standard American dishes.  Most of us went with the more adventurous route.  Everything was good and cooked the way we liked it.  After lunch we had one last that we all wanted to see.

Even in this modern town, the old Spanish influence can still be felt.  Not far from the city center lies the Old Mission Santa Ines.  The Mission was founded in 1804 by the Franciscan monk Father Estevan Tapis.  Spain built many missions throughout California to covert the Native Americans.  Santa Inés was built to help easy the overcrowding of Mission Santa Barbara and Mission La Purisima Concepcion.  The Mission has had its fair share of hard times.  In 1812 the church was mostly destroyed by an earthquake that hit near Santa Barbara, but was rebuilt with thicker walls to make it sturdier.  During the Chumash Revolt of 1824, a blaze was set in the church.  The fire nearly destroying the complex once again.  

You can still attend mass at the Mission at select times throughout the week.  The other big draw to the Mission is the self guide tour.  Oddly enough, you start off from the gift shop and work your way though the Mission and grounds.  As you make you way you will learn the history and see many artifact.  I have always found it interesting to see churches and other places of worship, especially those that have a lot of history.  It was very peaceful and serene to sit in one of the pews and take it all in.

We had a lot of fun exploring Solvang and learning about its history.  Through out the year Solvang host many events, so there is always something to do.  If your just passing through, stop and have a pastry or two and enjoy the California sun.  You will not be disappointed.

Until next time.  Thanks for stopping by.

Josh.

After completing this post, once again California had been struct by disaster.  Our heart and thoughts go out to all those that were affected by the mudslides in Santa Barbara and it surrounding communities.

A Look Back at 2017

Happy New Year everyone!

We have crossed out the last day on our 2017 calendar.  Like many of you, we celebrated the new year with close friends, good food, and plenty of cheer to go around.  As we sit here waiting to watch the ball descend on Time Square, I can’t help but look back on the events that made up 2017.

What a crazy year it has been.  Donald Trump was inaugurated to become our 45th president.  Britain’s exit from the European Union.  World leaders being ousted from their political thrones.  Along with many other political events.  The many sexual misconduct accusation against several high profile actors and producers. And we can’t forget the many natural disaster that have occurred.  Hurricane Harvey, Irma, and Maria devastating Puerto Rico, the Caribbean, and the Southern U.S. and something that effected my family, the wild fires that plagued the Western U.S.  With tragedy comes triumph, as humanity put its best foot forward to help their fellow man and to the many woman that stood up to say that they would no longer be the victims.  As I said, what a crazy year it has been.

It has been bit more quite for us here at the Adventure Diaries.  Our year was full of small victories and big adventure.  Many of those things we have been happy to share with you.  I’ve found me a new job after looking for over a year and Erin has excelled at hers.  We didn’t have any major trips this year but we were able to explore more of Illinois outside of Chicagoland.  That doesn’t mean that we didn’t get out.  We were able to spend sometime with family out in Utah and California.

I would have to say that my favorite adventure that we had this year is when we went back to Utah for my sister-in-laws graduation.  It wasn’t anything fancy but we were able to spend a lot of time with our families.  The first part of the week was spent out in the Utah wilderness driving around in our side by sides.  If you have learned anything about me from this blog its that I love to be out in the woods.  Especially if we’re in our Jeeps or on atvs.  We haven’t really had time to find good places to camp in Illinois.  A few of our friends have recommended some places but with our limited free time it’s been hard to research and go.  Hopefully that will change with the new year.  The rest of the week was low key as we hung out with the family and visited old friends and our old haunts.  This shows that your adventures don’t have to extravagant to be worth wild.  Even the simplest adventure can have the biggest impact.

But if we want to talk about extravagant adventures we’ll talk about Erin’s favorite adventure.  Erin was lucky enough to be accepted into a training program through her work.  This training happened to be a world wide program and the first place they went......Sweden.  I will give Erin a chance to tell you what made this trip so special.

Going to Sweden has been a dream of mine since starting with IKEA over 6 years ago. It’s not just the birthplace of my favorite store but also a huge inspiration for design and style. My absolutely unforgettable highlights we’re going to IKEA in Almhult, visiting IKEA headquarters, going to the IKEA museum and staying at the IKEA Hotel. Meeting people from all over the world with the same level and passion for design and IKEA was simply divine. I often had to rub my eyes and think to myself this must be a dream! I soaked up every moment and took enough photos to always remember this once in a lifetime experience. Now to find a way to go back so I can add to my suitcase worth of a dhala horse collection! 

Like many of you, I have a resolution for this year.  Nothings too outlandish, even though I should make one to slim down a bit, but something simple.  Try to make 2018 better than 2017.  I know simple, that may not be as easy as I make it sound.  We had a lot of fun this past year.  We already have some exciting adventure on our calendar, which we have been planning for sometime.  Which I can’t really talk about right now.  No spoilers here, I don’t want to ruin any of the surprises.  We’ve also been trying to figure out what else to do this year.  There are so many thing that we would like to do but not enough time to do them.  Thats always the hardest part,  Whatever may come our way, we are excited to continue to share our adventure with you and hopefully inspire you to find your own.

Heres to a New Year and New Adventures!

Until next time. Thanks for stopping by.

Josh and Erin

A California Christmas Experience

Happy Holidays everyone!

Well it’s been pretty crazy for us here at the Adventure Diaries.  It seems like we’ve been running around like mad here and there.  We’ve been so busy that we haven’t even had time to put up our Christmas Tree.  Some decoration have gone up though, not enough to show our pride for this joyous season. But hey, that’s okay!  The Christmas Spirit is definitely in the air.  A chill in the air with flurries of snow.  Lights have been strung upon homes and businesses.  Holiday shopper running around like crazy, trying to find the perfect gifts for their loved ones.  And of course, people out and about buying Christmas trees in their shorts.  Wait!......What?   Yeah you read that right.  Once again, we have packed our bags and head to the golden coast of California.  Erin was even able to make it out this time, lucky girl.

Whenever I think of Christmas time, I always picture snow and cooler temperatures.  That’s what you see in almost every Christmas movie as well.  It’s strange to me to think of it any other way.  I sometimes forget that the rest of this country, during the winter that is, has a different climate than what I’m used to.  Spending a few days California gave us an opportunity to experience Christmas in a different way.

The first day we found ourselves exploring Universal Studios.  We were lucky enough to visit last year, around the same.  I feel that they had stepped up their decorating game compared to the following year.  It is possible that they had not completed their set up, but I think that was unlikely.

The CityWalk was a blaze with lights and standing tall, front and center, was a giant tree. Fully decorated and lit.  Truly a sight to be seen.  Here you could get your picture taken with the jolly fat man himself.  No I’m not talking about your old Uncle Chuck, but Santa.  At night the area surrounding the tree turned into a dance floor as Dj’s and bands played for the crowd. Even King Kong donned his favorite Santa hat to feel the spirit.

As you approach the entrance of Universal Studios, you are greeted with a picture of the Grinch.  For here they celebrate Grinchmas, an homage to Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas.  Also the live action film that Universal put out in 2000, which starred Jim Carey.  Part of the set can still be seen during the Backlot Tour.  The streets and building are lined with lights and garland. Along with other Christmas themed decorations.  Just behind the Universal Box Office in the Universal Plaza sits a 60 foot Who inspired tree.  Throughout December, on select days, you can get your picture taken with the Grinch and Max and spectate the lighting of the tree.  If that doesn’t fit your fancy, then you can break it down with the beat box stylings of the Wholiday Singers or listen to Martha May Who-vier perform her holiday revue before settling down with Cindy Lou Who for story time.

We had a lot of fun running around Universal.  Even though it was busy, it did not feel that crowded.  We were able to ride all the rides and see all the attractions that we had wanted to.  My favorite part of the day happened right before we left the park.  During the last hour, or so, before the park closed in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter they put on a light show.  Using the Hogwarts Castle as a back drop, they project images upon it.  With characters flying around the castle casting spells and creating beautiful imagery.  I now that I’m not giving it justice trying to explain it, but none the less it was a really cool show.

The Following day we went to the happiest place on Earth, well depending on who you ask that is, Disneyland.  As always the Magic Kingdom was in full Christmas spirit.  Several trees decorated in different styles fill both California Adventure and Disneyland.  The streets and shops are all decorated and ready to spread the cheer.  The Haunted Mansion has been taken over by Jack Skellington and his misfits of Halloween Town.  Nightmare Before Christmas Y’all! If you didn’t know what I’m taking about.  And we can’t forget Cinderella’s Castle, capped with snow and lights.  Really a wonderful and magical site to behold once the sun goes down.

I have always enjoyed going to Disneyland.  From the first time to the most recent, I have always found it fun.  Even with my dislike of crowds, there is some sort of “magic” that keeps my anxiety at bay.  Most of the time that is.  Sometimes it rears its ugly head and I have to take a moment to cool down.  You do what you have to. Right?  Even though it was crowd, we did get to ride most of the rides.  I feel that you need more than one day to really experience the parks.  We did get to ride the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.  An attraction that I haven’t rode since I was little.  It was either broken or under construction, so finally getting to ride it became one of my highlights.  We could always use more time but all in all it was a wonderful trip can’t wait to visit the Magic Kingdom again and you to California Adventure.

One of our tradition we had when we lived back in Utah was checking out Christmas lights.  We had several notable places that had elaborated decorations put up every year that we, and many others, had to see.  So when my wonderful sister-in-law Misty had heard about a neighborhood that was known for their decoration, we knew we had to take a gander.  We load up the car and went on our merry way.  This is were it became a little weird for us.  We are used to looking at lights all bundled up in our winter clothes and viewing them from the warmth of our cars.  We would never think about getting out and walking around, but thats exactly what we did.  Not only that but we did it in short sleeve shirts and no coats, except for those goofy Californians who think that anything below 60 degrees is cold. Ha Ha Just kidding California.  There was even a few people walking around in shorts.  It was definitely a fun and unusual experience.  One that most likely wont happen for a very long time.

This was one of our lost hoorays in California for awhile.  It was awesome to see the family and share some of the Christmas Spirit that California had to offer.  It will always be strange, to me, to have 80 degree weather and no snow in December.  Everyone has there idea of what Christmas looks like.  Whatever that looks like to you, I hope that you enjoy it.

From all of here at the Adventure Diaries.  Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.

As always, Thanks for stopping by.  Until next time.

Josh and Erin